Karon did not turn around, but he heard two gasps of surprise and shock coming from the new arrivals. He remained with his back turned against them and finished the bottle.

His head was swimming nicely and a pleasant dullness was descending upon his senses, his bodily senses at least. His metaphysical senses were practically screaming.

The power radiating from the princesses was ridiculous. He could feel it streaming off them like there were two miniature suns right behind him. Well that might be a bit misleading. It was more like there were two small planets standing behind him, but with a reversed gravity.

It was simply their presence.

It was like being crushed from all directions at once, but it wasn't a physical thing. It was his mind being crushed, putting pressure on all his barriers and defenses.

He doubted every pony who meet them experienced this.

“Hey! Maybe they think I'm special?”

“Maybe you should turn around and ask them.”

Karon wasn't sure he wanted that. The pressure he felt was most likely the pressure of having two demi-goddesses giving you their undivided attention while not at their happiest.

But he was drunk, and nothing can beat you when you're drunk.

He turned around while swaying a little and looked at the rulers of his new home.

The power behind their eyes was surprisingly weak.

The pressure continued but it was just there, it didn't increase or adapt. Most likely, the princesses had expected him to immediately fall on his knees or something from it, because the look on their faces still matched those shocked gasps he had heard.

They matched the description Twilight had given, mostly. One was tall, slender and had a shining white coat to rival Rarity's. Her mane flowed multicoloured and seemed stuck in a permanent breeze while a cutie mark in the form of a sun glowed on her flank.

She looked mostly shocked and a little angry.

The other one was different. Her coat was of a bluish purple he couldn't really find a name for and a light blue mane. Her cutie mark looked like an inkblot with a moon in the middle and she was smaller than her sister, but still bigger then a normal pony would be.

She, on the other hoof, looked mostly angry and a little shocked.

After Karon had turned around they both looked straight into his eyes and he was starting to get mixed messages about their level of power. At first the pressure didn't increase, he thought they were already giving it all they had.

But slowly more power was used, the pressure began burning and freezing at the same time and pressed harder against his defenses. It would have been far worse if he hadn't just swept half a bottle of moonshine masquerading as whiskey.

He ignored the pain and forced his face to twist into a smile. “Morning ladies, so glad you could drop by.”

“WHAT FOUL ARTS HAS THOU PERFORMED UPON THESE INNOCENT PONIES HUMAN!”

“Someone needs to put a mute button on that one.”

At this point, Karon had more or less decided that things couldn't get any worse. They would try and send him to the moon or turn him into stone or something else equally undesirable. Might as well have fun with it before the fighting started. He would not go peacefully.

He looked around at all the ponies spread out over the floor groaning in pain at the loud noise that was Luna's voice. Many of them had injuries of some kind but nothing too serious in Karon's eyes, sometime you hurt yourself while partying. Get over it.

“I might have started a tiny war after having mildly poisoned your ponies with some ethanol based liquid. They were enjoying it at the time though so I doubt you'll hear them complaining after they get past the hangover.”

“THOU TRICKED THESE GENTLE PONIES INTO CONSUMING BOOZE SO YOU COULD BETTER MANIPULATE THEM INTO CONFLICT?!”

Karon couldn't help but snort at the princess use of the word booze. Seriously it was too damn funny.

Luna did not agree.

Her blue eyes flashed with searing anger and the freezing pressure on Karon's mind lifted as she lowered her horn and it began to glow. Karon had no idea what she was planning and therefore couldn't prepare an appropriate defense against it.

An cloud of indigo light collected around her horn and her mane had turned into a similar colour and was now flowing in the same way her sister's did.

The indigo cloud compressed into a pin point beam that shot out from her and slammed into Karon. It sent him flying backwards into a bookcase where the indigo cloud engulfed him. It tore at him and he felt cuts form over his entire body, but it wasn't that bad. Would have felt a lot worse had he been sober.

The cloud around him dissipated and he looked at Luna staring back at him with murder in her eyes, her sister had turned to her and looked surprised at what she had just done.

But Karon's gaze fell downwards to himself ... his robe was shredded.

