Chapter 10

Twilight Sparkle checked her to do list with renewed vigor, slightly annoyed by the brief interruption caused by Iron Cross’s visit. She couldn’t stay mad at the stallion for very long, after all he was just trying to make amends to Rainbow Dash for his supposed slight. Twilight merely shook her head. She knew that in all likelihood Rainbow Dash had heartily enjoyed the fight rather than be upset by it. Dash was the kind of mare whose competitive spirit burned brighter than Celestia’s sun; as such she enjoyed any kind of competition, whether it was of the athletic kind or otherwise. Maybe it was because Iron Cross didn’t know her as well as Twilight did, or maybe it was just simply because Iron Cross was the sort of stallion who felt honor bound to make up for his mistakes. In any case Twilight felt she could respect that and understood why Applejack liked him so much.

“Hmm it probably doesn’t hurt that he’s handsome too. He kinda reminds me of Big Mac, but sexier. Ohh and that dark coat and his shiny silver mane, I can’t even imagine how big his…”

Twilight’s dirty thoughts were interrupted by Spike. “Umm hello? Equestria to Twilight are you in there?”

Twilight replied with an audible squeak. “Eep! Oh sorry Spike I was…ummm just thinking about all the things I needed to do today. You know like…color coding. Heheheh…you know how I looooovvee to color code things.”

Spike shot Twilight a look of suspicion. “Yeah sure whatever. I just wanted to ask if I could have some bits to buy one of those new cupcakes Pinkie Pie made. This week’s new flavor is orange opal crunch.”

Twilight laughed awkwardly as she fished around for some bits in her change purse. “Here Spike why don’t you just go ahead and buy a dozen while you’re at it?”

Spike’s eyes lit up with greed. “Really? I can get that many? Oh wow thanks Twilight!”

“That should keep Spike occupied for a while. Now where did I put that colorized version of the Pony-sutra?”

Just as Spike was about to walk out the door, when he let out a large belch accompanied by green flames. A few seconds later he handed Twilight a letter addressed to her by Princess Celestia. Most letters the princess sent Twilight were rather plain looking with a single seal in the middle. The letter that had just been sent was sealed in a metallic tub bearing the sigil of the sun. Twilight knew from experience that Celestia only sent sealed letters if the information was sensitive. Whatever was contained in the tube was only on a need to know basis and being Celestia’s protégé and element of harmony meant it entitled her to privileged information.

Twilight opened the tube and as she suspected a letter was contained within. It was written in Celestia’s typical flowing style but in a darker ink than normal. It read as follows:

My most Faithful Student,

An incident occurred late last night involving the amulet that Iron Cross brought from his world into Equestria. While I’m sure you’re aware that the amulet itself was Equestrian in origin, what was not so clear was the magical power it possessed. I ordered the amulet to be stored under guard in the Canterlot Gardens to prevent its theft and to ensure its magic would harm no pony. Much to my dismay, the amulet possessed far more power than I had anticipated resulting in the deaths of two guards and Discord. I can only assume that the amulet contained some sort of creature or entity, which was powerful enough to drain living beings of their life force. Twilight, this is highly sensitive information so you are not to discuss it with anypony else other than myself and Iron Cross. When you find the time please visit me so we can discuss this matter fully. May the sun always guide your path.

-P. C.

Twilight stared blankly at the letter. She couldn’t believe that Princess Celestia would try to keep something so dangerous a secret. Twilight really hated keeping secrets from her friends, especially when it might put their lives in danger. The only thing that gave Twilight comfort was that Princess Celestia was extremely wise and benevolent. She wouldn’t have made this information secret unless it was for the benefit of her subjects. If ponies found out that some ancient evil entity was lurking about in Equestria, there would likely be widespread panic. Twilight steeled herself and prepared to teleport to the hospital.

