Italicized words= inner thoughts or speech not spoken verbally.
Bold= Luna speaking out loud
Italicized bold words= Luna’s thoughts or speech, but not verbally spoken.
This, this feeling. I feel... cold.
My right hand that had been tightly clenching my stomach slowly rose into view. With the lunar light gracing it presence over the dark alley, it was just enough light to make out the warm, thick liquid that coated my hand.
Blood...
The world around me was soon glazed over with haziness before my view redirected itself at the night sky, a result from me collapsing onto my back. I desperately reached upwards with my blood stained hand, feeling the liquid slowly make its way down my right arm.
So this is what it feels like to die.
A small smile graced my lips as my outstretched arm fell limp, finding its resting place over the part of me it so desperately tried to seal.
It’s not so bad I guess. A lot different than what I had perceived my death to be like, but still no complaints.
A few moments went by before my eyes swelled with tears.
Who am I kidding; I don’t want to die. There is so much I have yet to do, that I will never get to do. Call me selfish, call me egotistical, but the truth of the matter is, I don’t want to die.
Then live.
My eyes slowly darted around the dark alleyway, coming in and out of focus every few seconds. It was then that I saw her. How did I know it was a she? Her sultriness eyes dissuaded me of any objection that it could be a male. Those benevolent yellow eyes that also held a sense of understanding and determination, but at the same time, animalistic in their nature. I watched as the shadow gingerly gaited her way closer to me; her form was one that would not classify as human, but still held a surreal sense of beauty and elegance about her. I watched on in stunned silence, with partial reason of my blood loss, before the... equine, stood in front of me.
Do thou fear us?
No, I do not.
The equine smiled at my mental response, but still carried herself with grace as she lowered herself into a lying position, her muzzle and my face now on a vertical level with one another.
Tell us. What is thy name?
...Matt. My name is Matt.
Why do thou wish to live?
Because... there are many things in this life I have yet to achieve.
Would thou seek eternal life then?
...No. Eternal life would sound like a paradise to most, but I know better. It is not a gift, but a curse. To watch as friends and family die, countless centuries pass by. I sympathize for those granted this power. For the loneliness brought upon by the prolonged centuries of life is a fate crueler than death itself.
My thoughts quickly buffeted the equine from her normal elegance and into a state of utter disbelief. For centuries, the mare fought vigorously to help others understand her position on immortality. And here was a human, with no ability of immortality or having the experience of one with this knowledge, understanding her exact thoughts and feelings. Her loneliness that she experienced everyday since she first realized her curse, all those millennia ago.
It was at that moment of thought I coughed up a large sum of blood, staining my dark green shirt with more of the precious liquid. I looked up at the shadowy figure that was beginning to become completely unfocused, another smile forming from my lips.
I’m sorry. I'm truly sorry for having to leave you.
The mare looked shocked at my incredulous display of determination. By now, I had lost enough blood to be considered dead, but still managed to hold onto my conscious just long enough to finish what I had to say.
The moment you asked about eternal life, I knew. You are plagued by that very curse, and I am sorry that I have to leave you alone.
I slowly and weakly reached my left hand to the mare, gently setting the palm of my hand on the right side of her cheek. I wore a weary smile before whispering something aloud for the equine to hear.
“Vale mi deae Lunae,” I spoke softly, followed by my left hand falling limp onto my chest, soaking in the blood that coated nearly my entire body. The equine just stared at my lifeless body, deep in thought and at the same time, mournful. She had only known this human for mere minutes, but in that time, he had shown her more compassion and understanding than anypony had during her entire life, aside from her sister. She knew at this point that I was the one she needed. Someone guided by intellect and not power, but also compassionate and understanding. With her mind already set, she turned towards my lifeless body and began inching closer with her muzzle. She stopped only an inch or so away from my lips and readied herself for what was about to come. She planted a gentle kiss against my lips before a brilliant blue light engulfed the entire alley.
My House 7:00am
I slowly opened my eyes to an annoying buzzing sound near my head. I instinctively slammed my hand down on my phone, trying to hit the snooze button before I fully awoke. To my dismay though, I had fully awoken by the time I had found the snooze button. I groggily sat up in my queen size bed, yawning and licking my lips as I tried to recall the dream I had.
What the hell was up with that dream last night?
I mentally pondered this for a brief moment before shrugging it off because of too many videogames right before I fell asleep.
