“Let. Me. Go!” Rainbow Dash yelled, fighting against the magic hold I had on her.” I’ll put my dress on later!”

“Would you rather have Rarity come get you?” I grumbled with a flat stare, finding her futile flailing annoying.

“But we don’t have to leave for hours!” Rainbow groaned as she finally submitted to her capture. “Come on big guy, I thought we were friends.”

“And that’s why I’m doing this,” I chuckled while continuing towards the target. “A friend, helping a friend, so that another friend doesn’t hunt them down in a slightly feral state.”

“Oh, come on, she can’t be that bad?” Rainbow chuckled as the boutique came into view.

“Really, that’s what you think?” I asked while walking up to the front door. Even from outside, I could hear a slight commotion occurring inside. “You weren’t there this morning when she broke into my house with hair curlers, face cream and a cosmetic set.”

“We all knew how much she was preparing herself for this,” Rainbow shrugged as she inspected her hoof non-shalantly.

“She brought that stuff for me,” I replied, opening the door and walking in.

“Finally!” a mass of makeup and curlers shouted as Rainbow Dash was ripped from my grip by white hooves. “We only have eight hours until we have to leave!”

“And I’ll see you all in six,” I replied as I made to leave while the getting was good.

“If we’re not leaving, neither are you,” Twilight replied as she blocked my path with a scowl, her mane in curlers and half her face covered in green gunk.

“Come on you,” Applejack voice rang out before a rope wrapped around my waist and pulled me into the middle of the group.

“This is like the start of a horror movie,” I said as I looked around at everyone in their prep. “Or the start of a bad chick flick.”

“There aint no way yer talkin’ yer way outta this one, sugarcube,” Applejack said as she pulled the rope off me.

“Oh, this is so exciting,” Fluttershy chirped, wearing almost no mascara and only a single curler on her bangs. “I can’t wait to see all the cute little animals.”

“And I’m sure they can’t wait to see you,” I smiled, a part of me wishing that I could at least tell her something.

“Chris…Chris… wake up,” a familiar voice echoes through my head, rousing me from my nap.

“Huh, wha…?” I blubbered, sitting up on Rarity’s bed, having snuck into her room when no one was looking a few hours ago.

“You need to get changed,” Spike said as he stood in front of me, dressed in his tuxedo top but without a tie. “We’re leaving soon.”

“Oh… right,” I yawned as I stood up and stretched, earning a few cracks from my back. “Get outta here for a moment so I can change, then I’ll help you with your tie.”

“O-okay,” Spike stuttered as he quickly left the room for a few minutes so I could get changed.

“Alright, you can come back in,” I called out as I finished tucking in my own tie.

A quick look in a nearby mirror confirmed that the white suit was properly put on and that there weren’t any smuggles on the white or gold portions.

“That was fast,” Spike said as he entered the room. “That wasn’t even ten minutes to put on a whole suit.”

“Learned the art of fast dressing back in boot camp,” I replied while taking a knee and waving him closer. “I’ll show you some tips another time, but let’s get that tie done first.”

“Okay,” Spike replied as he walked over and handed me the red tie.

“So, how’s school?” I asked as I began to work. “Any better than how it was back in Canterlot?”

“Way better,” Spike smiled as he watched. “I already know a lot of what Ms. Cheerilee is teaching, but she has us do fun projects and its nice talking to others besides Twilight.”

“That’s good to hear,” I smiled as I finished tucking in the tie for him.

“So, how do you think tonight’s going to go?” Spike asked as I stood up and bushed off my clothing.

“With our luck,” I chuckled. “Canterlot will be burning to the ground by morning.”

“Ah still don’t know why you’re doin’ that,” Applejack said as she watched me rope off the area.

“It’s only for a few minutes,” I replied as I tied off the final end and turned to look towards Twilight and Fluttershy. “Even though Fluttershy said her mice friends won’t freak out, this is just a safety precaution.”

“If you say so,” Rainbow Dash replied as she shifted her dress around slightly with her wings. “I still don’t see why we don’t take the train.”

“There’s a couple reasons actually,” I replied as I watched Twilight gather magic in her horn. “First is because the trains will be packed and are set to bypass smaller towns like here. Another reason, is because of publicity.

“We’re very important individuals and even though we like to think we’re like everyone else most of the time, we aren’t,” I explained as Twilight’s horn gave a flash and the mice that had been in front of her, changed into what could pass as acts against god.

As anticipated, the mice began to panic when they noticed Opalescence sneak out of the house, causing them to try and run away. But because of the rope and the unfamiliarity of their new forms, they didn’t make it far and Fluttershy was able to reach them and calm them.

“Woah, smart thinking Chris,” Rainbow Dash praised as she watched her friends attach the carriage to the mice. “It’s like you knew that was going to happen.”

“Maybe I did,” I replied, giving her a wink. “Would you believe me if I said that I could see the future?”

“Hah! Fat chance,” Rainbow chuckled as she bumped me with her flank while moving towards the carriage. “If that were the case, then you would be trying harder to get on the good side of this future Wonderbolt.”

“Whatever you say, Dash,” I laughed along, following the mare to the carriage.

“Hey, Chris, want to join me in the front?” Spike asked as he climbed up to the front of the carriage.

“As long as the girls don’t mind,” I replied while opening the door for the mares.

“I don’t mind,” Fluttershy replied, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. “But you have to promise to join me in the garden for a little while.”

“Was already planning on it,” I replied before closing the door behind her and joining Spike in the front.

“You ever drive one of these before?” Spike asked as he handed me the reigns.

“No,” I shrugged while looking over to him. “But it can’t be that hard.”

“It’s not,” Spike nodded with a smile, looking forward. “But we need to do one thing first.”

“What’s that, Spike?” I asked.

“We need to take the ropes down…”

“W-waoh!” I cried out as the carriage skidded to a stop in front of the castle’s main entrance. Ponies all around stopped to stare as me and Spike shakenly stepped off the carriage on jelly legs, both our faces were slightly green.

“L-lets n-not do that again,” Spike mumbled with a sickly look at the mice.

“Y-you don’t need to tell me twice,” I replied before opening the side door for the mares, my body shaking as I fought against the nausea.

The moment the door was opened, all six mares rushed out with wide smiles and giggling up a storm as if they missed everything.

“We’re finally here!” Rarity chirped as she looked around at the crowed. “The Grand Galloping Gala!”

“This is going to be so great!” Spike began to say, trying to gain the mare’s attention. “I have a whole tour planned out for all of u-“

“It’s no use, Spike,” I interrupted as the girls began to break out in song. “We’ve already lost them.”

Both me and Spike could only follow and listen as the girls and other surrounding ponies broke out into song. Each hoping to have the best night ever for themselves.

A few quiet pops drew my attention towards the carriage as everything returned to normal and the mice quickly ran off.

“Don’t worry though,” I told Spike as we made it to the front entrance. “Even if we don’t spend time together tonight, we’ll still be in town for a few days.”

“I guess that’s okay,” Spike sighed dejectedly. “I was really hoping to show the others around the castle though. Some of them have never been here before.”

“You’ll get your chance, don’t worry,” I replied while patting the drake on the head.

“Come on you guys, we need to greet the Princess,” Rainbow Dash called, drawing my attention to the others as they waited by the open doorway, several guests giving us varying glares.

“Let’s go, Chris,” Fluttershy said as she came up to my side and leaned against me.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight cheered once we reached the front steps in front of the solar diarchy.

