"I must admit, when I felt that surge of magic earlier this morning, I was not expecting this," High Lady Valindra said as she drank in Scarlet's new appearance. Scarlet was borrowing some of my clothes, which were a bit large on her, but Zecora's clothes wouldn't have fit. She was wearing a pair of dark blue sweatpants, a red hoodie, and a pair of my shoes, a pair of white sneakers with red laces. All of which Zecora had brought through the portal for us when she heard about what happened.

"Neither was I," Scarlet admitted, still looking a bit shaken by the incident.

I reached over and put my hand over her new one. "I'm so sorry," I said softly.

She squeezed my hand. "You didn't do it on purpose," she said.

"Still, I should have been more careful," I chided myself.

"That's in the past, now," she replied.

Valindra looked between us, then let out a small sigh. "If this is going to hamper our discussions, we can postpone them if you want."

"No," Scarlet shook her head. "I plan on heading back home after today. On my coltfriend's insistence, I should add." She gave my hand another squeeze. That had been an argument we'd had earlier that morning. Scarlet wanted to stay and be moral support for me, but I had wanted her to go home so that she wouldn't accidentally use her new magic in this magically rich land. Zecora had helped us compromise: Scarlet would spend one more day here, and then she'd return home.

"Well, if you're sure, then would you like to proceed, your Grace?" Valindra asked.

I nodded. "Yes, of course."

"Very well," Valindra said. "I know that most of the day yesterday was spent talking about ancient history, but today I think it would behoove us to talk more about the future."

"That sounds good to me," I said. "I believe yesterday we spoke about an exchange of personnel between our kingdoms as well as favors."

"Correct, your Grace," Valindra replied.

I focused more on the conversation. "We also discussed trade deals, at least in general. I should point out, however, that we are a recovering empire. We only just got back our former capital city."

"The ruins of Virynth Atheos?" Valindra asked. When I nodded, she smiled. "I have seen it a few times and I've seen the throne room many times through the Semaphore."

I raised an eyebrow. "The Semaphore?" I'd heard of a semaphore system, but only first from David Weber's Safehold series.

"You used it once when your astral form visited our throne room," Valindra explained. "The Semaphore system was set up many centuries before Equestria was even founded. Unlike the system of flags and signals of the same name, this allows for instant communication across hundreds, nay, thousands, of miles."

I remembered the crystal I'd found in Torch's cave and how I had been teleported to the frozen Crystal Empire, Griffonstone, Canterlot, and even the Lycan Empire. "If such a system exists," I said, "then why hasn't it been used more frequently?"

"The Polýtimos Republic created the Semaphore," Valindra replied. "They were the ancient precursor civilization to the Crystal Empire. The Semaphore could only really be used effectively while the either side still existed. Have you heard of the Pétra Kardiá?"

"No, I haven't," I said, trying to think what that could mean.

"Roughly translated, it means Heart Stone," Valindra replied. "It was the heart of the Semaphore. It was also lost when Sombra took over the Crystal Empire and said empire was lost." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Scarlet tensed up at the mention of the tyrant's name. "Now, if anyone tries to use the Semaphore, we can't actually direct the link to where we want it to go, as I'm sure you saw. Not even if both sides try and reach out to one another. It rarely works."

So the Pétra Kardiá works like an old style operator switchboard, I thought. I wonder if the Semaphore can get back up and running once Sombra's defeated and Cadance is put on the throne. "I see," I noted. "Fascinating new history lesson."

Valindra tittered gently. "We do seem to be distracted by those," she said. "Still, shall we return to our discussions now?"

I nodded and leaned forward. "Where should we begin?"

"Well, I doubt we need to worry about territorial disputes," Valindra said. "Our borders are too far apart for that. We've discussed military cooperation to a point. Perhaps we should put any more discussions on hold until your government has been more formally shaped. I mean no offense, of course."

"No offense taken, my lady," I said. "Still, there has to be more we can talk about before we part ways, right?"