I groggily got out of bed and stretched my back, hearing a satisfying crack a short time afterwards. With the feeling of tiredness slowly leaving my body, I walked over to my closet and pulled out a change of clothes before walking into my bathroom and closing the door. I turned on the shower and proceeded to brush my teeth as the water warmed to a suitable temperature. Stripping off my boxers, I got into the shower and quickly bathed, scrubbing my short black hair and cleaning my body.
About ten minutes later and the water had turned off, signifying that it was time for me to get out of the shower. I grabbed my towel that was draped over the shower door and promptly wrapped it around myself before stepping out into the bathroom. I let out a shiver from the cool air breezing over my wet body. I hurriedly dried the rest of my body off before I slid on a new pair of boxers and blue jeans. I then grabbed my shirt that was lying on a clothing rack near the sink. Before I put on my shirt though, I noticed something odd about my body. Where my stomach was, there was an unexplainable cut that was a few centimeters long. I stared at the cut for a few moments before I vividly recalled the dream I had last night.
That was just a dream. There is no way that really happened.
After a minute or so of staring at my cut, I shrugged my shoulders before putting the black polo over my upper torso and walking out of the bathroom.
“Guess I forgot I cut myself or something,” I said aloud, walking over to my bed and reaching for my phone on the nightstand. To my surprise though, it wasn’t there.
What the hell? Where did my phone go?
I searched behind the nightstand and underneath the bed, but I was not granted positive results. I thought for a moment before I looked at my bed, the covers and comforter bunched up so that the entire left side of the bed was covered.
Maybe it is under my covers.
I grasped the covers and comforter in my hands and quickly pulled them off the bed. I froze in slight fear a moment later when I realized something that wasn’t supposed to be there. Lying in my bed, sprawled out like a dog would sleep, was the largest equine I have ever placed eyes upon. I took a step back defensively, unsure of what the intentions this creature had for being in my room, let alone my bed. I took another step back and cursed aloud as I felt myself lose balance. I impacted the floor with my back, a loud noise resounding through the room. I sat up and grabbed the back of my head, cursing softly to myself before I remembered that I wasn’t alone. My eyes shot up from my position on the floor, staring intensely at my bed. To my surprise though, I found the bed to be unoccupied. It was just the way I had left it, empty with the covers strewn about the floor. I blinked several times before slowly standing up and rubbing my eyes with my hands.
I... I must be seeing things. Looks like it’s going to be an early day tonight.
I turned my head towards the door of my room, only to be met with the face of the equine staring me down. I instantly froze in place, staring into the eyes of the equine that blocked my path. Our faces were mere inches from one another, but I found myself focusing on a certain part of the equine.
Those eyes. They are the same eyes I saw in my dream.
Thou were not dreaming my friend.
I quickly backed away from the mare, grabbing my backpack near my desk and using it as a protective barrier between us. In all honestly though, I knew the few measly books I had inside were not enough to stop a rampaging equine. It did help ease my mind slightly though. I watched over the top of my backpack as the mare slowly gaited her way toward me, instinctively initiating my flight or fight response. You can probably guess which one I chose.
I hoisted myself up and ran towards my window. Seeing how the door was blocked, I threw open my window and looked down at the ground below. I turned back towards the mare to see that she had a face of confusion before she galloped towards me. That was all the motivation I needed before I threw myself out the window and thankfully landed in a soft bush. I looked up at my window and saw the mare staring down at me, confused as to why I would do something like that. I took this as my chance to, let’s say, haul ass in the complete opposite direction towards my school.
I arrived at school a short time later, groggily and tired from the morning exercise I wasn’t accustomed too. I was also barefoot, seeing how my shoes were left downstairs by the door.
I walked through the large school gate, heading straight for the gymnasium to fetch my spare pair of shoes I had in my locker.
After securing my spare pair of shoes and socks, I made my way to class where I promptly took a seat and sighed. A few moments later, a forceful hand on my shoulder startled me. I quickly snapped my head in the direction of the owner before I sighed in relief as I saw a friendly face.
“Damn Frost, don’t scare me like that,” I said, resting my head back on the table. Frost smirked and quickly took a seat next to me.
“What’s wrong man, you look worse than usual today. Did you stay up all night playing videogames again?”
I shook my head and sighed.
“Not this time. I have just been having a... strange morning today,” I said. Frost still wore his trademark smile before nudging me with his fist.
