The Heart of Pleasure
By Haunter Rayne
Ch 75 – Choices Made

“No way!” Dash exclaimed now feeling that it was safe to make any outburst she wanted. “You can’t be serious! War? Like, for real?!”

Applejack hung her head sorrowfully not knowing what else to do. “Oh I never thought I’d see the day… and it won’t just be the ponies we send to the front lines who are affected by this. Think about how Applebloom is gonna feeling having to know she’ll live through sumthin’ like this.”

“Goodness gracious! You’re right.” Rarity whimpered. “Oh precious Sweetie Belle...”

“Ah shoot, and Scoots too.” Dash sighed.

“But, but… War is like the OPPOSITE OF HAPPINESS!!!” Pinkie growled.

“I am sorry my young friends.” Celestia spoke down to them while softening her tone now. “This is the last way that I had wanted these negotiations to end up. But it would seem that it is unavoidable now. The ponies of Equestria must prepare for battle against a new enemy.”

“Oh deer!” Fluttershy cried out.

“Really?!” Dash hollered in annoyance at her.

Then a whimpering sigh came from Pinkie as if a balloon were deflating. “Ooooohhh… So that means no party then.” To this Celestia shook her head and Luna rolled her eyes that she didn’t mind so much.

There was a great silence after that as everypony seemed ready to disperse. However, that was only until a singular sturdy word was uttered under a mare’s breath that stopped them all in their tracks. “...No.”

With genuine shock Luna looked over and asked, “Twilight? No, what? Are you alright?”

Then making every other pony jump, Twilight suddenly stomped a hoof and raised her head. “I said no!” She shouted as she now had an adamant look in eyes.

Fearing that young Twilight might be handling the situation immaturely Celestia said to her, “Twilight, I know that in dark times things can not always be so easy to accept...”

Celestia was filled with surprise to see the pupil who so fervently looked up to her now shout, “Well I don’t accept it! I will never accept this!”

“Twilight!” Luna shouted aghast. “I’m surprised in you. I have never seen you speak to my sister in such a way.”

“Well… I’m sorry. But she’s wrong!” Twilight grumbled in frustration while her friends acted as if they were going to faint from seeing her question Celestia for the first time ever.

Just then Discord reappeared but still off to the side of the room as he giggled to himself, “Oh my, it seems as if I had given up on any excitement in here much too soon.”

“Listen to me...” Twilight spoke up while clearly wearing her heart on her sleeve for this matter. “This just can’t be the right answer! It CAN’T be!”

“We don’t want this any more than you do Twilight! But for all we know another attack might be imminent. We need to prepare!” Celestia urged.

Now even Twilight could hear how much she was sounding like a whining child. “Well we wouldn’t NEED to prepare if we could just STOP all this!” She sighed as the other princesses seemed to roll their eyes at this. “Okay look… I still feel that there may be a way to work things out. Obviously we could question Zecora, who probably wouldn’t be willing to help us if what Aspen said was true. Or instead of going on that wild goose chase somepony could go back to the forest and reason with that deer to make him see the light!”

“Twilight, at this point I don’t think-” Now the cute sense of surprise was gone and Celestia frowned starting to get annoyed with how the purple alicorn was disregarding her.

“But it’s worth a try! It’s worth EVERYTHING!” She shouted. This finally seemed to give the others pause to listen. “It is worth everything that we are and everything that we have. Not just for our side but for the sake of the deer as well! There isn’t any reason for our two sides to be at each other’s throats! The conflict that started this doesn’t even have anything to do with pony vs deer!”

Now some heads recoiled back in surprise. It was Luna who spoke next saying, “Um, actually sister… what Twilight is saying is starting to make a kind of sense. Maybe we went about this all wrong?”

to this the consternated Celestia blotted, “So you’re saying that our nation DOESN’T deserve recompense from Aspen attacking us? That we should just roll over and allow anyone to harm our nation and our citizens?”

“Oh no, of course not. Recompense is definitely due. However, as much as I hate to say it,” as Luna spoke Pinkie suddenly gasped, “and as much as I might not personally like the sound of it,” now Pinkie’s gasp turned into a beaming smile, “maybe a more friendly approach might have better received.”