Valindra leaned backwards, looking at me with a contemplative expression. "Your Grace, you are a newly crowned Emperor, hardly even half a year into your reign. Other less reputable nations may try to take advantage of your supposed naïvety. Now, I know you're not naïve, but I also know you're new to this. I do not want your subjects to view us negatively because of an agreement that we might reach that could be misconstrued as leaning heavily in our favor. In your time here, you have shown yourself to be conscientious. You also care for your new subjects despite having the job practically thrust upon you. In the future, I deeply hope that our kingdoms can work together and become allies. The old Aelyssian Empire was a place of great majesty and splendor. I look forward to seeing how you and the current dragons rebuild it."

Well, this meeting's certainly taking a turn I wasn't expecting, I thought. Still, it was nice to know that Valindra was such a lady of high standards. "Thank you, High Lady," I said, inclining my head politely. "I'm grateful you want there to be an amicable relationship between our two nations."

She smiled at me and nodded back. "As a token of good faith, I will provide you and yours with a precious gift, one that may very well prove extremely useful in your endeavors to rebuild Aelyssia." She lifted her head and her horns began glowing. A large acorn the size of a bowling ball floated up from beneath the table. It floated over to my awaiting hands.

When she released it, I felt its weight in my hands. It was heavier than it looked, almost like a heavy bowling ball as well. I looked it over, and it was just like any other acorn I'd seen before, just bigger. Looking over, I asked, "What kind of seed is this?"

She chuckled softly. "It is a seed that will grow into a tree fortress like this one, given the correct circumstances," she said. "I have had it in my keeping for centuries."

I looked at the seed with great wonder now. "You're telling me," I said, "that if I plant this tree, it will grow to be like the Citadel?" I could hardly believe what she was giving me.

"Correct, your Grace," Valindra said. "In fact, I received it before the founding of Aelyssia from a Dragon named…I believe his name was Spike."

I held my reaction, but inside I was completely shocked. Was she talking about the Spike from the G1 show? The one from Ponyland? I put the acorn down. "Why did this Spike give you this acorn? And when did he bring it?"

"The Dragon named Spike brought me this after the same calamity that destroyed Ponyland also destroyed the land of the Dragons at that time," she explained. "The Dragons also lived in a tree like the Citadel back then, and it was destroyed in the catastrophe. Many Dragons fled to Aelyssia and after many years, founded their kingdom there." Valindra gestured to the acorn on the table. "Trees such as the Citadel only drop one viable acorn like this in their lives. Other acorns do drop, but they are always smaller and can only produce normal trees. The Citadel has not yet dropped hers, but this one was already dropped. Since it was given to me by a Dragon and it was from the Dragon's own tree, I return it to its proper owner in good faith."

I looked at the bowling ball shaped acorn, filled with awe. If I could find a way for this tree to grow in Aelyssia, it could become a beacon of hope. Not to mention the boost of magic…

I looked back up and put my hands on the acorn. "Thank you," she said. "I honestly don't know what to say, here."

"Your gratitude is appreciated," Valindra acknowledged, "but I must ask that you not misuse the unique abilities that come from living under the tree's protection."

"You mean the enhanced magical abilities, the mild weather, and that sort of thing?" I asked.

"Especially the first one," Valindra said. "I know you have several beings of magic around to help, and their magic may be too hard to control without proper training and restraint."

"So even the least magical of Unicorns could become incredibly strong?" I asked.

She nodded. "Pegasi could reach speeds unheard of, and Earth Ponies…well, their strength could increase. Dragon fire could also become incredibly powerful, and if you have a Wyvern with you, their magic will make them extremely powerful."

"How long do these trees take to grow?" I asked.

"The Citadel was already grown when we arrived here," Valindra explained, "so I don't know for sure how long it took. The stories surrounding the Zebra tree they call Yggdrasil, however, claim that it grew as tall as a mountain in a little over a year."

"That is…scarily fast," I admitted, looking at the acorn in worry, now. "What's needed for it to grow?"