                                     ***************************************

Karon stood on the porch of an old house. It was located in the middle of the woods and unless you knew where to look for it, you would never find it. It was raining gently and the forest smelled of new life and pine trees.

Karon, but that had not been his name back then, turned facing the door leading into the house. An old man stood there, heavily muscled like an old grouchy bear and his hair and long beard were as white as a snow owl. He held something in his hands, it was black and looked like clothing.

The old man walked with heavy steps that forced a creak out of the boards underneath his feet and his voice rumbled as he spoke.

“I want you to have this. It was the robe I wore back when I was just an apprentice.”

Karon looked down on the folded robe in his master's hands. Varsif was not a man for sentimental good byes.

“What's the catch.”

The old man's chest sounded like the sea striking rocks as he laughed.

“You will only be borrowing it. You can return it to me when you are ready to come back.”

Karon looked at the grizzled wizard with angry eyes.

“You ask too much of me old man. I don't think I can ever return here.”

“I only asked of you that which was necessary. And don't be so foolish, I am a wizard. I know that one day you will be ready to come back and face that which you are not ready to face yet. When that day comes, you can give back the robe.”

Karon looked down at the robe as if it was a poisonous snake and a lifeline at the same time.

How he wished that Varsif's words would be true. He wanted to return here one day and finish what he had begun.

But he was not ready yet.

He gingerly took the old robe and held it out before him, it was old without doubt. But the fabric was still strong and a proper robe was something he had always wanted.

“Thank you ... I hope I can return it one day.”

The old man grunted and flicked his hand as if waving him off. Karon smiled in return, the old man would never change.

He turned around and walked out into the cleansing rain. Before he could disappear entirely into the woods he heard the voice of his master call out behind him.

“You are still my apprentice lad and I will be keeping an eye on you! Don't do something stupid or I will be very irritated!”  

The last glimpse of the house Karon had caught was between two trees, smoke puffing out from the chimney and the windows aglow with golden light as the rain drummed around him.

Then he had turned and walked into the forest's embrace, his new robe keeping him dry.

                                          *********************************

“She destroyed my robe....”

Karon had not felt this kind of loss for a long time. The robe had been more then just a piece of cloth to him. It had been the sign that his training was not over, that he still had a chance in the future.

Now it was just a useless pile of scraps barely clinging to him.

“IT'S ON NOW BITCH!”

Both the royal sisters recoiled at the sight of Karon, his eyes were burning with hatred and their amber glow now looked more like that of a raging fire. He stood up facing them and the little ponies who had not yet left after having seen the two  royal sisters in the library quickly ran out the door at the sight of the furious human.

Karon might not be the greatest wielder of combat magic, but that fact escaped him at the moment. When he was done with them, the royal sister would be begging him for mercy.

Rage flooded his dulled senses and he extended both his hands as energy poured into them, scarlet light erupted from his palms and with a roar Karon threw it at the sisters.

Luna had looked on as Karon summoned his power and done nothing, but Celestia was wiser then her sister and had been building up power should something like this happen. She channelled it into a golden white sphere before her and Luna and the scarlet light crashed into the sphere with a hissing sound.

But the lights died out fast and Celestia dropped the protective sphere and stared in horror as Karon grew even more furious at his failure. He screamed at them in rage and spread his arms out to his sides and shaped his hands into claws.

The library shook and books fell down from the high places Pinkie had been unable to reach.

Celestia held back, she had come here fully aware that the human might become aggressive but she could not understand what they had done to warrant such anger.

Luna had attacked him yes, her sister had very little faith in their kind after the last time humans had walked these lands, but his rage seemed out of proportion. He had looked resigned when they first entered. It had not been until Luna had attacked him that he had shown any signs of such anger.

Where had it all come from?

But Luna had no thoughts questioning why the human was so angry. His kind only felt hate and all they could do was hurt others. She had witnessed this before and she refused to let it happen again.

As soon as the library began shaking the lunar princess charged at the human, her horn aimed at his heart. She had never before done such a thing, but she would not let history repeat itself.

Luna had never trained for combat despite having been forced into it many times before, Karon had. He saw her coming and as her horn closed in on his chest he sidestepped and grabbed the long sharp horn of the princess and twisted it.