“SPLLEEEEE!!!” The earth pony wheezed. “So you’re saying that a party might have been a good idea after all?! Like, like… A Peace Party?!” Pinkie shouted.

With an eye-roll so large that almost spilt out from her head, Luna begrudgingly nodded saying, “At the very lease it couldn’t have gone over worse than this.”

“If I may?” Cadence suddenly chimed in. “I believe what Luna is saying is that instead of focusing on blaming Aspen for how he hurt us and what he owes to us in response to his actions, it may have been prudent instead to rejoice in the fact that he was willing to meet peacefully with us at all. That we had the opportunity to show thanks for his willingness to negotiate and share that we had no desire to counter attack. That we only wished for ‘help’ to right what was wronged.”

“An opportunity that we squandered it would seem.” Luna added.

Now Celestia held a hoof to her lips as she thought quickly back and forth with herself. Soon though her eyes closed as her expression fell. “You both… you all, are absolutely right.” She stated with a heavy sigh. “Oh what ever was I thinking?”

“Princess...” Twilight began again. “I would like to ask you something that’s… a bit pretentious, if you would forgive me. But I need to know, am I only a princess for show?” Clearly the others were taken aback by that but they held their tongues and allowed her to explain. “You all govern laws and rule kingdoms. Meanwhile I am the Princess of Friendship, not of any particular province. As such, do you truly consider me as your equal? Not as an individual… but as a political peer? Does my opinion truly hold weight in the legally of our nation?”

Now the others looked to Celestia as she looked back to them while they each nodded. “Why… of course it does Twilight. True you might not bear the burden of political responsibilities but you are a princess all the same. Why do you ask?”

With with a deep breath Twilight steeled herself before saying, “Then in that case... until such time that King Aspen or any other party should make it impossible to ignore, I as a Princess of Equestria refuse to acknowledge our nation as being in war-time.”

“Whooaa-Hooo-Oohh! Way to go Twilight!” Dash shouted as she flew over and wrapped her arms around the purple princess making her blush.

“Yessiree! A vote for parties and against war is a vote from Pinkie!” Said the party pony as she bounded over.

“Giving it everything we have for one last chance at peace definitely sounds like the nicer option than preparing for war, as if we had no other alternatives left to us.” Fluttershy stated as she gently flapped her way to Twilight’s side.

“Wellllll come now darrrlingssss… I mean, whatever would you expect a glamorous fashion pony such as myself to due in times of war? Slave away making dreary outfits for soldiers? Think of the social interruptions for Equestria’s groups in the finer arts!” Rarity chimed in as she strutted fabulously to join with her friends.

“Heh, whether our decision might be the right one or wrong one, you know that we ain’t got nuthin’ but the best interest of ever creature in mind. And that’s the honest truth.” Applejack joined in.

Now with the mane six standing together in support of Twilight’s unending optimism the scene was almost comical for the other princesses. “Well… I believe the situation speaks for itself. Wouldn’t you agree sister?” Luna asked.

“So it would seem.” Celestia smiled in defeat. “It is only a shame that Aspen were not still around to have witnessed this heartwarming gesture.”

“Then we’ll just have to bring this to him.’ Twilight said with pumping a hoof through the air confidently.

“Excellent! Excellent!” Everypony looked over as Discord stepped forward shouting loudly. “I’m so glad to see when kinship between friends wins out. So that means you are all prepared then? You know EX-ACT-LY what it is you want to say to king of the forest? I could teleport you all there right now you know?” He grinned as he lifted up his lion paw with the tips ready to snap.

“Ehhhh maybe spending five minutes at home to get my thoughts together first might be a good idea though.”

- A Few Minutes Later -

“What do you mean the peace negotiations might have lead to our kingdoms going to war?!” Starlight screamed in the hallway outside her bedroom door. That was where she now stood with Twilight who had returned to give her friend the current update. The heliotrope colored mare quietly closed the door to her room so as to not disturb the stallion sleeping within. But the black unicorn who she had thought had been resting heard everything.

“Well… that certainly isn’t good.” Rayne thought to himself as a wave of shadow separated from where he lay and wafted out the window down to ground below. Outside Rayne materialized while leaving a copy of himself behind upstairs. Then without wasting any more time he quickly drew four of his dark hounds to him. “Where is Zecora? I want to know she is safe. Find her...” It was hardly about a minute’s time when an Obsidianwolf returned from Maud’s cave and the stallion nodded before teleporting away.