“So what happened then? By your definition of strange this has to be good,” he retorted, causing me to glare slightly at him before answering his question.
“Well, to be honest. I had this weird dream last night. I was in an alleyway and my focus was hazy. I think I was stabbed or shot and blood was running down my stomach. I collapsed onto the ground and saw this shadowy figure, which was actually an equine that could speak using telepathy. We had a conversation about something, I think immortality, but we didn’t get to finish because it felt like I died. When I woke up though, I thought everything was fine. But I have been chased around the entire morning by this pony, seeing her several times. I even had to throw myself out my second story window because she blocked the door to my room,” I stated, sighing once I did.
A few moments of silence passed before Frost broke out into laughter. I looked at him sternly before placing my head against the desk again.
“Dude, you sure you aren’t hallucinating? Remember last time when you went three straight days of playing Modern Warfare Two. You woke up in the middle of class shouting to throw back a fragmentation grenade. Then there was also the time at lunch where you started chucking potatoes at kids because you thought they were the covenant and you had a bag full of plasma grenades. And let’s not forget,”
“Ok, ok. I get your point. My track record isn’t the greatest, but I'm telling you man. There is something strange going on,” I said, Frost laughing before the bell rang.
“Alright man, whatever you say,” he smugly replied. Before I could object to his comment students started to pour through the room and take their seats. I figured that this was a good time to just lay my head down and try and secure a quick nap during the morning announcements. I closed my eyes and tried to drift off to a fast sleep. Luck was on my side though, and after a brief slumber, I soon found myself being awoken by a slight nudging. I wearily opened my eyes and saw that Frost had a sheet of paper full of questions that we needed to answer.
Luckily this period was English; and even though I might be a gamer, I still always did my homework, which was to read through chapters six and seven of the Odyssey. No doubt Frost just wanted me to answer the questions for both of us before he would allow me to fall back asleep again. I quickly rubbed the tiredness from my eyes and glanced over the questions on the sheet of paper. I smiled as I took out a mechanical pencil and began answering the questions. Within ten minutes, I had all the questions answered before I handed Frost my copy of the worksheet to, “Compare” his blank answers to mine. He smiled gratefully before he started to get to work.
I yawned quietly to myself as my eyes glanced around the room, seeing every student with their book out because they obviously didn’t read the chapters needed. A smile graced my lips at the thought of all these other students not doing their work. My smile was quickly interrupted though, my vision identifying a familiar figure standing near the front of the room, looking directly at me. I gasped slightly and began to tug on Frost’s arm.
“Hang on man, I'm almost done,” he said, my eyes widening as the equine started to make her way towards me.
“Frost. Frost,” I whispered over to him, Frost sighing and looking up at me.
“Dude, what is it?” he asked. I pointed in the direction of the approaching equine, my face starting to fill with worry.
“There, don’t you see it. It’s the equine I was talking to you about earlier,” I quickly stated, Frost looking at where I was pointing before sighing.
“Dude, there is nothing there. You are just seeing things again,” he quietly said, resuming his task of copying my answers. The mare was only a few feet away from me at this point, slowly closing the distance and my chances of escaping.
“What the hell? Doesn’t anyone see her?” I shouted, the mare stopping in her tracks as everyone started to stare at me. I looked around the room at all the faces that were trying to decipher what I was talking about. My hand shot up again and pointed directly at the equine that was easily within an arm’s length away from me.
“Does nobody else see the purple equine? I mean she has freaking wings and a horn, how can none of you see her?” I shouted again, everyone bursting out into a state of laughter.
Why... why can't anyone else see her?
“Look, he’s having his hallucinations again,” someone quipped in the audience of students that were laughing at me.
I felt slightly hurt that nobody could see what I was clearly seeing. My attention soon fell back upon the equine. She stared at me for a few seconds before beginning to approach again.
Oh, hell no. I'm not going down without a fight.
Before the equine could take another step towards me, I grabbed my backpack and leaped over her, or what I thought was the equine. Everyone else just watched as I gained about five feet of air before landing on the ground, turning my head to face nothing. I quickly made a dash for the door and found myself in the hallway a few seconds later. I sprinted with all my might down the hallway, trying my damnest to lose the equine I sure was following me.
During the whole ordeal, Frost never looked up from his work. As I jumped over the “Supposed” equine, Frost only raised his hand slightly, to signify a partial wave.