Her momentum carried her on as she lost her balance and banged into the same bookcase Karon had just a minute before.

“Kill the bitch! Kill her, kill her, kill her!!”

Before she could recover Karon jumped at her and drove his fist down into her side, punching her as hard as he could. He would have continued until nothing but a bloody pulp would have remained but instead a force caught him and suspended him into the air. Celestia's horn glowed with a golden light and her face now showed clear signs of anger.

She did not want to fight but she would not allow her sister to be hurt under any circumstances.

She would contain the human until they could investigate exactly what he had done and the extent of the damage caused.

But Karon had other plans.

Even his drunken rage clouded mind understood that he was outmatched against the sisters, maybe he could have taken one if he was lucky but never the both of them together.

Not here at least.

His strength was in affecting and controlling minds. He could not win a battle likes this, he needed to change the battleground.

He watched as Luna got up and looked up on him with determination in her eyes. Celestia joined her and they stood next to each other, looking up at the trapped human in the shredded clothes.

They said something but Karon ignored them, he was busy gathering power for the very complicated piece of magic he was about to perform. It would have to be perfect in design or they would see right trough it.

He was going to create a field that would make all three of them fall asleep and join together in a dream. If one of the sisters realized that they were dreaming, they would be able to simply wake themselves up.

His only chance at this would be by making it so convincing they would think he had transported them to another distant location. After all, they had no idea what he was truly capable of.

He doubted they had any experience or knowledge about this kind of magic. Twilight had never encountered it before and if Celestia had, Karon thought she would have shared it with her top student.

No, against this they would have no defense.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on the task, the lines of energy were weaving into a complicated and very delicate pattern, it would remain active until one of the dreamers chose to wake up and Karon did not plan to do that before he had caused the sisters some considerable pain.

“Almost done.”

It was weaving itself together faster now, forming itself into a large symbol burning in his mind. As the final weaves were placed, the symbol began vibrating and glowed with a blue light. Karon uttered a single word and the light sprang from his mind, invisible to sight by normal means but it shone into the minds of the two alicorns and they fell down on their sides asleep.

                                                     **************************************************

Karon stood on an empty grey expanse, the ground was nothing more then the gathered dust of aeons untold. Standing in front of him a hundred meters away were the two royal sister with a nervous look on their faces.

They looked around themselves and spotted Karon. They did not make a move at first, but eventually they trotted over towards him slowly. Karon waited patiently for them. Had they known they were in a dream they would have gotten out by now. They had bought his deception.

Celestia stopped about ten meters before him and asked in a dangerous tone.

“Where are we human? And how did you take us here? You were locked inside my magic and should not have been able to escape.”

Even in here, Karon's mind was foggy and much of his usual clarity was lost. Anger still burned bright in his heart and made it even harder to think straight. Maybe that was the reason behind the charming environment.

Karon didn't answer at first, he only stared at the two sisters. Celestia looked at him with caution while Luna was seething with anger ... and was that a little fear he saw?

They stood out clearly against the grey background surrounding them, the sky was full of storm clouds and Karon imagined how fun it would be to perhaps summon a few lightning bolts from them.

The alicorns would limit themselves in the battle simply because they thought they were awake, they expected their usual limits to still exist and so they did. Karon knew better, this was a dream and as such he could effect everything without any regards to his usual strength and weaknesses.

In here, he was a god too.

“That will not matter in a few minutes you stuck up bitch.”

Celestia took a step back in surprise, no one had talked to her like that in almost a millennium and even then never with such venom behind his words. Luna reacted only with anger.

“DESIST WITH THY GAMES AND RETURN US TO THE HOME OF TWILIGHT SPARKLE THIS INSTANT!”

Karon sneered at the furious lunar princess. “I don't take orders from a donkey with a bad paint job and a carrot stuck on her forehead.”

She stomped her hooves down in fury and lightning erupted behind her. Karon smiled wickedly at this and stumbled a little as he walked towards her.

“Nice trick, but let me show you how it's done!” He pointed a hand in their direction and from the clouds above massive thunder was heard and multiple lightning bolts struck down at the alicorn sisters.