“Twilight! It is so lovely to see my star student,” Celestia replied as she nuzzled the small unicorn before tuning her direction to the rest of us. “It’s is also a pleasure to see most of you as well.”

“Happy to see you too, Sun butt,” I grumbled back.

“Oh, I’m so excited to be here!” Twilight chirped as she looked up at the princess. “We have so much to catch up on.”

“Don’t they write to each other all the time?” Rainbow asked Spike.

“Three times a week,” Spike shrugged nonchalantly. “At the least…”

“Well, I want you right by my side the entire evening,” Celestia told her student with a warm smile. “But before that, you all need to head to the main hall and be properly introduced. Afterwards, you’re all free to enjoy the gala to the fullest.”

“Wait, introduced?” I asked, not remembering that from the show. “Why do we need to be introduced?”

“This will be the first time all of you have been seen by the nobles of Canterlot as a whole,” Celestia replied. “It’s merely a formality, but shouldn’t take too much time.”

“Of course, Princess,” Twilight replied. “Come on everypony!”

“Eh hem?” I coughed.

“You to Chris,” Twilight added with a roll of her eyes.

“I’m surprised you changed your mind about tonight, Shiny,” Cadence giggled as she watched her coltfriend stare intently at the hall entrance, a beautiful sapphire blue dress covering her pink coat and her multi colored mane wrapped in a bun. “And here I thought we would be spending the evening together, alone.”

“Sorry, Sweetie,” Shining Armor sighed as he pulled his gaze from the room entrance. “It’s just… I know my sister and her friends are going to be here and I just…”

“You want to make sure her new coltfriend doesn’t do anything,” Cadence giggled. “I actually can’t wait to finally see him. Your mother said he is quite… exotic.”

“He’s something all right,” Shining groaned as he leaned back.

“Oh, come on Shinny,” Cadence giggled as she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “He can’t be that bad. Granted, Aunt Celestia doesn’t seem to like him, but Aunt Luna seems to adore him.”

“Adore isn’t a word I would use,” Shining sighed.

“Oh, calm down you grumpy goose,” Cadence smiled with a giggle. “If you want, I could go get, Night Eye and the two of us can help cheer you up.”

“Speaking of her… have you found a second for yourself yet?” Shining asked with a sigh. “I feel bad being with another mare when you still haven’t found somepony else.”

“I’ll find somepony,” Cadence shrugged as she looked at her coltfriend with a devious smirk. “You just want to see me with another stallion, huh?”

“W-what?! N-no… I…” Shining began to stutter with a blush.

“Like father, like son,” Cadence giggled, earning a glare from the stallion.

“I’m not like…” Shining began, falling silent when the blare of trumpets.

“Now introducing, The Elements of Harmony!” the caller, a servant who stood beside the hall entrance, began as we all began to enter the large hall.

“The Element of Honesty, Lady Applejack Apple of Sweet Apple Acers!” the caller announced as Applejack made her way in first.

“The Element of Generosity, Lady Rarity Belle!” Rarity stepped into the hall with all the grace and glamor she could muster as her head was held up high.

“The Element of Laughter, Lady Pinkimania Diane Pie!” Pinkie forewent all sense of glamor and simply hopped into the hall as she giggled her way towards the snack tables.

“The Element of Loyalty, Lady Rainbow Danger Dash!”

“I can’t believe her middle name is actually Danger…” I muttered as Rainbow Dash flew into the hall and struck a quick pose before following after Pinkie Pie. “Let alone the fact she has a middle name.”

“She had it changed a few years ago,” Fluttershy whispered as she stepped forward with a shaking hoof.

“The Element of Kindness, Lady Fluttershy!”

With all the timid-ness she was known for, Fluttershy shakily made her way into the hall, unknowingly being more graceful then even Rarity as she made her way towards the closest hiding spot.

“The Element of Magic, Baroness Twilight Sparkle!”

Yep, Twilights a Baroness…

With a practiced pace, Twilight made her way into the room, giving a quick bow before walking back out into the entrance hall to be with Celestia.

“The Element of Courage, Sir Christopher the human!”

With my entrance announced, I marched into the hall and stopped before the large crowd of on-lookers.

Almost immediately, the hall broke into hushed whispers as the occupants looked at me with wide eyes. Some out of amazement and some with looks of disgust.

“At ease solider colt,” Shining armor muttered as he made his way over to me in the same uniform I saw him wear in his wedding episode… which I thought was a horrible shade of red. “You look like your about to shit yourself.”

“One, I am no solider and two, you just don’t know proper bearing,” I replied with a grin as I followed him to a table where he and the Princess of Love sat.

“I’m going to ignore that and instead, introduce you to my date for tonight,” Shining grumbled before he pointed over to the staring pink Alicorn. “Christopher, this is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the Princes of Love and my marefriend.”

“B-but eveypony calls me Cadence,” Cadence replied with a light blush as she stood up and held out a hoof of introduction. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you Christopher.”

“The pleasure’s all mine,” I replied, taking her hoof and planting a small kiss above the fetlock like Rarity had shown me. “It’s an honor to finally meet you.”

“S-such a gentlecolt,” Cadence blushed as she pulled her hoof back.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Shinning Armor suddenly said, pulling me away from the mare and trying to push my away. “Go have fun with your marefriends and don’t cause any problems.”

“No promises,” I simply stated before walking off to find Fluttershy.

“So… that’s Christopher?” Cadence asked as she watched the human walk off to find one of his friends, most of the nobles keeping a wide birth of him. “He’s more interesting than I thought.”

“Please don’t tell me what I think you’re thinking,” Shining groaned as he looked as his marefriend with a growing sense of dread.

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not,” Cadence giggled as she watched Christopher walk outside with the element of kindness beside him, their love visible to her. “I thought you said I could chose whoever or whatever I wanted?”

“I’m really starting to hate that guy…” Shining grumbled as he watched his marefriend watch his sister’s coltfriend disappear outside.

“Oh! I can’t wait to see all the little animals!” Fluttershy practically cheered as we made our way into the garden, her wings flapping every few seconds.

“We should probably look for one of the grounds keepers first,” I told the mare, unable to hide my chuckles as I watched her.

“Why?” the mare innocently asked as she began to look around. “I know all about animals, so I’m sure I can take care of everything.”

“And I’m sure you could, my little Ninja,” I smiled before patting her on the head. “But the animals here may be afraid of all the ponies due to the party and they might be weary of strangers. We didn’t get the chance to see them last time, so they may be afraid of us as well.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Fluttershy replied as she looked at me with a small frown. “So where do we look?”

“Follow me,” I replied as I began to hear a soft whistling in the distance. A few minutes later, we happened upon an old stallion working on the garden, whistling a soft tune.

“Well howdy there,” the stallion greeted as he looked over at us. “Somethin ah can help ya with?”

“I was wondering if you could help my marefriend meet some of the gardens local animals?” I asked as Fluttershy pressed herself against my side.

“Oh, sure,” the stallion replied as he set his rake down and walked over to us. “Most of the critters tend to go scarce during these events, so it can be a bit hard to get them to come out.”

“T-thank you for your help, sir,” Fluttershy said while keeping her eyes down.

“Taint no trouble ma’am.” he said before looking at me with a slight frown. “But, not to sound rude or nothing, but they may not come out with your coltfriend here. Taint seen nothing like him before and so have most of the animals. They may end up runnin away before we can get to close with how skittish they are right now.”