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Chancellor Puddinghead Memorial Hospital, Equestria

Iron Cross watched Dash’s eyes light up as he read the latest volume of Daring Do, she really did like these books as much as Twilight had said. Dash herself couldn’t read very well due to her swollen black eye but that was fine with Iron Cross, he found that he rather enjoyed the book too. He had always been an avid reader during his youth, it carried over from his family being educated.

“Daring Do found herself surrounded by the guards of the sheik as she tried to exit the palace. With a crack of her whip she launched herself onto a ceiling beam avoiding the hapless guards…”

Iron Cross was interrupted by a knock at the door, he put the book down to see who was at the door. He looked up but found no one until he heard a voice. As he looked down he was greeted by an orange coated pegasus filly. Her purple mane and tail were frumpy and unkempt, much like Rainbow Dash’s hair. He noticed she had a brown paper bag clutched in her mouth, concluding it must be a gift for Rainbow Dash.

The pegasus filly had an annoyed look on her face. “Excuse me but is this Rainbow Dash’s room?”

Before Iron Cross could answer Rainbow Dash shouted at the filly. “Hey Scoots, nice to see ya again. Did ya come to the hospital to see my awesome battle wounds?”

Iron Cross noticed how this “Scoots” looked at Rainbow Dash. It was a look he’d seen before when he was a boy. The look was one of pure adoration, one that children gave to fighter pilots from the first world war. They were national heroes and every child in Germany wanted to be one, sadly he knew the grim reality of a fighter pilot’s job but children never thought of things in life or death terms.

“Hiya Rainbow Dash, I just wanted to check up on ya after school. I stopped on the way over here to get ya some hay fries.”

Rainbow Dash rubbed Scootaloo’s mane. “Thanks squirt, I was beginning to get sick of all this trashy hospital food.”

As Rainbow Dash happily devoured her greasy snack Scootaloo began talking again. “I see you have a splint on your wing and a nasty black eye, how did you end up doing that? Was it a super bad flight accident?”

“Nah, I just got into a fight. I may have been a tiny bit drunk when it happened. As far as the wing goes yeah I’m gonna be grounded for at least a week, but it’s no biggie.”

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. “Wow that must have been one hay of a fight for you to get so messed up!”

Rainbow Dash laughed nervously. “Yeah I guess it was a pretty awesome fight.”

“I bet you taught the lug who dared challenge Rainbow Dash a lesson didn’t you?”

“Well I…didn’t exactly win the fight.”

Scootaloo puffed up in anger. “You didn’t? Where is the jerk that beat you up…LEMME AT HIM!!!”

Rainbow Dash pointed at Iron Cross as Scootaloo began to run full charge at him. Before she could body tackle Iron Cross, Rainbow Dash grabbed her by the wing. “Scoots, it’s ok really it is. He didn’t beat me up just because he wanted to be a jerk. I may have kinda started the fight anyway, but I still had fun so don’t worry about it.”

“Ok if you say so, but why is he even here?”

“He wanted to apologize to me so he came to visit and even brought the newest volume of Daring Do, that makes him cool in my book.”

“I guess if you think he’s cool then I can too. I gotta go meet Applebloom and Sweetie Belle back at the clubhouse for some crusading, see ya later Rainbow Dash!”

“Later Scoots.”

Rainbow Dash sighed as she looked at Iron Cross. “Scootaloo isn’t a bad filly, she just has a tendency to be defensive when it concerns me. I guess you could say she’s my number one fan. At first it was nice because it inflated my ego, I mean do you see the way she looks at me? It was like that at first but now she’s almost like a little sister to me. I don’t think she has any siblings so it’s nice to play the big sister.”

“You love her like family don’t you?”

Rainbow Dash started to tear up. “Ya know years ago I would’ve denied it, because I couldn’t stand fillies and colts but I guess I’ve started to grow up a little. I should say that crying over Scootaloo is totally uncool but that’s a load of hay. Yeah I do love her and I just want to protect her, be there for her when she needs somepony to talk to or a shoulder to cry on…to me that’s what loyalty is all about.”