"Magically rich soil," Valindra explained, "as well as water and sunlight, just like any other normal tree. At least, that's what Spike told me. He didn't know anything else about it before he left."

Curiosity got the better of me and I asked, "Where was he going? Did he say?"

"He said that he was going to search for his queen," Valindra said.

"His queen?" I asked, curious now. "Ponyland had a queen?"

"Ten years before Megan, Daniel, and Mary appeared on Narda, yes," Valindra said. "A powerful Unicorn ruled before she disappeared after ruling Ponyland for over twenty years."

Spike was a baby for ten years? I thought. That doesn't make sense, Dragons don't age that slowly until puberty. That I had learned from Phlogiston when I asked about Dragon life cycles. Clearly, there was more to the story, but I guessed that was something I would likely never know. "I see," was all I could say.

Scarlet, who was beside me and hadn't spoken much since we talked about her transformation, put a hand over mine. "Just another mystery we may never solve, babe," she said softly.

Valindra chuckled a bit. "You humans are a curious race," she said.

"It's one reason why we became the dominant species on our planet," I explained. "We like knowing things."

"You like drinking and knowing things," Scarlet quoted with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and grinned back at her. "No more Game of Thrones for you," I chided her before I turned back to Valindra. "Again, thank you for this. I will make sure that this gift is not misused."

"That's all I ask," Valindra said as she stood. Scarlet and I stood as well. "I know today's meeting was short, but I have asked that you be given a guide around the Citadel for the rest of the day. You and all of your entourage."

"That does sound lovely," I said, "thank you again."

"Not at all," she said. "Of course, we won't be showing you sensitive areas, but we can show you many of the common levels. All of our cities, artwork, and many things like that. You are free to remain in the city for the next week if you wish."

"I will…have to get back to you on that," I admitted. "I do have another appointment with the Lycan Empress."

Valindra's smile never wavered, but there was a hardness in her eyes that hadn't been there before. "She asked to see you, too?"

I didn't detect a change in her tone, but I still felt a shiver run down my spine. "Yes, yes she did," I said.

"I see," Valindra said. Her face softened a bit and she gave me a concerned look along with a smile. "Just be wary around her. She is young, but she is also incredibly clever. Smart, that is, as long as her emotions don't get the better of her."

"You think this may be a trap?" I asked.

"That is very likely." Valindra said. "Keep your wits about you."

"That was my plan," I said seriously.

She nodded. "Good." With that, the veil of tension seemed to lift from the room and her smile broadened. "Now then, I believe I promised you a tour of the Citadel."

Our tour was one of the highlights of the entire trip. Even Gemini had to admit, at least grudgingly, that the place was impressive. It held many thousands of Deerfolk within each level. We visited many of the levels, including the beach and the nighttime one. The nighttime one seemed to mimic the night sky so perfectly that I had to wonder just how Luna would react to seeing it. According to the High Lady, the stars mimicked the current position of the stars regardless of the time of day. They had even used spyglasses to look at the stars, spotting nebulae, galaxies, and globular clusters. The sun didn't show up here, of course, but the moon and the planets of the solar system did. The temperature there was always the same, nice and cool and reminding me of a cool summer night.

The beach level, on the other hand, mimicked a day/night cycle in accordance with the outside. The temperature would rise and fall as it normally would. It was also always sunny and summery, as opposed to the winter level which mimicked an eternal winter.

A part of me wondered if any tree that grew from the acorn I was given would have floors like these, but I put the questions aside as the day turned late. As we returned to the mansion for the night before we left in the morning, I thought back to the day's events. A lot had happened, but something that stuck out to me, unusually more than even being given the acorn, was Scarlet's reaction to Sombra. The two of us went into our private suite after a delicious and filling meal, and that was when I decided to ask her about it. But she beat me to it, although her choice of topic was different from the one I was going to talk about.

"Jethro? Are you okay?" Scarlet asked, a hint of concern in her voice as we lay in bed together, not quite ready for a bath. She reached down, grabbed my hand, and held it up. "You kept your hands in your pockets a lot today. You normally don't."