“That’s okay,” I sighed before looking down at Fluttershy with a smile. “I’m going to head back inside while you go see those animals, okay?”

“But… I wanted us to see them together,” Fluttershy frowned.

“We’ll try again some other time when there aren’t so many ponies around, okay?” I asked before kissing her nose and earning a smile.

“Okay,” the mare quietly replied.

“Make sure nothing happens to her,” I told the stallion before turning to leave.

“Taint need to worry none,” the stallion replied before turning to Fluttershy. “The names Back Hoe miss. Please, come this way.”

“We’ll keep an eye on her sir,” a voice suddenly said, drawing my attention to two waiting night guards. “Captain’s order’s.”

“Good to go,” I replied before making my way back inside.

“Heya, Chris,” Applejack called out before I could re-enter the hall. “Fancy a quick snack?”

“While you know I love your cooking AJ, are you sure this is the best place to be peddling?” I asked as the mare set up her small stand.

“Well, ah don’t see why not,” she shrugged. “Good chance to make some bits and get some future contracts.”

“Unfortunately, AJ, this is nether the time or the place for that,” I began to explain. “While this is good place to do business, it’s not the best place to sell, especially when they have free food prepared already.”

“O-oh… Ah guess that makes some sense,” Applejack replied as she looked at her stand. “Most folk do seem to be ignorin’ me.”

“Why don’t you talk to Celestia?” I offered. “You can have them add your food to the tables with notes about how they were provided by the farm and to talk to you for more information. You probably won’t make any bits, but it could pay off in the long run.”

“Huh… that actually sounds pretty smart, Chris,” Applejack smirked as she began to close up shop. “Ah won’t be losing much either way and it should still get the farm’s name out.”

“I’m sure Celestia will allow it,” I replied with a smile. “Just slip her a small cake and you’re as good as guaranteed.”

“Alright then, ah’ll talk to ya afterword then,” Applejack replied before tipping her hat to me and wondering off.

With another sigh, I finally walked back inside…

And immediately bumped into Blueblood and Rarity.

“Uhg, it’s you again,” Blueblood groaned as he noticed me.

“Wow, you took the words right out of my mouth,” I replied, looking down at the stuck-up stallion. “Still having fun with your butlers?”

“Why you!” Blueblood growled slightly.

“Christopher, that is no way to talk to a Prince!” Rarity chastised.

“I know I’ve already said this before, Rarity,” I began pushing past the two, deciding that the best thing I could do her was offer a warning. “But your view of a prince and this guy are nowhere near the same.”

“The nerve!” Blueblood growled as I left their vicinity.

As I walked around a bit, I was slightly disappointed at how little ponies tried to talk to me. One or two stepped forward to speak but ended up leaving shortly after.

At least, that was the deal before a pair of familiar ponies walked up to me.

“Good evening sir,” A white coated stallion greeted as he fixed his monocle. “My name is Fancy Pants and this is my wife Fleur De Lis.”

“Bonjour,” Fleur nodded towards me with a smile.

“Well, it’s nice to see some ponies who aren’t too afraid of me,” I greeted the two, shaking Fancy’s hoof and kissing Fleur’s.

“Actually, we ‘ave come to ask you about something,” Fleur replied as Fancy took a picture out of his coat and offered it to me in his magic.

“Uh, sure?” I replied, somewhat confused.

Taking it and giving a look, I couldn’t help but feel slightly confused and creeped out when I saw that it appeared to be a picture of me and Vinyl sharing a drunken kiss.

“I don’t…” I began, looking back at the two and now finding them glaring at me.

Neither of them spoke as they continued to glare, the gears in my brain slowly putting pieces together.

A husband and wife were standing in front of me, glaring near death. They just pulled out a picture of me kissing a young mare and they were willing to confront me in the middle of one of the biggest parties of the year.

Either I have a jealous fan club or…

“Oh, dear sweet god, Vinyl’s your daughter,” I replied, wide eyed as the two slowly nodded, not breaking their glare.

My eyes shifted from them to the photo several times while I tried to come up with an ingenious way to escape.

“Hey look, a distraction!” I quickly shouted while pointing off in a random direction.

As planned, the two fell for my master plan as I quickly rushed away in the opposite direction.

“Well, that’s going to cause some issues,” I grumbled while quickly entering a different hall.

In this new area, I could already see Pinkie Pie trying to convince Octavia and her group to play one of her songs.

“Come on, Pinks, it’s not that kind of party,” I chuckled as I walked over, pulling the mare away from the stage. “It may be boring, but this is the way it has to be.”

“Awww, but I wanted to sing the pony poky,” Pinky replied as she looked back at me with a frown and quivering lower lip. A slight look of fear flashed across Octavia’s face followed by a look of thanks directed towards me when she heard this.

“Let’s save it for the after party, okay?” I replied while pointing towards one of the snack tables. “Now why don’t you go taste check those foods, huh?”

“I’m on it!” Pinkie chirped with a salute before she rushed towards the table.

“Four down, two to go,” I chuckled, giving Octavia a wave while making my way out of the room and back to the main hall, my eyes now scanning the crowd for Fancy Pants and his wife.

“Dude, good, you’re here!” Rainbow Dash almost yelled as she appeared in front of me. “I need your help to get into the VIP area.”

“And they didn’t let you in after we were introduced as ‘The Elements’?” I asked with a heavy sigh.

“That’s what I said!” the mare replied as she proceeded to drag me over to a roped off area.

“I already told you, I can’t let you in…” the guard outside of the area groaned as he shook a clipboard he had. “You’re not on the list.”

“And who is on the list?” I asked, drawing the guards attention. I immediately noticed him take a more hostile stance, probably meaning that he was either a new guard, or one who didn’t like my whole ‘not bowing’ to their princess.

“High military officials, politicians, foreign dignitaries and other select individuals,” the guard replied with a slight glare.

“That’s stupid,” I replied with a sigh. “Who in their right mind decided to put such an area in the middle of party like this?”

“Princess Celestia planned the entire event,” the guard replied with a glare.

“That explains it,” I couldn’t help but chuckle, more because of the enraged look the guard gave me due to my response.

“You disrespectful little…” the guard began, only to fall silent when he noticed something behind me.

“You’re not causing problems’, are you?” Shining Armor’s voice echoed from behind me.

“Not at all, just questioning some logic and denied entry,” I replied with a shrug.

“You know this guy?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked at Shinning with a raised brow.

“Captain Shining Armor of the royal guard, Miss Dash,” Shinning nodded before looking over at the guard. “And what’s this I hear about denied entry? I remember the Princess passing that the Elements had full access to everything the gala had to offer.”

“S-sir, I’m sorry, I just…” the guard began to stutter.

“So, does that mean I can go in?” Rainbow asked as she inched her way towards the rope barrier.

“Yes, you may,” Shining replied as he took the clipboard in his own magic and wrote down all the Elements names. “And I will be looking into this Corporal.”

“Y-yes sir,” the guard replied as he opened the rope for Rainbow Dash.

“Awesome, thanks!” Rainbow cheered as she rushed in and made a beeline for a group of Wonderbolts. One with a familiar fire-like mane watching the rainbow mare get closer.

“So that’s one of Twily’s new friends?” Shining asked as he stepped up beside me while we both watched Rainbow begin to talk with her favorite Wonderbolt. “I’m not surprised that she didn’t tell them about me.”

“What did you expect?” I chuckled while looking down at the stallion. “If it wasn’t for Spike, she wouldn’t remember that she had to eat.”

