I have decided to change my story's ratings. It is now rated M (For mature), instead of T (for teens) because of the following:

Strong Sexual Contents

Violence

Blood and Gore.

Language

I once again want to thank Nazidash for helping me out!

I yawned and stretched my arms as I woke up to the sun shining brightly into the apartment from the windows. The sunlight blinded me as I slowly opened my eyes, so I covered them with my hooves for some shade. I inhaled the air and jumped out of the bed to open the windows. The air inside the apartment was pretty stuffed and certainly not fresh. As I opened the windows I felt for the cold breeze filling the apartment with fresh air. I inhaled again, filled my lungs with cool air and exhaled it out in relief.

Yesterday was literally the best day I'd ever experienced. It was the day that completely changed my life for the better. I smiled when I thought about it and looked at him sleeping in my bed. But I sensed that something was not quite right. I walked up to him and noticed that he didn't seem very happy. There was something wrong and I somehow felt it. I carefully examined him and noticed that he was sweating and biting his lips. It looks like he was having a bad nightmare.

As I was about to wake him up he quickly opened his eyes, yelled “NO!”, grabbed his daggers which were at the table next to him and sat up. “Let her go you fucker!” he added in a yell, panting for air like he was about to get a seizure as he quickly looked around the room and adapted to the new environment.

“It's alright! It's alright. It was just a bad dream.” I explained to calm him down. He looked at me with his big terrified eyes and quickly hugged me tightly when he realized that he was back to reality.

“Oh god...” he moaned, tightening his grip on me. “Don't leave me. Please... don't.” he begged in desperation.

I comforted and shushed gently. “It's alright. I'm here. It was just a nightmare.” I felt for his lungs inhaling air heavily, but slowly and steadily eased up in the end. I also felt for his body shaking as if he was freezing.

“Right.” he said quickly, swallowing. “Just a nightmare.”

When he finally began to calm down, I let go of him and looked him in the eyes. They weren't as they were used to be. Not as happy as they normally are. There was definitely something bothering him.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” I asked him mildly, gently brushing over his mane.

“No!” he shouted back, as if he was still unsure whether he was in a dream or not, and quickly shook his head. It startled me a bit and got me a little confused since I didn't expect those reactions at all.

“Oh... sorry. I guess I'll make you something to eat. Wait here, I'll be right back.”

“No, please. I'm sorry. Don't leave me. Please. Just stay a little longer. That's all I'm asking for.” he pleaded, jumping into my arms again. “I just need to have you here with me for a moment.” he continued. I smiled in relief as I realized that he trusted me with his life. It saddened me to look upon him in that state, but the fact that he only needed me around to recover made me tighten my grip on him as if I was protecting him from any harm.

“Don't be afraid of losing me. I'll never leave you. You can guarantee that.” I stated in an attempt to make him feel better, but he looked back at me without a smile, still with his distrust in his eyes.

“If you had any idea...” he muttered, looking away. “I'm sorry...” he added with his head bowed.

“Sorry for what? You don't have to feel sorry about anything. Why are you excusing yourself? What happened?” I asked confusedly. His behavior was starting to worry me a bit.

He looked at me for a while with an unsecured look and bit his lower lip. He seemed very nervous and looked as if he was wondering whether he should tell me something or not.

“I...” he hesitated and starts panting again in his obvious nervousness. “I'm not...” he added with a gulp, his eyes closed.

“Yes?”

“I...nothing.” he finally muttered, shaking his head quickly. “We must prepare ourselves for the trip. We mustn't delay.” he added to change the subject.

I gave him a weird look. 'What happened?' I asked myself confusedly. “Alright. Let's go get something to eat.” I suggested, deciding to let it all go. He just had a nightmare and he just had to recover. No big deal. We all get those once in a while.

“Yeah. I guess we should. I'm starving.” he pointed out and finally cracked a smile. He got out of the bed and stretched his wings and legs.

“Just wait here. I'll go get you something.” she said and disappeared into her kitchen in the next doorway. There was no door in between though, so we could continue or chat.

“Sure. I'll just...wait.” I responded as I sat down on her sofa and looked around the apartment. There were photos on the walls. But there was one that got my attention. I stood up and flew up to the wall in front of me to check it out.

It was a picture of three ponies. Two of them were adults. A mare and a stallion, and the other one in the middle was a filly. A cyan-colored, rainbow maned filly. I glanced at the picture in disbelief and carefully analyzed it. I turned the frame around to see a little note attached to it. I thought about reading it but even though I didn't want to at first, the curiosity got the better of me.

“So… are you alright? Is there anything else you need?” she asked me loudly enough so it would be guaranteed that I'd hear her. I didn't answer her at first since my focus was completely fixed upon that family picture.

“Drake?” she asked again.

“No thanks. That's fine.” I replied with the little note in my hooves.

I opened the message and read:

“Dear Dashie, our beloved daughter.

If you received this message, then we're really sorry to inform you that we are...dead. We're sorry... so very, very sorry. But you must stay strong! You must fight and go on with life. Do not dwell in grief, and do not avenge us. It will only lead to more sorrow, and that's the least we'd want. But we also want you to know that we've always loved you with all our hearts, and we've done everything in our power to raise you up in becoming a strong mare in the future. We hope you find your happiness.

Stay strong. Stay faithful.”

There wasn't anything else written on the note and it was kind of rushed, but I almost felt myself tear up with reading that. 'So that's why we never got to hear about her family' I thought to myself and put the piece of paper carefully at its original place. Then I turned the picture around to look at it again.

Her mother's color was orange, very much like Spitfire, and her mane was rainbow colored, like Rainbow's. She had a wide grin on her face and her magenta irises eyes staring at the camera. I couldn't see the cutie-mark though.

Her dad was cyan-colored and his mane was brown. We shared the same...manestyle? He had green eyes and also had a wide smile on his face while he had his left hoof on little Dashie's mane. His cutie mark was spectacular. A symbol of a star on fire. Somewhat like a shooting star, but not completely. Just a symbol of a typical star in flames. It was perhaps the best looking cutie mark I'd ever seen, side my own.

They all seemed very happy. And now that I know they had been taken from her, I couldn't help but to frown a bit in sadness. The thought of them being dead made me feel bad. Hell, it even hurt me. I even got a little depressed again.

“That's my mom and dad.” Dashie interrupted my moment. I turned around very startled to see her standing there by the kitchen's entrance. She was leaning against the wall without a smile.

“I'm so sorry.” I said as I landed next to her. “I'm so very sorry.” I added and put my hoof on her right shoulder.

“Meh, it's alright. I was only a filly when they...” she hesitated a bit. “...died.”

She looked at the floor and tried to recover from the sudden topic. “That's alright. I don't want to... wait a second. Did you read the note behind the frame?” she asked me suspiciously.

I felt for cold sweats and got a little nervous, but I didn't want to lie to her. “Yes... yes I did. I'm sorry.” I excused myself again and prepared myself for getting raged over.

“So you did read it, huh?” she said without the expected anger and walked up to me. “Do you know how they died?” she asked not the happiest, but not angry either.

“Do you really want to talk about it?”

“Well... I don't know. Maybe it'll make me feel better.”

“If you think so, then go ahead.” I said and sat down on the sofa. Dashie followed me and sat down by my side and like usual, rested her head on my chest.

“I won't ever forget that day. The day when the police announced to me that they had been murdered. I know who did it. Everyone knew who did it. But there weren't enough proofs to keep them locked up in prison, meaning that they're still loose on the streets. Because you see, my father had a weakness. He was a drug addict before he met my mom, and he owed a lot of money to the drug dealers. What I'm trying to tell you is this: After my dad met mom, he vowed never to touch drugs ever again. And he kept his promise. But that didn't change the fact that he still owed those guys a lot of money. And I mean a lot. And these guys weren't lambs to play with...”

She paused to catch her breath and I heard her sigh in depression. “This isn't fair!” she yelled out of the blue and punched the sofa.

“Hey, it's alright. I think you should rest for a bit. I'll finish up the food. You go ahead and get your rest...”

“But I'm not finished.” she interrupted me. “Anyways, he owed them a lot of money. My parents managed to flee from Cloudsdale to an unknown land, far away from Cloudsdale. A very peaceful land where everything grew and the crops blessed by the gods. They lived there for some months before I was born. I lived at that farm until I became grown enough to talk, walk and fly. Hey, remember when I told you that Pinkie Pie was the only one to call me Dashie sometimes? Well, that isn't entirely true. My parents also used to call me that.” she pointed out and sighed again. “Anyways... the drug dealers eventually found out about our location. They started sending threat messages. They even threatened to murder me in front of them. My dad agreed to return back to Cloudsdale to meet them face to face to get this over with. But he had a plan. He wanted to make them a deal they couldn't refuse. As he was about to head out, my mom decided to tag along. My mother was confident that I was grown up enough to be left alone at home. And besides, hardly anyone knew about our home. Later, after a long week, a small note came through the hatch. I don't know who delivered it. But it was a note from mom and dad that said that if I'd receive that message, they'd be dead; their bodies were never found...”

Dashie started sobbing again and covered her face with her hooves. I wrapped my arms around her and now it was my turn to try to comfort her.

“I was getting low on food, and no one knew where I lived. I thought this house would be my grave, but by some miracle, a detective knocked on the door. He comforted me and took me away from that house back to the safe area of Cloudsdale. He decided to adopt and to take care of me, and he did a damn good job too. Made me tougher and stronger than the other kids, and taught me to be loyal to the law. Everything went well for a while and I even made a new friend, Fluttershy. But one day my new 'dad' fell when defending victims he found in a warehouse from crazy murderers. The victims all died with him and the criminals got away. I was left alone once again, but I was grown up into a mare, and I could take care of myself from there. Those days were the worst days of my life. I did the thing my parents wanted me to do though. To go on. Not to dwell in the past and to remain strong. But my life got even shittier when Fluttershy disappeared. Rumors said that she was dead; others believed she moved to Ponyville, which was the real reason. Later I decided to visit Ponyville myself, which is located directly below us. Once there, I was greeted by a strong and friendly pony; known as Applejack. And from there she introduced me to Rarity and Pinkie Pie. I even met Fluttershy again. Yes, my life got a whole lot better. After a while I met Twilight Sparkle which has been a great support and a very good friend. Later on, I crashed into...you. And you know the rest of the story.” she explained and exhaled.

I couldn't believe it. I did not expect Rainbow Dash to have such a terrible past, and it surprised me how strong she was despite it. She didn't even show a slightest depression or anything. I could learn so much from her. I wanted to hug her and never let go. I wanted to let her know that I would always be there for her. I wasn't sure that it would be the case though, because I wasn't sure if she'd take the news about me lightly or not. I expected her to be mad or something. She just had to. I've been lying to her the whole time, and to think of it, if my lover would admit to be a former alien, I wouldn't take it lightly at all.  But I had to hope. And it was something worth fighting and hoping for.

“I'm so...so sorry.” I mumbled full of pity as I gently stroke her mane and kissed her head.

Dashie looked at me with her eyes full of tears and hugged me again. I returned that hug without hesitation. We comforted each other, and stayed like that for a while. We didn't say anything, because no words were required at that moment. But I still decided to break the silence.

“Do you want something? Do you want me to do anything for you?” I asked softly and tried to be as comforting as I could.

“Nah. I'm alright. It was good getting that off my chest; but enough about that. The food is probably ready.” she said like nothing happened and smirked. I smiled back and kissed her on her cheek. That changed her smirk into a grin. “Come on. The food's probably getting cold.”