“Yup, I don’t like it either but that is the situation we’re in.” Twilight explained as the two mares walked side by side off toward the map room.

The recap was just about finished by the time they entered and Starlight saw the rest of the gang hanging out in their seats. Spike was sitting on the table by Rarity and Discord lounging on air overheard. “I just can’t believe how hard headed King Aspen turned out to be. Sure, as you stated, Celestia and the others could have been softer in their approach. But WE were the injured party here! We have the right to be upset! In my opinion it sounds like the princesses weren’t hard enough and allowed themselves to be pushed around by that woodland king!”

“Oh dear, please… No more fighting.” Fluttershy pleaded.

To that Dash grumbled. “Fluttershy… if you say ‘oh dear’ or ‘oh deer’ or anything that even sounds like that again then YOU are going to be the one who see’s some fighting.”

“Settle down there Dashy.” Applejack called as everypony gathered around the table.

“Okay everypony. It’s up to us now to be able to stop this tragedy from happening.” Twilight announced to them all. “We know in our hearts that this is wrong. But we need to be able to convey that to a very stubborn stag who seems bent on his opinion of us not caring about helping with his side of things. So we need to work out exactly what we are going to say to him and if that doesn’t work I don’t want to be left without a fall back.” She announced and everypony nodded.

“Spike… Get ready to take a list like you’ve never listed before in your life.” Starlight smirked to him as he nodded with quill and parchment at the ready.

- Maud’s Cave -

The sound of the water trickling down the waterfall and the gentle tick of his Luna Clock were music to Rayne’s ears when his copy teleported home.

“Rayne! Oh thank goodness. It is so good to see you.”

“Oh my Rayne, the sight of you up and about fills me with more relief than I can explain!”

The stallion chuckled as his heart was warmed to see Zecora and Maud rush to his side. He didn’t hesitate to hold them both close and squeeze them so very tight. They did the same as the three collapsed to their knees on the floor together.

“I am so very, very, VERY sorry to the both of you.” He whispered in earnest. Stroking both of their manes just behind the ear he said to them, “I care for you both so much and neither of your deserved the hurt that I am sure I put you through seeing me injured like that.”

“What hap-”

“But you-”

However they were both cut off as the stallion placed a hoof over their mouths and shook his head with a smile. “Na uh, me first.” He said and they both nodded. Taking them by the hooves he guided his girls from the hard ground and back to Maud’s cushions. “Listen… You need to let me apologize. I have to be able to get this out. Zecora… I’m sure that it was terrifying for you seeing me be attacked like that. And then not knowing what happened to me afterwards. Maud, I’m sure it was no easier for you to not know that I had been hurt and then just to find me in that state all alone in here.”

Knowing they had their own emotions that needed to be processed Rayne silenced himself to let them speak. “It was terrible Rayne.” Maud said first. “I was so scared. I thought you were dead. I was alone when I found you. I called for help but there was no one.”

“Fear for oneself is never as painful as fear for another. Even our trip to hunt Timberwolves did not shake me as bad as fearing we would never again see each other.” Zecora replied.

“I am sorry… I am so sorry, to both of you. Please, don’t say that you forgive me because I could never accept having done this to you. How about allowing me to spend forever making it up to you instead?” Rayne asked of them as both of the girls smiled weakly through their teary eyes.

“We willl.”

“This request from you, accept I do.”

Nearly a good hour was spent after this in comfortable silence. None of them spoke, none of them needed to. Maud prepared a salad while Zecora and Rayne lounged making sure neither of them were left with any injuries from the forest. Then all three sat just savoring the simple aspect of each other’s company as none of them wanted to take even the smallest thing for granted anymore.

Eventually it was Maud who played the role of the practical one amongst them and said, “Rayne, thank you so much for coming here and just spending time with us. I’d sacrifice studying the geological repositioning of continents for you. But, as troubling as the forest attacking Ponyville had been I am sure it isn’t over with yet. Zecora explained how it had been you that the trees were after. And knowing you, I’m sure that you don’t plan to just let this sit. So what are you planning to do?”