“Your right,” Shining chuckled back. “She’s always been like that.”

“I can tell,” I replied while still giving the stallion my attention. “So, is there something you’d like from me?”

For a few moments, Shining stared forward, not really paying attention to anything in particular while he was lost in thought.

“What are your thoughts on everything?” Shining suddenly asked, looking at me with a serious expression.

“What do you mean?” I asked in return.

“I know you’re from a different world with different views,” he stated as a known fact. “Yet you seem to have adapted very quickly to our own. You’re in a herd, work and pay bills and everything in between.”

“It’s one of the things humans are known for,” I replied with a smile and shrug, my mind going back to my adaptability. “The human ability to adapt to any situation is what made us the alpha predator on our planet.”

“It also makes you more dangerous,” Shining said as he looked at me closely. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust you fully.”

“And I wouldn’t expect you too,” I replied with a smile. “Most ponies I’ve met simply hand out their trust without much thought. A quote I once heard said ‘it hurts a lot when you trust someone blindly, and then that someone proves that you are actually blind’.”

“Sounds like humans have a problem with trust,” Shining replied with a look of intrigue.

“It’s the hardest thing to earn and the easiest thing to lose,” I chuckled. “That’s another quote.”

“Oh…” Shining said as he looked into my eyes for a few moments before giving me a small smile and began to walk away. “Thanks Christopher, you’ve actually helped settle my nerves a bit.”

“Glad to help,” I replied as the stallion wondered off.

“Hey, Chris!” Rainbow’s voice called from behind me. “Come over here!”

Turning around, I found Rainbow Dash just on the other side of the rope boarder with three Wonderbolts standing behind her. The guard who was at the entrance already had the way open for me as he gave a slight glare.

“Hey Rainbow, who are your new friends?” I innocently asked while walking over to the group.

“Only the coolest flyers ever!” Rainbow gushed as she introduced the Bolts.

“This is Sorin, co-captain of the Wonderbolts,” Rainbow said as she pointed to a blue costumed stallion who was muzzle deep into a pie. At his name, he speared a quick glance up before returning to his food.

“Next is Fleetfoot, the second in command,” Rainbow said as the white maned mare gave me a smirk and a wink.

“And I’m Spitfire,” the final mare said as she stepped forward with a slight sway in her flanks. “Youngest Captain of the Wonderbolts to date and best flyer in all of Equestria.”

“Sup,” I replied with a simple wave, causing Rainbow and Spitfire to stare at me in shock while the other two began to chuckle.

“W-what the hay, big guy?!” Rainbow just about yelled as she flew up to my face with a glare. “That’s not how you greet the Wonderbolts!”

“Well, I just did,” I smirked, pressing my forehead against hers and starting a small shoving match. “What yah gonna do about it?”

“A-alright, that’s enough,” Spitfire said as she pulled Rainbow back by her tail. “Not everypony’s a fan.”

“Can’t really judge them when all I’ve heard were secondhand stories,” I shrugged while looking at Spitfire with a smirk. “Heard a lot about you though.”

“Really now?” Spitfire asked with a smirk of her own while brushing her mane back. “All good ones, I hope.”

“Mostly about your exploits as a cookie thief,” I replied, causing the mare to look at me in horror. “Also about how you used to date this one stallion that-“

“H-how the buck do you know that?!” Spitfire blurted out as her face began to glow red and a frown began to form.

“Dude, not cool,” Rainbow replied as the other two Wonderbolts began to laugh openly.

“There’s only one pony who knows that,” Spitfire grumbled as she began to look around. “Where is she?! I’ll show her not to tell random stallions my secrets.”

“If you’re looking for your sister, she’s not here,” I replied, drawing Spitfires attention.

“You have a sister?!” Rainbow Dash, Sorin and Fleetfoot blurted out in shock as they looked at Spitfire.

“How do you know that?” Spitfire asked me with an unhappy glare.

“Because she’s in my herd?” I replied drawing more shocked looks from the others. “If you two are sisters, wouldn’t you know something like that?”

“So, you’re the one my sister’s letters talked about,” Spitfire growled as she looked at me darkly. “And here I thought she was lying about joining a herd.”

“I’m gething they donth get along?” Fleetfoot asked as their captain continued to glare at me,

“No, she’s just always been jealous of my accomplishments!” Spitfire huffed. “I always knew she had a strange taste in stallions.”

“I feel like that was an insult,” I replied nonchalantly. “But I don’t really care.”

“Yeah, well, you can tell my sister that she can shove it up her flank for all I care,” Spitfire growled before turning and walking away.

“H-hey, wait!” Rainbow called as she chased after her idol, her face full of confusion. “Who’s your sister?!”

“She’ll figure it out on her own,” I sighed as Rainbow Dash disappeared into the VIP crowd. “I hope…”

“That was surprising,” Sorin said as he watched the two mares wander off. “I never knew she had a sister, let alone despised somepony so much.”

“There wath thath one pony,” Fleetfoot replied of handedly before looking at me. “Ith was nith to meth you, buth we thould go.”

“Uh… yeah, it was nice to see you two as well,” I replied as Sorin gave a smirk before walking away. Apparently Fleetfoot and a bad lisp and I couldn’t remember if that was on the show or not.

Eh… you can’t remember everything.

“Donth be a sthranger,” Fleetfoot winked before following the stallion with a swaying flank.

“I better keep her away from Fluttershy,” I muttered while leaving the VIP area, the guard still glaring as I wondered off.

“Now to figure out how to help Twilight…” I muttered while heading towards the Entrance hall.

“H-hey Chris, wait!” I heard Spike call as the small drake rushed around a few startled guests towards me.

“Hey, Spike, how are you enjoying the party?” I asked as the drake stopped in front of me.

“It’s okay,” Spike shrugged. “A bunch of ponies are talking about you though. Most of it isn’t that nice though.”

“I expected as much,” I chuckled while squatting down and patting Spike’s head. “Best thing to do is just ignore them.”

“That’s what the princess always says too,” Spike mumbled. “It doesn’t mean I like it though. I mean, they don’t even know you.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t care,” I replied while standing back up. “Come on, I need your help with something.”

“Sure,” Spike replied as he followed me to the snack table. “What do you need?”

“I wanted to grab a drink for Twilight and Celestia,” I replied as I grabbed two empty cups and looked at the several bowls of different drinks.

“Oh, okay,” Spike said as he looked at the drink selections for a moment. “Twilight likes that one and the princess likes the one in the corner.”

“Alright,” I replied as I filled the cups before handing the one for Twilight to the drake. “Let’s go see how they’re doing.”

“Aye aye!” Spike replied as he followed me.

Upon entering the hall, I was actually surprised at how long the line still was.

“How is the line still so long?!” I blurted out while walking up to Celestia and Twilight, interrupting a pony that seemed to be talking to the pair.

“Excuse me for a moment,” Celestia told the pony before looking at me with a frown. “What do you want?”

“Refreshments,” I replied while holding out the drink for Celestia as Spike gave Twilight hers. “Unless your guest feel like that isn’t important.”

“U-uh… N-no, that’s…” the pony said as he looked at me with a shocked expression.

“While I thank you for the drink, I still have guest to greet,” Celestia replied while taking the drink in her magic and quickly downing it.

“I find this quite rude though,” I muttered, earning glares from those that could hear.

“And what do you mean by that?” Celestia replied with a glare of her own.

