Child of the Night

My hearing is what brought me back to the land of the living. The light howling of winds over a barren land is quite clear. My sense of touch was next, and it brought the rough gritty feel of sunbaked land, and ash. My skin felt dry, but cool, meaning I was at least in the shade, in a barren wasteland.

Tounge tastes like sandpaper, what feels like kinks in my back and neck, and my throat is completely dry, oh, and I'm slightly concussed... fun. I sarcastically think to myself.

Well not quite, that part comes with opening you're eyes. Clu responds to my inner thoughts calmly.

Daring to crack my left eye, I am not blinded by the sun. Despite it being mid day, I appeared to have the fortune of being in a deep enough hole that it didn't bother me.

Opening both eyes, slowly, made the picture that much more clear to me. The hole was the shape of my body, and I was lying in the bottom of a crater.

Trying to speak gave me a short coughing fit. Once I could breathe properly again, I decided to just shut up and move.

Before you try moving, you should know how hurt you are. Clockwork starts, causing me to pause.

How bad? I ask him, struggling through my shaken thoughts.

Minor cuts and abrasions, a few bruised ribs, mild concussion, plenty of bruising, and a very slight case of dehydration. I give him the mental equivalent of a nod.

Now knowing how hurt I am, I try to refocus my shaken head on the process of getting out of my crater.

Freeing my arms from their unplanned union with the ground proved difficult. Not only did they feel like lead, pins and needles, and sandpaper got together for a tavern brawl on my skin, but it also stung in random spots that I recognized as magical nodes throughout my nervous system.

My body was still settling Clu's soul into my body. It's taking longer than we first calculated, way back when, and causing my body to feel heavier in random locations, making it that much harder to move.

I had managed to eventually free my arms, and my legs took just as long. I will not be painting a description of how long and pain filled the process of getting me out of my hole was. Clu was either laughing at my amount of profanity, or crying along side me when the pain became too much.

Night had fallen again by the time I was out of my hole, and at the bottom of my crater instead. The third day of The Equestrian Heat Season was over. A pained, weak, chuckle came from that thought, and caused me to contemplate all that has happened since my release from stone.

The Moon peaks around the edge of my crater as I think on things that need to be done. Retraining the Night Guards, visiting each of my friends, delivering their potions, raising my timberwolf daughter, amongst the overshadowing threat from The Tears of Umbral.

Before my own mind tortures me, the Moon's light hits my fingers on my right hand, causing Lunar Mana to start flowing into my body, healing it.

I sighed as my body strengthens under my mother's moon. Her light soothing my wounds. My magic finally calming as I drank the moon's power that it freely gave to all, every night. I grunted as numbed flairs of pain bloom in my chest as my ribs knit back together. My cuts close back up, and dried blood flakes away, revealing my pale skin.

The light now was covering half my form meaning my head was laying North. Good to know. My head starts clearing up a bit, as the celestial orb above bathed me in her light.

As I laid there healing, Clu brought my attention inward. Whilst preparing my meditation, I feel a wave of cool and calm magic wash over the area. A slight shimmer of cyan coated my crater.

A boundary spell, just in case. Clu says, confirming my thoughts. Taking a semi deep breath in, I let the world around me fall away from my senses, and turned my attention inward with my exhale.

To the outside world, it would appear as if I fell asleep, but if one looked closer, they would see my eyes glowing behind my eyelids.

To my perception, reality faded away, and was replaced with one of Clockwork's workshops. His space, inside 'our' shared mind.

I found Clu looking over what appeared to be a magic projection of the condition of my body. Several points upon this projection had red hues versus the predominant green on the basic shape of my form. Some of these points were small, and focused on the mana points throughout my energy network.

"What is all this?" I ask him as I approach the large table that glowed with magic. He appears to be deep in thought, as he looked over the projection. He hummed to himself for a bit as some of the red auras on the projection slowly turn green.

"This is the state of your physical self." He said motioning to the projection, "Green means that area of the body is healthy, while red means injury or wounds." The projection turns off, and he waves for me to follow him.

"Then what is it you want to talk about?" I ask while starting to follow. He only smiled before leading me deeper into our mindscape. We came up to a wall with a door, which he opened and walked through. I raised an eyebrow but tailed after him.

"I need to teach you the basics of how to harness my magic. Clockwork tells me now standing in the middle of a "gym" I've heard the guards call it. Elven and Clockwork's own style blended well to make an advanced training environment.

"Makes sense, everyone has their own way to use magic." I reply while nodding and stopping a couple meters from him. He chuckles a bit, whilst shaking his head.

"More like our shared soul now filters magic differently. You are used to the way your soul filtered magic, but now you have a second filter to deal with." He says as a machine pops out of the ground and projects a chart on the wall behind him.

Two of the depictions of a soul lit up; The soul of Honor, and the soul of Patience.

