Von shook his head as he awoke. He was unaware of what happened and started to examine his surroundings. He was in a carriage, which was being driven by the two guards that came before he and Storm. Storm was looking down at him as his head lay upon her lap. She seemed to have a look of concern on her face.

"Finally. You woke up. I was starting to get really worried about you." She said, stroking his mane with her fingers. "You fell asleep after we got in and on the way up, you started tossing and turning. It looked like you were having a nightmare."

Von blinked for a moment. "A nightmare?" He asked, Storm nodding in response.

"Yeah. You were talking in your sleep. Something about a guy named Rem or something. Are you ok now?" She asked. Von rubbed his head and grasped her hand gently.

"Yeah...yeah, I'm ok now. Thanks for the concern." He said. Storm giggled and kissed his cheek as Von laid his head back down. But the voices in his dream...and what she told him nagged at him from the back of his mind. A nightmare...and someone named Rem....the voice I heard mentioned someone named Rem and Aion. Was it just a dream? Or maybe...it was a vision. More importantly...why did I see such a thing?

BGM 1

After some time, the carriage came to a full stop. Feeling rested Von lifted his head off Storm's lap, the latter having fallen asleep herself, and looked outside. Right before his very eyes was the capital of Equestria itself: Canterlot. And atop of its rich mountainside was Canterlot Castle, home to Princess Luna. And his old friend and nanny, Princess Celestia. He looked to his pegasus lover and grabber her shoulder.

"Hey. Wake up." He said in a low voice. "We're here."

"Huh? What?" Storm yawned, stretching where she was. "We're here already? That was fast." She smiled and got out of the carriage with Von, taking his hand as the two guards stepped in front of them.

"Please follow us." One of them ordered. Since they didn't have much choice in the matter, the two of them followed the guards. As they continued on, the ponies in the streets stopped and stared. They were fashionable ponies, as expected of Canterlot royals. They all dressed well, cleaned well. Hell, they even smelled good. All the buildings were lined from top to bottom with lovely color designs, clearly showing that each and everyone of them had some class. So this is what life was like up in the upper crust of pony society.

Up on Dragon Mountain, there weren't as many different status differences for them as there was for ponies. For Dragons, you had the commoners and then the King. For ponies, there was the lower class which would consist of every pony in Ponyville, Dodge City and Appleloosa. Then the middle class, which were ponies that hailed from Baltimare, Fillydelphia and VanHoover. Then came the upper class, which contained ponies from Canterlot, Manehatten, Los Pegasus, Saddle Arabia and The Crystal Empire. Von didn't expect to see any upper class ponies, and especially not so soon. But he wasn't the only one surprised. Every single stallion, mare and foal was staring in shock not at the guards but the kirin being escorted by the guards.

Whispers of shock and disbelief could be heard as they walked by. A kirin in our city?!, I thought they were extinct, Is Dragonheart Village still standing?, Why is that beast among us?, and many more questions like this were being thrown about. Storm had a right to turn and yell at all the ponies that were speaking about her coltfriend in such a way. But she knew there would be no point. She could tell what Von was thinking. They had a right to be shocked. It was rare to see one of his kind walking about in plain daylight instead of hiding in secrecy. But he didn't care. He was just like them, a normal citizen of Equestria. And whether it was now or later, he was going to show them they weren't so different.

After some time passed, Von and Storm arrived to at Canterlot Castle. Seeing it up close, it was much more magnificent than he thought it was. The guards moved aside, giving Von and Storm their space and free will now and the two of them entered the castle. The inside was more glorious than it was outside. The decorations, paintings and stained-glass windows. It was everything Von had expected it to be.

"Canterlot Castle...To think I would get to see it with my own eyes." Von said, struck in awe. Storm was just as surprised as he was. Being stuck in an orphanage and then living all on her own, it would've taken a miracle for her to even have stepped foot in Canterlot, let alone Canterlot Castle. And now here she was, roaming through its halls with her lover. It was a dream come true.

Upon reaching the throne room, two guards stood apart from one another on each side of a throne. There were two, most likely belonging to the regal sisters of which Von heard so much about. And he personally knew one of them. When they entered, the guards took notice of them and one of them went straight outside while the other came up to them.