I didn't know Dashie was such a good cook. She made me something I'd never heard of before. I can't really describe it, but it was literally the best thing I'd ever tasted. This food was exclusive to the Pegasi in Cloudsdale and was considered a delicacy among them. It even looked a little like an omelet, but tasted somewhat like strawberries. I couldn't get enough of that. It was even better than a juicy steak.

Another thing about that weird food is that it had ingredients that are considered very healthy for the Pegasi, and the spice used in it was a special magical seasoning that strengthened the wings.

The weird thing about that all is that it wasn't rare. It's actually kind of common and very easy to make. It's a win-win situation. A delicacy with good ingredients and very easy to make. I could live with that for the rest of my life. And another thing about that is that it didn't take much of it to fill my empty stomach.

Soon after we'd eaten, we talked about the plan for today. I told her about the change of plans because of the letter I received earlier that morning. The change was that we'd meet in Canterlot instead of at AJ's barn. We hugged and kissed before going our separate ways. Dashie had a business to take care of at the Wonderbolts’, and I had to retrieve my helmet from Twilight's place. I didn't want to leave without it, and I still had my pictures inside it. I had to show them to her.

I landed by Twilight's house and inhaled the summer breeze as I knocked on her door. I patiently waited for her to open it up for me and listened to the birds sing on this beautiful and hot day.

“Spike, the door!” someone yelled from inside the house.

“I'm on it!” Spike responded. I waited for maybe five seconds before he opened up the door. I noticed how excited he got when he saw me. “Twilight! I think you better come down. Drake is here!” he yelled inside the house with a big smile. “Please, come in!” he ordered me and dragged me into the house.

I guess our little talk earlier clearly changed his views of me. At first he saw me as his enemy, considering that I was a dragon slayer to be. But now, he was completely different. Now he saw me as his best bud, and I had nothing against that. It's always nice making new friends.

“Did you say Drake?” Twilight yelled excitedly from the second floor.

“Yes! He's here!” Spike yelled back.

“I'm coming!” she responded. It didn't take her long to show up. In fact, it only took her something about two seconds to get down from her bedroom to the living room.

“Drake! Great to see you again!” she pointed out happily and gave me a big hug. I returned it. “Where have you been? Where did you go after you disappeared? We searched all over the inn for you and Rainbow Dash.”

“Well... we kind of went to her place.” I said awkwardly and tried my best to make it sound right, but it failed miserably.

She slowly smirked when I said that and chuckled awkwardly. “Oh... I see.”

“But we didn't...” I added and waved my hooves around. “We didn't do anything-”

“I get it, I get it.” she interrupted me with a laugh. “Surely you didn't do anything after you left the party and into her apartment in Cloudsdale, all alone in the middle of the night. Sure, sure.” she said with a sarcastic tone. “You don't have to hide it. I don't care.”

“No really... do you really expect us to do anything sexual when we've only just been together for two days or so?” I asked kind of upset.

“Hmm... you make a valid point. Still hard to believe that you passed that opportunity up.” she said as she contemplated on it.

“Well, it almost happened.” I admitted and chuckled awkwardly.

“I knew it. You were at least thinking about it.”

“What does it matter to you anyways? It's none of your damn business what we do together.” I spat out a little offended.

Twilight thought about it again and the more she thought about it, the more she seemed upset. “You're right, and I'm sorry. I know that's none of my business.” she said sadly and turned away from me.

“I'm sorry for that harsh reaction. It's good to know that you care about us.” I pointed out.

Twilight looked at me again with a weak smirk. “No, it's none of my damn business.” she repeated and sighed. “I think I just envy you guys. You seem so happy and it's so... rare. I don't think I'll ever get to experience that.” she pointed out and chuckled awkwardly as she blushed and tried to make it sound like a joke, but I could easily sense her seriousness in her voice and eyes. It made me feel sorry for her. “But enough about that. I guess you're here for the helmet?” she asked to change the topic.

“Well... yes, I am.”

“Spike, would you go get Drake's helmet? I put it in the guest room.” she requested of Spike and waited patiently for him to run off.

“With pleasure!” he said happily and ran off, and it didn't take him long to return with my helmet.

The first thing I did when he gave it to me was to check if the pictures were still inside the helmet. But to my surprise, they weren't. My heart skipped a beat when I didn't find them. I started panicking a bit. “Where are the pictures you gave me?” I almost yelled in excitement. “Help me find them!”

“What? You lost them?” Twilight asked and gasped.

“Where did you put my helmet after you came back home?” I asked impatiently. “They might had fell off my helmet.”

“Follow me.” she replied and led me to the guest room. “I put it here on the table next to the bed, since I thought you'd stay here for the night.” she added and walked around the room.

The first thing I did was to search under the table, and thank god. I found them lying there.

“I found them!” I yelled in relief. I kissed the pictures and carefully placed them inside my helmet.

“That's good. But you don't have to be so careful with them all the time. I have cast a spell on them so they'll never tear, and they'll never crumple up. Nothing can destroy it but me with my magic.” she pointed out.

That gladdened and surprised me. The fact that those picture would never get destroyed was amazing. “Wow. It must be really handy being a Unicorn.” I chuckled.

“Well, we all have our pros and cons. Unicorns can do magic, the Pegasi can fly, and the Earth ponies... well, they can't do anything at all!” she joked and laughed. I joined her in the laughter. “Nah, just kidding; they’re very strong and can endure just about any weather. No matter how cold it gets, the Earth ponies would endure it longer than we would.”

I didn't answer her but slowly nodded. “I can't really delay. I must go to Applejack's to retrieve the food she has provided us for the trip to the Greybeards. And Celestia has ordered me to have a little meet-up at Canterlot later today.” I excused myself and slowly backed away to the exit.

“Hey! Celestia also asked me to come! I guess I'll see you there then.” she said with an excited grin.

“Yeah, I guess so.” I responded as I opened the door. “Anyways, I must take my leave. See ya!”

I ran out of her house and headed straight to Applejack's barn. “Bye!” I heard Spike yell through the door.

There it was. The great palace in Canterlot before my eyes. I was greeted by two bodyguards and they told me to follow them inside, but I pointed out that I was waiting for someone. The two dark gray bodyguards in their golden armors told me that “the Wonderbolt had already arrived.”

I guess that meant that she had her uniform with her, and that thought made me kind of excited. I was curious to see what she meant when she said that they had enchanted the uniform with lightning and thunder.

“Alright. I'm ready to meet the princesses.” I announced and lowered my head in respect for them. They did the same.

“We are honored, Dragonborn.” they said in high, clear voice and saluted me like a general.

“Don't be. I'm no better than you guys.” I replied and tried to be as civil as I could.

“In a matter of fact, you are. But enough about that, let me lead you to our grace.” they added and opened the big door to her palace.

The first thing I noticed was the long hallway and a lot of white columns. On the other side of the room were both Princesses sitting in their royal seats and waiting for my arrival. I walked with the bodyguards up to them and knelt before them.

“Rise.” Celestia ordered as she stood up and walked up to me. “We want to discuss one matter with you and your fellow companion. And what has reached my ears, you're also lovers. Were my ears deceived or is it maybe the honest truth?"

“It is the truth indeed, my grace. She is my soul mate and is a part of my heart. But may I ask where she is?” I said proudly and looked around, but didn't see her anywhere. The bodyguards said that she had arrived, but where was she?

“She's in the next room awaiting you. Go to her. We will meet you in there in a bit.” she ordered me and bowed her head to me.”

“Thank you, my grace.” I said without looking at her in the eyes in a matter of respect and to show that I was lesser pony then her. I did know that she wasn't demanding and very humble, but I wanted to show her the respect she deserved.

I stood up and walked to the right as I noticed a doorway to another room. Once inside, I saw my Dashie sitting in a comfortable sofa against the wall in her Wonderbolt suit. She smiled when she saw me and immediately stood up to welcome me.

“Drake!” she yelled and galloped up to me.

“Dashie!” I yelled back and reached out to give her a hug, but I hesitated when I noticed the little sparkling from the lightning on her uniform. The uniform was like the basic Wonderbolt suit, but was specifically made to fit with her mane and tail, and it was enchanted with lightning. So I had to think twice before hugging her. But I still decided to give it a go. It wouldn't matter if I'd get a small shock anyways. But to my surprise it didn't do a damn thing to me. I could see the small lightning sparkling but it didn't damage me. It was relieving, but I didn't much care if it did hurt me a bit. The only thing I cared about was her, and lightning or anything else wouldn't stop me.

“Wait, why doesn't the uniform hurt me? I mean, it is enchanted with lightning.” I asked in curiosity and wondered if it was just for deception and to scare off enemies. That could have been the case.

“You like my uniform?” she asked with a big grin on her face. Seeing her grin happily like that also made me happy.

“Yes. I really like it. You look awesome! But about the...”

“About the lightning. It does inflict damage on enemies if they're close to me enough. You didn't feel for it because you're my friend. The cool thing about it is that it all depends on who I like or who I don't, and the suit will react to those feelings. That way I can control who gets shocked and who doesn't. So don't be afraid of being around me when I'm in the uniform, because you're far away from being disliked.” she explained and kept grinning.

I liked that idea, but didn't quite understand it. How could it be? But the more I thought about it, the more I began to understand. What was the reason? I was in Equestria. Everything is possible in Equestria. Even magic was considered a normal thing here.

“That's great.” I said and hugged her again as I kissed her on her cheek. “Should we get a seat?”

“Yes. Let's do that.” she answered and let go of me.

We cuddled up in the sofa as we patiently waited for the Princesses. But the person who came through the door first  wasn't quite expected. Twilight Sparkle appeared by the doorway.

“Hey, guys!” she said and galloped towards us.

“Hey Twi.” answered Dashie and stood up to greet her with a hug. “What are you doing here?” she asked her excitedly.

“Celestia asked me to come. There's something she wants to discuss about apparently, and she wanted me to be there as well. I don't know what the subject will be about though, so don't even ask.” she said and chuckled. “But Rainbow, your uniform! You finally got your Wonderbolt's suit!”

“I know right? Doesn't it look super cool? Makes me look tougher than I already am doesn't it?!” she responded, very full of herself.

“Yes. It really fits you well. I hope it will be of good use.”

“I can't wait for some action! To smack some skulls and to teach them a lesson!” she said very confidently and started punching and kicking the air. “They'll beg for mercy, but I won't show them any!” she stated and grinned evilly.

“Eh... Dashie? Are you alright?” I asked; very surprised by her brutal thoughts and murderous longings. It made me a little uneasy because I hated all that violence. I only killed when I had no other choice.

“What?” she asked me confusedly. But she immediately got my hint when she saw on my face that I disapproved of her sudden aggression. “Oh… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to go that far-”

Before she could continue I cut her off. “You know that I will show mercy if I get the chance. And you will too. You got that?” I asked not too pleased. “It's good to see that you're determined and tough. But don't turn into a monster like they are. Like those thugs and murderers that do nothing good with their lives than to murder and steal. Please, don't be like them. Not my Dashie.” I said disappointingly and slowly shook my head as I stared deep into her eyes.

I noticed how her confidence failed her at that moment and how her grin changed. “But...but...I was just-- I... I guess you're right.” she muttered very ashamed of her action. “I- I didn't... I'm sorry.” she excused herself again and gazed at the ground as she approached me. “I..I didn't think straight. And now that I think about it, I'm very ashamed of what I said. I know that we're supposed to be the good guys. I'm sorry. I did not see.”