Zecora pouted as if she had hoped this peaceful moment could have lasted forever. But knowing that it couldn’t she didn’t object to the gray mare’s questioning and just looked to their boyfriend for an answer.

“Well girls… I have a little story to tell you.” He said with his voice suddenly darkening. They knew that tone and settled in comfortably against one another to hear the stallion out. “Once upon a time there was a heroic pony but he was one who worried too much. He was surrounded by other ponies who made his heart soar but because he was such a worrier he became obsessed with protecting them. So he went around drawing all the power he could to keep them safe.”

“Heh, this story sounds familiar. Now where could we have possibly hear one similar?” Zecora chuckled. “Ouuch.” She pouted playfully as Rayne tugged her by the mane but then made up for it by kissing her.

“Come on you two. I want to hear the story.” Maud said with a playful but mild smile of her own.

With a nod the stallion continued. “Well, while the hero went about gathering what power he could he also tried to be respectful of other creatures. He didn’t think it fair to hurt others in the name of keep his own loved ones safe. But true enough he might have given the wildlife a bit of a fright. Well… Unknown to our hero there was a guardian over the wildlife who began to mistake the stallion for a villain. So he sought out to protect those woodland creatures that our hero frightened.”

“Oh no! Rayne, tell me it is not King Aspen whose wrath you-”

“Shhh!’ Maud scowled and the now nervous zebra nodded.

“Well the who, and the how, and the why might be important and might not be. But to make the story short, the forest guardian went mad with anger going far beyond that of the stallion’s crimes. Instead of taking the responsible path he allowed his rage to consume him turning himself into that which he intended to fight off… a villain.”

Seeing that Rayne’s story seemed to be over Maud said, “There is no good or bad. Right and wrong, evil or good… it just depends on which side of an argument you find yourself.”

“That’s right, my little rock bed of my heart.” The stallion teased.

“Rayne...” She whined shyly as she blushed. “We’re talking about important things here.”

“I believe what I was talking about was why you are important.” Rayne stated. “You and my love potion enchantress over here.”

Nibbling on her hoof with rosy cheeks Zecora stated, “It is okay Maud, I think his actions I can understand. As we worried for him, he worried about us. So it is not so much that he would want some affection to be in demand.” She snickered all the same as his pet names for the girls continued to make them both swoon.

But again Maud took the serious role. “Alright so now we understand what is going on. I get that the forest might attack Ponyville again. But you haven’t answered my question Rayne. What do you plan to do about it?”

To this Rayne made a sound as as he sucked between his teeth. “I plan to put a stop to it.” He said darkly. But then his tone lightened as he went on. “I can admit that I was wrong. If I knew the Everfree Forest had a king then I would have as careful in hunting animals as I was ponies. I would have been quieter and more respectful to the forest.. but it’s too late for what could have or should have been done.” Rayne added to put a stop to the expression on Zecora’s face as she began to wonder if all this had been partially her fault.

“I understand. I will not torment myself over what in the past we did not better plan.” She acknowledged to him.

“Thank you.” He whispered and then continued on. “Now, the problem we are left with is the leader of the deer, King Aspen. I don’t know the whole story but from what I heard he seems bent on taking his fury at me out on the rest of Equestria. Which of course, is something I will not idly stand for. This is between him and I, not the rest of Ponyville and who knows who else he attacked.”

“You’re not turning yourself in are you?” Maud asked with a worried glance.

“What? Oh, haha. No, of course not.” Rayne chuckled.

“Okay good. It wouldn’t have made sense for my boyfriend to become this total badass if he wasn’t going to use his power when trouble comes up.” She smirked making Rayne wonder if maybe he was becoming a bad influence on her.

“Heh, heh. That’s my girl. Don’t worry, my plan is different. My plan is very different.” He said as he stood up. Turning to the side now he conjured an Obsidianwolf from out of his shadow. “I know they must all look the same to you Zecora… but do you remember this one? This was the first… of my now many shadow hounds I’ve bound to me.” Rayne stroked the creature affectionately as it seemed to curl into his embrace with equal admiration for him.

“Remember it well I do, but to tell your shadows apart I think is a skill only available to you.” Zecora told him.