"Please wait patiently while the princesses are summoned." He said. He didn't smile, flinch or anything. He bore the countenance of a true royal guard. Since they didn't have much say in the matter, the two stood and waited as they were instructed to do. As they waited, Von drifted off into his mind once again. So much was happening to him ever since he came to Equestria. He found a lab and discovered horrifying experiments, he was attacked by Nova, he reunited with his father and they parted ways yet again, he was attacked by Cynder and witness her death, he encountered the one pulling Konan's strings, he learned that his mother was raped and bore a second child and now he was having strange visions.

What was going on? Was it something he ate? What if it was all a great big dream? It was all fake and he would wake up any moment. But sadly, he knew that wasn't the case. Everything was real. Every twinge of fear, sadness, anger and pain were etched into his very core. But at the same time so was his pride, his courage, determination and love. As much as he hated what was happening around him, he was content with the good things that came with it. As he thought more on it, he heard the sound of giggling.

"Welcome to Canterlot Castle, Von." A voice said. It was feminine, mature and kinda cute. It carried a dignified tone with it, as well. Von and Storm turned to see two mares coming in from the hall.

"T-Tia?" Von stuttered. His heart nearly skipped a beat. It wasn't a dream at all. It was all for real. One of his first friends and the mare who helped steel himself toward pursuing his goal was right there, standing in front of him. And she hadn't changed a bit.

"Indeed. It has been a long time, Von. How long has it been? 13 years?"

"12, actually." Von corrected. Celestia giggled.

"It felt like an eternity. You're starting to look much like your father." Von chuckled and gave her a smug grin.

"Yeah, but at least I don't have to shave anything." He replied.

"And he's not part dragon either." Celestia retorted. The two of them shared a laugh while Storm and Luna waited patiently to be introduced.

"Oh. Sorry. I forgot my manners. Uh, Tia? This is Storm Front: My marefriend. Storm, this is Celestia. Our princess." Von said.

"Hello." Storm greeted nicely.

"Storm Front, hm? Tell me. Do you have a sister by the name of Midnight Phoenix? The two of you grew up in an orphanage?" Celestia asked, causing Storm's eyes to widen.

"Yes! Have you seen her?! I've missed her so much."

"I do believe she's in the garden, making her rounds. If you go now, you might--" Storm quickly darted outside, faster than the eye could follow and the door shut behind her as she went out. "--find her. Well, she's certainly in a hurry."

"Yeah. She told me alot about her. I can understand why. So I take it this is your sister Luna, right?" Von asked.

"Yes, she is." Von looked over at Luna and walked up to her, bowing before holding his hand out to shake hers.

"Nice to meet you." Luna looked down at his hand and back at Celestia. Her elder sister said nothing and just nodded her head, prompting Luna to grab his hand and shake it.

"WE ARE PLEASED TO MEET YOU AS WELL, KIRIN VON!!!!" Luna spoke, using her Royal Canterlot Voice. Von let go of her hand when she spoke and covered his ears. Being upclose, her voice was almost deafening.

"Agh! What the hay?!" Von yelled.

"Sorry. Luna. Inside voices, please." Celestia said, scolding her sister. Luna giggled and smirked at Von.

"Sorry, sister. We couldn't resist the temptation." Luna replied, speaking in a normal tone of voice now. "Anyway, we shall leave thee to walk with him. I shall be back soon." With that, Luna took her leave and walked past Von. As she did however, she whispered something. Time seemed to slow down briefly for Von as his eyes widened when Luna spoke to him.

Von blinked and looked back at Luna and stared as she left. As the door shut, only Von and Celestia remained. He turned back around and looked to his old friend and smiled at her, getting a smile back in return. They drew closer to one another and embraced each other in a hug. It had been so long since they saw each other. She was like a second mother to him. Oh how he had no idea how much she cared about him. Just being in his presence was like having a child of her own. And in a way, she did. The young dragon, Spike, whom she raised his egg and cared for it until her student performed her exam. But still...

They let go of each other and continued to stare. However, Celestia's smile faded into a more dignified look.

BGM 2

"I take it you saw him again?" Celestia asked, emphasizing the word 'him'. Von's smile faded as well and he looked away as he was aware who she was speaking of.