“Come here.” I said warmly and hugged her tightly. “I know that you meant good. Just don't lose it.” I said and kissed her on the cheek. “Let's not make a big deal out of it. I just wanted to let you know that I'm not going to be ruthless, and as long as you are my companion, you aren't either. You got that?” I asked again, but a lot milder.

Dashie looked at me with a dedicated look and saluted. “As you wish, Dragonborn. But I'll only show them mercy if they ask for it.” she pointed out. I nodded in a reply.

At last Celestia and Luna showed up. Luna was carrying a small chest, which was decorated in gold and diamond.

“We want to start off by showing our support by giving you both a gift.” Luna said and placed the chest by our feet. “Open it, and retrieve everything you find.” she ordered.

It didn't take her twice to tell us, and we immediately opened the chest in our utmost curiosity. We gasped when we noticed the items inside it. There were two bows. Two beautiful and very powerful looking bows.. Made from some kind of dark material. There were red lines on the bows, and they weren't painted. They actually glowed.

“Those are one of the strongest bows available. They are very rare and are made from an even rarer material. We had to kill two 'Daedra' and use their hearts to make the bows, as well as other materials. But that glowing red lines on the bow is because of the hearts.” Luna explained proudly.

“Wait.. a Daedra?” I asked and shuddered; very disturbed by the fact that they used their hearts to make the bows. I didn't even know if I wanted to use that bow, now that I knew about that.

“Don't worry. I'll explain it later. But the Daedra are evil and very powerful. In fact, two mysteriously showed up in our halls maybe a week ago. We took care of them. Then we salvaged their hearts and-”

“OK. I get it!” I interrupted and gagged. “You made those bows. And I'm very appreciated. They shall be put in good use.” I vowed and lowered my head.

“That's so cool!” uttered Dashie in amazement and examined her bow carefully. “Whoa!”

“And we have made you some arrows from sharp glass. You'll each get five hundred arrows. Use them well.” Added Celestia. “But Rainbow Dash...”

“Yes, my princess?” she answered and lowered her head immediately .

“There is another thing we wish to give you. For your loyalty, we want to grant you 'The Blade of Woe'. It was wielded once by Equestria's infamous assassin. The leader of the Dark Brotherhood herself. She still lives, but her whereabouts remain unknown. She lost it a long time ago. Can't say she'll miss it after so long. We wish to give it to you.” she said and handed Dashie a very sharp and pointy dagger. “Use it with care. You should be honored, you won't find a better blade.”

“Wow... I am, your grace. But I don't want it to be too easy. Keep your dagger.” she explained and smirked with confidence.

“You're refusing to accept our gift?” Luna asked loudly. She was about to let out the "Royal Canterlot Voice" upon her, but broke it off before she let it out. “Don't worry. This knife is just as effective as any other dagger. But what makes it so special is that it never breaks, and it won't ever get rusty. It will always stay sharp. So please. Accept it!”

“I'll gladly accept it if that's that case...” Dashie answered, lowering her head again in a matter of respect.

“I want to thank you for your generosity. This surely will come in good use.” I said again.

“Indeed it will. You are our only hope to put an end to Alduin, and we'll try to help as much as we can to make that possible. That dragon must be slain.” Celestia pointed out with power in her usually mild voice.

“We'll try our best. But we really must leave at once. The sooner the better.” I excused myself and turned around to face my Dashie who seemed eager to get outside and start the journey.

We both picked up our bows and wrapped them around us. On the bows were some kind of grappling hooks that could be attached to us, so it wouldn't fall off while flying or running.

I turned around to look at the smiling Twilight who stood awkwardly a few feet from us. “Why did you summon Twilight?” I asked Celestia.

“It doesn't concern you two. We must talk to her in privacy. But, go, my little ponies. You mustn't let the Greybeards wait any longer.” she pointed out as I nodded.

“Well Twilight, I guess this is goodbye for now. I will miss you.” I told and hugged her. “Please, say hello to the others from me.”

“I will. Now, go.” she replied and smirked. I nodded to her and turned around to look at Dashie who seemed as eager to get out of there as before. But before we left, she bid her farewells to Twilight. After all the hugging and farewells we finally ran off into the long and empty hall, and through the exit.

As we flew towards the Throat of the World, we raced a bit, had some bets on who were better at this and that and we even had a nice and interesting conversations. We didn't feel for the slightest exhaustion, even though we were carrying supplies and weapons. But before we knew it, we had been flying nonstop for 7 hours straight. It was getting darker, and the ground below us was perfect for camping. There was even a lake not far away, so there was plenty of water for both of us. We did take some bottles with us, but finding that lake was great. More water for us on the return journey. I just hoped we wouldn't be stuck in an oasis free desert again. At least we were flying this time.

“We should camp here.” I yelled out to Dashie. “This is a good spot.”

I had been waiting for that moment. I knew that this was the perfect time to tell her everything about myself. I knew that my life could change in a matter of minutes. But I was done hiding who I was. I was tired of hiding my identity. I had to tell her everything and that tonight. I've been delaying this long enough.

“Alright.” she responded and landed smoothly at the ground without showing any hint of being tired or exhausted. I nervously followed her and got lost in my own thoughts about what I was about to do. What was going to happen, or what the consequences would be.

This was a good spot indeed for a camp though, and the weather was perfect. It was getting dark, but the colorful Northern Lights, the bright stars, the enormous moon and the rhythmical chirping sounds from the crickets kept that night alive.

After maybe ten minutes of setting up the tent and making a small campfire, we lay down next to the fire on the ground and admired the scenery; The shooting stars and the beautiful Northern Lights gracing the sky with beauty. The view was stunning and hypnotizing. Dashie had taken her Wonderbolt suit off, and I took my helmet off and put it next to her suit. We cuddled by the warm fire and she listened to my heartbeat as we watched those natural lights. But the more time that passed, the more nervous I got.

After a bit she felt for my nervous body shivering, and when she finally asked me what was wrong I knew that this was it. No backing down now. I inhaled the air and slowly exhaled it out again. My heart started pounding twice as fast as a normal heartbeat and my hooves started to shake. I even got some cold sweats.

“What's wrong?” she asked again, looking into my eyes with her worried look. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“Oh gods.” I uttered and quickly stood up. I covered my face in my hooves and begged for the last time to the gods for a slight hope of getting rid of those memories of me being someone else than a pony.

“What?” she added, now more worried and a little more impatient than before.

I slowly turned around to face her and looked down to the ground with a heavy sigh. “I-I don't think we can be together." I whimpered, almost inaudibly. I felt like someone had gutted my heart; like someone was crushing it. Letting that out was harder than I'd imagined.

“W-What?” she asked very surprised and by the look on her face, she wasn't quite sure whether I was kidding or not. “W-what are you talking about? Of course we can be together!” she almost yelled in small panic. She even started tearing up when she realized that I was being serious. “Please! Don't say that! You don't mean that!”

“It's so wrong! It's all wrong! We just can't be together!” I yelled back without looking at her and started tearing up light tears of my own. This situation was killing me. I felt like I was destroying myself. I also felt like I was destroying her. “There is something about me... I can't let you live with it. I just... can't.” I explained hesitantly and turned away from her, weeping more than before. I couldn't breathe normally anymore.

“Explain yourself!” she demanded with her shaky voice and flew up in front of me. She determinedly put her hooves on my shoulders, pushed me a bit and continued: “I don't care if something is wrong with you. I wouldn't even care if you were a cripple! I still love you!”

“There is nothing physically wrong with me. It's about my...past.” I pushed out, still without looking at her.

“What's in the past is in the past. It's alright. We have to live in the present!” she pleaded, now crying. “Please... please don't leave me!”

This dramatic moment was really killing me, and I hated drama. I just wanted everything to end here. This situation actually made me want to wake up in my bed back on Earth.

“It's much worse than you think. There are two facts about me that you aren't going to like at all. I want you to know that I love you from the bottom of my heart. You complete me. But I have to end it before we get more attached to each other. I have no choice. I can't let you live in a lie. I can't let you live with someone you don't even know.” I tried explaining, walking one step near her. Dashie launched herself at me and hugged me tightly. But I didn't hug her back.

“Then tell me. Tell me everything and it won't be a lie anymore! We can still go on! It doesn't have to be this way!” she desperately begged into my ear in a panicked whisper. Hearing her so desperate and so fearful for losing me made everything worse. It made me feel more miserable than I already was. "Please, I love you and only you! You complete me!"

All her words broke me down more and more. It was obvious how enormous her love was for me and I was just throwing it away like something as special as that was taken for granted.

“Gods damn it, Dash! It's more serious than you think.” I pointed out, trying not to look into her hypnotizing, beautiful teary eyes.

“I don't care what you did in the past--”

“I'm not talking about what I did. It's about who I am.” I explained, lowering my voice.

“I know who you are! You're... you're the Dragonborn.” she said, puzzled.

“Do you really think that's what I'm talking about?” I asked with a dead facial expression.

“Then... w-what do you mean?”

I sighed as I awkwardly tried to wipe the tears off my face. I paused for a bit and swallowed hard before continuing:

“The first thing... I know everything about you. And I mean everything. I know how you got your cutie mark, I know that you defeated Nightmare Moon and Discord with the elements of harmony and with the power of friendship, I know that you saved Rarity and the Wonderbolts from falling to their deaths. I know that you never get your cider when the Apple family are selling them. I know that...” as I said those things she slowly backed away from me and stared at my eyes, a little terrified. “...you were competing against Applejack in the falling of the leaves. I know that you sided with the buffaloes against the ponies of Appleoosa. The list goes on and on and on...” I explained, panting.

“W-What?” she slowly uttered, backing away from me fearfully. “I-Is this some kind of a sick joke? Did Twilight maybe tell you about these things?” she asked with her very startled voice.

“Listen to me!” I yelled. “I know everything about all of you. Including your friends. I just know goddamn everything about you all!”

“How do you know these things?” she asked, and by the look of her face, she was starting to fear me.

“Because...” I muttered and paused. “Because I'm not... from this world. I'm not from this dimension and--”

“What are you talking about?” Dashie interrupted me in a slight shock as she stared into my eyes, full of fear. She looked at me like I was some kind of a crazy criminal. But I didn't judge her. I would react just the same way if I were in her shoes.

“I-I wasn't born a pony, alright? I was... I was once something called a "human". An alien, if you wish. And that's why it's so wrong that we're together. We're two different species, for god's sake!” I pointed out with a small shocked chuckle, as if the idea of us being in a relationship was preposterous, and closed my eyes. I dared not look at Dashie. I just couldn't take a look at her facial expression or her reaction. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before. I understand if you hate me now." I regretfully said, falling on my knees. "I'm so sorry..." I added in a sad whisper. I continued crying, completely out of hope; sure that I had lost the person that was me so important.

I felt like I just killed a part of my soul. And not only my soul, but also hers. I felt like I had destroyed everything that made us both happy, as well as the connection we tried to strengthen; like someone had ripped my heart out. This situation was just way in over my head. But I did this all for her.

I couldn't believe my ears. I just couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to say or what to do. I felt like someone was poking at my heart with a stick.

I noticed how terrible he felt, and watched as he collapsed to the ground in tears.

I needed some time alone, so I quickly launched myself into the air and into the nearest sky. I got behind it and started crying myself in disbelief. Not because he was someone else than he appeared to be, but because he was breaking up with me. I hadn't cried like this in years. Hell, I'd never cried like this ever before.