“This situation reminds me of my comrades during the war. Many of them were younger than I was, so it was my responsibility to look after them. I was both their elder and their commanding officer. At least you are able to look after Scootaloo properly because it is so peaceful. I lost three men under my command…they were all so young. I’m glad that you have the chance to be there for her Dash, make sure you treasure her because the love she gives you is worth more than all the gold in Equestria.”

Rainbow Dash’s voice became slightly hoarse. “Thanks I’ll do that. I’m starting to see why Applejack likes you so much. You guys both think along the same lines concerning family. It’s funny ya know, for some reason it’s just really easy to talk to you. I talk to Rarity and Applejack about my problems sometimes but they have a tendency to add their own two bits to the situation. When I talk with you, it seems that you listen better than they do without trying to butt in. I guess I can’t really explain it.”

The conversation between the two ponies was interrupted by an abrupt magical flash. There standing in front of them was Twilight Sparkle. She had a look of worry on her face, but it wasn’t frantic looking enough to warrant immediate concern. The look on Rainbow Dash’s face suggested that it was extraordinarily unusual for the unicorn to just teleport into a hospital.

Twilight flashed Iron and Dash her best smile. “Sorry Dash but I need Iron Cross for a minute, well actually more than a minute. Urgent business from Princess Celestia I’m afraid.”

Rainbow Dash pouted. “Aww what the hay Twilight, why do you always gotta take the fun outta everything?”

“Well Rainbow Dash, it’s called being responsible because somepony around here has to be.”

“Hey I can be responsible!”

“Yeah, responsible enough to take a nap three times a day.”

“I’ll have you know that taking naps is a completely responsible way to maintain your physical and mental health.”

“So is that what laziness is called nowadays?”

Iron Cross knew that the two mares were good friends but this argument was getting a little ridiculous so he decided to step in. “Dash, I’m sure you can be responsible when you need to be and Twilight just because you happen to have strict standards concerning discipline, not everypony can nor should be held to the same standard. Now I’m sure the Princess doesn’t like to be kept waiting so shall we be on our way?”

Twilight looked down at the floor shuffling her hooves. “I guess you’re right. I’m sorry for making fun of your habits Rainbow Dash.”

“Yeah I’m sorry too Twilight. I just hate being bored that’s all.”

“Ok Iron, hold on tight because I’m gonna teleport us out of here.”

In a single gut wrenching moment Twilight and Iron Cross were inside the Canterlot throne room, where Celestia was sitting on her throne waiting. No matter how many times he teleported, it would always make Iron Cross sick to his stomach.

“Guhhh I will never get used to this, sorry your majesty I just need a second to collect myself.”

Princess Celestia merely smiled. “Of course, Iron Cross take your time.”

“The reason I called both you here is because I suspect there is a new threat to the safety of Equestria. The two of you have the most knowledge concerning the amulet so that’s why I summoned you and not the others. Perhaps in time I will share my findings with the other elements, but for now it must remain secret.”

Iron Cross rubbed his chin with his hoof. “Excuse me your majesty but didn’t you tell me that you were going to seal the amulet away for safe keeping?”

“Yes I did Iron Cross. It was sealed safely, at least for a time. The magic contained within the amulet broke the seal and released some kind of creature or entity. I cannot be certain what that is but it most certainly dangerous. I was wondering if you knew anything else about the amulet, anything that you didn’t tell me before or what you thought to be inconsequential.”

“I might have some new information regarding the amulet. When I first used the amulet there was a whispering voice that spoke to my sub-conscious. I thought it was just my imagination, but then I had a nightmare and it spoke to me again. It can’t be a coincidence that it was the very same voice both times. Do you think there was some kind of evil spirit trapped in the amulet?”

“I believe it is something more than that Iron Cross.”

“What exactly do you mean your majesty?”