“See you at lunch Matt,” he said, never turning his head away from the worksheet as I ran out the door.
I continued to blaze down the hallway at breakneck speeds. I was slender and built athletically, though I was a little on the short side for height. My physique and previous running endeavors made cardio a strong asset for me. I rounded a corner and continued sprinting, not ever turning back to see if the mare was closing in on me. A few moments later and I flew by the principal’s office. His double-paned windows that overlooked the hallway were briefly occupied with me running by, somewhat screaming in the process. The principal leaned his head on his hand before he began to massage his temple.
“It’s too early in the morning for this,” he commented aloud, taking his coffee mug and taking a long sip of the energetic beverage.
I soon found my way to the staircase I was looking for. It was rarely used, but it led somewhere that no other staircase led too. Within a minute I was up on the roof of the building, thinking that the mare would possibly not find me up here. I took a couple of steps forwards and looked at the buzzing courtyard below. The bell had just rung and numerous students were congregating in the courtyard for the briefness of time between classes. I was pulled out of my daze when I felt the presence of someone else on the roof with me. I turned my head expecting to see the equine, but was greeted with my teacher instead. I breathed a sigh of relief when I noticed the worried expression on her face.
“Matt, are you alright? You sort of just ran out of my classroom,” she asked. I sighed before nodding my head.
“Yeah. I'm sorry. I just, I was just hallucinating again,” I said, the teacher smiling at me.
“Well come on then. Let’s get you down to the nurse to rest,” she warmly said. I smiled at the gesture and began walking forward, only to be stopped by an unexplainable sensation running through my body. What surprised me even more was that my teacher now had this black aura secreting from her body.
“Ms. Johnson, are you ok?” I asked. The teacher looked confusedly at me before nodding her head with a serene smile.
“Of course I am Matt. Now let’s get off the roof and to the nurses,” she said, waiting for me to move closer. I was about to move, but stopped when I made a startling conjecture.
“Ms. Johnson. How did you know I was up on the roof?” I asked, the teacher slightly taken aback by the question.
“Well, when I saw you race out of the room, I followed you out of worry. I don’t want any of my students hurt after all,” she said. I quickly detected that there was no way she could have kept on par with me, especially when she was wearing heels.
“Ms. Johnson. I'm not doubting your abilities, but how were you able to keep up with me in heels?” I asked, waiting for her response. I took a step back defensively as I noticed the black aura surrounding my teacher intensify. She slowly took a step towards me, her innocent like persona evolving into something more sinister.
“Whoa, ok Ms. Johnson. I will go to the nurse’s office with you. Why don’t you just meet me there,” I tried to bargain. My teacher smiled maliciously at me, her intentions very clear. Before I had any thought of moving I found myself in her grasp, her hand securely gripped around my neck.
“What... what are you doing?” I asked through a raspy larynx. Ms. Johnson continued to smile before answering my question.
“You have something I want. I don’t know how you got it, but there is a great deal of spiritual energy inside your body. I'm going to take it from you and make it mine,” she coldly stated, followed by an evil laugh. Her grip on my throat intensified as I gasped my few remaining breaths. It was at that moment in time when a large object collided with my teacher, sending her sailing across to the other side of the roof. I feel to my knees and gasped for air, staring at the large air conditioning box now settled on top of my, ex teacher, I should say.
I cautiously stood up to my feet before I spotted the purple equine flying down at me. To my dismay though, I was in no state to run, and braced myself for what I thought was going to be a hard landing. I was pleasantly surprised to find the mare glide to my side, missing me entirely.
“What... what are you?” I asked, the mare staring at me before replying.
“Thy name is Luna, goddess of the night. And you my friend, are our champion,” the mare spoke, sending me into a spiral of confusion.
“What are you talking about? I'm not your champion. I'm just a regular guy that enjoys videogames and sports. And how come I'm the only one that can freaking see you?” I somewhat angrily asked.
“You see us because we allow you to see us,” she responded. I face palmed and sighed, knowing that she would have to elaborate on that answer later.
“Ok then, can you at least tell me what happened to my teacher? And where the hell did that air conditioning unit come from?” I questioned.
“Thy teacher was possessed by an evil entity. As for the, object, that was our doing. Seeing you in distress forced our hoof,” she calmly stated. I was actually a little shocked at her response. Not about my teacher being possessed by an evil entity, but how I misjudged Luna, even though I thought she was a figment of my imagination at times.