They reacted fast and a dome of silver and gold formed around them, shielding them from the worst of the attack. But they still thought this was real and that their powers were limited, so when the barrage of strikes did not cease the domes faltered.

Then broke.

Both Celestia and Luna were flung away as the lightning strikes exploded at the ground and left them both twitching as electricity ran through their bodies.

Why did Karon feel like he had done something wrong?

He ignored the thought and let anger take control of him, too many things had been taken from him lately and he had not even tried to fight back.

No more.

He stretched out his hands and Luna was lifted up in the air, her hooves around her neck as if struggling against a giant hand strangling her.

“You can not comprehend the amount of pain I am going to put you trough you self deluded fuck! You're supposed to be some kind of half goddess badass that almost destroyed this world in a jealous rage. Now look at you, a weak little foal about to beg for mercy from me.”

Sounds were coming from her mouth but he could hear no words amongst them.

“So ... wha-.”

Karon did not finish the sentence as a force slammed into him and sent him skidding along the dust covered ground. Celestia had recovered and she looked to have abandoned all thought on settling this peacefully.

“You will not hurt my sister!”

“You're sister is the one that started this!”

“Luna was only trying to protect her subjects!”

“They did not need protection you idiot! I had done nothing to harm them, but your fucking sister didn't care about that did she!”

“I agree that Luna may have acted rashly when attacking you, but that is no reason for letting things go this far.”

“I don't care if she attacked me!”

“But then why....?”

“SHE RUINED MY ROBE!”

“What?”

“SHE RUINED MY FUCKING ROBE!”

Karon was beginning to slip, the half bottle of Applejack's daniels was beginning to lose effect and his anger was fading. He suddenly felt very tired and didn't want to do this any more. Maybe he should just give up?

He fell down on his knees and in his hands was suddenly the robe, its weathered look and the strong fabric just like the day he had received it. He knew it was only a mental copy but it felt so good holding it again he didn't care.

His entire home world was lost to him. His body had been broken down and changed to suit the whims of a selfish god. He had a new name. That robe was all that was left. His one single tie back to Varsif. As long as he wore it he knew he was still the same person.

Now even that was gone.

He cradled the robe to his chest and wept, tears ran down his cheek and fell down on the robe. Staining it with the sadness brought forth from knowing Karon could now never truly go back. He was someone else now. The young man that had left Varsif's house that rainy afternoon was gone, and there was no way to bring him back.

The young man whose name had been Erik was dead and Karon had been born in his stead.

He sobbed as tears came more forcefully and he started shaking.

Why did the universe hate him so much? Why did it keep taking everything from him no matter what he did?

He knew why. It was because he deserved it.

His sorrow overcame him and he clutched the robe to him like it was the most precious thing in the world. He knew why he would never truly be allowed to feel happiness or relief, it was the same understanding that had forced him away from Varsif.

It was the understanding that he could never truly forgive himself for what he had done in the past. He did not want to be forgiven.

He just wanted to forget....

That thought stopped him ... If Erik was dead, then perhaps Karon one day could find a way to leave the past behind. Varsif had demanded that he faced his pain if he wanted to become a wizard, but Erik couldn't.

What if Karon could?

No, he wasn't ready to think like that yet. In just a few days he had become someone else entirely. He had felt happier and more at peace here then he ever had after.....

Don't think about it.

There was something else growing inside of Karon now, it was slowly pushing his sorrow aside and made him feel something else. It was iron hard and pushed forward like the glacier ice that once covered Earth. It didn't burn with a fire or bring forth some kind of cold crystal clarity, it was solid and made him turn up his head as he realized what he was feeling.

Determination.

Erik had died. Loki had killed him in order to transform the slowly rotting carcass into a new being, someone that might gain the strength and determination that the former self had lacked.

So be it. He would not make the same mistake that Erik had made with Varsif. Loki had manipulated him yes, but he would use it still. If Loki for some reason wanted to help him, then he would use his help, he would use everything he could to become ... more.

Karon wiped the tears from his face and looked down on the robe in his hands. Erik would never return to Varsif, so the robe wouldn't either. It was just another piece of cloth now, worth absolutely nothing.