“I believe it is a living, breathing creature that was released and now roams Equestria. I’m sure you’re confused so I shall explain. Thousands of years ago sorcerers would try to achieve immortality by fusing part of their spirit into a vessel. These vessels were enchanted inanimate objects designed to hold the spirit within them and so long as the objects weren’t destroyed the spirit contained in them would last indefinitely. Do not be fooled, this is one of the most dangerous forms of dark magic and it was outlawed even long before my time. I don’t believe that the amulet itself was designed for this purpose, but it is possible that it was a secondary effect from its original purpose. Back when Starswirl the Bearded was alive he created the amulet to help his son, Frostmere, siphon some of the magic contained in his body. While magic in small quantities is not the same thing as a pony’s spirit, it does contain the said pony’s essence. If there was enough of Frostmere’s essence poured into the amulet, it is entirely possible that a second spirit was created. This spirit would have experienced everything the original Frostmere did and it would also share his personality. I believe that a version of Frostmere has physically manifested itself from the amulet.”

“That would make sense your majesty, but then why didn’t he materialize while the amulet was in my world?”

“That is a simple question to answer. The human world of Mundus is devoid of any magic, so he had no means to rejuvenate his physical form. As for how you managed to get the amulet to work, that is a different matter entirely. You see most magic reacts to strong emotions such as fear, anger, jealously or love. The amulet must have been buried away from physical contact and when you came in contact with it exhibiting a strong emotion you were able to activate it.”

Twilight raised her hoof to ask a question. “I can understand the underlying function of the amulet but why would anypony want an amulet that drains their magical power?”

“Twilight, sometimes there are unicorns whose magical abilities and reservoir of magic are far beyond what their bodies are able to handle. Pegasai and earthponies tend not to have this problem because their magic manifests physically. Frostmere was an extremely powerful mage, so much so that if he didn’t siphon some of his magic it would release itself in dangerous ways. In most cases the sudden release of magical energy would result in a fire or an explosion. Starswirl must have known how powerful Frostmere was and created the amulet to help his son deal with his immense power safely.”

“Your majesty do you have any idea of Frostmere’s whereabouts and what he is exactly?”

“I’m afraid I do not know where he is currently. As to what he is, he is likely a unicorn at least for now. Over the millennia I have become quite skilled at aura detection, but he too is an expert magic user so it will be difficult to find him unless he wants to be found.”

Both Twilight and Iron Cross looked at Celestia and asked the same question. “What do we do?”

“The only thing we can do my little ponies. We must be patient and wait.”

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702 years ago: Starswirl the Bearded’s cabin, near the Everfree Forest

It had been a few days since the incident in the Everfree Forest and it was driving Amethyst Sparkle mad because she had relied so heavily on Frostmere’s kindness. Her personal code demanded that she pay him back somehow, even if he had been a willing host the entire time it still bothered her. This was the fourth day she had spent at the cabin; all things considered she had only thought that she would stay for at the most a day or two just to regain her strength. It turned out that her injury was more severe than anticipated, but to Frostmere’s credit the healing paste had done its job and she was able to use her leg again. What was even more amazing was how faint the scar was on her leg, she had expected it to be rather large however it was due to the quick response from Frostmere that spared her of such a blemish. It was mid-morning and she had just gotten up but she could tell that Frostmere was already awake because the smell of blueberry oatmeal filled the cottage. Amethyst had to admit she was becoming quite spoiled from all the delicious meals he continued to cook.

“He might even be a better cook than I am. By the Celestial Goddess I never thought I would be made to feel inadequate by a stallion and a unicorn no less!”

Frostmere came over to the bed with a bowl of blueberry oatmeal and a cup of tea. He was wearing a green apron. “Look who decided to wake up! Did you have pleasant dreams milady?”

Amethyst couldn’t help but giggle. “So you finally decided to wear an apron eh? I didn’t think I’d be served breakfast in bed by a maid.”

As Frostmere set down Amethyst’s breakfast he gave her a regal bow. “Ah but of course milady, I live to serve you.”

“Oh stop that you know I am not some high born noble and you also should know that I hate being waited upon so much.”