I chuckled a bit dryly. "You noticed that, huh?" I asked.

She nodded. "You were also a little bit jumpy during the tour. What's going on?"

I inhaled deeply, then sighed. "Babe, I somehow changed you and Zecora into anthropomorphic Alicorn-like creatures," I said. "I was careless this morning, and now you may be stuck like this forever." I gestured to her anthro form.

She sat up and turned to me, the sweatshirt she was wearing not hiding her new curves very well. "I admit," she said with a bit of a tremble in her voice, "this wasn't on my bingo card of things to happen during my life." My heart sank at her tone, but she turned to me, reached out, and cupped my cheeks as she straddled me, but not in a sexual gesture. Her bright red eyes seemed to shine with love and warmth. "If this is permanent," she said, "it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. I would be able to get used to it, especially with you and Zecora with me." She took both my hands in hers now and pinned them both to my side, leaning in with a sincere look in her eyes. "Are you scared?" she asked tenderly.

"I'd call it concerned," I said, although I wasn't sure if that was the full truth.

Scarlet saw through that right away. "Jethro…" she said sternly.

I gave her a brief wry smile before it fell. "Yeah, I'm scared," I said. "What if, as my magic grows, I cast that spell on someone and accidentally turn them into another Alicorn anthro?" I swallowed a bit. "I can't just go around creating them," I added, cutting myself off before I mentioned immortality.

She lay on top of me, her breasts pressed against my chest, but she never broke her gaze with me. "I know Zecora doesn't blame you for what happened to her. For that matter, neither do I." Leaning in, she locked lips with me, and I responded in kind. Her lips tasted like a faint hint of the finest cherries. After a minute, she broke the kiss. "When we leave tomorrow and after we leave the Eldenwilds, I'm sure your magic will be reduced back to normal," she finished with a teasing tone.

"Promises, promises," I replied with a roll of the eyes.

She snickered, then gave my face an affectionate lick before she lay her head on my chest. "Eeyup," she said, doing a passable imitation of Big Mac.

We lay like that for a little while before I suggested that we take a bath. As we were both undressing for it, I decided to try again at mentioning her earlier behavior. I turned to her and asked, "Hey, Scarlet?"

"Yes?" Scarlet turned to face me, her larger breasts already free of the bra Zecora had lent to her, one of the only pieces of clothing that had fit from Zecora's new wardrobe.

"I noticed something earlier," I admitted. "Something when the High Lady was talking about Sombra."

Once more, she stiffened a bit at the name, but only briefly before she seemed to force herself to relax. "What do you mean?" she asked.

I inclined my head at her. "You did it again, babe," I said. "You reacted to his name."

Scarlet stared at me for a while, then slowly, her shoulder slumped and she looked down at the ground. "I'll…I'll tell you about it while we're soaking," she said. "It's about time I told somebody…"

"Do you want me to call Zecora so she can-?"

"NO!" The vehemence in her tone startled me, and apparently it startled her too, because she took a deep breath, exhaled, and shook her head. "No," she repeated. "I don't want to tell anyone about it except for you, at least not right now."

I nodded, a bit alarmed by her reaction. I decided to give her an out. "Listen, if you don't want to talk about it, then I won't force you," I said.

She shook her head again as she began to remove the rest of her clothes, albeit more slowly than before, like she was stalling or playing for time. "Thanks," she said, and I was reminded of the Scarlet I knew before she became the horny meme spouting Earth culture weeb that I knew today, "but…I've kept this secret from you for far too long, and when you told me and Zecora about that episode where Sombra and the Crystal Empire return, I knew it was only a matter of time before I needed to talk to you about it."

"Okay…if you're sure," I said.

