Luna's Dark Knight...

by Praeco Nigrum

Rating: mature
Tags: Tragedy, Gore, Crossover, Alternate Universe, Human, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Romance, Adventure, Sex
Length: 127161

A man with no way to leave decides that saving a dark princess is worth more than the temptations of the dark... But can he save her from the same darkness he has forsaken for her? Meet DARTH Corpus... A man of almost intangible powers as he marches

In the time before the fall of Luna.. There were those that stayed by her side in the tumultuous times leading to her fall from grace, they were few, they were small... But they kept her sane...

This is the story of a man and his companion as he kept the evils at bay for as long as he could... Until it was too late. Meet Darth Corpus and his astromech G-R, as they fend off the horrors of the dark-side and defend their new mistress from her ailing mind and the torments her sister unwittingly places upon her.

Welcome to the old world of Equestria... Several thousands of years before the rise of the element bearers and the second fall of discord... Meet the Princesses and all their friends that held them high as they faced the terrors of a new kingdom and its enemies from the shadows...

Watch as the lonely One goes from losing her mind to gaining a friend... To losing everything to a simple mistake... and then falling, like the Morning Star...

Go through the horrors of the Gryphon invasion of Equestria, the terror of the Wraith King, and the darkness of Tenebrosi Domini... As is the first things experienced by the rulers of this fine new land...

Now, follow a war torn man as he defends his new home from threats without and within the borders of Equestria, as the practitioner of both dark and Light.

Published 2014-07-24 03:00:06 UTC
Last updated 2015-01-10 20:46:13 UTC

Unwavering Night: Ch 2

perspective: Corpus

I floated in the dark, Seeing nothing... and everything... It was a magnificent sight, to see the nothingness, and then the light... It brought tears to my eyes to known such beauty... The full color spectrum was laid bare to me in its full majesty as I traveled the Dark path... Above me was light, below me was darkness... It was a poetic picture of how the universe can be split in two, the emotions of everything, verses the nothingness of the force... and how it encapsulates us all... For beyond the Light I could see the darkness, faintly, stretching through.

'Stars... Stars? Why in the great divide are there STARS up there?! I thought I was dead?!' My voice rang through my head as I tried to regain my bearings.

"G-R, is everything still in one piece?!" I shouted, looking about the cockpit for the hatch release.

"..."

"G-R?" I asked. Then I found the quick release for the cockpit hatch, which I pulled instantly. The hatch shot up and off into the night sky, crashing down seconds later right next to the fighter. I jumped up and onto the side of the ship and looked about my new environment, checking for dangers and other such things in this... Forest? Yeah, a forest, okay, Forest's have predators and other small herbivores... At least I know I wont be going hungry anytime soon.

Looking around my eyes came to rest on the discarded form of G-R, He was laying on the ground next to the ship, slightly scuffed and beaten by the look of him. I jumped over and crouched next to his chassis, looking him over I saw that his power switch had been hit during what ever scuffle he had been apart of. Flipping the switch he turned back on and belted out several robotic screams and threats in binary.

"G-R, it's fine, i'm here!" I yelled as I held my hand over my ears because of the high pitched scree.

"Whhhhoooo... Brip, dee to pop... Twoop?" G-R asked.

"No, I don't know where we are... But I plan on finding out... If it's the last thing I do!" I growled, feeling a predatory gaze fall upon us I whipped around, several of the lightsabers on my belt clinking together from the snap movement, and came face to face with a large feline like creature...

"GRRRRROOOARRRRR!" It bellowed, bearing its teeth at me with malicious intent.

"Well... shit... G-R... Get behind the ship... This won't take long..." I got up from my kneeling position and unclipped two of my thirteen lightsabers... All but one are trophies from my years as a Sith Warrior under one of the many high lords. The Large feline like creature started prowling back and forth, sizing me up for a quick attack when I noticed something odd about it... There were leathery wing like protrusions on its side... and THEN I saw a insectile like tail with a KRIFFING STINGER protruding out of its backside. 'Okay... this Is one weird ass place... I haven't even heard of this kind of creature in any of the holo reports about the planets of the GA... or even our own for that matter...' I thought to myself as I readied for a quick fight.

Suddenly the creature lunged at me, catching me by surprise, and swiped its right paw at me. I quickly turned on my blue and red lightsabers and pivoted to let the blades catch the full force of the strike. Astonishingly, when the paw collided with my sabers, it did not get cut, or even slightly burned, by the hard light beams. My eyes, now the size of saucers, locked onto the beast as it came about with its other clawed paw and tried to hit me again, the paws of this beast were almost as big as my chest! I again parried the blow and rebound off the strike, launching myself back a good six feet as its right paw crashed down on where I was. This thing must have been a good 15 feet tall! I then took to the offensive as I leaped high into the air and landed square on its back. I quickly brought the saber in my right hand (the red one) down into its thick hide, tip first. There was but a moment of tension before the blade begrudgingly sank into the monsters hide, the entire time I was holding on for dear life as it tried to buck me off.

"I will FUCKING KILL YOU IF I HAVE TO DIE TRYING BEAST! Now com'ere ya son of a Kath hound!" I bellowed, I had gotten the first saber all the way in tot he hilt and was about to plunge the Blue one in when the beasts stinger shot forth and went straight through my left knee, making me shout in excruciating pain.

"MOTHER FUCKER!" I bellowed as I shoved the Blue blade clean through the skin with no problem and dragged it down the beasts back, severing several of its ribs and incinerating a few vertebrae in the process. The beast howled out in pain as I deactivated the blades and was flung from its body, the stinger that was still in my leg was snapped off and thrown with me as I landed against a tree.

The beast was bleeding copiously as it stalked ever so slowly towards my mangled body, the force of the impact had broken many of my bones, both my legs were broken and my back was snapped in half just above the pelvis... meaning that I might be paralyzed for life, and my left arm was bent at SEVERAL odd angles, Couple all hat with the venom running through my body... and you got a very fucked over Sith Master. Looking at the beast as it stalked over to me I was able to bring my right hand up in defense... OR at least fain defense as I charge up a large burst of Force lightning. Once it got about ten feet from me I snapped my eyes open and lunged my arm forward and sent several arcs of dark purple lightning into the beasts body, making it howl out in pain as it fell to the ground, twitching from all the misfiring muscles in its body. I blasted the fucking beast for almost ten minutes straight, not even stopping when the creature was a charred ans smoking husk.

Laying there I could only think of what had happened to all those I had called Friend and even Family... all of them lost aboard the Vengeful Spirit... Their screams could still be heard in my mind... Never leaving, always reminding me of what I couldn't protect them from... Damned Jedi... Damned GA... Always having to go make sure the SITH are keeping to themselves... I was once the leader of ten planets, keeping my people all well fed and happy under my rule... none were to want of anything... I made sure all forces of corruption were destroyed wherever they took root and a much nobler being put in their place. The lives of my people were my life blood, their happiness was mine, their sorrow was my sorrow, their joy was my joy. Now I have nothing, and even those that I had called friend and family were gone... and I was now here, DYING of all things, on an unknown planet with just G-R as my final companion... A lonesome man with his droid...

'How FUCKING PATHETIC DO YOU ALL THINK I AM!' I screamed into my mind, hate and rage boiling up, and then subsiding as the chill of the night finally caught up with me. 'I may be a lone man... BUT, I will not let this beat me... I will... not... let... this... beat... me...' I slowly fell into unconsciousness as the venom slowly attacked my mind, clouding my vision and dulling my senses.

"By the creator... Do not doubt creature... WE shalt aid thee!" A heavenly voice cut through the fog and latched onto my consciousness, making me WANT to keep myself there. "Head thy warning creature... Do not fade... Stay... awake..." The heavenly sounding voice, somehow speaking basic, was sounding far off as I was pulled farther into my unconscious being, that is until I thrust out and shouted, even though it came out as a whisper.

"I... will... My... Angel..." And I knew the light no longer.

Perspective change: Luna

"Head thy warning creature, We shalt aid thee, Do not fade, Thou must stay awake!" I pleaded with the unconscious being before me. The creature was bleeding from many different spots on its body.

"I... Will... My... Angel..." The creature muttered out, making me blush slightly, of all the things to say... I shook my head quickly and levitated the creature onto my back, once it was on there I spread my wings and took for the skies, not letting a moment pass. We took to the skies of Equestria and I headed us towards the mighty figure of mine and my sisters castle, "The Ivory City" it is called... Famous for its clean streets and ivory towers and cathedrals.

As I flew over the houses and other buildings of the Ivory City I could hear my charge stirring, making angry sounds and shifting about on my back, making it increasingly difficult to fly. I saw the small palace I and my sister used as our seat of power come into view long before I was ready and felt a tremor of dread shoot through my system. 'I hope mine sister is not awaiting me... this would be much to much for her to handle right now... with Discord being recently deposed and the other nobles popping up all over the country...

We were about a quarter mile from my bedchambers when the creature suddenly rolled itself off my back, making to fall through the air with not an ounce of grace. Seeing this I shot off after him and quickly received him in my telepathic grasp. 'Creature, thou give quite the scare... and thou dost know not what thou hast done...' I sighed as I carried the creature the rest of the way in my magical grasp. We soon made it to my room, after weaving our way around many of the palaces spires, concealing our movements from any and all guards that happened to be on duty that night. Once in my room I placed the creature down on the ground, after laying out several dark comforters to cushion him against the cold floor. I then went to work looking over his wounds.

'Leg... I think, mostly destroyed... possible to rebuild... may take some time... but feasible.' I was looking at his lower left extremity... I think it's a leg, not to sure... It will have to wait till the creature awakens for me to find out more... 'Both lower extremities seem to be broken... should heal up nicely with a simple spell... Left... fore? Extremity seems to also be broken... It should heal as well with a simple spell.' I then went to work with stripping off the creatures outer garments, making sure to only remove those, or push aside, those that were in the way of me cleaning the beings wounds. After moving everything out of the way I trotted off to my bathing chambers and retrieved a good sized towel and some rubbing alcohol... It will burn but it will clean it all up none the less... and I done't want to use more magic on this creature than is safe... Seeing as it might have a severe reaction to such things... which may make my earlier thoughts void, Which would mean a very painful few months for my new resident... Yay...

"Creature, If thou can hear me, this is going to hurt..." I spoke ever so loudly, just to make sure he had a better chance at hearing me. I then took the towel and dabbed it in the alcohol, getting it sufficiently moist, and then went about wiping up the blood around some of the beings minor wounds. With each wipe I gained a low grunt of agony from the creature, or even a whimper when dealing with his more sever wounds. When I finally got to the things leg I was slightly sick, seeing a creature torn up so badly... and being made almost unable to walk because of it... It sickened me to the bone.

"Creature... this... This will be more agonizing than the hell we have previously placed thee in." Miraculously the being nodded its head almost perceptibly. I then went to work on the creatures knee, removing pieces of bone and chitin from the Manticore's stinger being broken off in the things leg. I then used a simple spell, knowing that there might be draw backs, and sucked as much of the poison out of the immediate area as was possible. in the end I took some cloth and bound it over the torn mass of flesh and bone, making a makeshift tourniquet.

'We should both rest easy now, knowing that the creatures wounds are tended too and that I was able to do as much as was ponily possible...' I thought to myself before going over to the large balcony window and looking at the night sky. 'It is nearly time to lower the moon... My moon...' "Ugh..." I sighed and began my nightly ritual of lowering the moon and hiding the stars, as was my sworn duty as Princess of the Night.

"Good night... Equestria..."

Author's Note

And our tale Begins! Everypony come by weekly to get new chapters! For a while at least! XD

A Body Broken & Solace Found: Ch 3

Luna's Perspective

Over 27 hours had passed since I had brought the creature back with me, he would whimper every so often in his sleep and toss-n-turn abruptly, making me believe he was having a nightmare... But when I tried to enter the beings mind I was blocked off, like there was a strong mental barrier in place to keep such things from happening... It was rather strange that a creature, of any kind, would have even a weak mental block up... But for one this powerful? This being must have had a tough time keeping its thoughts from prying minds... I sighed and went back to my desk, writing up the nights occurrences, like the crime rate that was steadily rising... and how fewer and fewer ponies were coming to visit me during night court and other such things.

Just last night only fifty ponies had shown for the nightly court, when this time a few months ago there were over two hundred ponies lined up to either have their complaints seen or just to talk with me... The former being irritating and the later being fairly refreshing. But their numbers were steadily decreasing... and I would hear rumors... Just here and there, about a dark figure roaming the night, scaring little foals and bringing nightmares to the subjects I helped look after... And the heart wrenching thing was... I knew they were talking about me...

Almost every night after hearing that I would cry myself to sleep, knowing that my subjects had started to fear me... shunning me for no reason than rumor... And it broke my heart.

I looked over at my sleeping charge and gave him a saddened looking over. "I wish you were awake... I need someone to talk to... I'm losing everything... All the ponies I bled and cried for are turning their backs on me... MY own sister cannot see past her own grace to see that I am hurting... I try to bring up these ailing things, but she just brushed them off with half thought lies and poultry excuses to try to ease my fears... But she does not try to even comfort me anymore..." I sighed and looked back down at my journal, "I just wish there was someone who at least just enjoyed my night, and possibly my company..." I sighed and went over to sleep before it was time to raise the moon for another time.

Corpus' Perspective

Pain... That's what I felt, laying on the ground, I felt the deep pain of my wounds trying to heal, unaided by the force or medicine... It is one of the more painful experiences I have ever had. But alas I am not done yet... I could tell, even in my addled state, that I had been moved. To where, I could not tell, but I could feel several blankets of a sort underneath me, keeping me up off what ever ground I found myself taking up. Feeling my mind come back under my own control I knew it was best that I start a healing trance, if I wanted to walk, at all seeing that my back had been broken, in the near or far future.

So, laying there, body broken, I started my healing, pulling as much of the ambient force energy into my body as I could. My leg was almost beyond repair... If I could get to a hospital soon I might be able to fix it... That's if this place has a hospital... and is capable of making something like that for a human anyway. I then went about scanning my body for the remnants of the toxins the damned beast had injected me with, finding only trace amounts left I was stunned.

'What could have removed the toxins... With a stinger that big it should have left a sizable amount of venom in my system!' I thought to myself as I lay there, immobile and defenseless. I was thankful to whom ever it may have been that I was out of the cold and in someplace that, I hoped, had some form of protection against the elements in it. But with the discovery that the toxins had been mostly removed from my system I went to work on purging the rest, making sure to excise the venom out through my pores. Doing just that I could feel the warm liquid death roll down my arms, legs and chest as my body quickly expelled the paralyzing venom.

After a good twenty minutes of excruciating boredom I could feel that all the toxins had finally been expelled from within my body, leaving me with just myself and my wounds for company. I then, finally, after gathering my strength, opened my eyes.
I looked about my place of slumber, fighting off the side affects of using so much healing power on myself for so long. The ceiling of the room was painted a soft shade of midnight blue, with majestic grey clouds that, somehow, rolled effortlessly across the painted sky. there was a glass chandelier placed in the center of the room, tiny white, orange flamed, candles were nestled within its confines, giving off a slight disco ball effect. The walls were the same shade of blue as the ceiling, but they were decorated with pictures of a... Pony? That wore light blue grey armor and had a tiara paced upon its brow. Looking further at the picture I could tell, with all my years being around other furred creatures, that it was a she and that she was of a high status... By the tiara on her brow I could surmise that she was either a VERY high ranking noble, or even a princess...

Granted I have not dealt with many beings of Royalty in my time, I have dealt with many Nobles... They are the MOST annoying bunch of beings to ever grace the galaxy with their presence, some days I wish I could just do away with such people... Make their positions none existent. THOUGH, when I have had the opportunity to deal with any kind of royalty I have found them to be among the kindest beings in the universe... With exception of some very snobbish pricks on Kesh and Coruscant... Damn layabouts, never even took time to be with their subjects!

After appraising the picture further I could see... things... in the picture... Sadness, unrelenting love... rejection, So any things, in just this one painting... The down cast eyes, the way the brush was guided, not pushed, across the canvas... This was a lonely creature, one that had lost many things in the process of gaining many others. That's when I heard a slight snore come from behind me.
Pushing my fatigue down into the depths, I got up, propping myself up on my good arm, while using the force to keep my lower back aligned, I grunted in pain as I scanned around for the source of the noise. And there, almost directly behind me, was a bed. But what caught my attention was not the bed, but what was laying ON the bed. It was the figure from the painting... Save for the armor and other Royal attire she would have been wearing otherwise. She was there, sleeping, partially curled up on the bed with all her covers laying underneath her.

Corpus' perspective

"Pour thing... Wasn't even able to get in bed... Well... I'll just have to fix that... Seeing as she has done this much for a stranger such as I." I closed my eyes and focused on her unconscious form, lifting her up with the force while directing the covers down the bed. I then, gently, laid her down, placing her head on the pillows, and covered her up with her star covered sheets. "Good night... Who ever you are..." I murmured.

"Goo'...Nigh'..." The pony like creature murmured back. I looked at her for a moment, waiting to see if she would awaken soon or not, and being thankful when she just turned over and fell into a deep slumber.

Luna's perspective

I awoke with a start, feeling my covers over my body slip down and pool around my flanks as I jolted up in bed.

"I FORGOT TO LOWER THE MOON!" I half screamed half murmured as I raced from my bed, jumping over my charge, and making for the large mahogany doors that led from my room. I burst through them and raced off down the short hall to one of the towers. I knew my sister would be there, waiting for me most likely. When I got there I saw that, yes indeed my sister was there, the Sun was now high in the sky... and that my sister was there with a pair of her guards having some tea.

"OH, good afternoon Luna dearest, Would thou be a dear and join us for a little noon tea?" My sister jovially asked, her eyes never leaving mine as she spoke.

"We are quite alright sister dear, we dost not wish for tea, but to make amends for the slight against thee..." I said, my tone laden with remorse. Celestia looked at me with a questioning air, raising her brow at my words.

"What perceived slight could thou be talking of Sister dear, if thou art referring to the lateness of the moon setting or rising, think nothing of it, I knew that thou hast had a rough time adjusting to the night... As thou has sen fit to take over tat part of ruling... We only did thou's work to give thee a slight... break if thou would." Celestia grinned wholeheartedly, leaving no doubt in my mind that she was not upset with me, but it still left a small hole in my heart that she did not ask WHY I was having a hard time... even if I couldn't tell her the whole truth, it would have been solace of a kind if she had.

"Thank thou sister, we were afraid thou would have been angered with us for missing the moon..." I bowed slightly in respect to my sister, her guards bowing in turn to me as well, and I left not uttering another word.

I then trotted back down the stairs and back towards my bedchambers, and the charge I had left behind.

Corpus' perspective

I was slightly shocked, hearing that my savior was late to 'lower the moon' was something I hadn't thought possible... Frankly it should be impossible... But then again weirder things have happened in my own universe, and I don't even know where I am. Taking into account that the intelligent lifeforms on this planet seem to be... horse like... in nature I would assume that I'm in the unknown regions of space... I hope... Well... I guess I'll just have to ask my hostess where exactly I am... when she gets back of course...

"Needing to know things about this planet can become a secondary... Figuring out how to let my hostess know that I'm now awake is the propriety..." I thought allowed as I propped myself up against the large bed behind me. "I will just wait here for her- *BOOM* -Return..." I looked wide eyed at the doors as a blue furred figure strode in, head hung low and ears laid back, soft whimpers escaping from deep within her.

"How can she be so... care free... and still be loved by all of them... I protect them from the dark things in the night... and yet they ignore me at best, despise me at worst..." The blue horse like being whimpered as she strode farther into the room.

"If you protect them, why do they still despise you?" I asked out of impulse, going slightly wide-eyed at my own impulsiveness.

"I do not know... they simply don't understand I would venture... But they love my sister, and all she does is raise the sun and walks among the light..." She came over next to the bed and dropped sideways onto it, making it bounce a little.

"Then walk with her... walk in the light... if that is what you seek..." I spoke, my tone carrying many decades of experience in it.

"I would... But I have given my time over to the night... keeping it safe from the darkness in some ponies hearts..." She sighed as she cried softly int the bed, not even realizing that she was having a conversation with a previously thought unconscious man.

'Ah, So they call themselves "Ponies"... hmm interesting.' I thought to myself before continuing.

"But would it hurt to spend some time with her in the light, given that not all your time is spent out in the dark?" I asked, I was still using the force to force my arms and legs back together. They made small cracking noises as they moved.

"I guess I could do that... But I don't know if it would work..." She sighed and buried her face into the pillow she was resting her head on. Suddenly she sat up, her hair looking like it had fought a rancor and lost, bits sticking out at odd angels and such. "BY THE STARS! YOU'RE AWAKE!" she screamed in glee, jumping off the bed and landing about five feet away from me.

"Yes.. I am... and I would love to thank you for saving my life..."

"Um, Princess... Princess Luna of Equestria, that is our name..." She said nervously, talking in the antiquated form that all royals use when addressing a subject, or someone knew.

"Charmed, Princess." I extended my hand, hopping for a form of acceptance. She then extended a slipper-less hoof, something that I had noticed earlier was that she wore metal slippers... interesting. I took her hoof in my right hand and gently squeezed it and brought it to my lips to place a chaste kiss upon it. Her fur was the most gentle of things, reminding me of the softest of satin's as my lips brushed against it, it raced down past her skin to cover most of her hoof, making for a very odd, but somehow pleasant sight. This brought a faint blush to the ponies cheeks as I gently released her hoof back into her care.

"My name is Darth Corpus... and it is a grand pleasure to meet you, Princess Luna..." I said while giving a slight bow, which was hard to do while having to make sure I didn't paralyze myself.

"I... The... The pleasure is ours as well, Darth Corpus... Um, if we may be so bold... We... would say, that thou has an odd name..." Princess Luna remarks, trying in all her pose to NOT be blunt about my more than odd name.

"Thou art quite bold mine Princess, and, We too, see it as odd. It is a title We had earned more than a hundred years ago... And on more than a few occasions it has brought us great strife and misunderstanding." I said with a warm smile ghosting my lips as my eyes slowly glossed over, looking into the past.

"If it has caused thou great strife... Dear Corpus, why not change it?" She inquired, trying hard to not sound offensive in her questions and statements.

"It is hard to be rid a name known by trillions... Especially when they all know our name..." I sighed, coming back to reality.

"Very well then..." She sighed before perking back up. "Corpus, are thou in pain? When we had flown thee in thou had many lacerations and many other such injuries upon thy body... Is there anything we can do to help..." She asked, her tone being that of a worried mother, though at her mention of flying I had to quirk and eye brow, I will just have to save that question for later.

"If thou has any way of healing broken bones and an internally severed spine... I would be eternally grateful..." I breath out a rough sigh as my left arm finally reset the last bit of bone in my wrist, making a large *POP*ing noise. I scrunched up my face as Princess Luna winced in sympathy for my pain.

"How art thou dealing with such pain so easily?" She asked concern etched onto her patrician features.

"I'm not... I'm using it to fuel my power." I replied with ease, thinking that she might know what I meant, how wrong I was.

"How would pain fuel thine power?" She asked, bewilderment evident in her voice, seeing as I still had my eyes closed.

"My... Religion? We guess, have the doctrine to use that which ails us to our advantage... so such trivial things as pain and fear can be used to fuel our powers." I replied, unsure, as I have never had to explain the Sith to another being that has little to no knowledge of us.

"Oh... Um, What is thou's religion called if we might be so bold?" The Princess asked, still confused, and still trying to get a straight answer out of me.

"Over all? My religion is called 'The Sith'... But we have gone by many names over the millennium's..." I said, trying not to reveal too much before I could explain myself... If I could anyway.

"The Sith? I have never heard of such a thing... Are they good?" She asked, uncertain of my answer.

"No... they are not... Well, most are not... Some are actually considered good... Though only in the eyes of the few that know them." She seemed surprised at my willingness to damn my entire religion.

"If they are bad, then how can I trust you?" She asked, apprehension evident in her voice.

"Because, if I was like most of the other Sith... thou and the rest of this planet... Would be either under my rule or a charred mess..." I stated through labored breaths. "And even in the state We are in right now, We are not weak... And talking in the antiquated is getting hard to do..." The last part I mumbled to myself.

"We hardly believe thou, Darth Corpus... If thou are so strong, how did thou receive such injuries?" She asked, a little arrogance creeping into her voice.

"We was faced with a foe that We have never seen before... one that, in normal combat, we could not pierce... So, We resorted to taking a chance and it worked... though not entirely... We had to resort to electrifying it to death..." I grunted out, I was busy forcing my legs back together.

"When we had come across thou in the forest we only saw a strange wedge shaped object and a large contorted charred thing sitting none to far away from thee... But We know what hast caused thine injury and poisoning. Tis was a Manticore... One of the forests more vile creations of the night, one such creature I have faced several times over..."

"Does it have leathery wings and a insectile tail?" I asked, though I figured it was anyway.

"Yes... How did thou know?"

"Because, that is exactly what we fought in that small clearing. And what is now a charred husk on the forest floor."

"But... That's impossible... That thing could not have been a Manticore... Tis was too large to be such... Those beasts are just over twice my size... and that thing was easily two fold that..." She said, slightly aghast.

"Well, either way, it died by our hands... and painfully we might add." I sighed as my left arm was coming about on the mend, my body was melding the broken bones together nicely as I poured copious amounts of healing energy into my wounds.

"I... I... We must know something... If we are to help you that is..." She looked down at me with... resignation? I couldn't tell.

"Ask away mine Princess... And We shalt obey." I said, giving off a slight flourish with my hand, making her giggle slightly at my antics in the face of such awkwardness.

"Are thou... allergic, to magic?" SHe asked, making me look at her in a daze.

"Magic?"

"Yes, Magic... All Unicorns and Alicorns, such as us, can use it to preform many things, from healing to... well thou knows..." She looked down at the floor, a sense of guilt consuming her.

"AH, then I must say... I don't know Princess... I would hope it is a negative... Seeing as I might need said magic to heal my back..." I smiled endearingly to her, or at least I hope it was... and she gave me a small smile in return, but much more... depressed.

"Then we will need an area to test my magic on... We do not want to cause unwanted damage should We move something important and you be allergic and react negatively to it."

Very well then... Let me..." I lifted my hand up to my mouth and gripped a small piece of skin in between my teeth and bit down, HARD, "Do this." I was bleeding slightly from the smallish wound I had inflicted on myself.

"MY goodness..." Luna gagged slightly at my self goring and turned a little green. "How can thou do that to thy self?! Does that not hurt?!" She practically yelled, concern written all over her face.

"Oh it does, but we need a new little injury to heal, and now we have one, so there." I stuck my tongue out at her childishly, making her grunt and then sigh in frustration, making me just chuckle at her expense.

"Thou know creature, you are the first being to have ever have a decent talking to with? Most others flee when given the first chance." Luna chuckled slightly as her horn, which I just noticed, started to glow, which is weird seeing as IT'S ON HER FUCKING FOREHEAD!

"Eh, as if we could our would want to leave the side of the being that saved us... We owe you... we owe you more than what this ENTIRE planet is worth... I owe you our life." I sighed as she went to work on my hand, a midnight blue aura encircling my wounded hand as she started healing it with her magic.

"What dost thou mean by that Corpus?" She asked, curious as to my meaning.

"We owe you a life debt... So, on behalf of the Dark Lord, Darth Corpus, do you, Princess Luna, accept this debt till the end. That he, Corpus, shall stay by thy side until the stars themselves grow dim, the sun goes dark, and the both of thee are dead and long forgotten?" I spoke, in barely anything above a whisper to the midnight blue Alicorn Princess.

"Um... We accept this... Life Debt... Of Darth Corpus... Until the sun grows dark and the stars fade... and the two of us are dead and long forgotten." She repeated back to me, sealing the my fate with hers.

"Then, Princess Luna, we now ask that thou would help heal this beaten and bloody body of ours..." I spoke in a warm tone, a smile stretched across my lips.

"We shall oblige thee, good sir Corpus..." Luna replied with her own smile, not truly knowing what she had just received.

The Beginning of something New: Ch 4

perspective Corpus

"How long dost thou think it will be? Before thin back is healed enough for thou to stand?" Luna inquired, she was laying on her bed, reading a tome of some sort that had information on healing magics and the like, meanwhile I was propped up against some pillows, reading a novel of sorts. The novel was about some old knight by the name of Grey Knight, go figure, that had saved an outcast village from the terrors of a dragon and his necromancer master. It was an interesting book, but the midnight blue Alicorn held more interest for me than the book ever could.

"Well, dearest Princess, We would have to venture, and this is a rough estimate of course, that we will be able to stand, and possibly walk, within the next few days." I replied, a happy smile ghosting my lips as I saw the same ghost of a smile reach across her's as well.

It has been four days since I had awoken in the bedchambers of one of this countries monarchs... and I have very much enjoyed the peace that being on this planet, and more specifically, this room, has brought me. No more GA, no more Imperials, no more Dark Jedi, no more Sith, No more power hungry force users in general... Just peace and a fine being to talk to. I then sighed and leaned back into the pillows, catching Luna's attention in the process.

"Something on your mind, Corpus?" She breathed out, placing her book down on the bed.

"Oh, not much, just enjoying the peace and tranquility of being away from it all... And finally being able to think... It's a blessing and a curse..." I sighed, letting a lone tear roll down my cheek as I remembered the loss of all my family and crew, or at least those that could count as my family. "But, being able to talk with such an understanding being has helped with some of my aches..." I said with a smile gracing my face. At this Luna blushed and tried to hide her face behind her mane, which is the name they use for their hair by the way.

"Um, we thank thee for thine compliment... Though it is unwarranted... we still accept..." At her try at being modest I just chuckled, making her blush even more.

"We are being serious Luna, thou have helped... more than thou know..." I smiled as I adjusted myself, making my back pop slightly from the movement, it was one of those pleasant pops, not one of those 'OH GOD MY BACK' ones. Though it still made Luna flinch ever so slightly.

"Then we thank thou Corpus... though for what we still don't know..." She trailed off as she sighed and went back to reading, leaving me laughing slightly at her consternation.

"If thou are interested, dearest Princess, we shalt tell you some of our story..." I chuckled slightly as her ears perked up and her head snapped in my direction.

"If thou would, that wouldst be grand, mine friend Corpus..." Luna said with a sighing smile.

"Very well then, We shalt begin with mine origins... If thou believes that to be sufficient?" I asked with a slight grin.

"That it would..." Luna said while giving me a nod of approval.

"Well then, we were born on the Planet Coruscant, to man named Korackus Vale, of the Species Anzat... and a woman named Jessany Vale, of the Species Human... These two were our Father and Mother Respectively, I was born on the date of 400 BBY, which means 'Before the Battle of Yavin... To give thou comparison, it is now 47 ABY, After the Battle of Yavin... We ourselfs are four hundred and forty-seven standard years old." I paused to let Luna catch up and ask questions, which she did of course.

"Thou... are old mine friend... How be it that thou looks so young still?" She asked, a thunderstruck look on her face.

"The race, The Anzats, Live for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of years Dearest Princess... Humans on the other hand can live to be around a hundred and seventy-five years of age... It is just thanks to our Anzatie father that we are able to live so long... and keep our youthfulness... Though we will only be old when we reach my thousands... or so..." The last part I added on as an after thought, not really thinking of our discussion, and just contemplating when I might actually start getting wrinkles... HAHA! Wrinkles...

"We...See... So, thou art... immortal then?" She asked, what sounded like hope lacing her voice.

"In a sense, Yes, we will pry live to be around fifty thousand years old before we even become bedridden... and then we will most likely live another ten or so thousand years after that." I replied, almost sage like. "But we might live longer still... We are all but the only one of our kind in the galaxy, maybe the universe." I replied with a smile. She then squeed and left off the bed and did a little dance, confusing me greatly and making me chuckle at her antics.

"Most glorious of days! We have found another alike to us and our sister! Oh GLORIOUS OF DAYS!" She cried out, not yelling , but close.

"What dost thou mean, Dearest Princess...?" I asked, slightly confused.

"We and our sister art Immortals, friend Corpus... And finding a friends that art alike to us is grandiose in nature! We art alone in this gift and curse... but now we art found a friend!" She trotted over and sat down next to me, were she then draped one of her wings over my form and brought me close in a familiar embrace.

"Haha... Then we guess this is a glorious day indeed... We would be honored to be thy immortal companion..." I said while reaching around and patting Luna on her right shoulder. She blushed and gave me a winning smile, to which I grinned.

"Um, please, continue... Corpus, we would be grateful to hear more..." She asked, slightly embarrassed by my sudden touch.

"Very well, Dear Princess... After we were born our father and mother soon departed, going their separate ways, our father going to the unknown regions and our mother taking us to a planet out in the middle of the outer regions... To a planet called Kesh... There we were accepted into a culture of people called... The Sith, there were thousands upon thousands of them, each one more dangerous than the last."

"Thine mother took thou... to a different planet?!" She seemed surprised at my revelation.

"Yes, she did. There are hundreds of thousands of planets where we come from that millions of different species inhabit... But please let us finish, alright?"

"Very well, Friend Corpus, thou may continue... WE shalt save our questions for later..." She complied, laying down next to me, and leaning into my shoulder slightly.

"Well then, after we were greeted by the Sith High Lords... their version of Nobles and such, We were found to have a thing called Force sensitivity. Meaning we could be trained under their code and law to become a great warrior... Many years later we received the title, Sith Saber, and we went on many missions to planets close to Kesh and on Kesh itself. After another decade or so we received the title, Sith Knight, in recognition for our great accomplishments... then almost a hundred years after that we were promoted to the Position of Sith Master... this was long after our mother had passed on at the age of eighty-nine." I sighed at the memory of her fighting by my side during a raid on Korriban, we had somehow gone off course and were stranded there until we had fixed our hyperdrive...

"We're... sorry for thy loss, Friend Corpus..." Luna let a single tear roll down her cheek as she remembered her own mothers death.

"It is fine, Dearest Princess... She died at my side, fending off hundreds of Tukata, just like the true Sith warriors of old. She saved all our lives... though not many Tukata lived after that... Hahaha!" I laughed to myself, remembering some of the way my mother had killed them... one she had killed by shoving her light saber up its ass... after yelling, "UP YOURS!" so yeah... it was one of the most damned hilarious ways to die... killing Tukata while yelling innuendos and curses at them.

"How dost thou laugh at such a sad memory?" She asked, slightly confused and a little angry.

"Our mother was a woman of intrigue, she would laugh in the face of danger... and then make fun of it if it came near... During our last fight together she had grabbed a Tukata by the throat and yelled into its face, after it had taken down one of our other warriors, screaming, "UP YOURS!" she then promptly shoved her sword up is ass and then bisected it... IT was the most hilarious thing any of us had seen on a battlefield... Though she died many hours later with several Tukata taking her down, while she was shouting insults at them... She may have been an old coot, but she was first and foremost our mother, and a fine fighter." I said with ease, my grin never leaving my face.

"...That... Is a disturbing... yet funny thought..." Luna said, her left eye twitching a little at my telling of my mothers death.

"Yes, as are most deaths for Sith... Now, not long after this we took a few loyal members of the Sith, those that we had personally trained, and had gone out into the galaxy, just to see what all the goings on in the galaxy were. Many of the other Lords and Ladies did not agree with our chosen course of action, so we told them to shove it and we took our family ship and left for the galaxy at large." I said, giving a slight shrug about the Lords and bitches trying to stop us, the would have needed an army to do so.

"So, thou disregarded thou's superiors to go look over the galaxy?" Luna asked, her twitching long since stopped, and an eye brow arched at my choice.

"Well yes, we had done all we could on the planet... So we figured we could spread our own way of the Sith, We traveled to many different planets, picking up many followers and extra star ships. By the time we came to a planet named Telos, We had amassed a sizable fleet. Around twenty Star-ships, ranging from small fighters to large dreadnoughts that were about five hundred meters long. The planet had, in the past, been bombarded by space to surface turbo-lasers, rendering the planet almost uninhabitable for centuries. Now it was just a junk planet ripe for the picking..." I said with no small amount of pride.

"So, thine fleet... Of space faring ships... Landed on this planet, invading it?" Luna asked, slightly unsure to why this might be important.

"Yes, we landed on the planet, but we found it to be long since abandoned, or where we had landed was anyway. SO we set up a base and began to invite other peoples from across the galaxy to our new planet... Now mind thou, this is still about two hundred years before the turn of power. Once we had made a strong foot hold We, along with several other aspirants of the Sith code, went out to find more areas to colonize, killing the feral creatures of the planet as the need arose." The last part I said with a sigh, knowing that Luna would ask why such bloodshed was needed.

"Why would thou need to kill the animals... were they not indigenous?" She asked, disgust evident in her tone.

"They hunted us, for no better reason than to turn us... The creatures we killed were known to the galaxy as the Rakghouls... they are created by any kind of bit or scratch mark that gets their saliva in it... to which it slowly turns the person into one of them. We killed these things in an attempt to free the planet of the small infestation we had found, though they were originally found on a planet called Taris, a massive city planet, they somehow had made their way there. We had found many different sights to set up colonies at, ensuring each area was safe from the Rakghouls and the other apex predators of the planet."

Luna nodded to this and urged me to continue.

"After almost fifty years we had a working citadel and a few major cities on our new home world of Telos... We had rebuilt most of the lost infrastructure of the old governments, using their old buildings and documents to help forge our own way of governing. At this point we had expanded to the neighboring planets of Mirial and Ziost, the former being previously inhabited, so we just built a small embassy and created a sense of relations with the planet. The later is an old Sith planet... Long since uninhabited and ripe for the return of a Sith ruler. Upon finding it we immediately setup a small colony and other outpost for future generations to live in. and by this time our group of around five thousand had increased almost 100 times over. WE had accumulated around five hundred thousand beings into our New Sith Conglomerate. Most of which had been inductees whom had wanted a new lease on life, and the rest were born into the NSC... Another fifty years passed by before anything worthy of note happened in the galaxy."

"What happened..." She asked, very much hanging on my very words.

"A VERY powerful Sith Master died... We could all feel it, those of us attuned to the force, all the way from the core... Feeling this powerful being die WE sent out a small party to see what it was. The party consisted of ourself and several of my newest apprentices. It took us almost a week to get there but we made it, we had made it to the core of 'The Republic'... A large allegiance of planets that chooses its leader every forty or so years... We think... We might be wrong on this..." I sighed and then yawned, feeling as it was getting close to morning I knew we would both be needing to get to sleep soon.

"Why did you stop Corpus?" Luna asked, her eyes a little droopy.

"Well, it's almost time for thou to lower the moon and it is almost morning... We both will need to go to sleep soon." I said, a slight little cheeky grin adorning my features.

"We hate it when you remind us of such..." She snorted and then got up from her position next to me and went to the terrace, getting ready to preform her nightly, or rather morning duties.

"Corpus... If thou art not... offended, would thou mind sleeping up on the bed with us... we have had a trying night... We would not hold it against thee if thou were to refuse..." Luna, Princess of the night and co-ruler of this wonderful planet... was asking me to sleep next to her... I think my brain just stopped working...

'...'

'...This is conscience, Brain, report...'

'This is brain here, we seem to be having a problem restarting the cognition drives in the frontal lobes... Any suggestions would be great...'

'Try kicking them...'

'Tried that...'

'Did you go and try the release valves...?'

'Um,no... we didn't... Trying that now... IT WORKED!'

'Good job brain... Now shut up and think!'

'Yes, sir!'

"Um... Sure, Dearest Luna... That would be acceptable... Might we ask as to the reason though?" I was still seriously dumbfounded that she would even ask me that!

"We... just simply... do not wish to have to spend this night alone... If that is not to much to ask..." She trailed off, wide eyed, as I slowly levitated myself up off the floor.

"We shalt not leave thou alone as long as we live Princess... All thou need is to ask, and it shalt be done." I smiled at her dumbfounded look and slowly placed myself on the left side of the bed, blankets and all.

"How didst thou do that Corpus... thou has no horn to perform magic with!" She all but screamed.

"That, my dear Princess of the Night, is the power of The Force, it allows for many great things... and what we just did is but a fraction of its capabilities..." I smiled to her and patted the opposite side of the bed. "When you are ready Dearest Luna, try to get some more sleep than usual please..." I yawned and fell asleep almost immediately, being hugged on all sides by the down blankets and the heavenly mattress I was laying on.

"Good night, Dearest Luna..." I murmured out before sleep fully took me.

"Good Night, my Dearest Friend Corpus." Luna's angelic voice range out, sounding of bells and a summers breeze.

Perspective Luna

I stood there, looking over the now sleeping form of Corpus, wondering how such a large being, of more than just height, could have fallen into my life as he has. He has helped fill a void that has been slowly getting bigger... but even with his presence I fear that it will not be enough... The man must be around eight feet tall... he's at least a good two feet taller than me... and I'm about six foot... and he will easily tower over me and my sister once he is able to walk... I sighed and went out onto the terrace and preformed my nightly duty of lowering the moon, sadly I might add, before slowly trotting back to bed.

I looked at Corpus, laying on TOP of the covers and knew that that was wrong. I gently picked Corpus up in my magi and took the quilts and other heavy blankets out from under him before pulling back the bed sheets and laid him on the bed. I then got into the bed and laid down next to him, after I made sure I locked the door for the night, or Day I guess... whatever, and pulled the sheets up over us. I then snuggled up next to him, not to close, not to far, and slowly let sleep take me.

"Good night... MY good friend... I will see you in the evening..." I sighed, letting my royal speech slip in that moment, hoping that he heard me... I did so, hoping that he would hear and understand how much he has come to mean to me.

"Hmmm... Good night... Luna..." He breathed out, smiling slightly when he did so. Though he was asleep, his use of just my name, without the honorific of Princess or the use of dearest or any other such prefix, sent shivers down my spine for some odd reason... Making me smile at the odd joy of just hearing him say my name... 'Hmm I may need to let him use my name more often...' I thought to myself as sleep soon took me.

Author's Note

Here's an early chapter for Everypony, enjoy!

Of Eagles And Lions: Ch 5

The next morning, or evening for those of you that stake claim to the day, I awoke in Luna's bed, which slightly perturbed me, seeing as I was on it and now I was in it... I looked over to my right and found that my Princess was still laying next to me, her midnight blue hair framing her features magnificently. She looked all more like the goddess she was supposed to be with how her mane had arranged itself around her face, and with how the light of the moon fell upon her left side... It was one of the more beautiful things I will have ever seen.

Laying there I decided to check on my injuries. So, narrowing my senses onto my own being, I delved into my body. I first checked over my lower back, checking to see how the nerve endings were healing, and noticing that they had all almost completely healed. I then moved onto my legs, checking them over to make sure I hadn't misaligned any of the breaks before they became permanent.

finding that all was well I then just decided to lay there... And look up to the starry ceiling above me; with its midnight grey clouds gently floating across its vast expanse.

"Princess, it is time for thee to awaken..." I whispered into her ear, making it twitch, which in turn made me chuckle.

"Mmmm... Fine... We art up..." She mumbled out, slowly pushing the covers from her body and lazily getting out of bed.

"Thou dost not wish to raise the moon late,... Dost they?" I spoke in a slight condescending tone, mixed in with a stifled laugh.

"By the moon we're late!" Luna bolts from the bed and shot. Or onto the terrace, and quickly preformed her nightly duties.

"We shalt have thy head Corpus..." Luna growled at me as she slinked back into the room, becoming rather pissed at my writhing form, I was laughing my ass off... Almost literally!

"I'm sorry dearest Luna, but thou art too easy to cajole! Thy face 'twas priceless!" I barked out with laughter, soon making her crumble under the good mood I was exuding.

"Very well then... We suggest that thou should watch thy back..." Luna said with a devious smirk sneaking across her lips. She then came over and got on the bed next to me.

"Corpus... we shalt be leaving thee for a time this night, we need to go and scour the night for any dangers our subjects might face... Can we be sure in leaving thou here will cause thou no pain?" She asked, worry evident in her voice. She was leaning against the head board as she waited for my answer.

"If we were in a better state, we would go with thee... But alas we will be bed ridden for several days longer... And yes, we shalt be fine here without thee as company for a while more." I smiled to her as I made myself comfy in the sheets, floating on of the many novels and history book over that Luna had shelved on the other side of the room.

"Then we bid thee farewell... We shalt be gone but a stark few hours..." She nodded before getting back off the bed and heading for the terrace doors.

"Be safe, dearest Princess... we shalt pray that thine night is a fine one indeed." we smiled to each other before she shot out the doors and over the railing, using her immensely beautiful, and greatly powerful, wings to propel herself through the evening air.

perspective: Luna

I flew through the night sky, letting its gentle breeze waft against my feathers and fur, the feeling of the winds caress on my body filling me with warmth. Gliding over the vast borders of Equestria has always been a favorite of mine, when it comes to my duties as Princes of the night. The vast plains, colored a dark blue, were one of the many sights I was to behold as I traveled my routes across the pathways of the land, they filled me with tantalizing images of what could possibly go there in the future... A village, with a bustling market place, a farm specializing in many of the sweet things that most ponies enjoy, or even a sweets-shop. Run by a happy family of bakers... Many things of the like would flow into my mind as I flew, unguided, across the vast expanses known as Equestria.

My first stop that evening was a little village, called sunny dale, it sat on the fringe of a long set of soft rolling hills and a quiet stream. The town had about thirty houses scattered about the countryside and a few farms littering the landscape with them. There was also a bakery, a small market place, a humble looking town hall, and a small church like building with a small grave yard built behind it. The roadways were paved and well taken care of, making the town out to be a quaint little place.

Passing over the town I noticed nothing out of the ordinary and decided to keep on flying by, that is until I saw a bird like creature dart from behind a building and into an alleyway, seeing this I cast an invisibility spell and a silent hoof spell, making myself almost completely unheard and unseen. I swooped down and landed softly against the cobble stone walkway, making not a sound against it. I then slowly trekked my way down the darkened path, until I finally cam across the being from before... The image I saw there after will stay with me throughout the rest of my immortal life... The first time I had seen a pony ripped apart.

The pony laying before the beast used to be a light cerulean color, with silver-blue hair... now its coat and mane were stained with blood... Even its eyes were stained... though with the color of death... for they were an almond color that had fogged over for lack of breathing, seeing as the ponies throat had been ripped out and tossed on the ground next to it. What ever the bird thing was... The pony lay there... Throat ripped out and stomach ripped open like a fish...

My little pony now laid dead, at the feet of this... monster... And Righteous Retribution will be had...

"FOUL CREATURE! I DEMAND ANSWER, YOU HAVE SLAIN ONE OF MY PONIES! IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO DIE THIS NIGHT THEN TELL ME WHY!" I screamed... no, BELLOWED... using all my power to amplify my voice to the extreme, shattering windows with the force. The beast in turn flipped around and squawked at me, flair its wings, which were reminisce of eagles, and getting into a defensive stance. The snap to attention of the creature made the blood and gore, that had been on its beak, splatter onto my chest and face, drawing me into a far deeper rage than I already was in.

"I answer to no pony Princess!" The creature squawked at me, I somehow understood it. It then scratched its front feet against the cobblestone ground, making an ear piercing noise, I deftly looked down towards it feet for the noise and back, what I noticed made me want to gag. The creature had claws... and they were covered in the gore of the pony behind it. I jumped back a few feet as the beast swung its bloodied claw at me. I then charged a quick fire spell and shot the small fire ball at it, where it just hit harmlessly against the cobblestone road, as the beast was already in the air, having taken off with ease in the narrowed space.

I then started gathering up a large amount of magic, readying multiple spells at once for mass casting, something that only the greatest of unicorns can do, or one very powerful Alicorn that is versed in battle magic, though never having used it to kill anything, YET. I was then chasing the beast through the night skies of Equestria, shooting multiple ice and stun spells at it, not wanting to use fire again for fear of burning down the straw houses. I swooped down and then pulled up sharply, body slamming the creature with my shoulder, making it cry out in surprise. It then spun around and racked its claws across my chest, scrapping across some of the silver jewelry I wore around my neck, which thankfully protected me from getting my jugular slashed. The claws bit in deeply, causing deep angry rends that openly wept blood afterward. I cried out in pain and slashed at the creature with my horn, dragging the sharp edge across the creatures fore leg, making it cried out in pain also as I tore flesh from bone, I had snagged a muscle tendon and managed to rip the whole bit out.

The creature then slammed its hind legs into me, extending even more claws from its paws, yes it had paws like a cat for its hind legs. They dug into me before the creature pushed off and sent me plummeting towards the ground below, allowing the beast to get away. I spiraled down to the ground, until i was caught in the green aura of a unicorn mare that had gone outside to see what the commotion was about. She hen brought me down slowly, resting me on the cold hard ground.

"My princess, are thou safe?!" The mare hurriedly said, not knowing fully what had transpired this night.

"Neigh, good mare, We hath been injured... But we must make hast... We must warn our sister, Princess Celestia, of this grave danger to our subjects... But first, we must make good the ritual of the dead... and bury a sad soul this eve... Please, gather thine elders and tell them post hast they make to the church... We shalt meet thee there." The mare nodded, though not fully understanding what I had meant by it all. The mare then took off, off towards the town hall and where their elders slept, I then went back down the alleyway and retrieved a body, though conjuring up a white cover to place over it for chivalry's sake. I then lifted up the body and cleaned away the blood from the road, knowing that the more that saw it the more fragile the community would be.

I soon arrived at the church, mangled body in toe. I proceeded to knock on the door, hearing hoof steps inside, I waited for the pony to answer the door.

"Yes, whom could it be at such an unconscionable hour of the night?" The priest drawled out, still trying to wake up.

"It is We, thy Princess of the night, Luna, We come here now to ask liberty of using acquiring thine service for this pour soul... whom has had thine life cut short." I morosely said, empathy and sorrow leaking into my voice like the tide.

"I beg thin pardon, Princess! I did not know that it 'twas thee at mine door... Please come in... I will see to the child immediately... Might I ask what happened to her?" The priest asked, slightly mortified at the thought of a pony being killed.

"WE caught a beast... devouring, this pour mare... Alas we were unable to catch the murderer and set them straight with a trial...But the beast escaped our grasp... But we did wound the beast before it got away, though we did not go away unscathed as well." I gestured to my wounded chest, making the priest gasp at such a sight.

"My Princess! you thou should see a medic soon... I dost not wish sufferance upon thee, I will handle these things... I assume the elders have been alerted...?" The priest asked, I nodded an affirmative to him, to which he gave a sad smile, "Then please, I beg of thee, go, and get thine wounds looked at... It would put my old bones to rest that thou did this." He said smiling slightly, making me want to hug him in return for showing such kindness to me.

"Then we shalt be gone... Please, send a notice to the palace of this mares family... We wish to go to them personally... when they are notified..." The priest nodded, giving me an odd smile, and I left, taking flight shortly there after and heading right back to the Ivory City to get my wounds looked at. Sister will not be pleased.

Not an hour later I was back at the palace... Gliding gently towards the terrace for my bedchambers, where my dearest friend Corpus was no doubt lounging about. The thought of the somewhat crippled man lounging about made me giggle a little bit at the irony. I angled up and over the ledge of the railing for the terrace and landed softly against the carpeted floor.

"We just hope Corpus isn't to angered by our state... especially with our saying of not getting into any trouble while out and about..." I thought to myself, feeling an emptiness in myself for having failed in my promise to Corpus. This was going to be a long night...

"Mine friend Corpus... We art back..." I slowly murmured out as I stepped through the large glass doors of the terrace.

"I know..." His voice carried from within my bedchambers, and he did not sound happy.

perspective: Corpus

"I know..." I called out from the bed, glaring slightly at Luna as she entered the room, I knew she had gotten in trouble... But my eyes became saucers when I saw the injuries on her chest, and all the blood that covered her.

"Princess! What in Ziost's name happened to you!" I screamed, forgetting to use antiquated speech. "Princess, go rinse off now! Then get back in here, IF YOU DO NOT DO THIS, I WILL USE FORCE!" I screamed at her, making her jump in surprise at my hysterical tone.

"Um yes, we'll go then!" She scampered of to the bathroom where I soon after heard water running in the bath. I started to gather as much force energy within my body as I could at such short notice, I would need everything I could muster to heal all her wounds. It is a good thing I became a practitioner of bio-mancy during my time as a master among the Sith, seeing as that knowledge will now help possibly save one of my only remaining friends.

After ten minutes of waiting I heard the shower cease, Luna then came out, almost dripping wet and very soggy, and stood at the foot of the bed. She was panting slightly form the rushed cleanse and was blushing slightly for standing before me sopping wet, to which I did not care.

"Luna, come over here," I motioned her over, making it easier for me to reach her, "This will feel weird, trust me, but it is safe I assure you." She nodded absently as she stared at me, still blushing, though not as much, I had long since left formalities at the door... on fire and smoldering.

"If thou says so Corpus... We will trust thee, as thou hast trusted us." I nodded in thanks as she came a little closer.

"Now, relax..." I cooed out as my hand rested gently against the large rends in her flesh, they were not bleeding as much as they were earlier, though I did not know if that was a good thing. "I will be using your bodies own regenerative abilities o take care of this... I will just be giving them a large boost is all." I spoke in a soothing tone, making her ease up somewhat in her stance. "Luna, I will be frank wit you, I am EXTREMELY PISSED that you somehow ended up getting hurt... But i'm more worried now than anything... So, tell me what it is that hurt you... so that I might be able to exact revenge later..." the last part I let slip with a predatory grin on my face, making her flinch ever so slightly, though she did give me a slight smile in return.