“Think nothing of it; I was more than happy to wait upon you. Now let’s take a look at your leg shall we?”

Frostmere pulled the covers back to inspect Amethyst’s injured leg. There was a slight scar there but otherwise the wound had healed well. He began to prod the scar tissue to test its strength, eliciting a laugh from the ticklish Amethyst.

“It seems to me that your wound has healed rather splendidly. I’m going to need you to put some weight on it just to be sure you didn’t lose too much muscle mass.”

Amethyst complied with Frostmere’s request and took a few ginger steps around the room. She then stomped her hoof down a few times and jumped to test the muscles further.

“Excellent it seems that you have completely healed. I think a celebration is in order.”

Amethyst rolled her eyes. “Oh really and what did you have in mind?”

“It’s nothing special, just a picnic near my favorite spot by the forest. My father used to take me there to train on occasion. It’s an absolutely lovely spot with rolling grassy hills and a big oak tree, you’ll love it.”

“Good I really need to get some fresh air, being cooped up in this cabin for a few days has made me stir crazy.”

The two ponies made their way to the picnic spot and as Frostmere promised it was a quaint little spot with rolling grassy hills and a large oak tree in the center. Frostmere laid out the picnic spread underneath the oak tree so they could enjoy its shade. The food that Frostmere had brought along was simple, just some dandelion sandwiches with a bit of lettuce and two canteens of water. They both enjoyed their picnic neither one saying a word, just enjoying each other’s company for several minutes the only sounds were birds chirping a slight breeze blowing.

Amethyst was the first to speak. “Hey Frostmere, I really wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done. I was serious about what I said earlier, any mare would be lucky to have you. I’m surprised you don’t have mares clawing onto you everywhere you go.”

“Ah well I just haven’t really found one I could really relate to.”

Amethyst sighed. “I know exactly what you mean.”

“When you said any mare would be lucky to have me…does one of those mares include you?”

Rather than verbalize her answer, Amethyst stroked Frostmere’s mane with her hoof and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips. He returned the kiss but with twice as much force, wrestling his tongue with hers. Amethyst’s face flushed red as she broke away from Frostmere’s kiss. Her voice was slightly strained. “Solar goddess above, you don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to do this. I admit it, I’ve longed for your touch since the first night you cared for me.”

Frostmere grinned. “Well then, far be it for me to deny you any longer.”

Frostmere nibble on Amethyst’s mane and then concentrated on kissing her stomach. After he was done doing that he began to make his way over to her leg. He licked his way up the inside of her leg until she let out a whimper of pleasure. Frostmere began to slide his tongue across her mare-hood, twisting it around to give her the maximum amount of pleasure. Amethyst groaned in ecstasy, her whole body convulsing in waves of pleasure as Frostmere nibbled on her nub.

Amethyst suddenly pulled away and trotted over to the oak tree, bending down while wiggling her rump in the air. “You’re such a tease how much longer are you going to keep me waiting?”

Amethyst grunted in shock as Frostmere suddenly mounted her from behind. At first it hurt her, but as Frostmere began to move inside her in a stead rhythm her pain began to melt away. Soon the entire would around her was beginning to blur as her body began to feel like melted butter. Both ponies could no longer contain themselves as they climaxed together, letting out a primal scream of pure satisfaction. Frostmere and Amethyst, both sweaty and exhausted collapsed upon the soft grass with smiles brimming from ear to ear.

Amethyst nibbled on Frostmere’s ear as she whispered to him. “My goddess that was amazing. You weren’t like all the other stallions; they all just wanted to mount me without any concern as to what I wanted.”

Frostmere chuckled. “I wanted you to have some fun too, and besides you look adorable when you’re being played with.”

Amethyst blushed and nudged Frostmere’s chest with her hoof. “Well I guess if you like my adorable face so much you’ll just have to keep on seeing it more often.”

“Is that an invitation milady?”

Amethyst grabbed Frostmere’s face and gave him a sloppy kiss. “No, it’s a promise.”