Karon stroked his hand along the fabric one last time then let go of it, and as it left his hands it vanished. Destroyed now not only in the physical world but also within his mind.

He looked at Celestia standing at his right, looking upon him with uncertainty in her eyes. No, not just uncertainty.

“Why would you feel pity for me Celestia? I let my anger get the best of me and attacked both you and your sister, and had my anger not faded I would have killed you both in some horrible way.”

She looked at him still uncertain, but the pity remained despite his words.

“I would not wish suffering on any creature, human. I only do what I must to protect the ponies of Equestria and maintain it's peace.”

“That must get lonely.”

She looked away for a second, her eyes sad.

“Sometimes, but I always remind myself that as the princess of the sun I must always think of more then myself.”

Karon looked at the princess with a curious face. His new found determination had left him with a sense of humility.

“If you wish, I could keep you company if you ever decide to visit the dungeons.”

She looked at him a little surprised at the response. “Why would you be in the dungeons?”

Karon spread out both his hands with the palms up and answered in a solemn and serene tone.

“I attacked you and you sister. You are the ruler of the land that is my new home. Hence I attacked my own princesses. You are rightfully my ruler and I will accept punishment for this if you wish it. But I will NOT accept the same kind that you have brought upon beings like Discord or you sister. Incarceration for a few years is acceptable, a thousand years on the moon or as a statue in your gardens is not!”

Celestia looked pained at the mention of what she'd done in the past, maybe she and Karon were not entirely different after all.

“You mean that you will return us to the library in Ponyville?”

Karon laughed a little and walked over to the unconscious form on Luna lying on the ground. She was breathing steadily and didn't have any damage on her that could cause pain.

He turned back facing Celestia and asked with a smile.

“You can't see the matrix can you?”

She looked confused at his question and merely responded. “No, I guess not.”

“We are still in the library, we are just dreaming.”

Celestia looked around herself before turning back to Karon, she opened her mouth as if to say something but before she could Karon blinked.

                                                  **********************************

And opened his eyes...

He was lying on the floor, still a little groggy from the booze and his foot hurt. He must have hurt it after falling down from Celestia's little magic air suspension. He pushed off the floor and got up on his feet, Celestia and Luna were doing the same.

Both looked confused but Luna quickly fell down in some kind of pony battle ready stance and glared at him. Celestia held out a hoof before she had time to do anything else and looked at her sternly before facing Karon.

“Had you not told us that it was but a dream I do not believe we would ever have realized it.”

“Perhaps not, but it was time to get out of there. I was angry and wasn't thinking clearly.”

“While inside this dream, you said that the reason behind your outrage was that ... my sister had ruined your ... robe?”

It sounded like a statement but Karon could hear the question beneath it.

“It is complicated. Suffice to say that it is no longer an issue on my part. I can forgive your sister for what she did.”

Karon turned his head so he was facing Luna. She still looked angry but it's not like that wasn't understandable.

“Luna, I forgive you for destroying the last token I had of my former life ... and I also thank you for it. If you had not done so I do not know how long it would have taken for me to realize the things I have realized today.”

“I think forever sounds like a reasonable guess.”

“And I am trying to be calm and forgiving here, the bad jokes can wait until they're gone.”

The princess of the night looked a little less angry now but her face showed nothing but distrust for Karon, hopefully she would get over it with time.

He turned back to facing Celestia who was looking at him now with a little more understanding.

“If you wish princess, I am ready to go to your dungeons or whatever punishment you see fit for my actions.”

Princess Celestia opened her mouth and was about to say something when she was interrupted by a flash of pink that appeared before Karon.

“What!? You can't arrest Karon! He throws the bestest parties EVER! I should know right? Because honestly last night was sooooooo crazy that I had to go and make a few changes to the rules of party making,” Pinkie Pie said while standing on her back legs and holding out her arms wide as if showing the princesses just how much craziness there had been at the party.

Luna looked confused at the pink pony's intervention, but Celestia was wearing a smile as she listened to the pony explaining just how amazing the party had been and why they should totally come to the next one.