"Thou are scary when thee puts on that mask... But we digress, the creature that attacked us was unlike anything we had ever seen before... It had the wings and beak of an eagle, along with claws for front feet, but it had a rear of a cat... or maybe a lion... We did not get such a clear view as to tell when it kicked us..." She then recounted the rest of the fight to me, telling me about how she had found the creature, and what it was doing...

"Ah'hem... WE believe we know what thou hast seen this eve, mine Dearest Princess... It comes from a long line of mythology in our galaxy... It is to be called a Gryphon ... they are predatory birds of prey that are half eagle half lion... just as thou hast detailed out to us." I said, regaining composure over my speech pattern once again. By this time in our conversation I had healed most of her wounds, having them seal up before our very eyes as I poured a good amount of force energy into her cells to promote perfect growth of the skin and hair in that area.

"How dost thou know of such creatures... if they are to be myth in thine own place?" She quipped.

"WE know of these things because of our imagination... One man thought of what you would call a creature with a half the body of another... He went on to create many different creatures. thou some were rooted in reality instead of fantasy." i spoke with a sage like tone, having actually seen some of the mans work from years ago, though it was among my birth fathers collection of artifacts.

"WE see... Are we healed now, Dearest friend Corpus? Or will thou take command again and force us to do something else for our own good?" Luna said with a snarky tone blatantly heard in her voice. I blushed slightly before, and no I have not done this often, my palm... met my face... very hard in fact.

"Princess... thou art lucky you are under my care right now... or else we would be beating thee senseless for thy uncouth behavior..." I sighed, smiling all the while, and patted Luna on the shoulder, making her wince slightly at the soreness of the muscles underneath. "The pain will fade within the hour... just take some time to relax and thou shalt be fine... Thou shalt need to tell thy sister of that creatures hostile intentions. We shall keep thee company until such time as thy sister is awakened, the thou should make post hast to thy sister for council on this matter." I bopped her on the nose playfully, making her snort.

perspective: Luna

Over six hours later, of me laying next to my friend, and possible savior, and reading books for whatever reason than entertainment, it was finally time to wake my sister and tell her of the nights debacle, and put Corpus's fear to rest, he thought that we might have an impromptu invasion happening without us knowing. Corpus shoe'd me out of the room with words of encouragement, meant for when I deal with my sister, and sent me on my way.

I soon found myself walking the halls of The Ivory Palace in search of my sister and her guards.

After a few minutes of wandering the halls I finally fell upon where my sister was staying. She was out in the gardens with four of her guards, having tea with the head of one of our more, preferred, noble houses, White-Collar BlueBlood the first. He was an ancestor of one of the generals that had aided my sister and I in our attack on Discords castle many several decades ago, he was now a groan stallion and was living up to his family name, being one of our greatest generals yet.

"Sister... we need have word with you... And Sir BlueBlood may as well stay... for it concerns thee as well." My words got both of their attention rooted directly on me, which was rather embarrassing and comforting at the same time.

"What dost thou need sister, we were just having the most wonderful of conversations..." Celestia asked, her brow raised in curiosity, not a hint of reproach in her tone. She merely was curious as to what could have me interrupting a social like this.

"Last night on our patrol, we encountered a beast of the likes we had never seen," this caught both my sisters, and BlueBloods, attention, "It was part Eagle and part lion... and it can speak Equestrian... though not very fluently we would surmise. We came upon this... beast... when it was in the process of... Excuse us..." I took a moment to calm my nerves, trying not to either regurgitate my meal from earlier and to not break down from the memory. "It was in the process of... Consuming... One of our little ponies... IT had ripped out her throat and gutted her in a back alleyway before I had arrived..." I took one of the extra cups on the table with my magic and filled it with some tea, before downing it in one gulp.

"Sister..." Celestia was on the verge of tears when I got to that point, though I was not done.

"After We found the creature We confronted it... demanding its reasons for... ending... one of our beautiful subjects... It just screed at us and attacked, not explaining itself, and later denying to when it did speak, and continued to attack us... If not for some healing magic We had used we would most likely be in a hospital bed as of now, resting from our wounds... Hence why we had not called thee earlier sister... We were resting and healing our own wounds before hand..." I finished, giving her almost all the details, though I left out Corpus for good measure, so as to not make my sister suspicious just yet... I will introduce him soon enough... I just want him able to defend himself if she happens to turn... violent, though he has shown he is not defenseless, even in his current state.

"Sister... we art sorrowful that thou had to go though such an ordeal... But what dost thou mean by giving us this information...?" Celestia, ever the one to need some things spelled to to her, asked.

"We fear that, if not handled correctly, we may be facing an impromptu invasion of this new species we have encountered... With our entire nation being hidden on this large continent, with no real border to speak of, we are inviting such things to happen to us as it stands... We urge thee to take action, sister, if not for us, than for our subjects." I spoke, making it apparent that I did not mean to just let this go by without sufficient looking into.

"Very well Sister, WE shall bring to together a meeting of the Generals... in ten days... We will need all the information we can get in that time to have an effective council meeting." Celestia stated, steel resolve wrapped around her words, galvanizing my urged choice to meet with her on this.

"Aye, Princess, the two of us shall bring these men together and figure out how to handle this fine mess we've gotten ourselves into this time. And I swear, on my life, that I shalt not fail either of you in this." White-Collar declared, his northern accent coming through slightly.

"We thank thee both, Sister, BlueBlood, We bid thee good day... We art now off back to bed, fare thee well." I bowed slightly to the pair and began my trek back to my warm bed, and my awaiting friend/blanket warmer.

Beginning of the End... Or is it?: Ch 6

Author's Note

Yellow everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend! I will be stating up school this Monday so expect delays and such for the story... Sorry if this inconveniences anyone... but life comes first and then the stories! XD

I hope you all enjoy this installment of Luna's dark Knight... it had taken a while to write it up. So have fun!

Beginning of the End... Or is it?: Ch 6

It has been four days since my dearest Princess Luna was attacked... Four days of her scouring the night skies while I regained my mobility, seeing as all my limbs, especially my back, were in perfect working order now, though I will have to deal with a slight hunch at times because of my injuries. Right then I laid down, sprawled out on the floor, doing curls to strengthen my back and stomach muscles, helping get back the muscle tone I had lost thanks to atrophy...

"Three hundred and twenty-six, three hundred and twenty-seven, three hundred twenty-nine, three-forty... Three hundred forty-one, three hundred forty-two, three hundred forty-three..." I continued this until I reached the five hundred mark, then I switched over to push-ups. I continued with various other exercises for what felt like hours, the entire time that Luna had been away with her sister, talking strategy and drawing up how to enforce their borders. Therefore, I was left in the room with my own thoughts for company and a clear area to do whatever I needed... I just hope Luna isn't too surprised when she finally gets here.

After another hour of intense workouts, I took a quick cold shower and clothed myself. I then walked back to the main bedroom and began a meditative kata regiment, similar to the first and fourth lightsaber forms, but in a hand-to-hand form. I began with standing in the center of the room; feet shoulder length apart and my fists together, right over my solar plexus. I began with the first stance, clearing my mind as I did so, my left foot went forward about two feet while my right foot turned ninety degrees to the right, my left arm moved off to the left, perpendicular to my leg, while my right arm moved to my side, tightly against my ribs. Next I pivoted on my left foot, shooting both my right arm and leg out, my foot shooting across the ground at blinding speed as my hand shot out even faster, I continued doing this and its reciprocal for a few minutes before adding in a few high and low kicks, even a few rolling evades and sudden jumps, in all I was moving about the room in a torrent of intense motion. The entire time I was doing this my eyes were closed and my body was acting of its own accord once I had incorporated all of the moves I was prepared to use in the confined space.

Three hours later I had pushed the carpet in the room, the carpet was 20'x10' in size, half way under the bed in a crumpled mess. The dressers were shoved up to the bed and the vanity was on top of it, the rest of the rooms furniture had soon joined them as I had moved around, unthinkingly moving things about. By the end of my kata's I was standing in the middle of the room, covered in sweat and only wearing my pants, I had tossed my shirt and other articles of clothing of to the side. After catching my breath I looked around the room, finally I noticed what I had done.

"Well... Shit... I need to fix that..." I chuckled slightly when I looked at the massive mess I had made, unintentionally I might add. I shrugged and got down on the floor, getting comfortable I called on the force, letting it flow through me at an increased pace seeing as I had cleared my mind completely with the kata's. The force was like a torrent as it whipped about the inside of my body, rejuvenating my fatigued muscles and bringing e my second wind with ease. With my the power I had at my disposal I lifted all the furniture in the room, and with a clear mental picture of where everything had been previously, I went about the business of putting everything back the way it was before I had begun my exercises.

During all this I did not notice the sound of a door being slowly opened. The desk and dressers floated over to their spot's next to the terrace entrance, the Armoire floated over to the far wall with the vanity going to the wall adjacent to it. Then one of the many standing dressers, those that were used as closets, went and stood sentry next to either wall on the sides of the bed, with the nightstands being moved to their original positions. I then began to float, ever so slowly, off the floor, that is how deep in a trance I was, as the large intricate carpet was pulled out from under the bed and placed in its original position on the floor under where I was floating.

"By the maker..." An angelic voice murmured out, making me snap out of my meditations mid-stride, I immediately fell out of the air and right onto my ass...

"Ouch..." I growled out as I rubbed my injured ass cheeks.

"Oh my Corpus are thou alright!" Luna rushed over to me kneeling slightly as she then extended her hoof, prodding me, checking for more injuries.

"We art fine, dearest Princess, We were just meditating, that is all." I smiled up at here, waiting for the chance to show her the good news about my recovery; she had not known when I might walk again, so this should be good!

"That is good, Dearest Corpus... Nevertheless, why were thou replacing our things? Were they in offence to thee or sum-such thing?" She asked worry clear in her voice.

"No, no, not at all Dearest Princess, We were but putting everything back how 'twas before we had finished with our exercises this fine evening. We just thought 'twas chivalrous to repose thy room from our own distasteful wreckage of it." I gave her a cheeky grin, making her blush somewhat at my look as she tried to comprehend what I meant by excises.

"...What were thou doing to warrant such a thing as redecorating our room?" She asked, her brow rose in skepticism.

"Oh, we were just working our legs is all... and our back... and the rest of our body... that's all..." I said, sounding nonchalant.

"Oh... if that 'twas all...WAIT WHAT! Thou were doing what!" She screamed, a frightened look in her eyes, making me regret what I had done, just a little, but not enough to make amends.

"Like I said," I then slowly got up, excruciating each of my bodies movements as I came to my true full height, standing at about 8'3" (Eight feet three inches) and looked down at her flabbergasted face, smiling ever so broadly at my success in silencing her worries. The fact that I didn't have a shirt on may have had something to do with that, looking back now, but I didn't think anything o it at the time.

"Thou... thou can stand..." I then took a few steps back and bowed to her.

"Oh, WE can do much more than walk Fair Princess... Oh SO much more than walk..." I grinned like a child in a candy shop as her eyes widened as I did a back flip and landed on the bed, not even moving from my landing spot or bouncing in the slightest, thanks to the force letting me land light as a feather.

"... By the maker... Thou were not kidding..." Luna fell on her hunches and stared at me, slack-jawed and all, as I went through a quick string of movements to show that I was indeed in tip-top shake now. I had healed fully about two days ago and I was just letting the healed tissue harden up in a sense before I did anything strenuous with it.

"Now, how was thy meeting with thy sister...? Was there any perceived progress in the planning?" I asked, not wanting to tread to deeply into her strained relationship with her sister, so asking a generalized question was good in my gook.

"Everything was almost stonewalled when a pegasus came in with a report on a small movement of beings, similar to what I had fought, moving up north, coming from the mountains and beyond. Thou had said that there were around fifty creatures or more in the group... What dost thou think of it, Dearest Corpus?" Luna asked after giving me her best, she was still shaken up after her attack, and I vowed to find the creature responsible for her scares, mental and physical.

"It sounds like a small troop movement... though for this world I would estimate that as being large, art we wrong?" I looked over at Luna as I sat down on the bed.

"No, thou art right, that is a large amount by any standards... but we would know quickly what you estimate is large Corpus..." She looked at me, head tilted slightly.

"Several hundred is a good size... though large would number in the thousands... Depending on whom we were fighting. During the Civil war numbers were in tens of thousands to hundreds... even millions at some points." I stated nonchalantly, making her gag and choke on my answer.

"So... many... Very well... Thank thee Corpus... We... Did not know that wars were that large... where thou came from..." Luna said, slightly askance at my answer, and slightly ashamed of asking me.

"It is fine Dearest Friend Luna, I shalt not ever hold thy questions against thee, we hope that thou would just hold that same request with us." I said, smiling at her as I got up from the bed.

"What dost thou intend to do Corpus, we art done for thine evening..." she said, though not very convincingly.

"Thou art still going out on patrol are thee not?" she nodded, thou reluctantly as she stared up at me, I towered over her by at least two feet. "Then we wish to come with thee on this patrol, we hast not seen the other side of that there wall for almost a month... And we wish to spend time with thee outside the confines of thy room and castle." I smiled as she blushed at the last part, though at the time I still thought nothing of it, thinking that she was just thrown by my want to go with her, and not the spending time part.

"We cannot ask thee to come with us, Dearest Corpus; our subjects would flee from thee like the plague and try to harm thee!" She cried out in fright, after getting over her flushed state.

"Fear not Dearest Friend Luna, We hast thought of that... Now watch." I called upon the force and bent it around me, calling upon the instructions one of my many masters had given me in how to hide oneself in plain sight, even if they were actively looking for you.

We dost no- Oh my... Did thou just..." She was staring at me until I was no more, I had used the force to bend the light and shadow to my body, making me hard to look at, to the point that if one saw me they would be given the intense want to turn away, but I lessened the intensity of the ability I was using.

"We art still here Princess, Thou need not fret, we would not leave thee even if the world were to end..." I left the rest of the sentence unsaid as I continued it in my head, 'I would spirit you away from here and to a place of safety and light, a place where you would not need worry about the thoughts of others.'

"That is quite relieving mine dearest friend Corpus... Thank thee for the reminder." She smiled softly as I came back into view.

"We can keep that little ability going for hours if the need arises..." 'Granted I could use my own spell and become one with the shadows...' What I was thinking of is an ability I had fine-tuned from the one I just showed her, it lets me turn as thou shadow was all I was and let me flitter from spot to spot, like a wraith, and move about unknown.

"Then with that, we see no reason for thou to not come with us... Though we do wonder how thou will leave the castle without using the front door..." She asked me cheekily, to which I bestowed a cheeky answer upon her in return.

"I'll just use the terrace..." I grinned like an idiot, I knew that it was a hundred foot drop from the terrace, and it was not as if I had not gone skydiving without a repulser pack before.

"But-!" I cut her off with a swift motion of my hand, immediately silencing her.

"We shalt be fine fair Princess, WE hath fallen from much farther distances before..." I smiled as she looked at me with awe and a little fear, though it was not of me, but for me. Finally, she sighed and slouched her head in defeat.

"Very well, thou may come with us... All we ask is that thou be careful... not all things in the night are peaceful..." She said warningly, She had most definitely seen many harsh creatures prowling her night that she knew what she was talking about.

"With all due respect, Dearest Princess, We hath faced the great Rancors of the Night Sisters on Dathomir... and one of the great dragons of Tatooine... we doubt that much is more vicious and hardy as those two... let alone combined." I could remember when I faced one of the great basilisks of the masters... She was a great beast, a cross of a Krayt Dragon and a Rancor, I did not defeat the creature, but I was able to get away from it... I knew that it would take many great Sith to finally quell the beast, and that it may not happen in my lifetime.

"HA! If thou thinks so, then that is thine own fault. But lest we waste more time we must be off... Please do try to keep up Corpus, We dost not wish to have to look for thee in the night." She said, challenging my claims.

"Then we shalt see when I must have to go fin thy blue bum and drag it back to the castle!" I laughed back, infuriating her even more.

"BAH! Let us be off! We dost not wish to waste another minute!" She scowled at me, though it only made her look cute, and make me chuckle at her failed attempt to scowl.

"Fine, We shalt see thee at the bottom, Dearest Princess." I regained my composure completely and bowed deeply to her, making her snap out of her vindictive state. I then headed over to the terrace entrance and flung the doors open, making the curtains whip about with the sudden motion. I then stepped out onto the terrace with Luna right behind me, I looked up at the night sky and gave a low whistle.

"Thy night is something special, dearest Princess... Thou hast most definitely perfected an art that no other shalt ever see again..." I stared in awe at the trillions of stars in the sky, not even on the cleanest of worlds could one see so much of the universe, not without a telescope anyway. I did not notice however that my hostess, and now close friend, was blushing beside me.

"We thank thou for such compliments, Dearest Corpus, But thine compliments are not needed... though very welcome." She stuttered out, though I did not notice.

"That is all fine and dandy, but even the best of us all need compliments sometimes, or our work feels diminished and unappreciated. WE have experienced the feeling of under appreciation for most of our lives... We shalt not let that same end befall thou, Dearest Friend Luna." I spoke, my gaze hardened and unflinching, as I stared into her deep teal eyes.

"Then we thank thee, Dearest Corpus..." She bowed her head slightly in difference and I looked back to the expanse above us.

"Time to go." I said simply as a smile stretched my features and I jumped over the ledge. I could hear that Luna was screaming at me as I plummeted towards the ground. It was over in a few seconds as I used the force to slow my decent enough before I hit the ground that it was as if I had jumped from the first story of a house.

"CORPUS! YOU INSUFFERABLE HEATHEN! THOU BROUGHT US HALF TO DEATH!" She screamed as she shot down after me. I stood up and lazily grabbed her in my telekinetic grasp and slowed her decent to a crawl before setting her down beside me.

"OH hush ya overgrown siren, WE will have thou know we were completely and utterly fine, we used the force to slow our decent and land safely, thou needs not worry about our safety concerning this." I replied, making her calm down as I shot soothing feeling through the force towards her, hoping that it would at least sooth her anger to some latent degree.

"Grrr!" She growled at me before taking off into the air and shooting off towards one of the towns I had read about, I knew this was going to be a long night.

Over a hundred miles in the past half hour... Damn... I don't think I've used the force this much in ages... I really should thank my dad next time I see him for his genes... The advanced stamina of the Anzaty are far above what I thought they were, and coupled with the force they are extraordinary. WE had passed only two towns on our way to one of the border villages, its name currently alluding me, but it is close to the wispy mountains. The same area in which the Gryphons had been seen flying about on patrol. I knew from some maps I had seen that we were getting close to where the town should be located, though I had a bad feeling about it. I knew it would sever no purpose to try and dissuade Luna from our current course, so i warned her instead and that we should keep a look out, though she gave me a look upon hearing my feelings on the matter saying, 'We shalt not know what is the matter until we get there, Dearest Corpus, now... keep running!' She shouted as she soared high into the night sky.

WE then crossed a bridge and came upon a road, knowing it led to the village; we took off down it. I became ever more perceptive of eyes watching us as we made our way to the town, we were just going here to check on the place and make sure that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and that if it did we could go back and warn the rest of the generals and her sister. But I could not deny that we had walked into a trap... But I couldn't warn Luna for the sake of not tipping them off, so I kept running, keeping my senses trained on the forest and bushes around us. The closer we got to the village the more forest we ran into... But the thing that bothered me about this was the fact that I KNEW there wasn't a forest out here before that... So, sending my senses out into the trees themselves I found something disturbing... They were all nothing but an illusion. I could also feel many Gryphons in the imitation trees; my counts put them at about a hundred or so, give or take a few.

Death... there would be much death this night... Nevertheless, I would make sure that neither Luna nor I were among that number.

"Princess... are we almost there?" I asked, not letting any concern drift into my voice, knowing that it may alert her to something that would put us both at danger. I was just happy that she had let me take a few of my lightsabers with me...

"Dearest Corpus, why dost thou need those things?" She was looking at my cylindrical weapons with confusion, though not for the right reasons.

"These are weapons Dearest Luna, they are what we used to injure that Manticore our first night here." I explained, though at that she gave me a horrified look.

"Thou hast kept weapons in our presence all this time and thou didst not think to inform us of this!" She screamed at me, though not full blown screaming at least, she still did not want her guards coming up and seeing what the commotion was.

"Dearest Princess..." I began with an endearing tone, getting her to calm down considerably, "These are but one of many weapons we have on us right this very instant. These just happen to be the most visible... And are more adept at keeping us safe than some of the other things we have not explained to thee just yet." I calmly told her, getting a nod of understanding, though she was a little fearful at the thought of not knowing what all I could do. "We shalt tell thee more later dearest Luna, if thou remembers that is..." I grinned at her and kept on getting ready, this had happened before our little argument and our leaving the terrace.

"We art there, Dearest Friend Corpus... though, things art amiss... Where are the ponies that live here...?" She landed next to me, were standing at the main street leading into town and we were both at a loss at where to the ponies living here had gone, I was covered in my shroud and the Princess was, well, the Princess... Suddenly I felt killing intent was over the entire area as a leaf fluttered and an arrow shot out of the bushes, straight at Luna's unprotected head. Reacting instantly my hand shot out, grabbed the arrow, pushed Luna down, broke the arrow and called my red lightsaber to my hand, one of my other lightsabers, a green one, was already in my other hand, ignited and at the ready, along with the other one. I was standing over a bewildered Luna, her staunch protector against the hundred or so Gryphons surrounding us.

Luna was still trying to regain her bearings when several of them ran at us, each one carrying a sword or spear in one of their claws, in one's peculiar case, a sword and shield. Luna saw them coming and gave a small scream, knowing that they would overwhelm her in an instant. I growled, tearing my shroud asunder I was shown to the approaching Gryphons. They all still continued to charge, not even blinking in the face of a new opponent. One of the ones with a spear got to me first... and he died first.

Dropping into a fore and aft grip stance I cut of the spear into several pieces as the gryphon got closer, I then lopped off his arms and head, ending him quickly in a flurry of motions. He did not even get the chance to scream, for he was dead before the first bit of spear hit the dirt road. Next three of the sword-wielding gryphons were upon us; they lasted only seconds longer than the spearman. The first one swung for my undefended back while the other two aimed for my head and Luna. My reversed blade shot behind me and impaled itself through the gryphons head, burning a hole through the bottom of his jaw and out the top of his armored head. Each of the gryphons wore some kind of chain mail and leather metal plated helms. The one with a sword and shield seemed to be the only one with full plate and chain mail, though I could be wrong. The next gryphon I ended was the one going for Luna, she saw the attack coming, but I ended him with a swift kick to the head, sending him flying off into the fake forest.

The last one I gripped in my telekinetic grasp and broke his neck, his head now leaning awkwardly to the side. Next was a group of spearman and swords-man charging at us in a coordinated three-way assault. Five from the front, and two at my 5:00 and three at my 7:00. I chose to block off the ones at my back first. I whipped around and shot out a large gout of violet lightning and set the area before them all aflame, cutting off their rout to engage us, I then looked back at the other five and shot lightning directly into them, catching their fur and feathers on fire with the mass of energy.

Luna was staring at me with wide eyes as I went about taking out all those that meant her harm. They died, screaming in agony as they burned. So, I locked onto their necks with the force and broke them, ending their suffering. Then, out of the forest, ten fully armored figures joined the lone, completely armored gryphon, in the middle of the street. They got into a phalanx and started marching towards us.

"Corpus... What are we to do... they outnumber us five to one..." She said quietly, still in shock after seeing me kill so many gryphons already, something I should have thought about really, but shit happens.

"WE don't do anything, thou art to stay behind us and watch our back, we cannot have any of them sneaking up on us can we?" I said in a cheeky tone, drawing her attention to me.

"Corpus... thou can be an infuriating ass sometimes... dost thou know that?" She asked while giving me a deadpan stare.

"Yep, now hop to it!" I barked, making her jump. She quickly scrambled behind me and started gathering magic to her horn. I spread my senses to the entire area and found something rather... Odd... Most of the gryphons that had been here, you all know... that hundred or so I was talking about... well... they have tripled in number, and they were starting to encircle us out of our line of sight. We were going to need to get out of here soon.. and inform the Princess of our predicament.

The armored Gryphons then charged at me, shields forward and swords pointed fore. The first two I hit with a force push, sending them flying. Then I decapitated the next one and kicked his body into one of the others. Three tried to gut me and in turn were bisected and disarmed, literally. A fourth came upon me, somehow getting close enough to knock away one of my sabers. I slashed at him with my left hand, the one still holding a saber, and he went to catch the blade with is sword... The surprising part? It actually worked. The blades struck and did not give in the slightest. we both looked on in disbelief, both for the same reason.

I then shoved him back and looked at his sword oddly, I noticed that it had a small scorch mark on the blade, as if my sword had not actually touched it, but had gotten close enough to harm it. I grinned evilly at the prospect of fighting some one who might actually stand a chance.

The gryphon got up off the ground and shook off his armor revealing a lithe form the belayed the figure of a feminine nature. I saw the other gryphons look at her in outrage, squawking and cawing at her what sounded to be insults. I would have non of that for a fellow Master Swordsman, especially one that could react to the enhanced talents of a Sith.

"SSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEENNNCEEEEEEEE! ALL OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!" They all looked at me, even Luna, they all showed signs of fear and anger at my out burst. "YOU SHALL BE THANKFUL THAT ONE OF YOUR OWN IS AT LEAST CAPABLE OF EVEN STANDING IN THE SAME LIGHT AS ME! SHE SURVIVED WHERE THE REST HAVE FAILED, SO... I GIVE HER THIS CHANCE TO FIGHT ME... ONE ON ONE... ONE BLADE EACH, NO TRICKS." My words echoed around the town and the surrounding countryside as I sized up my opponent.

"Dost thou speak my language Gryphon?!" I called across the small battle field.

"Caw!" She called back, a brow raised in curiosity.

"Do you understand this?" I spoke in a known avian language, one only known to those that study long lost cultures.

"How do you speak this demon! This is a sacred language!" The female gryphon squawked out in surprise, granted it surprised me also that she knew it at all... seeing as the language is over a few thousand years old... dating to the fall of the last great Sith empire.

"I know this for I have studied the ancient languages of my time... I do not like to repeat the past, do you now agree?" I asked cheekily, this conversation was stunning all of those that were in ear shot, especially Luna, she had never heard me use a different language before.

"Luna... Run... Go to the castle and warn the rest of the generals about what is happening here... We will be fine..." I gave her a cockeyed grin as I turned to look at her. She just gawked at me, not really even hearing my request.

"W-what Corpus?" She stuttered, blinking rapidly as she tried to recall what I said.

"We said go, inform the generals and your sister, I will hold them hear until you return."

"NO! Thou must come back with me! We will not lose you now!" She cried out, a lone tear rolling down her cheek.

"We shalt be fine Princess, We have faced down hundreds at once, even thousands given the right circumstances, this is no different." I smiled warmly at her, begging her to go with my eyes, I knew that if she was here she would surly get hurt.

"But..."

"No, go, now... we will clear you a path... Now GO!" I yelled, making her jump too, she shot into the air and took off, I saw hundreds of arrows fly towards her, so I plucked them out of the sky.

"Now, we believe we had a match to begin... Oh excuse us! Our name is Darth Corpus... What might yours be Young-ling?" I asked nonchalantly, even though I could see the mass look of incredulity at what I had just done.

"I am Aurora... Aurora steel-wing... Fifth captain of the Gryphon Imperial Ninth Legion." She said shakily, she was trying not to drop her sword she was so frightened.

"Then I, Darth Corpus, shall present to you Aurora Steel-wing, my oath of a fair fight, this is not to the death as you may thing... I do not wish to see the only one here that CAN challenge me... Dead, I wish to see you rise and strike me down... IF you think you can rise to that challenge!" I called out, though I had used the force to block out the rest of my challenge, concerning what I wanted her to try and do.

"I accept..." She hesitantly called out.

"Good!" I cried as I rushed at her, using my natural speed to run up on her. Even though she was a biped she was able to stand on her hind legs fairly well, balance was almost perfect, she even used her long lion like tail to help. She was a monster with a blade I soon found out as I lashed at her left side. She caught the attack easily enough without her armors restriction and pushed back. She then lashed out at my right side and landed a small cut. I then shot my saber down towards her right paw and lightly nicked it, right across several of the toes, burning them slightly. She then struck out with her right claw and caught my jaw, sending me tumbling back a few paces.

I didn't give myself time to readjust and lashed out with my blade in a wide arc, aiming for her midriff, she caught the strike dead center on her blade and shoved it away as she spun around and planed one of her paws in my side, kicking back another pace and sending me sprawling like an idiot. I instantly got up and lashed out quickly at he left and right side, marking her fur with every hit I landed, telling her how many times I could have killed her. I even got a hit over her left eye, creating an arcing burn over the eye.

I then lashed out with my right leg and caught her in the barrel, sending her flying sideways several feet. She quickly got up and jumped into the air, using her wings to stay aloft while shooting me a shit-eating grin. I looked at her with a shit-eating grin of my own.

"Are thou having fun Aurora?!" I called out, still grinning like an idiot.

"You have no Idea! I have not been pushed this much since my grandfather taught me the art of the sword...!" She was having a blast, just like me.

"Good! We haven't had a decent dual in over a century! We must thank thee for that Aurora!" She nodded her thanks as I did the same.

She then shot down after me, sword held in a close guard as she spiraled down at me. She folded her wings in close at the last second and shot past me, right under my guard, and sliced my thigh, none all to deeply, though blood slowly welled up along the cut mark. I whipped around and planted my right foot in her side and launched her a good twelve feet from me. She rolled for most of that, getting pretty banged up along the way. I was slightly remorseful about causing unneeded injury, but I was soon put on the defensive when several arrows came flying at me and her, which really should not have happened, until I heard what one of the other Gryphons were yelling.

"KILL THEM! Kill them both! Kill the Demon and the traitor, she has spit on the honor of the legion, kill her!" The gryphon yelling this was a very gruff bulky looking bird, grey feathered and very pompous looking. I looked to the arrows coming my way and blasted them away with a quick Push before making my way to Aurora instantly, she may have been the enemy, but she was honorable. I dropped my lightsaber, it turned off instantly, and drew tow longer handled hilts... these two had two emitter nozzles on them... I held them out to my sides and thumb the activation studs, making two pairs of blades pop out, one set being blood red and the other being royal blue. I then spun them effortlessly, intercepting each and every one of the arrows they had launched at us. Se just looked up at me in awe and confusion at my action, not really understanding what had just happened. I then dropped these as well and unclipped another set just like them, doing the same thing. I then called my two single blades to hand, clasping them onto my belt.

The four staff saber hilts then floated up next to me, two on my left and two on my right. They then began to spin, creating an impenetrable wall of energy and death. They began to fire more and more arrows at us, trying to get through the wall of energy between us. Meanwhile I looked down to a very confused Aurora and offered her my hand.

"Are thou injured badly, Aurora? Please tell us of thine injuries so they might be healed." She slowly nodded her head, pointing to her ribs and foot.

"Why are you helping me Darth Corpus... I thought you wished to fight... and why are they shooting at us...?" She looked at me curious as to my motivation.

"We have only fought a hand full of truly worthy opponents in our time, but none have ever had their honor trampled on by their compatriots... though thinking back on their expressions when thou changed out of thy armor and revealed thyself... WE should have known better, for this, we are sorry." I bowed my head to her slightly and helped her to her feet, sending healing energies through her body as I did so. I could sense that her ribs were only bruised and that her foot only had the burn, though she pry felt like magma was pouring over her burns, trust me I know how a lightsaber burn feels... it isn't pleasant.

"We must hold for a while longer... We would not blame thee if thou wishes to leave this place... no honor is to be found here." I sighed and looked at the whirling blades of death, Red, Blue, Green, and Orange... Each one was from one of my greatest foes... and each one did not know how to use the weapon properly...

"I would rather DIE than leave the creature that saved me here to rot... What would you have me do Darth Corpus..." She spoke with such resolve and determination that I squashed the thought of sending her away immediately.

"We would have thou take this and be careful... It can harm thee as easily as them..." I handed her one of the smaller shoto blades that hung on my war-kilt and showed her how to activate it. "The blade will deactivate the INSTANT thou lets go... dost thou understand?" She nodded her head firmly, taking a firm grip on the hilt. "Good, Let us kill them all..." I grinned evilly as we both looked at the few hundred Gryphons now surrounding us.

"DDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" I yelled as I shot my hand up and unleashed lightning into the sky... I would be loath to NOT fight in the rain... Not on a night like this one!

Darkness and Light: Ch 7

Author's Note

Hey guys'n'gals! Heres the next chapter of Luna's Dark Knight.... have fun ;D

Darkness and Light: Ch 7

Perspective: Aurora

A massive storm of electricity formed over us as the creature I had just been fighting lifted his arm up towards the heavens and unleashed an ungodly amount of power forth from his fingertips, The skies began to change drastically after began taking shape, the moon was blotted out, and a heavy rain then set in upon the entire town.

It was an experience in and of itself to see my opponent warp the elements to his very design... HE had to be a demon or something to have this much power at his will to bend and shape as needed. The being before me set me on edge; his black robes, his weapons that could cut through anything, but an enchanted sword... HE was covered in cuts and gashes, enough that it would have stopped any normal being in their tracks. His clothes were almost completely shredded above the legs... though he only had what could be reminisce of a tunic on the upper half of his body, it was almost gone... only leaving a dark hole ridden undershirt and a bit of fabric hanging down his side.

And even now, with this creature, which called itself Darth Corpus, standing by my side after my own men had turned on me... HE still sent chills down my spine... He had the will to float several things around us and protect us from my ex-comrades wrath. But for what ever reason he trusted me... Maybe it was my want to uphold my honor when fighting him, making sure to just have it be the two of us and to not kill the other... But even then he was a strange one, asking for a duel... but not to the death... Right now I just hope we get out of this shit storm, no pun intended...

But hell he even gave me one of his own weapons, So I guess he does think we'll get out of this... I just hope it's in one piece!

Perspective Corpus

I lowered my hand from the sky, cutting my connection with the growing storm. I looked down to Aurora and saw that she was shaking, though in fear or otherwise was yet to be seen. I took two blades off my belt and ignited them... Both shining a deep blood-red... much darker than the almost pink blade that I had given to Aurora. I then motioned out with my right hand and sent the blades on my right out to address my eastern attackers, I used my fingers to direct their flow of wanton destruction, turning all those arrayed against them to piles of dismembered limbs and or heads. I then lifted my other hand and directed the other blades in a similar fashion, becoming an orchestra of death and destruction.

Aurora just stared on in wonderment as I directed this orchestra of death, with only the use of my hands, though she did move forward and defend our position from the approaching gryphonian soldiers. She would hack and slash though their armor, taking off limbs or even bisecting a shield and taking the arm off in the process, she was a devil with that saber, though not as good as I. One of the fully armored gryphons then came into arms reach and was able to deflect her saber thrust, seeing as he had an enchanted sword I stepped in.

"Die... WHELP!" I growled out as I let the Dark Side flow through me, letting my rage and pain fuel my power even more, turning the low flame in my chest into a roaring fire of destruction. I lurched over Aurora, tumbling over her awkwardly flying through the air, I lashed down at the offending Gryphon, digging my sword into the base of his neck, severing his spine. He almost instantly fell to the ground in a heap, dead, as I landed a foot from his right. I recalled my blades and let them fall at my feet. Each of them had turned off the instant I called them.

There were about Two hundred Gryphons left in the Village Proper, waiting for us to go in and look for them, though we just stood there and waited for them to attack us, having dealt with their long range support.

"Aurora, we need thou to stay here and hold this position... Just yell out if thou need us... Understood?" She nodded and grabbed a shield and hunkered down as I strode into the village... knowing what lay within.

"Rain... Rain... Go... away... Come again ...Some other day..."I sung to myself as I strolled the streets of Sunny dale... I had seen the town banner as I walked about, It was sitting in a ditch covered in blood and mud. The entire town was deserted... There were hundreds of blood splattered spots all over the place... I could only assume that the citizens had put up some form of a fight... seeing as there was more bloody spots than there were people that lived here. As I was walking about I came across a four way stop, feeling a malevolent presence about the area I decided to stop and extend my senses...What i found was a little disconcerting.

There were several Gryphons around me, twenty to be exact... I located the biggest mass of life forces, clipping the saber in my right hand I raised it towards a large tavern that stood on the north eastern corner of the street, it was to my immediate front right. Raising my hand at the tavern I concentrate through the force, enveloping it in my minds eye, and I start picturing the structure... being crushed...Slowly at first as I hear the screams and terrified shrieks of the Gryphons, then faster as my rage sets in, having no mercy for these twisted birds, save Aurora, I speed up the process. I soon hear the shrieks quiet down as the sound of wood breaking and metal bending, stops... I looked up and saw a large dripping mass of wood and metal... Many liquids were dripping from within the mass of rubble... But the most apparent was blood... there was already a large pool of it under the floating ball of refuse. Seeing that my objective was reached I let go of the ball of death and let it crash to the ground, the entire thing falling apart as it hit.

I could then hear terrified yells and commands coming form the other gryphons in the other buildings as they tried to move from them. I moved onto a small cafe on the other side of the street, lifting my hand again I charged the force into my hand, storing up the energy until it almost hurt to contain it... Where upon i released the pressure and sent the energy flying at the building, tearing it to nothing better than splinters and shards of glass... all of which impaled the lightly armored gryphons within. Several of them were still alive as I walked towards them screeching and cawing at me in horror, my other blood-red blade still on and humming, I let the blade bow towards the ground some, letting the four foot long beam of power drag through the wood, setting it aflame, and melt the glass on contact. I was less than a foot from one of the crippled gryphons, this one happening to wear armor. I knelt down next to the sorry bastard and gave him a tilt of the head, reaching out with my right hand, I was charging the force into the tip of my index finger as it got closer. I kept my hand little over an inch from his chest plate as I looked him right in his terrified eyes.

I give him a few more seconds of terrified relief before I make my move, I cured my index finger up and swiftly thumped it against his plate armor, making a resounding 'DING' noise, one that is much louder than it should have been. He looks from me to his armor and gives me a terrified questioning look. Suddenly his chest piece just disintegrates... turning to metal dust and falling to the ground around us, showing his chain mail covered chest. From there he started screaming like a banshee, being mortified at what I had just done, several other bird like voices started screaming as well, looking around I saw some of the others coming too and having witnessed what I just did, they were all terrified of the new power I had just revealed to them. Taking my other saber in hand I aimed the emitter nozzle at his chest, a sadistic grin creeping across my lips as I did so. He looked at the nozzle expectantly, then at me, the instant he looked at me I depressed the activation stud and the signature snap-hiss of the blade was heard as it punched through his body and into the stone behind him. This punctured both lungs and severed his spine in one go... ending him quickly as it cooked his insides. He slumped over moments later, dead, with a trail of smoke coming from his body, this only served to make the other wounded gryphons even more furious and terrified of me.

Once the body of the gryphon in front of me gave its last twitch I deactivated the blade and stood to my full height, my torn robes fluttering about my body in a dead wind. I turned around to one of the gryphons that seemed to be trying to run away, though crawling would be a better term. I slowly, purposefully, strode over to the broken gryphon, letting my blades mark the earth with ever dip of my stride, leaving long glowing streaks in the earth where they touched. Coming to a stop right behind the gryphon, watching him futilely crawl away, I raised my left saber in salute fashion and then brought it down like an executioners ax, it cut through the gryphons spine like a hot knife through butter, bisecting the poor bastard from beak to sternum. He died instantly and without a thread of pain, seeing as the blade had obliterated his brain first and foremost.

Let it not be said that I did not have a shred of mercy in my body... though it came out in very odd ways back then.

I then looked to a small group of the birds trying to hobble away from the lot, trying to go down the remains of a alleyway, seeing them, and them me, I jumped into the air and disappeared into a blanket of fog that had started to come in during my destruction of the city. I flew through the air, away over their heads and field of vision, and landed directly in front of them, no more than a foot from the first ones beak, making them squawk in fear and surprise.

"Thou hast tired to harm the only living creature that was close to us... Thou hast been judged and thy judgment is death... Will thou fight it...?" I asked of the three birds laying at my feet.

"WE plead guilty... All WE ask is that you make it quick..." The lead one said in a defeated tone, resignation could be seen on his face, knowing that he was going to die.

"For thine transgressions against the throne... Of both this country and the Demi-Empire of the Sith... We give this... This one chance to go to your leader and beg for his or her hand in peace with this nation... Or WE WILL COME AND DESTROY THINE ENTIRE KINGDOM... Art we not clear?" I asked, a grim sort of grin on my lips, it did not reach my eyes... it was small and dangerous, giving only a moments notice before death came.

"We under stand! Thank you... Thank you and we will do as you say... WE will not forget this mercy!" The leader cawed, the other two nodded their heads vigorously in assent to his words, knowing their lives depended on it.

"Then go..." I growled out, watching as they quickly scurried away. Now I could only hope that their king or queen would listen to reason... I did not want to have to go to war again... not after all I've been through recently anyway... Turning back to the rest of the gryphons I called upon the force charged thunderstorm over head, I did so by walking back to the clearing and shooting more power through it and then using said power to shoot the stored up lighting back towards the ground, hitting many of the houses and setting them ablaze, granting some of the thatched buildings contained gryphons I did not care, for this was bringing back a cathartic sense of elation, causing all this damage and unrelenting destruction, even in the name of peace it was glorious!

During the light show about fifty gryphons charged out of the side streets and alleyways, running at me with sword and spear, each one hoping to land a hit against me. Seeing their charge I ended my attack and brought my sabers down and lurched forward at the closets combatants, spinning my blades in an extreme show of dexterity, making two over lapping figure eights in front of my body I beat the m back as they tried dodging and jumping out of the way, though each time they did I took something off of them, be it a limb or a digit.

I finally broke through their charge, wounding almost all of them, and killing the less fortunate. I came to a rolling Stop and came up twirling my sabers in an overly flashy move to deflect the small amount of rocks and pieces of wood some of the gryphons had managed to throw at me. Looking back I saw that only about thirty or so of the gryphons had made it through my counter charge unscathed, we'll in huge sense that they were still alive or able to move... I counted five dead and fifteen severely injured.

seeing that some of them were still alive I switch my grip on the hilt of my blades. Raising my right hand I pointed to them all with my index fingers extended.

"We command thee to return to thine kingdom and never return!" I commanded them, pushing my will upon them with the force, I had enjoyed the slaughter moments ago... But I did not need to venture back into old habits to fuel my powers... Seeing as this place holds a sliver of redemption for me. The gryphons nodded dumbly and picked up their fellows before leaving the intersection, leaving me alone to my thoughts.

My inner turmoil was coming out in questionable ways as of late, seeing as the dark had almost completely taken over when I faced the gryhpons no more than ten minutes ago... Setting fire to houses and butting them with little chance of a fight... I needed to end this little conflict quickly or else I was going to become the thing I had come to hate... The monster of the Sith...

I walked out of the now abandoned lot, the very same one that I had also let myself succumb to my rage and hatred for these avian predators... I turned left on to the same avenue I had walked down earlier and started to make my way back towards the outer limits of huge city, back to where my friend, of convenience that is, was waiting for me.

Going down the cobblestone roads I walked through many muddied intersections and rubble strewn walk ways... I took in the bare bones structures around me, each and every one reminisce of a medieval township. The houses were grey stoned with dark, almost black, brown wood and yellow straw for the thatched roofs. They matched well with the businesses that seemed to be built from the same cloth... Nothin overly pleasing to the eye when looking at the buildings here... It seemed like such a bleak place indeed...

While passing by one of the houses, I could feel the presence of a very young mind, one reaching for comfort of a sort. I could tell that this... Presence... Who ever It was, did not belong to any of the gryphons that I had sensed in the town and before that around us in the clearing. So, not knowing what this presence was, I set off in search of it... Hoping that I would not be to late to help.

A New Path: Ch 8

The child's presence was getting stronger as I made my way down the mud laden streets of Sunny Dale. The streets were heavily laden with the destroyed remains of carts and the fallen forms of street lamps, each being a reminder of the atrocity that took place here not more than a few hours ago. I vaulted over the downed poles and carts, not slowing my hastened pace even in the slightest.

Vaulting over a large pile of wood and stone I landed on the other side, though when I landed I slipped on a due covered rock, twisting my ankle in the process. I gave a small yelp of pain from the injury, but kept running, not letting the injury slow me in the least.

As I ran one of the houses ahead of me exploded outward, raining splinters and rock down on the surrounding area. I skidded to a halt and called one of my dual blades to my hands, it was the green one. I twirled it in front of my body, deflecting several of the larger fragments tot the sides, also citing them in half.

Once the rain of debris stopped I was finally able to see the beast that attached me. It was a larger manticore... But it had a rider in it. A large gryphon in leather armor rode atop the great beast, a black leather whip held in its left hand, while a large leather choker was held in its right.

Looking at the beast with less than a favorable expression I called a small shoot to my left hand, it was about the size of a good-sized dagger. Spinning the saber staff in front of me I held the dagger behind me, dropping into the scorpion stance. The creature moved it right paw forward and lumbered forward at incredible speeds. Reacting instantly I flew at the monster as well, not wanting to be caught wanting.

At the last second I vaulted through the air, I came up with my legs above my head and spinning my twin blade below me, deflecting the large beasts scorpion strike. I was able to tear off a large portion of the manticores stinger when it struck at me, though all this did was anger it.

I landed behind the beast and shot towards it's back. Leaping up at the last second I came up and landed upon the twenty some odd foot tall monsters back, planting my feet in its fur. I had landed next to the creatures large insectile tail, to eking my body to the right I gave a baseball bats wing with my, the now half activated, saber staff and lopped it off , just a few feet from the base.

The creature screamed out in pain and rage from the strike, bucking about like a maddened bull in heat. I shoved my small shoot down into its hide to keep myself grounded on its back, and so while I stayed safe, the gryphon was not as lucky. He was thrown off his manticore mount, being tossed to the cobblestone street below. He was then trampled in the manticores pain driven rage.

I gave an almost inaudible grunt as I was unceremoniously slammed into the beast hundreds of times over the next five minutes as it tried to buck me off. Getting frustrated I took my dual blade and activated only one side. I then took the blade and plunged it into the beasts back a few feet farther up, and then pulled out my shoot and did the same thing, plunging it in a few feet in front of my other saber. I repeated this process several times as I slowly tracked my way up the beasts back towards it neck.

After what felt like hours, and several dozen bulldozed buildings later I was able to get to the creatures blubbery neck. Using the force to keep myself adhered to the my current spot, I tore out my blades and forcefully plunged them into the creatures neck, burning two holes into its spine. From there I continued to do this until I had made a perforated line across the area, to which I then shoved my longest blade into the far left hole and drug it across. In doing so I connected all the holes and severed the creatures neck in one swipe, effectively killing the large monster.

The large beast, after several seconds of its muscles misfiring, fell to the ground, dead, bleeding from the large wound I had inflicted on its neck. Realizing that it was finally dead I jumped down and slumped against the beasts still warm hide, taking a short breather from all the fighting I had just endured.

"Ugh... Mental note... Don't tell the magic wielding princess to leave you alone next time... You might need her help..." I sighed and deactivated my green and yellow blades, attaching them to my belt.

After taking a fifteen minute break I got back up off my ass and continued on my way, feeling out the direction I felt the strong life force coming from. All the while I was now having to deal with my now aggravated ankle injury... I had twisted it several times when I had made the crawl across the beasts back... It wasn't a pleasing experience in the slightest let me tell you...

Now, instead of vaulting over the broken carts and bent street lamps I either walked around them, or, crawled over them. It was not a pleasant experience, especially when I got a few glass shards in my hands and knees when I fell through a cart and into a jumble of broken glass.

After having to forcibly remove hundreds of little splinters from my hands and legs I was almost to the point of falling down from blood loss... Having had one of the pieces nick one of my arteries was putting a damper on my situation... Though thankfully I was able to get to my supposed destination with nothing short of a blood drenched cloth keeping me from death.

The hovel before me was one of the few building, save a business, that had a second floor. Though in this buildings case it was more of a loft now... Seeing as the second floor had taken a severe blow and was mostly shoved through the living room area, with bits of the rubble force itself through the street side window. The hovel was just as unassuming as the rest of them; deep brown wood, dark grey stone walls, and yellow straw for the thatching.

Stepping over some fallen planks I made my way for the front door. Standing before it I noticed that the doorway stood just under my solar plexus... Meaning that I would have to crouch down to enter the house. I could not help but think that this hovel should have collapsed long before I had gotten here, seeing as the left side had collapsed in on itself and fallen all over the yard space next to it. So, with that in mind I hoped that I wouldn't there wouldn't be anything behind the door.

Opening the door I found no such thing, it was clear... Save for the broken glass and the light amount if furniture tossed about the clear parts of the foyer. I looked about, checking for threats, and found myself wanting... But what I noticed was that there were only three doorways at the entrance. One for the living room on my right, one for the slightly collapsed kitchen on my left and a hallway to my fore. So, after checking the kitchen, I walked down the hall, making sure to pick up on as many details as possible.

One thing I noticed was the large amount of picture frames that seemed to fill the hall. Each one was picture of a different pony, ranging from brown to green, from grey to yellow, and almost anything in between. I then came across a large family portrait, it was hanging in the center of the hallway, right across from a large bedroom that held a large two pony bed and crib...

The picture held what seemed to be the family of the household. There was a large white stallion; he had blue eyes, a golden mane, and a monocle for a cutie mark. Next was a lithe mare that also had awhile coat; she beheld emerald-green eyes and a dark blue mane... She had a pair of glasses for her cutie mark. Then there were about five young colts and fillies scattered around the hooves of the two stalwart looking parents, none of them beheld a smile, only the look of someone who had lived in a bleak place for far to long.

I then looked back into the bedroom, trying to figure out what had befallen the homes residents. Crouching down next to the fallen crib I found that there was a small puddle of blood on the other side... Along with the remains of a dead baby colt... The shock of seeing something so pure desiccated like that made me cold inside... The baby seemed to have been about six or seven months old... And it had tried to crawl away from whatever it was that had knocked over its crib... And ripped it apart...

The baby had no hind legs to speak of... And there seemed to be a section of unbroken horn left on its head... And the child's throat seemed to be cut wide open, if not torn out completely.

I slumped over, leaning against the large bed and wall to steady myself from the shock... I have seen many horrors in my long life... From the dismemberment of comrades to the dramatic deaths of heroes... Nothing compares to the death of an innocent child... Sitting there I could feel the tears of sorrow and rage cascade down my cheeks as all the hideous acts of intelligent beings came crashing down on me... The death of my family, the destruction of something greater than the GA, the death of my friends... I sobbed and cried about all the death, but mostly for the loss of such a young life as this.

I cleaned the blood off the body of the destroyed toddler and wrapped him in some fine silk covers I had found in the bedroom closet. I sealed over the bleeding veins and arteries... Not wanting to soil his new resting place. I cradled the dead body in my arms, still sobbing softly for his death, even if I did not know him.

I came out of that room changed... I was tired of the darkness that seemed to follow me, I was tired of the death and sacrifice that always heaped itself upon my shoulders... I had had enough, and it was going to change my ways if it meant I would not need to face such needless death and carnage ever again... Though I knew in my heart that it would always follow me, just like the reaper of death, or a lost puppy with rabies.

With vacant eyes I walked down the hallway, nearly taking note of the other bodies that littered the rooms... Fillies and colts, even a mare, could be found among the dead there... But I could still feel the faint touch of life flowing through one of the ponies here, how I knew of this I could not tell, they seemed to have their own feel in the force compared to the gryphons. I came to a stop at one of the closed doors at the end of the hallway, it had hundreds of claw and paw marks on it, all of which created deep furrows in the thick wood door.

Switching my grip on the dead toddler to my left arm, I reached out and turned the knob, not knowing what I would find on the other side.

The door slowly opened, revealing a very grousing sight. There were about five or six gryphon bodies laid out on the floor, each one beaten to death with a ponies hoof. The room itself was sparsely decorated, only having a few torn and desiccated pictures on the walls, there was stable that was now overturned in a corner and several chairs arranged in a defensive perimeter in the same corner. There were several broken spears and swords strewn about the room, each one more beaten and broken than the last. In front of the improvised barrier lay the body of a large white stallion... He had several lacerations and deep gouges running across his body. His throat was ripped out and his left ear was missing... Seeing his broken body made me come back to reality... And to the purpose of why i had come here in the first place.

Standing before the broken stallion I could hear low sobbing coming from the corner, from underneath the broken table. I slowly walked over, passing by the downed stallion and gryphons, and got down on my hands and knees to see what was under the table.

What I found was slightly disconcerting... But rather than crush me... It brought me a ray of hope. There was one of the children from the family picture hiding under the table, crying his eyes out, sobbing uncontrollably. Lifting the table up off the poor foal he screamed slightly and shot all the way into the corner, cowering in fear.

"Thou hast no need to be afraid of Us... Little one... I shalt protect thee from the monsters..." I spoke in a low fatherly tone... The small colt had flinch when I first spoke but had then come to uncover his eyes when he heard I would not harm him.