“I mean, your guests are being kind of rude by not only showing up late but forcing you to miss out on your own party,” I replied openly. “Back where I’m from, that’s found as an insult to both your host and fellow guest.”

“The nerve,” I heard one mare grumble from the line, while I noticed a few shared concerned looks as what I said seemed to travel down the line.

And as if by magic, a large amount of the guest in line broke off, giving bows and apologies for their late arrival before wandering off into the hall.

Within a few minutes, the line was almost non-existent excluding a few stuck up looking individuals that seemed to glare at me before following the pack in a huff.

“That was easier than I thought,” I chuckled while looking back at a shocked Twilight, Spike and a glaring Celestia.

“What?” I chuckled while giving the princess my own smirk. “It is considered rude.”

“Yes, it is, but that is beside the point,” Celestia sighed before turning to leave. “Come along, Twilight, I’d like to see what Miss Applejack added to the snack tables.”

“Uh… of course, Princess,” Twilight replied while flashing me an unsure look before following after Celestia.

“Why don’t you go join them Spike, I still have something to do,” I told the small drake.

“What is it? Maybe I can help?” Spike offered.

“I just wanna see how Luna’s doing,” I replied while wondering off. “It shouldn’t take long.”

“Okay, see ya Chris,” Spike said as he rushed to catch up with the others.

“Now then,” I muttered while re-entering the hall. “Where do I go from here?”

“The cave you crawled out of if I had my way,” a snobbish voice replied from behind me.

Turning around, I wasn’t surprised to find Blueblood walking towards me with a highly irritated Rarity trailing behind. The poor mare looked exhausted, disappointed and her shawl was drenched already.

“Sorry, but your mom kicked me out and changed the locks,” I replied while activating my magic. “Not like I’d want to go back to that roach infested rat hole anyways.”

While Blueblood glared death at me and Rarity stared in shock, I took the wet shawl in my magic and wrung it out over a nearby plant before giving it back to Rarity.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I got an appointment with Luna,” I stated while wandering towards a random hall.

“The guard said it should be down this hall?” I questioned myself while walking down another random hallway. I had been wondering around for ten minutes and the one guard that would actually talk to me pointed in this direction and nothing else.

This castle was way too big.

“I’ll get Pinkie to help me put super glue in their helmets,” I mumbled to myself while continuing forward.

“This sure is a long hallwa-“ I began to say aloud before I smacked into something I couldn’t see.

“What the hell?!” I groaned while holding my aching nose with one hand and placing the other on an invisible barrier. “Who put a wall in my path?!”

“It’s actually a defensive precaution,” an older voice echoed from behind me.

Turning around, I was surprised to see a group of individuals making their way out of several hiding places and standing in front of me.

“They’re placed in key positions to help protect the Princesses in case of an invasion,” a gruff looking gryphon continued to speak as he stood in front of the pack. “It’s a surprise to see it here, since this hall wasn’t supposed to have one.”

“What the hell’s going on here?” I asked as I began to feel my heartbeat increase slightly.

“Oh, nothing much,” the gryphon replied while looking back at his crew while they all gave small chuckles. Including the gryphon, there were three gryphons, two unicorns, three pegasi and two earth ponies total.

All of them wore light armor and held a variety of small weapons and a few crossbows.

“I’m guessing you aren’t here to sell me a time share?” I asked with a nervous chuckle.

“No, no we are not,” the lead gryphon replied with a sigh. “Sorry to say, but you just made our job much harder.”

“Uh… does it help my case that I didn’t put this here?” I asked while pressing myself against the barrier.

“No,” the gryphon replied.

“You can’t honestly think you’ll get away with this?” I chuckled, trying to think of the easiest way of getting out of the situation I found myself in. “All I gotta do is yell loud enough and someone is bound to hear.”

“That would be the case, yes,” the gryphon replied before giving me a smirk. “But I doubt they’ll hear you.”

“What do you mean?”

The moment those words left my mouth, the floor beneath me shook slightly.

“That took longer than I thought,” the gryphon chuckled as a flock of random birds blasted past the nearest window.

“The animals?!” I blurted in shock.

“A couple of well-placed stink bombs is all it takes to cause a sizable distraction,” one of the earth ponies replied.

“Enough of the small talk,” another gryphon said as he pulled out a small club. “We already got paid for the job.”

“Right,” the group replied as they began to draw closer to me. The first gryphon moving to the back.

“Back the fuck off!” I shouted in a slight panic as the group came closer.

“I-I’m only giving you this one chance,” I called out as I reached in and gripped the item in my jacket firmly. “Turn around and leave, NOW!”

“Sorry, monkey,” a unicorn mare said as her horn began to glow and a crossbow bolt flashed by my face, creating a small scratch. “But we’re kind of on a schedule.”

"These fuckers just tried to kill me?!" I thought as I glared at the surrounding group, making up my mind.

“Fucking assholes!” I cursed, gritting my teeth as I drew my gun and took a shot.

The first shot I took was aimed at the front of the group as a warning, chipping the floor in front of a pony.

“One more step and the next shot won’t be a warning one!” I stated firmly as my ears rung, forcing myself to stay steady as I glared at the group.

“Pots majority to the one who brings me the weapon,” the gryphon in the back called out with a arrogant smirk as the ringing in my ears became manageable.

Even though there was some hesitance, the group gave a nod before continuing forward.

Ten deafening bangs filled the hall as I took a shot at each individual. My lack of experience and shaking hands throwing off my shots, resulting in only three of the assailants falling into puddles of their own blood and most of others being only wounded.

“You piece of shit!” one of the shot gryphons cursed as one lay dead and the first stood in the back of them, watching with a burning fire in his eyes. “What the buck is that thing?!”

But I barely heard him as my eyes stared at the gryphon in the back. A stone column he had been leaning against had a chip where a bullet had hit and older the gryphon’s head had been.

“Impressive,” the older gryphon stated as her looked at the spot where his head should have been.

“D-did that f-fucker just dodge a bullet?!” I couldn’t help but stutter out loud as the smell of gunpowder filled my nostrils and I began to find it harder to breath.

“What are you idiots waiting for?! Bring me its head!” the first gryphon screeched as the remaining attackers quickly followed the command and rushed me, ignoring the dead and their own injuries.

"I am not ready for this!" I thought as I forced myself into the mindset of this being a video game.

It was either that or deal with the fact that I just killed sentient beings for the first time while my life was in danger.

Activating my magic, I found myself applying my devil arms as adrenaline began to force its way through my system.

“Stay the hell AWAY FROM ME!” I shouted out, sending out a wave of magic to push my assailants back.

“Hold him down,” one of the pegasi shouted towards a unicorn as they recovered first and two horns quickly lit as I felt their magical presser begin to surround me.

“You think some weak ass hold like that is gonna stop me?!” I shouted out in anger, draining the hold to the point that it was easily breakable and holstering the empty gun, really wishing Celestia had gotten me that extra ammo she had promised. “I train daily with one of the strongest unicorns to date. What do you think was the first thing we worked on?!”

“This wasn’t part of the plan sir,” The injured gryphon directed to their leader.

“Then we change the plan,” the older gryphon smirked as he launched himself forward faster than I thought was possible.

“Fuck!” I shouted out bringing my arms up in a block and using my magic to create a temporary shield in front of my body.

“Too slow,” the gryphon shouted as he bounced off my shield and into the air.

The moment he bounced off, the weak shield went down and I was immediately tackled from the side.