“So you say my teacher is possessed. You basically killed her, so shouldn’t the evil ‘Demon’ be forced out of her and find a new host?” I asked.
“Normally that is so. But it takes more than mere force to kill an evil entity, or even the host for that matter,” she calmly stated.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. So you are telling me that my teacher isn’t dead?” I asked. My question seemed to answer itself as we heard the sound of crushing metal, followed by the sight of a very pissed off demon teacher.
“Ok Luna. Have at it,” I said, taking a step back.
“What does thou mean, ‘have at it’?” she asked.
“You don’t expect me to fight this thing, do you? I mean, she freaking shrugged off being flattened by an air conditioning unit. That’s not normal,” I said, taking a step backwards as the demon teacher started to repair any damage done to her body.
“Yes we do. You are our champion. Focus on our spirit inside of you and transform,” Luna stated. I looked dumbfounded at her, questioning her sanity as well as a little of mine.
“I don’t think I can do that Luna. I can't focus when a demon is hell-bent on killing me for something I don’t even have.”
“Thou must. If not, then we all will perish and all hope will be lost for both of our worlds,” she pleaded. I could see the seriousness in her voice, and even though I thought I had gone off the deep end, I couldn’t bring myself to not try.
“Ok, give me a moment,” I said, closing my eyes and searching for her spirit. About ten seconds had passed before I opened my eyes and shook my head.
“I can't do it. I don’t even know what I'm looking for.” I sadly announced. Luna looked towards the approaching demon, a sense of worry and dismay staining her regal face. She then looked at me again with a demand.
“Kiss us,” she boldly demanded. My face contorted to one of unimaginable shock.
“Wha, what? I'm not going to kiss you,” I defensively stated.
“Thou must. Our spirits are linked by the contract we made. The easiest way for one to truly feel the spirit of another being is through intimate actions,” Luna quipped. I stared at her for a second before looking back at my teacher, who was now moving at a steady pace towards us.
“Damn it. I swear, this better not be my first and last kiss,” I annoyingly announced, looking at Luna as she faced me.
Our faces were already close to one another’s, differing by a distance of only a few inches. The mare closed her eyes and began to lean forward, me reciprocating her actions. Our lips touched a few seconds later. I soon began to feel an immense power bubbling inside of me, waiting for the right moment to release. Luna pulled her face away from mine and smiled.
“Now find our spirit that flows inside of you. Feel its presence and ask for its guidance.”
I slowly closed my eyes and began to focus on the inner energy inside my body. It was an odd feeling, but at the same time, it felt like it had always belonged.
I was snapped out of my concentration when I heard Ms. Johnson only a few feet away.
Focus. I need to find her spirit.
Ms. Johnson was now standing in front of me, her eyes glowing faint hues of black. She reached her right hand out and firmly grasped it around my neck again. Luna tried to desperately levitate another air conditioning unit to stall the demon. The demon homed in on her magical energy though, and Luna was quickly backhanded across the face, sending the mare a few feet away from us. Ms. Johnson then turned her full attention towards me, beginning to squeeze my throat with both hands. Luna shakily opened her eyes and saw the scene unfolding in front of her. She tried to get up from the ground, but saw that it was too late. The demon was rearing her right fist back, holding my body in her left hand. Seeing what was about to happen, Luna quickly called out in an attempt to stop the demon.
“NOOOO!”
At that very instant, I felt it. I felt Luna’s spirit within me; calling me, no, beckoning me to bask in her guidance. My eyes darted open, spewing blue light from them and causing the demon to retract her hand as the light burned her very form.
DO IT NOW!
Spiritual Guidance. Lunar Transformation.
My body was engulfed in a cacophony of bright lights, warming all of my senses and body as it bombarded me with its raw power. I slowly felt my muscles expanding, elongating, and toning themselves as sleek black armor began to adorn my figure. Within moments, my entire body was covered in this supernatural armor, giving me power beyond the likes of any human. The last piece of armor to adorn my body was a sleek black helmet with a dark blue visor that allowed my identity to remain hidden. When the helmet fell upon its appropriate place, I knew it was time to emerge a whole new entity. When the cocooning light finally faded from around me, I was no longer my previous self. I was faster, stronger, smarter, and more animalistic than my original self.