"Come here...thou dost not need to fear us... We will carry thee to away from this place... Dost thou want that?" I asked the young colt, he looked to be only five or six... To young to have seen what I know he did... The beating and murder of his father... And possibly the rest of his family. The little colt crawled ever so slowly to me, heading my words of comfort, and came to rest at my feet. He looked up at me with blood shot eyes and a snot dripping nose, looking the ever pitiful self that I knew he felt. He saw that I was holding a form in my right arm and somehow knew what it was. I instantly wrapped my left arm around him as he began to cry again, bringing him up against my bare chest, keeping him warm in the cool air.

I could sense that the child was falling into a deep slumber, his crystal and sobs dying out as unconsciousness claimed him. I extended my senses outward from where I stood, seeking out those that would dare harm me or the child, and found nothing of importance, Save the rodents and other small creatures that roam the streets at night.

I turned towards the street and focused a portion of my energy in front of my chest, forming it into a ball of super kinetic energy. I moulded it p, shaped it, and sculpted it into a cyclone of devastating power. I then pushed, right at the center, forming a directional system from within it, and sent it flying through the house, tearing everything down and sending it all away from us, clearing my path to stand tall and walk away unscathed.

Perspective change: Aurora Steelwing

As I stood at the edge of the town I could feel the tension in the air... I knew my ex comrades were dying... It was not an all to unpleasant feeling to know those traitors were getting their just deserts... I stood there with the red blade glowing against the gloom of the mid morning light, from both the moon and the far approaching sun. During my time keeping watch over the area several of my old comrades had tried to cut me down, but with this reapers blade I dealt with their inept sword skills with ease, laying waste to their numbers.

Speaking of the devil, five of their number came rushing out of the township at horrifying speed, arms raised and shields barred against me. The first one I knocked back with a spinning kick to the head, knocking his helmet off and disorienting him. The next I slew with a downward slash across his head and chest, bisecting his skull and leaving a deep furrow in his chest. His body slumped to the ground in a heap. One of the other three still standing slashed me across my back, making me drop down to all fours, though his strike did save me from a decapitating blow I would have received otherwise. Anger coursed through my veins and allowed me to overcome the pain and stab one of the men through his ribcage, piecing several of his internal organs and cooking the rest of them.

I then punched him off the blade and slashed sideways into another one of my attackers, embedding the blade in his side, the gryphon fell back and took the blade out of my hands with his sudden movements. The fifth, and last, gryphon tacked me and jabbed the blade through my left wing, pinning me to the ground. He then took the red glowing blade out of his ally and held it, two handed style, over my head like an executioner.

Right as he was going to bring it down on my neck though... A large blast of golden magic knocked him away, slamming him into one of the village hovels not fifty feet away from my position, saving my life.

Ripping the blade out of my now immobile wing I looked back and almost fainted from what I saw.

There stood two of the most gorgeous creatures I had ever seen, one was a deep midnight blue with an almost sky blue mane and tail, deep teal yes that could penetrate the soul. The second was an alabaster white with a pastel rainbow main consisting of green pink and blue... It looked rather like a flat color, not as shiny or majestic as the blue creatures, but it also had the most motherly looking eyes I had ever seen, they were a deep magenta in color and were magnificent to look at. Both creatures had a print on their rears, the blue one had a print of the moon in an inky night, and the other had print of the sun on a clear day.

Surrounding them were about five hundred guards in golden bronze armor, each one holding a pike under their arms or a sword in their mouths. All of them we're staring at me with either confusion and hesitance, or hate and alarm.

Knowing that these much bigger creatures had to be their ruler I did not know what I could do to save myself from their wrath. So I did the next best thing, I lowered my arms and bowed to them, knowing that showing supplication might be the only way out of this mess.

"Creature! What art thou! Tell us, and we may not harm thee to greatly for thy atrocities thou hast poured upon our land!" The taller, white one, spoke out in a tongue I could not comprehend, not unless I somehow learned it... Which I doubted would ever happen, seeing as I could not answer them their question. So instead I bowed further, hoping that they would understand the universal symbol of supplicaence among predators.

"If thou shalt not speak, then thou shalt be dealt with immediately as an enemy of the state!" The white creature spoke again, still with me unable to answer them. That is until a booming voice reached across the space, stifling even the air itself in anticipation.

"THOU DARE STRIKE DOWN ONE THAT WOULD PUT THEIR LIFE ON THE LINE FIR ONE OF THINE SUBJECTS!? FOR SHAME!" The creature from earlier stood at the edge of the town, holding two bundles in his arms. He was covered from top to bottom in cuts and gashes, I could even make out large pieces of glass jutting out of his arms and back, even at this distance. Even with my eagle like vision I had some trouble seeing some of his features... It was almost as like a blanket of fog had built itself up around him... Or was even flowing off his body. It was among the strangest things I had ever seen... But with my injuries I knew I would be safer next to him, even with his injuries. So I started crawling over to him while everyone else was busy staring at his grizzlies appearance.

Perspective change: Darth Corpus

I came walking out of the township, my wounds having all reopened and bleeding. I could see Aurora fighting off a few diehard gryphon fighters, and holding her own. That is until one of them pinned her to the ground and was about to execute her... at that I was about to blast the poor bastard with a shot of lightning, that is until a blast of gold energy lanced out of the dense fog that had encircled the town, nailing the gryphon right in the chest, sending him flying. He landed not ten feet from me, a large portion of his chest singed and slightly caved in. I mentally called my blade from his corpse and levitated it back onto my belt, clipping it in place.

After that I could hear the regal voice of Luna's sister, Princess Celestia, ruler of the day and mover of the sun. The sun diarch was yelling at Aurora, telling her to explain herself or that she would be beaten and killed for her crimes... Something that I would never allow to happen, especially to someone who had chosen me over their allies.

"THOU DARE STRIKE DOWN ONE THAT WOULD PUT THEIR LIFE ON THE LINE FIR ONE OF THINE SUBJECTS!? FOR SHAME!" I yelled out, making them all pause in their slow advance on my erstwhile friend and comrade. The five hundred strong guardsmen stared at me with little more than self-restrained horror, fear, hatred, and confusion, upon seeing me. Something I took as a good sign, seeing as it allowed Aurora to crawl her way over to me, it took her a good two minutes of stumbling and cursing under her breath, but she made it, falling at my feet.

Looking at the diarchy of Equestria I could see two different things going on. Luna, whom I would call a friend most dear, was shaking... Tears and soft sobs could be heard coming from her as she looked upon my ragged form. She was wearing some of the most spectacular armor I had ever seen; it swooped across her back and flanks, giving her a sleeker build than ever thought possible, her helm was form fitting and beheld two swooped wings on the sides to protect her ears from a swift cut, seeing as they stuck out of her helm. She was reached in Mithrill chain mail and had a spectacularly adorned great sword strapped to her right flank, it was about as long as I was tall... Dragging slightly on the ground behind her.

Celestia on the other hand, wore a golden set of heavy plate and mail; it also had swooped wings on the helm, for The same reason as Luna's. But she also had a large red cape draped across her back, it had a large emblem of a sun and moon in the fashion of a yin-yang symbol... Something that struck a chord within me, and not in a good way mind you. And instead of a great sword like Luna's, Celestia beheld a large battle-axe across her back, which struck me as odd, seeing as her sister was the one that seemed to have a penchant for battle, and not her.

"Tell us nave, who art thou... To have the manners to question the diarchy of the Moon and Sun... In our own lands no less..." Celestia called out to me, demanding no less, of the man who saved one of her subjects from further harm.

"We... We art given this right when we became a King, for only a being of power can ask another... Why?" I asked calmly, using the force to project my voice at a normal tone across the large distance. I knew that Celestia would be confused with my answer, not having heard of me, but Luna... She would know, and she would have said such... Had her sister not been so blind.

"Guards... Seize the creature... He is of importance to finding out what hast happened to the town of Sunny Dale." I cringed, knowing that I would have to fight for my right to talk... seeing as Luna was now shell-shocked by her sisters abruptness. I turned to Aurora and caught her attention.

"Aurora... We must ask of thee to take these children and watch over them... I must fight for our freedom now..."She nodded her head solemnly and took the dead and dying children, not knowing what she was holding, seeing as I had wrapped the colt in the remnants of my tunic. All the guards and Celestia gave me an astonished look when I spoke in the avian language, each of them trying to figure out how the chirps and other noises had come from my lips. I dropped all my sabers to the ground, unhooking my over belt and letting the large thing crash down with my sabers still attached.

"Princess... How many dost thou think it will take to apprehend me?" I asked, walking out to the middle of the area, being only twenty-five or so feet away.

"It will only take ten... Creature..." She growled out, making both me and Aurora chuckle slightly, she did so with a hint of hysteria coloring her tone.

"Personally... I would say... send out more... But seeing as I am unarmed... It might just be a challenge." I grinned evilly, making Luna bristle slightly as she came back to reality.

"Creature... Might thou give us thine name?" Luna, ever the mindful one, asked with slight apprehension in her tone.

"Very well... We may as well do so... I am Darth Corpus... First and last king of the Demi-Sith Empire... At your service..." I gave theatrical bow, making Luna smirk slightly while she tried to hide her mirth. I rose back up and saw the enraged look on Celestia's face. She then motioned with her hoof, sending the ten guards forward to meet me.

"This will be over in a minute... Just you wait!" I growled out triumphantly. Knowing that the fight to come would be rather amusing to watch, well for me and Luna that is!

Author's Note

I hope you al enjoy this chapter! I just went through and searched out as many misspells and other writing errors as I could... So please let me know if you find any others :D

A Sour Misunderstanding: Ch 9

I crouched down into a solid fighting stance, my feet shoulder length apart, my hands loose and held in front of me, and my body angled towards my attackers. The ten bronze armored guards broke into two groups of five and started circling to my left and right, trying to break my concentration, trying to make me go after one or the other... Well we, meaning Luna, Aurora, and I knew that I could take on such adultery attack, no problem... So, that's what I did. Both groups suddenly came at me, from my left and right, and spread out in two half circles to try and encompass me.

Seeing this coming a mile away I just gestured with my left and right hands respectively and launched a light, but powerful enough, force push against them to knock them on their collective asses.

"Grah!" The leader of the group yelled as he slammed into one of his subordinates. I then sighed and stood up straight, towering over every single one of them by several feet. The tallest of the ponies present could have possibly come up to my navel... But only just.

"Is this what thine forces are capable of? Tis pitiful... And We must say, the gryphons put up much more of a fight..." I sighed theatrically and lashed out with my left hand and smacked one of the guards in the face as he and his buddies got back up and charged at me. He went back several feet, no thanks to the force... Sadly.

I roundhouse kicked the next one into a nearby tree, felling said tree in the process, and then brought my elbow down on the one next to him, knocking him out cold, even through the helmet. I then back-handed a grey stallion into four of his compatriots, knocking them all down, again, and drop kicked a mare... Yes, the Equestrian army employs both genders for its ranks... Like I was saying... Kicked a mare off into the ranks of royal guards behind the Princesses.

"Celestia... Is this the best thou hast to offer?"

"Soldiers of Equestria... ATTACK!" Suddenly all her forces charged at me, making me laugh in surprise at the sudden mob of bodies pressing towards me. So, with little hesitation, I. Picked. Them. Up. This didn't just make them stop... This made the sun Princess gape in awe of what I was doing, Luna was too, but I already knew she would.

"As We stated, Celestia, is this the best thou hast to offer?" My words finally struck her, making her recoil. She now knew that I was being dead serious when I had asked that question.

"If we say yes... Will thou spare us?" She asked, properly cowed out of her superiority complex.

"Yes... We shalt spare thine forces and thou... If thee would give shelter to our newest companion... Aurora!" I called her name, sending a mental message as well, making my words appear as avian in her mind, automatically translating them for her. She then got up off her furry bum and tracked over, carrying the two bundles in her front left claw as she stumbled towards us.

Luna looked like she was going to have an aneurism from the amount of lopsided bullshit that seemed to be taking place around her, from my current state to the whole debacle with her and her sisters guards... And my levitating them twenty feet in the air, as I was currently doing.

"Dearest Friend Corpus... What dost though think thee is doing? Thou hast embarrassed our guards, destroyed our township... Trounced several of our guards... Allied thyself with a gryphon... And insulted our sister... How much more dost thou need to do before we smack thee over the head with a wooden plank!" Luna growled at me, making all the guards and her sister turn to her in shock at such formalities... Or by formalities I should say the lack there of. Celestia was agape, I was smirking, and the guards were going pale at the thought of losing their Goddess of the night.

"Well, seeing as thou was the one to go and take a few hours of thine time to acquire thine sister... I would say not much more if it has finally bumped thou out of thine funk, Dearest Princess Luna..." At that I lowered the guards back to the ground and set them about twenty feet behind Luna, leaving her a clear shot to me. I then got down on one knee and bowed in supplication to my friend, the very same one I was indebted to. At the same time as this Aurora arrived at my side, carrying my belt of hilts on her back and the two swaddled bodies in her arm.

Celestia looked between the two of us in awe, seeing as how I gave up so easily to Luna and not to her, and also at how we had addressed each other, speaking with such high esteem for the other. But both Luna and Celestia were far more interested in what the gryphon had covered in her arm, granted not even she knew what it was. Aurora the tapped me on the shoulder with a claw, making both Princesses flinch at the action, thinking that the thing would tear my skin asunder, which it could, but did not.

"Thank you Aurora..." I then reached out and took the two bundles from Aurora, cradling one in each arm. I then rose up to my full height, again towering over all those around me by at least a foot or more. I then unwrapped the bundle that beheld the injured form of the colt I had saved, gesturing for Luna to come forward and take the child into her care.

"What dost thou need... Oh my... Is he the only survivor?" Luna asked, tears coming to her eyes at his disheveled and tear-stained state. She took him in her aura and secured him to her back with her wings keeping him snug against her metal plating.

"Yes... But he is not the only one We took..." I then unwrapped the other form and started crying again, making the rest of them, even Aurora, stare at me in confusion... Seeing as none, not even Luna had seen me openly cry like this. I then removed the silk cloth completely, falling to my knees, to show them. they all recoiled in shock at what they saw, Aurora gagged a few times before vomiting on the ground a few feet away... When she regained her composure she came back and cried into my shoulders, not being able to comprehend that her people were capable of such travesties.

"Luna... Calm thyself, there is no more needed bloodshed this eve... We hast taken care of all punishments this night of nights." My solid tone and unwavering eyes, they told the Night Goddess all she needed to know. She bowed her head in thanks and went back to cradling the lone colt in her magic, taking him from his place on her back and murmuring nothings of the mind to him, comforting him as well as she could.

"Creature... What is thy affiliation with our sister... Luna? Thou seems to have quite the understanding between thyselves... So, tell us... What is it?" Celestia asked, trailing around me, keeping her eyes trained on my prostrate form. Her head was not held high like most nobles would be, it was tilted down and towards me as she made her circuits. When she could she would keep eye contact with me, trying to course me with a sense of mental pressure to get me to talk.

"Dearest Princess Luna, WE two have known each other for more over a months time now... Having been under her care for most this time has been quite the pleasure we assure thee... Though our activities have been naught, but talking and keeping the other sane in the odd hours of the night, we had come out here on an errand of sorts when our Dearest Princess Luna here told us of an incident she had... concerning a lion-eagle hybrid no less... So, as I said the two of us came here to investigate, to make sure the townships of this wonderful land were not under any harm...But alas we were too late..." I halted my speech and motioned to the destroyed buildings behind me. Celestia stood stock still and of to my immediate left as she took in my answer. She then looked to her sister for confirmation.

"Luna is this true?" She asked, breathless and in shock, though about what I could not be truly certain. "Hast though known this Creature for so long... And told us nothing...?"

"Sister I-" Luna was cut off by the force of her sisters outrage. making her ears go flat against her helm and her mouth to slam shut, along with the rest of us.

"YOU KEPT SUCH A THING FROM ME!" She cried out, her temper reaching its breaking point now. She started to stalk towards her sister, anger in her eyes. That is until I placed my hand on her chest and stopped her in her tracks.

"I would not suggest doing that your highness... You don't want to see what happens when I have to defend my friends... Or in this case family..." My eyes had become slits and my tone was acid thick... making each and every one of them freeze at the seriousness in my voice.

"You would dare... TOUCH... ME!" She yelled out, swinging her great axe towards my midriff, to which I just brought my elbow down on the blade and sent it into the dirt. I then brought my heel down on the center of the axe head, shattering it into a billion pieces, making her eyes shrink to pin pricks, along with everyone else's.

"Please, excuse our manners from before..." I said cheerfully, a complete contrast to how I was a moment ago, "But I slipped back into my old demographic... Now, We would appreciate it if thou would not swing a weapon at us again... We have killed enough beings this eve to not want to see blood again for a month..." I finished with a completely forced cheerful smile glued to my lips. The looks I was getting from the rest of the guards was one of fear and awe as they saw me lift my foot out of the small crater I had made when destroying Celestia's weapon.

"We... We see now... We art sorry Creature..." Celestia said, flabbergasted, as she slowly stepped away from me, back to her sister's side. As she did that I could feel the dark presence of a large demonic like creature coming towards us. Placing the dead child on the ground tenderly, I went over and picked up two of my sabers from my belt, taking a third and tossing it to Aurora.

"Something is coming... Get ready..." I spoke to Aurora before repeating my warning to the others, "Get ready everyone... Something big is coming, and it doesn't seem friendly..." I growled the last bit out, making everyone on edge and ready for a fight. The guards swarmed around their Princesses, making several rings of defense while I, with Aurora at my side, walked towards the Dark presence.

"Creature... What art thou doing!" Celestia yelled from the center of the defensive ring. Turning around I could see Luna, concerned and struggling to join me, covered in a golden aura.

"We don't know... Just depends on what shows up we guesses..." I smirked to them, making Luna gape at my answer and Celestia look at me confused.

*BOOOOOOM!* One foot fall sounded... *BOOOOM!* The second foot fall sounded... *BOOOOOOOM!* The third foot fall sounded, closer than the others... BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!* The fourth foot fall sounded, with the leg appearing on the edge of the fog covered area. 'Ok... I am officially never going to create a fucking storm again if this shitty fog is going to come back...' I thought to myself as the next leg came into view.

"Can anyone pick up what that thing is!" I called out, not even looking behind me to single anyone out.

"It's... It's... It's... IT'S A HYDRAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Several of the guardsponies yelled, shaking in their armor, and pry pissing themselves. The beast stood before all of us, sixty some odd feet tall and sporting two heads on its upper torso... and no arms to speak of... But what it lacked in arms it made up in with tails, about five of them exactly. The Hydra was covered in deep swamp green scales and had hundreds of spines that trailed down its spinal columns. The heads of the beast were each the same, almost twin like in nature, both beheld yellow draconian eyes, something that would normally be seen in a dark side adept or some such thing. Its maw's were very wide, having the ability to open almost a full 180' degrees... each mouth had over a thousand needle teeth in them, they would have made a great white jealous if they ever saw them.

The beast looked down on all of us with greedy eyes, not those of a hungry predator... but those of a bloodthirsty killer, one that only wants to kill... and only for the joy of it. It licked its scaly lips as drool poured over the sides of its maw as it gaped at us. It's tails swung back and forth like a mighty palm tree as its excitement grew, seeing all of the victims before it gave it a sense of sick ecstasy, just thinking of all the death it would bring was making it salivate more.

Standing there before the creature I could feel its dark emotions as they coursed through its sick perverted mind, and it made me green. I even bent over a retched, tossing up several mouthfuls of bile and the remnants of a meal I had eaten before coming here. It's presence in the force was something no normal force wielder could have handled on their own... The miasmic aura that wafted around it was almost deadly, hell I could see most of the Unicorn guards retching on the ground as well, though some of the weaker minded were flat on their faces, unconscious from the onslaught.

"ALL OF YOU BACK AWAY! RUN, GET THY SELVES FROM THIS CREATURE... IT WILL KILL THEE!" I yelled out, snapping everyone out of there force induced stupor, even the Hydra. As all the ponies backed away from the Hydra as I ran towards it, leaving Aurora where she stood, half alive and barely able to stay her feet with the thick aura surrounding us. I called on the force to boost my speed, moving just short of a swoop bike. Igniting my green and blue blades, I instantly tossed my green bladed saber at the beast as the left head shot down at me. Just seconds later the blade could be seen spinning down the side of the hydras neck, flaying it open to the outside air. While still running at it I jumped up into the air and cut the creature's head clean off, cauterizing the wound with the cut.

The other head gave a mighty roar as it felt its other half die away. Using what was left of the severed neck as a club, the other hydra smacked me out of the air with it before ripping it clean off its body, spilling hundreds of liters of blood onto the ground. This act surprised the guards and the Princesses, making them gag and cringe at the sight of such a mutilation, more so than when I decapitated the head. A low bone breaking sound could be heard coming from the stump of the neck. I landed against the ground and got up once I heard the interesting sound. Suddenly TWO new heads sprouted from within the confines of the stump, both just as big and gruesome as the one before it.

I called my fallen lightsaber back to my hand, shaking the green blood off the hilt. Taking stock of the situation I could see that I was in a worse position than when I started... Now instead of two head... I had to deal with three... I began to think to myself, trying to think up a way to end this creature. 'Let's see... Cutting the head off spawned two more... But it first had to remove the whole neck... but why... was it because of my lightsaber? Could the cauterizing ability of the blade have caused such a need... Hmmm... Lets test this...' I grinned evilly to myself and rushed towards it, both sabers in hand this time. Seeing me thrown back so easily made Luna cry out in fear, which in turn made Celestia wonder about our relations with each other.

I raced towards it, not even paying mind to the searing pain building in my overtaxed body. The Hydra saw me, my blades illuminating my presence like a neon sign, sent two of its heads to deal with me while the rest of its body moved on to deal with the princesses and their guards. Wit hone head going low and the other going high I raced towards the middle ground. The lower head then lurched downwards, slamming into the earth and creating a large ass trench as it plowed on at me. It was going to try and use the dirt to shield itself from my strikes... Much to my amusement. The instant the got in range I dropped my sabers and shot my hands out in front of me, building up a large ball of energy. Once at its peak I ripped it in two and jumped, spinning into the air. When the high head came into reach I hit it point-blank, shredding its lower jaw as the head went reeling back in pain from the mighty force sent against it. As I descended I brought the other blast down on the base of the other heads neck, using its dirt clogged senses to my advantage. The force of the blast escaping my right hands finger tips was like that of a full on swoop bike colliding with a freight train... at full force. The Hydras neck was broken and flattened to a grotesque degree, sending gore and bone out in a wide arc from the small explosion.

With both heads dealt with, and not severed I landed softly on my feet, creating a small dust cloud from my use of the force to slow my descent. Standing there I called my sabers to my hands and headed off again towards the torso of the beast. During my whole show of strength, which really wasn't all that much considering I had been pretty badly beaten before hand, all the ponies were looking on in awe and fear. Celestia was worried, she had seen how I had deftly taken care of her men when she tried to restrain me, she then saw me effortlessly take and levitate all of her forces at one, and now she was witnessing me beat the forever living daylights out of a greater beast, all as if this was a normal day for me. She was more than just a little terrified of the prowess I was demonstrating right then. On the other hand though, Luna was scarred, not of me, but for me... For what ever reason... she could not even fathom it herself at the time why she would be afraid for a creature that, on even his worst day, could take on all her sisters PERSONAL GUARDS and then beat the tar out of A Greater Beast. The princesses guards on the other hand were all just about ready to piss their pants OR run up to him in gratitude... All of which just depended on whether or not he won this battle of the titans.

Getting closer to the, now one headed, beast, I could fully implement my plan... that is if the damned thing didn't replay the SAME FUCKING THING FROM EARLIER! The third head raced over when I was about half way and ripped the other two necks off its body, knowing that I was going to try and keep it from creating anymore heads. I laid on a burst of speed, becoming a true blur as I tried to beat the Hydra to its goal. But alas, I was too late. The beast wrapped its needle teeth around the base of the middle neck and ripped it clean out, dropping what could have been thought to be tons of steaming blood and gore on the slightly muddied earth of Sunny Dales outskirts. This again almost made the Guards Ponies retch at the sight of. I screamed a terrible battle cry as I ran even faster, pouring even more force energy into my body to get there faster.

Running up to a lone boulder I vaulted off of it, holding my blades in an X formation to cauterize the large wound. But I was too late, for as I sailed through the air, less than ten feet from my target, the wound exploded. Two new heads burst out, one of which caught me full in the chest with the full brunt of its skull, sending me flying back almost two hundred feet from the speed of the impact. The other head, somehow having separate orders already, bent back on itself and bit down on the other destroyed heads neck, ripping it from its body as well.

With my impact on the far away gravel road, feeling several bones crack and even break from the impact, I could hear the gore-tastic sound of two more heads exploding outward from the monster's body. Reaching about to find my lightsabers, I noticed that they had not made the trip with me, seeing them still imbedded in the skull of the Hydra head that hit me... Figures. I then did my best to get up, feeling that my left leg was again broken, but at my shin instead of my thigh, so standing was a little bit of a battle. I could feel the fear of all the ponies that were with Luna...

Their fear was something terrible, well for those that do not feed on such emotions for power. Their fear was intoxicating and it was flowing freely into the force. So, I drew on it, all of it, taking for myself as I charge one of the biggest attacks I had used yet on this planet... Far stronger than I had used on the Manticore when I first got here. As the fear flowed in I added my own emotions to the mix; Fear, Hate, Greed, Pride, Jealousy, even Love were filtered into it. I had closed my eyes as I collected all the power mine and the ponies emotions granted me, but in having my eyes closed... I did not see the dark Aura that had come to rest upon my very being. I had taken on the look of a specter, something that lived in shadow and killed for the thrill of the hunt. I then noticed something peculiar... The cries of victory that the Ponies had been shouting at me... had died down.

Opening my eyes I could see why, my skin had gone pasty grey, my hair; as it had gotten in my eyes, was black, instead of its normal brown and red. Seeing this I recoiled in my head, seeing these changes... struck me. I cursed in my mind and reminded myself of the promise I had made upon that dead child's bed... How I had promised to change... And now I was presented a chance.

Calming the powers raging around me I called on other emotions to bolster what power I already had, though what I brought were stronger than what was there. Loyalty, compassion, kindness, understanding/knowledge, peace, These things overpowered my baser instincts and created something of a whitish grey aura around me, seeing as my darker feelings still tainted my power. This abrupt change made the ponies look on in differing degrees of confusion. Though Luna and Celestia were both the most disturbed by my surreal change.

I then grinned as I felt my power skyrocket, leaving my old levels behind... So I turned to the monstrous thing that had been silent throughout this whole ordeal. It was now less than fifty feet away, all five of its heads looking on at me in disdain for ignoring it.

"AW... Big Bad Ugly sad that I didn't give him his present..." I gave it a pouty face, not really noticing the higher/deeper duality to my voice. I then dropped the façade and gave it a smirk of a predatory grin.

"ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" All five heads roared at me, making my smirk widen into a full-blown sneer as I lifted my hands up towards it, spreading my fingers out like there was wet nail polish on them.

"You have come here to kill those innocent in the ways of life and living... In the name of the Living Force... MAY YOU RETURN TO DUST!" I bellowed out, releasing the pent-up energy from the very tips of my finger tips.

Purple lightning arced from my fingertips, racing through the air at super sonic speeds. The first arc smashed into the longest lived Hydra head, searing scales from its hide as the plasma arced up and down its neck at random intervals sending puffs of steam as it came into contact with the bare tissue below. This made the neck and head spasm uncontrollably as the energy set about over stimulating the nervous system in the beast. The second arc smashed into two of the other heads, making them spasm, which in turn made them twist around each other for some odd reason or another. At this they then started to sear themselves together, seeing as the plasma was melting their scales together and burning them. For some odd reason the liquids produced by the heads when they reproduce is rather flammable... making for an interesting fire works display of color; reds, blues, greens, yellows, purples, and even whites burned on their scales.

"INSUFURABLE MONSTER! I can sense the deaths of thousands in your life force... IT CLINGS TO THEE LIKE THE PLAGUE! NOW THOU SHALT DIE LIKE A RABID DOG!" I bellowed, taking note of how my voice resembled that of a corrupted being... but without the decided evil tone to it. Unbeknownst to me all of my erstwhile allies were sitting behind me gaping in awe at the feat of magic I was performing on the giant gecko... Hydra, Gecko... wha's d'ah difference? Both Alicorns were now fearful OF me and were shaking slightly at my use of such deadly force.

The rest of the purple plasmatic lightning collided against the rest of the hydras body, with mixed results ranging from; small fires, to pealing the scales of its hide, to explosions on certain areas that had more of the flammable viscous fluid on it than others. The main head, after several seconds of unrestrained contact, started charring in places, melting the skin off the muscle and muscle off bone... The giant monster was writhing on the ground, its tails and necks flailing about as it took millions of volts of electricity and several tons of Plasma to its frame. Its screams of agony swept through the village and the surrounding countryside, making all who heard it cover their ears and cringe in sympathy or pain. This all carried on for the better part of ten minutes, of me pouring constant power into the beast hoping that it would soon die, and of everyone else staring at me in wonder; trying to figure out when I would run out of energy... or when I would stop the needless torture of the hydra and just kill it.

"WOULD YOU JUST DIE ALREADY! YOU FOUL BEAST! DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" I cried out, several tears of hot blood trickling down my cheeks as the power coursing through my body started taking its toll. No more than five seconds after saying this I dropped down to one knee and cried out; the pain almost insurmountable and the will to keep going finally dying within me. I collapsed forward, landing on my hands and knees in the process. I could feel the beast was unable to move, having a trillion volts of electricity running through it made it almost impossible as it twitched about uncontrollable.

Suddenly the twitching of the body stopped, making me look at it in wonder, seeing as I could no longer feel it as of that moment in the force. I could hear the soft clacking noise of hoof and claw falls as two beings, whom I recognized as Luna and Aurora, walked towards me. I then proceeded to fall on my side and groan in pain, making them rush over to me.

"Dearest Corpus... Art thou severely injured?!" Luna cried softly, she was keeping her raging emotions in check, trying not to let her anger and fear control her actions right then. Even though... I could feel her anger and a light touch of hate in her Aura... Not much but it was there, So was her worry and anxiety... though I could not fathom why.

"Darth Corpus... What the hell did you do?!"Aurora asked in ancient Avian, she was no where near as worried as Luna, nor did she have anger and hate tearing into her. She was afraid, afraid of what I could have done to her had I not held up to my end... She was humbled and very confused as to why she was having thoughts of compassion towards me. Granted I could not tell what these thoughts were, but I could tell with the ting of such she left in the force that they were there.

"We art fine... Dearest Friends... Though that maniacal... Bloodthirsty DEVIANT over there... Should be dead..." I stated calmly as I rolled onto my back, looking up at the two concerned faces before me. "As to what we did... WE defended thou from a beast of such that would have given one of the Lesser BEHEMOTHS a run for their credits, or bits... in a fight... We could FEEL his blood lust... It is what affected thy Unicorn Guards... For that we art certain... It had a miasma so thick that it even made us sick..." I concluded.

"Dearest Corpus... How art thou able to call upon such power..." Luna asked cautiously as I struggled to regain my footing, leaning on the two women for support, using their quadrupedal forms to better stabilize myself. I leaned on Luna before pushing off and using the force to keep my body upright. I smiled warmly to them both, causing both women to blush for whatever strange reason... Yeah I was dense back then, go figure...

"Dearest Friends, Luna and Aurora... We art a master of arts that have been around longer than this planet has lived... We have just called upon the easiest of our abilities to slay thy foe before thou..." I laughed in my mind as I saw them gape in understanding, seeing their flabbergasted faces made me smile slightly.

"Aurora... We have yet to thank you for the help you gave us... We know that the guards shall see thee as an enemy of the state... To which we ask... Would thou like to become our newest apprentice... Thou dost not need to be able to use our powers... For there was once a great swordsman that could take on an army... granted the old bastard had four arms and the ability to crawl up any surface... But tis beside the point... Would though have us as thy teacher?" I would not see such a gifted swords-woman be declared a threat if I could handle it... Seeing as I was in a life debt to an immortal goddess that could move the moon and perform much stronger magic's than I.

"I-" Aurora was cut off as I suddenly jumped into action. I had felt the life force of the Hydra suddenly comeback to it, making it come fully awake and attack us the second it regained its barring's. Which was pretty damned fast. I shoved both Luna and Aurora out-of-the-way, making sure that Luna had secure hold of the child before doing so. The lead head then came crashing down upon me, swallowing me and a large portion of the earth under me whole.

I was later told that many of the guards and both Princesses were in shock at how easily I was 'Dispatched' at that moment. Granted I had saved three lives, but it was still a one in a million to have had that happen...

Author's Note

Have fun till next time guys... ;D

A Hospital Visit: Ch 10

I could feel my hands slip against the saliva coated walls of the Hydras throat as my fingers tried to find purchase. The last few seconds had been all but a blur for me; shoving Luna and Aurora out-of-the-way, getting swallowed whole by the beast I thought I killed and then being slowly sent down the beasts long serpentine neck, painfully I might add... seeing as its saliva was already disintegrating the remnants of my clothing. I didn't have my lightsabers with me, so that made for a 'I'm fucked' incident in my head... along with the fact that I could still hear the screams of the ponies as I felt the behemoth get up and continue its march towards them. The slow swaying I felt only confirmed my fears.

Knowing that I was fairly royally screwed I tried to come up with as many scenarios in my head to try an d effect an escape. First off I called on enough of the force to shield myself from the harmful ways of the hydras saliva... seeing as I didn't know what exactly it could do to me yet, and not wanting to find out.

"Lets see... I could try to call one of my sabers towards me... but that may not work seeing as I don't know how far in I am... I could try to take control of the creatures mind, and then have it regurgitate me... Hmm... to many ways THAT could go bad... I could-" I stopped my musings when I heard a VERY familiar cry... One I hopped to never hear again this night.

"LUNA!" I bellowed, pulling in a large influx of energy to my core, I curled up and became a small supernova in the beasts throat, one that everyone could see. White and blue energy formed around me, swirling around my fetal form. I then thrust out my limbs, releasing the mass of pent-up power, making the tissue around me explode outwards in a rain of gore and blood, which covered me seconds later. I then fell to the ground, seeing as I was twenty feet in the air. I then landed on my feet, ungodly amounts of energy flowing through my veins as I searched for my friend.

I spun about, using my force sense to hasten the search, and finding her no more than thirty feet away. I then shot off towards her as one of the beasts feet came crashing down towards her; one of her wings had been broken sometime before leaving her grounded and unable to fly. With my unexpected power boost I was able to make it to her in about four strides, coming to an abrupt stop just in front of her as my arms shot up and prepped to stop the descending foot.

Luna didn't even have enough time to register that I was there before the foot had come down upon us, slamming down upon my outstretched hands. The force of the blow made by the surrounding ground indent as I pulled on even more power, making my body glow a slight gold as I put all I could into keeping Luna and the child safe. Now where I stood was a large crater with me and the other two occupying the very center.

Luna then looked up after a few seconds, noticing that she wasn't a red stain on the ground. She saw me standing over her, a slight golden aura radiating from my body as I kept the foot from falling towards her anymore.

"Corpus?" She asked with disbelieving eyes. I gave her no answer as I lifted my right foot and took a step forward, inching the beast back a bit. I then took another step, and another, and another, continuing forward as I pushed the beast back. All of the ponies were awe-struck to see such a feat of arms being performed before them, knowing that none other could possibly ever accomplish this. Even the princesses were dumbstruck by this. Once I had arrived at the top of the crater I shoved the Hydra back, making it stumble and howl from the two remaining heads.

"Dread Creature... You have tried to eat me, kill me... To this I would forgive you... But you have struck at the innocent and tried to harm those that would even forgive you for such..." The aura had built up around me as it started to form a spire of pure force energy that stretched towards the sky. "BUT, Seeing as I WAS YOUR OPPONENT! I will be bestowing your judgment." I stared at the creatures face's as it howled at my impudence and made to strike at me.

"DIE..." I sifted up one hand... and the Hydra stopped, looking confused as it did so. I then lifted my other hand up towards it, and made the Hydra lift into the air, slowly at first, until it was about a hundred feet from the ground. By this time a few of the ponies had fainted from all the bull crap that had happened around them, from me kicking their ass to me now kicking the hydras ass. Luna was about ready to call hacks and flip a table and Celestia was trying not to get a brain aneurysm from the sheer ridiculousness happening in front of her. Or at least THAT'S WHAT I'D SAY WAS HAPPENING... seeing as they were behind me, I could only assume that they were just as dumbfounded as earlier, or worse, as I continued with my plan.

"You all might want to turn away..." I bellowed out, making many of them faint from the attention. I then howled as I made two gripped fists and started pulling them away from each other... Just as a loud ripping noise could be heard coming from the Hydra above us, along with its own howls of pain. There were hundreds of thousands of small tear marks all over the hydras body as time sped by at alarming rates. I then released my left hand-made for a figurative grab of its necks, ripping the fuckers off in one go. I then brought the body down hard, slamming it into the dirt, making a large crater. Before lifting it back up and doing it again and again, until the thing stopped twitching.

I then looked over to my right and shot out my arm, focusing on a large uncontested patch of land. I then made a lifting motion and carved large portion of the land out of the ground. I then quickly brought it down on the crater that the Hydras body was occupying, crushing the remains and sealing them in ten tons of earth and stone... leaving a large hole in the ground to my right where the earth came from.

Then, finally seeing that none of my allies were in danger I fell to the ground, falling unconscious before my head hit the dirt.

"SISTER, lower the moon this instance! WE must keep the order if the world is to go on!" Celestia howled as she soared after her sister, following her into the grand hall of the palace that led to the throne room. Both sisters landing and held their great swords en guard towards each other.

"Our subjects do not appreciate us! They stay away and inside during the night, coming out only during the day to bask in your glory while they shun me!" Luna, now with a black coat and fetching bright teal dragon-esk eyes. She bore similar armor to that she wore today, when I fought the Hydra... but it was different, slimmer, and did not cover as much... like most of it had been broken off... And upon closer examination I saw that there were many cuts and dings on her armor... showing that she had fought hard.

"Please sister, be reasonable... We can fix this... But only together!" Celestia cried out, a lone tear falling from here eyes. her armor was in similar condition, though half of her helm had been shattered, showing a large gash under her right eye. most of her other armor pieces had been bashed from her body as well, though the remaining pieces also showed many signs of a great battle.

"NO SISTER! FOR THE NIGHT SHALL LAST FOREVER! AND THESE POUR PESENTS WILL KNOW MY NAME!" Luna cried out as she charged at her sister... the vision cutting off as the clashed in the foyer.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" I jumped up, screaming, in an unknown bed in a medium-sized white room. I tried to immediately calm my breathing while looking around the room, seeing only a few things in it with me, besides the bed. There was a night stand to my left, with a heart monitor to my right, there was also a painting of the sun gracing many rolling hills sitting on the opposite wall from me. There was also a dresser sitting right under said painting, and in the far right corner of the room, from my angle anyways, was a single wood door. The room was illuminated by a large glass globe that let the sun light into the room from above. There was even a medium-sized window o my left as well, letting a small breeze waft in through it and aerate the room.

I then noticed that my own attire was different than to what I had previously been wearing. I could tell that I was indeed wearing nothing under the white covers I was laid under, save for a smallish hospital gown... I could tell that two of them had been sued together and used to drape over my large body. The bed was rather comfortable for hospital accommodations, though I have had better and far worse in my long life. Sitting there thinking about all my past experiences with hospitals, the good bad and interesting, I barely heard the soft knock that came from my rooms only door.

"OH! Come in..." I replied hastily, not wanting to be a disrespectful guest.

"Thank thou Corpus..." The angel like voice of Luna graced my ears as the door swung slowly open, letting the goddess of the night walk in. Looking at here I could see that she had been crying recently; her eyes were puffy and slightly blood-shot, her nose was a little runny, though not obviously so, her mane was slightly disheveled and she looked like she took on a rancor and lost...

"How art though Princess..." I spoke softly, feeling a slight headache build up behind my eyes. I gave her a small smile and motioned her to take a seat, calling one of the extra pillows from the closet over before tossing it to her.

"... What all do thou remember... Corpus..." She said hesitantly, showing that she was afraid of my answer.

"We remember the whole thing Princess... We remember the Hydra... The fight there after, It swallowing us, We blowing one of its heads up... Us then beating the stuffing out of it and burying its remains under several tons of rock, gravel, and dirt." I answered truthfully.

"Dost thou know how thou did all those things..." Luna asked, a sad tone etching her words.

"Well... At first it was just my own power that fueled me... until we pulled on everyponies abilities..." I smiled slightly at her shocked face.

"How did thou use our own powers to fuel thy destruction of that creature!?" She spoke loudly, backing away from me slightly at this revelation.

"All I did was use all of the strong emotions that permeated the area to fuel them... The fear of the guards was so strong that We could have created a force storm with it if centralized and molded correctly... Though what we did was far more controlled... What we mean though is that I called upon the power that each of the ponies emotions create within the force... drawing that into myself to strengthen our own attacks..." I tried explaining, and failing miserably.

"How does one even do such a thing Corpus?! It sounds... evil... To call on the emotions of others..." Her fears were starting to become evident to me as we continued our conversation.

"Well... It dost not drain them... If that is what thou are afraid of... And granted We have found that such emotions as FEAR are weak when compared to those of Loyalty, Generosity... and Love..." I sighed the last word out as I leaned back into my pillows.

"Why doest though say that...?" She said slightly confused.

"When one finds a solid rock, like loyalty, generosity, kindness, compassion, love, or even honor... one can then have the power to move true mountains to their whim..." I smiled slightly when I thought of a certain Sith that had pulled a Star-Destoryer out of space and right into the ground...

"So we have noticed..." Said a new voice from the door way. There stood Celestia, in all her alabaster glory... though not in the same glory as her younger sister. She beheld a golden tiara upon her brow, sitting just behind her horn. her wings were folded at her side, the tips reaching all the way back to her rump, similarly to Luna's, her light green, blue, and pink hair hung around her shoulders like a cascading waterfall, her tail cascaded over her rear like a water fall, though not as dramatically as her mane.

I sat up straight in my bead and bowed to the ruler of the day, giving her respect where I had previously not.

"Good day Princess... How might we help thee?" I said with a slight grin.

"We would like thou to continue answering our sister for now... we will just sit and listen." Celestia replied, we bowed to each other and she took a spot next to her sister. I could tell then how much taller Celestia was than Luna... a good foot or so at least separated the two AT LEAST!

"As thou wishes Princess... Princess Luna... If thou would..." I gestured with my hand for her to continue her questions.

"Ah yes... We must ask... What was that... that gold Aura.. that surrounded thee there at the end?" She questioned, not sure if she should even be asking this.

"That... Dearest Luna..." Referring her in the endearing way I used to for the first time since I had seen her again, "Was the force... I had started pulling so much of it through my body that we were burning... Effectively killing oneself to the effect of killing that damned lizard..." I spat out the last word like it was venom on my lips. Both alicorns gasped when they heard what my changing aura had meant.

"Thou..." They both couldn't from words to even TRY to express what they were thinking on the subject.

"We have heard of those that have, in the past, that have burned themselves to ashes in the pursuit of power... We have even seen it for ourselves... The young Devorian, his name was Faltorus... Was my apprentice... We had traveled to the one of the many sith home worlds and found a Nexus... WE had just been wanting to study it, trying to just figure out how it had been formed and such... But our apprentice had other plans... He had planned on using the nexus to boost his energy unnaturally... To use this power to kill us... and become the new master. But when he tried to release his power he opened himself to the nexus... and it flowed through him unabated.. burning his body into a charred husk." I said with a hint of grief in my voice, I had hoped that he would turn to the new ways I was trying to create at the time... But he instead held true to the old ways... and got himself killed in the process.

"That... sounds terrible Dearest Corpus... How could such a stallion even try something like that?" Luna questioned, trying to wrap her head around the whole concept along with her sister. Granted I had told Luna of how things had worked before... She had never once gotten an example of what some paid for power.

"The price of power is great... and some are just to weak to handle the responsibility... We have paid countless sacrifices to have obtained the power we used today..." I told them, being completely honest with them.

"What kind of Sacrifices..." Celestia asked as Luna tried to compose herself after my last answer.

"From a young age we knew that we were different... We have the Gifted Curse of immortality... Living for eons instead of decades... As is our people's curse for wanting power. We have personally lived through hundreds, if not thousands, of wars that would have killed one being billions of times over... even trillions... We have faced the wrath of an immortal goddess that wished the total control of the universe and as a cost of victory over her we had to walk the line and try to keep from falling into despair. We have even sacrificed personal feeling for the life of others less fortunate than ourselves... Creating an entire empire just for those with a devastated life could live once again." I named a few of the hundreds of things I had done for my power, and for others... knowing that they would respect some of what I had done.

"By the creator... Thou are hundreds of years old... but thou looks so young!" Celestia cried out, having been unable to continue listening once she learned I was immortal.

"Dearest Corpus... Thou never told us this... Why have you kept this from us?" Luna asked, tears staining her eyes as they threatened to pour over. With Celestia being occupied with her own thought I took it upon myself to comfort the midnight blue mare. I slowly got up from my bead, somehow not alerting the two of them to my movements as they were looking away from me, Luna towards the floor and Celestia towards the wall to my right. I got down on one knee and slowly wrapped my arms around the blue colored alicorn... Exuding an aura of calm reassurance and love from my person, wrapping it around her as she then let some of her tears trail down her cheeks, pulling her into my chest for comfort. I then let her shed her silent tears on my shoulder...

"Thank thou... Dearest Corpus..." Luna then leaned into my chest and let me rock her in my arms.

"Um... Sir..." Celestia said, being rather timid compared to the rest of her time around me.. Spoke up trying not to disturb Luna all that much seeing that she was having a moment and all.

"Yes... Princess?" I asked, slightly confused as to her reason for calling on me this time.

"We must... Apologize... For our earlier actions... Our sister informed us of some of what thou had been though in your time here... And we would like to reconcile with thou... And possibly have a true set of introductions..." She was blushing slightly, I was slightly taken aback, here was the princess of the sun, blushing for her ineptitude... and not just brush it off and go on with her day. granted the color of her cheeks was making me slightly nervous about her other intentions... "It also might go without saying that... We still do not truly know thy name..." She blushed even more at this, feeling embarrassed that she had never really caught my name.

"That is quite alright Princess... Our name is thus..." I stood tall, helping Luna to her hooves as she soon stopped crying to be apart of whatever it was I was going to do. I called some of my dark side energy to myself, using it to cloth myself slightly in a cloak that cascaded over my shoulders and pooled at my feet, spilling all over the ground around me. "Dark Lord Corpus, Ex-King and Emperor To the Demi-Empire of the Sith..." They both gave a slight gasp to my changed appearance and stepped back a few feet. I then knelt down and bowed my head to both of them. "At your Service Princesses..." I heard Luna give a half choked chuckle while Celestia went bug-eyed at my titles and how I was portraying myself.

"Thou... Thou... are, or were... A king!?" Celestia said bug-eyed, mouth agape and hanging low in a cartoonish fashion.

"Yes... And if thou wishes to hear of what mine other title means... We would liken thy attention to MY Dearest Luna here... For she knows what We have been..." I smiled halfheartedly at Luna as she gave me a small glare, thou I could feel her thanks in the force I played along with her guise.

"Um... Might we ask... What ever happened to that gryphon girl who was with us... I owe her a debt of gratitude..." This earned a slightly dubious look from both the princesses.

"How dost a villain like that earn thy debt of gratitude?" Luna asked, slightly miffed at such a prospect.

"Yes, Lord Corpus... It is... Slightly dubious in nature, wouldn't thou think?" Celestia enquired.

"Well, under normal circumstances it would be... She was one of the only ones to have been of any challenge to us in a one on one... At one point in the challenge she was forced to remove her armor, revealing what she was... All of those we fought were male, and thus made her the only female, and a captain at that, once this had occurred she was turned on by all her forces. She then stood by my side, watching our back and making sure we were not flanked. She then kept watch over the entrance to the township... making sure we had a viable way of escape... even while defending herself from her fellow warriors." I explained everything to them, leaving out all of the things that led up to her armor removal and some of the more grotesque things I had done.

"By the creator... We see... But dost thou believe in her oath to thee? Is it wise?" Celestia asked, skeptically, though understandingly.

"She stood with us as hundreds of arrows rained down on our position and fought by our side when we charged the Gryphon lines... We doubt that she would betray us... Now... Where art she..." My face hardened as I preempted her answer, feeling her emotions, and some of her thoughts, through the force.

"She is currently being held in the dungeon... We had done so, seeing as she was station with enemies of the state and crown... We could not just allow her to roam free." Celestia said wearily.

"Huh... I understand Princess... Now, we have several more questions... Dearest Luna... Did thou ever see an odd-looking contraption near where you had found us? And also, where is that colt we had given to thee to care for..." I inquired of the Ruler of the Night. She cocked her head slightly to the left and answered my questions concisely.

"Um we had not seen much that night... seeing as the night was black and the rain permeated the area... Tis possible that what thou is speaking of is still there though... As for the child, he is actually in the room next to thou. He had suffered a severe concussion and needed immediate medical aid... But other than that he shalt recover post hast..." Luna relaxed after her little oratory and leaned against my bed. Since showing my allegiance to the two Princesses I had taken a sitting position on the bed, sitting to Luna's immediate right.

"Lord Corpus..." Celestia spoke up, catching my attention, "Is there anything thou would like while waiting to recover?" Celestia asked, making it sound like I would be in here for a while. I laughed. "What's the mater?" Celestia asked, slightly confused and cross at my laughing at her.

"Oh tis noting Princess... Just that We won't be in here much longer than a few hours at best, We have the ability to accelerate our healing processes... Dearest Luna here could tell thee... We spent only a month laying about healing a severed spinal column and several broken bones in the span of a few weeks... So these little wounds are child's-play." I chuckled at her flabbergasted face as I leaned back on the bed, placing my arms behind me as I leaned on my hands.

"Tis true sister... We would not believe it either save we were there to watch the whole endeavor ourselves." Luna said, trying to stifle a giggle or two.

"We... See... Well... Dost thou still need anything?" Celestia said, trying to not let any of what we had said faze her.

"Well, if thou could, we would be quite grateful for a set of clothes... Seeing as the ones We were wearing were destroyed... beyond repair it seems." I said with a slight chuckle.

"We dost not see why not... Though we art curious as to the need of such things..." Celestia quipped.

"In our universe it is unseemly to go around in nothing but your skin and fur... unless thou're a Wookie or some other being that can hid its genitals within its body or under a large mat of fur... And seeing as we art not a ten foot tall walking carpet... We need clothing!" I bellowed out, making sure to strike a goofy looking pose atop my perch on the bed. This elicited giggles from both of the mares, though only socially accepted ones form the Sun Princess.

"Then we shalt acquire some post hast for thee... But for now please stay within thy room until such provisions have arrived." Celestia said monotone before leaving me and Luna to regale in the events of last night.

"Dearest Luna... Would thou please go retrieve the colt from his room... We would like to... expedite his recovery." I grinned slightly to the dark blue mare beside me, making her smile a good natured, yet devious, smile before leaping from the bed and hurriedly retrieving the child. I then leaned back on my bed and awaited Luna's and the boys return... Thinking of all I could do for the young stallions mind as I waited... Hoping I would be able to heal him of more than just his bodily injuries...

Author's Note

To warn all of you.. the next few chapters might contain things that might upset you... One of them being rape.... So proceed with caution... But i will label the chapter that contains it itself.

Beginning of the Dream Worlds: Ch 12

With very little will power put into my motion I suddenly found the both of us tumbling through a large space like area, there were millions upon millions of stars hanging around us, some even floated by. Some were black, some were blue, others were white, red, orange, and yellow... A few were even green. There were even a few that were a rainbow of colors swirling about in a vortex... It all intrigued me to no end and was something I would have studied for days If Luna had not grabbed the hem of my cloak and dragged me off in the direction of a white and black bubble.

As we got closer to it I could almost make out some of the things happening inside the dream itself... They weren't pretty... Gryphons were attacking his family, they had already killed his brothers and one of his sisters... His mom had died protecting the younger brothers with her life, only falling when she was stabbed multiple times in the barrel... the blades piercing her heart. He heard his youngest siblings cry as he was ripped apart in the other room... And that's when the Gryphons busted down his bedroom door and started attacking him, his father then rushed in after them and started killing them, busting beaks into skulls and crushing their weaker frames with his heavy hoof falls.

Luna and I then appeared right next to the stallion, right as he kicked a Gryphon with both his hind legs, sending it flying into the far wall with a sickening thud. I whirled around and planted my right foot in another Gryphons back, snapping like a twig before breaking its neck. Both the stallion and the boy looked at us in shock at our sudden appearances.

"We art here to help!" I cried out as I punched another Gryphon in the face before latching onto its right leg with my left hand and swinging it around and into one of its fellows. Luna delivered a swift uppercut to another Gryphon and sent it sprawling on the floor, dead or unconscious I couldn't tell.

The stallion gave me a slight nod as I stood next to him and beat several other Gryphons down as they got close. Luna made her way towards the back while the stallion and I fought the encroaching horde. I landed a punch to a Gryphons beak, cracking it and sending it stumbling back before it came right back at me, claws getting ready to gut me. I then lashed out with my right leg and sent it sprawling with a roundhouse to the ribs.