"Our soul is now the Combination of Patience and Honor." He starts, as he motions to the chart behind him, "While your soul was a perfect mix between Justice and Bravery, my soul has the trait of Patience. This means your magic is going to function weirdly if you try to cast normally." I nodded along as I listened to my best friend.

His explanation of how to best use our magic was quickly understood. I had to be centered in my mind on what to do, and wait for the best time to use it. Instead of flooding a spell with mana, I now had to intricately weave my magic into the spell forms, and then flood it with mana. Similar to using runes to cast spells, just mentally and without the massive mess runes can be.

It had been what felt like a few hours of him explaining the how, and me trying to apply it.

"That's it Osiris," Clu tells me as I charge a false teleport spell, one that wouldn't move our physical form, causing me to smirk slightly as I concentrated, "just a little bit more, good... NOW!

Heeding my friend's instructions, I flooded the spell matrix I had woven with mana, and my reward was being 'teleported' several miles away from Clu in the mindscape.

I could hear his cheers of success faintly from where I was at, and he shortly appeared beside me.

"You picked this up much faster than we expected you would! This means that our projects will be ahead of schedule for the first time in eons!" He rambled excitedly next to me, while I just had a calm smile and let him have his moment.

Whilst he was having his moment, a feeling of slight alarm shock the both of us for a second, and Clockwork immediately held his right hand up with his palm facing upward. A smaller projection of my physical health showed that, while magic was still a bit questionable, I could physically fight. I had an idea for a weapon, too.

"My boundary spell reports only a single being getting closer. Magic might not work fully, so expect a physical fight." Clockwork tells me with no hint of the mirth he showed not moments before. I nod as I release my meditation.

My eyes open to see my Mother's moon high overhead, and my ears could hear the sound of someone making their way down into my crater.

Darting my eyes over to where the sound was coming from, I see a rare species. Flutterpony, but it is corrupted into a changeling. Tears bead up in my eyes at what horror is before me. Not because I was scared, but because this poor 'ling has probably never known what it is like to have a full stomach.

"Don't come any closer." I state simply to the changeling in the old songlike language of the Flutterponies. They stop about ten meters from me.

Keeping my eyes on the corrupted one near me, I slowly get up on my feet. They seem confused about something.

Clu, take us back if you can. I think to Clu. He mutters something about testing my physicality, but agrees.

"That language sounds... familiar..." The, female, changeling muttered to herself.

"That's because its the original language of your people." I continue as Clu starts weaving a spell matrix to return us to his workshop. My plan to confuse it with fancy words worked, and it stopped to contemplate. Meanwhile, Clu finished the matrix.

"Goodbye, young one." I tell the 'ling just before letting my mana activate the spell, causing my view to stretch and skew for a split second before I was back in Clockwork's tomb.

It is sad to know that at least one hive of flutter ponies is corrupted. I tell Clu as I sit back on the raised dais of his sarcophagus. He sighs, and I can tell he's nodding along whilst lost in thought. One of his common habits that I remember seeing many times.

Not expecting an answer, I stand up and start making my way out of his tomb. As I wander about his workshop, Clockwork idly comments on some of his creations as we pass by. Most of his comments were, "Broken.," or, "Doesn't work right."

We'll have to come back for some of you're projects another time. I think to Clu as we passed a powered bicycle. A few meters later, and Clu stopped us as my eyes passed over what looked like a polished two-handed iron war scythe.

What is it? I ask. He doesn't answer, so I assume he wants me to figure out what was so special about this scythe. Another habit of his; Consistently testing to see how intelligent his friends are.

Approaching said iron implement of war, I notice that it has an Iron Oak handle a little over a meter and a half long, and the one and a third meter long, triangular blade had a strange wavy pattern hammered into it. A simple manticore leather wrap around the handle finished the look of the scythe quite well with its old and worn orange contrasting smoothly against the pale grey of the iron oak handle.

Clu remains silent as I grab the weapon, and feel the layer of dust come off. It has been sitting here for a few centuries, yet I can tell by sight alone, that the blade hasn't rusted or blunted over the years. The handle and leather have traces of preservation magic in them.

Rapping a couple knuckles against the flat of the blade gave of slight "tinking" sounds... not the normal sounds for iron shaped as this is.

"What are you made out of?" I ask the scythe aloud as I test the balance with a flourish, and some test swings. I have to rebalance myself after the first couple of test swings, as the unknown metal is lighter than iron, or bronze. Not by much, but enough to through me off my footing.

As I bring the butt of the handle to a rest on the ground I ask Clu, What metal is this? I've never seen it before.

That is the only time I got the mixtures right for Steel. That stronger form of iron I ranted about when we were young. He tells me with a bit of an edge to his voice. It also serves as my reminder to preserve all of my notes, as I had lost the notes to this metal in the crucible accidentally.

