The Wolf and the Unicorn

    “Three weeks.  THREE WEEKS!  Sister, where is he?”

                “Calm down Luna, I am sure wherever he is, Hex is fine.”

                Their yelling echoed down the hallways and corridors of Canterlot castle, driving the servants away and making the guards very uncertain of what was going to happen between the Princesses in the near future.

Indeed it had been three weeks since our brave hero met his fate.  Strangely enough, the deadly weather had cleared within days of the last time Luna spoke to him.  Since that fateful night, she scoured the dreamscape hoping to find some trace of her lost love, yet finding none.  Even if he had died there would have been some residual energy as he slipped into the abyss.   It was simply as if he had been erased from the face of the world.

                Tonight would have been a very special night for Luna should she not have been so distraught over the loss of Hex.  Somewhere in the back of her mind, the date echoed in her subconscious, screaming that it was Nightmare Night, and on this night, anything was possible.

                Even the nobles of Canterlot thought it was strange that the night court had convened on this day.  It was expected of Luna to travel the countryside and spread terror and joy through the villages as was soon becoming the new custom.  However, nopony wanted to point this out to the enraged Princess.

                Nopony noticed it as it started, a vibration barely audible, ignored over the yammering of some random and easily forgotten “noble” in a garishly pink suit as he groveled on the marble floor in front of the throne.  Quickly it built, in the span of seconds making the whole throne room vibrate, skittering the neon pony across the floor with a clattering noise of hooves on stone.

                At this point, every pony in the throne room was looking around, trying to find the source of the vibration, finally audible.  A low rumble turning into a keening wail, as if someone in tartarus was playing with a chalkboard.  As the crescendo rose, the ancient Saddle Arabian rug in the center of the room began to smoke and smolder.  Luna’s look of confusion quickly turning into one of worry as her shouting for guards went unheard over the clatter of items falling from walls and the horrible noise that came from everywhere.

                As one, the ponies in the throne room turned and ran as the heart of the room was enveloped in pure black flame.  The marble floor cracked and crazed under the relentless heat that was nearly unbearable to the Princess nearly half a room away.  Her fears of a lost love were utterly forgotten as barely contained terror screamed at her senses.  It willed her to flee, to hide.  It was right.

                With a clap of thunder so powerful it shook the foundations of the castle, the flames exploded into nothingness.  The rush of air down the hallways snuffed out every non magical light, lamp, or candle as it passed.  Formerly scorching air quickly becoming frozen as even the heat from the infernal flames fled.  Small tracings of frost skittered over the well-polished stone, crawling over the ancient stained glass windows, and across any other surface that would bear it within the pitch black building.

                Yet there was light in the throne room, along with a vaguely familiar yet nearly forgotten coppery scent.   Strangely, a pair of crimson lights floated in the darkness in the heart of the room.  Curiosity at what they were quickly turned to unadulterated terror for the Princess of the night as the two lights seemed to move, yet there was no sound No sound except a deep rasping voice.  A voice steeped in the roots of the word, a voice that was so familiar, yet utterly terrifying that it made movement impossible.

                “You called, my love?”

                In the swirling dark, a massive grinning set of canines could be seen shimmering wetly as the beast smiled.  Whatever words she intended to speak were quickly forgotten as magical light poured into the room, the Royal Guard flowing from all corners to surround the creature and the royalty they defended.  In the light, Luna did not like what she saw at all.

                It towered above her guards, even above herself.  The twin ears atop its wolfish head nearly touching the peak of the arch it stood under.   Similar to her lover, this beast stood on its hind legs.  It even stood like Hex.  The only differences were the massive size, thick white pelt, the evilly glowing crimson eyes, and the utterly massive great axe that rested in one hand.  The more Luna looked at it, the more details screamed at her.   Well, that was until she realized that the screaming wasn’t coming from her inner mind, but from herself.

                When the beast brought itself into the palace through whatever foul magic it used, blood, gore, bone, and offal spattered across the room.  What should have been pure ivory white fur was traced with great gouts of fresh crimson.  The foul magic even dared to etch itself into the eternal marble below the creature, and into the arch around and above, forming some kind of profane rune.  This was NOT Hex.  It was an abomination to be destroyed.  With barely a whimper of a word, she gave the order.

                “Kill it.”

                And try they did.  As one the guard surged toward the arch and the goliath below.  As one, every single pony in the throne room froze in mid stride, mid cast, as if reality was paused.  It took a moment for Luna to realize that the deep rasping noise was the beast chuckling to itself as the axe was hefted onto a shoulder.   Her legs would not respond to the command to flee as the beast claiming to be her consort strode across the room toward her.  She refused to flinch as an ice cold claw slid down her cheek toward her chin, lifting her face toward the thing as it spoke.

                “You know, I did this all for you.”

                Any reply was cut short as the giant wolf was thrown across the room, toppling motionless guards like living dominos.  A crudely assembled animal stood between the Princess and the beast.  Discord only paused for a moment before tearing across the throne room after the airborne wolf, pummeling it again and again with a massive maul that he carried with ease.  Blow after blow rained down on the white and crimson creature until it was imbedded in the living marble of the throne room floor.

                With the usual ego missing from his voice, Discord spoke to the prostrate and captive wolf.

                “Welcome home, Brother.  And Hex, stop being such an asshole.”

                Consciousness fled from Luna as she realized the implication of the Chaos God’s words.  Thankfully, a frozen guardspony slowed her fall to the cold tone floor.  The last thing she saw as her eyes closed was Discord hitting the wolf between the eyes with this massive hammer.