“Heh, no matter. You see some time ago I ordered my hounds to do something and they failed me. And it had been something rather important. Since then, those first few creatures of mine have been rather sad about it... haven’t you?” He asked as if baby talking the creature and the hound actually nodded in response. “Their little hearts have just been burning for the chance to make it up to me, haven’t they? Yessss.” Again the hound nodded and then leapt around excitedly, still not making a sound as it moved. “Well I’m about to give them their chance.” Without delay six other hounds jumped up from the shadows as if they could not wait.

“What are you going to do?” Maud asked again.

Turning to his girls Rayne grinned, “Aspen decided to pick the fight with me. He could have introduced himself. He could have asked me to stop. He could have faced me himself or sent me a messenger. But no, instead he picked a fight. And he needs to answer for what he has done. He’ll answer for the blood spilt from my side… and for the tears that ran from my girl’s eyes. He’ll learn not attack Ponyville once I’m done with him. And the world will learn not to make those I cherish cry.”

Both Maud and Zecora felt a shiver run through their spines. All of a sudden they didn’t feel like a minor geologist or potions master. They felt like queens put on pedestals by their dark and powerful king who stood now not for himself but for them and their glory.

Meanwhile the floors, walls, and ceiling were all covered with eyes. There were eyes everywhere. There were eyes of wolves and of Hydra. There were eyes of Bugbears and of Flash Bees. Eyes of Chimera and Manticore and Sea Serpents and other mutated fiends of the dark. All eyes watched as the stallion stood proud. Then they listened as he quietly turned to the first Obsidianwolf he ever made who was so eager to atone for losing Chrysalis.

“Find King Aspen… Bring me his blood…” If shadow could have made sound there would have been a whoosh as every creature under Rayne’s control suddenly shot off all at once.

- Back in the Castle of Friendship -

Instantly Discord began to twist and shudder. The magical backlash from the stampede of shadows almost dropped him out of the air as he floated over the heads of his pony friends. “Discord, are you okay? What are you- HEY?!” Twilight yelled as without warning he quickly scooped them up and pull them all outside up into the air.

“Yeeaaaaaahh!” Applejack hollered in fright as her hooves dangled twenty, then thirty, then fifty feet above the tallest spire of the castle. “WHAT, ARE, YOU, DOIN’ DISCORD?!” She screamed as Dash and Fluttershy wriggled out of his grasp to fly on their own.

“Oh be quiet all of you and just watch!” He scolded as he pointed into the direction of the forest. Suddenly there was a wave of black. It looked like the shadow of an army suddenly appeared out of thin air but there was no army. Only their dark impressions on the ground. Then just as suddenly as they appeared they all launched forward into the treeline as if shot off by one of Pinkie’s cannons.

“Umm Twilight? Could you please explain to me what that horrifying visage was that we all just witnessed?” Rarity asked as she too seemed uncomfortable with her hooves dangling beneath her.

As Discord was kind enough to set everypony down now without having to be asked, Twilight turn to the rest of her friends while looking as stunned as the rest of them. “I’m sorry Rarity. I have no idea. And judging from the sight of it I’m not sure that I want to know what that was. Discord? You’re the one who sensed it and pulled us out here. Any thoughts?”

Now the Draconequus paused to decide how to word himself. “Well… you are aware that whenever a great expenditure of magic happens that my chaotic senses get all tingly. There certainly couldn’t be a magical shadow army summoned all at once without me picking up on it. But what I would say is more important is WHERE that army seemed to be headed.” He pointed out.

“Where?” Twilight asked. “What do you mean? There is nothing to attack in the forest unless of course it is after… OH NO! KING ASPEN!” The alicorn shouted causing her friends to gasp as well.

“Wait a minute, y'all.” Applejack called to them. “Wasn’t the varmint who was starting this mess supposed to be a magical panther of some sort? And NOT a massive army of who knows what that was we just saw?!”

“Oh, well...” Fluttershy whispered out with her own suggestion. “I suppose… I mean, if the panther IS magical then maybe it’s possible that he could be the one controlling that army?”

“Yeaaaahhh- but where did he even get an army?!” Dash cried out.

“Oh… well… That I don’t have any ideas about. I’m sorry.” Fluttershy said retreating into herself as Applejack just gave her a pat on the back with a smile.