“How did you-?!” I got out as I looked toward the earth pony that tackled me, only to hit the wall of the hall a moment later.

Before I could refocus from the blow, another strike sent me sliding against the wall towards a waiting group.

“C-crap!” I grunted out, getting lucky and missing the first strike as I hit the ground on my stomach, my arms out in front of me.

Fully realizing that I was open to attack, I did the only thing I could think of in that moment and released a blast of magic from my hands. Blasting a pony away and dodging several strikes in the process.

But in doing so, I just put myself back in front of the earth pony that tackled me in the first place.

“Hi again,” the pony greeted before trying to slam a hoof into my head.

Bringing up my left arm, I was able to block the strike with my devil arm, while also shifting around enough to kick the stallion back and into the invisible barrier.

Without even thinking, I made a swiping motion with my still raised arm and released a small burst of magic to give me room to stand.

“B-bastards!” I growled as I made it to my feet, my head throbbing slightly from the blows I’d already received.

“Not bad kid,” the lead gryphon chuckled from his earlier spot. “If we met under a different situation, maybe-“

“Cut the crap!” I shouted in a pant, interrupting the gryphon. “I don’t need to hear some bullshit like that!”

Reaching with my right arm, I snagged a small flower pedestal from the side with my magic and swept it in front of me. While the flyers were able dodge it easily, a few others had some trouble and where blown into walls.

“I told you to leave,” I growled, raising the pedestal over my head and glaring at them all.

With that, I crushed the column in my magic, keeping the shards in my hold.

“Get to cover!” one of the pony’s shouted as I launched the shards forward with enough power to at least scare them away.

Unfortunately for them, there were very few places to hide and more than enough shards for me to blanket the entire hall.

The only ones who made it out of the strike unscathed were the two unicorns, who formed small barriers for themselves and the older gryphon who barely even twitched to dodge the shards.

“Not bad,” the gryphon stated as the others began to recover.

“You little brat,” the last injured gryphon growled as he felt a large cut on the side of his face. Pulling out a large knife, the gryphon stood up and glared at me.

“F-fuck you!” I growled as I took a fighting stance.

I was at a horrible disadvantage and they knew it.

“Why the hell did I pull out my gun?!” I internally shouted, chastising myself. “Ma-maybe I can brake a window an-“

“Gah!” I shouted as a crossbow bolt painfully imbedded itself into my left shoulder, just missing the rock like casing of my devil arms.

“Looks like we’re finally getting to you,” the gryphon who pulled a knife first smirked before looking at the others. “Wait for me to make an opening.”

“S-seriously, stop this,” I grunted out in pain as the gryphon began to step forward, flipping the knife around in his hand. I knew it was a ploy, simply showing of just to add to my mental torment.

“I-I didn’t want to do this…” I couldn’t help but stutter as I got into a basic fighting stance, my knife out in front of me.

The gryphon simply screeched before he and the others lunging forward.

“I can’t believe the animals reacted like that,” Fluttershy frowned as she looked at the cup of hot chocolate in front of her. “We were having such a good time.”

“I’m more surprised that they actually got inside,” Rainbow Dash replied as she took a bit of her doughnut. “Who taught them to open doors?”

“At least it wasn’t our fault,” Twilight sighed dejectedly. “I would have liked to have spent more time with the princess though.”

“At least the pony you were with actually cared about you,” Rarity groaned as she wiped more cake out of her mane. “I should have listened to, Christopher when he warned me about that clout.”

“Hey, where is Chris anyways?” Pinkie asked after stuffing several doughnuts down her throat.

“Probably with princess Luna,” Spike replied. “That’s where he was going before the animals went crazy.”

“Ah don’t know…” Applejack muttered as she stared out a window towards the castle. “Somethin just don’t feel right.”

“I know, right!” Pinkie Pie added as she hopped up beside Applejack with a look of shock. “I had a dozzey earlier that I thought was because of the animals, but it WASN’T and now-“

“M-maybe we should go back and find him,” Fluttershy interrupted in worry. “W-what if he got hurt and needs our help.”

“T-that… won’t be necessary,” Princess Celestia replied as she walked into the doughnut shop. A slightly uncomfortable look in her eye.

“Did something happen?” Fluttershy quickly asked as she got out of her seat.

“Yes… but we can’t talk about it here,” Celestia replied before her horn lit up and everyone disappeared in a flash of light.

“C-come o-on…” I wheezed out as I stared at the last standing individual.

My left arm was completely useless as blood and pain leaked from all over my body. My chest hurt the worst and it was getting harder to breath by the moment.

“I’ve… taken out your…fodder,” I pushed out while using my right hand to keep myself up-right against a wall. “Best tactic… in a boss fight… is to take out… the lackeys first… in my opinion.”

“I really do wish we had met under different conditions,” the older gryphon sighed as he looked at all the blood and bodies around him uncaringly. “Would have loved to have gotten a drink with a guy like you.”

I blinked.

I didn’t magically blink… just simply blinked like any normal person.

But when I opened my eyes, I found the gryphon’s yellow eyes inches away from my face as a numbing pressure sank into my chest.

“I’m sorry it had to end like this,” the gryphon simply stated as my eyes slowly fell to the hilt of a knife sticking from my chest.

“No…” I thought as my surroundings began to darken.

“I better get out of here,” the old gryphon began as he began to turn away from the dead creature. His bosses were not going to be happy when they found out that everyone he brought with him didn’t make it.

“No…” a voice growled, drawing the gryphon’s attention back to what should have been a dead human.

“I’m not going to die…” the human spoke as his once blue eyes turned a glowing red, the white of his eyes turning black as smoke began to pour out like tears.

“Not without you!”

When the light faded, Spike and the others were both shocked and worried when they found themselves at the entrance to the castle’s medical ward.

“P-princess…” Twilight began to ask as Celestia stepped towards two waiting guards.

“Report,” the princess simply stated.

“All but three were dead upon arrival,” One guard began, ignoring the fear full gasps the others gave at the word ‘dead’. “Two are still in surgery and the third…”

“I understand,” Celestia calmly told the guard. “And, where is he?”

“With Princess Luna in one of the observation rooms, your highness,” the guard replied before stepping aside and opening the door for the group. “It has been oddly silent.”

“Thank you,” Celestia nodded before turning to the others. “Follow me.”

“P-princess Celestia, w-what happened?!” Fluttershy asked as she moved to be beside the princess.

“The incident with the animals…” Celestia began with a heavy sigh. “Was a diversion.”

“A diversion? For what?!” Rainbow Dash asked as the group followed the princess through several halls and rushing doctors and nurses.

“To attack,” Celestia clearly stated, glaring straight ahead.

“What?!” Everyone shouted in surprise.

“W-what happened? Is Chris okay? Is he hurt? What did the guards mean by all but three dead?”

A rush of questions flooded from the others, all in hopes of finding out if their friend was okay.

“Somepony paid a mercenary group to infiltrate the castle,” Celestia began with an earie calmness to her voice. “We don’t know what their objective was, but they were found in one of the halls leading to Luna’s quarters.

“Christopher happened to trip a barrier that had been placed because of the festivities and unfortunately, trapped himself with the mercenaries,” Celestia continued. “By the time anypony knew what was happening, it was already too late.”

“But what about the whole ‘dead’ thing,” Rainbow Dash asked as the group moved aside for several gurneys to pass by. Each had a something large covered in white sheets with large red stains.

“Christopher fought back,” Celestia replied as they reached a more deserted hall.