The stallion clobbered another two Gryphons with his heavy hoofed blows, sending them tumbling down like a sack of potatoes. A Gryphon tried to sink its claws into his hindquarters when I grabbed its arms and flung it into a gaggle of its fellows, sending them sprawling to the ground in a mess of limbs. The stallion then dived behind me and buried his front hooves in the faces of two Gryphons that had tried to flank me.

Being in a dream seemed to negate my sense of force danger... Rendering my precognition useless, seeing as I was not in danger from these dreams anyway. The stallion and I were still beating away at the Gryphons when I noticed why they didn't seem to stop coming. The damned bastards would hit the ground and then get right back up no lees than a few seconds later and charge right back into the fray! All I could think at the moment was that Luna would get to the young boy soon and end this nightmare.

I leapt over the stallion and tackled two Gryphons to the ground before picking them up by their throats and chucking them, one right after the other, at their friends, making them act like bowling balls. The stallion then jumped behind me and head butted a Gryphon to the ground, where I then soccer kicked it all the way through the door...

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!" Several Gryphons on either side of the door held up giant white cards with numbers on them... Three '10's and one 4 could be seen on their cards going left to right... I just looked at the one on the end with the four, giving him a scowl. The other three saw my look and looked at the cards and saw why. They all then jumped him and proceeded to beat the forever living crap out of him!

Having a SLIGHT twitch at the dream antics I shook my head and went back to beating the tar out of any Gryphon that got within arms reach of me, or leg... Depending on my mood. I then leaped over backwards and released a force push in a wide arc against the Gryphons, sending them all back while I and the stallion regrouped. I picked up a large piece of timber and prepared to use it as a bat, just while the stallion picked up his own in his moth and dug his into it for a greater grip.

As we were about to launch into a new bout of Gryphon Ass kicking... The world went white...

Perspective change: Luna

Several minutes earlier

I raced along the path of broken chairs and tables, wondering where all this trash came from... and then scolding myself for thinking of rationalization in a dream... Anything is possible in a dream! Jumping and leaping over various debris I finally made it to the end of the room, what awaited me was a n overturned table and a gaggle of broken chairs. flipping them over and dumping the chairs onto the floor I found what Corpus and I had come looking for, Magus. He was laying on the ground with several cuts and lacerations covering his body. He screamed in surprise and shuffled up against the wall, away from me.

"Magus, Tis us, Princess Luna... We art here to save thee! Just come with us and we shalt be able to free thee of this desolate place." I Told him reassuringly as I got down on the floor in front of him. I leveled my eyes at him and gazed into his deep Golden eyes. "We are here to Protect thee... If thou comes with us we shalt be able to leave this place..." I said as soft as a coo from a mothers lips. The colt then Nodded slowly and struggled to get up off the floor.

Seeing this I enveloped him in my magic and slow, and quite gently, placed him on my back. He then snuggled into my back and sighed out a thanks. Feeling him wrap his arms around my neck I got up of the floor and started at a slow trot towards our friends.

"Thanks... be to thee, Princess..." The colt said as I felt tears fall onto my neck and stain my coat. I soon began to gallop with the child on my back, vaulting over taller obstacles and bodies as we went. We soon arrived upon the scene of the child's father and Corpus readying for another charge.

"Magus... We need thou to do something for us..." I called softly to the young colt on my back.

"Yeas Princess?" He said with a slight whimper.

"We need thee to think of a peaceful place... Somewhere where thou art always smiling and free of the worlds matters..." I spoke softly into his ear as I kept one eye on the two stallions to my left.

"I'll try Princess..." He said as his face scrunched up. "I can't Princess..." He cried out.

"Just Try Magus... We believe in thou..." I cooed, making his ear twitch softly.

"Al-Alright, I'll try again Princess!" I said with determination, his face then scrunched up again and the entire scene around us, that only I could see, began to fade... until there was a bright flash and we were no longer where we were.

Perspective change: Darth Corpus

Present time in the dream world

Presently there was a large vista rolling out before us. Small rolling hills that hid a winding stream and a small meadow off to the side that was partially surrounded by a large grave of trees. Large, billowing, puffy, white clouds rolled lazily across the sky, the sun's rays beaming down through the clouds, arraying the land in bright patches. The three of us were standing atop a grassy knoll, the shadows of the clouds rolling across our faces as we regained our senses.

Luna regained her senses first and slowly lowered herself to the ground, the sounds of a sobbing child filling the serene silence of the meadow. She gently grabbed the colt by the scruff of his neck in between her teeth and gently lowered him to the ground. upon hitting the dirt he crumpled over and cried openly; all his fear, anger, hate, lose, and innocence, it all came pouring out of him in a torrent. Luna, knowing how he was feeling since facing discord with her sister, rested one of her great wings across his shoulders and back and brought him closer to her body, where she then nuzzled him and whispered words of sorrow to him; telling him that he was not alone in his lose and how she knew all too well how he felt.

At her words I gave her a curious glance and filled away that last bit for a later, much MUCH later, conversation. During their heart-felt moment I came over and knelt next to them and brought them into a hug of my own, dragging the colt up from the ground and into my right arm while my left hung loosely around Luna's neck. The colt then began to cry, unperturbed, into my shoulder as he threw his fore legs around me neck and shoulder and squeezing tightly. During all this I could not see that luna herself was blushing madly from our close proximity, Well she thinks I didn't notice but at the time I just passed it off as the after effects of a good cry.

"Magus... We have felt what you feel now... You may come and ask either of us anything you want while in our care... For none should have to see their own parents die before them..." I Brought my hand up and cupped the back of his head comfortingly, bringing him in against my chest and shoulder reassuringly. The young boy simply nodded his head into my shoulder and kept crying for the next hour or so, dream time anyway, In this time Luna had broken away from me and had decided to walk around a little, exploring the childs dream world while I consoled him.

"...Thank... You... Mister..." Magus whispered out in between sobs, to my utter surprise. I then hugged him tight once again, showing him that I had indeed heard his words.

"It is no trouble... No trouble at all..." I sighed out, feeling melancholic at the childs utterly destroyed state of being. After another few minutes Luna returned from her little expedition and almost immediately magus' cries ended. Both Luna and I looked to each other in confusion before the world went white and we were thrown out of his mind.

Time: Present

Location: The Waking World

I jerked awake and found myself once again in my hospital wardrobe and sitting upon my hospital bed, also feeling a little stiff. I quickly looked around the room and found that Luna was in a similar state of disorientation and was trying to get to her hooves. I then heard a long sob and quickly snapped my attention over to Magus. Upon locking eyes with him i saw that he was quietly crying, and had looked like he had been crying for well over a few hours. I then did what any sensible parent would do... I reached over and picked him up and brought him to my chest, letting him bury his head in the crook of my neck and wrap his legs around my neck. To any that would have just glanced at the scene would have thought it endearing... But to those of us in the room it was sad and heart breaking in almost every sense.

The little kid simply bawled his eyes out into my neck, asking if all that had happened was true, to which I gave a small whisper of a 'yes' as a reply, to which he cried even more. This went on for about five minutes before Luna and I heard a faint gasp come from the door way. There stood the regal form of Celestia, her mouth hanging in a slight 'O' shape as she looked upon the depressed beings occupying the room.

"What dost thou need Princess..." I asked in a quipped tone, making both Luna nad Celestia flinch slightly from the underlying hostility, granted my face was like one set in stone, my flat expression would have given even a Jedi a run for their money.

"Thy garments are ready for thee Lord Corpus... And please, a friend of Luna's is a friend of ours... So Celestia is just fine.." Celestia said rather awkwardly, to which I simply nodded.

"Then we thank thee, Celestia, for thy hospitality and thy generosity... It becomes such, that a ruler would be able to offer such to a stranger." I said with a hint of a smile cracking my stone like visage. "And if thee are bequeathing such an honor to us than we shalt give thee one as well... We art longer naught a lord or king, so thee art naught to call us such, Corpus, is fine enough..." Celestia nodded her thanks and floated over a large bundle of white and blue clothing. Keeping my arms snugly wrapped around the still grieving colt I caught the garments in my telekinesis, making Celestia gape slightly, and brought them to a gently stop on the foot of my bed.

"Thank thee Celestia... Now, We must go back to our grieving colt here... He has-" I would have continued but a loud snore interrupted my train of thought, leaving me to look down at the child clutched in my arms. Looking him over I found that he had fallen asleep, and looked to be dreaming soundly. I smiled softly before shifting my position and setting him down on the bed covers, forming a small cocoon around his body with the covers as I got up out of bed.

"Um... Corpus..." I heard a rather flustered Celestia cough out, which in turn made me flip around, my hands flying to my bum expectantly. With my quick motion the improvised patient's gown that had been tied around my neck and waist shifted to the side and gladly displayed my manhood to all those there to see. I went completely red in the face just as both Princesses went bug-eyed and agape, blushes of their own lighting up their own features like star. Upon closer look though one could have proclaimed that Luna's blush was far deeper, and far brighter than her white furred sisters; whom of which showed such things far more easily.

"Oh... So THAT'S why thou where's cloths... We see... A lot..." Celestia blurted out, while Luna in fact thought the same... though didn't bother in vocalizing her thoughts on the matter. "It's so... Big..."

"Alright, BOTH of thee can leave! We need to get dressed! Shoo both of ya!" I quickly pulled myself together and covered my manhood while shooing the Princesses out of my room. They both quickly left, Luna shooting me one last hopeful glance before bolting out the door. I then threw the dead bolt and placed a chair under the door knob, sealing my self in and away from the Princesses.

"Well... That could have gone better... Or it could have gone a HELL of a lot worse..." I said to myself as I went over and picked up my new cloths. The pants were a soft blue color with an embroidered moon and sun yin-yang sign portrayed proudly on both hips with a golden pinstripe embroidered down each side for the seams. the shirt was a normal white, loose-fitting, fleece shirt one would normally find in a reenactment. The neck was somewhat frilly, as was the cuffs around my hands, the entire ensemble was brought together with a black sash like belt that had a red band around the middle of it sown right in.

"Well, at least its stylish... Kinda" I laughed to myself and started throwing on my new garments, using half of the gown I was wearing as a new set of underwear.

Several Minutes Later

"Alright, The two of thee may come in..." I said with a slightly husky tone, making both Princesses blush up a storm as they walked in, only to see me laying on my side on the bed. spread out like one of those guys on the cover of play girl... Or whatever the frack it is... Eh fuck-ti. Both mares looked at me in varying stages of incredulity, both ending with a slight deadpan stare with their cheeks still lit up like a firestorm.

"Hardy-Har-Har... Now what dost thou need Corpus..." Luna said flatly, making me stare at her blankly.

"Well, we need thy sister here to stay and watch over thy subject... While the two of us go and retrieve our ship and other equipment." This piqued Celestia's interest as she walked farther into the room, standing a few paces away as i got up off the bed.

"What dost thou mean, ship? We thought thou had been brought her by unknown means..." Celestia asked, slightly weary now.

"Well, tis slightly true... We dost know naught how we came to be HERE on this planet... But we dost know how we got HERE, to this universe..." I quipped, making Celestia groan in anoyance. "We used a Delta 7 Jedi Starfighter that We had aqcuired from an abandoned Venator Class Star-Destroyer... We had used a very powerful ability during our last engagement against the GA that had ripped a Wormhole in space and sucked up the remnants of the GA fleets, destroying them... We had then flown into the 'EYE' per say and then ended up here... Though the last part was done in chance that We might end our continued existence, BUT thankfully We ended up here and have found new reasons to live and continue living for the next few centuries anyhow." I said quite cheekily, making Luna blush and Celestia look at us with suspicious eyes. Though I had only done such to get Luna under Celestia's radar per-say.

"WE... See... Very well then, we shalt watch over the young one while thou goes and retrieves thy things... All we ask is that thou come back shortly... And safely." Celestia said as I slipped on my combat boots, they had thankfully left those at the end of my bed... Though I had only seen them once I had walked around for a few minutes.

"Very well... Mother!" I chortled, Celestia gave me an odd look before puffing up her cheeks and walking over to the bed and sitting down on her haunches. Luna gave a quiet giggle as i made my way towards the door, waving dismissively at the white furred Alicorn behind me.

"So... How art we able to locate thy ship, Dearest Corpus?" Luna inquired as we made our trek through the halls of Ivory City and on-wards towards the front gates.

"Well, We have spent so long with the ship and with our friend in it that We would be remiss if we could not find it... Besides it being the only source of power in a jungle the size of a large town..." I said jokingly, earning a small 'harumgh' from Luna which only fulled my laughter. Luna then soon joined me in my mirth, seeing as it was helping to relive the stressful situation we had placed ourselves in not to long ago... Our laughter could be heard echoing about the castle, bringing a slight smile to those that had seen the melancholy expression of Princess Luna not more than a month ago...

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading this and enjoying it as much as I have had writing it and reading it myself!

This entire story has been a joy to write and post for others to enjoy thus far... So please, tell me how ya feel! XD

The Droid From Hell: Ch 13

The majestic Alabaster Gates of the Ivory City came into view as the two of us strolled the city streets, I shrouded in darkness and Luna walking in plain sight. None of the ponies or guards in sight paid us any great mind as we walked the grey and red brick pathways. As we passed a group of ponies, gossiping among them selves about the day-to-day goings of the castle, Luna only resieved 'lip servise' as their way of paying respect, making quick bows and stating empty nothing to the Midnight mare before going back to their idolatries.

"Luna, my Dearest Princess, Thou hast no need to concern thyself with the likes of those not appreciative of thy night..." I whispered into her ear, my cloaked form trailing in her shadow. We were almost within spitting distance of the Gates when I heard Luna sigh.

"What use tis this role of ours if the ones we care for think naught of us but a figure head for our own sibling to role about in the dark... Thou hast naught just seen her pomposity... But been the center of it as well..." Luna's low dejected voice carried gently between our close space, not even becoming more than a whisper on the wind before it past beyond our range of hearing.

"Though that tis true, Dearest Luna... Though tis why naught a thing thy sister said causes us much ire... Dealing with politicians for most of our lives had hardened us to such a thing as that. Thou dost not but just talk with us and thou shalt find a semblance of relief from the arduous dealings of thy rule and family." I said with my ghost like figure appearing for a second next to her to smile, which earned me a gracious smile and a warm blush in return before I returned to nothing.

After we walked for a few more minutes we came upon the front city gates... 'Ori Albis' The "White Mouth" as it was called by the ponies. It was a large structure, an AT-ST could have safely traversed under its magnificent arches... It was that large. Seeing it put me in awe as I did not notice Luna start to get ahead of me. The Structure itself was a large Alabaster lined thing, looking more like the entrance to a cathedral than a gate... And where the walls were white the gates were an Obsidian Black, making for a striking contrast.

After pulling myself out of my reverie I took notice of Luna's progress and rushed after her. The two of us finally going beyond the city, very little fanfare upon our exit.

We began our small sojourn into the country side at a slow walk, taking in the sparsely decorated farm houses that dotted the area along with their various fields of corn, wheat, barley, and other various fruits, veggies, and nuts. Walking out of the Ivory City the roads were well paved with cobblestone and brick... But after a good hours walk the road began turning into a dirt covered mess, where in most places it didn't even exist.

Luna had adorned her normal Regalia; a lighter Midnight blue necklace like piece hung around her neck, with her mark emblazoned upon its large face, she also beheld a silver tiara upon her crown, just behind her horn; it itself had around seven gems upon its rise, with the largest siting right in the middle parallel with her horn. She also wore hardened Silver shoes upon her hooves which reached almost up to her second knee.

Along with her wardrobe change she had also had her hair braided up in the back, not all of it though, just enough to hold the rest in a fetching back due. Through our entire walk she had held her head high, making herself seem all the ruler that she indeed was, even when those passing her did not give her the benefit of the time of day... Seeing her in such a situation I decided to break the silence.

"Luna, Dearest Princess of ours... Dost thou wish to vent thy frustrations upon thy plebeian like subjects? Seeing as they delivers thou not thy deserved respect for defeating Discord and raising the sun for their continued benefit?" I asked, a hint of anger in my voice, though she knew it was not directed at her. She knew so for my force presence had enveloped her ever since we had left the city, covering her in a sense of praise, respect, reassurance, and love for how strong she had been during the whole farce of a march to and fro the city gates.

"Aye, Corpus... Tis not but a foul taste in thy mouth from dealing with such poppas beings such as them... They deserve not the title of Noble! Aristocratic dogs that they are!" Luna growled, her anger slightly baffled me at its intensity, though did not entirely surprise me... Being a master of the dark and such... "But the fact that they defy my rule in such a base way is almost on the edge of treason... All are supposed to AT LEAST show difference in stature when dealing with royalty, or just one of higher standing naught this farce of a reception We received when walking our very own streets!" She bristled and took a deep breath before continuing on.

"Tis not the fault of ignorant Stallions and Mares, but the benign cyst that exits within my own household... But alas We could never fault our sister for her undertakings... Though she dost naught know my hindered presence upon her brighter duties... IT still pains us." Luna let out a pained sigh as all her frustrations were let out in the sun... and given to me to look upon with unsullied eyes.

"Thou sayeth that Celestia burdens thou without her knowledge, correct?" Luna nodded as I continued, "Then fight to be naught but a shadow over her, naught the other way around." I could tell that my words had definitely intrigued my friend and companion, making her quirk her head to the side in intrigue.

"What dost thou mean by this, Dearest Corpus?" Luna inquired, her voice slightly taken with reservation.

"What we mean Dearest Friend Luna, Is that thou should work to either become an equal to her in thy own. Working to better the kingdom in thy own way that is dramatically and irrevocably distinguished from thy sisters own way, marking it as thy own hoof in the rule per say." Luna gave me a weird smile before giggling and giving me a passionate nuzzle.

"Thank thee, Dearest Corpus... Thou dost know aught of the heart and how to mend such a broken item." Luna murmured into my ear as she pulled away from the right side of my face, leaving me with a bright blush almost as deep as hers, though she could not see it. I grinned, like a mad man after seeing his experiment come to fruitation, and quickly wrapped my arms around Luna in a warm embrace.

"EEP!" She squealed as I hugged her close to my chest, making her blush even more at the close contact.

"NO... Thank Thee... Dearest Luna... Thou hast given us a reason to live and breath on this planet thou lives on..." 'And even a reason to love again...' I thought to myself as I let go of the red faced blue furred alicorn.

"Umm..." was all she could say as she blushed even more as I chuckled slightly at her speechlessness.

"Let us be gone dearest Luna... It is not to much farther." I said, a smile still on my face as I began again my journey to my ship.

Twenty minutes later, and a small ruckus between two farmers and a sheep, wee had made it to the edge of the forest my ship was supposedly in.

"Thou art ready Luna?"

"Aye, Corpus we art indeed..."

At that we walked into the forest and into a world of wonder. The trees were far brighter and colorful here than anywhere else; bright shades of blue, green, yellow, pink, orange, red, and teal lined the forest ceiling. Flowers, leaves, and even the bark were this menagerie of colors.

"Quite the place... isn't it?" I whispered out as I let my camouflage drop, the shadows falling away to reveal my eight foot form. My clothing from earlier still wreathed my tall frame as I walked over to stand with Luna as she laid her eyes upon the sobering sight before her. She was to busy taking in the magnificence in front of her to hear my words, so taking that into question I stayed silent and waited for her to come too.

"It... It's... Beautiful... How did we not know aught of this place before? Or even see its majesty when we rescued thee?" She whispered just loud enough so that I could hear her, by no doing of her own.

"Tis naught what one sees when it is first there... But what one sees when it is still there the next time..." I replied as I walked over and placed a comforting hand on her left shoulder, making her flinch slightly at the unwarranted contact. She then turned slightly and gave me a warm smile before walking on into the forest, with me trailing a step behind her... My hand never leaving her shoulder.

The pathways in the forest were large and well trodden, to a point, and were quite well furnished with benches and memorials to some of the locals that had put effort into the recreational areas of the forest. We even passed a single grave that displayed the burial sight of the Forest recreationist's resting place, a MR. Golden Heart of Ivory City... Lived to be 88 and was lived on by five boys and three girls and many grand children His wife's name was also emblazoned under his; a Mrs. Tender Heart of Ivory city, lived to be 89 and had died only a few months after the husband.

After paying our respects we continued on at random for a while, looking at the flora and just having a grand time. Though we moved at random I still was keeping our path headed in the direction of my ship, though only slightly.

Next we found a bench, it had a plaque on it that stated a gift was given by a family called the 'Duchy of Sparkle' back in the year 12,162 of Discords era, The 12th of Agustus, just over a year or two before my arrival. It was now 12,163, The 10th of Lorum. There we sat and talked for a few minutes about the days happenings and what had been on our minds before we just fell into a comfortable silence.

"Dearest Luna... We have a... Revelation for thee, concerning our being the only one from our universe being here..." I suddenly stated, drawing a confused glance from Luna. She was sitting less than three inches away from me on the large bench, still adorned in her daily royal attire, laying out similar to a sphinx. This gave her a very regal look when she abruptly fluffed her wings and addressed me.

"What dost thou mean, dearest Corpus? We were under the impression that thou was indeed the only survivor..." Luna's slightly hurt tone caught me off guard, making me cringe at the thought of not having told her sooner. Her slightly fluster wings, along with her posture and attire, set me up to receive the worst saddened gaze I had ever seen, and in my long life that's saying something.

"Our reasons for doing so Luna were not out of deceit or of any such concept, our dearest princess... My friend was somewhat forgotten by me until such time as we decided to go on this expedition for our ship. When thou hast finally met him... Thou will have come to know why we kept such knowledge from thee... Even if unintentionally." My words seemed to have disillusioned any ill feeling my esteemed royal friend had towards me upon hearing of my half-assed apology. She still had a air of disappointment about her, but it no longer held the venomous feel of contempt along with it. She gale a small sigh and gave me a slight condescending look and going back to watching the leafs flutter about in the air around us with their rainbow of colors.

"IF, thou art ready Corpus, it would be prudent for thou to continue one thy way..." Luna suddenly snapped at me, drawing my attention and slightly confused ire. She then brought her legs up to her side and tucked her wings in before gracefully climbing off the bench and giving me an even glare.

"If thou hast willed it of us, so shall it be." I replied and got to my feet and strode past her in a stride and a half. Once over taking her I continued my meter and a half pace, quickly making her know she had pissed me off with her attitude. I passed many trees and bushes as I made Luna walk at a high trot, just trying to keep up with my much longer legs. She may have been an equine, but I had endurance and much longer legs on my side... and maybe a little rage had leaked into my muscles to try and push me on, but I didn't care.

After a few more minutes of walking, or in Luna's case running, we made it to the clearing from all those months ago. This section of the forest was much different from the rest of it... The leafs were all a uniform dark green and the bark of the surrounding trees were a sickly dark grey, almost black, color. The bushes around the clearing were leafless and bare of any other hint of life save the dried up forms of some small berries. In the center of the clearing was a large tri-angular structure. At one end was a large bulbous thing with a fine come out of it along with two smaller bulbous things sticking out at from a couple feet below it. The rest of the shape was covered in small bulbous things that dotted its surface, along with a large 'hole' on the right side of it that had been filled with vines and leaf matter.

Well, at least that's what all Luna had seen when she first saw it, what I saw was the leaf and vine covered shape of my supped up Delta 7 star fighter and the absence of my droid counterpart... It seems that the cockpit had been sealed and that nothing else had been tampered as I went about wiping off the vines and leafs. As I wiped it down I could hear the small gasps come from Luna as she laid her eyes upon the biggest piece of alien tech she would pry ever see in her near life time... Though for the future years she may very well see something rather spectacular, or devastating...

"This...is amazing corpus... We have not seen such a thing as this in all our years... Does this manner of machine still work?" Luna said once I had finished clearing the refuse from my black ships surface. The color of its hull was there for all to see; it was covered in a mat black that detailed all the panels and surfaces of the ship, even a special one way paint had been applied to the cockpit for complete black out. Upon its black surface one could pick out smallish white dots, each one about the size of your thumb. These small dots simulated the back drop of space as the ship flew about it, tricking the eye into see nothing but stars as it raced about to kill its prey.

It was the perfect killing and reconnaissance machine, at least when it had its designated droid pilot with it.

"If thou thinks this is something, then thou might want to wait and see our friend... Without him this thing might as well be a giant paper weight..." I chuckled at her perplexed look, making my smile widen and actually reach my eyes for the second time that day.

"Now, if you would be so kind as to come out Grr, there's no need to hide from my friend here... She won't hurt you, not unless she wants me to spank her..." I then gave Luna a pointed, yet seductive, glare and turned my gaze from her shocked and flustered form back to a set of thick bushes on the other side of my ship. The bushes then started to rustle and move as a dark green shape made its way out from behind the bushes, trailing some of the vines and such that had been once present on my ship.

"Good day Grr, how's it been my friend?" I asked as I walked around the ship and knelt before the droid. G-R stood at about the and a half feet tall and his R frame was covered in a thin layer of dark green fauna, the vines looped up and over his arms and around his circular half come.

"Brrr uoop... Dring ba daruurr... Beep bing bing zrring..." 'My lord... What the fuck... Where the hell have you been you ass!' The droid barked at me in binary... Quite artfully too, he was more than a little pissed. Especially as he then popped open his utility arm and proceeded to zap me several times with his arc welder.

"GOD DAMMIT!" I yelled as several hundred volts of electricity ran through my veins and sent me careening to the ground in a heap of twitching limbs and cries of pain.

"GRRRing Bing Beep Tweet Bing Dwon pip mroan brrrup zzzzip rrrrribr" 'You deserved that you chipper ass hole! You left me out here for a whole months worth of rotations and never even thought to check on me! You're lucky I don't shoot you as well!' Let it never be said that my companion didn't have a mouth on 'im... There was a reason I love that droid as a brother... And sometimes a son.

"Corpus!" Luna shouted, coming close to her canterlot style shout she had preformed once before on me.

"Don't!" I shouted, "It's fine Dearest Luna, he just decided to give us a piece of his mind after I left him here for a damned month... Which he just reminded us that he could have shot me instead and been done with it..." My last comment made Luna go pale faced before sitting down and looking at me and my friend slack jawed and wide eyed.

"breed, dew bop pip durg ring bing zzzzip, worp mmmmring..." That's right, now... What the hell took you. I've been sitting here keeping your damned ship working for a month now and you finally show up out of the blue, what gives?' G-R prattled on, leaving me almost no room to talk as he proceeded to rip me a new one. His anger and down right pissed attitude being evident to all, even the innocent Luna could tell his emotions.

Once I finished shaking the tingling sense out of my limbs I got up and dusted myself off, giving G-R a condescending look. I then bent down and wrapped the devious little bastard in a friendly embrace. Which elicited a dejected whir from my long time friend.

"It's good to see you too my friend... And... I'm sorry for leaving you alone out here for so long... It was not the most... Responsible thing I could have done." I sighed out sadly, giving off a few dejected chuckles as I embraced the plant covered astromech. I then quickly released him and ripped all the caked on refuse from his chassis, rendering his, slightly rusted, silver and dark green paneling. I then took note of the astonished looking Luna standing behind me, just gaping at such an off the wall reunion.

"Dearest Corpus... How does one not beat thy friend for such a thing as inflicting unknowable amounts of pain upon them upon reuniting with them... For thou seems to have reacted... rather abnormally to this situation..." Luna, despite her earlier aggravations was slightly awe struck and angered by what was going on before her; a non organic creature had just gone and berated her friend, shocked him, berated him again, and then got a massive hug from said friend... all in the span a few seconds.

"Murrr breep doow doop pop beep booow... Bing bing pip bip pip bing..." 'Master... What the heck's up with the Equine figure behind you... And why are you and it speaking in such an archaic form of basic? It seems rather redundant...' G-R warbled out in an annoyed fashion, one that even Luna could plainly understand.

"Ugh... How bout we get the hell out of here and I'll explain every thing?" I moaned out, not liking where this might go... Seeing as G-R is supposed to be a Sith droid... Things were gong to get a little hectic...

"Bring..." 'Fine...' G-R relented after a few seconds of hesitance.

Author's Note

we are getting closer to our highly M rated moment with Aurora.... SO just hold yer horses! XD I hope you all enjoy this small tedious chapter, it kind of sets up a few later things! Have fun!

Blossoming: Ch 14

"Um... This 'thing' still works... Correct Dearest Corpus?" Luna asked as she circled my ship, poking the sides and some of the panels as she made her way around it.

"To be clear dearest Luna, We have naught a clue... Hence the reason We are checking over the systems and other aspects of the vessel to make sure it is flight worthy." I assured her as I poked my head out from behind the cockpit glass, I had taken to manually checking the inboard systems while G-R ran a series of diagnostics on the rest of the ship.

"We see this, but HOW does thy creation fly Corpus... It boggles the mind to try and understand it..." Luna said as she came to a stop next to the cockpit, giving the entire craft a confused look; her eye brow raised and nibbling on her lower lip nervously.

"Well, It has many components that enable it to fly... Like Repulsor lift engines... Those are attached to the bottom of the craft and allow it to hover a certain distance from the ground. That way it has enough room to take off and enter the planet's atmosphere without having to deal with anything getting in the way. But mot the time they are used to transport single vessels across short distances without having to use the full power of the engines to use them." I idly replied as I tapped away on the holo-screens, typing in calculations and such for the atmospheric-thrusters and repulsors to work correctly.

"WE... See, if that be the case than we leave thee to thy work and shall await their completion." Luna stated before going and laying on a large rock in the small sun covered clearing. Keeping her royal decor on she spread her wings and gave one swift flap that propelled her to the top of the boulder in one go, landing gracefully on her hooves. She then lay down on her belly and let her wings unfold and spread out from her sides, letting them soak up the suns rays along with the rest of her body. She then laid her head down on the stony surface and closed her eyes, dosing off in the afternoon sun.

As she laid there I could barely contain my blush upon seeing her body cloaked in the mid-afternoon sun. Her dark midnight blue fur glowed in its light, hyper defining her features and making her feminine shape stand out evermore than usual... It took all a sizable amount of will to keep myself concentrated on the work at hand, and not to just stare at the goddess like form before me.

"Um... G-R... Hand me the access data pad please, I need to run a few numbers by it..." I hesitantly said as I reluctantly pulled my eyes away from the dark blue, golden wreathed, figure before me. With G-R extending one of his arms towards me with the pad I took it and scrolled through the pages until I found what I was looking for. The calculations for the weapons systems and the shields.

"Thanks..." I replied absentmindedly as I looked over the correct algorithms and equations needed for the re-calibrations. Once I got them organized I turned my attention back to the consoles and let my fingers fly across them at break neck speeds, readjusting everything to their optimum standards from before the crash.

"BRip dring muuuurrr... Dring Beep Ting Ping pweep." 'Corpus are the calculations done... we need to start this feking thing up before long...' G-r warbled out petulantly, still feeling a little pissed about my abrupt abandonment.

"I know, we'll get it done soon enough... just calm down." I sighed out to the impatient droid before finishing my calculations and depressing the power nodes and flipping the activation switches. "And there we go!" I shouted, feeling ecstatic at finally getting the damned thing back into working order. I kept the power from feeding into the engines, there for stalling the inevitable burst of sound when they finally came on. I then checked the rest of the systems; sensors, check, flood lights, check, pulse cannons, 100%, shields, 100%, Fuel, 75% full, torpedoes, none, bombs, none, air scrubbers, 78% clear, hull plating, 98% clear... panel a-4f and g-4f need changing.

"Well it seems everything's in tip top shape, save for the nose panels... but those always need changing..." I muttered to myself as I scratched my chin. I then leaned back in the seat and gave a long yawn, earning a slight warning from G-r stating that 'I should take a nap soon if I wanted to keep at optimal efficiency.' I gave him a dismissive nod and got up out of the chair and walked on over to where Luna had laid down not ten minutes ago. Stumbling a few times I came up beside the large rock and sat down beside it, slumping over and getting cozy against its warm surface.

"Wake me in half an hour G-r... when the tests are done..." I drawled out, yawning as I leaned back against the rock and proceeded to pass out.

Dream Scape?

Corpus's Mind...

I stood atop a large mount, looking over a large valley that had been filled with hundreds of thousands of troops. They were all Equine in nature, the pegasus, Earth ponies, and unicorns all milled about as they prepped their large camp for the night. The cacophony of armor being moved about could be heard all the way up to my position on the mount, a clear two miles from their current position.

I then paid attention to what I had worn, seeing as it was not what I had fallen asleep with; a long billowing black blue cape hung off the backs of my shoulders, which had been covered in silver blue metal paldrons. The paldrons were large, but not so much so that they hindered my movements much. I also had a five piece chest piece, one piece over each peck with the rest making up my abbe and stomach armor. The sectioned pieces allowed me to have a higher mobility, while still keeping the amount of skin protected as if I had been wearing a one piece. I also had full arm and leg armor of the same segmented design, it was of the likes I had never seen before... making it hard for me to truly grasp what each piece was called.

I then looked down to my waste and found that only one of my saber hilts had been left upon my belt, right next to a large steel sword. The hilt was an ebony color with silver string woven into the wrap.

"Day Corpus... What art thou perceiving this day?" The voice of Luna slowly materialized behind me, just off to my right hand side, along with the rest of her body. This time, though, she was wreathed in her battle gear and was out fitted with two long katana like blades. They were strapped along her waist and thighs, the straps running over, under, and across her waist and thighs.

"There's no need to speak like that here Luna... No one will hear you..." I stated under my breath, making her blush slightly. she then cleared her throat and looked over the land before us, bringing my attention back to the ponies on the valley floor.

"What is this corpus... I don't understand... This feels and looks different from normal dreams..." Luna asked shakily, motioning her hoof towards the sides of the valley and towards the sky... The areas she pointed out were slightly hazy and caused the two of us a slight headache just to glance at them. I then looked back down at the valley floor and found something disturbing... I saw the two of us under the awning of a tent gesturing over a table that had a map tacked down to its surface and was covered in hundreds of small figurines.

"Luna... This... This is... A vision..."

"A vision... I didn't know you were a seer..."

"All those like me can have a visions of the future... It's just that this is the first one I've had in... many years..." I explained as I tried to copy all I saw to memory. The layout of the tents, the amount of troops, the things they were doing, what Luna and I were doing... and even the location were copied down to memory just as the vision ended and we were thrust back into reality.

Luna and I soon found ourselves siting on and next to the giant boulder in the clearing, with G-r still plugged in. Luna was trying not to puke from the sudden reality changing effects of being tossed straight form someone's dream to the waking world, while I was trying to just trying to stop my head from spinning any longer. I soon got up and stumbled over to the ship, catching my balance on the lip of the cockpit.

"G-r, how long till we can get out of here... We have urgent information for Celestia... And she needs it now!" I growled out, grinding my teeth at the sudden urge to vomit. Especially after hearing Luna lose her battle against the urge.

"Breep, boo... Driiing" 'Its ready now... I was about to get you too...' G-r tweedled out, making me sigh in appreciation. Luna then stumbled down off the rock and over to us looking a little sick even after tossing her cookies.

"WE art ready to leave then?" She asked a little shakily. She then collapsed down on the ground and shook slightly from the still present urge to vomit uncontrollably. She then got up quickly and scampered over to a bush, the sounds of vomit hitting the dirt were rather unpleasant to hear. I quickly walked over and helped hold her mane out of the way, keeping it out of the line of fire.

"We hate it when that happens... but its usually after a hangover..." I chucked slightly at the growl of annoyance I got from Luna before she puked again. After her third upchuck she seemed to have gotten a hold of her faculties and calmed down. "Feeling better now, Dearest Luna?" I asked a concern coloring the undertone of my voice.

"Yes... Now... Shalt we go and receive thy ship?" She asked, trying to draw attention away from herself as she tried to regain any perceived loss in dignity.

"Very well then let us not dally... Time is of the essence." I smirked as she gave glared daggers at me, seeing as I was kind of poking fun at her.

"Yes... Let's..." She said, still glaring at me, as she shook herself and walked over to the ship, though a little unsteadily. She then sat down on her haunches and gave me a very pointed look, lifting a brow at me in the process.

"Fine... G-r, lets show her how we do things... The RIGHT WAY!" I yelled gleefully as I vaulted up, over, and into, the cockpit seat. I buckled everything up and was about to close the hatch when I noticed something... There was a to more room in here than I had remembered... Then again I usually wore my armor and other attire while traveling... being much bulkier than I was now. I then looked over at Luna and looked at her trying to figure out if she could fit in here as well.

"What is it... Corpus..." Luna asked as she eyed me warily, trying to discern my intentions before hand.

"Weeeeell... We were thinking..."

"Oh Creator... not again..." Luna interrupted me, a shit-eating grin shot across her face, making me scowl at her... before laughing my head off.

"As We were saying... We were thinking... Would thou be interested in a short fight back to the Ivory City... It shan't take long and we will be back 'fore supper." I drawled out, making sure that she understood what I was saying.

"Um... We see naught a problem with this... But why the sudden interest to race us?" She asked, confusion evident all over her face... Giggity!

"Um... We weren't thinking a race dearest Luna... We were thinking a ride... With us... In the ship..." I, for some reason, then got the immediate urge to blush like a mad man and look away, trying to hide the fact that I had just asked the Princess of the night to sit with me in the small enclosed space of my delta 7's cramped cockpit.

"Um... We would be... honored to... Fly With thee... Just don't get any funny ideas Corpus..." Luna hesitantly stated, her slightly broken sentence had at first dashed my hopes of trying to woo Luna slightly, er, well what now I would have called wooing her... back then it was just to giver her a good time with newer technology. Though at the end my hopes were not dashed as she agreed to my more than horrid request.

"Then please, come..." I got up from my seat and held out a hand for Luna to grab a hold of with her fore leg, helping her up onto the ship and then down onto my lap as I sat back into my seat. She carefully stepped around me as she got into a comfortable position on my lap inside the cockpit... "Luna... before we take off We would like to warn thee... This... is nothing like the flying thou are used to... So hold on" I smiled and wrapped one arm around her as I took a hold of the yoke with my other hand and kicked the Repulsors and the engines into drive. We then started floating up off the ground, the sound of the Engines were deafening being so close to the ground and in an enclosed area.

The ship shot up into the air and sat there for a moment before I pushed the thrust control throttle forwards, shooting us off at half the speed of sound. Luna's immediate reaction to the sudden movement was to wrap her fore legs around me and give a very girly 'yipe' before the awe of the situation overtook her. She took a few looks about until the ship started rumbling around us. She had buried her muzzle into the crook of my neck as the ship lurched about in the atmosphere, bumping and shifting around as the turbulence rocked the fighter about. Once we got up high enough the turbulence cut away and it became smooth sailing from then on out, mostly.

"Dearest Luna... Thou can open thy eyes now, the turbulence has ended and there is no more need to hold on for dear life..." I smiled down to the princess curled up into my side and neck... A shit eating grin plastered on my face. Luna then slowly slid her head out form under my chin and looked about wide eyed, taking in all the views that she could. She then looked back over to me and placed her cheek up against mine and rubbed it gently with her face, nuzzling me softly with her satin like fur. This brought a noticeable warmth to my cheeks and the rest of my body.

In return I could feel Luna's cheeks warm as well, she then shifted around to where her body was laying sideways on mine with her head resting on my shoulder looking to the fore of the cockpit. She even wrapped her right leg across my chest, holding me in a half embrace. The feeling of her leg wrapped around me brought a sense of warmth to my being, one I had not felt since my time on Kesh... With a woman I had long since honored and forgotten the touch of... Yet, this feeling now was much stronger than the one I had when being in her presence... Or even when I had held her in my arms those few centuries ago...

"Corpus... This is so... Beautiful..." She murmured out as we flew through the, now, night sky. The stars had become aplenty the farther we traveled up and out of the atmosphere, leaving behind the grey clouds and dirt behind us.

"Would thou like to be among them dearest Luna... To SEE what thou moves ever night, to glimpse it and even touch it should thou wish it?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper as my breath tickled her ear, "WE can take thou to the body that thou moves and is intimate with by feel alone... and touch it..." I had started to draw my free hand along her back, making her squirm at my touch, my fingers simulating her soft skin with the barest of touches, driving her to be enamored with the feeling for the short time we were there. I could feel her slightly hitched breaths as she squirmed under my touch... I had no Idea where my sudden feelings had come from but I wanted them to be real... To not have to be alone ever again like I had always been... Even when taking a new wife every forty to fifty years for so long...

"Corpus... We would... Love that... Indeed it would be something of a dream to finally see up close what We bring about each and every night... But to feel it... That is something I would love to do..." She nestled into my shoulder even as she hummed silently to my continued musings with her spine. Her breathing stilled ever so slightly as she let the m warm touch continue upon her bare back hide, grinning slightly up at me as I gave her a toothy half grin.

"If that be what her majesty commands... Than so it shall be..." I murmured softly, pressing my head against hers before turning my attention to the space around us and heading to the space between the earth below us and the moon above. Shifting a few dials I turned the ship over to G-r and let him know what I had all planned by sending him a text message detailing what I had planned for our little excursion to the stars... and that we should be done in an hour or two... leaving us with twenty minutes to get back for dinner... Or at least that's what I had hopped...

Author's Note

The Power of Corpus is ever being brought to light... What will our Lord do next?

If any of you have a suggestion for any of his powers, give me a shout... Seeing as he is a fairly.... Advanced Master I would say he has many tricks up his sleeve. Other than that! Happy hunting!

Things in the Dark... : Ch 15

The Delta 7 shook slightly as it descended towards the Lunar surface, having to fight somewhat against the moons small gravity well. As we came closer to the surface of the moon the repulsors started to kick up a bunch of dust and rocks, flinging them into space and across the lunar surface like they were much flimsy.

"Luna, we might not touch the very surface this day... But thou will lay thine eyes upon it now... and be able to feel the dirt beneath thine hooves once we leave... For there is no air here for us to breath..." I explained as I held her close, her breath held and a lone tear roaming down her cheek. She then placed a hoof to the canopy glass directly to our left and gave a contented sigh. She then did something I had not once, well maybe once, thought she would never do... She turned her face towards mine and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek before leaning down and resting her head on my chest.

"Thank thee Corpus... This is magnificent..." Sighing out the last part she snuggled deeper into the crook of my neck and closed er eyes, a content smile gracing her now blank face.

"Thou art welcome... Luna Dea Noctis..." ('Moon Goddess of the Night') I whispered to her before making sure that the container of moon dust was secured and within the vacuum system. I then vamped up the repuslors and sent us racing skyward once again, having spent about an hour on the moon just looking about and taking in the scenery. Luna giggled lightly at the new title I had given her, not really knowing what it was at the time...

"What is that Corpus... That thou murmured under thy breath... It sounded... Nice..." She grinned, and then promptly fell asleep on my chest for the short ride home. Home... Not something I ever thought I would be calling anywhere after the loss of my people and my empire... But yes... The Ivory city was now home... Along with Luna... And now possibly Celestia...

The contrail of the delta 7 was barely visible against the night sky as we shot down towards the massive sight of the Ivory City at over 900 miles an hour. When we came to about thirty miles above the city I turned on the cloaking device and brought us down to just using the repulsors and leveled us out next to the Mage Light tower terrace. I then popped the canopy open and gently lifted Luna out and onto a waiting bench on the terrace. I then turned control of the ship over to G-r and told him to go find a suitable spot to store the ship while I extracted the sample of moon sand and rock from the vacuum chamber, which had all been thankfully stored in a ready to dump box.

The room was decently decorated, having a large counter space filled with scrolls that, upon closer inspection, revealed them to be star charts. The room itself was furnished in deep blues, reds, and whites, that made the place feel more like an office than a place of study and knowledge. The walls were white... The floors ad a large red carpet with a spiraling design on it and the ceiling was colored a deep blue with stars seemingly painted on it.

The box weighed at least twenty pounds, making it only slightly unwieldy for me to handle while carrying the Princess back into the room. Thankfully the place I had chosen is always empty around dinner time and does not condone those to be in it without an escort or a Mage present. So, carrying the princess and the box down several flights of stairs I finally got us back to our bedroom... (No not like that... Yet) And set her down on the bed.

I then went to the rest room and freshened myself up and then went to wake Luna from her short nap. Slipping her regalia off and gently waking her with a soothing touch... rubbing my thumb across her cheek and whispering her name until she awoke from her slumber.

"Luna... Luna... Luna... Its time to get up... Dinner is in a few minutes and you need to take a quick shower..." Luna awoke slowly and gave me a lidded glare and smile... Leaning up and into my hand, nuzzling it softly. She then slowly looked up at me and gave me the most endearing smile I had ever seen before getting up off the bed and giving herself a quick once over... A very SLOW once over... stretching her legs and back in a VERY seductive manner.

"Very well... I shalt be done in a moment... I shalt meet you in the dinning hall Corpus... Don't keep me waiting..." She gave me a wink as she sauntered into the bathroom, making me blush all the more as she swung her hips from side to side in a entrancing way as she walked into the bathroom. "Oh... And no peaking..." Called back as she closed the door behind her, just about giving me a heart attack.

"Luna... I'm going to go down to the dungeons and get Aurora out of custody... We will both meet you and the princess at dinner... Alright?" I called out as the bathroom door was pulled shut, eliciting a slight sigh of exasperation form the midnight blue alicorn Pincess within. Seeing as I had broken out of her seductive ways... Much to both our combined chagrin.

"Very well... Just be quick about it... And tell the guards that you have the permission of BOTH princesses to bring her out." Luna had poked her head out of the bath room and gave me the stink eye before retreating inside and locking the massive portal. Apparently not liking the fact that I was talking to another woman... Even IF I had showed her, that being Luna, that I was more than just a little interested.

"Alright, meet you in a few then..." I called out as I exited, locking the door behind me. I gave a slight sigh in exasperation as I headed out to find my erstwhile friend.

I made my way down several flights of stairs, jumping into shadows as i felt the presence of guards come close. I even used my ability to turn into shadow to skirt by a few of the more studious ones, handing into the rafters and moving as soundlessly as I could through the massive halls of the palace/castle thing I now lived in... With Luna... Still feels like a dream sometimes though...

ANYWAY!

I had started to tail a small group of guards that had been talking about going down to the dungeons to relieve the small contingent of guards that were already there. Talking about how the new prisoner was like nothing they, or any other, had ever seen before. Though some of their words had disturbed me beyond common belief... Talks of "Fooling around with the Girl" to"I heard she can scream!" being among some of the things they were snickering about... Also... All of these guards were male... Which led me to believe that ALL the guards that were already down there were also male... Though none would be within the next few minutes I would have to deal with them.

Less than five minutes later we were at the entrance to the dungeon... And that much closer to removing so much trash from the universe... AND the blood pool.

The door was guarded by two stalwart looking guards, each one a perfect mirror of the other, staring off into the distance as if trying to drown out the sound of pleading and crying coming form the other side of the door they were watching over.

"Good evening sirs... I hope you're all here to relieve the stallions within of their duty... We can't say much of anything to them since the Captains in there... 'er else we'd have stopped this farce long ago..." The lead door guard said as he strolled forward to greet the on coming relief crew.

"Sure thing 'Boss Stan...' Well get right on that..." The lead stallion barked out with a small laugh, making the other two blanch horribly before paling to the shade of a white blanket. The sound of a light thud could be heard coming from behind the lead stallion, along with six subtle 'Cracks' reverberating down the halls immediately after.

"Well hello Gentlemen... Or should I say fucktards... I don't know which is worse... Two men that have the ability to stop a heinous crime and let it go on... Or the men that preform the heinous crime... Well.. I say both..." I replied coldly before Snapping all their necks completely around with my bare hands. grabbing hold of the top of their heads and their lower jaws and spinning them around so fast that their face came back to look at me... Hindsight says it was fucking hilarious... but then it just looked fucking wrong.

I then blew the door off its hinges, letting it fly across the room and smear two unsuspecting guards into the floor like so much refuse, reducing them to two bloody grease smears on the stone floor. I then reached out with my senses and found that only five other guards and my friend were left down here.

I shifted into shadow and started hunting them all down,. Subduing them and tying them up, placing them in the main area of the bleak moldy dungeon. Each one I enveloped in my shadow before suffocating them into unconsciousness, where upon I tied them up and moved them. I then finally made upon the figures of Aurora and her 'Torturer' Finding them both in very... Unsavory conditions...

"FUCK! TAKE IT YOU LITTLE BITCH! TAKE IT LIKE THE FUCKING BARBARIAN YOU ARE!" The stallion shouted as I moved in behind him, trying not to be seen by the aruetii until it was too late for him to react. Shifting out of the darkness I came up right behind the chuta and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and the sack of his balls and tossed his fucked up ass into the farthest corner of the cell with pure, unadulterated, physical, non-force added, strength.

The fekking chuta slammed into the wall so damned hard that his helmet split in half and fell off his now hemorrhaging head. Aurora then started to fall to the ground once there was nothing inside of her, and nothing keeping her upright anymore, holding her up. I was by her side in a flash, cradling her battered and bruised form closely to my chest, pouring unknowable amounts of care and protection into her via the force, reassuring her, to beyond an astronomical doubt, that I was there... And nothing else bad was going to happen to her.

"Auroo... what have they done to you poor child..." I whispered in her ear, not really knowing if I'd get an answer or not. Tears threatening to fall unbidden from my eyes as I stared at the bloodied form of Aurora. She had several lacerations across her back, each one large enough to part the fur and not be hidden by it. She was also missing copious amounts of fur and feathers... And in those spots one could make out the definition of bruises that had formed and began to form. She had been sent through the grinder... Her claws were all broken... Her paws were shattered almost beyond repair, and her wings had been broken in several places... They had permanently grounded her...

"They... They hurt me da-da... Please... They hurt me... Make them sto-ha-ha-p..."She murmured into my chest with half choked sobs as she curled into my chest and bawled her eyes out, feeling safe for once in so long... Her tears felt hot against my chest as they soaked through my cotton shirt, staining it with tears and blood.

"They will never hurt you again... Little Auroo... Never again..."I held her softly against my chest as I walked to the main chamber of the dungeon, all the while dragging an unconscious stallion along with me. Upon getting there I tossed the Chuta into the pile of other rejects and stood in the door way, holding my hand out towards them while I built up a large reserve of force energy to release on their unsuspecting minds.

First I untied them and woke them from their slumbers, causing much damage to their brains as I did so... Seeing as rivulets of blood started to drip from their nostrils and ears after a few moments. I then froze them in place before giving my final command to them...

"Creatures... Beasts... Traitors of your own kreffing kind! LISTEN UP!" I bellowed, making them look at me with unrestrained fear.

"FOR THE CRIME OF RAPPING AND ABUSING THIS HERE WARRIOR OF ROYAL BONDAGE TO ME! I DECLARE YOU ALL FILTH... AND THAT YOU WILL ALL BE TREATED AS SHE WAS TREATED..." I then forced my mind into theirs and broke them, giving them all one last command before they would all inevitably die form brain hemorrhaging.

"YOU WILL TAKE YOUR SWORDS... AND YOU WILL SODOMIZE EACH OTHER WITH THEM UNTIL YOU ARE UNABLE TO STAND AND OR CONTINUE YOUR ORDER... TILL DEATH DO YOU CONTINUE AND UNTIL THEN WILL YOU NOT STOP!" I left the first four to contend with my order while pulling the one that had BEEN raping her to my feet, strangling him slightly while doing so.

"You... You will have a very special treatment..." My eyes turned a vile yellow color and my aura flowed out around me in a deep black red color as I forced my will upon the being in front of me once again.

"You will stand here... and take my punishment... relish it, for it will be the last thing you will ever feel once I and your men are done with you captain..."I said without speaking, burying my words in his mind, burning them straight into his brain before I did something most would not think possible.

I stretched out my hand, letting the force flow through me without being even called, like it was eager to do this task i called upon it to do... And took a hold of the beasts sheath... Ripping the fore skin away until his member was laid bare to the world... I then wrapped his member and his balls in my force grip and slowly ripped them from his body. I let go, somewhat, of my grip on his mind... Just enough for him to feel the excruciating pain of being completely neutered and de-pricked...

I then took his bloody member and floated it about to his back entrance... Where I then forcefully shoved the thing into his sphincter several hundred times in the span of twenty minutes... I then pulled the mutilated hunk of meat out of his ass and shoved the shit encrusted thing down his throat before calling his 'brothers' over and letting them work him over with the bladed ends of their swords... Sodomizing him with the pointy bit as I turned and left them to their sin... Locking the dungeon door permanently as I stepped over the still warm bodies of the men I had slain outside the Dungeon entrance.

I moved Aurora and myself seamlessly through the patrols of the palace as I made my way back to the bedroom. I was going there as fast as i could, seeing as both Aurora and myself were covered in copious amounts of blood... Though most of the blood on her was her own...

I repeated my trip from down into the dungeon in reverse order, skipping over guards and servants as if they were so much ants on the sidewalk. Making leaps and bounds through the air to miss them.

Racing down one of the many hallways we finally came upon the entrance to mine and Luna's bedchambers... I flung the door open and raced up the winding stair case, taking five to ten steps at a time as i bounded up them. I then burst through the door and almost broke the bathroom door's hinges right off as i rushed to get the two of us into the shower. I quickly flung off my dirty cloths and went about cleaning the blood encrusted gryphon of all the other unknowable substances that caked her lithe body...