Emerge. Lunar Champion.
I slowly began to stand on both feet, taking in my surroundings with my new form.
The smells, sights, and sounds. Everything is so much more distinctive.
I tightened my fist and stared at the demon in front of me, a simple expression adorning my face.
“Demon. Leave at once and I will spare your life. This is your only warning,” I boldly stated. The demon just plastered another grin on her face as the response to my offer.
“Then so be it,” I said, rushing forward and connecting my right fist with my teachers jaw. I was countered with a quick thrust kick to my abdomen, sending me flying across the rooftop, but landing on my knees and fists.
“Luna. How do I extract the demon with hurting the human?” I asked, Luna quickly flying over to my side.
“Thou must strike the demon in the heart with a light beam. That is the only way to safely extract the demon without hurting thy host.”
“Right... now how do I do that?” I asked, Luna mentally facehoofing at my remark.
“Every spiritual form comes with a unique weapon. Focus and find yours,” Luna calmly stated. I nodded my head and began to concentrate. Within a few seconds, a light weapon slowly materialized in my hands, a grin on Luna’s face as she saw the weapon start to materialize.
“A... short sword? This is not an appropriate weapon for our champion,” she sulked. Closing my hand around the weapon, I knew exactly what type of special weapon it was and it’s capabilities.
“You have no idea Luna,” I slyly boasted.
I was quickly knocked out of my thoughts when I saw the demon charging at me again. Quickly dodging the attack, I slashed a few times at the demon with my short sword. I hit my mark as the demon recoiled in pain and agony. A few more hits later and I finally located the heart of the demon.
“Ready for a show Luna?” I boasted loudly, the mare rolling her eyes at my cockiness. With the demon charging in for a final attack, I quickly readied my stance, grabbing my short sword by both hands.
What is this human thinking? That is no way to hold a short sword.
I grinned as I saw my opening and took it.
Switch, Claymore
Within a second, my short sword had evolved into a claymore with more than twice the striking distance of my short sword. The demon realized my weapon’s ability too late and tried to nimbly dodge the oncoming attack. She was too close though, and the end of my claymore managed to slice cleaning through the demon’s heart, effectively killing it.
I sheathed my weapon before turning my attention to my teacher. She was sprawled on the ground and the demon possessing her was slowly seeping out. I watched as the demon’s aura started to turn from black, to a bright orange.
“Umm, Luna. Is it supposed to do that?” I asked, Luna’s eyes widening as she grabbed me and threw me to the ground. The next moment, a deafening explosion came from the demon. I was luckily shielded by Luna, who had just enough time to put up a protective barrier. Even though I was safe, parts of Luna’s fur were singed, allowing me to believe that some of the explosive power penetrated her shield. I quickly turned my attention to the mare that was still standing over me, but breathing heavily.
“Luna, Luna? Are you alright?” I asked, the protective barrier dropping before the mare collapsed on top of me.
“Thy Princess is fine. Just a little weary is all,” she said, passing out a few moments later.
“Princess. I will have to ask her about that another time,” I stated, sitting up and gently cradling Luna’s body in my arms. I slowly looked over to the source of the explosion, not expecting to see anything there. To my utter amazement though, my teacher was completely unharmed by the explosion, but it seemed she was unconscious.
Damn she’s lucky
I soon heard fire trucks and police cars and assumed that they were probably headed towards the school. I decided that it was time for me to bid the school farewell for the day. So with Luna still in my arms, I positioned myself in the direction of my house before getting a running start.
Please don’t be a bad idea; please don’t be a bad idea.
At the peak of my running start, I jumped high into the air and attempted to land safely somewhere away from the school. It worked, except for the fact that my landing shouldn’t have involved the tree in my backyard. After making impact with said tree, I clutched Luna tightly and fell about twenty feet to the ground, landing on my back to protect Luna. My head was starting to spin rapidly, but I fought off the feeling in order to tend to Luna. I tiredly made my way into the house and upstairs to where my room was. I closed the door behind me and walked over to my bed, gently placing Luna on it with her head resting on my pillow. I then picked up the covers that were strewn about on the floor and placed them over her. Smiling at myself, I turned to walk away from the mare before I felt my entire body become devoid of armor and a rushing surge of fatigue hitting me like a freight train. I wasn’t able to take one step before I collapsed on the ground into a much-needed rest.