After that though everypony remained quiet as Pinkie realized that they were all just staring at her. “What? … WHAT?! What are you all staring at ME for? Pssh come on, stop it! I don’t know what’s going on. It’s not like I’m going to come up with a random guess that what the mysterious figure King Aspen was mad at has been doing was going around making dark and horrible copies of every creature!”

Now the others looked to each other and nodded. “Let’s go girls. We have a king to save.” Twilight shouted as Pinkie was left behind yelling at them all.

“Hey! Where are you all going? Was it something I said? You guys!!!” Eventually she gave up and just chased after them while Discord stayed behind having no reason to follow now that the forest was no longer trying to kill everypony.

- In the Thicket, Kingdom of the Deer -

“Those unbelievable, selfish, conniving, good for nothing PONIES!!!” Aspen roared as he marched his way back into his hidden city. Tall spirals of wooden homes grew with the trees as opposed to be cut out of them. Each of their living structures were interlaced into the dense forest making the community as a whole appear as an immense palace of separately woven tree structures intricately coming together to create the city as a whole. Bioluminescent moss illuminated the cityscape along rope bridged pathways and hanging decoratively from the outside of homes.

“Please, calm down my love.” Said a pale brown doe as she watched her husband walk into their home at the heart of the Thicket.

Now the white stag paused to take a breath as he took in the sight of the female deer in front of him. “Queen Fyr… my beautiful wife. Still to this day there is not an ill in this world that the sight of you cannot still my heart against.”

“Oh you old charmer.” She said to him as they affectionately caressed their snouts together. “I take it that talks with the ponies did not go as planned?”

“No, you could say not. But I wouldn’t have you fret my dear. You can rest assured that your husband held firm and denied whatever their silly requests were from us. The deer of the Thicket will bow to no other force. Especially when, knowingly or not, they harbor a criminal who is threatening our lands.”

“ASPEN! You stubborn fool!” Fyr suddenly gasped as she stomped one of her petite hooves. Her husband looked to her in surprise as she said, “You cannot make enemies with the ponies! Even without their unicorns they could defeat us with the sheer number of them that surround our land. And with their unicorns our soldiers would be decimated by their magic.”

The forest king was less than pleased by his partner’s counsel. “True we could never face them in open combat. Fortunately, they would have to come here to us if they wanted a fight. And as long as the forest stands my magic would rip their armies to pieces.”

“And if the forest didn’t stand?” She pointed out to him. “If they uprooted our entire forest? Or if they burned it surrounding us with fire from all sides?”

“I...” He stammered as he did not have an answer for that. “I trust from their character that they would never stoop to such methods.”

“Just as they trusted you to negotiate with them as a fair and understand king?” Fyr stated with an eyebrow raised.

“Hehhh… you’re right. Please, forgive me my love. This whole situation was my fault to begin with and I fear I have made a terrible mess of things. Maybe I shall give the ponies peace talks another chance.” But as his wife smiled Aspen’s eyes shot open wide toward a sight behind her. “LOOK OUT!!!” He screamed while throwing Fyr aside as behind her a wolf of shadow and dark stone lunged forward.

“Aspen!” Queen Fyr cried but she saw her lover being attacked. But he was quick to rend the creature with his antlers leaving the beast vanished into mist. “What was that foul thing?” But there was no time given to answer. In from their door squeezed a shadowy Chimera. It looked murderously to the king as his wife lay helplessly at it’s feet. “By the life of the forest… no!” She whimpered.

“FYR!!!” Aspen cried but then they both looked surprised as the creature stepped over Fyr as if completely ignoring that she was there. “Rraaauuggh!!!” Aspen growled as it pounced at him. The dark tiger head of the creature snapped out with it’s black stone fangs. It bit upon Aspen’s anklets holding them tight as the head on it’s serpent tail snapped toward the deer king viciously.

“Get away from my husband!” Fyr screamed attempting to ram the beast. Although her body only sank through it’s shadowy form causing her to accidentally clothesline herself around the neck on it’s obsidian spine. Just then two guards rushed into the room after hearing the commotion. “Help him! It will not attack you, it is only after the king!”