She nodded, then we both resumed getting ready for our bath in silence. No more than fifteen minutes later, the two of us were sitting in the tub, enjoying, or trying to enjoy it. The atmosphere felt heavy. Scarlet was clinging to me tightly, pressing her naked body against mine, but not in a seductive manner. No, this was a manner of someone seeking comfort when they were scared. No, she was terrified. I just wrapped her in my arms and wings, comforting her as best as I could, my fingers tracing her body tenderly. I couldn't tell if it helped too much, but eventually she did speak. "I…I haven't talked much about my past," she said.

"Only that your family was a small herd family," I said, "and that you were the only foal in your family despite there being multiple wives."

She nodded, then looked up at me, her red eyes filled with nervousness. "My father was the only one of his siblings alive when he had me," she said. "I had two uncles and an aunt who I never knew because…well, because they, along with my grandparents on my father's side, died in a fire."

I held her tightly. "I'm so sorry to hear that," I said.

She buried her face into my chest, clutching onto my free hand with hers. She took a while, but eventually she lay her head on my chest again so she could talk. "I also found out that I wasn't a planned pregnancy," she said. "I wasn't supposed to know that, to be honest. I wasn't supposed to know a lot of things that I learned…that I learned that night."

"'That night'?" I repeated inquisitively before I could stop myself.

To her credit, she seemed not to take notice as she nodded. "One night when I was around thirteen, I woke up from a nightmare feeling thirsty. So, I went downstairs to get a glass of water before I went back to sleep. But I…I overheard my parents, my moms and my dad, talking about me and his ancestry. I learned what I told you just now, but there was more."

I rubbed her back gently. "Take your time," I whispered, kissing her hand lovingly.

She nodded, took a shuddering breath, then exhaled just as shakily. "There was…there was a reason why my family never meant to have me. They believe that my bloodline on my father's side is cursed."

I raised an eyebrow. "Cursed?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "C-Cursed." She was clinging to me tighter now and the tremble in her body only increased. I didn't say a word and just let her speak when she needed to. After a while she did calm down and spoke again. "It…It has to do with our…our family history…"

I waited once more, letting her get this out. My heart was breaking as I saw her like this. I hated seeing her so scared, and my wings began to warm as I put some of the Phoenix warmth into it. She looked up at me and gave me a grateful smile before she continued. "They…they talked about how…how with every generation on my father's bloodline's side, there was always a disaster that claimed the lives of all but one of the bloodline. Dad…he wanted the curse to end with him, so he got a magical vasectomy years before I was born. But apparently…apparently it didn't work. My parents loved me, don't get me wrong, and until that night I never thought that I was never meant to be born."

"I'm sorry you had to hear all that," I said softly.

"There's more," she said, and the hint of fear in her tone put me on alert. "I…my dad's family line can be traced back for over a thousand years, according to what he told my moms. It was cast on the maternal ancestor by our paternal ancestor. And it's the latter that you really should know about."

My eyebrows furled, then they shot up as what was blindingly obvious hit me. "Sombra…?"

Scarlet simply nodded. "He's my distant ancestor…" she whimpered, eyes wide in terror now. "After that night, I went to the local library to look him up, and I did find a few things…" She clung to me tighter now, and now her trembling was a mixture of fear and rage. "He…He forced himself onto my maternal ancestor!" she shouted into my chest, tears starting to stream down her cheeks. "What kind of sick fuck does that?! He also mind controlled thousands of the Crystal Ponies, many of whom were KILLED! BUT EVEN WORSE WAS THAT HE DID THAT TO MY ANCESTOR!" When she looked up at me, her eyes were blazing with pure rage, and I could feel magic starting to seep out of her. "I HATE THAT I'M RELATED TO THAT BASTARD!"

Fearing that she might cast some magic that could hurt her or even cause some damage, I grabbed her hands and squeezed them. "Deep breaths, Scarlet," I said as soothingly as I could.

She began to inhale sharply then exhaled with that same sharpness. The amount of magic being cast around her only increased, and anything loose began to float in a cherry red glow. I quickly turned her head to face me with one hand, cupping her cheek in my hand. "Look at me, Scarlet," I said as calmly as I could. "I love you. Your ancestry doesn't define who you are as a person. It never does."