I laid her down under the warm water, letting it rain down on both of us as I tended to her wounds. I spread my hands out over her body and gathered the force into them as I began to turn it into healing energy, pouring it into her body at blinding speeds. My fear, hate, and love for this child having hastened my need to heal her. I could feel my tears finally come pouring out as I finally looked upon my friends broken and battered body... Seeing how they had destroyed her future and taken something precious from her... all in one night... So, letting my feelings guide me I healed her... And rebuilt her as best I could.

The first thing to go was her bruises... Taking the time to heal each and every one that I found as I scoured her body for injuries. I then moved on to her legs, finding that they had been fractured in several places in the fore leg and up near the shoulder... Many of her muscles had been torn and several of her tendons had been ripped...

I healed those in a matter of minutes I had healed her legs, muscles, and tendons back to and beyond what they had been before she had been beaten and raped... I preformed the same thing for the rest of her body as well... They mending her wings and tail... Those were going to have to be set by a professional...

Ah... her tail... It had been broken in at least five different places along its length... and do you all want to know why? It was so those kreffing bastards could tie it to her side... all so they could have a more.. 'Unobstructed view' of her ass and pussy... I know for a fact that I let them get off easy with what I had done to them... I only wish I could have had more time with them... They would have known the meaning of PAIN...

A:N; Thank you all for reading this so far... yes this is a dark ass chapter... But I wrote it anyway... It's a dark fic... I hope I got it all to sound rather realistic enough... Though we all won't be hearing anything much from Aurora after this either, well pertaining to this night anyway. Now I know this chapter is short... I'll see you all again next time in Luna's Dark Knight!

Darkness Comes to Light Ch 16

Luna sat in the shower, letting the warm water run over her fur as she thought of the wonderful night she just had with her friend and champion, Corpus. The flight, the sight of the moon, the whole experience of going into space was just magnificent... and she shared it with her dearest friend, someone who has shown that they know what it feels like to be alone and lost and chastize3d for thy own existence.

She was floating into a blissful state as she remembered these things, along with the pleasureful sensation of Corpus' hands on her back, caressing her gently as they floated through space.

1st person: Luna

"Damn him..." I thought ruefully as I grinned, thinking of what he made me feel on most occasions. I was just about done washing my back, just so I could go down to the dinning all and have some dinner with Celly and Corpus. After rinsing off my back I got up and dried myself off with a nice silken towel I had hung up on the back side of the door, taking it off the rack that sat there. I quickly ran it over my body, giving myself a good frazzle as the towel conducted a high load of static cling. I then ran it through my hair, not bothering to dissipate the static in the cloth.

Running the towel through me hair A few time I turned my glorious light blue, almost teal, locks into a giant ball of frazzled hair... and upon seeing this I gave my self a confused look and started busting up at my unintended goof.

"Dear Lord... I think I don' goofed... HAHA!" I wiped a tear away from my eyes as I straightened my hair out and left the bathroom to attach my regal attire, of course not in the hopes of swooning my newest friend... I think not!

I quickly brought my silver slippers and Necklace out of the closet and slipped the necklace over my horn and down my neck, until it rested over my breasts, the Crescent of the moon resting within the inky blackness of its center Jewel. I then slid on my shoes and began my journey down to the dinning hall to meet my sister and friend.

"Celly! It's been so long... How art thou?" I called out as I saw my sister come into view; she was sitting on a large low backed chair at the head of the large table, several dishes strewn across its large surface with a few other chairs sitting around its circumference.

"Sister dear! It's good to see thou after thou had left all day with that stallion... Corpus... He...seems to be an alright pony... wouldn't you say sister?" Celestia asked me, confounding me for a moment as she refereed to him as a pony.

"Sorry sister, thou just confused us so when thou refereed to Corpus as though he were one of thy ponies... He is a Hybrid, dearest sister, one of two different races... But we digress... He is a creature of more than just battle... He hold many a philosophy within his loft mind, though me may seem aloof at times when not with me he does hold life at a higher standard than most... Seeing as he is older than either of us combined dear sister..." The last part I said in an almost singsong voice as I rubbed his age in her face, earning a slight blush from my sister of the sun. I then sat down in the seat opposite of hers and began to accumulate foodstuffs upon my plate.

"So Luna, what exactly did thou and Corpus do whilst thou were out on thy incursion to the Everfree forest?" Celly asked, trying to be nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Well, we went looking for Corpus' ship... A Delta 7 I think he called it... Right now its hidden from sight, from all of pony kind sister, and only he knows its whereabouts." I told her smugly, earning a brow from my sister in return.

"Did he tell thou of its whereabouts?" Celly asked me, a small smile reaching her lips, though not her eyes.

"Not as of yet sister dearest, we have just returned less than thirty minutes ago... Speaking of returning We art now curious as to his whereabouts... he was supposed to have shown up here with a friend before We even arrived... We wonder what dost keep him..." I murmured thoughtful, earning a look from Celly, interest piqued.

"What dost though mean meet you here?"

"We had gotten back, both of us stinking to high heaven, so my dearest corpus laid us on our bed, letting us sleep while he went and took a quick shower... When 'twas our turn he told us of his friend in the dungeon and that he was going ot go get here. We gave him our blessing to retrieve his friend and to come here immediately after words... Which would have been before us, but it seems not so hast been done..." I wondered, getting up from my seat to look for him.

"What art thou doing sister, off to look for thy friend?" Celly asked, slightly concerned, though not for Corpus but only her ponies.

"We art off to look for him... Would thou be adverse a stroll with us dearest sister?" I asked her with a tight smile across my lips, hoping that she would let it go... but alas she took the bate.

"Of course sister, we would be sullied of honor if we did not go with thee to search for him." Celestia smiled and followed me out of the dinning room. Leaving several confused and worried servants in our wake.

On our way down to the Dungeon we made small talk about how the nobles and such had been acting in our respective courts, I even went as far as to tell her that more and more ponies were leaving my court to join hers, leaving me with fewer ponies to talk to in the wee hours of the night.

Of course she just blew it off saying "Luna, dearest sister, thou only need but make an appearance and they shalt come to thee in droves..." I agreed, knowing that she was right... But I told her of how I knew that most that tried to talk with me at such events were just trying to circumvent the day court were just interlopers at best and idiots at most. She took this in stride and told me that she knew as much, but she still encouraged me to go anyway...

"We art almost there sister... Dost thou feel that?" I asked, feeling a slight dankness and dread wash over me as we came down the spiraling staircase to the Dungeon. I gave a slight gasp and gagged at what I saw next as I rounded the final turn, trying not to vomit all over the stone floors.

"What is it sis- OH MY WORD!" Celestia brought a hoof to her mouth trying to hold in the bile that formed quickly in her mouth, seeing the eight dead royal guards laying on the ground, each one with a severely broken neck... being such that they were almost ripped off...

"Dear Goddess above... what happened here..." Celestia whispered under her breath, her words echoing through the area.

"Dearest Goddess above... I hope Corpus is alright!" I cowled, not knowing at the time that he was the one at fault for their deaths, among others.

"We must get in there and make sure the rest are alright sister!" I cried, hastening our approach to the Dungeon door and blasting it, and the wall around it, clean off and into the opening on the other side... To which we found a gruesome sight... A guard had his... Prick... Ripped off and tossed to the side... While several sword hilts seemingly protruded form his anus... I proceeded to pull one out to see what all it was, the motioned made a slurping noise as the blade began to exit its impromptu sheath... and I found that indeed... All of the hilts were attached to their two and a half foot long blade as I counterparts...

At this both Celestia and I expelled out dinners across the Dungeon floor, we then proceeded to leave and seal off the staircase from there, placing a strong barrier on the entrance so that no other would be able to see the gruesome sight without our say so.

"We must go find Corpus... He must know what happened down there!" I said hauntingly... Not wanting to think that it could have been MY Corpus that had done that... that horrible act to the guards down there...

Almost right after that we went and checked my room for Corpus and Aurora... What we found was even more disheartening than what we found down in the Dungeon... It showed us that even OUR subjects have a darker side than what even WE could have ever fathomed... always hearing of the good things our people do for each other... then again this was a gryphon we were talking about...

My sister and I arrived at my Bedroom door and opened it slowly, not wanting to alert anyone to our presence... So we gradually walked into the room, making sure not to make a sound... We could hear the shower going, silent hicks and sobs escaping the slightly ajar door... The two of us walked ever closer to it, looking form one another as we silently made our way to it.

"Luna... Celestia... Come here...Please..." Corpus' voice echoed out from within the bathroom, his tone depressed, hurt, and loaded with fear... But I knew he was not afraid for himself, so I knew even then that something was wrong.

"Um, very well... We shalt come in..." I nodded to Celly and the door was pushed slightly open by a hand from the inside.

What we saw struck us down, Corpus... He was standing there with his shirt all bloodied and slightly torn in a few areas... He was covered in pinions and other feathers from what could only be a gryphon... I turned my gaze to his and I could have swore that my heart stopped for a moment at the overly hurt look that his features had been schooled into...

"What happened Corpus... My dear, dear Corpus..." I asked as I rushed towards him, my wings coming up and out to wrap around his broad shoulders as he fell forward into my chest, landing hard on his knees but not caring.

"She... Needs Medical attention... She's hurt Luna... Hurt bad... There was nothing I could do for her... She... She's broken Luna... And I couldn't get there in time to stop it... To stop it all form happening..." He leaned forward and cried... Yes cried, into my shoulder, his hot tears almost burning my skin as they soaked through my fur. During his break down I heard Celestia cried out and run over to something in the shower, it was then that I noticed that Corpus was indeed completely drenched.

"Luna... We need to get them to the Royal Physicians NOW!" Celestia screamed, earning my confusion until she ran out of the shower with a little gryphon on her back, completely drenched in water and covered in bruises, cuts and some bandages...

"What happened Corpus... We need to know..." I asked my stricken friend, hoping he could answer me.

"The dungeon... I found her... Followed some guards did I... Killed them when I heard... Her virtue... Gone now..." His broken words almost brought me to tears as I pieced them together.

"Rest now my friend... We shall take care of her and make sure she is given much care and love..." I pressed my now damp cheek against his and nuzzled him, trying to give him strength as I tried to have him follow my sister out and to the medical wing of the castle... But in failing that I used magic and teleported us there.

A:N Thank you all for reading this fanfic for so long, and I'm sorry for taking so long in getting this chapter out, but I had the rewrite this several times... I even scrapped the first version of the chapter after it had been rewritten a few times and did it differently... So I hope you all like this chapter... Please Enjoy and Review, I love to hear your guys' comments! They are like a fine wine that needs no aging, so please, comment to thy hearts content! :D

Author's Note

I have had this chapter done for quite some time now... I'm truly sorry for how long it has taken for me to post on here... Life does take precedence though... I will be updating at least every other day for about a week. SO look forward to at least a few more chapters for a while!

Sentence Handed: Ch 17

Before note! this chapter is kinda going to snap half way through... you have been warned! XD

Perspective: Corpus

We all appeared in the infirmary not seconds later, a bright flash and slight queasiness being the only reminders that we even used magic of the temporal kind. The stark white hall lined with beds was a dead give away... Though at the end I could make out a poster with the script "Private Rooms" painted on it hanging over a large set of wood doors, one in and one out.

Celestia quickly ran off down that way yelling for a doctor while Luna led me over to a low slung bed and helped me sit down into it, letting me use her as a crutch for most of my attempts to sit down before she just pushed me over and made me lay back on the bed.

"I will be here later to get everything that happened from thee Corpus... Best to get thy story straight by then..." Luna said to me in a monotone, her face just blank, granted I could feel her torrential emotional storm in the force, even as she kept her features under a massive lock, not showing a thing.

"Aye..." Was my eloquent response, making her eyes squint ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.

'Damn... I hate hospitals...' I thought as I eyed the fruit and other delectables that had been brought for Aurora as I sat in the seat across from her bed, keeping my breathing light and almost unnoticeable as I watched the sleeping Gryphon lay. Her bandage covered form bringing tears to my eyes, remembering that I had told her that she would be safe with the princesses...and now being turned into a liar... It hurt than one might ever even contemplate possible... But it still made my resolve crack as I remembered the name she called me... how defeated and hopeless she sounded as I held her broken form.

"How sorry Am I... May the force bind me to eternity for what I have let happen to thee, Aurora... Thou art the best duelist of the norm I hath seen in my four centuries... Only the Skywalkers and Solos are of a caliber similar to thine without the use of the force..." I lamented her shining qualities that I saw... Hoping she heard the pride and respect I held in having met and fought with. And how sorry I was for letting something SO WRONG happen to her under my very nose... I should have felt her distress in the force, but I felt nothing... I should have felt darkness coming from the caverns underneath us... But FELT NOTHING... I Felt Nothing...

At that point I felt hollow and alone for the first time in so many years that I could no longer remember. I only wished then that I would be able to have this one instance of normalcy and save a friend, for that is what I saw laying on the bed before me, a friend, sister in arms, and a warrior supreme, and she was in need of all the help she could get... But the force can only do so much...

"Corpus... Corpus, where art thou?" Luna called as she trailed through the long hall of the infirmary, looking for me obviously, and being rather loud about it.

"We art here, Dearest Luna... Come Hither..." I called as I gently moved the door open with the force, granting her a glimpse of where I was and permitting her entrance.

"Aye, we see thou... Please, come, we have much to discuss..." Luna bid me come with a movement of her wing and head, barely tapping my on the shoulder as she walked back out of the small room. Forgoing her earlier statement and bringing me before her sister instead, knowing that it wasn't all her choice in doing so I obliged.

"Good Eve Celestia, Luna..." I nodded to the two Alicorns that were now sitting on their thrones at the end of the large throne room/court room. I then got on one knee and prostrated myself before them, seemingly saddening Luna and making Celestia confused by my actions and Luna's Reaction.

"Please, stand Corpus... Thou art among equals and have no need to demean thyself before us..." Celestia murmured out kindly, her words carrying the weight of a motherly figure trying to console their debased charge.

"Mine is what I do with it Celestia... And I choose to be plain and simple in this time... I DO NOT prostrate myself to thee, woman, I prostrate my self before my first friend of this land... and ask for her forgiveness..." I said, nodding at Luna's place at Celestia's left side, THE wrong side in my opinion.

Sitting there gobsmacked by my even footed dress down of her position and standing, Celestia just stares at me, jaw agape and eyes wide, pupils the size of saucers. I could feel her anger and rage start to seep up through her harmonious facade, along with her hate and jealousy. Luna on the other hand was just about as flustered as her sister, though for a much different reason. She sat there, mouth agape and eyes drawn, and cheeks aflame in embarrassment, glee, and pride, along with a little bit of lust thrown in for good measure.

"HOW DARE THEE!" Celestia bursts out of her seat, mane aflame and eyes on fire as she appeared right in my face within a heartbeat of my words having fully registered in her mind.

"I DARE, because I have no love for how you treated my friend... A friend I PROMISED would be safe in YOUR CARE!" I Bellowed in her face, just moments away from beating the life out of the sun-diarchy. "NOW TAKE A SEAT OR I'LL break you..." The last part I shot between my teeth as I finally got a hold of my emotions. Feeling the Dark-side course through my veins was not helping the situation any at all. Celestia's ears shot against her skull at my last words and I watched in slight humor as her eyes became pinpricks and she moseyed on over to her seat and sat down, still in her terrified daze.

"Corpus... Please sit..." Luna called out to me, drawing my attention away from her sister and alleviating me of my anger rather quickly.

"Aye, Luna, Now we assume this is about what happened down in the dungeons... Are we right?" I ask, falling back into the antiquated speaking. Luna giving me a saddened glance before nodding her head, Celestia not to far behind.

"Aye Corpus, that thou are. Now please, Tell us, what all happened down there." Her tone changed, becoming harder, sterner and solid as granite.

"Aye, but thou might wish a chamber pot near, an unused one preferably... We would not wish to see thee taint thy royal carpet..." I reply morosely, motioning for towards a door I called forth a pair of guards, levitating them in the force before setting them down on the ground before Luna and Celestia.

"Um Your Highnesses... What might us lowly servants bring thee at such a time as this, on such short awareness...?" The two stallion quivered in fear, not really knowing how they were brought in without the Princesses tell of magic enveloping them.

"We... Ask that thou bring forth two freshly cleaned chamber pots... That should be all... Now leave us." Luna spoke up, her Royal tone of voice making the shaking figures before her stand still in fear and purpose.

"Y-yes your majesty!" They shouted and ran off, the door closing inaudibly behind them. Minutes later, with copious amounts of glaring and eye twitching being thrown back and forth be me and Celestia, Luna staying out of it by pure luck, the doors opened and the two Stallions slowly walk in, carrying their burdens in their maws, making sure only their teeth touch the items in their grasps. They then set one down on either side of the Princesses and left, a small trail of dust being kicked up behind them as they ran.

"Now... We ask that thou wuld seal this place from intrusion, and prying ears..." Luna nodded slowly, her horn flashing a few times and then giving me a nod that it was so.

"Corpus, Tell us what all happened, NOW..." Celestia's hard voice rung in my ears, bringing back all the horrific things I saw and did not hours before.

"Fine... From the beginning then. We came back from our excursion into the forest, landing up in the Mage's tower for a few moments before I sent G-R on his way, and carried Luna down to her room along with some of our cargo... We then took a shower and told Luna that we were going to retrieve Aurora from the Dungeons... Seeing as she had been there for the better part of a day and a half... On my way there I stumbled upon a squad of Six Stallions going down to the Dungeons for shift change... I over heard some of their conversations about what they planned on DOING to her... Once we had come to the dungeon entrance, We had been in the rafters the whole time listening in, We found that the guards on the outside were not willing to be apart of the activities going on within the dungeon itself... But they also would not turn in their fellow guards to anypony higher up for fear of loosing their jobs, which to me is a trivial thing in the long run for any being of any status... So upon hearing WHAT all was going on down there I killed them, snapping their necks and ending their lives quickly and painlessly. We then blew the door off its hinges and killed to more guards in the process by turning them into bloody smears on the floor, the door having killed them." At this point Celestia was a little green around the gills and launched her cookies into the pot next to her, Luna on the other hand was fighting back tears and was looking only a little green.

"Art thou ready for more?" I asked Celestia, my tone mono and unhindered by emotion and my face just a blank stare.

"Aye, Corpus, continue..." Celestia nodded, wiping her hoof along her mouth and blinking tears out of her eyes. I then nodded and began again my retelling of the nights incidents.

"Well then, Next I went about Knocking out the other Six guards in there, each of them smelling of sex and blood... We began with the first five, tying them up and leaving them in the main hall of the dungeon. We then found the last one... And Aurora... They were in the middle of their... Session... When we stumbled upon them... We ripped the Stallion from his perch and hit him over the head hard enough to crack his helmet in half with our own bare hand... Knocking the poor bastard out in one blow... We then proceeded to tie him up and look after Aurora, checking her wounds and such... What we found disturbed us... Her wings were shattered... Several ribs broke, feet broken, talons missing, beak busted, and tail snapped several times and tied to her side... We could tell she had been raped at least a minimum of ten times... What we did next was a mercy to those fools no other man would have given them..." I stopped seeing that both Princesses needed a break, I did this only to benefit Luna at this point, not wanting her to lose her dignity, unlike Celestia whom at this point I cared little about. Celestia vomited again, leaving Luna to be the only one, again, to have held her dignity intact. Celestia then nodded towards me again, letting me continue.

"What we did would be considered punishable by death... Unless it was served as a punishment in return for something else, which it was mind thou..." I then sagged my shoulders slightly and hunched my back, gaining a slight manic look about my person, letting my bangs shadow my eyes and allow the dark to change my eyes to yellow for the effect.

"We woke the first five up... Broke their minds... And gave them a simple order... so-do-mi-za-tion... But, not with their Pricks... No We made them Draw their weapons instead... WE made them Drive those metal blades of theirs and ram them into EACH OTHERS anuses... Sodomizing themselves and each other in one go... We left them to their command while we dealt with the other one then... after comforting a recently passed out Aurora, we brought the one that had last rapped her back to the world of the waking sun and released the hold on his pain centers... letting him feel what we were going to do to him... We told him his sentence, then enacted it, ripping his prick from its sheath, testicles and all, and rammed the bloodied member into his sphincter at least three hundred times in under twenty minutes... Shredding his appendage and anus... We then shoved the remains of his prick down his throat and called his 'Friends' over to aid us in his punishment... We brought our full might down upon their minds and commanded them to Sodomize him... Using all of their weapons upon his bloodied sphincter." Through the entire last part of my tail my voice never rose above a loud whisper, as if my words might bring about a new scene of blood shed and torture unseen by any being in this time or the next or even before... I could see Celestia trying to hold what little bit was left of her stomach contents within her as Luna just sat there, pale, blank, and emotionless as I rapped up my story.

"After we were done, We picked up Aurora and walked out. Once on the other side of the threshold we called the door back to its resting place, sealing everything that had happened within the damnable place. Then we took Aurora to the bedroom and cleaned her wounds as best we could and no more than a few minutes after We had finished cleaning and healing the worst of her injuries thou two showed up and took us away... THAT is something We shalt always be thankful for thou both doing in such a timely manner..." I then bowed and fell to my knees, no longer having the strength of will to stand up and face what might just be my executioners a few hours from then.

"Corpus... Is that TRULY what happened down there... All of it... Is it true..." Luna asked me, her tone conveying that she was still trying to keep her sanity after having heard my story.

"Yes... Though We left out many of the more horrendous details... We would not wish to further burden the minds of those that are to rule this land... Especially with the depravities we saw down there... We hold though in to high a regard to torment thou like that, ever." My words seemed to make Celestia go even whiter than her coat should have physically allowed, her eyes becoming pin pricks as she stared at me, great sorrow seen hidden in her deep magenta eyes. Luna's on the other hand showed more than just sorrow, they showed Love, Lose, Hate, Hurt, Anger, Rage, and most of all... Guilt, as if she were blaming herself for the failure of her sisters soldiers.

"Corpus... Go tend to thy friend... We shalt divine thy sentence, if there art to be one, and call upon thee at a later date... Farewell Dearest Friend Corpus..." She then rose off her throne and dragged her sister along with her, man handling her with her magic and taking her off to the side, leaving me to go look after Aurora and aid her in any way possible.

I walked down the long white hall of the infirmary to Aurora's room, paying no mind to the other patients, doctors, and nurses milling about. I bypassed each and every one of them as I let my long strides carry me, right up to the door to Aurora's room. Gently opening the door and slipping in I truly took in the room around me. Straight ahead of me was a blank wall with a few cupboards and a sink built in front of it, to my left was Aurora and all her monitoring equipment, somehow these primitive ponies had a heart monitor and several other things... Whelp screw logic I guess... And then to my right was another blank wall with a pair of chairs sitting against it, one of which being the very chair I had been called form earlier.

Grabbing the chair and shifting it to sit next to the bed I took a seat, still not really understanding why they had such furniture for their species... But I was, an am, grateful for their allowance's of such little relevance. Sitting there I steepled my hands and leaned down into them, resting my elbows on the hospital mattress. I sat there silent for many hours, listening to the steady rhythm of Aurora's heart monitor and thought of what might be my sentence.

After three hours of waiting I finally got my answer as a red coat, green maned, stallion. in a white doctors coat, came into the room, a pair of golden armored guards trailing steps behind him.

"Lord Corpus? I am Doctor Swift stitch, These good stallions here are here to take you to our majesties... Please, don't cause to much of a mess..." The doctor gives me a wink and han- hoofs me a clip board with a piece of paper attached to it. The note read...

'Lord Corpus, We here in the medical wing have all seen what happened to the young Gryphon girl you brought with you... We also have heard on the grape vine that those that caused such injuries have been dealt with severely... We would all like to say 'Thank You' for dispatching those that would do such goddess awful things... You have our support if you ever need it, and will always have a place here among the staff... Good Luck, Doctor Swift Stitch and Staff.' I smiled softly at the sentiment of the note, knowing that there were those that looked upon my actions as right, even if I knew they were evil and vile, almost as much as what had been done to deserve such, but righteous nonetheless.

"Lord Corpus... Follow us please." The two earth guards said simultaneously as I placed the note in my pocket and flashed the doc and his compatriots a grateful smile.

"Aye, Lead the way Stallions." I commanded, motioning forward with my right hand. The three of us left, walking through the halls with very little fan-fair, I say little because I got a few glares from the guards and several gratifying looks from the maids and other staff members of the Ivory palace.

Within a few minutes we made it back to the grand hall/throne room, both Princesses sitting upon their white and black thrones, still in their reversed spots.

"Corpus... We have come to a decision..."

"Finally... We thought We were going to sit in that damend cramp room for hours!" I shought playfully, trying to lighten the mood. All I got out of it was an eye twitch from Celestia and a downward pull of her lips and a brow twitch from Luna and an Upward pull of her lips, the fore trying not to growl and the later trying not to smirk.

"Well then... We can make you wait longer..." Celestia said through her teeth, making me smile at the thought of messing with her head again. At this point and time I think I finally broke for the night, along with Luna... We both kinda snapped by this point and time, dragging Celly along with us too.

"Good... We'll just have to float upside down in a trance and see how many Millennium it takes for you to realize we're a damned immortal just like thou..." I said, giving her the stink eye, and a small grin, while Luna cleared her throat, trying not to laugh at the high tension situation in front of her.

"Corpus, we suggest thou closes thy maw and listens to thy sentence!" Celestia finally snapped and shouted at me, making me smile ever so much more and give a playful bow, finally making Luna snap and laugh at the stupidity of the moment.

"Very well, Imperatrix Caelestibus... Give us thy wrath to smight the mount and bring forth the rain!" I shouted gleefully, cackling all the while, enraging the Sun Princess even more.

"SHUT THY MOUTH THY HEATHEN SON OF MAN!" She screams, making me freeze and Luna stop laughing, both of us giving her wide eyed looks and slack jaws.

"Well... Apologizes Princess..." I said as I Humbly bowed and held my position for several seconds longer than usual, making it apparent that I was TRULY sorry for enraging her.

"Thank thee, apologies accepted... Now, we have come to terms and have seen thee innocent, thy actions were fueled by rage and justice, so thou are not in error here... Thou thy actions were extreme they did bring about the desired end for those that commit such a crime against all sentient beings." Celestia then gives me a gentle smile, one that held great warmth and understanding. Then both Princesses got up from their seats and strolled over to me, motioning me to get down on a knee, to which I obliged hesitantly... Last time this happened I almost got my head taken off by the damned green guy form the Jedi counsel... Yoda I think his name was, fricken jumpy little bastard... ANYWAY!

I get down on my right knee and see a stallion holding two semi long swords comes into view from down one of the many halls of the Throne room, saddling up next to Celestia. Then the two swords, one a dark onix and silver and the other a gold and Ivory, get swallowed up in their respective Princesses magical holds, floating up beside their right shoulders.

"We have also come to... Another... Conclusion with thy actions this eve... Thy judgment and care for those under you, or those that are just thy allies, has shown that thou hast taken great care of thy own in the past and will continue so till thy future ends and the sun dies in thy passing... We have come here now to give thee a special commendation and, if thou accepts, a rank within our armies..." Celestia raises her Long sword and places it on my right shoulder.

"I, Princess Celestia of the free kingdoms of Equestria, hereby dub thee..." She then moves the sword over my head and onto my left shoulder, stunning me even more, yeah Not the best timing I would say for such a thing as a GUCKING NIGHTING! Wouldn't you? No, didn't think so, carrying on! "Master Censor... Prefect of the Royal Sisters." She then smiles at me and turns to Luna, whom has a lopsided frown on her face and is trying not to smack her sister upside the head with the flat of her sword.

"Princess... As much as we accept this... We think thou has a few screws loose in thy head... This is a terrible time for thy ruling of such things..." I complain, trying to make her see reason for her abruptness. Though it doesn't work.

"Sister, Corpus is right... As much as he DOES deserve this... NOW is not the TIME..." Luna says, stressing her words carfully, but to no avail, seeing as Celestia's smile just gets bigger... Damn her... She's trolling us... Fuckin Trollestia man... Even back then... And we just thought she was being an ass... She truly is the master... Fuck...

"Just give him the titale Lu-Lu..." 'OH... DAMN... She didn't... Um, yeah she did... TAKE COVER!' Is all I could think at that moment as Luna's right eye started twitching and her sword started to shake in her magic. I quickly grabbed the sword barer stallion next to Celestia and booked it behind the two thrones, saving our hides and leaving Celestia to her fate.

"Lord Corpus, what is the menaing of this!" The stallion growls.

"Saving your life!" I bark and shove him behind Luna's throne as Magic missiles start flying around the room, smashing into pillars, ceiling, and thrones at random. Suddenly the rooms main door opens and a tired mare comes running in, almost right into the mess of a sisterly spat, that is until I yell "YOINK!" and yank her through the air and over to the Thrones, setting her down next to me and my cover partner.

"What seems to be the issue guard?" I yell over the din of explosions and give a slight cough from the smell of ozone, yeah... Some how the spells they were using gave off the same after affect as my all the plasma based... Damn... so that's why shit was melted... Damn crazy Princesses firing plasma at each other as if it's for free!

"Th-the we-western b-border..." She was trying to catch her breath, seeing as she ran a long ways I flashed the force through her body and refreshed it, wiping away her fatigue and relaxing her muscles. "Wha-"

"Just keep going, it was our doing any way..." I said, waving off her thanks in order to save time.

"The western border has fallen and is over run with Gryphons and a few over grown manticores... along with a giant Hydra and some other creatures we have never seen sir... Should we tell the Princesses?" She asks as we both look towards the raging battle on the other side of the Sun throne we were hiding behind.

"When they stop trying to kill each other sure... For now just gather up a few squads and have them meet me at the gate... This might take some time... We shalt be down in time for a briefing... Now go!" I point towards the door and watch/cover her as she goes, placing a shield around her as she galloped towards and out the massive doors at the end of the hall.

All I could think was, 'This is going to be a LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG day... Fuck the CSF... HA!' I then Proceeded to pick up the Barer stallion again and Dash out of the room, leaving the two battling Princesses behind. I then made my way to Luna's room and made a call to a friend of mine... Knowing I would need a few things the near future...

Author's Note

If you can guess the dual meaning of CSF.... I'll give you a cookie :)

Marching Forever Onward: Ch 18

Stepping into Luna's bedroom I quickly walked over to the terrace and out to a waiting G-r as he hovered my Delta 7 just off to the fore of the landing. I quickly informed my friend of the reasons for his impromptu arrival and as to why I needed my other equipment. Being the ass that he is, at times, he gave me an earful as to how I should keep my shit in one place instead of strewn across the whole landscape.

"Fine, next time when YOU need me I'll give you a speakerful and bitch the whole time..." I growled to my erstwhile friend and slapped him on the top of his dome, making him send a few choice twirts my way. I pulled my armor/space suit from the confines of my ship and quickly slipped on the body suit and the armor, taking less than three minutes to complete the action.

Bidding farewell to G-R as he banked away from the castle I strolled back into the room and donned three of my lightsabers, my two red ones and a dual blade (this particular one being able to separate). I clipped the two single blades on my front and then clipped the staff across the small of my back, for easy access.

"Time to go beat the troll out of Celly..." I mumbled as I strode from the room and headed down the massive staircase and through the halls of the castle. Five minutes later I was at the massive doors to the Throne room, I could still hear the explosions coming form inside. Taking my time I positioned myself at the center of the door, lining up my foot with the door seem, I planted my foot on the door with the force of a wrecking ball and kicked the sucker wide open. The two doors slammed back on their hinges hard enough to go almost 360, but were stopped when they slammed into the marble walls they were attached to and broke off.

The sound of thunder rolled through the Throne room, stunning the two occupants into un-motion, bringing both of them to a stand still and stopping their fight instantly. At this I gazed upon the two Alicorns, my T visored helm glowing an eerie blue in the now dark lighting of the massive hall.

"Now, art the two of thou finished with thy quarrel?" I asked of the two Princesses, getting a quick succession of nods from the duo, "Good, because WE are under attack... The Eastern Boarder hast fallen, We have several squads waiting in the court yard, We shalt be leaving soon and taking a gander at the damages, thou shalt stay here and coordinate troop movements for the next battle. We shall give the a location when we return... May the Force be with You..." I bowed and left the room quickly, the cape of my battle gear billowing behind me, licking my armored legs as I strode through the halls with measured grace and hast. I then found a window that over looked the court yard and instantly acted.

I quickly made it to the court yard, having just landed in the court yard among several Pegasi, earth ponies, and Unicorns... Confound these different races... I looked over the five groups arrayed before me, seeing that they all stood at the Pony equivalent of attention. Looking about them I saw that only one Pony was standing away from the rest, well not alone per say... The one that had given me the message was standing with them.

Moments after I landed and looked over them, sizing them up quickly to be almost competent, I was surrounded by all of the soldiers I was to lead. They all had their weapons pointed at differing parts of my anatomy, some at my head, chest, arms, and a small few were aimed at my crotch... Surprisingly enough, not really though, those that had aimed there, were female...

"All forces! STAND DOWN!" A gruff female voice called out form the far end of the Court Yard, making all the equines below me, and a few above, sheath their weapons and drop into line where they were at. "I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU ALL GOT YOU BUCKING MANNERS FROM SOLDIERS, BUT THAT IS NOT HOW YOU GREET A HIGHER RANKING OFFICER!" The voice came closer as the rigid standing Pony moved closer, her combat ready armor clinking softly as she moved.

"And thou art...?" I paused to let her fill in the blank. Sizing her up as she gave me her answer.

"Commander Amazing Grace Sir! Reporting for duty SIR..." The Earth Pony Mare before me made an about face and stared right up into my visor and gave me a proper salute, her hoof coming up to the side of her head and not breaking an inch of movement until I returned the courtesy.

"Commander Amazing Grace, We art Knight Corpus Miss, A Pleasure..." I quickly saluted and then stuck out my hand to the strict mare standing no more than five feet from me. She hesitantly looked at my offered hand as she stuck it out and placed her hoof within my grasp, I then gave it a firm squeeze and shook it twice before letting it go and clasping my hands behind me back.

"Alright, Commander Amazing Grace, We art pleased with how quickly thy forces acted when facing an unknown... Very commendable, it speaks highly of a well versed battle tested commander... Which we assume you are... Now, FOR THE RESON YOU ARE ALL HERE!" Grace had come to stand next to me as I assessed her troops, blushing slightly as I gave her high praise for the brazen act they had just committed, though she then got quite serious when I started shouting at them. Removing my helm and attaching it to my belt I stare over the many ponies arranged before me.

"THE ENEMY HAS BROKEN THE EAST, AND WE ARE GOING THERE TO HOLD THE LINE... The rest of your brothers-n-sisters in arms are to be joining us shortly after we acquire a foot hold... DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!" I yelled, making few of the stallions in front of me flinch at the intensity.

"Commander, please lead the way, we art still unfamiliar with the land of the area..." I swung my arm in the general direction of the court yard gate, allowing the tall Grey coated, grey-blue maned, silver eyed, earth pony to lead the way, her smile being very reassuring that I could trust her in this matter.

The Legion, five hundred strong, marched from the eastern gates of Ivory City and beat down the cobblestone road leading out into the countryside. Five rows of golden armored stallions and mares marched abreast another, none too confidant in their up coming fight with the Gryphon Empire. Leading this legion are Me, Commander Grace, and the running mare from the castle, seeing as she knew where the battle was taking place.

From what information was given us there were around two thousand Gryphon soldiers of various colors marching through the eastern boarder, though we had no sound Intel to confirm nor deny this. WE had also been given info of several beast rank forces within their ranks, several larger than normal Manticores and a few hydras were said to be seen traveling with the invading force. Also, from what RI (Royal Intelligence) gave us, was that the only creatures being maned were the manticores... while the rest were just being herded and led in the general direction of our men.

We were also led to believe that there were about three hundred of our men still left at the front lines for us to meet up with and re-enforce. I personally had my doubts but decided not to voice them in the company of questionable characters, granted they were guards... I still didn't trust them as far as I could through them un-aided by the force...

As we entered the country side Miss Grace, our commander, began to make small talk with me, trying to alleviate the awkward silence that had fallen over our 'marry' band of soldiers on our way to war. Not that I mind silence or anything, but prolonged silence while in company is really irritating for me, so I was grateful for the reprieve.

"So... Corpus, have you any experience in battle... Of any kind? Say for instance boarder skirmishes, invasions, sieges, scouting missions, or anything that might have brought you any fore sight as to what we might be seeing presently?" Commander Grace asked, giving me a sidelong look as she kept her muzzle pointed off ahead of us. I gave her question some thought before letting a small smile steal across my lips, making her arch a brow in curiosity.

"We have shared many a thing in my time Commander... We... May just regale thee in the future of a glimpse of our battles... But to answer thy question... Aye, We have fought in all of that that thou has voiced opinion of... Though we have done more than that still... Leading armies, invading foreign lands, defending a mount from incalculable odds and surviving till allies came and bailed us out... Aye, our battle experience would more than likely out-stripe thy own and many of the generals and lords of many a kingdom here..." She then gave me a look of indignation, though how she did so with just her eyes I will never know, cuz that shit was funny! I then raised my hands placating and continued on with my yarn.

"Aye, We out-stripe thee, but not in the warfare of these peoples, and most certainly not of the ways thy enemies and allies fight here... We defer to thee for thy own experience with thy own peoples and cultures... YOU have rank and seniority here... And we must say that if thou uses it wisely thou wilt have gained a staunch supporter in us..." I gave her a wink and grinned a her as a noticeable blush spread across her cheeks and made her gape like a drowning fish for a few moments before regaining her composure and reigning in her emotions, at which she was failing miserably.

"Aye... We thank thee... Corpus... We have another question now... And please do not be overly offended by this... but, why are neither of the majesties here to lead this force... Why would they place thee in charge of such an important mission?" She asked, rightfully confused, and cocked a brow in my general direction.

"Well my Dear, The Princesses Luna and Celestia were currently indisposed, as our friend here would be certain to vouch for, and to which left Us to save her and react appropriately to this current form of affairs befalling the eastern boarder... And yes we are VERY OFFENDED! HOW COULD you be so insensitive as to ask why one such as us would lead this crew to victory and talk glibly about the day to day affairs of nothing and speak out our ass about everything and care not of our own thought in particular! Seems rather inept does It now?"

Um... I.. WE... You... What?" The mare just stopped and looked at me for a moment, trying to comprehend what in the gods/forces name I just blathered/butchered and made into a somewhat coherent sentence. I then busted up laughing and patted her on the head, which made her blush come back full force, and then some.

"We art just toying with thee Amazing Grace, take thy words just now to owe but a grain of salt and tarry not a thought on their meaning... Wee just say that we were they only one available to actively pursue this venture for the Princesses, better?" I smiled cheekily to her as she spluttered even more at my jacked sense of humor I just laid down on her.

"Sir..." Running mare to the rescue! "Thou art a strange Stallion... By the way, Names Quick Silver, thought it best to intrahduce mah self to you 'fore we hadn't a chance to do it again." The blond maned earth pony smiled at me and a slight 'Squee' noise could be heard coming form her... One that I Felt in my bones was going to be heard many times in the future from then on... Granted her accent was one to melt the heart of most men, it did little for me.

"Well, Miss Silver WE art glad thou found it in thy heart to tell us before the fight began... But hear us now..." I stared off in the distance, towards the far off battle field. "We shalt make sure that you both return to the city none worse for ware." I smiled at both their now blushing faces and strode on ahead of them, acting all the part of an oblivious teen, something that I and Luna knew I wasn't.

Almost six hours later we arrived at a small settlement; it housed about a hundred Ponies, Mothers, children, and the elderly, were all that lived there after the men had traveled east to help slow the Gryphon advance. I then raised my right hand up in the air, stopping as I did so to make the notion of 'STOP' clear to the rest of the soldiers following us. I then turned to Commander Grace and shot her a small smile.

"Commander, We respectfully request that a squad of men be detached from our forces and used to escort the remaining citizens to the capital... They are not safe here" I bow at the waist respectfully, eliciting a small gasp from those that had already seen how I act when around the Princesses... It was laughable.

"If you think it is the right way to use our troops sir, then we shall!" Commander Grace spun around and started barking orders, "Sargent Dinged Shield, Take your squad and round up the Civilians and escort them to the capital, make sure that the Princesses know to provide sufficient housing for anymore civilians we may send their way... When you are done, make your way back here post haste, we will meet you back at the front." Saluting the Sargent and his men galloped off in separate directions as the rest of us carried on our march, clearing out within a few minutes and getting several miles away by the next hour.

"Knight Corpus, you think that the troopers we sent out will be able to catch up with us by the time we encounter the Gryphon forces?" Quick Silver asked as we led our four hundred and ninety strong force along a dirt path through the country side of Equestria.

"We dost not know if they will meet us in time... But they will do more than their part in the war to come." I replied stoically back, glaring at the horizon.

A:N Thank you all for waiting so patiently for this update! I love the fact that all of you have been enjoying this so wholeheartedly, But I am now loath to tell you all that most updates from now on may take longer to write up... NOW, on to the thanks!

I would like to thank Mr Captain Fuckew McHugeRage and his friends for all their support and help with setting up the Equestrian royal forces and how they are set up, along with the forming of the Gryphon Empire.

Also I would like to thank AriaSeth56 for their enthusiasm.

I would also like to thank a long time friend of mine TheGlitchInTheMatrix for their long term help in all my works and helping me improve over the course of a year.

Eastern Fringe Campaign: Ch 19

A:N Thank you all for all your support! I would also like to thank my friend (Captain Fuckew McHugeRage) and his friends for all their help in this, also for their aid in proof reading and giving me ideas for some of the future chapters. their help has been, and will always be, invaluable to this story, so send them a few high fives and shit!

Now, This is a somewhat longer chapter than normal, and i hope you all enjoy it!

Twenty fires gently licked at the night sky as the cool night air blew up and over the men and women that sat around them. Each fire was occupied by around twenty or so ponies each, stallions and mares joined in camaraderie as they shared in the fires warmth. The hundreds of ponies and one Anzaty Human Hybrid shared in old war stories and jokes as the time of their last march approached their destination, The eastern Border.

They all Laughed and cried as jokes and stories of past engagements flew about the campfires, lightening the mood and removing the heavy feeling that one would normally feel before such a monuments event. Though while some told stories and jokes to ease the growing tension, some, like Commander Grace, Quick Silver, and I, just checked their weapons and equipment and made sure their bed rolls were clear and ready for a night under the stars.

Every-so-often the three of us would trade words of advice, though it was more just sarcastic quips and humorous comments, most of which made no sense what-so-ever.

"Grace, Silver... Dost thou know fear?" I suddenly asked them, the three of us were sitting slightly away from the rest of the soldiers, a small fire set up for just the three of us. I had been unpacking my bag and rolling out when I suddenly had that question pop into my head, making me sit back on my ankles from my kneeling position and look up at the moon.

"Does the Moon not illuminate the night, does the Sun not rise in the morn? Of course we fear, Corpus, we art but flesh and blood..." Grace started jokingly, having grown comfortable in my presence after the long journey we had all shared together.

"I don't, at least not after what I've seen you do... Why should I fear?" Silver asked, her question being more rhetorical than true. This earned a scowl from both me and Grace, though for similarly different reasons.

"FleetFoot Silver," Amazing Grace growled lowly, making sure not to alert the rest of the camp to our goings on, catching Quick Silver's attention, "How can you NOT fear for your life after the stories Master Corpus has regaled us with. The number of Gryphons he's faced already were just part of their first scouting party for Princesses' sake!" She shot back to her subordinate.

"Yeah, and he's beaten hundreds of them on his own! How can we fear for our lives with such a force on our side?! We should fear FOR our enemies, not ourselves with him here... Buck, he even took down a BUCKING HYDRA! For Celestia's sake Grace, the Stallions got almost as much martial prowess as this entire division combined!" Silver growled, earning a scowl from Grace, though she must not have heard me sigh in annoyance at her flawed thinking, seeing as she continued talking.

"I mean, come on! Even Luna shows the guy respect, and tell me, how many stallions have you seen miss Ice Queen show any kind of emotion other than the cold shoulder!" This may have gotten another rouse of anger out of Grace, to which I was counting down the seconds until Mount Saint Graces blew its top and killed the poor mare across from me. It was what she had said about Luna's emotional status as Ice Queen that had caught my attention, and though I didn't act on the information, I did file it away for later discussion.

"YOU SHALT CALM THYSELVES NOW!" I suddenly growled loudly, making the two of them shrink back away from me in slight fear. Quick Silver gulped loudly at the prospect of facing my wrath, even if she wasn't the only one on my shit list right now.

"Yes-sir!" the both of them mumbled loudly before sitting ramrod straight and staring me straight in the eyes. Both of them were scared shitless by my rage flushed face as I stared them down for their irate dealings, especially so late at night.

"Now, FleetFoot Silver, thou art going to be sent back to the castle for thy thoughts of invincibility, they will get thou killed… along with any other that would try to come to thy aid… Dost thou understand this?" I ask crassly, making her scowl at me before looking down at the ground in defeat.

"I understand Corpus… I am sorry for allowing my arrogance to rule my thoughts… I ask forgiveness in thy eyes…" I could tell that the mare before me was telling the truth, ya know having the force and all, but I was going to stand by what I had said and send her back to Ivory City.

"Aye, we understand thy feelings Silver, and we forgive thee for thy actions… But it is still best that thou goes back to the capital and relays our current positions and remained there for further orders from the Princesses. Dost thou understand our reasoning's for this?"

"Yes sir, I'll leave immediately, Sir… I'm sorry for my actions…" Quick Silver said sullenly, knowing that she had done this to herself in the first place. She then began to gather up her things to leave, though I deftly made it across to her and stopped her from putting her roll away.

"Thou may leave in the morning Silver, traveling by night is a terrible idea… Stay the night and we shalt send a few stallions with thou to keep thou safe on the trip there." I smiled warmly at the young mare before me, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder and urging her to sleep. The light Grey coated mare stared right into my eyes, her burnished gold eyes searching mine for any hidden meaning as she sighed and gave a low chuckle.

"Fine… I'll stay the night, ya overgrown monkey…" She quipped at me in return, making me raise a brow in amusement, seeing as I could both see and feel her lightheartedness etched onto her face, I just chuckled along and tousled her sky blue mane like it was for free, making her growl in annoyance, but in good faith seeing as she just made a quip about my appearance.

I left the young mare to her slumber and walked over to the fire, slumping down into the dirt and staring into the fire before glancing over at the Grey form of Amazing Grace, whom was sitting there looking at me with her glowing Silver eyes, they roared in the light of the fire.

"Grace, We have a question for thee…"

"Aye, Lord Corpus? What be it?"

"What didst thou mean by Ice Queen when you were referring to Princess Luna? Hast she had difficulty in the past with the opposite sex? Or is it just her attitude towards everypony else in general?" I raised a brow at her from my position on the ground.

"Well… there's a few reasons for that Milord...But the few I can remember have to deal with some of her… encounters from when she was younger… I know of one about her Sister being asked out hundreds of times when they were younger, each time denying them, and then having those very same colts rush over to her seconds later and asking her out… She was always pissed off afterward for that, always going on about "I AM NOT second fiddle to HER!" She was livid for most the time… Even after that she still turns them all down, saying something about them not being up to snuff or something like that…" Grace sighed, trying not to sound to... exasperated and weary... for having to talk about one of her Princesses behind their backs, especially since she wasn't the one to bring it up in the first place.

"Ah, we see..." I said evenly as I stroked my chin in contemplation. Hearing that My Luna had been shunned, or better yet treated, like that for force knows how long, it gave me a better appreciation of the feelings we had for each other. Seeing as we were sharing her room EVER night and not ever being bashful about the entire arrangement had made me slightly desensitized to how close I had become with the Midnight Blue Alicorn... Something that I knew even then that I would have to think on and figure out... Not just what I meant to her but also what she meant to me...

"Aye, but I have also heard some other... Things... about her... Though it would be best if she told you instead of I... I will not betray her trust so willingly to just any who ask it of me." Though the declaration was sudden and passionate, I could feel the hardened resolve in Grace's words, he willingness to protect her Princess with all her heart, be it mind, body, or soul.

"Very well, we respect that in thee Grace, We just hope that thou will live long enough to show her your worth." I smirked at the young earth pony across from me as she blushed savagely, almost as bright as the fire that roared next to us. "We shalt not betray the trust thou hast placed in us with such a secret Grace... Love is a fleeting thing and can only be bought by those who cherish it and hold it together for all their worth... For only those worth deserve its embrace, and there are more out there worthy than not..." I winked at her and quickly stripped out of my armor and weapons and readied myself for bed, knowing that the morning would bring new challenges and all together new enemies.

As I lay there, grinning all the while, I could feel the gobsmacked form of Amazing Grace gingerly get up from her spot and ready herself for bed, her embarrassment and love now GLOWING in the force, Proving my statements clear and true to all those that could see them. She knew things of my Dear Princess that I would not know until later, and she kept those secrets close for she did not dare harm her love from afar.

Early in the morning, sometime around six or so I surmised, all of the soldiers of the first Equestrian division awoke and began their preparations for the coming war... Something that almost none of them had seen in their still young lives, even by their standards. I quickly awoke soon after the first and donned all of my battle gear, even going so far as to re-attach my helmet to my head. The sound of the hermetic seals going off woke up the two other occupants of my camp, Grace awoke with a stifled yawn while Silver stretched openly, unknowingly giving the rest of the men, and a few women, a show of her body... even me when she decided to go spread eagle on us and arch her spine downward while shooting her tail straight out... All I can say is... Pink... And it was good...

After the rest of us, including me and Grace, broke from the trance like state we had been unwittingly placed in by the curvy sky-blue maned mare we went back to our business of getting our shit together.

Looking over at Grace I said, "We never speak of this to anypony?"

"Never... Unless its to each other... Sound good?" Our monotone voices did nothing but get carried between the two of us as the din of armor and weapons clashing drowned out our conversation to all those that might have heard us. Nodding our heads we quickly made rounds around the camp, looking for a few volunteers to take Quick Silver back to the Capital. We quickly found two strapping young stallions, one was a Pegasus by the name of Thunder Rock, and the other was an Earth pony by the name Haven Stone, They heartily agreed to take the mare back to the capital and stay with her for any further missions she may receive.

"Well, that was taken care of quickly... We'd say let's go get some grub and then rally the troops... After We tell FleetFoot Silver of her new comrades, Aye?"

"Aye, let's go Milord..." So Grace and I set off in companionable silence for most the time we were at camp, except for the more obvious things we had to do.

We had quickly saw Silver and the two other ponies off, wishing them luck and a safe journey home. Now we were in the midst of a small skirmish, not ten miles from the nearest boarder Town and garrison... This didn't bode well for most of us and made us want to reach our destination even faster than before.

"REFORM THE LEFT FLANK! FLIERS COMING IN!" I shouted, making several enemies shake slightly from my loud roar of a voice. The left flank had just been smashed through by a small group of shield wielding Gryphons, whom I had just yelled over, and was now quickly reforming their place on the field.

I quickly decapitated the lead Gryphon, relieving him of his head and used the force to hurl his body up and over my men and into the mass of Gryphons attacking us, bowling over a good few of them on the front line and killing one or two with snapped necks in the process.

Next I twirled my dual hilt in my right hand and ignited one of the blades, letting my red lightsaber flawlessly be caught in my left as I started pummeling their shields and body armor, which had all been enchanted somehow beforehand. This left me with only the small gaps in between their armor to strike them and injure them. My blades danced across their armored plates, creating large burn marks with every strike.

As I fought I could smell the Ozone thickening in the air as my blades continued in their onslaught against the Gryphons bronze colored plate metal. The stench would occasionally become even MORE toxic and overbearing when the unicorns under Commander Grace's command would let off a volley of plasma bolts, most went wide and only scored the ground and other derbies they hit.

As I danced the Dance of death with my lingering opponents I could feel Grace become ever more excited as she and her retinue of guards held off a large detachment of Gryphons at the front, her group of fifteen to their forty. Grace and her guards fought valiantly against the Gryphons, her veterans tearing through their ranks like so much flimsy as they used hoof, sword, shield, spell, and spear to beat back the feathered foes before them.

As one of the Gryphons fighting me lunged for my legs the other three jumped for my back and chest, each one hoping to throw me off with the suddenness of their attack. It was a fruitless venture on their part, having the force and all allowed me to feel when the next attack was coming, having honed my swordsmanship over the course of a few centuries also helped. I quickly dispatched the one going for my legs with a swift upward kick to the throat, crushing his windpipe completely and breaking his neck, instantly killing him. I then spun the hilts in my hands, deactivating and reactivating my blades in such quick succession that as I struck at the two swinging for my chest my blades simply passed through theirs and severed the limb on the other side.

The last one was quickly taken out as I pushed off with my other foot. Ascending straight up into the air and twisting around to make a complete 180 and look down on him from above. I then simply outstretched my hand at him and let go a powerful force push, effectively shattering his body with the force of the blow as he also made a small crater from the impact.

The Mares and Stallions around me gave a loud cheer and redoubled their efforts at the sign of me having defeated the enemy forces that had broken through. Sensing that a new push was coming I slapped my dual hilt back into its holster and drew out my other single blade, igniting its golden blade and twirling it a few times in my right hand before charging to the front to make war on the Gryphons about to charge.