But...he did say that he still loved me. Maybe he was just too afraid of me being hurt in the future, or maybe he thought he was doing the right thing by leaving me due to his secrets. Anyhow, I didn't see a valid reason for his breakup with me.

But before I could think further about the situation I was in, I heard him singing. I curiously moved the sky with me, and tried to stay hidden.

He sung with a depressing sorrow in his voice. The lyrics were beautiful and the sadness in his voice added further to the beauty of the song he sung. With admiration, I closed my eyes and listened to his very hypnotizing singing voice. He could have been a singer for all I knew.

After the song he exhaled desperately. My heart melted after I heard that. I couldn't believe how much I meant to him, and it made me feel like I'd lost my parents again. I knew I should have been angry at him for not telling me about himself, but in a matter of fact, I wasn't angry at all. It was hard to believe that he was from another universe, another dimension or whatever, but I knew he wasn't screwing with me. He was indeed not from around here, but somehow I didn't care. In fact, I loved him even more. I wouldn't even care if he was still in his old form. I fell in love with a person with the most incredible personality ever. A person that was kind, helpful, peaceful, powerful, fearless and perfect in every way. And that person loved me back, which was the best part. And should I leave him just because he was in another body before?

By telling me about his true identity, he expressed that he trusted me and that he wanted only the best for me. But I somewhat understood his situation. I understood that he wouldn't just announce that he wasn't from around this world to everyone so lightly. If I was in his situation, I'd try my best to hide it, but still he had the courage to tell me, even though he could've chosen to just ignore the past for good.

All those thoughts greatly fueled the love I had for that pony. I didn't want to lose him. I wouldn't even know what to do if lost him.

I slowly got out of hiding and carefully landed next to him. He didn't seem to notice me since he was too busy dwelling in his sorrow. He thought he had lost me. The sore sight of him made me feel worse than I already felt.

“Hey. Come here.” I said reassuringly. I sat down next to him and gave him a warm hug.

“I'm so, so sorry, Dashie.” he whimpered, squeezing me when he finally notices me. “I'm so sorry! Now you know why we can't be together. I may be a pony now, but I'll always have to carry the burden knowing that I was once a--”

“You have nothing to feel sorry about. I just wanted you to know that I don't care about that. I still love you very much. I'm still in the desperate need of being around you. I need you.” I stated. I gently kissed his temple with my arms around his neck and smiled.

He stopped crying, turned his head towards me in confusion and looked deep into my eyes. “So, y-you don't see me as a freak? As an alien? You don't want to push me away? You're not going to give me up?” he asked surprised, yet very confused and puzzled at the same time.

“If you can love an “alien”, I'm pretty damn sure I can love one in return.” I answered and kissed him again, this time on his mouth. He got a little startled at first, because he didn't see it coming, but he kissed me back when he came back to his senses. I could feel for his relief in that contact. The power. The longing.

In fact, that kiss was one of our best so far; still not better than our first one though. A lot of emotions followed up in that smooch. We both got a little excited again, but we tried our best preventing going anywhere further, even though this is the perfect place for it. All alone in the middle of nowhere, making out by the fire under the moonlight, stars and the northern lights.

“I love you so much.” he told me and roughly slammed down to the ground.

I liked his sudden aggression; it was unexpected, but reminded me of the powers and strength he possessed; the power of a great warrior... the power of a dragon.

It was getting pretty damn hard to resist. But the more I thought about it... why wait if we were crazy for each other? Why wait if we were both ready?

I did not expect her to take the news so lightly. But that was really relieving and just reminded me that she was Rainbow Dash. She was loyal and not like anyone I'd ever met. I took her roughly down to the ground because I knew she could take it; possibly like it. I couldn't hold it anymore... I just needed to show her how much I cared for her. I just hoped she was willing to give it a shot.

At last we let go and just admired each other for a while. She lay still on the ground as I softly caressed her sides up and down, examining each other. I felt like I was dominating her; the way I leaned on my right arm over her. We stared into each other's eyes and fought to stay calm.

She let out a small silent moan as soon as I started to reach her crotch. She decided to repay the favor by slowly licking my chest in appreciation. I let out a small satisfying sound of my own. That unexpected lick really turned me on.

I started off by kissing her neck lightly, which resulted in a shudder as always, and slowly made my way down to her stomach. But I didn't go any further down. I continued caressing her but tried everything I could to prevent my feelings from taking over.

I noticed it in her sparkling, begging eyes how much she wanted me to fuck her; how she wanted me to dominate her. This situation was just way in over her head and she could barely take it.

After teasing her a little more she lost control. She quickly let go of me and positioned herself by standing up and pointing her flank at me, getting ready for the procedure. I grinned in relief when I noticed that she was indeed willing to go further, but I didn't dare mount her as if I was mating with an animal. It was either my way, or no way at all. I wanted to look at her in the face while we were doing it. I wanted it to be as passionate as it could be.

“Not like that... lie on your back instead.” I demanded, panting excitedly.

“On my... back?” she asked confusedly and panted herself like an exhausted dog with her eyes half closed.

“Just trust me. I think you're going to like it.”

She quickly did what she was told and waited for me to do whatever I had in mind. But she had no doubts. She trusted me and she knew I had something good in mind.

I launched myself at her again and held her front hooves firmly against the ground as we made out again. After being at it for a little while I got on top of her and let go of her hooves. I passionately started caressing and rubbing her flank, making her respond by rubbing her body more up to me. I noticed how much she liked it, and since I wanted to satisfy her even more, I decided to go down a little further. Once again I smoothly rubbed her pelvis. She spread her legs a bit more for an easier access when she noticed it. She also responded to it by kissing me rougher. The way she reacted to what I was doing to her also made me more excited than I already was, making me start stroking her warm clit slowly but passionately. As soon as I made a physical touch with my hoof she let out a low satisfying moan; implying she wanted more. She started breathing faster, so did I.

She appreciated how kind I was to her. Nobody had ever satisfied her like that ever before, but she wanted to return that favor. She gently started stroking my groin; resulting in me groaning a bit. Still we maintained our kiss while she caressed my stallionhood. She made sure I got a full erection, and unlike last time, I wanted it to stay that way.

“I'm sorry for everything.” I repeated from earlier that night, and bit my lower lip in shame.

“Don't be.” she responded, a bit disappointed that I broke off our kiss, but resumed where we left off by kissing me again. Fair enough I thought to myself as I started rubbing her smooth, warm body very softly again. I started messing her mane with my left forehoof and slowly moved towards her clit again with my right one for I knew that was what she liked best so far. That made her body and lips convulse a bit with a great pleasure like last time.

But we were both very nervous and we both felt for our bodies shivering. Again I broke off our kiss. “You know, I'm not forcing you. If you are feeling uncomfortable--”

“I'm not uncomfortable at all... just a little nervous.” she explained and giggled awkwardly.

“I'm damn nervous too.” I replied and chuckled nervously. “I still don't want to back down. Do you?” I asked, hoping she wouldn't. We were both already horny and as ready as we could ever be. I didn't want it to be cut short now. But of course, if she wanted it to wait, I'd happily oblige. I wanted this moment to be perfect for her in the first place.

She answered by wrapping her legs around my waist and slowly shook her head. She then did something I did not expect. She slowly licked from my neck and all the way up to my face. It was weird, but I really, really liked it. It turned me on even further. She stared into my eyes with her bedroom eyes and put on a small grin on her face. That look made her even more irresistible. Not that I wanted to resist her anyway.

This was our first time, and we weren't very creative when it came to that matter, but we didn't care. As long as we had each other in each other’s arms, everything was perfect. We let our feelings carry us away.

My heart pounded faster and faster when I decided that it was time. We looked at each other’s eyes passionately and panted even harder than before. Both in pleasure and nervousness.

“Are you ready?” I asked, full of both nervousness and excitement.

“Y-Yeah. Let's do it.” she replied, trying to sound confident, but to no avail.

I had my doubts at first, and I even considered the option to wait for a more comfortable situation, but my body and feelings won my mind this time. I carefully positioned myself and inhaled and exhaled a couple of times before carefully thrusting her.

I noticed that it wasn't very comfortable for her at first because it was her first time; because I had just ripped her hymen. I saw how her facial expression took it; that twitch. She groaned a bit, but she was tough. She stared at me in my eyes, still with her passionate, seducing bedroom eyes and grinned again a bit.

I got even more excited when I saw that facial expression of hers, but I tried my best to keep it calm for her. Start slowly. But she didn't want to take it slowly. I should've known that, since she quickly hugged me and sank herself deeper into me. She grunted again a bit, but like I said, she was tough. “That's all you got?” she asked in a tease. “Come on, Dragonborn! Show me your power! Show me what you got! I know you can do me rougher than that! C'mon, buck me harder!” she insisted, moaning again in utter pleasure and in a bit of pain. But regardless of the pain, she only wanted more. She sure was full of piss and vinegar. The energy and passion she had couldn't even be described, and if she wanted it rough, I was more than willing to show her the power of the Dragonborn! Although, I tried my best not to disappoint her. And judging by how she was acting, I was on the right track.

“Oh yeah?” I whispered back softly with great pleasure. I grabbed her waist and pulled her towards me as my hips smacked against hers again. “How about that?” I asked to tease her a bit. I noticed that it did hurt her a bit, but she tried her best not to show it.

“I think... I think Spike could do me rougher than you ever could...” she pointed out to piss me off, and it worked. I knew she was only making a light joke, and perhaps foreplaying a little, but it still pissed me off. Not because of him being better than me but because of the fact that she said that Spike could do her rougher than I could.

I slammed her to the ground again, held both of her hooves against it and stared deep into her eyes with a small frown. She looked back into mine with a smile that indicated that she wasn't impressed. However, I knew that wasn't true. The way she was panting and moaning told me that she was far from being disappointed. But that look of hers made me kiss her roughly on her lips. She didn't try to resist it; she actually returned it passionately. I thrust into her faster and rougher than before, like she demanded. I even ignored when she groaned. But the more I pounded into her, the more she adapted to it and stopped feeling the pain. It was now much more enjoyable than ever before. It didn't take her long to reach her first orgasm. I was already getting there too, so I pulled out to give her oral instead which resulted in her letting out a loud moan in return. She found it so satisfying that she started pushing my head slightly more against her pussy as she wildly messed with my mane; implying that she didn't want me to stop. I happily obliged when I realized what she wanted and tried my best to make her feel even better than she already was. After listening to her moans of great pleasure as I satisfied her greatly, I started licking from her warm, wet nether and all the way up her chest and up into her mouth again.

We panted and slowed down a bit. I couldn't, nor did I want to be any rougher to her. I embraced her as she did the same and held her tightly to me as I connected to her again, but I still felt like she wasn't close enough to me. We started making out again with our eyes closed. I felt for her heart beat against my chest, and it was great. I sucked lightly on her lower lip as she rubbed my back in satisfaction. She also exhaled the air in great pleasure with each thrust I made; like I was pumping the air out of her lungs. In my excitement I bent over and kissed her again as I fucked her.

After awhile I rolled her over and switched into a Lotus position without breaking the kiss. It was surprising for her since she didn't know anything about sex, let alone how humans did it, but she seemed to like it more than I'd hoped for. And she was surprisingly very good at it, too. At least by the fact that this was her first time.