Her magical output began to drop, but not by much. The anger in her eyes changed to desperation, a need for something. "What if it does?" she asked, terror coursing through her. "What if I become…just like him?" She pointed to her gray fur and her red eyes. "I look a lot like him already…" She trembled a bit. "What if I become just as evil as him?"

I ran a hand through her dark red mane. "Your appearance doesn't make you evil," I said. "As long as I've known you, you've never once shown any signs of being evil. I know that you will never become like Sombra. You care too much."

That did it. She broke, burying her face into my chest as the magic around us settled down, making the floating objects slowly move back down to where they were. She wrapped her arms and her Alicorn wings around me, sobbing heavily and speaking incoherently every so often. I held her tightly, being there for her when she needed it the most. It hurt seeing her so scared about herself. A part of me wondered if this fear could have influenced her teasing and lustful comments, but I put those thoughts aside. I kissed her forehead and placed my chin on top of her head while my hands ran up and down her back.

After a while, she began to calm down. Her cheeks were stained with tears and she had snot coming from her nose. I grabbed a small towel from the counter with my magic and floated it over, offering it to her. She cleaned her face up, looking a bit embarrassed now. She sniffed as she spoke. "Thank you…" she said with a trembling voice.

"That must have been hard to talk about," I said, "so thank you for trusting me to talk about it."

She looked up at me, her eyes glistening. "I wanted to tell you for so long," she said, "b-but I was scared."

"I understand," I replied. "I won't tell anyone."

She swallowed a bit. "Well…perhaps we should tell someone else…"

That piqued my interest. "Who do you think we should tell?" I asked.

"Maybe…Zecora, for one?" Scarlet suggested. "She's a part of the herd, and I don't want to keep anything from her forever. And the princesses, too…" When she suggested the latter, I felt her tense up again.

"We can tell all of them if you want," I agreed. "There's no pressure."

"Thank you," she muttered gratefully.

The two of us soaked in the tub in silence for the remainder of our soak together. One thing about the baths here was that the water not only didn't leak, but it also remained the same temperature. It was so comfortable that, despite her earlier emotional state, poor Scarlet actually managed to fall asleep in the tub.

"Again, please accept my apologies for the direction that our talks took," Valindra said as my entourage and I prepared to leave. It was early in the morning, and there was still dew on the leaves of the mansion where we had stayed. Everyone was there and packed, even Miora. "It was never my intention for things to take that turn."

"I'm pretty sure there have been worse ways for beginning talks to go," I replied with a small smile. "It was very informative and a good starting point for our nations' relationship with each other."

Valindra tittered softly. Beside her, Arathyra and Ebiner along with Commander Eldrin and his squad of Deerfolk who would be escorting us out of the Eldenwilds. "No doubt of that," the High Lady replied. "Still, I hope that when next our nations interact, our relationship will only improve."

"When that time comes, my lady, I hope so as well," I replied. I then walked up to her, knelt, took her hoof, and kissed the back of it gently before standing up. "Fare well, my lady, and thank you for your gracious hospitality."

Valindra's eyes were wide in surprise, and then her cheeks darkened with a blush. "You're a very unusual Emperor," she said in a teasing tone, "but then again, every creature is their own person. I wish you well on your next endeavor and in your travels and future."

"And I wish you and your lands well as well," I replied. "May we meet sooner rather than later."

"May we meet again," she replied before turning to Eldrin. "Commander, please escort our honored guests to the edge of the Eldenwilds."

"As you command, High Lady," Eldrin said, putting one hoof to his chest, then turned to us. "Are you all ready to depart?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Then please follow me," the commander said before turning and heading down the road towards the cliff which led to the Eldenwilds. Our entourage followed him. It was time to make our next scheduled meeting, and I didn't anticipate that this one would be as easy as the other. As we walked, my hand holding Scarlet's own, I let my mind wander a bit. I had to plan.