Just as expected, once I arrived at the front a group of twenty FULLY ARMORED Gryphons were charging towards my new position on the front lines. Seeing this immovable object coming at me I flipped both my blade hilts into a reverse grip and held my hands out in front of myself, keeping my fighting stance, I shot off several bursts of Force lightning, letting the bursts charge in my hands to form balls of energy before launching them towards their intended targets.

This effectively whipped out the incoming Gryphon forces, each ball having had enough power to properly SINGE one of their massive manticores, though it would not have been enough to kill one of the large beasts... Though it was enough to kill the Gryphons easily. By the time I was done the bodies of the charging Gryphons had been turned to so much charred refuse for the carrion to pick at.

"TO ME, Ninth squad! Charge!" I shouted to the group around me, having noticed their Squad mark on their shoulder guards as I had charged by earlier. The ten ponies, three Pegasus, four Earth and three Unicorn Ponies galloped ahead of me, charging into the enemy formation and bulldozing over several of the enemy soldiers to be trampled under foot and killed. I ran off after them, expertly sweeping with my blades to slice exposed throats as I ran by the trampled Lion Birds. As I got into the fray I switched my grip around for my right hand, now holding the saber hilt normally.

Coming up behind the groups Sargent I used the force to pull him back, letting a trio of javelin spears crash against each other as they clattered to the ground where he once stood. I then took a few strides forward and jabbed the tip of my golden blade out, expertly slipping the tip of the energy blade through the eye slit of a charging Gryphon, killing him instantly as the blade liquefied his eyeball and brain. I then spun around, sliding the blade from the confines of the eye slit, using my other saber, still in its reversed grip, I parried a trio of swords and spun up into the guard of the closest one on my right, quickly deactivating my golden blade and straight up punching the Gryphon in the face, sending him flying with a broken beak and snapped neck.

I then jumped up over a broad swing and brought the heel of my armored boot down on the armored head of the offender, cracking his helmet in half and sending him to the ground in a forming pool of his own blood. I then jammed the emitter nozzle of my unactivated hilt into the squawking maw of the other Gryphon and ignited the blade, watching in morbid fascination as the blade seemingly rebound inside the helmet of the gryphon, obliterating his skull and deforming the helmet to a lumpy version of its former self.

I was then suddenly sent flying by a large muscular gryphon, one that came up to my chest in height and was covered in chain mail and plate from head to toe. The large gryphon sported a scimitar like weapon in its right claw and a buckler on its left for leg. Its helmet had a set of curved horns coming out of the temple and a set of thorns rolled along his spine and along his shoulder guards, even his elbow and knee pads had claw like extensions placed on them for better tearing power. His claws were also augmented in such a way that they were longer and far sharper than those of his brethren.

In the suddenness of the attack, which had hit me from behind, I had lost my grip on my two swords, letting them fly through the air and off into the throng of bodies. Even as this happened I didn't know it, but, my dual blade hilt had also been knocked from its cradle and sent skittering across the ground, getting kicked and punted as the ponies and Gryphons battled.

With my weapons now out of reach I did the next best thing... I picked up a Gryphon gladius and Got into the basic form of Makashi, blade tip down and left arm behind my back as I faced my new opponent.

"..." I grinned evilly, taking the initiative and taking two steps towards him, making him step back wearily, none to confidant at seeing my grin. The Gryphon then brought his sword up to bare, leveling it at my from above the rim of his shield like a spartan. We then began to circle each other , Him going right and me going left.

This continued on for a few moments before the Gryphon charged forward and brought his shield up to bash me in the face. I deftly sidestepped and kicked the Gryphon in his side, the kick sent him rolling a few feet, but he quickly jumped to his feet and got into a defensive stance, waiting for me to press the advantage. What he didn't know was that I was toying with him, just to have a good fight for once.

As we both circled each other, once again, we began to get closer and closer together, to the point we were almost within arms reach of the other. This time I decided to act first, flicking my wrist and shooting my arm out at the same time I bounced the shield off tot he left, making the male stumble slightly. I allowed him to regain his footing, but kept up my quick strikes on the other parts of his defense, making him parry, block, and repose with each strike I threw at him.

As we fought the two of us noticed something peculiar happening to the warriors around us... They had almost all stopped fighting to watch us duel. The Gryphons cheering for their larger counter part while the ponies shouted my name in adulation and cheer as I continued my barrage against the Large Gryphon. As the fight went on we traded, swapping our positions regularly from Defense to Offense almost seamlessly.

"So, are you enjoying this Gryphon?" I asked in their ancient Dialect, making the surrounding audience gasp slightly in awe. Though there were a few that had heard of my feat of intellect when it came to speaking the different languages of these two people, they all still seemed awed by having witnessed it first hand, or hoof depending on your species.

"Aye, it is something I haven't done in many decades... It feels good to duel again... Though I have the distinct feeling that you are just toying with me... Am I not right?" The gryphon asked, his fatigue and slight exasperation evident in his avian tongue.

"Aye, sadly... I wished to give you a decent fight among your peers... Does that offend you?" I was truly concerned that I had offended such a decent opponent, well, not really, just that he was an elderly sort that should at least have some honor before he dies... Even by my hand.

"Nay, tin no offense to give such an elderly Gryff as I a bout to last the ages... But I cant last much longer...All I ask is that you make it quick and painless..." The Gryphon started, melancholy at this being his end. He jumped forward quickly, surprising me slightly, and buried his armored elbow in my slightly less armored stomach, making me back up a few feet to catch my breath. During the whole fight we had kept our voices low, so none of the others could hear us talk.

"Very well, but might I have the mane of the Gryff I am about to lay low?" I asked sportingly, loud enough for all to hear.

"Aye! I am Dark Claw, Champion of the Ninth Legion Imperial Army and Master Dualist... And Might I have the Honor of your name..." Dark Claw cawed at me leveling his sword towards my eyes.

"Aye! I am Lord Corpus, Master Dualist and Knight to the Royal Sisters, second in command of the Royal Equestrian First Division and its Champion. Slayer of the Hydra..." After hearing this, more than half the Gryphons around us turned pasty white, quite the feat seeing as they have feathers covering them all over the front and fur on their hindquarters. Even Dark Claw was slightly pale after hearing that last part, seeing as almost none can challenge a Hydra and live... It was quite the feat...

Both Dark Claw and I stared at each other for a few moments before we raised our swords and gave the duelists salute before we charged at each other with renewed vigor, bashing our weapons against the others defenses relentlessly. Slashing High and low we traded blows, earning rends and small gashes in each others armors. Though the damage done to mine was minor, it still showed the skill of the duelist before me, given the fact that he was able to land a blow on me at all.

Dark Claw then jumped up into the air, using his wings as a second stage of propulsion he gained a good twenty foot edge on me. I grinned up at his lofty form, running through several scenarios on how to strike at him. After thinking of a few I just decided to go with the whole "Jump and strike barrage" tactic...

So, I launched myself up after him, getting several gasps from the fighters around us as I jumped up into the air and clear the twenty feet in just one fluid motion. As I was about to fall back down to the ground I used the force to launch my body in his general direction. My sword held off to the right I flew at him at high speed, coming up on him in under a second. All the Gryphons and Ponies watching us gave a collective gasp in surprise, not believing what they were seeing.

I brought nine cleaving blows down upon the shield within the time it took my opponent to react, though the ferocity of the blows made him stagger nonetheless I kept on. Using the force to swivel my body, I delivered a fierce round house to Dark's right side, catching him under his guard and right in his ribs, sending him flying a good forty feet and down into the dirt. I landed solidly on my feet, a small dust cloud coming up from my landing, and made my way over to him. My battle gear gleamed darkly in the light of the afternoon sun, my thick war cape billowing out behind me, it having taken less damage than the rest of my body combined.

Just as I came upon the bruised form of Dark Claw I could see him just then getting to his paws and claws. When he got to all fours he was breathing hard, his helm was cracked down the side and his shield had splintered upon impact, leaving him almost defenseless on his left side. As I stood before him, assessing his damaged form, he brought his, now free, left claw up to his head and lifted off the mangled helm of bronze and dropped it to the ground, letting its neck plating clatter among the other broken bits as it finally snapped in two.

"If I can not see... then what is the point of protection... Ehh Corpus?" The large Gryphon asked me, a small grin spreading across his face along with a low chuckle escaping his beak. I quickly nodded in agreement and spoke out, my voice being slightly muffled and mechanized thanks to my helmets speaker.

"Heheha! Truer words have not been spoken my friend... Though if you are taking leave of your helm, then so shall I... One should always know the face of the one that takes them down..." My melancholy voice echoed around the small clearing of bodies, everyone looking to each other, some in bewilderment and others in confusion... Not understanding what I had said. I quickly stabbed my acquired sword into the dirt and brought my hands up to my head. I clasped my fingers around the pressure seals and released them, letting the cool air and other gasses escape from within my helmet. As soon as the as the seals had been broken the blue glow of my visor cut out and became a dull Grey.

As I lifted the helmet my Brown, slightly longer than, shoulder length hair fell out and laid against my face and shoulders, waving in the slight breeze that started to chase across the battlefield. AS I brought the helm up and over my head my eyes shined forth, their copper gaze falling on those around me and Dark Claw. I then brought the helm up under my left arm, tucking it in before I clipped it to my belt. As I gazed around I could feel the widened gazes of everyone as they saw the myriad different scars checkering my face, the three right to left scars across my left eye, the three triangular scars that shone brightly just under my hair line, and the large horizontal scar under my right eye that began just inches from my ear and crossed over my nose and just touched my left cheek.

"Before we begin again... Might I inquire as to where you got those scars?" Dark Claw asked, somewhat reluctantly, as he stared at my face, his eyes wide in awe.

"The one under my right eye was from a duel I had with one of my old masters... One that I lost badly... The ones going over my left eye are from a spat I had with a Barrabel... They're large reptilian creatures that have about as much fighting spirit as a rock is a rock... All predatory instincts honed with decades of training and battle... Now.. The one on my forehead is something special... That was form when I was captured by the Yuuzahn Vong and tortured for almost three years... The bastards tried to use Mind-Control on me... Didn't work out as they planned and I killed the whole lot of'em... All sixty-eight... Hardest fight of my life if you ask me Heheh!" I laughed, not just at the incredulity of the situation I was in, but also at the fact that I had also faced tougher opponents already through this short war and the one I was in before even coming here.

Dark and all the Gryphons just stood there and gaped at me as I gave them a quick rundown of SOME of the scars I had... Seeing as they could only see the three sets on my face... and not the literal scores I had all over my body. I was also kind of glad that I was able to talk to someone that may understand what it is like to face unstoppable odds and live, knowing that this Griff before me was of the elder echelons. Having known more war and death than most of the young beings that surrounded us, I felt a slight kinship with him... Even if he was meant to die by my hands, I would remember him for centuries and even millennium to come.

"Now... Shall we fight... Dark Claw, Champion of the Ninth?" I asked as I clipped the helm to the back side of my belt and picked up my sword, aiming right at him.

"Aye... Lets be on with it then!"

A:N thank you all for reading this, and sorry for the Cliffhanger... but you'll all get a happy little tidbit sometime soon thanks to it so hold your horses! XD I would love to see what you all think about this chapter and more, so please, send me a PM or review and I will try to either rectify something or answer a question if I can :) I love writing this story and I love to hear what you guys think, so please, all contributions will be given equal weight when looked at :)

Betrayers End: Ch 20

Ching... Clang... Tink, tink, tink... Clang... Shhhhhing... The sound of metal on metal rang through the area as our Titanic like battle raged on amongst the men and women fighting around us. Our fight having gone on for almost twenty minutes now, blood dripping from the small gashes and wounds that we had accumulated between the gaps in our armor.

Dark Claw stood ten feet away from me, panting, leaning on his scimitar for support. Blood slowly pooled around Dark's paws as his wounds wept tears of crimson blood, having sustained several stabs and cuts along the joints of his armor had drawn their toll upon him. With his breathing ragged and the severe loss of blood hanging over him, Dark Claw knew that he was going to either Die, or retreat to fight another day.

I on the other hand fared slightly better... Having only sustained minor injuries to my body thanks to my more advanced armor. Granted I was also losing blood from several rends in my armor, such as a good sized hole in my right bracer where Dark's scimitar had buried several inches of the tip in my arm and snapped it off there in. I was also bleeding from a cut on that same arms shoulder joint and in the joint of my left knee. The two joint slashes were nothing more than flesh wounds... Where as the arm injury would leave a nasty scar and a bit of shrapnel to remove later on, which would cause a great amount of scarring.

Dropping into a crouch I then shot towards Dark Claw. Using the force to boost my speed exponentially. I swung down with my gladius and came down hard on his scimitar, making both our blades chip and ring with the weight of the attack. Dark Claw then rolled out from under my attack and smacked me in the face with the flat of his blade, sending me reeling sideways with a ringing sensation in my head.

He then leaped after me, bringing his scimitar up in anticipation of throwing a high cross, his left claw extended out to the side ready to swipe. I quickly regained my balance and shot out with my left hand and unleashed my blind rage out in the form of a push, sending Dark Claw over three hundred feet away, effectively ending our little fight.

From around me I could hear the loud yells of my allies cheering, even some of the gryphons joined in at such a fight, while most of the other gryphons scowled and yelled obscenities in their own language. I bowed to those praising me and gave a throaty growl to the few gryphons that had been booing me. Everyone was surprised by the sound coming from my throat, it sounding like a large predator and such does make for a fearsome sound.

After a moment the men and women around me got back to fighting, their sense of camaraderie being broken by the charging forms of ten gryphons coming at me, reminding them of what we were here to do. I quickly dropped back into the Makashi style and ripped them to shreds with quick jabs and slashes that tore through their defenses and ripped open throats and shoulders.

Wading through the, then ensuing fight, I ended several more lives, all on the way to find my discarded lightsabers. The first one I found was my dual blade, activating it; two green blades shot forth with an eerie 'Snap-hiss' and gave off a low thrumming noise as I twirled it about, deflecting several swords that lanced out at me from the throng of bodies surrounding me. One of which actually belonging to a Pony.

Looking down, while the pony looked up, our eyes met and the pony, that I instantly recognized as Amazing Grace, went completely crimson and started stammering at what she had just attempted to do. Seeing as I just stopped her blade from cracking ma man jewels... I was a little red in the face myself.

"Afternoon Commander... Having fun?" I asked sheepishly, making her, somehow, get even redder.

"Um... Yes, sorry, didn't see you there..." She mumbled around the blade in her mouth, thankfully I understand mumble talk... Sooooo many reasons for that that I won't go into them!

"I see... Well, lets finish this then shall we?" I gestured towards the last twenty or so Gryphons that had formed a small ring. Being surrounded by the remnants of our troops, me and Grace walked on over. As we got closer though, something red and gold caught my eyes.

"They found my swords... And turned them on... brilliant..." I muttered to myself, just loud enough for Grace to hear.

"Aye... What will you do sir?"

"Get them back of course..." I said as I walked right through our front line and stood in front of the enemy soldiers, my weapon at my side deactivated. In the center of the enemy forces I saw Dark Claw, Badly wounded and bleeding, but still breathing.

"DARK CLAW! I speak to you in parlay! Come forth." I called forth, noting many of the strained empty faces that looked at me from both sides. Dark Claw slowly got up and limped his way over to us, his left wing broken, having it been wrapped to his side and tapped up tight.

"Corpus... What do you need friend? We both know this is a lost fight... I and my Gryffs are dead Gryffs walking..."

"I know Dark... But I do not wish to see any more bloodshed this day, So... I have an offer for you, have your men deliver back to me my blades and I shall allow you and your men to go free... Or you can die here... On your feet, which is it. Save your men, or die." I raised a brow at him, and to make sure he understood the consequences I activated my weapon, its green blades shooting out to a good three feet on either side.

"That... seems fair Corpus, I don't wish to see anymore of my men die as it is, so I shall agree... Iron Talon, bring this man his swords... We are going home..." All the gryphons, at this, dropped their guard and just gaped at their war hero. Some were even so shocked that they dropped their weapons entirely.

"Lord Corpus... What did you say to them?" Grace asked as she edged her way over to my side, not feeling safe with how the Gryphons were acting.

"We gave them an out, We told them, 'Give us our weapons and thou can go home...' Was the gist of what we said." Once everyone heard what I said, they all had similar responses, giving me the thousand yard stare and shit.

"Sire, You cannot seriously bel-" One of earth ponies next to me started to say as they were cut off by Dark and a few of his men parting to let a pair of Gryphons walk over to me. Both of which held a deactivated hilt in their claws.

"Thou were saying Private?" I asked as I stepped forward to accept the proffered weapons and reattach them to my belt.

"Thank you Dark Claw, Iron Talon, and...?"

"Razor Claw" The third Gryphon answered the unasked question.

"Razor Claw for giving me back my weapons... Now, take your forces and leave the battlefield... Any form of retaliation will be held as a re-neg on this treaties and will result in your deaths... Tred lightly." They all nodded vigorously as they quickly motioned for their men to pick up their weapons and head out. Several of the gryphons taking up a rearward looking position as they filtered out of the large array of troops around them.

As they were leaving I noticed a trio of ponies separate from the circle and rush after them, their hate flooding the force as they did so, boosting my already almost untapped power. As they came to within a good ten feet of the retreating Gryphons. I quickly landed right in front of them, having performed a force jump to get there. I then brought my hand up and began levitating them up into the air.

"What dost thou think thou art doing?" I asked, my tone flat and edged with ice and Venom aplenty for the three idiots in my grasp. They were all male, each of them kicking at the open air as I held them there, making everyone, especially the gryphons, pause as I wasn't even laying a finger on them as they floated there. The three Stallions gave me dirty looks and snarled at me as they tried to brake free of my telekinetic grasp, making me grin sadistically at their hate for me and our foes.

"They killed our friends! Let us go creature so we may get revenge!" The first one on my right growled out. His lip upturned into a snarl.

"They will pay for their transgressions towards us! Blood will be spilled for the deaths they have wrought this day!" The one on my far left howled, making all of the ponies around us gasp slightly at such blood-lust.

"We gave my WORD that they would come to no harm if they gave back our weapons and left peaceably... Are thou going to make us a liar?" I started flatly, making them all growl at my words. Then the one in the middle did something stupid... He spit in my face... Yes you read it right... He. Spit. In. My. Face... Dead man Floating folks, any bets as to how he dies? None? Well shoot...

"Um... Corpus?" Dark Claw called out, slightly afraid for the ponies lives now.

"I would count your word for nothing Creature! You are not worth even the whore of a Commander we have leading us! She's only worth the seconds shied last in a bed!" The one in the middle snarled, not even done yet, "I will NEVER fallow any worthless order YOU OR THAT WHORE gives me!" He then lunged forward and bashed his skull into my face, his horn missing my eyes by mere centimeters.

"Oh... Is that so..." I asked as I raised my other hand to wipe away the blood trickling out of my nose. "Well then... I don't think you are worth the HIDE you are clothed in... So... I'll Just relieve you of it... Sound good?" I asked, my voice sickly sweet as I spoke. Everyone around us could feel the temperature steadily drop as I spoke, not really knowing what was about to happen.

"OH, A word of advice to those that don't want to see what happens... Turn away and plug your ears..." I intoned in both the Gryphon language of old and basic, using the force to translate for both races. Granted I did not allow the traitor to hear my words. After I was done I noticed that several of both sides had turned away.

"Do you still wish to go against your superiors?" I flatly stated, Both Grace and Dark Claw starring at me, waiting to see what I was going to do.

"I would rather DIE than follow either of you fools into battle again! FUCK YOU AND THAT WHORE YOU CALL COMMANDER!" I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Grace flinched at the traitors words.

"Fine. And you?" I asked the other two, make eye contact with them.

"I am of same mind Creature!" The one on the left howled.

"GO DIE IN A DITCH YOU BASTARD!" The one on my right said, both sealing their fates.

"Fine then, We shalt make an example of what WE do to traitors!" I grinned sickly, making them tremble for, to them, unknown reasons.

"You may have the abilities of my kind Creature! But you are nothing to our might!" The middle one cried, suddenly shooting a bolt of energy out of his horn, right at my face. Instantly I had my hand there to block the blow, absorbing it all into the palm of my hand.

Hearing several gasps from the suddenness of the attack I brought away my hand, with the ball of energy still in it, and allowed everyone to see what had transpired. I then grinned evilly at the unicorn Stallion in my grasp, and at his two Earth Stallion counterparts, and crushed the bolt of energy in my hand. The energy then dissipated into the atmosphere.

"Now... For your charges... Disobeying a direct command by a superior; Court-martial... Attempting to engage in an illegal assault after sanction was given; summary discharge from the army... Finally... Attempting to KILL a superior officer; Charge is DEATH..." I grinned manically. I then stopped grinning and gave him a very, very, deadly glare.

"Now... Die..." I then visualized the very first vertebra in his spine, holding the image in my mind... and then I snapped my fingers, using the motion to spin the small ass son of a bitch a full 360... paralyzing the fucker from the neck down... I then shattered said vertebra and shot the small pieces into his brain and killing him instantly as the pieces shredded his brain matter into an unrecognizable mush.

Dropping the, now lifeless, corpse to the blood soaked mud below. I stared out into the shocked faces of gryphons and ponies alike and gave them a stony glare.

"The acts of this man are ten fold... Betraying his allies... Both the trust of his fellow Ponies and Gryphons that we gave our word to... He has also tried to kill a superior officer. I do NOT tolerate betrayal... And is dealt with as such as this." I nodded down to the dead unicorn. Everyone, it did not matter what side they were on, stared at the dead body at my feet, disgust and fear appeared in equal measure as they looked on at the body. As silence pervaded the surrounding area I could hear some of the gryphons, and even a few Ponies, his in disgust.

"Remember this, all of you, be ye friend or foe, We will NOT Tolerate Betrayal from EITHER SIDE!"

No more than twenty minutes after I had dealt with the traitors I learned that the younger one was the brother of the Stallion I had destroyed. I had had them placed in a set of four Iron cuffs, setting them to march at our rear, being guarded by five of our more adept injured soldiers. Out of the battle I found out that we had sustained relatively heavy losses... Having faced a force of one thousand Gryphons I can say we did well with only a Forty-three KIA and ten WIA and Two MIA...

The march to the F.O.B (Forward Operating Base) held little, to no, hindrances after our initial skirmish with the forward Gryphon front... And having sent the remaining three hundred gryphons back in retreat did wonders for moral. Though the loss of so many brothers in arms was a huge hit as well.

Grace and I had begun to talk about some of the tactics that her officers had used during the skirmish... Which was to say none, damn fools lost the line several times during the whole event and even lost their lives when ordering retreats and such WHILE fighting... Arrogant bastards.

"Grace, if thy men pull something like that again, we will smack them in the head with our Saberhilt... Such hubris will not be allowed back on the field of battle..." I growled out, making Grace narrow her eyes as we walked on towards Stallion grad and the rest of the troops we were to reenforce. My tattered cape billowed in the faint crosswind as I slowly scanned the surroundings while we talked, making great headway.

"Aye, Corpus... But they do not know better... Their training is horrid and under developed... We do not have the personnel with the right experience to teach ALL of our new recruits..." Grace sighed and gave the horizon a weary glare as we came upon a small group of rolling hills. "Do you think it would be faster to go around them or over them Corpus?" The Silver eyed mare asked as she let her gaze bore into my very soul.

"We go through them... It would take to long to traverse the way around and back... So we make for the shorter route... Though having a group of Pegasi fly over the top and such will give us a better idea of what we will find on our way over there." I pointed out, giving as sound advice as I could. Grace gave me a strange look, a mix of a smile and a frown, and stomped her hoof on the ground a few times in thought, not really paying attention to the fact we had stopped our march and were waiting on her words to continue.

"Alright, send out five pegasi, I want them armed with spears... Better to be prepared than not..." She stated, turning to me, giving me an appraising look. "Corpus, I would also like to talk to you Privately about what all transpired back in that clearing... But first I want us to make camp... Our destination is still far away." Grace glanced back at the Stallions and Mares behind us, each of them keeping a wary eye out for any movement, be it in the sky or on the ground.

"Aye, that be fine with us Grace. We will first deliver your orders to the squad, be back in a bit." I replied evenly, slightly fearing what we would be talking about when I returned. Making a quick about face, my cape billowing out behind me at the quickness of the move, I made for the nearest group of Pegasi. Quickly finding a group I gave them instructions.

"Soldier, we need thee to go acquire four other companions and scout ahead of the army to make sure we do not fall into any more traps... Clear?" The stallion nodded and gave a quick salute before taking off into the air and going to find a few more volunteers. I quickly started making rounds, letting all the Captains know that we were going to make camp for the night. I even went and found the men I was going to be marching out with on our traverse through the hills... The captains name was Ducati; a pegasus with a cream colored mane and tail, indigo coat and emerald green eyes. He wore the mantle of a seasoned scoutmaster and held a series of scars across neck, chest, and sides that exemplified his services and experience.

He held dominion over twenty of the men and women of the battle group I was in... His group was rather free with their speech among their small group. They spoke jovially and reminisced about past battles they each had been in and either won or lost. They even included me in a few of their tales as I brought my own incites to some of their own failures.

After a few minutes of rather short and awkward conversation, I returned to the spot that Grace had laid aside for us to use as the command center of the camps... Upon my arrival I noticed that there were several others with us, whom I noticed to be among the veteran of our group, that were sitting with her and discussing something.

"Commander Grace, thy company confuses us, dost this mean we map the coming stretch, or that we are just extending the camp?" I asked rather cheekily, getting a rise out of the silver eyed mare as she puffed out her cheeks in my direction. The other stallions, and two mares, turned to look in my direction, their gazes rather zealous in their disdain for me being rather obvious. After a rather tense moment Grace spoke, trying to keep her annoyance out of her voice, though if it was at me or her... companions I would never know.

"We were just... Discussing what to do once we get to the besieged city... And I was hoping that you would be able to give us some insight as to how to approach this..." She said haltingly, her gaze shifting about the others like quicksilver as she gauged their reactions. I could sense their loathing of me, even hate, as I drew ever nearer to Amazing Grace and the small fire they had erected. Grace on the other hand emitted a distinct feeling of fear and apprehension, though her emotions were directed at me, they were not of me but for me.

"Dost a thing we said disturb thee... Stallions and Mares of the sun? For WE know not what we hast done to offended thee..." I spoke rather derisively, a small smile playing across my lips as I looked upon them, no mirth or joviality held in my tone or eyes as I looked upon the ones that could end this venture before it begins. I placed a hand on one of my hilts, the one that contained my red blade to be exact, and awaited their reply.

"WE have nothing to say to thee, creature... You spurned our Goddess and chose the Night Lady... We have no words of kindness for thee." The leader of said group said as they all filed away, content to leave grace in my presence, alone, and afraid.

"Aye, good eve then to thee, Sons and Daughters of the Sun..." I said as I gave them a slight bow of the head. This act infuriated them to no end, and only made them run away from us all the faster. Leaving me with a satisfied grin and a rather perturbed mare standing beside me.

"Did'st you truly haft to do that... Truly..." Grace placed a hoof over her face and gave an exasperated sigh. She then looked up to me and gave a slight smile, one that most would mistake for a grimace with an untrained eye. "But, thank you for that, they were trying my nerves as it were. Their blatant biased mind set and unwillingness to follow certain orders, your orders to be exact, was quite trying... So I find it favorable that you made them leave." She chuckled lightly as she tiredly clipped over to her bed roll and fell over onto said sack of fabric. She groaned softly as she lay there and stared off over the small valley that our forces had taken to stay the night. Her mane lay around her, framing her slender form and bringing out a certain... Beauty to her figure...

"Thou art welcome, Grace... And it concerns us not what they are willing to follow, as much as they will still follow YOUR orders We will have no quarrel with them." I said as I gathered up my bedroll and laid it out next to hers, a good foot away to allay suspicions, and sat down upon its thin covers. I laid my helm next to my three inch thick 'pillow' and let my armor decompress slightly as I removed some of the more damaged pieces to be repaired. During the whole process of removing my armor, I would look over at Grace from time to time, just seeing what she was up to, and I would catch fleeting glances from her as she stared at me as I worked my armor back into shape with a small hand kit I had brought along for such occasions.

"What art you doing Corpus? With your armor that is..." Grace inquired as she shifted herself to a better position, all just to get a better look. Her eyes held a slight look of awe about them as she saw my hands traverse the small rends and gashes in my armor with the small torches and spare metal ingots that I used to fill in the rends and tears.

"We art repairing the damage dealt to our armor by the battle past... Dost thine own forces not do this as well with their own armor?" I asked, slightly abashed that the opposite might be true.

"Nay, they do not... They would rather sleep than tend to their armor... But Nay, even if they could there art not enough supplies to repair the extent of their damaged plating..." Grace sighed dejectedly as I gaped at her hither too response... It made me want to cry and curl up into a ball that my own men could not truly take care of their own armaments... A sad day in hell when a man cannot take care of his sword...

After a while I had finished with my craft I re-attached my armor plates and deigned to lean back and stare at the night sky... Just like I used to do back on Kesh when I was but a boy... The cool breeze flowing ever so gently over the hills and down onto our encampment, caressing the men and women as they dozed off to slumber. Only the sentries and us two were awake for much longer as we gazed at the stars and wondered their meanings together. Grace would ask all so innocent questions about the things I had seen while traversing the stars, while I would ask her what the worlds astronomers thought each constellation stood for, if she even knew.

"Dost thy people not know what a star be in that blackness above us?" I asked during our conversation, making her pause a moment in thought as she tried to think of any relevant info. Her face scrunched up slightly in thought as she did this, making me chuckle slightly as her face looked slightly constipated in its current state. Upon hearing my chuckle she blushed slightly and looked away while still trying to conform her answer.

"Well..." She said as she looked back around at me, right in the eye, "From what little I dost know of our Astronomers, they think that our stars, as you call them, are but light placed in the sky by an ancient power, thousands of years old, and that it is all controlled by Princess Luna... As she controls the night and all." Smirking slightly as she talked about what the astronomers thought the lights in the sky were, and now knowing what they were for her self. She couldn't help the smile that raced across her lips as she continued to lay out the foundation of the countries astronomy standing before me, knowing that I could easily break their understanding just by being in the same room as them.

I even got a laugh out of it as she mentioned what the scholarly figures thought they were, and at how wrong they truly were. After that we slipped into small talk about the last battle, about what we lost, gained, and now understood better, if anything thanks to the large skirmish. Afterwords we went on to sleep and let the darkness take us to sweet oblivion... And Luna's loving embrace as those who know call it...

Perspective: Luna; at the castle a week earlier.

It had only been hours before that Corpus and his small army of troopers had set out to defend our lands, and I was currently laying on my large bed, wreathed in many pillows of a hundred different sizes, thinking of all the ways our goodbye could have gone differently. Though my thoughts were soon interrupted by the squirming form of Magnus BlueBlood as he shifted among the small nest of pillows he was situated in. I laid on a large body pillow as I watched him squirm under the dark blue cover that lay on him.

He had made himself a good sized fort of pillows not long ago and had then, stumblingly, brought over the Dark Blue cover and laid it across the top, before falling into a light slumber. He had expressed his displeasure with Us upon hearing of, as he put it, 'Uncle Corpus', leave to the front lines... Even if it was abrupt and all I still felt sorry for the child... For he had started to grow on me.

"Young Magnus... Dost thou feel alright?" I asked as I felt his mind slip into a night-terror and reel in pain from the experiences he was having. I quickly realized what was happening and drew him from his 'shelter' and drew him to my breasts and embraced him, wrapping my hoofs, neck, and wings about his small form to comfort him. This worked almost instantly as he relaxed and slipped off into a deeper sleep and left his terror behind.

As the child slept in my arms I glanced about my room once more, taking in the sight of it... seeing how it had changed since Corpus had left. The walls were still sparse, a few paintings of myself and my sister adorning it's surface along with a mural of me with Celestia and our parents... Markanus and Saleem... Our mother, Saleem had a perfectly white coat of ivory that shone like diamonds in the sun, she also had a long auburn like mane and tail that flowed in the air as if on its own wind... She was a magnificent sight to have seen on any day, but to us she was especially special... She was our mother and she was beautiful.

Our father Markanus on the other hand had a coat as dark as the deepest oceans, and just as blue, his coat shown deeply, yet brightly, with the magic of the hidden stars within that gave him his magic... His mane even held the majesty of the stars above us as he maneuvered the celestial beings through the sky. We had always loved them, but they went missing one day and never returned... Leaving Celestia to look after me and for us to grieve for a whole two years before we could even get back to our normal selves... And that feeling... Of emptiness, that was what I had felt when Corpus rushed off to fight and save my lands from destruction.

"Magnus, dost thou wish to get some food now?" I asked after what felt like hours of laying there with a foal wreathed in my arms. At my words though he rose from his slumber and gently yawned. His Golden eyes looking up at me in awe and childish love as he scurried from my embrace and stood before me, his little tail wagging slightly from the prospect of going to get food.

"YES!" He shouted imperiously as he looked at me with his large eyes, making me giggle slightly on the inside as I slowly arose from my spot on the mattress and got off the bed. My light blue mane clung to my sides and to my legs as I got up, having sweated slightly during my rest, this making Magnus snicker slightly at my strange appearance. I gave him a slight brow raise before shaking myself out and tapping him slightly with my hoof, discharging the built up static cling into his body, making his fur and mane stand up on end. This made him look like a massive puff ball... At which the sight of I fell over from laughter.

Soon after he got over his shock, literally, he began to look at himself and laugh too, not really caring for the small prank I had just pulled on him. We then cleaned ourselves up in the bathroom, after flattening out his mane and coat. Once we were cleaned we clipped out of the room and down the long halls down to the winding staircases and into the main level of the castle.

"Auntie Luna... Dost uncle Corpus... Normally do things like this... Or dost he have spur of the moment extravagances he must fulfill?" Magnus asked as we walked down one of the many spiraling staircases, making me trip up slightly at his expertly worded sentence. Seeing me almost fall down the long flight of stairs thought made him drop his questioning look and rush after me with a scream.

In a flash I was able to catch myself, with help from Magnus, and wright myself. I then looked down at the young colt and gave him a look, trying to figure out where he had learned such eloquent speaking, while also trying to come up with an answer for his question.

"Well... Our Dear Magnus... We hast known him for only a few short months... One and a half to be exact, and he hast shown an aptitude for finding danger and ending it... Most of which, until now, was just because he decided to go on a stroll with us during the night watch... other than that... This is new for us as well." I explained as we continued down the long staircase ahead of us.

"If that's the case then... Why'd he take off so suddenly now... He didn't even give say as to his return before leaving... But, I suppose it's fine... He will be back anyway... I just know it Auntie Luna," He smiled up at me as we abruptly came to our destination, "And I know he will be glad to see us when he does." The young colt, his curly blond hair bouncing slightly with every step, walked on past me as he trotted on ahead towards the kitchen, leaving me slightly speechless as I made to catch up with him.

"Chef Quick Slice, Thou is't to make us a set of CLT's...(Carrot, Lettuce, and Tomato... For those that wish to know!) With a little salt and pepper on the side please... That'd be all." I quickly barked out, a large smile on my face as I clipped into the open dining area of the Kitchen, little Magnus not far behind me as he looked at the massive tables and windows the dining area held within. His gaze reminded me of my own not to long ago when I first arrived at the castle, all those scores ago.

I quickly found us a seat under a large chandelier next to the windows on the right side of the room... Looking back I can say the place was very large and held almost no artistic heraldry... The ceiling was vaulted, the windows were arched, and the walls were barren half way up and then abruptly shot up with a velvet like covering of gold blue and white linings... Depicting our united rule. I hated the place so much back then it wasn't funny.

"Magnus we hope thou likes CLT's... For that be which hast been ordered..." I told him as I gave him the stink eye, seeing as he was giving me the zombie mouth eye thing that younger children lie to do.

"That willst be fine Auntie! I love Carrots anyway!" He beamed up at me, then proceeded to start making faces at me again, which made me want to reciprocate the action. So I placed my hooves above each of my eyelids, pulled up, and flapped my lips back and started making noises as well... Not my proudest moments mind you, but it was fun!

We continued changing the looks we gave each other till the food came out not twenty minutes later. We were having so much fun that we didn't even notice when the Chef had placed our food down and walked away, not having the heart to break our little game. We soon Busted up laughing at each other and saw that our food was sitting there, though not for very long thankfully, and we dug in, trying to stifle our laughter so we could eat.

"Auntie, Thank thee for lunch... I willst be back, I just wish to thank the Chef for his time and making it for us." I smiled kindly at Magnus and motioned that he may go, I then took our plates and the platter and delivered them to the Kitchen servers and gave them a good bout of praise for their kindness towards Magnus and myself, seeing as most were starting to turn from me by then anyway.

After our little breakfast I deigned it a day of rest for myself and spent the rest of it having foalish fun with my new 'adoptive' nephew... Even if it wasn't all by choice, I would never change it for the world... Or my future... No matter the cost!

The next day...

"Auntie Luna! Auntie Luna! I found something!" Magnus cried out as he rummaged through a set of drawers in my room. He then pulled out a large, for him, cylinder about the size of his shin and held it in his mouth. He then trotted over to our bed and placed it upon the dark blue satin covers. I then noticed that he had looked through one of the drawers that Corpus had used to store some of his weapons and other belongings... And I instantly realized what the cylinder was and quickly took it up in my magic and held it far away from both myself and Magnus as I eyed it warily.

"Dear Magnus... Thou must be more careful with what thou picks up... This here Cylinder could have injured thee beyond compare... For it is one of, Uncle Corpus', weapons... Understand?" He looked up at me wide-eyed and jaw agape as he looked at the unassuming cylinder of long lines and rings that constituted the hilt of, what Corpus called, a 'Lightsaber'. During his battle with some of the gryphons a few days earlier I had remembered how he would turn on the blade in the cylinder by pressing a button on the side...

"Can we see what it looks like Auntie? I dost not think he would be to angry if we saw what it looked like... Truly?" Magnus asked, enamored by the prospect of possibly seeing his pseudo-uncle's weapon of choice up close. While I really didn't mind possibly showing him... I didn't know how Corpus would react to me showing off his weapons without his say on the matter.

"I'm sorry, Dearest Nephew, but tis not a choice that We may make. Only thy uncle may make this decision, and it would be in our bad graces to go 'hind his back to show thee his things... So for now, we shalt await his return and then thou might see his weapons in all their glory... Peace Magnus?" I smiled sagely to my 'nephew' and patted him on the head as he gave me a slightly dejected look, really wanting to have seen his 'uncle's' weapon. He then gave me a small smile and nodded his head, his golden eyes bringing out a certain warmth in my heart, dissimilar to the feeling I would usually get when around corpus, but not as strong, and slightly less natural... but still there. This feeling made me smile at the young colt and pat his head lightly as I placed the item where it was found.

"Peace Auntie, I'll go find something else to do for a while... Good day!" Magnus bowed his head, running off to enjoy the day here in the castle.

"Good day Magnus!" I called after him as I got up off the bed, smiling all the while as I started dressing up for my day of roaming the castle... Which was rather a change for back then... after spending several decades as a night lurker and all, but it was worth it to be in the day again.

After equipping my royal regalia I made my way down to the foyer of the castle, just to be there and greet any of those that might hold a likeable conversation with myself. My stroll through the halls of ivory Castle was fairly uneventful as I made my way down to the entrance, giving silent thanks to the guards that hailed me, smiling and waving at back to them as I walked past them.

By the time I actually got to the foyer I was well aware that it had taken me about an hour to get there from my room... Not that I didn't lie the outcome of seeing so many smiling faces.

Sitting down on one of the many large sofas there I took up a book from one of the many small book cases littering the large vaulted room and read as I awaited many of the undoubtedly numerous citizens that would show that day. But, as I got to the ninth chapter I heard several hoof falls echo against the hall doors as a large group of ponies opened the large double oak doors and trotted on in, half of them rather raggedy and dirty while a small portion wore the armor of the guards. They all saw me sitting there and quickly prostrate themselves before me as I quickly got up off the couch to address them.

"Come, come, there is no need to kneel before me here... Rise; My Little ponies..." I set my book aside and instantly made my way to the Sargent's side, tapping him on the shoulder to get him up off the ground.

"Um-if thou sayest so, then so be it... We come with some news from thy newest lord... If thou wishes to hear such news Mi'lady..." The stallion said, bowing his head slightly in difference. The rest of his men though took it upon themselves to help the ponies with them to the kitchen and infirmary from their long trek back.

"Sargent, We dost wish to know his words... If you would please follow us then, we art firm in thinking that Celestia wouldst wish to hear this news as well... Shall we?" I asked gently as I motioned for us to walk towards the throne room. The stallion responded astutely and trotted just behind me to my right, a place reserved for those that knew they had some importance for the now.

We quickly made our way down the hall and passed the mares, foals, and stallions that made up the group Corpus most certainly had sent back this way. We made several turns through the massive halls and up several flights to the throne room as quickly as we could, without breaking decorum that is! Soon we arrived and found ourselves looking at an odd sight of celestia tied up on the floor and a very proud Magnus standing over her with a hoof planted firmly on her head... with an apple in her mouth and a toy sword in his hoof pointed towards the ceiling.

"... Pahtuie! A little help Sister?" Celestia called as we crossed the marble flooring to look down upon her and my 'Nephew'.

"Um... What happened here dearest Sister? And how come Magnus is standing on thee with a sword in his grasp..." Before Celestia could answer, Magnus leaped from his perch on her head and slammed into my chest, bowling both me and the Sargent over as I toppled into him from the impact.

"We were playing Auntie! It was Knights and Dragons! And Auntie Celestia said she'd be the dragon... Since she could fly and all... But not any more!" He said proudly, motioning with a hoof towards my tied up sister, and her rather Seductive form... Sue me, I like my sister! It's not very often you can know someone longer than you know any of your supposed lovers! ...and a girl gets curious sometimes!

"Auntie?" The guard questioned, his brow slightly raised at me.

"Long story... And none of thy business..."

"Sorry, Mi'lady, I overstepped thy boundaries... Forgive me please..." As he was about to bow in supplication I stopped him, though it was weird, being on the ground and all.

"None of that Sargent, Just know that not all must be spoken of, that is all." I said smiling, making him relax more so than before, "And if thee would please help our sister from her captivity... We would be grateful." I said smiling as I gently pushed Magnus off my chest and got back to my hooves. He pouted slightly from the gentle push but recovered soon and raced to help release Celestia.

After cutting her loose I motioned for the Sargent to relay the news to us, after having Magnus run off to prank the maids that is! Oh I'm evil sometimes HAHA! He nodded his assent and cleared his throat. He then gave a slight salute and stood ramrod straight to give his oratory.

"Princesses, Mi'lord Corpus has asked that we, the guard, go out and evacuate the bordering villages and towns from the Gryphon side of our territory... He has also asked that we house a majority here and train the new recruits for what might be a long battle... He also wanted to make note of the fact that we should send some more men after his group to reinforce his position before they actually get to their destination..."

"Is that all thou hast to say Sargent?" Celestia asked, rather curiously. Her head was tilted to the side and wore a rather peculiar look as she stared at the Guard Sargent.

"That was all he said Your Majesties..." He said, bowing.

"That will be all then Sargent, thou may take thy leave, get some rest for thy troops, for they will be leading the next deployment towards Corpus and his legion." Celestia said as she gave him one of her motherly smiles and ushered him out of the throne room, leaving just us and the marble flooring for company.

"So... What dost thou think of his words sister?" Celestia asked as she looked at me, her glowing magenta eyes looking on me with intrigue and concern. Her brow was raised and her wings were slightly twitching with anticipation. Her front right hoof was idly tapping the ground with the slight nervous twitch she had acquired a few decades back.

"It is obvious that Corpus will need some reinforcements... But we will have to start drafting in our population to get a large enough army together to face this encroaching force... Dost thou not think the same? But even then, We must also give our people something to shelter in as we have in the past when fighting Discord... But an army should be our first objective-right sister mine?" I asked, my eyes like set stone as I stared her down.

Celestia nodded hesitantly as I motioned towards her bed-chambers. Directing our talk towards a more secluded area, away from any listening ears and prying eyes.

Celestia, as we walked, began to show her weakened mental state more and more as we got closer to her room; her ears drooped, her eyes became blood shot as her illusions fell, and her mane became slightly flat as well. She looked, in a word, Terrible.

"Sister, Art thou sure that thou art getting enough sleep... 'Cause thou dost remember that thee did bar us from thy dreams... Now answer us." My eyes hardened as I looked her in the eye, making her shirk back slightly at my eyes.

"Nay sister, we hast been having ludicrous times gaining any sleep as of late, but nothing to bad for our health. but let us get to the business at hand..." she said as she regained some of her composure from my slight ribbing.

"Yes, I would say that we get the old Generals to come out of retirement to scout the citizens when they get here... We don't need any sickly or possibly deadly element in our army..." Celestia trailed off as she got further into thought, we had found ourselves now sitting on two large body pillows in her room, sitting not ten feet from each other.

"Dost thou find this acceptable sister?" Celly asked me as I gave her an odd look at her sudden outburst. She had been quiet for a good twenty minutes before saying a single word to me, or even acknowledge my presence... Which is an odd thing for her, being a very 'alert' being at all times of the day, in part thanks to discord, but mostly in spite of him too.

"What would that be my sister? Thou didst not convey thy idea to me... nor any other emotion or sign of acknowledgement for the past half hour..." I stated, dropping the royal speech in exchange for informality, for what is formality when talking with your own sister behind closed doors? My question though did catch her off guard, slightly surprising her and... making her blush? That was a new one... It was kind of one of those 'hoof in the cookie-jar' moments from what I could see... Which sparked several red flags and signal fires in my mind. Though, and I didn't like it, I would only be able to discus these things with Corpus... And why I didn't like it was that he was away and out of reach, for the most part.

"I'm sorry for not saying anything to thee earlier, I was just caught up in what I was thinking about, and thought I was talking to thou this whole time... Can thee forgive me for such imbecility..." She looked at me with magenta puppy-dog-eyes, trying to make light of the situation... She could see that it wasn't working and decided to just drop the shuraid and get it over with.

"Sorry Luna, it is just that I got lost in thought and began day-dreaming... something we both know i'm not very prone to-to begin with. Though its what I day-dream about that worries me... Dost thou know what that would be Lu'Lu?" She asked, no hint of teasing in her voice. So, me being me, I shook my head in the negative, not really understanding what she was getting at. "Well... I dream of the dead and dying that may or may not litter this land when this is done... I live a torment every time I close my eyes and dream... Even when I'm awake I can see their dying, screaming, faces burned onto my eyelids..." She trailed off as tears of pain and remorse flooded down her alabaster cheeks and stained her coat grey with their sadness... This brought a hurt upon my heart and soul, seeing my sister destroyed by her own mind, being betrayed by her own imagination. It was, and still is, something I would not bestow upon my worst enemy...

I shot over to her side and wrapped her in my gossamer like wings and cradled her in my feathery grasp. I did for her what she had done for me so many times before... I held her... And sung sweet little nothings into her ear as she cried her soul out to the world, lamenting what she saw every day with her sobs and torrents of tears.

Leaving the Forest of Darkness: Ch 22

Perspective Luna

Climbing out of bed, with Magnus laying at my side, I went about my early morning routine of getting my mane and tail straightened and my fur brushed. The clowns that called themselves our nobility were very much a pain in my right tush when it came to presenting myself for the rest of the populace to see... Much more to having just let my bed mane go and show the rest of our people that even a ruler has a bad day. After taking the 'required' thirty minutes to magically get my hair in order, I found that Magnus was starting to awake from his slumber and stumble about in bed, trying to remove the covers from his head.

"Stay still, our little Magnus, we shalt free thee shortly!" I called from my place ion the 'fresher', as Corpus had so called it, and seconds later stepped into the room. I then gently lifted the sheets, quilt, and comforter off my poor nephews head... Yes, I had finally come to see him as... family I suppose -though of a different sort at least- and called him what he would be to me if I were his aunt as he likes to call me. Freeing him of his impromptu prison He leaped from his spot on the bed and clambered onto my back, giving my neck a gently squeeze and nuzzled me softly as he hugged me tightly -for his size at least-.

"Auntie, can we go get breakfast? I know I am hungry after such a restful night... What of you?" He asked me, his eyes full of admiration and unbridled joy at having a loving family... even if they were not his first family... his original family...

"Aye Magnus, let us be gone! We have many cakes and fruits to devour, would thou like that our nephew?!" I asked him giddily, making him nod his head in rapid response, almost vibrating with excitement. I giggled softly as I shook my head at his over-reactive behavior, relishing in his happiness. Leaving myself bare of all my dressing I took us down to the kitchen, passing by a few guards here and there; Magnus giving them a wave as we walked past. I even greeted a few with a smile, receiving a salute and a hello in return.

"Ah, Princess! Magnus! What might we serve thee this fine morn...? We are happy to oblige thee of thy wants and needs!" An earthpony shouted as he saw us cross the far threshold of the dinning room, heading towards him. He was a slightly plump stallion with orange fur and a deep purple mane -a salad with a set of silverware sitting around it being his cutie-mark- his weight made him waddle slightly as he cantered over to us.

"Ah, Eleazar, if thou would be so kind... We would appreciate a serving of thy best tea and a serving of your magnificent kale and blueberry salad... What of thee Magnus? What dost thou want? Mine little Nephew?" I asked the young colt ridding on my back, his happy-go-lucky demeanor having rubbed of on me.

"Um... How about a glass of orange Juice and a bowl of oats in milk?" Magnus called cheerfully, making the chef and i look at him with curiosity.

"Sure laddie, an interesting request, but doable." Eleazar looked to him with a smile and started yelling to the kitchen staff to get the meals prepped. Meanwhile Magnus and I went over and found a spot to have our breakfast.

"So, didst thou have a good night mine Nephew?" I asked my charge, gaining an explosive smile from the young colt.

"Unbelievably so Auntie! I dreamed of fighting off hordes of those bird like creatures with Uncle Corpus and thee... I was using one of those glowing wand like weapons he was using too! We were fighting for hours, beating hundreds of them with ease! It was amazing!" He explained how the three of us had even taken on a giant hydra... beating it and sending it on it's way. Throughout his whole depiction of his dream I could not but feel joy and dread in equal quantities, half in his joy of having a good nights sleep, the other in the fact that it was about fighting... though I noted that he did not say killed.

"Princess, Master Magnus, your food is ready..." A maid came over and quickly served our food, setting the dishes down in front of us with a set of utensils beside them.

After devouring our morning food and bidding our hosts farewell, Magnus and I started the short journey to the throne room. Through the halls we walked, Magnus listening to my every word as I went on about the histories of magic and its uses over the years. I told him of the original tribal disputes that had had many magical revolutions, most of which had been war related. I told him of the great Arch Mages, like Tender-hoof Macy, Lightwing Glow -the first and last Pegasus to use magic- and her ability to use her wings as though they were horns, Kelvin Burner, and then our very own Mage of the era 'StarSwirle Moon' (The same StarSwirle that would be later known as 'StarSwirle the Bearded'). After hearing about their prowess with magic he had told me that he wants to learn the ropes as well, wanting to become a great Mage as well.

"Auntie Luna! Would I be able to become such as thee? A great Mage?" His eager little voice cried out as he flailed on my back.

"We dost not see a reason as to the negative, mine little nephew... But it will take many years of practice and determination to become like the masters we have told thee of." I said, smiling to him as we trotted along. He was turning into a bright ray of sunlight for myself while Corpus was away...

"AAAaaaaH!" I suddenly screamed, falling to the floor, Magnus falling with me. I felt unimaginable pain wrack my body, through every fiber of my being. I could hear Magnus crying out beside me, yelling at me to tell him what was wrong, I could see that he was worried and confused as he watched me writhe in pain on the marble flooring, thrashing about like a madpony.

"G-Get -AH- T-TiaAAH!" I cried out as I tried to control the pain, but I only succeeded in making it worse. The next thing I remember... I was in a bed...

Some Nine Hours later

A bright light shown above my eyes, blinding me slightly as I tried to clear the fog from my vision, and failing miserably. I then started to make out some of the sounds around me, along with a few voices. With the ringing in my ears finally dying down I was able to hear them clearly.

"Will she be alright Doctor?"

"I do not know my princess... We will have to wait and see..."

"Please... Help my Auntie to get better mister Doctor Sir... She and my uncle are the only family I have left..." I Recognized that voice almost instantly... My little Nephew... Magnus.

He was worried...

Worried about me...

...

'get-up'

'Get-up'

'Get...UP'

'GET UP!'

"Mag...nus..." I whispered out, making everypony in the room jump at the sound of my voice.

"A-auntie!" Magnus said, rushing over to me in my weakened state. I could slightly make out tears that had been falling down his cheek, along with the new ones that were now falling in his joy of seeing me alive, and somewhat well.

"Magnus... Mine dearest nephew... We art... fine... Please, do not cry for us.." I whispered soothingly into his ears as he cried into my chest, his forelegs wrapped around my neck as one of mine were around his back.

"Lu-lu... My sweet sister... Lu-lu, thou art okay!"