With our faces only inches away and our saliva bridged between our mouths, we stared deep into each other's bedroom eyes; into our very souls, and relaxed a bit with the bottom of our foreheads resting on each other’s. She had her forehooves wrapped around my neck as I held her in a tight, passionate hug. She had her mouth slightly open as I guided her hips on my stallionhood, and she unintentionally made sure I didn't disappoint by moaning very pleasurably into my mouth. Those moans of hers made me proud of myself. This was the proximity I had been searching and longing for. Now I truly felt like she was mine and I was hers.

The feelings that followed were too damn satisfying and so much different than I'd imagined. Who would've imagined that fucking a cartoon pony would be so amazing? Huh. Even that sounded beyond wrong in my own head, despite of me being one of them ponies. But the more I thought about it, the more I started to realize that I was having a sexual intercourse with my favorite pony. My god, those thoughts brought forward those really awkward feelings. But it didn't affect me, fortunately. My burning love for Rainbow clouded any other negative feelings. At least I could comfort myself with that this wasn't considered bestiality, as far as I could tell, since I was a pony myself. And beside, they weren't those typical animals. They were... I don't even know what they were. They resembled the ponies from earth, but were much more complex and much more advanced than that. They were even in the same league as the humans, in my opinion. I used to consider them to be just an alien race. But now, I was starting to see humanity as the alien race...

But at last I started to reach my own climax. I gently took her down on the ground, switching back into the original position, and dared to shove into her a couple of more times before I pulled out, sat up and had my release. I moaned in utmost pleasure when that happened, and let my body collapse on the ground next to her. I lay down on my stomach and tried catching my breath as I had the widest smile I'd ever had on my face. Wow, I clearly got my feet wet there. I'd never experienced anything quite like it. Was the wait worth it? Definitely. No doubt. I would wait again.

I exhaustively wrapped my right arm around her and pulled her near me. I spooned her and tiredly kissed her nape. “Thank you.” I gratefully whispered to her. “For trusting me. For loving me despite my faults, for being the most amazing person in existence... for everything.”

She answered by kissing my arm that was wrapped around her. “I'll never let you down...” she whispered back in exhaustion. Judging by how she said it, she was far from being disappointed.

I cuddled more up against her body and put my hoof up to her heart to feel it pump.

That night was clearly a night to remember...

I woke up full of energy and ready to take on the day. But there was something missing. I tried to reach out, but didn't feel for her presence. When I realized that she wasn't by my side anymore I quickly opened my eyes in a small panic but to my relief, she was packing everything down; The tent we didn't use and everything else. I noticed that she was in her tight Wonderbolts uniform, and I was surprised by how well it suited her. My eyes were still a little blurred though, and I didn't notice the apple flying over to me.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” she said with a smile. “Eat the apple.”

I didn't let her say that to me twice. I was starving, and the “activity” yesterday really made me hungry.

“Thanks.” I replied, smiling. “What gives? Why aren't you sleeping?”

“Well... I woke up next to you and decided to just get everything done before you'd wake up. That way we would gain some time, and get the business with the Greybeards over with. But ya know, we don't have to rush things if you don't want to. After all, you are the leader and I am your loyal companion.” she pointed out and laughed. I chuckled with her and inhaled the fresh morning breeze.

“How are you feeling?” I asked and by that I meant with about how she felt after that wonderful moment we had. She immediately got the hint.

“Better than ever. The night was remarkable and I won't ever forget about it. It was amazing. I've never experienced anything quite like it.” she stated and smiled to me awkwardly.

“I feel the same way.” I answered with a smile of my own as I stretched my back, legs and wings. “Could you toss me another apple? I'm still hungry.”

She reached over to the bag and grabbed an apple. “Here you go.” she tossed me another one, but this time I got a grip on it.

“Thanks.” I replied and swallowed the whole fruit in a few bites. Too bad we didn't have some of that strawberry-tasting food that the ponies of Cloudsdale ate.

“You're welcome.... There; I've packed everything down and we're ready to leave when you give the word.”

“Before we leave, I'd like to talk about things...” I changed the topic. “About us.”

Dashie stopped whatever she was doing and walked up to me with a curious look. “Yes?”

“Where does this relationship go from here? What is going to happen to us in the future?”

“Well... as long as we're together, I'm satisfied.” she pointed out and smiled clumsily.

"But, I still don't get it. How can you possibly be OK with being with an outsider; an alien?"

She put her hoof on my shoulder. "I wouldn't even care if you were still in your old body."

"But, why--"

She stopped me by putting her hoof on my snout. "Because I love you, and nothing is going to change that. And besides, I could ask the same thing to you. Why are you OK with being with me?"

"I... fair enough. You got a point there." I muttered in a bit of a relief and put on a small appreciative smile. I spread my arms and gave her a small hug which she accepted in a heartbeat. Once locked in, I nuzzled her snout with mine, which tickled her a bit, making her giggle softly.

"In fact, I'm honored to be with you." she half whispered into my ear.

“I can second that statement." I whispered back. We didn't say anything else for a little while before I decided to break the silence again, as well as our hug. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that... I don't want any... uh... little ones.” I added and rubbed my nape in awkwardness.

“Me neither. I'm not ready for such a thing yet. But we should focus on what's going right now, in the present.”

“Hey, I forgot to show you something!” I suddenly shouted out when I remembered the photos in my helmet. I walked up to it, picked it up from the ground and searched inside it.

“I want you to take a look at these. Twilight took 'em.” I explained and grinned as I passed her the photos and put my helmet back on.

“What? Photos? Let me see!” she demanded and closely analyzed them. I didn't take my eyes off her face and noticed how her mouth slowly turned into a big grin the longer she stared at those pictures. I also noticed her biting her lower lip and her eyes sparkling a bit. “This is-- I can't believe I'm saying this, but, we are so adorable together!” she pointed out and put the photos next to her heart. “Let me keep them safe. I have a pocket on my suit, they'll be safer there.” she added and smirked again. “Remind me to thank Twilight for them.”

“I will.” I replied and smirked back.

“And by the way... I heard you singing yesterday. You have such a beautiful singing voice! I didn't know you could sing so well! Did you make up the lyrics?” she asked very interested.

“Oh! Uh...nah, it was a song sung by one of my favorite female singers back on my world. I just tend to sing whenever I feel sad and I have no idea why. Probably because it always makes me feel better. Heh.. I feel so embarrassed right now. But thanks for the compliment.” I pointed out and chuckled very awkwardly, yet very approved. I walked up to her and kissed her softly on her mouth.

She returned it, but it didn't last for very long. We both let go of each other, and she resumed what she was previously doing. “Go get some more apples; we have enough of them. Or go drink some fresh water in the lake.”

I nodded in an agreement and walked past her up to the lake next to us to drink from the very clear and fresh looking water, since I was thirsty as hell.

I drank some of it and exhaled the air in relief. It was possibly the best water I'd ever drunk. It was so fresh and so cool. But when I was about to drink some more, I heard some weak noises around me. What was it now? More thugs and murderers? Perhaps a dangerous animal?

I still didn't turn around, even though I knew someone or something was behind me besides of Dashie... “Rainbow!” I said out loud, but when I was about to turn around, she flew up to me and landed by my side.

“We can take these guys!” she whispered loudly to me, and by that she pretty much confirmed that there were indeed some thugs behind us.

“Yes... yes we can.” I whispered back and turned around to face the enemies in front of us. There were perhaps over 20 evil looking guys before us.

“You!” someone yelled from the crowd and stepped forward. “You killed our former group's leader!” he added and started charging at me in all his blind fury, but someone stopped him. It must've been the leader of that group.

“Stop!” he yelled at the angry stallion who had a murderous look on his face. He didn't look too happy to hear that, but obeyed nonetheless. “Well, well, well... what have we here? A stallion and a mare all alone in the wilderness? And she's a Wonderbolt? Nice. Very nice indeed.” he said and walked around us.

“Look. I don't want any trouble, and you don't want to be our trouble. So just let us pass, and we'll let you live. We have a business to attend to, and we mustn't be late. So, I bid you farewell and hope you all the best in the future. And seriously... do us all a favor and get another job.” I answered annoyingly and tried walking past them, but they refused to let me go.

“You're not going anywhere.” he replied and unsheathed his sword. “Now... give me everything you have. Especially those bows of yours. I want them. Now!” he demanded and threatened us with his sword. The others followed his lead and unsheathed their own sword.

I looked at Dashie and nodded. She understood what I had in mind and nodded back with an evil and blood lusting grin. She slowly stroke her bow and waited for my command. I gave her a one final nod before I shouted “FUS!” at the leader, which stunned him and three other stallions behind him.

Dashie quickly unsheathed her bow and shot an arrow into the leader's face. It even got through and into another stallion's skull. Two birds in one stone.

Everyone ran towards us with their swords in the air, ready to slice us in bits. I unsheathed my own daggers and waited for them to come at us. I noticed how Dashie enjoyed using her bow. She had already taken out five other guys while I was waiting for them to come at me.

When they finally reached me, I shouted again “FUS!” to stun them. They quickly dropped their weapons, and I used that moment to slice their necks very silently and quickly.

Dashie had sheathed her bow and ran towards the rest of them to give them a taste of her bravery and courage. I watched how she took care of the rest of them all by her self. She used her hooves to smack their faces in, and it was brutal. She even punched the jaw off one poor guy! What a fate...

Finally there was one left, but he didn't attack. In fact, he had been standing there and staring at us ever since the beginning of the fight. That stallion was cloaked and masked so we could not see his face or body.

Dashie smirked evilly to him and took him down to the ground. She sat on him and started punching the shit out of him. I noticed how her suit inflicted damage on him with its electricity.

“P-Please, w-wait!” he barely got to say. Dashie stopped punching him and looked at me with a questionable look. A look that asked what I wanted her to do with him. Set him free, or let her kill him.

“He asked for mercy, and we will show him.” I said very confidently. Rainbow quickly let go of him, but not in disappointment. It looked like she just didn't care.

“I'm just going to clean the blood off my face and uniform” she said and walked past me towards the lake. She nearly tripped on the blood and the bodies in front of it though.

I offered that guy my hoof and he gladly accepted it.

“S-s-she..?” he mumbled very shocked and stared at Dashie who was busy washing herself in the lake to clean the red liquid off her.

“What about her?” I asked a bit surprised, but he didn't answer. “What about her?!” I asked again but harsher than before.

“Dashie?” he asked and fell to his knees. “Are you really my little Dashie?” he asked again, and now I saw what was going on, but I wouldn't believe it, so I slowly approached him.

“Who are you, and how do you know my Dashie?” I asked to be sure that what I had in mind was indeed true.

He removed his cloak and hood to reveal his cyan-colored Pegasus body, his bloodied face and his green teary eyes. I gasped and stepped away from him as I remembered him from the picture in her apartment, and compared to the picture, he was still very young in appearance. It didn't seem like he had aged by a day.

“No! She told me you were dead!” I yelled very angrily, yet also excitedly.

“I'll tell you everything when... she notices me.” He mumbled again; still kneeling and staring at his daughter.

I flew as fast as possible towards Dashie who was still too busy washing herself in the lake. She was rubbing the bloodied parts of the uniform.

“Dashie!” I yelled and landed next to her. She quickly looked at me with a weird look on her face.

“Yes?”

“Don't be startled, but there is someone you really should meet. Let me cover your eyes. I want this to be a surprise.” I insisted very excited.

“What? Is someone here I know?” she asked very puzzled and turned her head to look at the person, but I prevented her from doing so just in time.

“Please. Just let me cover your eyes. I want this to be a surprise.” I insisted again.