Quickly they rushed their antlers forward until together with Aspen the Chimera was dispersed. “What is happening Your Majesty?!” One of the deer asked. Suddenly they were all forced to cower as the roof on the building was torn straight off. A soundless roar was seen from an Obsidian-Hydra as it leered down at them while panic broke out within the entire city at the sight of the titanic creature.

“MOVE!” Aspen yelled as his antlers glowed with a green magic. Suddenly massive tree limbs punched down like the arms of giants. They sank deeply into the Hydra with tree limbs big enough to fell fully adult grown dragons.

Once the Hydra dispersed back into shadow Aspen rose himself up on a branch to look out over the Thicket only to find himself surrounded. Cragadiles, Bugbear, Bat-like creatures, and Manticores… just about every creature Aspen could think of plus even a few more now stared at him from faces of shadow and dark stone. Additionally one Obsidianwolf in particular stalked about watching him but remained behind as the others began to charge. “So be it.” Aspen whispered.

All the deer held back by Queen Fyr’s order as a massive battle ensued. Trees stabbed and whipped while shadows bit and clawed. Waves assaulted the king as wood swiped through tearing the attackers to ribbons. It was a twisted battle with the stag being attacked on all sides. But he rode a branch around as if he were flying while commanding the forest itself to defend and counter attack for him. The assault seemed endless yet Aspen’s defense was immaculate. Awe and terror filled in the eyes of the deer seeing their king in combat as they had never known he could do before.

After countless attacks that left Aspen heaving from exhaustion, all that seemed to remain was a lone Obsidian-Cragadile snapping viciously down upon the ground. While the Thicket Royal Guard seemed eager to assist their king in vanquishing the final beast he raised up a hoof in order to stop him. “Go back to your master...” He said to the shadow as he stepped down from the trees. “Tell him he has power in this forest no longer… and that I am coming for him.” Then with his entire military force armed behind him Aspen said, “That we are ALL coming for him!”

To this the Cragadile charged and Aspen frowned unimpressed. As if from a heavenly strike above, multitude of tree limbs speared downward straight through the center of the creature. But from hiding within the Cragadile itself that lone stalking Obsidianwolf leapt out for a surprise attack. “ASPEN!” Fyr cried once more.

As the king looked back over his shoulder he saw the wolf standing but with one paw held upwards away from the ground. Then he felt it as a small slice began to bleed from his cheek. Immediately the hound vanished and the entire force which had assaulted the Thicket was gone.

- Back in Maud’s Cave -

It hadn’t been long at all before Maud, Zecora, and Rayne each looked up from where they shared a place in Maud’s bed together. Hounds, beasts, and other animals of shadow filled the room one by one and knelt around Rayne obediently. Then from the center of the room an Obsidianwolf appeared to slowly strut three legged toward it’s master.

All three ponies could see a gleam of red upon it’s claw to which Rayne grinned with radiant satisfaction. Once the hound got close he leaned down running his tongue through the thin red smear for no other reason than he could. “Excellent work my faithful companions… You, are, redeemed.” He grinned as the entire lot of his shadows seemed to dance about in excitement.

Author's Notes:

Alright, so I have a couple quick references to get through. "Wearing your heart on your sleeve" just means that you are being very open with your emotions for all to see. Hehe I hope you liked my "Oh Deer" joke. And Pinkie got her party idea shot down and then invalidated by Luna.

So what do you think of Twilight standing up against Celestia? Pretty big change for her I'd say.

Alright so one thing I wanted to comment on here was Rayne's little 'story' he told to Maud and Zecora. This is NOT to imply that Rayne has a hero complex. He was just trying to be cute with his girlfriends. He's determined, not crazy.

Also yes, through the whole second half of this chapter as well as all of the next chapter there is still a copy of Rayne laying in Starlight's bed.

And then of course there is the comical scene where everypony looks to Pinkie expecting her to make some crazy fourth wall break to help transition the scene along haha.

Clearly though Rayne is now operating without fear of Discord finding out about what he's doing. Since the cat is out of the bag with him, Rayne is now free to expand his power without having to hold back.

Okay so King Aspen is king for a reason. He loves his subjects, he stands up for what he believes in even to a fault, and... he can also be a total badass lol. But then again, so is Rayne.

**Picture added 8/12, art by LauraJF