Perspective, Corpus: Minutes before Luna awakens

"Sir! Sir wake up sir! We need to get a move on...!" A hoof pushed into my side, making me wince in pain as the damage form earlier came rushing back to the fore front of my mind. Stumbling up to my feet i recognized the form of Captain Ducati, an orange furred pegasus with a wheel surrounded by flames as a cutie mark, his bright green eyes burning with the need to get his men and myself out of there.

"I'm up Captain... Just... Give me a moment to orient myself and we can leave..." I placated him, reverting to first person speech as I was not fully a hold of my thoughts. This did surprise him for a moment but said nothing of it, just leaving it for a later time. The Captain allowed me to use his shoulders as a crutch for a moment as I gained a much better sense of my surroundings.

I saw that, now, we were out of the forest. This was something that i knew was impossible for me -seeing as I was just in a major fight and lost- being crippled as I was. I then saw the rest of Captain Ducati's squad appear out of a round of bushes, right between two large overly mossy trees, and get into a defensive stance in the direction they came form. Bringing their swords and wing-blades to bare I also got ready for whatever opponent was coming our way.

I could sense that the being, or beings, coming our way were not entirely amicable to our situation. They seethed with malice and darker emotions. So, using the force to clear my head and stabilize myself, I drew a single blade hilt and begrudgingly got into a defensive stance.

"Sargent Sentinel, clear a path... We art still able to fight..." I spoke lowly to the stallion, whom of which was standing right in front of me. He and his companions looked to me in surprise and slight irritation.

"Sir, we are going to defend you if it is the last thing we do... So please, let us do just that..." Lone Sentinel said breathlessly, trying to keep his tone low as the enemy approached. He was slightly anxious, not having fought while an injured member of his team was present in the soon to be battle. I quickly alaid his fears, though I also reprimanded him, though mostly his captain.

"Lone, We art a warrior of many casts, having seen hundreds of battles, We know our weakness, but tis not enough to keep us from helping thee. So... either let us fight, or... run... But we can tell thee this... we don't run fast right now..." I finished, chuckling slightly at his, and Ducati's, aghast faces. I then gestured to my left leg, showing them the odd bend mid way down my shin. It was broke, but not badly enough for me to not participate in the coming skirmish.

"Corpus... thou art a strange Stallion, but I can respect you... ya hard ass..." Rage called over, hashing together his respect for me... though I could care less, seeing as he made me laugh slightly.

"We'll take thy word as a compliment my good stallion, just don't die in this war and we shalt see what comes of thee!" My words struck a cord within him, making the buff stallion give a determined nod.

Suddenly the forest in front of us exploded into action, though not in a way we had expected. A small gryphon, just taller than my knee, but shorter than the rest of my company, flew through the clearing. The small Gryphon landed at my feet, battered and beaten half to death, blood oozing from an assortment of cuts and from its mouth. Suddenly a trio of larger Gryphons... and a Minotaur came rushing into the clearing, ignoring us and charged towards the Griff.

The Minotaur was around my height and was about twice my width at the shoulders. It carried a large battle axe in it's hands and a pony sized great sword on its waist... Obviously using said weapon as a side arm. It also had large pieces of leather armor strewn across it's body... leaving some skin exposed, though that that was seen was covered in scars and jagged wounds that had healed wrong.

The Gryphons were dressed in the regalia of their standard foot soldiers, gladious' at their sides and a small wood buckler strapped to their left fore legs/arms. They had on very little armor, seeing as they were dressed in cloth and other fabrics to distinguish their allegiance.

"Oh lookie 'ere brothers! We found 'er! Now... We an finish what we started!" The Minotaur drawled, his accent being similar to that of the farming communities of the outer rim worlds, having something similar to a southern drawl.

"Aye brother! But.. we must first deal with our... Audience..." One of the gryphons said, a white and sand colored one. Making the rest of his company finally notice our presence. The Gryphon, a young one at that, then started crawling towards me, tears streaming down it's face as blood streaked behind its body as it moved.

"Help... me... please..." Its voice, which I identified as female, range through my head, making me stare at her in sadness. She was beaten, her wings were badly damaged, and her hind legs had been broken... There was almost nothing that had not been injured on her body.

"Aye... Little one, come." I said, making my voice dual toned for a moment as all heard my words, shocking the ponies around me and infuriating the Minotaur and gryphons in front of me.

"Are thou sure of this Corpus... IT is a Gryphon..." Ducati growled lowly to me, making me scowl in his direction as I bent down and picked up the child in my free arm.

"IF we stoop to that level Captain... than we would be no better than our enemy..." I retorted smoothly, making the lot of them flinch slightly. When I stood up straight I activated my saber, letting the blue blade shoot forth illuminating the whole area.

"Thank thee... stranger..." The chick whimpered into my neck, her blood staining my under shirt, seeing as my body armor was now non-existent. The Minotaur spoke next, silencing everyone else's thoughts... much to my own horror.

"Give us back the slut creature! She hast a job to finish... lest we take your own girl here and use her instead..." The Minotaur snarled, his Lustful gaze falling upon Amber Rose. I could literally FEEL his disgusting mind think of thousands of ways to destroy the mare before finally killing her... by what means I could not willfully manage.

Be fore I knew it, Lone Sentinel and Roid Rage went flying, straight towards the Minotaur. One low the other high, they struck, landing a trio of hits on the massive creatures frame,,, though doing little to no damage to his body. HE shrugged off the blows and laughed at their pitiful attempt to harm him.

"Now... It's my turn!" He laughed, swinging his great Axe about, smashing the face of it into Sentinel and sent him flying into the bushes, clearly unconscious from the trail of blood that followed him. Roid rage had jumped over the attack and body slammed one of the Gryphons, seeing as he could not harm the monster now attacking us.

Amber and Heartstrings swung left and started a sortie with the other two Gryffs. Ducati flashed his wings once, suddenly taking to to the air, he was already on the minotaur, his short sword already falling against the Monsters head. But it was not to be as the minotaur lanced upward with his axe and buried the point in his chest, impaling him on the seven inch spike on its head. In the same motion the Minotaur tossed the head of the axe behind him, throwing Ducati from the head and into a tree where he would stay for the remainder of the fight.

Now, with no foes in my way, the Minotaur started walking towards me, his heavy foot falls shaking the ground slightly from his immense weight. As he stood before me, he laughed.

"Ah, the 'Master Duelist'... It is a pleasure to meet thee... Now DIE!" The Minotaur roared, bringing his axe up and over in a shot at my head from above. As the smile of the axe came closer, to within a breaths inch of my scalp, I side stepped it easily and punched the face of it, making it go off to my left at high speeds. The Minotaur, being caught by surprise by the sudden attack, was forced to let go of his weapon as it went flying off into the distance of our little skirmish.

Though, losing his weapon, he reacted quickly pulling out the great sword at his side. He then lashed out with it, aiming for my left arm. Seeing his strike coming I easily blocked it with my blade, though I was surprised it did not just cut through his blade with ease...

"I see you art confused, 'Duelist'... And right you should! I saw that your blade can not cut through those enchanted blades that the knights of Sardonia use... So, i had all my own enchanted to counteract your blades, should our paths ever meet... And seeing us here and now... I can say that it was a wise decision on my part!" The last part he yelled as he shoved my blade out of his way and shoved me back, trying to knock me off balance...

I almost instantly fell on my ass, my broken leg giving out underneath me. I instantly shot my blade up in a cross block, catching a hammer strike on the center of my blade almost nano seconds later. I then releashed a small burst of energy and shot the large minotaur off of me and back a few feet, giving myself a little breathing room. I then got into the Makashi stance and began a campaign to weaken his stancce nad finally deliver a decisive strike!

I first let him get in close, at least three feet away, and let him throw the first swing. I deflected it tot the right, opening up his body, I then stabbed the tip of my blade into his right bicep and dragged it down a good three inches, only going into the muscle underneath. With the pain in his arm alerting him to his folly, he then pulled back, swinging his blade upwards towards my thigh and waist. To this I just neatly stepped back and tapped his blade with mine and threw him off balance yet again, and again stabbing him with the edge of my blade, dragging it this time horizontally across his abbes, making him almost double over in pain.

In response he lashed out with his right arm, swinging his fist for my head, and missing spectacularly as it sailed inches away from my face. I then flicked my wrist up and to the right, making my saber twist slightly in an upward back handed arc as it cut easily through his arm.

He quickly pulled back the stump of a limb he had left, crying out in pain as I steadily leveled my blade out to my side, holding it at shoulder height. As he fell to his knees I quickly shot my arm across going down and to the left at a fourty-five degree angle, taking his head and part of his shoulder off before his pained screams could fully leave his throat.

Within the three minutes of our duel starting I had pulled his defenses apart and reduced him to a headless corpse... Much to his compatriots horror. And with the distraction of his death my own set of compatriots were able to deal swift death to their opponents.

Once everyone had calmed down, we were able to assess our situation. Which turned out to be quite bad after we found Ducati. Granted I thought he was dead after he had gotten impaled with that damned axe... But thankfully his armor had taken most of the strike. Though on the flip side we had to deal with his cracked ribs and broken foreleg... Not much but when you deal with a soldier, things an be quite hairy.

"Dammit Corpus, how in the nine realms of Aria did you do that!" Ducati cried out as Amber wrapped his chest with gauze and a sort of anti-septic.

"We art a... Master Swordsman... My Good Ducati... But we did have to rely on the energy of another..." I said through pained gasps. My chest hurt like as if a vice had been placed upon it and tightened beyond its means... And then there were the burning sensations in my legs and arms from all the over exertion I had put my body through.

"We see that Corpus, but we still do not understand the power with which you used to shove that monster back with not but a finger in his direction!" This time it was Heartstrings, a younger stallion by any means. He had a deep green fur coat with a Sea Foam Green mane and tail. His sky blue eyes bored into mine as he awaited my answer.

"We could not very well describe this power to thee, as well as we could describe the color Red to a blind man... It is something that can only be experienced... Not described. The reasoning for it would be that it is a different set of emotions for each individual that uses it. Dost thou understand Jazz Heartstrings?" I then began walking of towards the edge of the forest, somehow knowing that we needed to go this way. I still had the little Griff in my arms as I had yet to notice her awaken from her deep slumber. Though I was doing something to help the little one, being that I knew how to heal I was patching up her smaller wounds, like the cuts and bruises.

With all due hast we marched from the forest, Roid rage carrying Ducati all the way back to camp, always shrugging off any of their pleas to let them carry the captain, saying "It is better that I carry him, so that there are more capable fighters defending him as I had failed to do."

We soon got back to camp... and we were loath to see what had transpired... and what was still happening for that fact.

(Authors Note: Gryffs is the shortened name for Male Gryphons, while Griffs is the shortened name for Female Gryphons.)

Loss of many: Ch 23

The camp was in ruin... Hundreds of Gryphons were scattered about, fighting the remnants of our army, surrounding pockets of resistance as the Ponies made for a last stand. I could see grace and her retinue on a small hill nearby, holding, what I saw to be, the triage tent. Her and her soldiers were fighting off a good number of the enemy, bashing them in the face with shields, slicing and stabbing though gaps in armor, or even throwing lances of magic at their enemies.

Farther off I could see the group of ponies I had conversed with before heading into the forest being mowed down with tactical proficiency. They dark forms being lost under the weight of the Gryphon advance.

many of the tents were aflame as the Gryphons ran through camp, slitting throats and dragging mares, whom had yet to get armored, out in the field to have their way with them. I even saw a few take a stallion right there in the field, castrating him in the process with a rusty knife. I could hear their screams, feel their pain... and empathize...

I was brought out of my shock when I heard Amber Rose shout and give a cry as she was knocked off her feet by a large Gryphon. Sentinel quickly dealt with the looming figure as he launched himself at the Gryff and tore him to shreds with his Wing blades and short sword. After becoming a variable storm of blades and death he came to a rest next to Amber Rose, helping her to her hooves and making sure she wasn't harmed.

"Commander Corpus... We must make for Commander Grace... She must survive this conflict if none else do..." Captain Ducati growled out, making me look at him in a slight deadpan.

"And dost thou think that we would leave one of our friends to the demise befit a dog? ...We thought not. Now, Ducati, Roid, Take this child and run back to the capital... we will be sending a few men to escort thee soon... Just wait for thy allies at the town of Huffington Mare... It is a few miles South East of here." My voice brooked no rebuke as the two nodded hesitantly at my orders, letting me lay the child on Roids back as Ducati got off him. Seeing as Ducati was still injured enough to slow them down I motioned him to come near.

"What dost you need now Commander?" he asked, slightly miffed about being sent home.

"We art to heal thee, so that thou might have a better chance of survival and rest there after." I said. Kneeling down in front of him I placed a hand in his still sore chest and pumped a bit of healing energy into his wound, making him hiss slightly in surprise at the soothing sensation.

"Now go, run fast, and never look back!" The two stallions nodded and ran off towards Huffington Mare, their hooves kicking up dust as they went.

"Now... Let's go take that hill..." I growled out, the other three nodding as they pulled out their swords and readied their wing blades for battle.

"May Darkness reign this night..." I whispered in the enemies ancient language.

(S-snap-hiss) A set of red blades sprung to life, jutting though the chest of two Gryphon soldiers, melting their armor and severing their spines as I pulled the sabers to the left and right, yanking the blades through their bodies. They fell as though they were made of bricks. Lone, Amber, and Jazz also struck killing blows against another group of Gryffs, their death screams sounding about the war-zone.

Striding forward with my force enhanced legs I preformed a quick round house and planted the heel of my boot into a Gryphons beak, breaking it and shoving a chunk into his brain. His body fell to the ground in a slack pile of twitching muscles and the stench of urine. Turning the corner of one of the tents I lashed out with my sabers, force throwing them at a quintet of Gryphons trying to drag off a Mare. The blades quickly dispatched them, sending their headless bodies to the floor with blood pouring from their wounds. The cauterization not being enough to stop the pressure and letting the blood flow free.

Lone and Jazz then tag-teamed a group of Gryphons, flashes of silvered wings lashed about them as they used their wings to flay the flesh from their bones and wreak unholy havoc on their number, reducing some even to piles of quivering piles of meat and viscera. A few were only lucky enough to have their intestines ripped from their bodies as the blades cut open their guts and spilled their last meals on the blood soaked ground.

Amber Rose was a different matter though... Walking up to a group of Gryphons as they finished raping a Mare, breaking her neck as that was the only untouched part of her body by then. She stared at them with her empty eyes, making them sneer at her as they slowly slid across the muddy ground. She then gave off a small grin, showing her teeth in a thin line as she looked up to them, her eyes wide and manic in their expression.

She let the gryphons surround her, two on either side, one in front, and two in back. She then let her wings touch the bloody ground, letting the thin blades lick up some of the blood. Then, in a blur of movement, she shot her wings out and severed the tendons in their front legs, this made them all fall flat on their faces into the blood soaked earth below them. She then moved in another blur of action, this time severing their wings and clipping them for good. Then, finally, as a courtesy, she stabbed them in the skull, right above their eyes killing them instantly.

Like a force of nature we cut through the lines of gryphons with ease, leaving freed ponies and dead Gryphons in our wake. We soon came upon the edge of the hill, right at the tail end of the Gryphon forces attacking it.

"Drain...Life..." I whispered in a dark tone, unleashing a dark miasma upon the gryphons, killing them as their own life force came to my aid, healing my body of most it's injuries... save my broken leg and arm. I motioned for Sentinel and the other two to stay by my side as we walked up the hill towards Grace and her men. The sound of dying Gryphons accentuated our approach. During all this I did not let the miasma go near any of the soldiers under Graces or my commands.

"Grace! Thou art safe, correct?!" I yelled as w got closer, ending the miasma and using our sabers to end their pitiful lives. Burning holes in armor and using the force to hurl them off the hill and into each other. One I picked up by his neck, bare handed, and used his body as a club. When i was done with him he was a bloody mess, still alive though seeing as it was his allies blood covering him. I then proceeded to explode his head... shooting brain matter and bone all over the place, Some of which hit my companions though it didn't faze them in the slightest.

"Corpus! Thou art a sight for sore eyes my friend!" She cried out, charging towards me with a member of her guard. She was covered in cuts an small gashes, many of which would leave scars under her fur but nothing to life threatening. As she came closer a gryphon shot towards her, aiming for her side. Seeing this she rolled and brought her hoof up into the Gryffs barrel, a resounding Crack could be heard as she broke his ribs and shattered many of his organs. She then pushed the dead gryphon off herself and made her way over to my side.

"Tis good to see thee again Grace, and that was a mighty fine kick just now." I greeted her, grinning like a mad man as I shot a lance of lightning out of my index and middle fingers, hitting a Gryphon square in the chest. The lance of lighting was strong enough to burn through and hit the ground behind him, electrocuting several more of the feathery bastards in the process. Seeing as none of them have really seen me use the force before, save to throw my blades around, many of them were shocked to see me use such extensive force on a singular target.

I then looked to my right, scanning for more enemies -as the Gryphons started to retreat- I found a group trying to haul off with a young mare. She was kicking and screaming for help, thrashing about in their grasps as they ran. I quickly deactivated my blades and leaped off in their direction, using the force to augment my jump and soften my landing so I did not cause to much damage to my legs again.

Landing right in front of them i tossed my hilts right at them, using the force to activate them last second as the nozzles were pointed right at the front twos chests. Two red beams shot through them as they instantly died and fell to the ground, making the rest tumble over them. I then force pulled the mare out of their grasp and caught her in my arms before setting her down. Then, gradually I lifted up my left hand, making several of the rocks around me levitate into the air. Once they had gotten up to the height of my brow I allowed them to gravitate around me in a slow circular pattern. Letting the Gryphons regain their faculties I waited to kill them.

They quickly got to their claws and paws, though upon seeing me they drew their swords without response and readied to fight me. Smiling evilly I started to twirl my hand about, in a swirling fashion, making the rocks around me move faster and faster around my position. The gryphons then charged, a few leaping to the air and the rest leaping over their fallen comrades to get at me.

'One rock...' A rock to my right shot off and embedded itself in a Gryphons face, shattering his beak and pulping his brain out his ears as the grey matter shit out everywhere.

'Rock two, three, and four...' Three rocks shot off and embedded themselves in the groin, stomach, and throat of the next gryphon. The first one pulped his organs there, spraying blood and other liquids on the ground as the rock continued on to shatter his pelvis. The second exploded into his innards -turning them to soup in his body-, and shooting out the Gryffs back, severing his spine. The last one... Tore out his throat, also pulling is tongue out with his windpipe... in all, making quite the mess on my face as he slammed into the dirt in front of me.

'Rock five and six...' These two shot off to my left and right, flying out and up -out of our line of sight- and back around to the gryphons side and next to his head. They then smashed into his head on either side in the same instant. This action caved in his skull and jettisoning his brains into the air and on to the bloody ground around his now lifeless body.

"Corpus... What..." Grace gawked at me as i strode up to her, Rose, Sentinel, and Heartstrings all looked at me in awe as I soon stood before them, covered in gore and other miscellaneous liquids, matter and other stuffs.

"Yes?" Being my only reply.

"What you did... I have NEVER in all my years... That was..." She tried to continue, though I cut her off.

"Monstrous? Evil? Hideous? Impossible?" I deadpanned, feeling their disgust in the force, making her and the others flinch at my condemning words.

"I would say that was bloody brilliant there Commander!" One of the other soldiers called out, a round of yells and praises following suit from the ponies around him.

"Thou decimated them! How could we not be awed and amazed by thee!" Another voice called out, another seemingly endless yell coming up around the pony, a her this time.

"All hail Corpus! Savior of the 3rd!" A voice at the back of the hundred, or so, ponies left called out.

"All hail Corpus! All hail Corpus! All hail Corpus!" The ponies began to chant as I got a small tearful smile at their exact opposite reaction. I was enthralled with their mood, feeling their disgust turn to adoration as they continued to praise me for my actions.

Feeling rather humble I looked across the small hill, searching through the faces I saw, looking into their eyes, trying to find any hint of dissent in their words... I found none... Not form any one of them, though my four closest companions were looking at me in fearful awe and curiosity... Something was going to be said... and I wasn't too sure they were going to like the answer...

Perspective: third person - Ducati & Roid Rage, half an hour after they left...

"Roid, we must hurry! Corpus needs us to warn the princesses post-hast!" Ducati yelled as he dodged a host of javelins were being thrown at them by some lone gryphons. The two of them were rolling into turns and quick dives to out maneuver the incoming dangers, Roid rage on the other hand-er-hoof was trying his damnedest to keep the young Gryphon girl on his back the whole time. Ducati then flipped around to face the enemy, brandishing his and Roids swords in his hooves as he shot through the enemy formation, clipping wings and slitting throats.

"Captain! We must make hast! Do not waste thy time fighting them if we can outrun them!" Roid yelled back as he flew over a javelin.

"Right!" Ducati barked out as he bucked a gryphon in the ribs with his hind legs, breaking many of them and sending the bastard spiraling down to earth. With a massive beat of his wings he shot off and caught up with his ally. Twisting around the flying gryphons as he made for safety.

After flying up and losing the gryphons in a thick layer of clouds the duo, and their precious cargo, managed to get to the Huffington Mare. They were ragged, broken, and very well beaten into submission by the time they had landed in the towns main square. They were finally safe, having come to their lords prescribed destination... What awaited them though was not what they had thought of being possible by their worlds standards, or their limited imaginations.

There in the square was a large wedge shaped construct sitting on three struts as smoke wafted from its far larger end, the feeling of heat billowing form the same area of the thing as they stood and looked at it in fear and awe. They then heard some beeping noises and looked o see a dome like structure on it turn towards them, well what seemed to look like it turned towards them, and project a blue light from a small cone on its surface, aiming it towards the ground in front of them.

"Hello Ducati, Roid, It is us, Corpus... We art talking to thee now as a way of recorded messaging... Similar to a scroll being sent and received many days later... But in a visual sense... Now, we are here to tell thee that thou must get into this construct behind us. An opening will be signaled in a moment and we wish for thou to go to said opening and sit in the seat there in." A hologram of Darth Corpus zoomed to life and begot orders to the two tired Stallions, making them slightly uneasy in its presence.

"Now get in, thou must head to the Ivory City... And warn our dearest leaders of our fate here in the front... And that we shalt need more men..." The hologram then cut off and the large bulbous area of the construct started to lift off letting them see the insides. Seeing as they were given no other choice they decided to do as their commander said.

Perspective: Corpus

"Corpus... What is it that thou can do... For what we have seen is... Beyond many of our Mages, even our best here in the army..." Grace started, making the other three nod in assent, each looking slightly more confused than the last. AS of now we had been walking towards the front of our small formation, marching back towards the last known uncontested town so that we could regroup and resupply... So we could make it back to the capital and requisition more troops from the Princesses. Grace and I led the march with the rest of the Stallions and mares following many meters behind us. Though with us traveled Heartstrings, Sentinel, and Rose... The three of them acting as my personal guard and interrogators.

"Yes, the way thou had lanced Lightning from thy fingers was also something! And how, might I add, did thou manage to jump so high! And on a broken leg no less!" Jazz cried, making flailing motions with his fore legs as we continued to walk.

"Aye Commander. Thou dost have a way of preforming the seemingly impossible..." Sentinel drolly stated, letting his words out slowly, making me chuckle, jazz and Grace seemingly joining in at his 'insightful' words. Lone sentinel was one of very few words and was a... stallion of few words, having not needed to persuade many or talk to many in his long time serving the crown.

"Impossible, nay, but improbable... Much so!" I called back, making the rest bark out a laugh at his expense. Lone Sentinel grumbled lowly as he soon joined in on the laughter, helping to raise everyponies spirits and ease the tension that had been building up in everyone else.

"Aye... So, we take it that you wish to know where our power comes from yeah?" I looked sidelong to each of them, getting affirmative head nods in return...

"Alrighty then... First, though, we must ask... Where dost thou think we art from...?" Once my words had been uttered, they each begot a thinking face and began to ponder my words, each trying to think of an instance of hearing of where i was from, and guessing from which region I may hail from if they did not know. ...Damn Do I feel like a teacher or what nowadays! First with Luna... Then Celestia, and now these four... wow... I think this is the first time that... I have actually been unable to enjoyed teaching before... but now, with these four and the Princesses... I have actually enjoyed this feeling of telling others about myself.

"hmm... Might we be the first to try and answer thy question?" Jazz asked, his quizzical stance not going unnoticed by me, just the look on his face was enough to make me smile.

"Aye Jazz, go ahead!" I laughed at his embarrassed face. He then began to stutter slightly before regaining his composure and speaking his mind.

"Verily good Corpus... Are thou from the north? From the frozen tundras of the rocky mountains?"

"Nay jazz, but good guess our friend... Maybe next time." I then winked at him and turned to Amber as she then cleared her throat.

"Yes Amber? Thou hast a guess for us?" I asked cheekily, making her twitch her left brow irritably as she glared into my Blue eyes.

"Corpus... Are thou from the Minotaur tribes? Those of the western fringe?"

"Nay again our fair Rose, but closer..." I said, remembering that the capital was close to that general direction.

"Ass..." Amber Rose commented back, making Jazz and Sentinel chuckle at my sour expression.

"Well then, If thou art not from any of those places Corpus... Than where art thou from?" Grace cut in after a few moments, making me smile brightly in her direction and ruffle her mane slightly with my hand.

"Well... we might just say this then... We come from the Capital... Though more specifically the forest near there... But before that we came from a much farther... place... one might say..." I said, smiling as they looked at me quizzically, not making much sense to their linear minds. "Think... Hast any of thee EVER seen our kind running around thy kingdoms, or heard of us in the tales of those that traverse the inns and taverns that thy frequent..." I said as we started coming across some hills and small farm houses the farther north and west we traveled. The four of them then walked off together so they could come up with a suitable answer, though I knew that they would not have heard of me I let them have their fun.

"Nay... we hast no recollection of any tales of those like thee being spun in any way where we would have heard." Grace said a moment after they had finished convening.

"As We would have thought, We have not been here -in Equestria- for very long... Possibly a few months to the day or so..." I said -a finger pressed up against my chin as I tapped it- confusing them even more so than they already were.

"That... Makes little sense my friend..." Grace interjected, making me look at her with a grin plastered to my face.

"We know..." This in turn just infuriated them to no end.

Author's Note

Happy new year everyone!

Feelings Unleashed: Ch 24

This chapter contains an explicit Sex scene between two characters... Continue with caution! This chapter is solely based around this scene... It is one of the very first I have ever written... Give me your worst! I need the Criticism on this...

Panting, while holding my side as the blood seeped from the deep wound, I searched for my last friend. I stumbled and tripped over many rocks and fallen bodies as I trudged through the, blood soaked, mud filled, trench. Many Gryphons and Ponies fought side-by-side in the trenches that made up the hill around me, each taking chunks out of the other to climb to victory.

Nothing was sacred here... Nothing was Holy... And Grace was there... Lifeless eyes boring into my soul...

"Oooouah!" I gasped loudly, clutching my chest and side as my heart pounded in my chest. Letting the nightmare simply fade away. I looked around the small area that we had camped in... Seeing that Grace was less than a foot from my side put me at ease...She was shivering slightly from the damp cold ground we had decided to lay on the eve before... Feeling that if our soldiers had to lay on damp ground then so should we...

I could feel the fog recede from my mind as I continued to look upon her shaking form, her hooves and teeth clattering softy as she tried to generate her won warmth. Looking over i saw that Lone, Jazz, and Amber had curled up in a small ball around each other -keeping themselves warm- in the middle of the night. So, seeing that nothing was going to be said later on, I used the force to gently pull Grace over the soft land and over to my side. Upon this I pulled my cover/quilt off and wrapped it over her and pulled her into my stomach, bringing the covers over us both in the process.

Almost immediately her body stopped shaking and her temperature started to rise, making her snuggle up into my chest and pectorals to get comfortable... Which in turn made me blush as she ground her flank absently into my groin... Making Jr. there start to wake up, in the most Annoying way ever... While ignoring the feeling of arousal that Grace was... unknowingly bestowing upon me, I wrapped my left arm around her barrel and held her tight to my chest.

After that damnable nightmare I had just had... I was not going to let her get any farther from me than she was right then.

Waking up for a second time I was greeted with the sight of my friends staring at me with wide eyes and gaping mouths. I did not alert them to my woken state, but I did trail my eyes down to see what they were looking at... Bad idea Numeral Uno...

The covers had been kicked off of me and Grace during the night... Not something I had planned on but also did not care for in the slightest... BUT! See that she was asleep and grinding her herself into my pecs and groin... Well... Lets just say that NO ONE needed to see what was going on down there... Or the fact that i felt FUR on a VERY special place...

Yeah, she somehow got my trousers off in the night. And apparently was having a VERY interesting dream about someone or somepony... I didn't know, nor did i care... Though I was thankful for one thing during this whole little exhibitionist act of the night... I could not feel a breeze... So I knew she was at least laying OVER Jr. and they couldn't see him... As if I cared, but that could scare a pony!

"Should we wake him..." That sounded like Rose...

"Naw he seems to be having fun..." And there's Jazz...

"It would be prudent to not speak of this my friends... Let us just go and let him figure this out when he awakens..." Sentinel denoted, the other two agreeing with his observation as they walked off, Lone staying behind fro a minute. "I would like to see you get out of this one Corpus..." he said, looking me right in the eyes as he grinned and walked off.

"Damn you Sentinel..." I hissed as he waved a hoof behind him at me.

Well, that went well... Now to just get the mare off my thing before she awake-

"Did they leave?" Fuck me sideways with a lightsaber... Grace was now looking up at me with a VERY flushed face. Whelp... This just got amazingly awkward...

"Yes..." I stated simply as i looked into her eyes, my cheeks already bright red from our current 'situation'. "Um, might I ask why you stripped me naked in the middle of the night?" This made her -somehow!- get even redder as I wiggled my hips to try and get comfortable with her still moving body. It took her a while to stop stuttering so she could defend herself.

"Um... Dreams..." She laughed slightly to try and dissuade any more questions.

"I highly doubt this..."

"Weeell I had this... Itch..." 'Yeah and I'm the Grand Moff of Alderaan...' I thought smugly, smirking at her very bad lie. "And you happened to be the closest Stallion and well..." Having it finally click in my head at what she meant by 'Itch' made me stop and look agape at her...

"So what... Were we best match or were we just convenient..." I asked, finally falling into the old talk that I had been using, seeing as i had finally caught myself in my old speech pattern. My brow was raised and my voice permeated a slight sense of hurt, though she and I knew it was fake.

"No! You weren't convenient... Thou art the... only male here... that... I am comfortable with..." She mumbled out the last part, putting a little emphasis on 'I'...

"What dost thou mean by... Only male? Surly there ar-"

"There are not others! And i'm not comfortable with them for a reason... Do you remember what I had told you all those nights ago?" She asked, dread in her eyes as she pleaded with me. Her heart ached to be talking of this, though I could not fathom why at that moment... It hurt to see her in such pain.

"Aye Grace, thou art attracted to the fairer sex... Which dost confuse us as to your choice in picking us... Unless... you have tried be fore haven't thee..."

"Yes..." She whispered into my chest as she buried her face into my neck, choking back a few dry sobs.

"Ah..." Was my only answer as I stroked her mane and held her close to my body... Though our lower regions still held contact between them, her moist flower dripping slightly onto my crotch... which in turn made me squirm slightly at the slightly forgotten feeling of arousal.

"Please Corpus... I need this..." She cried, her hot tears burning my skin with their intensity. "It hurts so much... and it has been so long..." She ground herself into my groin even further as she started to drip even more onto my bare skin...

"Grace... Is this truly what you want from us? For once we do this... there is no going back..." I said as I let my own tear streak down the side of my face and into my hair line... Her heart was broken, her mind was in taters, and her body was to betray her... She needed a rock or she was going to drown... I could either push her away or... ...or I could take her in, take her pain, take her sorrow and give her a place of solitude from her broken spirit.

"Whelp... This just got amazingly surreal..."

'No shit birdbrain...'

-What he said...-

"I hate you both... So, what should we do...?"

'I say yes ya big buffoon...'

-Aye, but I want to kick your ass for even having to talk to us... You're on your own here dip-shit...-

"Fuckers..."

"Grace... Thou dost know that we art bound to Luna... Correct?" I asked her, my words instantly dimming the hope in her eyes as I looked at her. Her very being seemed to dim slightly at my words as a small silver light shown just out of the corner of her eyes, belaying the impending shedding of tears. Reaching up I caressed her cheek and used my thumb to wipe away the budding tears.

"I... Did not... Corpus..." She said as her bead began to bow but it stopped as I reached up and placed a hand on her other cheek, holding her head up and facing me.

"We did not say however that we were bound as her mate or what have thee. We art her protector... and then whatever she wishes we become later... For now though, we may be with thee. We just wish that thou dost understand that whatever we have may or may not be permanent..." Her demeanor brightening, I leaned up and kissed her gently on the lips. My hands then slowly made their way down her neck and to the small of her back, resting just above her hips as I led her into a deeper kiss. She even intertwined her legs with mine and wrapped her forelegs around my neck, making it almost impossible to break the kiss.

Granted I never did want to break it, seeing as her lips were like the smoothest velvet... The thin layer of fur bringing a new feeling to what was already a hot kiss. What? I like girls with a little fur to them!

Sitting up so I could get a better angle on her I let my tongue snake between my lips, just enough to tease her own with my tentative gesture. With a little more prodding she granted me entrance to the wonderland called her mouth.

For the next few minutes we had a dual of wills as our tongues tried to assuage dominance from the other. running my hands through her hair as I rubbed a thumb across her brow, making he hum in delight at the feeling. In what felt like a few seconds was admittedly almost half an hour, we had ended up on the ground, my hands firmly planted on her teats and my lips and tongue preoccupied with her honey box as I fondled her every-which way I could imagine as I devoured her sweet honey.

My lips teased her soft opening as my tongue darted in, out, and around her entrance; her squeals and peals of delight egging me on as her hooves rubbed through my scalp and pushed my head even further into her flower, basically begging me to continue without fail.

While my mouth was busy I split my attention to my hands. I was endlessly massaging her teats and rolling her nipples between my fingers as I gently pinched, twisted, and pulled them in a roundabout fashion. My hands were busy as they surfed thrugh her thin coat and sought out the tender, pleasure deprived skin, underneath.

"C-corpus! G-Goddess! Don't stop! Whatever you do-do don't st-stop!" Grace panted as I continued my ministrations unabated.

After a few more minutes, and two orgasms later, we, better yet, I found myself on my back with Grace laying on me, he back to my stomach and my arms wrapped around her... kind of... I had positioned us in such a way that I had full range of motion. Our lips were locked in a heated kiss, tongues flying about as we shot our consciences in the face not two seconds earlier. My hands were rather... busy... as we went at it, one fondling her teats again while the other was... a little farther south.

Playing with her labia using my thumb and forefinger, I also used my others to fondle her folds. The amount of love juices leaking out of her was unbelievable! And we were both loving every second of it! Ever few seconds she would moan into the kiss, which would in turn make me even more turned on and hasten my acing with my dexterous hands.

"Corpus... Just rut me already Goddesses be damned! Just rut meeeee!" She finally moaned out, making me smile and shift around, not moving my hands from their predestined positions on her body for now. Gently I set her down, letting her slide down my body as i stood, my fingers slipping from their perches reluctantly. Even as I heard a moan escape her body from the lack of touch I walked over and grabbed out sleeping bags.

Doubling them up i laid them on the cold earth. Mine still having our accumulated body heat still in it I left it on the top. So, picking up Grace I held her close to my chest, her legs dangling close to my erect shaft as she giddily wiggled about in my arms, her fore legs wrapped around my neck as I laid us down, I on top of her as I took her again into a deep kiss.

wrapping my hand around my shaft I slowly guided it up to her flowery entrance, making her gasp as my warmth touched her glistening entrance. Slow rubbing her love juices liberally over m shaft and head I whispered to her.

"Are you ready Grace, I will only continue if you want me to." I asked, my breath tickling the tiny hairs of her cheeks and lips. Her giggling brought a smile to my visage as I awaited her answer. Calming down she spoke.

"I was ready the minute we started this my Corpus... All I ask is that you love me as best you can after word..." She asked, hope in her eyes.

"As you wish... Our dear Grace..." I then gently slid my member deep into her flower and proceeded to rut her till she and I had finally climaxed and fallen asleep again in each others warm embrace.

perspective: Luna

Precent Time

Getting up in the morning I felt that my side was warmer than usual... Looking over I saw that Magnus had climbed into bed with me during the middle of the night, curling up next to my side and falling asleep. He looked quite peaceful as he lay there, I quickly placed the covers back over him as I got out of bed.

I then quickly got myself looking presentable and made for the throne room, to where I would await any news of my Dearest Corpus and his men... And hopefully good news at that. Grabbing my regalia as I left I closed the door, putting on the pieces as I went.

Bidding a good morning to my guards as I passed them on my way out. I then took a left and continued down the hall to the spiral staircase, taking flight in its wide air space and gliding onto the long way down. I could have used a teleportation spell, but it would have awoken Magnus and prove to be a waste of time anyway, seeing as it wasn't even fully time to lower the moon anyhow.

Reaching the opening to the throne room greater hall I Landed with a slight skid, my hooves making a slight screeching noise as I came to a halt on the marble flooring. I then gleefully trotted into the throne room to find my sister looking concerned and surrounded by a veritable horde of ponies, each dressed in similar dress, though a few were heavily injured and required some sort of medical aid, seeing as they were covered on blood and broken armor.

"Celestia, what art thou doing, dost these regulars speak differently to thee or art thou listening intently like the moon?" I asked, giving a slight quirk of my head as to her response.

"Nay Luna! Though come hither! Their words are meant more for thee than thou... Though they-" she said, pointing a hoof at the two stallions to the far right, one carrying a package on his back, "have words for Aurora when she awakens as well."

i quirked a brow and strolled on over to them, hearing their faint whispers of awe as I got closer.

"So this is the Luna... I can see why he likes her..." I heard one say as she whispered to a few others.

"Your majesty..." They all said as I got closer, all kneeling down on their knees to show their difference to me, which was strange.

"Rise my little ponies... There is no need for that here..." they all rose at my words looking to me for their command to continue, "Now tell me what it is you are needing to much to tell me."

"Princess... I think that our predecessors here would have the most up to date words for you..." The mare from before stated, motioning to a large Pegasus and his smaller pegasus friend.

"Is that so, then you shall answer thy question... What words dost thou bring..." I asked, giving them both a quizzical stare. They both looked to each other before the larger one placed his package on the floor, getting help from his comrade.

"First, let us introduce ourselves your highness... WE are Captain Ducati and Private Roid Rage from the 3rd Devision 1st battalion... 5th squad... We were sent by Commander Corpus no less than nine hours ago... We traveled her by use of his... Ship I think he called it, and came here as quickly as we could, though we stayed the night so we could deliver the message in person... We also got our charge here good bill of health... though she has seen much... Depravity thrust upon her."

"Her?" I asked, not really getting what they had said.

"Yes, her, during a recon of a nearby forest we had come under attack by some gryphons... Running from them we stumbled upon the form of a beaten and battered Corpus... He was... In bad shape then... But we were able to get him to his feet as we were soon stumbled upon by a different group of gryphons, though this one had a Minotaur in it..."

"A Minator? But they are from the far east... How did one get there..."

"Apparently he had heard of the duel the Commander had had with a master of the Gryphon forces... And had wanted to challenge him... But I digress! When they had stumbled upon us they had been chasing a little Gryphon chick... None much older than ten at most..." He sighed and licked his parched lips as he looked back at me, battle worn and very fatigued.

"And, then what happened?"

"Well, Corpus scooped up the Chick into his arms and promptly took out one of his red blade like things... To which, even on an evidently broken leg, fought off a Minotaur that was much bigger than him... While it wielded a massive battle axe and a great sword... It did not take long for Corpus to out maneuver the clumsy beast and slay him..."

"By the maker..." My sister gasped slightly at his feat of will and arms. I too was stunned, but not nearly as much seeing as I remembered his time in my room... A broken leg would not stop him long if he took care of it soon after the injury.

"Aye princess... But even after that we saw him carry the chick for more than a mile as we soon arrived at camp... To which we saw a gruesome sight... Many of our comrades in arms were being found and slaughtered where they lay... though we saw the Mares were being taken out and rapped before being murdered..." The Smaller stallion sighed heavily and bowed his head.

"It was with a heavy heart that we obeyed his orders... Which were to come here and ask for a timely evacuation of the front lines... He told me that if he and the rest survived that they would be headed towards the town of Huffington Mare... to the north of their current position... Though I do not know where they may be now..."

"Is that all Captain?" I asked, my eyes slightly red with the threat of tears soon to fall.

"Aye... Though he also wished us to watch over the one known as Aurora... Whom he specified was a gryphon that had helped him earlier on..."

"Aye captain... Go, take thy charge and stay by her and Aurora's side... Make sure that no harm befalls them..."

"Aye, Mi'lady... Good day..." They bowed and quickly carried their charge out of the room, placing it back on the larger stallions back. Thinking back I had noticed that throughout the whole conversation the two of them had never moved from the defensive stance they had placed themselves in when they had moved the small child... Intriguing.

"What shall we do sister?" Celestia asked me, her eyes looking off into the distance as she thought of all the dead and dying ponies that most likely lay upon the field of battle. I smiled ruefully as I looked out one of the many windows in the room.

"We shall send aid sister... And WE shall be at the head... Mare!"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Your name."

"Quick Silver, Ma'am!" The mare answered back, making me smile as I remembered her name from the departure report.

"We need thee to gather up battalions 36, 22, and 39... Gather all their detachments of Pegasi... They will be needed for the flight there..." I quickly rattled off the numbers from my mind, remembering which battalions had the highest number of Pegasi in them as of the moment. "Also, tell Commander Hurricane to meet me in the western training field, along with the prescribed battalion members. Now go!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" She hurried off, the other members of her group fallowing closely behind her as they went to gather the troops.

"Luna... Thou dost know that that is roughly a thousand ponies thou art calling for... Correct?"

"Yes dear sister mine... But we shall make sure that no more shall perish this night..." I growled out as I made my way from the throne room and towards my own personal armory... So that I may arm myself and be ready for battle.

Perspective: Corpus

Present time

Awaking in the small clearing made me wish for a blanket as I drew on the force to heat up the air around us, bringing the area to a comfortable temperature before I rolled off of Grace, her sturdy frame more than able to hold my great weight durring our short nap.

Yawning I looked around for my battle dress, but more importantly my boxers and my undershirt.

Looking around the campsite i was unable to find them... So, getting a thought, I cringed and looked under the rim of my bed roll... The one we had just had a serious session of love making on... And found my cape and over shirt barely sticking out from underneath.

'The force hates me... SOOOOoooo much right now doesn't it?' I thought to myself as I sighed and just went to getting a couple MRE's out of my rucksack.

A few minutes later, with the food and a cup of insta-caff being ready finally, Grace awakened and gingerly sauntered over to my position on a log not ten feet from the edge of the camp, a small fire going. Sitting down beside me, gently resting her rump on the smooth surface of the log, I offered her a cup. Taking it in her grasp, somehow holding it with her hoof... Don't ask It was just plain awesome and weird at the same time... Damn logic...

"Thank you Corpus... This tastes wonderful..." She said, taking a few tender sips of the slightly cooled off drink. Her eyes fluttered slightly as she groaned out a happy sound as she relaxed and hummed to herself.

"Thou art truly welcome Grace, tis nothing for thee." I replied back as I took a good gulp of the caff, burning my tongue slightly at its notably off temperature. Humming to myself at the hot drink, having thought it would have cooled considerably by now, I shrugged and broke open the MRE's and handed the vegetarian pack to Grace.

"What is this?"

"These be called MRE's, Meal-Ready to-Eat... Not the best food in the galaxy, but they get the job done..." I said as I looked at the questionable contents of the package... Seeng what looked to be nerf steak and a few... Green beans? mixed together in a stew of sorts with potatoes and other food stuff of questionable lineage...

"What is mine... Seeing as your's looks like a stew of sorts..." She asked, looking at the green and brown mush skeptically.

"It says it's a... Ceaser salad... with Blue cheese dressing and Parmesan cheese... It should be to your liking, I think..." I looked at the contents as well, looking rather skeptical that that was its true contents, but digressed when Grace shrugged and began to lick the contents out of he package, humming in delight as she greedily dug in.

I have NEVER seen anyone, or pony before or after, dig into an MRE so readily than her that morning... Oh well then!

After breakfast, and a quick bathroom break, we were just starting to get into our... Attire... Mine being slightly more smelly than hers... though not worse for wear. Pulling on my over shirt and buckling my pants I saw that Grace was sitting over by her rucksack, staring at me with worry and apprehension in her eyes as I fitted my grieves onto my legs, slapping the connectors into place with a loud 'CLICK' before walking over to her.

Kneeling down I asked, "Grace, dearest Grace, what seems to be troubling thee? Thy mood from earlier seems to have gone with the wind and left thee in quite the tizzy..." I placed my hands on her shoulders, making her look up a me with a hidden fear as I searched her eyes for the problem.

"Corpus... Will thou keep thy promise? Will thou still love us, after everything is said and done with this war? Will thou still stay with us?" A lone tear streaked across her cheek, though I caught it before it made planet-fall.

"We shalt be with thee till thy heart dost beat no more, and then carry thy memory on into the future to be told to others. Of the love and loss thou hast been through with ME at thy side, and YOU at ours... The ones that come after shall know of our love for each other and be thankful for what they have themselves." I spoke with a fervor that I didn't know I had, bringing a contented smile to my Grace's face as she leaned forward into my chest, drawing her arms around my neck as I wrapped her in a caring embrace.

"Thank you... My love..."

"Tis nothing, for you are a light in this dreary time for us... Our Grace..." i said smiling as I gently let go and came to my full height of 7'2". I walked back to my gear and finished strapping the rest of my battered and mostly broken armor to my body. My chest plate had been broken across the breast, leaving only my abdominals and stomach armored as well as my lower back... seeing as the two pieces were inter connected...

Reminder... Fix that design flaw when I get the chance...

Finding my belts, which had been hidden among the mornings sheets, I laced them around my waist and tugged them into place, making sure they would not fall off during battle.

I then gathered my blades and clipped them to my belts.

I placed the four shoto's two on each hip, front and back with two longsabers in between them. I then strapped two of my Saberstaffs to the belt above my ass, the other two being placed in holders on the sides of my shins.

I then strapped the last of my sabers to my back, just above my waist at the small of my back. This, like four of my other weapons, was a SaberStaff... Though it was much different than the rest. This one was actually two longSabers in one, being connected at the hilt by a set of interlocking magnetic clamps. One side of my personal weapon was white while the other black. The black crystal having been taken from a deathwatch captain many decades ago. The white Crystal though... It came from the center of a Greater Krayte Dragon Pearl... It was one of the most refined gemes I had ever seen... It broke my heart slightly when it had shattered upon me picking it up... But what came out of it, like a Phoenix from the ashes...

From these ashes came one of the most pure and untainted crystals I had ever seen... Rough yet smooth with it's beauty! It fit perfectly in my lightsaber and it burned with the intensity of the sun in all its glory. Where as the black crystal shadowed, covering everything in the intensity of the night and all its mystery.

After I finished with my sabers I strapped my battle cloak to my shoulders, giving the piece of garment a second glance as I sized up all the tears and holes that had been put in it over the last month or so... Not even bother in to don my helmet, having lost it in the last major battle, I walked over to Grace. Seeing as she was having a few issues with her ware gear I gave her a cocky smirk and looked at her flustered form.

"Having fun there Grace?"

"...I hate you SSSssssoooo much right now..." SHe growled as she tried to slip the rest of her haunch protector on... Granted that she couldn't walk very well... Or at all... Was a major factor in her irritation at this moment.

"Not our fault somepony decided they wanted a rut in the woods..." I quipped, making hr blush maddly before growling at me as she again tried to shimmy her armor on. "Want some help with that there Grace?" I asked, half teasing half serious.

"If thou would be so kind..." She huffed out as I... Giggled... At her predicament... Wow... How many men would be that manly to actually accept the fact that they giggled... Fuck me... =hangs head in shame= CONTINUING ON!

I gladly pulled the rest of her armor on for her, Grace gave me direction on where each piece went and how it was supposed to be fitted. Granted... We did get a little touchy feely at a few points when it came to her rear armor pieces... Thankfully it din't go past a quick feel up and poke... Or this would have been one hell of a morning to remember.

"Thank thee... My love... For helping me with my armor..." Grace blushed magnificently as she thanked me for the help, my own blush not even coming into account on the level of embarrassed she was.

"Dost thou think thee can walk Grace?" I asked, stretching my arms out with a few quick pulls across my chest and over my head.

"WE are... Not able to walk as of right now Love... But... maybe soon..." Looking at the ground she brushed a hoof against the other in embarrassment.

"Tis fine Love, we shalt just carry thee then!" I said confidently, making her look at me in surprise and joy at the exclamation.

"That is quite good of thee my dear lover mine, but... What of our bed rolls and such?" She asked, not really knowing what to do with the two dingy, smelly, bed rolls we used for our activities.

"Well... We shalt burn one and carry the other, tis not much of a burden either way." i said as I drew one of my many shoto's and struck the bed rolls, lighting them aflame before catching up both rucksacks in my hand and carrying them over to Grace.

With a deadpan look on her face she turned to me and just stared at me till I shot her a gallant smile and hefted her up into my embrace with one arm while carrying the rest of our stuff with the other.

"Thou are such a strange creature Corpus... But we wouldn't have it any other way..." Grace said as she snuggled into my chin, making me chuckle. Now... All I had to do was see if Luna would rip my gourd off for starting a relationship with this mare in my arms... Granted... Said mare did still have a crush on the majestic night princess... I think...

With that I walked us off towards the rest of the camp, our rolls burning slowly to nothing as we walked on.

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading this... And i must say... All the posotive outpouring for this story is simply amazing for me... and I'm glad to say... That this installation of the Corpus verse is going to be ending in about four chapters... And I am already working on the first chapter for the next story... And i just hope you all will enjoy it as much as I will writing it!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I will finish posting the last few chapters over the next day or so... So look out!

Your forever crazy and kooky author; Praeco Nigrum! Also known as Harbinger-of-Script (For those who know who that is, a cookie awaits you!)

Rescue: Ch 26

Crouched next to a mud brick building, with a thatched roof, was three pegasi and a large bipedal creature -aka: Me- each looking over the others shoulder into the town. Jazz was on my back, Lone was on his, and Amber was sitting on Lone's shoulders, absently rubbing her chin on his head. Jazz was trying to hold up the combined weight of his friend as his friends marefriend... all while I just sat there, hunched over, holding all their weight on my shoulders.

"Alright ya bunch of nimrod's... we think the town is safe... We can move out." I said, rising up and dumping them all onto the ground unceremoniously. Dusting myself off I looked back and chuckled at their mass of body parts that had been intertwined.

"Aye... Corpus..." Jazz said as he shook his head, trying to get rid of the slight dizzy spell he was under from getting two ponies to land on his head.

"Then lets go." I called, walking out around the corner and into town. I could hear Jazz and the other two quickly get to their hooves, moving to get back at my side. The town was filled with some very... unhappy... looking characters, all of them with their heads hung low and their coats covered in grime and looking like they hadn't washed out their fur in a few months...

"Corpus... Is this normal?"

"Nay Jazz... This is not normal... Something is wrong here... Jazz, go to the mayor... They might know what is wrong, or at least give us some insight as to the reason behind this behavior." I motioned for him to go towards a tall large building that had been marked with red paint stating 'Mayors Office'. He nodded with a grim look and subtly made his way onto the busy path, having dropped his armor back at our bush outside the city limits.

"Lone We would be grateful if thou would go and mingle with the crowd, see if thou can garner any word as to this places lack of life from the locals... Amber, we need thee to fl back to camp and bring everypony here, the way is safe so they can move freely..." They both nodded, rather apprehensively, and took off to their tasks. Though, Lone Sentinel did stop and look at me questioningly.

"Corpus, if we art doing these things... then what art thou going to do?" His expression having finally changed in a conversation with myself... Not of much import but still... Stony face made a face!

"Signaling for our backup!" I called back as I quickly made it off in an Easterly Direction... Off towards a VERY familiar force presence...

Perspective Luna

"We are almost there your Highness! Just a few more leagues!" The lead Pegasus called out as we all flew over a small stretch of hills and a small gully. The land was very barren and covered in varying degrees of dead and dying grass... not much unlike the southern areas of Equestria, but wetter and much more arid.

"Good! We should expect to see the outer limits of the town soon!" I called ahead, the Lead nodding to me as he dived down and took a better look at the land scape, looking for any sign of the limit or some kind of indicator.

"Commander Hurricane, make sure that thou has all our forces ready for an immediate fight, just in case we come across some stragglers!" I called back, Hurricane nodded and started shouting orders to his officers, which in turn made sure to spread the word. I could in the very fiber of my being that we were going to be coming across something ... rather extraordinary... Though what it was... I could not say...

Perspective Corpus

Getting away from the city I leapt for joy as I could feel the presence of my Dear Friend Luna approaching from the east, Directly towards me and the city! My heart was over come with happiness and euphoria as I could also feel the immense size of the forces she had brought with her... Roughly a group of one thousand three hundred and twenty... Give or take a few dozen... The majority of them were pegasi, seeing as I could feel their presence up in the skies instead of the ground... Which left me to believe that the rest were earth and Unicorn ponies that had tagged along. A euphoric sense of hysteria then began to set in, 'I'M GOING TO SEE MY DEAREST LUNA AGAIN!' being my the most entrenched emotion going through my heart and mind as I bounded over any obstacle in my way.