“By the time a guard made it to the scene, he had killed all but three,” Celestia replied as they reached a door guarded by two of the highest ranking individuals in the royal guard currently in the castle.

“Princess,” Both Shining Armor and Vlad greeted, saluting the princess and directing slightly warning gazes to their family members.

“How is he?” Celestia asked.

“Oddly calm and collected,” Shining Armor replied as he took a look towards he door he guarded.

“He may be suffering from shock,” Vlad continued. “He doesn’t seem to be showing signs of violence, but he does seem a little on edge.”

“C-can we see him?” Fluttershy asked first.

“Just don’t make any sudden moves and don’t try to surprise him,” Vlad replied. “We’re still unsure of his mental state.”

“Awww…” Pinkie Pie sighed.

“Rarity is going to kill me,” I calmly stated as I turned to walk the other way across the room. My clothing was just about shredded to piece and covered in a mixture of blood. Mostly mine, but my lack of injuries didn’t seem to match it.

“Art thou sure you don’t need anything to eat?” Luna asked as she watched me pace.

“I’m fine,” I simply replied, unable to prevent myself from smirking. I couldn’t seem to focus on much as my own mind seemed to be at war with itself over… somthing.

Knock Knock

“Its open,” I called out as I calmly watched the door open.

“Hello Christopher, I’ve brought the others to see you,” Princess Celestia uncomfortably said as she noticed a small knife in my hand. “I thought he was stripped of all weapons?”

“When did I…?” I replied as the knife disappeared into a gray mist. “Heh, that’s surprising.”

“C-Chris?” a soft voice stuttered as the girls and Spike carefully made their way inside the room.

“Fluttershy, everyone?” I replied, a calming smile on my face as the group entered the room. “It's good to see that your all okay.”

“We’re okay?! What the hay about you?!” Twilight shouted as her hair began to pop out in small spots. “Y-your covered in blood and the princess said you killed ponies and-“

“Deep breaths Twilight,” Celestia told the frantic mare, nuzzling her softly.

“Thank goodness you’re okay,” Fluttershy began to sob as she carefully made her way towards me. Once she was close enough, she latched onto my side, completely ignoring some of the still wet blood as she began to cry against my side.

“I-I’m sorry Fluttershy,” I replied, softly pulling her from my side and dropping to a knee to give her a proper hug.

“Who did this?!” Rarity suddenly shouted, drawing everyone’s attention to the partially cake covered mare. “Who destroyed my work?!”

“We have more pressing things to discuss,” Celestia interjected with a slight scowl directed towards the mare.

“Christopher’s not in trouble, is he?” Pinkie Pie asked as she looked over to the crying mess of me and Fluttershy.

“I don’t see why I should be,” I replied looking over at the mare.

The moment she looked into my eyes, Pinkie took a step back.

“Pinkie, what’s wro-,“ Twilight began before she looked as well. “Christopher, what happened to your eyes?!”

“It’s a result of the incident,” Luna replied as I stood up and allowed everyone to get a look.

At the moment, I wasn’t wearing my glasses, yet I could still see perfectly.

But what really stood out were the clashing colors of blue, yellow and the thin pupils.

“What?” most of the others asked as they looked towards me with fearful looks.

“Have you all failed to notice the lack of injuries Christopher has?” Luna asked.

“Well, it’s kind of hard to tell with the whole eye thing and all the… blood,” Rainbow Dash replied with an uncomfortable look.

“We were the first to arrive to the scene,” Luna replied as she looked at me with concern. “And when we arrived, Chris was covered in cuts bruises and other injuries. But the worst was…”

“Was what?” Fluttershy asked with a stutter in her voice.

“The blade handle sticking out of my chest,” I replied, drawing silence from everyone.

“We feared that you had already died,” Luna continued, her voice faltering slightly. “But you continued to move and kept hold of the last moving gryphon and drained him of everything.”

“So that confirms it,” Twilight said as I looked towards Luna and then Celestia. “When you say he took everything, you mean the soul, don’t you?”

Both Luna and Celestia’s eyes opened wider at that remark as the others stared at me in confusion.

Except for Twilight.

She was looking at me in a mix of horror and pity as she slowly moved closer to me.

“Soul magic,” the mare said, drawing the wide eyes of the room. “I had my suspicions, but…”

“Soul magic, what the hay is that?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked around the silent room.

“I-it’s a form of forbidden magic,” Rarity replied in a quiet voice, her eyes locked onto me. “T-they warn unicorns about it in school, but that’s all they say.”

“I suppose it's no use trying to keep it a secret anymore,” Celestia sighed as she looked over everyone before fixing her eyes onto me. “Yes, the magic Christopher uses is considered soul magic.”

“And before thou continue this idea that it is a forbidden form, thou should now that it is far from that,” Luna added as she stood beside her sister. “When a pony uses magic, they send out energy from themselves to manipulate the natural magic in the air.”

“An individual is considered to be a Soul Mage when they draw in magic to shape it in themselves before releasing it,” Celestia continued. “It’s why it looks like mist leaving the body.”

“But if that’s the case, why is it a forbidden form of magic, Princess?” Twilight asked as she calmed down slightly.

“The few Soul Mages I’ve encountered were some of the most dangerous I have ever encountered,” Celestia replied before looking at me. "Countless lives were lost to those who tried to study it."

“A well-practiced practitioner of soul magic can affect the souls of other living creatures,” Luna added, her posture falling slightly. “Such as taking one's soul or... being able to enter the dreams and minds of others.”

“Wait, then that means…” Twilight began as she looked at Luna with wide eyes.

“Yes, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna nodded, fixing her gaze onto Twilight. “We too, use soul magic; Calling it Miasma magic is simply to mask what it truly is. Being a soul mage myself is another reason we wished to be Christopher’s teacher in magic.”

“But when word spreads on what happened this evening, it won’t take long for ponies to figure that Christopher is actually using soul magic,” Celestia sighed. “It will most likely cause unrest within the court.”

“So, let them squabble,” I replied as the others stared at me in shock.

“Due to the circumstances, we doubt you even realized what you were doing,” Celestia replied, sharing a quick look with Luna. “Your instincts of self-preservation must have been mixing with your magic in the last moment. I’m mostly just shocked that the element of courage allowed your magic to do something like that.”

“About that sister,” Luna began as she gave me a glare. “He’s not wearing it.”

“What?!” everyone in the room shouted in shock as they all looked at me.

“After the Diamond Dog incident, I started taking it off more and I thought tonight would be a good time to not wear it,” I calmly replied as if it was the furthest thing from my mind.

Holding up my right hand, I pulled down the sleeve to show my bare wrist.

“Where is it…” a sudden growl drew my attention as an unseen pressure began to build around me. Fighting though the pressure, I was able to look at a rose eyed Celestia and draconic eyed Luna.

“Where is it?!” Celestia shouted as her horn flared and I was launched into a wall and held against it. “If you’re not wearing it, where did you put it?!”

“Sister, put him down!” Luna shouted as her horn flashed and I found myself standing freely. “He obviously wouldn’t leave it somewhere unsafe.”

“Where?” Celestia growled, staring at me.

“Somewhere safe,” I quickly replied, a smirk forcing its way onto my face. “No one would think to look for where I hid it.”

“It’s under your bed, isn’t it?” Celestia replied with a scowl. “It’s where you hide all the things you don’t want ponies to find.”

“The only thing Christopher has under his bed are some Playcolt issues,” Pinkie suddenly answered with a big smile, causing all eyes to lock onto me.