I nod my head, and glance around for something to hit. If this is this so called "steel" that Clu went nuts over way back when, then that meant this scythe could pierce most forms of common armor all on its own. That theory excited me enough to dump most of my allowance into his research for it one thousand years ago.

"Where did we keep the armored training dummies?" I ask aloud. Clu chuckles and says, Three lanes left, and against the forward wall.

Hefting the farming tool twisted for war, I start following his directions. After a couple minutes of walking it dawns on me that Clockwork's workshop does not fit in the spatial limitations of Nesa's home. I smirk as I remember when we both learned the spatial distortion spells. What a mess it was trying to wrap our heads around the concepts of how to stuff more space into a confined space. Months of research, and head scratching came back to me as I approached the armored training dummies.

There were three left. One in light leather armor, one in medium bronze plates, and the last in an iron plate chest piece. It made me a bit sad that there was so little to show for our work here, but dummies are dummies, and not actually alive. I started stretching to warm my muscles for the bit of exertion I was about to perform.

This would also be a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with the hidden blade as well. Clu comments idly, seemingly distracted. I nod a few times in agreement, as I put the ring on for said blade.

Giving my hidden blade a few practice extensions to make sure I don't cut myself... again. Clu laughed at that thought. Retracting the hidden blade I approached the leather clad dummy.

Pausing, I start thinking of how to best use the 20 centimeter blade. Slashing is out due to the blade's placement under my wrist. Stabbing will be my best chance of a good blow.

"Hmm." I hum in thought as I back away from the dummy a few steps. I smirk as I get an idea on how this blade will work for me. Focusing a bit, I start a leisurely walk towards the dummy, and right as I got to its side I brought my right arm up and placed my hand on the dummies chest, and flexed my wrist to extend and retract the blade quickly as I passed. Stopping and return to see if it worked right, only to see a small stab wound the width of the hidden blade.

Frowning I extend the hidden blade and look at it to see that the dummies have marking oil in them, to tell you how far you stabbed into them.

The entire blade was now a bright blue, instead of the elven metal's golden bronze. My eyes widen at the lethal depth the blade achieved with so little effort. Nodding my head a few times, I went back up the the leather clad dummy, and practiced a few different approaches to this stealthy lethal sting. I even jumped with a flap of my wings to land on top of the dummy, hidden blade having found the dummy's spine through its throat.

You handle my creation well Osiris. But I want to see your reaction to the scythe's capabilities. Clu tells me as I stand with the hidden blade retracted. I'm panting a bit from how enthusiastic I was in my stabbing of the dummy. I wordlessly ready the "steel" scythe.

I decide a pierce and pull was a good start, so, reeling back with my new "toy", I slam the point of the blade right into the center of the leather clad dummy. The blade hilted itself in the chest of the dummy and knocked it over, nearly taking me with it. Clu burst into laughter at my stumble, and I can't help but chuckle.

Placing my boot on top of the dummy, I pulled my blade out, forgoing my original plan to tear out the side. Resetting the dummy into an upright position, I take a step back, and ready myself for a slash. Aiming for the dummy's shoulder, I wind up my whole form for this strike.

Back straight, arms at strong ninety degree angles, good firm grip, and a nice and wide stance to handle the weight. I think to myself as I prepare. I jostle the scythe a bit to get a better grasp on it, and its weight.

Breathing in deep and full, I tense up before unleashing all of my built up momentum in my body. As the blade started on its way towards the dummy, I step closer and unwind my form. My hips turned, my back stayed straight, and my arms swung all at once.

Completing the swing, I stand up straight, and set the butt of the scythe on the ground. I release my breath, and the dummy slides apart cleanly in two. I groan as my muscles all burn for a moment at the extreme sudden motions. Their precious oxygen used up.

Don't do that again! You almost tore several muscles! Clu shouts in my head. I chuckle-groan in response. Looking over my work, I see that the typical tears in the material weren't present. A nearly perfect cut, save for the end where I started to run out of momentum. The leather armor was more torn apart than cut, but in half the dummy now lie.

Don't worry about a repeat performance. I know I can only do that once every few days. I tell Clu as I move onto the medium bronze Armored dummy.

Readying the blade once more, I go for a simple cut at the temple. The blade ripped through about half of the dummy's head and helm. I have to rip the scythe out, taking the head with it. I grimace as I use my boot to remove the helmeted dummy head from the blade.

You still hate fighting, don't you Osiris? Clu asks me before my next attack. I give a deep sigh aloud.

"As much as I hate killing, I know that it is a necessity for me to know how to fight." I tell him as I swing at the headless dummy. Having used the back of where the blade is attached to pummel the chest plate, caving it in with the force.

A tear drops from my right eye as memory overcomes me...