"Yes. After all these years, I finally got to see him again. Only for us to drift apart once more..." Von replied, thinking to the battle he had with his own father.

"I know it must be hard on you. It was hard on him as well to part ways with you." She said.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Before Ignus fully vanished, he came to me. He told me how much you've grown, how strong you were getting and that one day, you may actually bring his dream--both of your dreams--to light. As such, he left a parting gift for you before his final farewell." Celestia's horn began to glow as she looked over to her throne. An object began to glow the same color as her aura before lifting off the floor and floating towards them. As it got closer, the object was revealed to be a rusted sword. The blade was clearly made of steel, regardless of how worn it was.

"That's--!"

"Your father wanted you to have this. Something to remember him by. Use it well, Von." Celestia said, placing the rusted blade in his hands. He grabbed the handle and gave it a few swings to get the feel of it. It was light and it felt warm and gentle, like he was being watched over.

"Dad..." Von stared at the sword for a moment before putting it to his side. "Thank you, Tia. You don't know how much this means to me. Anyway, I doubt you summoned me here for just to give me my dad's sword."

"Very perceptive of you. You really have grown." Celestia teased. "But yes. I brought you here to discuss something of great importance with you. However before I do, you must tell me something."

"Uh...sure. What do you want to know?" Celestia stared him in the eyes.

"There is something troubling you. You've been uneasy since you came in here, despite being as happy as you were. Have you been seeing things lately?" She asked. "Your father made me aware of the dark forces at work. But i can tell that's not what's on your mind at the moment." Von stared at her in silence for a bit before caving in.

"Yes. Just recently, I had an odd dream." He said. "I couldn't see anything, but I heard voices. Two of them, actually."

"Did they say anything?" Celestia asked.

"Yes. Something about...having to stop someone. I heard names. I think they were...Aion and Rem."

Celestia's ears twitched at the mention of the names and her expression turned grim.

"Is something wrong?" Von asked, snapping her out of it.

"No. It's nothing. It sounds like an odd dream. Perhaps it was a vision."

"A vision?"

"You're coming to that point in your age where the ability to see future events, or foresight, becomes available to you. You can see the future, but that also means you have the ability to change it with your actions. But what you will see, you cannot choose to see. What comes to you will depend on the events going on around you. But I will say no more. Now, do you have anymore questions before I tell you my reason for bringing you here?" Von tapped his chin and looked at her. He couldn't think of anything else. He wanted to know more about the ability of foresight, but it didn't seem like she was gonna talk. But other things came to mind.

"Yes. I actually do have a few things to ask." He spoke. Celestia smiled.

"Very well. Ask away."

"Well--"

Storm embraced her sister in a tight hug upon finding her in the garden. She was a jet-black pegasus with an electric-blue mane. She seemed to be the serious type, but had a gentle side to her. Her eyes were a deep shade of purple and she was clad in Royal Guard gear. But rather than wearing the armor, she was wearing regular regal-like clothes instead.

The two sister's spoke for awhile, Storm telling Midnight how she came to meet Von, her feelings for him and of their first night. When it got to the intimate portion of the conversation, Midnight couldn't help but gag a bit as she did not want to hear such things. But as the mood settled...

"How long do you have?" Midnight asked. Storm closed her eyes and sighed.

"I don't know. But...I want to make my time with him last in any way I can." Storm said quietly. "Which is why I want you to promise me something."

"Ok. Shoot." Midnight replied.

"Please. Please take care of him for me if I--"

"Don't say 'If'. There are no 'If's' here. You're not going to die. Got it?" Midnight's tone was stern, but also filled with pain. Storm smiled at her and nodded.

"Alright, big sis. Anyway, can you promise me that?" Midnight chuckled and sheathed her sword.

"Well, he sounds like a total wuss. But, I guess I can't say no to you. Alright. I promise to take care of him." Storm squealed and hugged her sister tightly.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Midnight's eyes narrowed and she sighed. As much as she loved her sister, she always grew annoyed when her hugs lasted too long or were too tight. But she could never fight it. Instead, she was forced to wait for her to let go. It took Storm a few seconds before she actually did let go and the two of them smiled at each other. However, their moment was interrupted as the sound of flapping wings came to their ears.