Karon interrupted her by putting a hand on her should and said.

“I'm sorry Pinkie, I might not be around for another party for a while.”

“But why? You didn't do anything wrong, well unless you count kissing Rarity because that was just yuck. Why did you do that? Aaaaaanyway so like I was saying, if you just stop fighting for a moment and agree to come to the next party then I'm sure everything will be okay.”

“ARE THOU SAYING THAT THE CHAOS AROUND US IS MERELY THE RESULT OF A NIGHT OF REVELRY?” Luna asked the pink pony who's hair was blowing backwards from the force of Luna's voice.

“Well duh, what did you think? That all of this was Karon's fault? Don't be silly, that over there was me. And that over there was Applejack I think, oh no wait that was me.” She moved her hoof around the room pointing out areas of disaster and attributing them to either a particular pony or simply everyone.

“I always knew there would be some mysteries which I would never be able to understand in this universe. One of them is how Pinkie manage to act like her usual self despite the massive hangover she must be having.”

“Do you think we should try and weasel out of Celestia's punishment. New found humility and all is good but spending several years in prison will not help us achieve our new found goal.”

“I am trying to start fresh here. That means I will have to submit for this one tiny moment. After that we'll see.”

Pinkie had just finished with her brief recapture of the previous nights events and was wearing a huge grin as she finished with.

“...and that's how General Pinkie won the battle and saved castle bookworm!”

Princess Luna was standing with her mouth open and eyes wide in shock at the tale of all that had happened. Maybe Karon should have listened? It would have been very amusing to hear Pinkie's own experience of the night before.

“WELL, EVEN IF THOU HAST CHOSEN TO PERFORM ALL THESE DEEDS BY YOUR OWN FREE WILL, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE HUMAN HAS NOT BEEN INFLUENCING YOUR ACTIONS. WE CAN NOT ALLOW THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY TO BE COMPROMISED BY A CREATURE LIKE HIM! THE EVIDENCE OF HIS INFLUENCE IS CLEAR AS WE HEAR THY SPEECH AS IF WITHOUT REGRET OF THE PREVIOUS NIGHT.”

At the last part Celestia's face became sly and she turned to her sister and said.

“Ooh Luna, after that night at Trottingham's founding, I don't think you're in a position to lecture anypony for having a little too much fun.”

Luna gasped when Celestia said it and her cheeks turned a shade darker then the rest of her as she blushed.

“TIA, you promised you would never mention that night again.”

Luna's voice had taken on a far more normal speaking tone when she spoke to her sister, maybe the yelling thing was just an act.

“Wait, she called Celestia 'Tia' ... seems we found that nickname we were looking for. Now all that's left is one for Luna.”

“How about little miss Lunatic?”

“That will do, I like the word play.”

“No Luna, it is clear to me that all of this has just been a misunderstanding. The human named Karon has not hurt anypony, and it is clear that some of these ponies care for him, as was shown by Pinkie Pie when she defended him. I think it is best if we simply start over from the beginning.”

She turned her head and looked Karon deeply in the eyes. Tia's eyes were a light purple and had a soft caring glow in them.

Karon was not one that cared much for divinities, especially not after Loki, but he concluded that despite her somewhat shaky status as a sun goddess, he liked her.

“Karon, I want you and the elements of harmony to journey to Canterlot tomorrow morning. We will hold audience with you and the elements and formally decide what shall become of you.”

She looked at Luna and brought her horn down so it touched her sister's. There was a brief flash and a poofing sound and then they were gone.

Karon didn't move. Much would be decided at Canterlot tomorrow, and he wanted to prepare for it. If there was even a slim chance of him being forgiven for his actions and perhaps be deemed a citizen of Equestria, then he would do everything he could to make sure it happened.

He thought back to his little epiphany and imagined the different ways in which he could achieve his goal. He needed to learn what it really meant to be a trickster and perhaps master it. He also needed to continue his magical studies, and this land had plenty of it. Finally, he needed to understand exactly where he stood in his relationship with the ponies around him.

He had a lot of work to do. Next Chapter: Chapter 9: A piece of the world Estimated time remaining: 24 Hours, 16 Minutes