She sighed, but allowed me to cover her eyes with my hooves.

After a minute we reached him. I nodded to her dad to let him know that I was about to reveal her to him. He nodded to me and waited patiently. I closed my eyes as I uncovered hers. I opened them again after a couple of seconds to see them two staring at each other with their mouths wide open. But after a while, Dashie finally made a sign that she was still alive. She yelled with everything she got and quickly flew behind my back. I felt for her body shivering and her breath on my back.

“Dashie!” her dad called out and teared up again. “It's me.”

“No! My father is dead!” she yelled back without looking at him. “You're... you're pretending to be him!” It worried me a little because she sounded like she was about to get a seizure.

Her dad walked behind my back and grabbed her daughter's arm. “It's me!” he yelled and started crying a bit. ”It's me, gods damn it!” he added and hugged her.

Soon they were both in tears, hugging each other, leaving me in the awkwardness.

“But... you're supposed to be dead!”

“I know, I know.” After what seemed like ten minutes, they finally let go of each other and looked at each other’s faces. “I can't believe it's really you. My little Dashie, right here!” he said and chuckled still in tears.

“Daddy!” she responded and hugged him again. “I'm sorry I hit you.”

“That's my girl. A strong mare, just like I wanted you to be. You've made me proud.”

I watched as they hugged each other and even I started tearing up to that. A family reunion was always good. Especially if he was considered to be dead. Also the fact that it would make her happy also made me glad. It reminded of my own family. I let out a sad sigh as I thought about them, but quickly shook my head. I didn't want to live in the past.

“Come. Sit down. I will explain everything to you two, but after you introduce me to this fine, young and healthy stallion here.” he gladly said with a nod.

“I still can't believe...” she said but immediately shook her head and put on the default Rainbow Dash look up. “Dad, I want to introduce you to the love of my life and my soul mate; Drake.”

“A pleasure to meet you.” I said and offered my hoof to give him a hoofshake. He refused it and hugged me, very much like his daughter did when we first met. I hesitantly returned that hug.

“And without an 'Amulet of Mara’? That is great news! Just like my relationship with my wife. She was called Rainbow Spurt, but I always called her Spurtie. We were married, but also without the Amulet. Pure, natural love.” he proudly stated and nodded in approval. “But I take it that you've been kind to my girl, yes?”

“With all my heart.” I said and hesitantly gave him a pat on the back.

“Then you have my blessings.” he responded and lowered his head for me. “Dragonborn.”

I was going to ask him how he knew, but then I realized that Luna had announced it some days ago. And I just showed them all with my Unrelenting force, proving that I was indeed the Dragonborn.

“Those thugs have been calling me 'Ghost', by the way. I'd rather stick with that. My other name ain't safe anymore, and it’s for the best that you don't know my real name at all.” he explained in a serious manner as he rubbed the spot where Dashie hit him.

“You said that she was 'called' Rainbow Spurt? What happened? Please, explain.” Dashie said with a lump in her throat and judging by her facial expression, she was both nervous and scared.

“Listen to me.” he said with a sad sigh. We all sat down and waited for him to start explaining, but Dashie was still as excited as before.

“Where is my mom?!” she asked before he could speak, making her father firmly close his eyes in sadness and small annoyance.

“J-Just listen to me.” he added and shook his head. “I will start off when we left you, my dear Dashie. When your mother and I arrived to Cloudsdale...”

I looked at my wife as we entered the dirty and deserted alley in the middle of the night. She seemed nervous. We both knew that she didn't have to come with me, but I guess she only wanted to support me in whatever task I was about to face. To help me make them a deal. We both knew that this was going to be dangerous, and we had to withstand whatever they were going to do to us.

I told my wife that we needed to be strong for our little Dashie, who was waiting for our arrival at home. It was the only hope we had left. Our memory of our Dashie was what made that courage possible. We were even more than ready to sacrifice our lives for her future.

“For our daughter,” I said to my lovely and beautiful wife. “For our unborn child.” I added and gently stroke her belly. We only got those great news from our good friend; a detective, also a doctor, that we were expecting another child on the way not a week ago. Yes, he was that successful.

But only now I realized something. I realized that I couldn't risk it. I had to go alone and face whatever dark fate was ahead of me. “Listen. You shouldn't go with me. Get to safety now while you still can. We can't risk it.” I said with a determination in my voice so it would be easier persuading her. But like my little Dashie, she was stubborn and determined.

“I'm not going anywhere. I'm the fastest flier in all of Equestria, and I can take care of myself. After all, I am the leader of the Wonderbolts. They won't have a chance. Just wait and see.” she said with a smirk. Her determination and energy convinced me that we'd be alright, so I let her come with me. She was tough, maybe the toughest pony I've ever met. Even tougher than the boss of that criminal organization we had to meet.

“Are you sure?” I asked again with slight hope that she would back down and take my advice.

“Yes, I am sure. Let's do it. For the little ones.”

“I just wanted to say one thing. If someone has to die; it's going to be me. Not you. Alright?”

“If someone is going to have to die, it's going to be him. It's going to be all of them.” she corrected me with her confidence. I nodded to her with a slightly amused sighed. But I was getting damn nervous and a little afraid as well. I had considered moving away with my family somewhere else. Even further from Cloudsdale, but realized that they'd find us again eventually. And it would only make them more pissed and more merciless.

I kissed my wife on the cheek before we entered the grim-dark alley.

At last we got to a warehouse; an ugly looking warehouse. We knew that this was the place and the only thing we had to do was to knock. But before I could knock on the door, a group of thugs appeared and got us by surprise. They put bags over our heads and put a rope around our necks. I heard my wife putting up a fight, and she even took some of them down by kicking at them. But more came and took her down.

They beat us with, what I'd assume, iron pipes, and didn't stop until we both passed out. I managed to scream “Get your filthy hooves off my wife!” before someone landed a knockout blow to my head.

I woke up in a dark room, but the first thing I did was looking out for my wife. “Spurtie?” I called out for her. “Where are you?” I added in a very worried yell.

All of a sudden, the lights were turned on. My sight was a little blurred at first because of the sudden light, but I couldn't believe my own eyes when I finally got my sight to 100%. In front of me was a window, and through that window was my Spurtie hanging with her arms tied up. She wasn't dead, nor was she damaged in any way, but she was unconscious.

“NO!” I shouted and started hitting the strong glass with my hooves. “Let her go!” I yelled with all my might.

“Welcome!” someone said with a very subtle friendly voice. “Been a long time.” he added as he walked up to me.

“Yeah... a long time, “friend.” Now release my wife, you prick!” I answered him.

“Ouch... that hurt my feelings.” he said and shook his head slowly in disappointment.

He was big. A dark gray colored pony and had a snake as a cutie mark. That described him well. Friendly one moment, and dangerous the next. He had blue eyes and black mane. He was really terrifying and was considered not to be screwed with amongst the citizens of Cloudsdale.

“Please. I'll pay you everything I owe you. Just don't hurt my family. Don't hurt them.” I pleaded and crawled up to his hooves. “Please let my wife go. If you have to hurt someone, hurt me. Leave them out of the picture.” I begged again.

Now his mood completely changed. He kicked me and spat on me.

“You selfish coward!” he shouted at me and kicked me again. “You only think about yourself. Ponies like you are a disgrace to the world. Ponies that don't do their parts in this world. Don't pay up their debt!”

“I will pay you everything I have. I will even give you my house and everything I possess. The crops are considered being the best in Equestria. You won't find a better land. Just please, let me and my family go unharmed.” I begged again and seriously hoped they would accept my generous offer.

“Don't worry. We'll take that away from you too after you've paid up.” he said and grabbed me harshly. “You're about to find out what happens when you screw with us.” he spat out and laughed maniacally.

He dragged me across the room and into the other room where my dear Spurtie was. I noticed that she was slowly gaining her consciousness. “W-Where am I?” she asked with a weak voice.

“Everything is going to be fine, Spurtie. Everything's going to be fine.” I answered and started tearing up. “Cut her loose!” I demanded and started putting up a fight. I got up, and started beating him up. I couldn't believe it, but I was actually beating the crap out of him. I even almost knocked him out before some of his gang members hit me from behind. Several others joined in and started kicking and punching me until I was at the edge of being knocked out.

The boss quickly stood up and spat out some of his blood. “So... you're the one giving the orders now?” he yelled at me. I tried lifting my hoof to beg him the last time to leave her alone and kill me instead. That was going to be my last offer. My life for theirs.

He walked up to my wife and smelled her. He made satisfying sounds to try to piss me off. It worked, but I didn't let him get the satisfaction by showing it.

“Shame. Such a shame. The one and only Rainbow Spurt. The leader of the Wonderbolts, and one of the few ponies who ever existed to have a rainbow colored mane. In fact, her bloodline is the only one to be known to have rainbow colored manes since the beginning of time. You know what? I've always wanted a special girl like that. You're a lucky stallion. But fortunately for you, I'm not a rapist. I'm not THAT low.”

“Get your hooves... I mean, I have... another offer for you.” I said and coughed up some of my own blood.

“I'm listening!” he said calmly, yet not friendly.

“My life... for theirs. I will serve you. I will do everything you want. Just let them go unharmed.”

“Wait a second. Did you say them? Is she perhaps pregnant again? Right now?” he asked and laughed alongside his friends. “Why don't we take a look inside?” he asked with a psycho look on his face.

“NO! LEAVE HER ALONE GODS DAMN IT!” I screamed and started struggling again, but his buddies started hitting me with iron pipes and other things again.

I watched as the boss unsheathed his sharp, pointy butterfly knife and stroke her body with it, but my Spurtie didn't panic, nor did she scream, in fact, she laughed at his face.

“Aren't you scared of being gutted?” he asked her very subtly and smoothly.

“I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid of any of you.” she said and spat on his face. “You will never hear me scream.” she added and smirked like she was giving him a challenge.

He didn't take it too lightly as his face got all red when he wiped the saliva off his face. But instead of cleaning it off of him, he decided to walk up to me and lick it to make me feel miserable and jealous.

“Mmmm... even her saliva is tasty. You know what? I might have to reconsider the position I am in. I mean about not being a rapist.” he said and looked at my wife. “But no one gets away from spitting at my face; Mare or not... Boys!” he yelled.

Some of his “boys” appeared with a whip. They used it on her and the sound of the impact of the whip on my wife was sickening. But despise being brutally hit by the whip a dozen of times, she didn't scream like she stated. I saw that she was in great pain, but still she ignored it.

“That's the best you got?” she asked and spat on him again.

“YOU BUCKER! Stop it! I'll do everything you wish. EVERYTHING!” I yelled and tried struggling even more, even though I knew that would result in me getting my plot kicked again.

The boss slowly wiped her saliva off his face once again very pissed off. “This wasn't very polite, was it?” he asked and gnawed his teeth. “This is getting pretty boring.” he suddenly said and quickly walked up to my bloodied wife again with his blade. “It's time for you to say bye to this world.” he turned himself to me to look at my facial expression.

“NO!” I screamed again. “Please! Kill me instead. I will gladly die for her life. Or I will be your slave. Anything you want! But please leave her alone!”

“It's way too late for that.” he said and turned himself to Spurtie again. “Any last words before you die?”

She looked deep into my teary eyes and smirked weakly. “Don't be afraid. I love you very much. Please take care of our little girl, and raise her to become a strong mare in the future. You know that I love you both very...” before she could finish that sentence, the boss stabbed her and laughed like a maniac.