“I do?” I honestly questioned, pretty sure I didn’t have anything under there.

“I-I th-thought you would like them…” Fluttershy’s timid voice cut in ash she smiled sheepishly at everyone.

“We’re getting off topic here!” Celestia suddenly snapped before glaring once more at me. “Give me the Element of Courage so I can place it with the others.”

“While we are unhappy that this was hidden from us, we have to side with Christopher on this,” Luna voiced as she adapted a stern expression of her own. “We also understand the need to keep the elements safe, but to keep them all together could become an issue on the off chance somepony makes it into the vault.”

“Very well…” Celestia sighed as she looked at the still shocked looks of all the other ponies. “I think it would be best if we all turned in for the night.”

“Uh… I still have a couple of questions!” Rainbow Dash blurted out. “Mostly about what the hay is happening with Christopher. His eyes look weird and he’s acting kinda smug.”

“Kinda reminds me of, Gilda,” Rarity couldn’t help but comment.

“It’s the effect of taking another’s soul,” Luna replied as she gave me a slightly worried gaze. “Right now, his soul is trying to mix with the new one. These odd characteristics are a temporary side effect of the merge.”

“Will he be okay?!” Fluttershy asked as she looked up at me with worry.

“I’ll be fine,” I replied with a calming smile.

“As my sister said,” Celestia added. “It’s a temporary issue and there shouldn’t be any long lasting effects.”

“I highly doubt that.” I thought as I looked at Celestia. There’s no way that I wasn’t permanently affected by this upset.

“Either way, its getting late and we should get some sleep,” I chuckled while looking at Fluttershy, the mare blushing behind her mane. “I think we all have things we need to talk about, but we should get some rest before continuing.”

Celestia simply nodded as all the mares looked at one another with mixed expressions.

“It would be best if you stayed here for the evening, Christopher,” Luna replied as she indicated the large medical bed in the room. “Tomorrow, we will-“

Knock Knock

“Princess,” Shining Armor’s voice cut in as the stallion opened the door. “We have a problem.”

“Ugh… locked in a room and you still find a way to mess things up,” Celestia groaned as she looked at me with annoyance.

“Somepony leaked news to the press your highness,” Shining Armor explained. “If they weren’t already here because of the animal riot, there defiantly here for the murders.”

“By my father!” Celestia growled as she glared out a nearby window. Even though we were quite a way from the castles main entrance, I could make out a growing gaggle of pegasi with flashing cameras.

“That’s a lot of reporters,” Rainbow Dash voiced as the girls all looked out the window. “You would think you’d want to keep something like this hidden.”

“We were,” Luna growled as she looked towards the door. “Captain Vlad!”

“Yes, Princess,” Vlad replied as he walked in.

“Find out who is behind this immediately,” Luna growled towards the captain, a fire in her eyes.

“It will take some time, but what should we do about the reporters?” Vlad asked as he directed his gaze towards Celestia.

“We will take care of it,” Celestia replied before looking at the mare’s. “I need you all to go to Twilights room for now.”

“But what about…” Fluttershy began before her father interrupted her.

“Things are hectic right now, so it would be best if you all just stayed out of the way for now,” Vlad calmly stated, earning some hesitant nods from the others.

“And you,” Celestia said as she looked at me. “You’re coming with me.”

“Whatever you say,” I replied with a smirk.

It was everything I expected it to be.

The flashing lights, the loud yelling and the highly inappropriate questions echoing from the other side of the podium in front of me.

“Is it true that you are the spawn of Discord and a potato?!” one reporter shouted.

“Were you summoned here by Tartarus worshippers?”

“Do you eat ponies?”

“Are you male or female?”

“Why is the sky blue?!”

But through all of this, I remained silent. Not looking at anyone and doing my best not to show any kind of reaction while making sure the lab coat I had switched too was on properly. One or two remained silent, writing down notes on their little note books.

“When I give the signal, just read the card,” Celestia harshly whispered into my ear, her smile not leaving for the viewing reporters.

“Uh… as long as its your idea,” I quietly replied, giving her a side glance. “But, do you honestly want me, to handle this?”

“SILENCE!!!!!!” the princess of the night shouted out in the royal Canterlot voice causing the entire foyer to shake and the reporters to go silent.

“Thanks?” I nodded towards Luna. The princess giving a smirk and a nod in reply.

“Now then…” I began while turning back to the large group of shocked reporters, Celestia glaring at me from the side. “As I’m sure you are all aware, an incident occurred here at the castle.”

At this, several more shouts echoed through the hall as reporters tried to glean more info. But I remained silent, waiting for them to follow.

Once they finally calmed down, Celestia nodded for me to continue as a small note card appeared on the podium in front of me.

“The current cause of the incident is being investigated, but any information you can provide to the guard would be highly appreciated,” I read aloud. “And if someo- somepony can help us find the individuals responsible for the attack, I will personally give a one on one interview?”

After that, I turned and walked past Princess Celestia and Shining Armor and through a nearby side door.

Which turned out to be a broom closet, but it’s what the card told me to do.

A few moments after I entered the closet, Celestia stormed in, ignoring the fact it was a closet and butting her forehead against mine.

“I hate when things like this happen,” Celestia growled as she glared at me. “I don’t need reporters all over the castle while we’re doing our own investigation but if I don’t give them something, I’ll just find them in places they don’t belong.”

“Why did you even have me do that?” I asked, drawing another growl from the princess. “I haven’t been allowed behind one since high school. Hell, I was banned from giving a graduation speech.”

“What did you do?” Celestia grumbled, staring at me with a mix of disappointment and annoyance.

“During an award ceremony a few weeks prior, I was called on stage to receive a humanitarian award,” I replied, shrugging in the small cramped space.

“That… that actually doesn’t sound like a bad thing,” Celestia replied as her eyes widened and she looked at me a little differently.

“I walked up onto the stage like a self-entitled noble, nose in the air and everything,” I replied blandly. “Once I reached the podium I took the microphone and said ‘I deserve this’.”

Opening her mouth to reply, the mare was suddenly cut off by the sound of chaos from the other room.

“Some people just don’t know how to take a joke,” I mumbled while moving around a glaring Celestia and opening the door just a crack.

Outside, the reporters were in a frenzy. Most were making a rush for the exit, pushing others out of the way in the process. Some were hounding nearby guards for information and a few tried to talk to Princess Luna.

“I really hate you,” Celestia mumbled from above my head.

“Meh,” I began, enjoying the chaos happening. “You can’t make everyone happy.”

“They’re going to tear the city apart trying to figure out what happened,” Celestia sighed as we drew ourselves back into the closet. “We don’t even know what happened ourselves.”

“I think it’s actually quite obvious once you think about it,” I shrugged, cracking the door open and glancing at Luna momentarily.

“What?” Celestia asked.

“It was an assassination attempt on Luna,” I replied, earning a wide-eyed look from Celestia. “The hall we were in led directly to her chambers, there was a stunning lack of guards in the area since they were reinforcing the hall for the Gala and they kept mentioning a job, but made it apparent that it didn’t involve me.”

“Did I ever tell you how much I hate you?” Celestia replied with a frown.

“All the time,” I replied with a smile. “Now all we have to do is wait for the one that brings info that points to that conclusion.”

Author's Notes:

This chapter's quote was given by ShadeBlitz

Happy 4th of July to all those who celebrate it and like always, quote the title and see you all next time.