"What's that sound?" Storm asked.

"No clue. Storm, go hide. Now." Midnight commanded, taking her sword back out. She had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling...

"And then he ran away when I actually offered him the chance to." Celestia finished, giggling a bit. Von just shook his head, chuckling.

"You're such a tease, you know that?" He asked. He couldn't believe it. His own father was actually tempted to cheat. And with the princess, of all ponies. Not only that, but he chickened out when she actually offered him the chance to court her. Never before had he thought of his father in this kind of light.

Best keep this a secret from mom, he thought.

"Ah. But enough about the past. I'll tell you my reason now." Celestia said, switching back to the main topic. "As you are aware, dragons have the ability of foresight. Not just you, but a few others as well. Including your mother."

"Mom too?"

"Yes. And her vision is the reason you are here." Celestia closed her eyes and sighed. "She had foreseen her own death." Von's eyes widened the moment she said those words. She was joking. She had to be.

"C-come on, Tia. Quit playing around. Please tell me you're joking."

"I wouldn't joke of such things. I know it's hard to understand, but it is the truth. She had foreseen her death when we met a second time."

"...Did she see what killed her?" Von asked, trying to keep calm.

"Sadly, no. After she told me, I was saddened. She, along with your father, were the kindest pair I had ever met. And to have such a kind and generous child like yourself, I couldn't be anymore happier for them to have found true love with the other." She closed her eyes and stayed silent for a moment before opening them and looking at Von. "And so I made her a promise."

"A promise?"

"Yes. That I would care for you after the fates take her." Celestia smiled. "Watching you grow, it felt like you were my son as well. Making you laugh, keeping you happy and safe. Making sure you stayed on the right path. These are the responsibilities your mother had. But I had as well. I do not see you as one of my subjects, but as my child. To me, you are family as well."

Von stayed silent and continued to listen, trying to figure out what she was exactly getting at. Celestia saw the confusion in his eyes and smiled, deciding to be a bit clearer.

"Von, I wish to adopt you."

"W-what?!" Von yelled, taken by surprise.

"Neither your mother nor I wish to see you grow up without both parents in your life. I understand that you are older now, but even at your current age you still need your parents' guidance for some things. Not only that, I believe you should have one extra person to turn to when things look bleak. Though you would become my son, you will not inherit such titles as prince, duke or ruler in any way, shape or form. I will treat you special on occasions but you will still be treated like everyone else. Do you accept?"

"I-i..." Von had no idea what to say. One of his earliest friends, his second mother figure and the princess of Equestria was asking to take him as one of her own. To be adopted by the ruler that everypony knows and loves. There were still many ponies that did not approve of his existence. So to be adopted by her would put her at risk as well. But at the same time, he wanted it. To be treated with the love and respect that he got from his own mother. The mother that would soon meet her end.

"Celestia...I...my answer is--"

Just as Von was about to give his answer, one of the royal guards ran into the throne room.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion? We are having an important discussion" Celestia asked.

"Your majesty. There is a dragon out in the Canterlot Gardens. He brandishes a sword and is currently fighting with Midnight as we speak." He said. Von's ears twitched. A dragon in the gardens? That's where Storm was. But there was one more thing as well.

A dragon wielding a sword? "Dammit. Not him again." Von grabbed his new sword and began to head towards the door, but stopped and looked back at Celestia. "I'll come back with my answer soon. Right now, I have an issue to take care of."

"...Very well. Come back safely, Von." Celestia said. Von nodded and ran out the door. As he did, Celestia frowned. She was aware that Von was thinking of what answer to give to her, but she saw something else. Something that not only she was feeling, but what Midnight and the guards were feeling as well: Fear. A great fear was in their hearts.

Author's Notes:

I feel like i'm gonna get alot of bad rap because of a certain thing I put into this chapter. but anyway if you are wondering about that little short convo between Storm and Midnight, here's the gist of it. Storm is dying and she's promised Von to Midnight. Simple as that. But yeah.

Nova is back and now Von is more determined than ever to beat him down. We're going to have a showdown between two sword wielding drakes in the next chapter. See you soon