“NO, NO, NO!!”I screamed louder than ever and cried with everything I got when I saw and heard her grunting.  I closed my eyes as everything muted as I screamed and yelled and cried with everything my eyes could take. But they made me watch by forcing me to open my eyes.

“Let's see their unborn baby!” he yelled and laughed again with his buddies. He stabbed her a couple of more times before cutting her up. They made me watch as they cut my wife's stomach while she was still alive, panting and holding the pain so she wouldn't scream. But some of them left the room and crying for themselves, totally disgusted by the boss's action.

I threw up on the ground, but the hatred to them propelled me. I had to watch everything, from where she was still alive till her dead body was hanging there and her blood painted all over the place and her insides on the floor. I even saw my baby fetus! My hatred to him couldn't be described. I couldn't believe they took Spurtie and my unborn baby away from me. I just couldn't believe it. I thought we could make a deal, since he offered me to come visit them, but we walked straight into a trap. I so deeply wished I had sent her away earlier when I could, because I'd gladly die for them in a heartbeat.

“Oh gods!” I screamed and lost my breath. “Oh my gods!” By that moment I thought I would lose my sanity and possibly just die.

The boss dipped his hooves in her blood and painted my face with it.

“Her blood is on your hooves. You could have saved her, but decided to betray me instead and run away with my money. So, it was really you who killed her.” he said disappointed.

“I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!” I screamed at him and tried everything I could to get a grip on him, but his buddies held me.

“Throw him into the dungeon!” he then ordered and knocked me out with a vicious blow.

I woke up later in a dark room once again, chained to a wall. I remembered him killing the love of my life, and I started screaming and yelling again.

I even without thinking tried to look out for sharp objects to kill myself with, but was stopped by the thoughts of my little Dashie at home. She was the only thing that kept me still going and still sane. If not for her, I'd be dead already.

Someone suddenly opened the door, and I was filled with hatred again when I saw his face. It was the boss.

I tried everything I could to break the chains to get my hooves on him, but the chains were very strong. I yelled in rage and gnawed my teeth.

“Did you know it was a colt? Ah, sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up.” he said and smirked to me.

I started sobbing and crying again. “You monster! How could you... how could you even do it?” I asked and felt like someone was slowly stabbing me with an invisible knife into my heart. “I didn't know such cruelty even existed. Life is much more valuable than your gods damn money!” But I knew he thought differently. He couldn’t care less about pony life, save for his own.

He ignored what I was pointing out. “I have an offer for you. I feel really bad for killing your wife and unborn child... such a shame; she was such a beautiful mare. Perhaps the most beautiful I've ever seen. But hear me out.”

Before he could say anything else, I spat on him. “Buck you. I won't do anything you say!” I yelled and tried again to break the chains. I tried everything in my power to get loose. I lusted for his blood, but the chains wouldn't brake, even though I wasted all my energy on it. “I'm not afraid of you!”

“Listen!” he ordered me and slapped me. “You may not be afraid of me, or death... but you do love your daughter, yes?”

Now that got my attention. “Don't you dare! She's the only one I got left because of you!” I yelled full of sorrow and rage. “Don't you dare...”

“Listen! Now, we'd like to offer you a place here. With us. You are strong and have a strong will. You're not afraid of death. We need someone like you, so here's the best part of the deal, for you anyways: You join us, and we won't hunt down your daughter. We won't hunt down her offspring. We will totally leave your family alone in peace forever, and your debts will be payed. So, do we have a deal?”

“I will never join you. After everything you've done to me!” I shouted at him. “And besides, I do not owe you shit anymore.”

“I guess it's your loss then. We will find your little girl, and we will torture her in front of you.” he pointed out disappointed. “Just imagine her little bones cracking and her wings being cut off her while still alive, of course. Her screaming your name for help, and you won't be able to do anything.” he said and walked out of the room. He left me again in the darkness...

Days or even weeks passed, and they tried everything to make me join them. They tortured me, bribed me, threatened me and my daughter, didn't feed me properly, and they even bribed a police officer to come down to my cell to feed me false reports about my Dashie's disappearance and to break me down spiritually. Despite everything I've been through, I still didn't lose my sanity.

But I couldn't take it anymore, and although this was the least I wanted, I eventually decided to join them. In the sole purpose of protecting my Dashie, and my future generation. I knew I would hate myself for it, I even knew that my Dashie would hate me for it. But it was only for her own protection, and I was ready making that sacrifice.

They ordered me to stay out of sight, to travel with a cloak on. They even gave me a new name; 'Ghost'. Because I was a living dead. I was supposed to be dead, but was yet living. That's what they thought of the name.

My opinion on that matter is that I was dead on the inside, but living on the outside. That's why I kind of liked carrying that name. It suited me.

“Welcome to the crew....” the leader said and offered his hooves as a hoofshake. I ignored it and walked past him.

“... I had a detective as a friend, and told him about your location when nobody was around. I knew that you would be in good hooves with him, Dashie. You're probably asking yourself why I didn't tell him about what happened? The reason for that is that there weren't any proofs. And these guys were much more than drug dealers. They also were, and still are, one of the most powerful gangs in Equestria. They had bribed the police to leave them alone, and the judge, so they wouldn't be sentenced to jail if they'd be caught doing something wrong. But this is the story about what happened. I'm really sorry for this disturbing story, and I'm sorry I lied to you. I just... I've missed you all so much!” he said and broke down again. “I miss your mother. I've missed you, Dashie.”

My eyes were wide open and my jaw was dropped while listening to his life story. I felt for sickness and anger in my heart, and I really wanted to kill all of those guys who made him go through that. But there was one other thing that bothered me. I felt like I knew that story. Like I've seen or heard about that exact incident before.

I couldn't imagine what my Dashie was going through at that moment, but I saw it on her teary eyes that she couldn't stand it either.

“T-T-They killed my mom? T-They killed my unborn little brother? I didn't even know she was pregnant!” she yelled and broke down next to Ghost. They hugged in their sorrow, and she squeezed him to let him know that she was back. “I forgive you daddy. I didn't know that you were going through hell all this time.”

“I know, dear child. But not all hope is lost!” he said as he sobbed. “I've been trying to bring her back from the dead ever since she died.” he pointed out. “I'm almost there! I know what I must do for it to work. I need some ancient magical artifacts that are located in a cave North of here.” he said and laughed full of hope.

Dashie let go of him and looked at him with a puzzled look. “What do you mean? Bring her back from the dead?” she yelled and couldn't believe her ears. “That's not possible. Even the princesses barely possess that power.”

“Yes! But it's a complicated ritual that I must perform. I need your assistance. And you, Dragonborn...” he said and pointed at me. “I'm going to need your help for it to work.”

“I'll do everything I can to bring her back, but what do you need?” I asked very interested and surprised.

“I will tell you everything on the way. You must follow me.”

“We can't do that. We're on our own journey at the moment.” Dashie pointed out. “It will have to wait for another time.”

“But... but...”

“Drake, can you please help us after we're done speaking to the Greybeards?” she asked me, and I accepted in a blink of an eye.

“You have my word, Ghost. But for now, go to Ponyville. You'll be safe there. But tell me, the boss who did those horrible things to you... is that him?” I asked and pointed on one of the dead guys by the lake.

“No. That ain't him. This is just the leader of my group. My “boss” is in Cloudsdale in one of his secret bunker. I've tried assassinating him in his sleep, but it always failed. Sometimes I got caught, and was tortured for days. I eventually gave up when he threatened to kill my daughter.”

“I will have his head on a spike!” Dashie yelled and I noticed how she lusted for his blood. “And you, Drake! He will receive no mercy, even though he begs for it! Do not hinder me in killing him. He is going to die, whether you like it or not!” she yelled coldly.

I couldn't say no to that. In fact, I wouldn't show him any mercy at all either. “I will help you take him down.” I vowed and lowered my head to her.

“I want his death to be slow and painful. Oh yes...I'm going to torture him. I'm going to make him watch as I slaughter his buddies in front of him. But that's just the start...” she said full of anger and hate.

“And I will help you.”

“Thanks Drake.” she said and smirked weakly. “But only after we've revived my mother... anyways, how are you going to do it?” she asked her dad.

“Don't worry about that. We have to find her bones first, after that we'll have to look out for the ancient artifacts I told you about. I know where they are located, but I need both of your help. After we've found those artifacts, I'm going to have to make a blood ritual, I'm afraid, and you must come with me. I must use some of your blood because you are the only one alive related to her. Don't worry, I don't need much, I only need a little cut and a little sample of your blood. Is that alright?”

“Everything to bring her back.” she answered full of determination and with no hesitation. “But for now, try to stay hidden in Ponyville like Drake said. Seek out a pony named Twilight Sparkle. Tell her you're my father, and she will without a doubt let you stay with her until we're back.” she added and hugged her daddy again.

“I will. Don't take too long. I want to see my Spurtie alive again as soon as possible.” he answered. “But you, Dragonborn...”

“Call me Drake.” I suggested and smiled to him.

“Alright, Drake. I've no doubt that you are going to be a great father, and I'm honored to have you as my son in law.”

Dashie and me both looked at each other, chuckled awkwardly and blushed a bit.

“Well... with all due of respect, we aren't planning on having any...kids. And we're not even married yet.” I said awkwardly and smirked clumsily.

“Yeah... dad. I'm not ready to have kids. I'm still young, and I just wouldn't have the time. I want to live my life to the max first.” she pointed out and chuckled awkwardly as well.

“Shame.” he muttered. “Anyhow, I'm leaving. Thank you both very much for freeing me. It means a lot to me. I got to see my daughter, be free from those thugs, and I got to meet the one and only Dragonborn. And he's with my girl! I almost feel honored.” he said and laughed. “Anyways, I will see ya both in Ponyville. But what was her name again? Twilight Sparkle?”

We both nodded and gave him a goodbye hug.

When he disappeared from our sight and left us all alone again, I walked up to her and gave her a hug.

“I'm so sorry.” I said and nuzzled her neck.

“I still can't believe it.. my dad alive and his brutal life experience. Everything he went through to protect me. I... I don't know what to say.” she said and sighed.

“We both love you with all our hearts. That's what counts. You're not alone. You'll never be alone ever again.”

“I know.” she replied and covered her face in my right shoulder. “But it isn't fair! That bastard killed my mom when she was pregnant of my little brother. Also the fact that she was the leader of the Wonderbolts! I didn't know that, and I can't believe how courageous she was! I'm honored and proud of being her child.” she said and chuckled weakly.

“We're going to bring her back. And we're going to kill that son of a bitch. Painfully. You have my word. Cross my heart and hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye.” I said and kissed her on her forehead.

“I know. I'm so glad to have you with me. I'm so glad that we're together. But how did you know about the Pinkie promi... oh yes. Of course.” she said and chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry.”

“It's alright. You're the toughest person I've ever met. You get shit done. So, are you ready to continue our journey?” I asked her and tried to sound reassuring. I wanted her to be happy.

“Let's do it!” she yelled and grinned.

I hesitated when I remembered something... I thought about her dad's story one more time and realized one thing. I gasped and stared at Dashie full of thoughts.

“Are you all right?” she asked me but I barely heard her due to my thoughts.

“Dashie! Do you remember when I woke up in your apartment because of a bad nightmare?” I asked and panted.

“Yes? What are you getting at?” she asked worried.

“His story matched perfectly to my nightmare. I dreamed about that incidence, but instead of them... it was us. That's why I startled you by shouting out of the blue someone to let you go. They were making me watch as they... tortured you. And by the description from your dad about that boss, he was a perfect match.” I almost yelled and bit my lower lip. “What if I saw into... the future? What if that's going to happen when we go after him?”

“Wait... did you have a nightmare about us being captive by those guys and they were torturing me while making you watch? Just like what happened to my parents?”

“Yes. They did horrible things to you. I don't want that to happen. I don't want to lose you.” I said and hugged her, but she didn't hug me back.

“That's not going to happen. We are going in there and we are going to kill them, one by one, very slowly. We will end with the “boss”. I'm going to be all night torturing him. With or without your help.” she said and didn't have the slightest doubt in her voice.

“I swore I was going to help you.. but the only thing I'm going to ask you is to think about it some more before taking a decision.”

“Thanks, but I have made my mind up. I'm going to kill him.”

“If that is what you want...” I said again, and that made her hug me back.

“Thank you so much...”

At last we arrived to the up the throat of the world after a painful walk with our stuff up the 7000 steps. But it was finally over. We were at last on the doorstep.

The building in front of us was bigger than I expected, especially since it's located near the top of that big mountain. It wasn't exactly at the top, but very near it. The building was made of stone and looked very strong. No bad weather would take it down.

We nodded to each other before I knocked on the door. It didn't take them a long time to open it up, but I was greeted by a gray Unicorn in a dark gray cloth and he had a beard. Figured... He also had blue eyes.”

“So... a Dragonborn appears, at this moment in the turning of the age.”

“Yes. I'm answering your summons. Let me introduce you to-”

“Miss Rainbow Dash, I believe.” he interrupted. “But we will see if you, Dragonborn, truly have the gift.” he said and turned around and walked inside the building.

Before we walked inside I gave Dashie another weird look, and she did the same to me.

“Do you know him?” I asked curiously.

“No, I've never met him before.” she replied very confused. “Let's just get inside.”

I nodded and waited for her to enter before me. It was very cozy and warm inside, at least in comparison to the snow and blizzard outside. There were torches on the wall and everything looked very ancient. The walls were made of stone and there were even pillars here and there.

I noticed that there were more unicorn ponies gathered in a circle and awaiting me. They all spoke in tongues when they noticed me.

“I'm going to have to ask miss Rainbow Dash to go to the next room while we're testing you.” he said friendly.

“No. She's staying.” I demanded and looked not very pleased into his eyes. The greybeard thought about it, and eventually nodded.

“Alright. But do not interfere. Now, show us Dragonborn, let us taste of your voice.” he said and walked up to me and waited for me to shout at him. “Do not be afraid. Your Shout will not harm us. Strike us with the power of the Voice!”

'Alright', I thought to myself before I shouted “FUS!” at him. He stumbled a bit, but smirked when he realized that I was truly the One.

“So, it is you.” he said and walked in circles around me. “I know everything about you, Dragonborn. I even knew you were the Dragonborn the same second I saw you.”

“Then why did you ask me to demonstrate my power?” I asked confused.

“Wouldn't you request the same if you were talking to a legend and a myth who was considered wielding a great power of the Voice?”

“I guess that's...”

“And I know everything about your past. Yes, even your sad little life when you were a human. Surprised?” he interrupted and wiped the smile off his face.

“How do you know these-”

“I don't know why the gods chose you. I really don't. You are just a sad little human. Still are. And now you're with one of my species. Tell me... isn't it considered bestiality where you come from? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Don't you feel like your dignity is gone or something?”

“Now wait just a minute!” Dashie interrupted and snapped opened her wings to launch herself at him, but I stopped her at the last second. I shook my head slowly. She nodded to me and calmed down. “Next time, I hurt you...” she muttered.

“With all due of respect, sir. But I despise bestiality, and I despise people who have sexual intercourse with animals. But there is one thing I do not understand. Do you look at yourself as an animal?” I asked him very calmly and tried to figure out his strange behavior.

“No, but your kind does...”

“Well, I'm not like them. I don't see your people as animals. In fact, I feel like I'm a more pony now than I was a human. I feel like this is my true body, and it was my destiny to be sent here. I don't feel like I belong on Earth, and that's why I never want to go back. And do not question about the gods' decision.” I interrupted and tried my best to reassure him as I also tried my best to stay calm and prevent myself from attacking him. “There had to be a reason why they chose me.”

“I'm still disgusted by the fact that you're mating with one of us. You'll never be accepted here.”

“I don't care if my Dashie here isn't a human. I don't care at all. Race and gender doesn't matter in my opinion. Only the personality. And do not ever question about my decisions and my personal life ever again. Now I think I'm done here. I expected more from you, you know.” I said disappointed and turned around and walked slowly to the exit. “Common Dashie, we're leaving.”

Before I got any further I heard him slowly clopping his hooves together. I turned around to face him again to see that  he had a wide smile on his face.

“You passed the test, Dragonborn. Welcome to High Hrothgar!” he said and walked towards me.

“A test?” I asked very puzzled, but it did explain why he changed from a pretty civil guy to a complete asshole.

“Yes. I was testing if you could keep your temper, and you passed. But I am Master Arngeir. I speak for the Greybeards. And do not worry about the things I said to you. I am perfectly fine with you.”

“Right...Arngeir. I will keep that in mind. But why does my temper matter anyways?”

“Being able to control yourself is a big part of being powerful, my dear Dragonborn. You can handle about any situation if you're able to control your temper.”

“But...”

“If you want more details... you could have been a moron and a fool who was lucky enough to be born with this great gift. I know that the gods make the choices, but if that was the case, if you really were a moron, it would require a lot more work for both you and me. Get it?” he asked again, but much more mildly and friendlier than before.

“I see... but you've put me through 3 tests now. Walking up the steps instead of flying up, demonstrating the Voice and that weird temper test of yours. Doesn't it just about prove that I am indeed the Dragonborn?”

“We have no doubts that you are the Dragonborn. We only want to see what strength is in you. Now, we will do our best to teach you how to use your gifts in fulfillment of your destiny. Please, come with me.” he said and walked away from me.

Dashie and I silently followed him wherever he was leading us to. He led us to the middle of the room, inside a big square that was carved on the floor.

“By the way... we are honored to have you here with us in High Hrothgar. The Greybeards have been waiting for this moment for 200 years now.”

“Thank you. But what are you going to do to me?” I asked curious, but I somehow trusted them. They seemed like they know what they were doing.

“We are going to grant a new strength to your Unrelenting Force. It will be much more powerful.”

I nodded in approval when I heard that. “Awesome. I'm ready.”

“We have been learning the way of the Voice for years, or in the dragon tongue “Thu'um”. We barely know a few shouts, but you are the Dragonborn. It takes you a matter of seconds to learn a new shout, or an upgrade to a shout, when it takes us years, like I previously stated. We will show you what we know.” he paused for a bit to clear his throat. “Like you probably know by now; when you shout, you speak in the language of dragons. Thus, your Dragon Blood gives you an inborn ability to learn Words of Power. All shouts are made up of three Words of Power. As you master each word, your Shout will become progressively stronger.”

“Yeah, I know. I learned Fus not so long ago.”

“Indeed you did. Master Einarth will now teach you, “Ro”, the second word in Unrelenting Force.”

He kept speaking while Einarth got himself ready to teach me. “Ro means “balance” in the dragon tongue. Combine it with Fus - “Force” - to focus your Thu'um more sharply.”

“Ro.” Einarth whispered to the floor and his horn started to glow. After a couple of seconds, some kind of markings showed up on the stone floor. I took a good look at it and noticed some kind of aura going around me from it. After looking at it for a while, I felt for sharp sting in my brain. “Whoa!” I shouted when that happened.

“You learned a new word like a master... you truly do have the gift. But learning the Word of Power is only the first step... you must unlock it's meaning through constant practice in order to use it in a Shout.” He said and paused to see if I was still listening to him. “Well, that is how the rest of us learn Shouts. As Dragonborn, you can absorb a slain dragon's life force and knowledge directly. As part of the initiation, Master Einarth will allow you to tap into his understanding of “Ro.” ”

Einarth walked up to me and started speaking in a language I couldn't understand. Well... I did understand some of it, but all of a sudden I felt for something. An aura of some kind flowed around and through me. I felt for it inside me and the power it brought with it.

“Now let us see how quickly you can master your new Thu'um. Use the unrelenting force to strike down the enemies as they appear. We will summon some kind of images and spirits that won't do you any harm. But try to strike them down.”

“Let's do it.” I said and crackled my neck.

“Fiik...Lo...Sah!” Einarth shouted to make those spirits appear.

I did what they requested me to do and I shouted “FUS...RO!” at the spirits as they appeared. The Shout was much more powerful than before, and the thought of it not being fully upgraded made me smile even wider.

“Well done, Dragonborn. Do it again.”

“Again? But I just proved that it worked.” I said but wasn't protesting anything.

“We must be one hundred percent sure that you are able to control it. Now, again!” he demanded.

I did what he asked me to do and proved once again that I was indeed able to control it.

“Impressive. Your Thu'um is precise. You show great promise, Dragonborn. You have shown that you are ready to learn the third word for that Thu'um; “Dah” which means; “Push.””

“I'm ready.” I said again and eager to get it over with. I wanted to learn it as soon as possible.

Another Greybeard walked up to me and whispered “Dah” at the floor. I heard a small crackle in the ground and yet another symbol appeared. I quickly looked at it to learn it. I waited patiently for that sharp sting.

He then spoke in the tongue of dragons and sent the knowledge from him to me, so I could perform it. At last, I knew all the words of the 'Unrelenting Force.' I looked around for my Dashie to see that she was amazed and very excited. I also smirked and chuckled softly when I noticed that she was looking around the place very curiously and looking at ancient tablets and pictures of old times that were hung on the wall.

“With all three Shouts together, this Shout is much more powerful. Use it wisely.”

“Thank you so much for everything.” I said as I knelt before them. “I will use it wisely.”

“Stand up, Dragonborn. We are not done yet. There are more shouts we want you to learn...” he said and chuckled. I was very relieved and happy to hear that. The more the better. “But do not think we will teach you everything. We are just ordinary ponies, and we only know a few Words of Power. You must for yourself continue with what you've learned here. I would suggest looking inside ancient caves for more Words. They are scattered throughout Equestria.”

“I will. I'm ready to learn and unlock the next power, please.” I said as I lowered my head for him in appreciation.

“That's good to hear. Follow Master Borri to the courtyard.”

“The courtyard?”

“You'll see...”

A couple of hours later, and I had learned and mastered a new shout they called; “Whirlwind Sprint” or “Wuld, Nah, Kest” in the dragon language. It allowed me to sprint in an incredible speed for a second or so. It wasn't as fast as I could fly at top speed, but it would be of great use if I wanted to avoid a trap or something. Shout three words, and I'd be out of danger.

Dashie, Arngeir and I walked up to the balcony and looked out to see the incredible view. The mountains everywhere, the lights from the towns and cities in different directions. We even barely saw Ponyville, Cloudsdale and Canterlot.

But as we admired the beautiful scenery, a green vertical light in a distance interrupted.

“What is that?” I asked and stared at the light. Even Dashie was getting a little worried.

“It is Alduin. He is waking up the dragons.” he said without looking at me. But all of a sudden he made a sudden movement which took me off guard. “Dragonborn. You must be ready. The time of the dragons has come...” Next Chapter: Chapter 7: The Quest of Impossibility Estimated time remaining: 12 Hours, 14 Minutes