The force was like a torrent of emotion as it swirled around me, its ebbs and flows being tossed as though by a great wind as I let my emotions pour out into the force. Though a spark of sadness also stained my soul. The thought of all the men and women aI had lost in the past few weeks weighing heavily upon my soul. and then there was the prospect of telling Luna of grace and I... and how our short time together had forced her to choose me as her first, and only, partner for her latest heat cycle. Not that I felt guilty or anything, I just didn't know how she would react. So I was feeling fairly pensive about the whole situation.

Coming to a large meadow I stopped and took in the area around me... The bare dead looking trees, the ghastly looking bushes, the infected looking grass... I could tell that there was something wrong with the area... But I knew that none of us were well enough equipped to deal with IT and the encroaching threat of the Gryphon empires... Suddenly I could feel a thousand plus pairs of eyes stare down at me as the sound of a thousand wing beats surrounded me.

Looking up I saw the next most awe inspiring sight I had seen in my entire life... My Dearest Luna... Surrounded in the gold wreathed forms of a thousand plus pegasi... as she was shown in the bright sun wreathed in her own Silver and platinum plated armor... Looking ever the part of an angel come to deliver death to its enemies.

"MY DEAREST LUNA! IS THAT YOU WE SEE! OR DOST OUR EYES BETRAY US TO THE SIGHT OF A PERFECT ANGEL COME TO REAP ITS REWARDS!" I yelled out to her,to happy to see her than to really care for decorum at a time like this.

"AYE MY DEAREST CORPUS! It is we that stand before thee..." She came down and landed not three feet from me, a glorious smile plastered to her face as she looked me over with concern blatantly showing in her eyes. Her smile soon turned to a frown as she saw all the battle wounds i had taken as my personal prize against the Gryphons, the scar across my chest from my evil half battering me into the earth, the scars on my face from Dark Claw and his men.. Even the discernible injuries from the different breaks in my bones where the skin had been bruised from the impact injuries. She took this all in as she looked me over... Though she could only see the surface scars... Not all the trauma I would later resolve to waking up with when the nightmares came...

"Corpus... Our Dear Corpus... What has happened to thee..." Her hoof came up and stroked my cheek as she took in the pain hidden behind my eyes... For yet, I did not hide it from her.

"Well... We fought a champion... Dealt with over three thousand Gryphons by now... And got our rear handed to us by a copy of ourself that came out of the forest not so far away from here... But other than that, thou should see the other guy... They're mostly in different pieces... all around the battle field... mostly..." I chuckled, making her look even sadder as a small smile creeped onto her lips.

"We would normally call thy psyche into question there dear Corpus... But seeing as thou art the one we are talking to... This seems like a recurring thing..." She then reared up n her hind legs and flung her forelegs around me, embracing me in a very passionate hug. Not wanting to be left out, I immediately wrapped my own arms around her, bringing her in closer than what her own arms could accomplish. But, when her wings suddenly spread out and wrapped around us, I kind of felt like we were making a screen... Not that I really cared if I was going to make the Guards uncomfortable... They'll get over it...! And they did, seeing as i'm writing this from the future and what not! HAHA!

As we stood there, locked in a happy embrace, Luna began to nuzzle my neck. I could tell that she was... 'happy' to see me... Seeing as I could feel, and read... though mostly read, her emotions in the force... Damn... I don't think even Grace was this bad... Well... She's also not a hundred -plus- year old Mare who hasn't been with anypony since her inception...

"Hello, dearest Luna... I see that somepony was eager to see us again..." I said teasingly as I trailed my hands up and down her back, making her sink into my grasp ever more as time went on.

"Shut up... To happy... to argue..." She purred as she nuzzled into my neck even more, the heat of her cheeks growing ever more prominent the longer we ere together.

"Fine... Shutting up now... We missed thee..." I whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek as I did so. Making her blush even more than a few moments ago...

"WE... We missed thee as well..." Instead of kissing me on the cheek though... She used her hoof to steady my face and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. Her blush a bright maroon against her dark fur.

"Hmmm..." I hummed against her lips as I quickly pulled her closer. Deepening the kiss before letting her break it moments later.

"Now that... Is a kiss my dearest Corpus..." She breathlessly said, resting her face against my chest as she tried to regain her composure.

"Yeah... It was..." 'Yay... Now try to explain this shit to her... Yeah... I DUN FUCKED UP!' I smiled nonetheless and started to ease her back don to the ground, getting into e kneeling position as she started to move back. She was surprised by my action, though she kept a straight face after what had just happened and now my odd behavior.

"Your Majesty, Commander Corpus... Reporting for duty Mi'lady..." I swept an arm behind me and bowed my head, showing that she was above me here in this situation. Which did in fact bring shock and awe to the rest of the soldiers now surrounding us.

"You may rise, Commander. Now, where art your forces... They seem to have disappeared." Luna quipped, a chastising tone underlying her slightly snide sounding voice, playing the pat of leader and princess.

"They are being sent for this instance," quickly rising to my feet I saluted and gestured off in the direction from whence I had come. "We had sent a Private Amber Rose to rouse our remaining troops and lead them to Huffington mare... They will have started treating the heavily wounded and brought them into town... Though of how much help the town will be is unforeseen as of this moment..." I saluted again and eased out of my military reg stance, relaxing some as I began again my searching of the tree line. Keeping the skies around me in full view as I watched.

"Good, you may go a head and lead us to them... Also, did you receive a messenger pony not to long ago? He should have returned but he has not..."

"Ah, yes... He was most likely taken in by our lead physician... She needed as many extra hooves as possible to deal with our wounded... And he was an extra hoof we suppose..." I smiled and waved off in the direction of the town, motioning for everyone to follow me.

Other Side of the Equestrian Border: Throne Room of the Gryphon Emperor

"General Blood wing... Any news about the invaders?" A large Gryphon with a very intricate set of regalia; his back was adorned with a large blood red skin, a large, collar like, tuft of white fur, with black dots, spread around his shoulders and around to the front of his neck, framing his head in a regal looking mane. His fore legs were dressed in black leather bracers, each was also covered in a row of serrated, blood red, studs. His head was adorned with a wreath of golden leaves, each one had the tips dipped in silver, creating an effect of the light shining off it like a halo.

The rest of his body was covered in golden plates that had details of his families rise to the throne emblazoned upon them, these scripts were both on the inside and the out... Trailing out from his chest piece all the way down to his greaves and flank plate.

The other Gryphon in the room, a shorter stout looking Griff, was dressed in a simple white sash like cape and some minor adornments, a single eye patch and an iron claw were his most prominent features. The eye patch covered up a milky white eye that had been taken during a raid on an opposing house of the Crown. He had received the Iron claw as a prize for his long time service to the crown, It was fully articulate and could move upon his mental order, much to the shock of most that had seen it applied.

"We have beat them back my lord... Though we have had some casualties... The twentieth legion was routed at the south western boarder... Only Dark Claw and his small group of just over seventy made it back in one piece..." The Gryphon named Blood Wing incited, giving a false turn of events to his Emperor. His hidden eye crinkled slightly as he continued. "Alas, we have also received news from the northern battle group that a scouting group was found and destroyed, all hands lost... it only took those blood thirsty ponies a few hours to destroy them... Though we did receive word from both Dark Claw and the Battle group that the Ponies have a large Bipedal creature with them..."

"What dost he look like General?" Emperor targus queried, his interest in his enemies being his greatest strength. He had earned the title 'The Master' by being able to read his enemies -even if he was given just the most vague bits of information- He was a master tactician in his own right, having seen many wars in his own time. Having fought the Minotaurs, the dogs, and the Zebras many times in his time as a warrior for the crown and his time as its reigning Emperor.

"He is a large Bipedal creature, standing just as tall as most Minators... Though he dost not have the same broad upper body as them, he is much narrower and lithe than any of them ever will be... His features are rather smooth, his head being capped in a dark mane and his face framed by a thick beard... The creature also wears clothing, always, only removing parts of his attire to sleep... We know this as we had stumbled upon him once in the night... He also has a very interesting set of weapons... Each one has the ability to cut cleanly through armor as if it were such flimsy..."

"Hmm... Tis a... Disturbing revelation then... Tell our forces to retreat and regroup, I want them to strike from the north and south in a months time... In the mean time though, tell the Twentieth to expect more troops in a weeks time and to then push on through the middle, the northern battle group and the southern battle group will be able to meet up with them by the end of next month... six weeks from now..." Emperor Targus ordered, his voice booming around the long throne room filing out into the halls and through the rest of the castle. A scribe came from behind the large throne he sat upon and laid a large, gold trimmed, scroll upon his arm rest. Targus then took one of the feathers from his scribes out stretched claw and dipped it into a small tender of ink that was attached to the right arm of his throne. He then signed his name in the dark amber-esk liquid and gave a few soft blows to the ink, making it dry faster to the paper.

"Take this... and go..." Targus pointed his longest claw towards the entrance to his domain, to which Blood wing bowed deeply, "My will, is your command Sire..." Blood wing declared proudly as he swiftly left, his cape like sash billowing around him as he moved.

'These ponies won't know what hit them...' Blood wing thought as he grinned mischievously.

Perspective Corpus

Just for kicks... Play: Breaking Benjamin - Until the End

Leading the mass of troops into Huffington I could feel a weight slam down upon my shoulders when my sight then fell upon the blood covered form of grace... The light in her eyes diminished, her gaze... Lingered in the winds... ANd her presence, diminished by the things she had seen. My heart fell as she slowly strode up to me and Luna -Luna had even gasped at the sight of what her little ponies had looked like- Grace then plopped her flank right down in front of us, here ghost like gaze falling on me as she started to tear up. Her face ever vacant as tears streamed down it, I knelt down and wrapped my arms around her, bringing her into a tight embrace as I stroked her mane, trying my best to bring her back to reality.

Luna, being the ever thoughtful one, knelt down next to me and craned her head around Grace as well, she even brought her wings around us and shrouded us in a veil of privacy. Luna let a few tears of sorrow and anger fall across her cheeks as she comforted the mare... I on the other hand turned into a blank mass, my emotions just closing off... Suddenly I shot up, coming to my feet in a brisk and fluid motion. I could feel something amiss in the air... something sinister... And it weighed down the air around us.

"RUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!" I bellowed, as several thousand Gryphons appeared over the horizon, coming over the tree tops seemingly out of nowhere. Two blades instantly flying to my hands as I rushed to the fore of my group, the urge to protect overriding the need to self-preservation. Flying through the air I used the force to lift and move many of my comrades away from the incoming attackers, taking many of the townsfolk with them in the same motion.

Landing I slammed my fist into the ground and broke apart much of the ground, which I then used as projectiles as I threw them at ever increasing speeds at the incoming Gryphons. I could hear Luna and her commanders rallying the troops, trying to get them to protect the Civilians as they moved in amongst our own forces. Moments later I could feel the presence's of Sentinel, Rose, Heartstrings, along with both Ducati and Roid Rage as they gathered up some swords and rallied to me. Suddenly Grace and a few other stallions joined me as well, Grace looking a fair bit better for wear as she brandished a sword in her fetlock.

As I continued to knock scores of Gryphons form the air I could feel Luna getting closer, her raging emotions a vortex in the Force. The rest of the ponies around me though were rocks compared to her, each being a bulwark against the incoming Gryphons. They were kept busy as they beat down and neutralized any and all Gryphons that got near me.

"Corpus! We must retreat! There art to many of them for our forces to handle! We will be smashed here!" Luna cried as she charged a ball of plasma and let it fly, scoring a glancing blow to a group of grounded Gryphons. Her voice sounded far off as I let my mind drift even more into the force -It was like a fog had been placed over my other senses, the force letting me see and hear through it instead of by natural means- as I hefted rocks and boulders at the enemy.

"We shall be fine Luna, take the rest of our forces and leave, we shall distract them!" I cried out, suddenly whipping around and shooting out both my blades through the air, impaling them on two Gryphons that had cornered a civilian. Recalling them to my hands, I deactivated them, continuing with my barrage of the Gryphon forces.

"But-"

"NOW LUNA! We will keep them busy! Now take thy forces back to Ivory Celestia needs you... gather the generals and mobilize the militias... We are being over run everywhere... NOW GO!" I shouted, my words being backed with the full might of the force behind them. I could see the look of betrayal in her eyes as her body and mouth went against her minds wishes, her eyes showing a sort of loathing only a friend and loved one could ever bring to bare. Her anger was palatable as I turned back to the encroaching Gryphons, many of which were now injured thanks to my endeavors with the force.

I could feel the massive life force of my comrades moving away from us, the torrent of emotion that was Luna leading them away with impressive haste. With that in mind I cut my actions, switching my attention to my allies around me. Their emotions were all very tumultuous as I let their presence roll over me. Gathering the force around me, as if it were a shroud, I then pushed it out. I engulfed my allies in this shroud of energy, forcing it into their minds and bodies as I bolstered their bodies and their minds, increasing their reactions with the will of the force as their guide.

(Be ready... They are here...) I mentally breathed into their minds, making them all flinch for a moment before they readied for the massive wave of Gryphons coming right for us. Grace and her entourage readied off to my left, each braying and getting ready for the impending impact of bodies and the melee to follow. Ducati and the others were off to my right, flexing their wings, and the blades hidden within, as they awaited the imminent blood bath that would sure ensue.

(Be Safe...) My mental voice echoed in their minds as I suddenly surged forward from the center of our group, holding two saber staffs in my hands -I had switched out my two blades moments before- landing mere yards from the enemy. I became a whirlwind of movement as I activated and deactivated my four blades in quick tandem. Each time I moved I was weaving in-between blades and defenses, shooting my blades right into their armor. In mere moments I had ended over twenty Gryphons and incapacitated a good number of them, cleaving off a few limbs and heads in the process.

In an instant I heard the battle cries of my friends and allies as they jumped over the small embankment I had created earlier, each of them swarming into the fray like wolves to a flock of sheep. Grace bounded off one of the massive boulders I had thrown earlier on and landed on a Gryphon, embedding the blade of her sword into his neck, just about severing his head from his shoulders as arterial spray flashed all over her face and chest.

Rose and Sentinel both rushed into the enemy, a quick flash of their wings and several Gryphons were then on the ground their throats slit and many of their joints bleeding. The two of them then stood there, impassive looks on their faces as they stared down an overwhelming force. Then, without a word, or a cry, Ducati and Roid rage came flying over head and crushed a few Gryphons as Rose and Sentinel dashed to the left and right, all four of them working in tandem to destroy their opposition.

Jazz on the other hand... He was a monster... Seeing as I hadn't ever seen him fight before he was a speed demon if I had ever saw one... His wings never stopped moving as he brandished a sword in each of his fetlocks, he was covered in blood and small bits of gore. His face was an unreadable rock as he almost swam through the enemy lines, blades -wing and sword alike- diving into flesh and spearing through to the other side. His blades, especially his wings, were somehow going clean through armor and bone... as if they were nothing, killing almost indiscriminately as he moved with the fluidity of a dancer.

In his dance of death I noticed that he was slowly, but surly, making his way towards my own spot on the battlefield. I smiled to myself as I twirled my two staffs and seamlessly cut through several different weapons, to which I noted only one or two had an enchantment on them keeping my blade from damaging them... though the rest fell to pieces as I spun and continued my assault. I then leaped over head and blasted a large area around Jazz with Sith lightning, killing a score or so of the Gryphons as I landed next to him, his hunched form giving credence to his adapted form of fighting.

"How art thou holding up Jazz..." I asked nonchalantly, my breathing only slightly labored.

"OH, same old same old Corpus, Killing Gryphons and hating every single one of them..." Jazz replied, a slight manic undertone present in his voice, his breathing also slightly labored. His left side twitched suddenly as his wing and limb shot out and ended an overzealous Gryphons life, piercing the Gryffs skull with his wingblade before ripping out its throat with his sword, spraying blood all over the both of us.

"Yeah, we share thy sentiments here..." I growled as I kicked a Gryphon in the chest, caving said cavity in. I then used the force to take hold of my own body and shove it forward at an unexpected speed, my armored form bludgeoning away many of the Gryphons as I flew either past or through them.

As all of us fought, somehow working in concert with each other, from many yards away, we began to get pushed away from each others groups. They were trying to single us out, first in groups, and later as individuals... Suddenly I felt the minds of Ducati and my other friends go dark as they were overwhelmed and knocked unconscious. Both Jazz and I felt the shock through the force bond I had wrapped around each of us, making the two of us shriek in rage as we brought our efforts up ten fold. Delivering full body blows as we even began to for go using our weapons, just using fist, hoof, and foot to clobber the masses of Gryphons to death.

As I impaled a Gryphon through the chest, my arm protruding from his back -his still beating heart in hand- I felt the shock and then muddled feeling of a few of Graces guards being knocked out. I could feel Her fear, along with her guard's fear, as the rest of the Gryphons encircled them. As we felt the noose closing in on us both Jazz and I looked to each other. With an unspoken agreement we shot off towards our last remaining conscious teammates. Knocking Gryphons out of each others way, we made for Grace and her two conscious fellows. My blades cutting swaths through anything that got in my way, Jazz doing the same with his wings and his swords.

Bisecting a several Gryphons in a single swing I leaped over Jazz and landed on a Gryff that was about to end his life, crushing its skull and splattering its brains across the ground. I then twitched and unleashed a massive storm of lightning across the way behind me, my arm burning slightly from the outpour of power I let flow through it. Jazz then slammed into my body, sending us both sprawling. I was ready to reprimand him, until I saw that a Minator had been his cause for action, its massive great sword coming down where my body once stood.

Though, as I looked over to Jazz, I noticed that he had done so at a cost... His left hind leg was now missing below the knee, blood now pooling under him as he tried to get back up to attack more of the Gryphons surrounding us. Acting quick to seal his wound, and keep him alive, I lanced my blades over his wound, burning them shut and saving his life. Moments later I was bawled over again, this time though with a swift kick to the gut. The minatory had moved in closer than I would have thought having been only distracted for a second... A second to long it seems, seeing as I was now being bashed about with a very -and I mean VERY- blunt sword... I mean COME ON! The damned thing pry couldn't cut bread without smashing it all over the place!

After getting to my knees, and regaining my senses, I found that I was surrounded -though we all know this usually isn't a problem... they had found something to hold over me- and the bodies of my unconscious friends and loved one were brought before me. Each of them was laying face down on the dirt, with a sword pointed directly at their heads. Taking this in in about a second I could tell that they were all poised to strike at a moments notice... Something I did not know if I was going to be fast enough to work with.

"Creature! Kneel and submit! For if you do not, we shalt end them!" One of the Gryphons in front of me yelled, I could hear the sneer that overlaid his tone, even as he was hidden in the crowd around me.

"I would rather rip out thy spine and use it as a cane! But we shalt concede... This once..."I growled out, making a few of the ones holding my friends hostage shift closer to their charges, ready to strike. Begrudgingly I knelt down to the ground, and laid my weapons out before them, my scowl almost burning holes in their heads. Suddenly, the back of my head spiked with pain as I lurched forward... Everything then turned to black as my head hit the blood soaked earth.

Author's Note

Hello everyone!

This is Harbinger-of-Script here!

I just wanted to give a quick thanks to everyone that has read this story, and stayed with it for so long! I'm just throwing this out there right now to let you all know that we are coming close to the end of this particular book in Corpus' time in Equestria...

Also... This saga - for that is what it will be by the end- WILL continue on into the cannon tv series area! SO we will be seeing Twilight and the rest of the cast some time in the future! SO if any of you are willing to follow along till then... You should be fairly happy with how the story turns out!

Now I must take my leave! Yours truly - Harbinger! Also, known as Praeco Nigrum; your Black Herald

What torture can do...: Ch 27

(Foreword: Alrighty everyone! I know this has taken a long time... And it is fairly short for the length of time I have had to write it, BUT! it is done! now, I hope you all like this one! It's Grimm, Dark, rank, perverted, and has a sense of twisted Darkside deviousness we all know corrupts... Along with some history and shit on our lovely Corpus... And we get ti finally figure out some of what the Vong did to him in his three year inturnment... Joy.)

Have fun you bunch of psychopaths! and enjoy!

Perspective: Luna

My body would not listen to me as it carried me farther and farther away from my Corpus, his ragging and howling bidding me ever onward away from him... Even as my mind railed against the thought of leaving him my body moved of its own volition. Hot, angry tears streamed from my eyes as i led out forces onward towards safety.

I could see the select few ponies staying with him as they helped to fight off the masses of Gryphons arrayed against us, their small number beating back the horde that had swarmed us. I could hardly the ability that these few ponies were exhibiting as they fought alongside my Corpus. The one named jazz was fighting as if the lord of war had possessed his very soul, his blades breaking lines even as they formed. He fought alongside Corpus, being his sword as Corpus was his shield, the two of them tearing through their defenses with slight ease.

Any master of the art of war would have been proud to have seen them, and seeing as I was; I was also brought to great sadness. Seeing such great skill and death come from one of my own ponies was a death knoll to mine own heart... The toll of such an act on ones psyche is not a light one, and this was much more than that as he was a true Warrior in this act of defiance with Corpus at his side.

Turning away for the last time I now willingly led my people away from the battle and carnage that over ran the landscape. I could hear the sobs and wails of those moving with us; their fear, their loss, their hate, their mourning... And their despair. My heart would have stopped for them if it would have healed their own... But alas that was not to be, I was given an order by one who had seen more bloodshed than most of my people combined in their short lives.

"Iron heart! Rally the left flank, We canst see them! We need to remain together! NOW GO!" I yelled to one of my personal guards, one that had even fought by me during the reign of Discord... Even if he had been a foal at the time of his acting. The iron black colored pegasus quickly nodded and took to the air, his wings beating greatly as he made for the left flank. I then made and about face and cast a blinding spell on the landscape behind us. I placed it a good hundred meters behind our slowest runners.

This spell would go into effect as soon as the Gryphons, or anyone for that matter, contested its space. It would then blind all those that crossed it, even if they were in the air at the time. In doing so it would also cause confusion that may end in the death of a few of our pursuers.

"Dammit Corpus... Why'd you have to make us turn back..." I choked out quietly as I turned back and shot off towards the retreating form of my fellow ponies, bringing up the rear as we made our escape.

Perspective: Corpus

Location: ...Unknown...

"Fuck... My head..." I groaned out as I rubbed a calloused hand against my brow... Wiping away some of the sweat that had gathered there I then rubbed my eyes to try and banish the sleep from them. in doing so I heard a jingling sound... sighing, I could tell that I had cuffs on my wrists and ankles -all from the familiar weight- as I ran my fingers across them.

"Well, might as well not wait..." I huffed out as I called on the force to try and break my bonds. Centering myself I began to gather my will in my wrists, waiting for the moment to call on the force in an instant to break my bonds... But when I tried to touch the force... Nothing.

"Haar'chak*!" I yelled, clenching my fists together and bashing on the ground as I then tried to figure out why I was now cut off from the force. The thing was, I could feel it there... But it wouldn't answer me! It was like being able to see... but not being able to see what was really there, like your vision was muddled and you could only grasp hints of what it was but not get the whole picture. 'Fuckers! they cut me off from the force!' I screeched in my mind, not wanting to alert my captors any further to my awakened state.

Growling I wrapped my fingers around one of the chains holding my ankles. I then began a few exercises to boost my chances of actually getting free. Tensing my biceps and triceps, along with tightening my grip so much that my hands began to chafe, I gave a mighty heave. The low sound of metal grinding on metal filled the small space I was in. Then, after a few minutes of pulling, I lessened the tension and then gave another mighty pull, snapping the chain in half.

"YES!" I yelled triumphantly, giving a fist pump as I started to go to the other chain... That is until I felt and saw the chain reform the broken chain. "...Fuck you..." {Middle finger salute in progress please hold... Progress completed, thank you for using middle finger .exe now, fuck off.}

"AH! I see that you have discovered your... chains. Are they to our liking Sir Corpus? Or are they too loose? We can always tighten them for you!" A deep resonate voice cackled out, a manic laughter escaping and rebounding of the walls annoyingly. I could tell the voice was behind me after the echoes died down, granted I could also feel the dank rancid breath on my neck as the rest of my bodily senses started to come back to me.

"Come here! I'll rip you to shreds!" I barked, straining against my chains as the voice laughed maniacally behind me. My temper rose as his laughter got even louder and more off tone, sounding almost dual toned as he continued.

"My my! Such energy! Tis but a shame that we will have to do to get such strength in our own forces... Such dark hatred... To be harnessed, yes... yes to be harnessed it will!" The voice cried out, making my head snap to the left as I could barely catch a glimps of the creatures form.

He was a tall Gryphon, around 5'9" in stature, almost as tall, if not tallr than Dark Claw... He had brown feathers that looked to be speckled with black and grey spots along his chest and wing tips... Though I could not see the rest of him for now...

"Give us thy name creature! And we shall kill thee with nigh perceptible precision... Death will be quick... and very painful for thee..." I hissed out... my eyes changin between their natural grey to the Sith Yellow and back.

"Ah ah ah! little creature of mine! No bitting the hand that feeds! Especially when we have your mate!" At that i froze... Not even register when he slammed a mail covered fist into my gut and launched me into the dirt, gasing for air.

"T-touch her... And not even your gods will be able to save thee from me... I will hunt you down... rip off your legs... FEAST ON YOUR FLESH! AND THEN TEAR OUR INSIDES OUT THROUG YOUR BLOODIED LIMBS!" I howled as I gained a burst of strength and slammed my fist into the floor, creating a small crater wit my power.

"...We shall see... BLOODIED FEATHER! Bring me the new recruit! Time for... The first warrior to be made!"

Six hours... I was able to holdout... For SIX FUCKING HOURS! before they were able to get me to ejaculate for them! MOTHER FUCKING FEATHERED BASTARDS! I will kill all these fuckers when I get out of here!

"Well, it seems we may be here a while... But, the females will be happy to know they have a purpose now..." The maniac giggled to himself as he walked out of my prison.

'Note to self... Kill Bitchass McGee... and his cronies... free the girls... And then figure out what the fuck he meant by "Purpose"... Then when we get back to Ivory... Hug the shit out of Luna, Magnus, Aurora, and Celestia in that order...'

"Must... not... Flinch..." I said to myself as I tried not to feel overly disgusted with myself. Having had to mate with a Female gryphon was not exactly what I had in mind for my list of things to-do-today... But, I did learn a few new tricks on how to drive Grace crazy... That's a plus... Though all the scares and shite on me now kind of has put a major dent in that revelation...

Laying on the ground I let my body heal the soft bruised skin from the intense session the feathered bastards put me and that girl through... Fuuuuuck... Why do my kidneys hurt?

Well, after laying there for a few hours I was tied back up and run through the gauntlet again... except with two this time... Fucking perverts... I don't care if they say the girls like it or not it was still torture for he three of us... One of those little shits they call interrogators even went in a corner and knocked himself off for a while while we were at it... pervert much?

This whole song and dance of rest and rape torture went on for I don't know how many days... But I guess i'll just highlight the... more interesting parts.

"Wait... so, you're telling me... that you..." The gryphon pointed at me, trying to hold in her laughter at my story, "crashed a royal wedding... Just because the groom had given you a dirty look over a decade ago! That's priceless!" The Griff giggled out as she sat outside my prison, sitting on an upside down bucket for a stool. This particular Griff had, over the last week or two -I don't know- had come to talk to me regularly... Then I found out why... She was the first female those bastard jailers had me... Sex... When I first got here... She was a nice gal, and I was able to get some info out of he about what my other friends conditions were.

I even learned that she and all the other females here were basically breeding stock for the other Gryphs to use at their own whims and such. Also, I learned that her name was Ebba Claw, niece to Dark Claw...

She was a nice girl.

(Warning! This shit gets Darker than a black hole in this next section... You have been warned. M-A... Don't forget a bucket!

"If you shall no tell us what their size is than we shalt begin the torture again!" A new voice cawed as a whip with small pieces of metal and wood embedded in it cracked against the floor, leaving a small trench in its wake.

"If I knew... I would never tell a sleemo like you!" I sat, hocking a lougie full of blood and meat into his face... They had been beating me and torturing me for the past ten hours... The whip was a new addition though... Bu none of this was anywhere as bad as 'The Embrace of Pain' that the Yuzahnn Vong had used on me so many years ago... Silly Gryphons... This is but a tickle compared to that!

=SMACK= A chain covered fist slammed into my chest, cracking a few ribs and damaging some of the cartilage there.

"HIT ME AGAIN! THE ITCH ALMOST WENT AWAY!" I shouted in manic glee, cackling at their puny attempt to harm me to get information.

"Tell us the locations of your troops creature!" the same voice screeched out, enraged at my acts of tolerance to their ways.

"Give me a broom stick an a tube of lube and I can show you... IF YOU ASSUME THE POSITION BIOTCH!" I yelled, laughing in unadulterated joy at seeing their infuriated faces as I made a complete mockery of their interrogation system.

"Fine then... USE THE WHIP! Twenty lashes!"

"OH! But I already have twenty lashes! See!" I fluttered my eyes at them as their whip came crashing down across my back, over my shoulder and onto my chest, leaving one continuous red mark on my skin... As if there already weren't any other scares there already...

"By the force! Hit me again you Kriffing bastards! You almost got it that time!" I howled out, chocking on laughter and blood as they embedded the whip on my back again and again for the next half hour, pieces of wood and metal being left in my skin to fester later on... Granted my biology would just dissolve the foreign objects anyway... That's the only thing those damned Vong ever did that even REMOTELY helped me...

"TELL US THE NUMBERS MONSTER!" The torture master cried as he broke my nose again... For th seventh time that day...

"They're in your mother, ya feathered FUCK!"

"GRRRAHHH!" The gryphon howled as he bared his claws and started slashing at my back and chest. Getting a little to close for comfort... Well his anyway.

The entire time I had been sitting here... Something had been awakening in my body, something that the Vong had done to me... Something I thought I had buried deep... Deep in my subconscious over twenty years ago...

The fact tht my enemy, my jailor and torturer, was now within reach... I snapped, lunging forward; mouth open, eyes rolled back in my head, and teeth sharper than durasteel razors!

I sunk my teeth into his neck, right along his jugular, and bit down. Thrashing left to right I ripped out a sizable chunk of his neck, seeing a my mouth had almost engulfed his entire throat. Spitting out the meat in my mouth I did not give him time to react, lunging back in to take another bite out of him. This time... I ripped out a piece of his spine...

Gnawing on it I bit down and shattered the bone into bits of meal and marrow... Chunks scattering across the floor as blood leaked from my maw. Looking at the rest of them, paying no mind to the slowly falling body that had been gushing blood and death rattles for the last second... I broke...along with all my bonds...The force flowed through me once again...

Let me just take a moment to describe what exactly I looked like right then...

I was no longer the man most of you know and see everyday ... Right then... i was monster in all my entirety... My hands had transformed with how the old bio-toxins in my body had been activated... Turning them into clawed, scaled, monstrosities of their former selves. My muscles had also bulked up in the process, my own heightened anatomy mixing with the toxins of the Vong to increase my musculature growth twenty fold...

My Blue eyes had gone from their passionate warmth to a cold Predatory stare, turning a sickly yellow...Something not even a sith would recognize as the dark-side... Vacant in all but primal thought. My body had become mysteriously stronger with the transformation coming over me... My feet had also gone the way of my hands, becoming clawed and scaled as well as webbed for whatever reason...

Th Yuzahn Vong, as those of us that have dealt with them know, are masters of Genealogical tampering, being able to create things from mere biomass into vast warships and even into great beasts of burden that haul their supplies from one side of the planet to the other.

On my back several spines had grown out of it, starting at the small of my back and growing in size as the reached just below the top of my shoulders. The spines started out being only being about a quarter in size at the smallest to being about six inches in length at there longest, sprouting barbs across them from the three inch range up...

At the base of my spine, something new had suddenly started to grow out of my body, wracking me with unbearable pain as I fell to the floor. Frightened by what was happening, the Gryphons tried to run, but they found that their escape was on the other side of the monster that they had born in the middle of the room.

One of them tried to race along the far right of my body, squeezing up against the wall to get by... He was unlucky as my new tail shot out and impaled him on the wall. It shot through his side, just below the ribs, tearing flesh and ripping organs... The pressure of the foreign object entering his gut was to much as his gut seemingly exploded out, dumping his vital organs on the floor for all to see... his intestines steamed as the cold air touched them, the stink of feces now ripe in the air as the poor bastard had also shit himself upon realizing his demise...

My tail, now covered in blood and other bodily fluids of the dead Gryphon, slowly moved back towards me, making all of the other Gryphons freeze in horror as they now heard something new... I wasn't screaming anymore...

They screamed as I slowly stalked towards them, my clawed toes dragging on the ground sent sparks everywhere. The sound of metal grinding on stone made them try even harder to get away... To no avail.

Looking at me they could see that my tail had fully formed... It was several feet longer than I was tall in length, reaching out to be about 10'7'' in total length... The end was tipped long spade like bit, its blunt edges reflecting in the low light... the spade was about a foot long and was not very wide... About three inches at its widest as it swung back and forth behind me.

Standing three feet away from them, steam rolling from my nostrils, a long slender forked tongue rolled from my mouth to taste the dank air.

"Foooood..." I rumbled lowly, my words barely in their minds before I tore into the first of them. Reaching out slowly I placed the palm of my hand on the closest ones head, making the poor sod piss and shit himself. Pulling him toward me I raised my other clawed hand, staring at it for a moment I paid him no mind. Forming it to look like I was going to slap him with it, I then speared it into his chest, like a blade through butter I cut through his solar plexus and straight into his chest cavity.

Weaving around his other vital organs I grabbed hold of something that had started to increase and decrease in size rapidly... Wrapping my fingers around it I felt it out... It was attached to another piece of the same shape and size, it was also performing the same action as its twin... So, wrapping my fingers around the stem that tied them together... I pulled.

In a quick jerking action , and a gout of blood, my arm and hand were free, along with my prize... IN my hand was BOTH his lungs... Blood dripping from their mangled visage as I lazily tossed them behind me, an arch of blood flying through the air as several splotches landed on my waiting victims. The sound of wet meat hitting the floor caused the rest of them to scramble and screamed even more.

Kneeling down in front of my soon to be dead prey I placed my clawed hands on his shoulders... My thumbs sitting jut inside the hole my hand and arm had created. Looking at him appetizingly I gave a feral grin and yanked, one arm pulling to my left and the other my right... The sound of bones breaking and flesh rending filled the air as I tore the poor bastard in half, his head and neck rested with his right side while his ass and tail rested with his left... Steam wafting from his now mangled corpse. His blood now covered most of my body, the spray from his arteries was quite great, having even touched the high ceiling of my prison chamber.

Looking at his corpse I raked my fingers through his entrails, wrapping his innards around my hand. Pulling on them experimentally I felt they would hold... So, with a great swing, I hefted the left side of his body at his comrades, entrails and all trailing behind it at I kicked the rest of him behind me.

They all screamed as the blood hit them, the body crashing into another of their number. There had been six... Now there was five as I moved slowly towards them, my primal mind letting the thrill of the kill wash over it as it savored their fear.

"Fooood..." I called again, this time just loud enough for them to hear as I got nearer to them.

In a blast of inconceivably quick movement I was among them, my left hand speared though ones had as my other wrapped around its neck. Lunging backwards I took him with me. Landing I hissed at the other gryphons, my tongue flicking out of my mouth dangerously. Looking down at my prize I smiled evilly.

Laying the body on its back I placed my right foot on its chest, my hands still in its skull and wrapped around its neck. Pulling expectantly I grinned... And then gave a mighty pull, yanking his entire spine out of his body through his neck. The spine hung loosely from my hands, the bundle of bone, cartilage, nerves, and gore dripped readily onto the ground as I swung it around experimentally. Being satisfied that it would not break all to easily from use I swung it a bit harder towards the cowering gryphons, flinging globs of bloody gore at them, pelting their terrified forms with their dead comrade.

Satisfied with my new weapon I yanked the bloody skull from it, rending the rest of the flesh from its length in the process. This thus left me with a perfect weapon/whip to use on the rest of my victims...

One of them suddenly grew either bold, or had gone insane, and decided to leap at me, aiming his clawed hands at my face, trying to go for the eyes to blind me... HE was to far away to be of much success... Seeing as my tail struck out at him, spearing him clean through his roaring mouth and straight out his sphincter... the tip of my tail being covered in a few... Questionable substances... Then, with a mighty up down swing, I split his body in half, pouring his entrails all over his brothers and onto the floor...

At this point I just grew tired of them and waded int their now greatly diminished numbers... Slaughtering them as I went. One I killed by wrapping my lithe tail around his waist and popping him like a balloon, squeezing his insides out through his rectum and mouth, leaving a massive stinking pile of shit on the floor... Topped with a body and sprinkled with blood.

The other I killed by spearing him through with the spine I had liberated from my previous kill, pulping his heart and lungs in the process... I then stared at the last one... Thinking of some rather... Grotesque ways of killing him... Seeing as I vaguely remembered his face...

(This gets really dark here: if wish to skip, then [Ctrl+f] to {Fucked up scene done}

Wading through the blood and guts of my enemies, their entrails getting caught between my webbed, clawed, toes as I walked over to him. I bent down and grinned evilly in his face.

Slowly, ever so slowly, I wrapped my clawed fingers around his throat... Lifting him up to my height as I stood. I looked him over, his wings shaking, eyes dilated, his clawed ad pawed legs brought up to his sides... He pissed himself again as I stared into his eyes. Dropping the Spine I had been holding I placed it on his barrel, making him shiver and shake even more as i trailed my index and middle fingers down his feathered chest and onto his furred lower half, just over his sheath... To which I started rubbing gently with my razor like claws.

Much to his horror, and my great amusement, his pecker began to emerge from its hiding place, coming out for all the world to see... Seeing his arousal I started to trace the veins and such that were visible on its seven inch, motley colored, length.

As I did this he began to hyperventilate, his chest rising and falling rapidly as I played with his ever increasing boner. My feral grin ever increasing as his distress grew. I then stopped my toying and knelt down, grasping one of the many lengths of intestine that littered the floor...Looking at it and then at his dick I quickly manhandled the piece of flesh onto his length, making him cry out in horror and pain as I tortured him as he did me... Though our methods were VERY different.

I then pleasured him... With his own comrades innards as I stroked the bloody piece of meat up and down his shaft, making him wail and writhe in disgust for what was being done to him, perfect...

"Do you... wish it... to end?" I asked, my feral grin turning into a massive Cheshire grin. I then stopped my ministrations and positioned my hand over his heart, ready to kill him at a moments notice.

"...Please... Kill me..." He pleaded, wet tears streaking down his feathered face as his body racked itself with silent sobs, his body stank of urine and feces... As he had crapped himself many times during my tortures...

"...Then.. so be it..." I hissed with glee, plunging my hand into his chest, though not towards his heart. I simply went about mangling each of his organs as best I could, puncturing his lungs thrice over and destroying his kidneys... Then, and only the when he was in excruciating pain, did I end him, ripping his still beating heart from his chest to show it to him.

(Fucked up scene done)

Dropping his corpse to the blood soaked floor I searched his body for the key, by this time having dug my way back from the deep hole I had fallen into from all the body and mental abuse I had been put through for the last month...

Looking myself over I howled with anguish and hatred of what I had become again... It having taken many years for me to regain my old body back... years of surgeries and meditation to conquer the monster the Vong had made me... and now it was back... and I didn't know how I was going to be rid of the more... permanent changes this time... I was not going to cut my tongue out again... Not after the last time... and the tail... That had taken a good dozen doctors and surgeons to get rid of fully...

With it all back, and my peoples tools not available to me... I would have to live with it... The spines could just be removed with my saber... But it would hurt... And my claws would not be a problem thankfully, being apart of a mental switch that made them turn back and forth from human to... what ever the fuck they were supposed to be from...

Though for now, with how I didn't have an weapons to my name, and not wanting to use what my primal side had deemed a weapon, I figured it was good that I now had body that was effectively a weapon in all but name.

"Time to find my friends... And to find my grace..." I growled as I prowled out of the chamber, blasting the door off its hinges with the force instead of using the damned key. I then turned down a dark hallway, off towards the faint whispers of fear and strife... With my shadow ability active, I blended seamlessly with the shadows and flew down the corridor... Towards my prey...

Perspective: Luna

Location: Forward Operations base; Dark Brier forest, seventy miles from Huffington Mare

Time: Seven weeks after Corpus and Company were captured by Gryphons.

"QuickSilver... Any news on Knight Corpus?" I asked , not looking up as I skimmed over the troop movements for the next few days. Th gryphons had taken Huffington in seconds, raising it to the ground. I had also gotten reports that stallion Grad and a few other northern Settlements had been attacked and/or raised to the ground. This had all happened within days of Corpus being captured and taken from us. Our greatest weapon and ally... and my closest fried and companion.

"Nay Princess... Noting as of yet, but, I have my men keeping an ear to the ground as to his location and any other information concerning him... We will find him princess, a creature like him does not die so easily." QuickSilver said as she bowed, leaving me to my work as she went about delivering her letters to the stallions and mares.

Right now I was alone on the battle field, my sister was at home, petitioning our old allies for support and aid in our trying times... But she was also organizing a draft... A sort of royal decree making all eligible mares and stallions prep for war... It was not something that we had done for many decades... But we were doing it now.

"Corpus... WE wish thou were here with us..." I cried softly, a few of my tears falling onto the maps in front of me.

"WE know..." A ghostly voice said, raising the hairs on my neck as I whipped my head around, trying to find the speaker.

"Corpus?" It sounded so much like him... But I knew it couldn't be, he was nowhere near here... So, going with the fact that it was just nerves getting to me, I went back to work.

Author's Note

Alright my loyal readers... Just one more chapter and we get to say by to Luna's Dark Knight...

AND HELLO TO Darkness Rising... The squeal to our well loved story!

I hope you all have loved this story as much as I... It has been an emotional roller coaster writing these pieces of work... And all worth it to see how much you all have loved it this whole time!

Thank you!

Evil has a face... And it is...!: Ch 28 (Fin)

A dark corridor stretched before me, my claws twinkling slightly in the dim light the hanging chandeliers provided as I passed them by. Making my way down, I pressed myself against the side of the corridor. Coming to a stop I could make out two guards that stood not four feet from me. The two bumbling fools not even sensing their imminent demise as they guarded the small Y section of corridor. At the sight of them I could almost NOT contain my inner instinct... The one that bayed for their blood as I looked at them, my lips shinning with saliva and the thought of their blood trickling down my throat as I ripped their jugulars out with my bare teeth.

As my inner animal raged against my control, i began to imagine what I was going to do to them... Gouging out eyes... ripping, tearing throats and rending hides... It was marvelous ecstasy that raced through my veins before I silenced my blood-lust. In all this my tail twitched and writhed at the thought of blood soaking it again... It reacting to my inner thoughts more so than the rest of me. Fully regaining my composure I crept closer, coming up almost upon their very hides as I unraveled my tail and readied my claws... waiting for just the right moment. Seeing it in a twitch of their jaws... I jumped, tackling the one to my left into the cobblestone beneath us. The crunch of bones being enough to jar his mate from his stupor and react... Though not before my tail plunged through his back, severing his spine in two and breaking a few ribs, before bursting his heart and shooting through his chest and into the stone below, sticking him to the spot. The other I just killed by plunging my hand into his brain pan... An effortless kill if anything. But fun nonetheless.

Moving on, I shook their cooling bodies from my limbs, I only left their dead and mangled corpses as a signifier of my passing. Now, hiding in the shadows, I stalked the halls, letting my own shadow like force aura hide me as i passed through any bright lights, hiding me from their sight. Now, with me moving closer to my destination, I could feel my mate's presence in the force... Along with all our allies and those that keep them. As I traveled farther into this abyss called a prison... My loathing for these creatures grew ever stronger... The closer I got to my mate and friends.

Coming up to a corner I stopped, feeling the presence of three gryphons coming my way. Their dark souls like a stain on the force... slick as oil, as murky as blood... and as dark as the void. All that did for me was make me want to kill them more... The force itself even seeming to urge me on... Them, feeling two of them break off from the third and move off and down the hall towards me, my tail twitched in anticipation of the following bloodshed. My hands, tightening as my senses went into overdrive as they came upon my position.

At the first glimpse of armor I struck, my hand striking out and catching the first one in the eye as I dragged it down his face, lopping off a good portion of his beak. His garbled cry going unheard as I turned to the other Gryphon and took hold of his head and shoulder, stopping him from slashing at me with his sword. I then ripped, tearing his head from his shoulders, the sound of tearing cartilage and ripping skin filling the air. And then, with the sound of broken bone, his neck and head came off with a sickening splat... blood and nerve tissue splattering on the stone floor. Turning to the other still living victim I leaned down and picked the blubbering fool up by his neck, crushing his wind pipe as I did so, and then tossed him in to the wall just over where his companion's corpse lay. With a resounding CRACK his back broke and he fell dead on top of his comrade.

Looking down the hall I saw my last foe... His shoulders shaking up and down as he marched towards me. His rank breath coming out in misty puffs as he glared at me. His seething form moved towards me, his form finally coming into the light, letting me get a glance at his true form. His face was scared, his right eye having been covered by a leather patch and his beak partially replaced with a metal plate. He then, once close enough, pulled out a large scimitar. The blade was easily as long as he was tall, a staggering four feet in length from hilt to tip. A truly monstrous weapon for such a small creature to hold. Even at the Gryphons massive-ish height of five six... I still stood the bigger man.

Hefting the blade up he charged at me, standing on his hind legs as his wings helped to stabilize his two legged charge. The large Veteran swung at my midriff as I moved deftly to the side, stepping into his range and tripping him up. In the action taken he then stumbled to the ground and cursed in his native avian tongue. quickly he got to his claws and paws and whipped his lion like tail at me, hoping to throw me off with the ploy... To which I snatched it between my clawed fingers and pulled, taking over two thirds of his tail right off. his howls of pain reverberated through the halls as he dropped his sword and slashed at me with his razor like claws, racking them across my chest as he had surprised me with the lightning like strike.

Giving a short howl I spun around and lashed out with my tail, using the momentum of my spin to add significant force to the hit, sending the gryph reeling back a few dozen feet. Not relenting I chased after his dazed form as he came to a skidding halt next to the other two dead gryphons, his body having rolled through their blood pools by the time he stopped moving. Coming down upon him I struck out with a clawed hand towards his head, aiming to end him swiftly... It was not to be as he flared his wings and jostled me sideways, away from his head and into the cobblestone below. The gryphon then body slammed my confused form and brought me to the ground in a daze, the force then alerted me of imminent danger, I rolled to the left as two clawed appendages came down where my neck and spine used to be.. Next I preformed a back flip into a standing position and lashed out with a clawed foot, striking the oncoming gryphon in the chest, knocking the air from his lungs as he came crashing to the floor.

Seeing the gryphon lay there on the floor, struggling to get up, to get another breath full of life giving air to his lounges, I strolled over to him. His baleful gaze falling on me as I stood before him and his agonized form. Smiling cruelly I quickly dispatched him with a quick twist of my wrist -seeing as I had taken a hold of his head with the force it was quite easy- and watched his body fall to the floor. Giving the now dead body a smirk like glare I turned back towards the other end of the corridor... The one where this little prick came from... I could sense my family was just around the corner there... Being guarded by four very... Different... Gryphons.

Coming to the conclusion that they were gryphons stopped me in my tracks... Seeing as their... Souls, for lack of a better term, were almost completely pure... Even when compared to the ponies i have met while here on this planet...Interesting. So, slinking up to the edge of the corner I peeked around it to see what I could make of them... And I was surprised. They were all what one might consider teens in this race of bird-lion hybrids. Reaching out with the force i touched the closest ones mind, pearing into his memories as to what he had done to have such a good heart... And what i saw... Brought tears to my eyes...

Perspective: Luna Dia Noctis

Months prior to events in the prison.

"General, get us our sister... We have need of her." I ordered stoically as I stomped off to one of the many meeting rooms on this side of the castle. Marching into a room of white and gold, its walls walls were covered with a plethora of old war paintings, mostly those of I and my sister standing over defeated foes like gods of war. Lining the walls along with the pictures were several floor to ceiling pillars, each carved with spirals going up them, both ends meeting in large, tiered bases. In the middle was a large red rug with golden embroidery crowning its edges with a large two foot high table sitting along its center axis, leaving about three feet of the carpet on all sides.

Even as it were, the room was rather spacious.

Sitting there for the next five minutes helped me to settle my mind on the whole incident with Corpus and his... our... Ponies being captured along with him... it was a severe blow to our forces at such an early venture in the war... Moral was all but destroyed with Corpus' capture... And my heart was in no better state than the moral of our ponies... As my thoughts of my captured friend crept into the darker parts of my mind, I was knocked from my melancholy by the sound of my sister bursting into the room.

She strode in wearing her normal regalia, her golden sigals adorning her white fur as her worried eyes searched for me in the gaudy room.

"SISTER!" She cried as she raced over to me, her wings opening up to engulf me in a sisterly embrace... Though my face did warm some when her muzzle rubbed against my neck and barrel... 'Bad thoughts, down! I said down!" I mentally growled as my baser feelings tried to make a guest appearance in my head. Smiling, and only having hesitated for an instant, I wrapped my wings around Celestia as well, nuzzling her neck and face as well. Sitting there I could feel a few of my sisters tears dampen my fur.

"We're fine, dearest Sister, shaken... But fine. We do seek an audience with thee though..." I Stoically said as I wiggled gently out of my sisters embrace. Her face now almost as stoic and serious as mine.

"What would thee ask of me dear sister?"

"There are over five hundred refugees coming this way sister... They need refuge... Can the City house them?" I asked, my apprehension palatable in the air.

"Hmm... It is possible to house them here sister... But if we can we must set up a camp for them off in the country... Away from the contested boarder... But we do have room for now... Herd them the city post haste Sister... We shall be ready for them..." She then began to leave, until she notice I had not moved from my spot.

"Is there something else weighing thou down sister mine?"

"Sister... When we come back... we must talk of what happened out there... But for now know this... We need more troops if we are to win this war..." receiving a nod I turned and walked from the room, knowing my sister was going to think on my words... For now.

Perspective: Corpus

With my mind set and conscience settled, I made my way towards the young guards, seeing that they were now shaking in their skin as I approached. The four of them, *thud*, three of them... Stared at me in complete and utter terror as I approached them... One of them having fainted in his fright.

"Talon break... Come forth..." I called, making one of them piss himself as he heard his name in my new gravelly, husky, voice. He slowly, hesitantly, made his way to kneel before me.

"Y-y-es... Mi'lord?" He answered shakily as he prostrate himself before me, his quaking from almost ready to relieve itself upon the stone floor.

"We hast deemed thee and thy comrades redeemed... Free our allies and thou shalt be free of this place... If thou wishes it." I commanded him, making him shiver slightly at my words.

"... Y-yes M-Mi'lord... Thy will is done..." He cowed before scurrying off to free my family.

"Grace! everyone... Do not harm these pour souls... We dost know their willingness to help thy enemies as if they were their own... Seen their hearts we have... Pained they are..." I then slowly made my way to the darkest shadow I could find... And then wrapped myself in the force... using them both to hide my form from them, while the three gryphons, went about freeing my friends and family from their cells as i watched over them. From the first cell came Sentinel, Rose, and Jazz... From the next came Grace and Roid... From the last one came Ducati and a few of Grace's guards.

In all there were four Mares and seven stallions and the four gryphons in my group. As they all massed around Grace, who stood in the middle of the corridor, I watched over them. The four gryphons were uneasy at first, but many of the ponies there were gather each of them up and wrapping them in a firm hug for all they had done for them the past month we had been trapped here.

"Corpus... Art thou still there?" Grace called as she moved out of the small mob of our friends and allies. She had just finished hugging all of the gryphons that had helped them. She was now looking for me, trying to see where i had made off to.

"We art here Grace... Just... Be warned... W-we dost not look the same as we did before..." I hissed out slightly... My tongue slithering out of my mouth as i spoke. I could see several of my comrades shiver at the sound of my husky/gravelly, slithery voice... This made me smile sadly at their reactions, not feeling all to mad about their reactions seeing as I would have done the same in any of their positions.

"WE can handle it ... We think..." The last part she had whispered under here breath, low enough that she thought I hadn't heard, but I had... And I understood her skepticism. So, not daring to hold back, I walked out. The light shown off of the burning chandelier hanging above... the flame light reflecting off my bare chest and shoulders. Every single one of them could now fully see me for what I was... I now stood at Seven' eight" (7'8"), my body having grown slightly when my bones and muscles reacted to the toxin being released from my brain... My shoulders were now about two and a half feet across the back, giving me a very wide back. They could see my clawed hands and feet, the small scales, which were similar to a barabels, tracked up my arms and legs to about my elbows and knees. Then, on a whim, my tail uncoiled from around my waist and circled my feet, its ten foot six length looping several times around my person.

Looking Grace right in the eye I could see her sadness at what had befallen me. Turning I let them see my back, were around a dozen spines shot out through my skin like a massive sail without flesh to cover it. After looking at my back they then took in the features of my face... The slightly elongated mouth, the shape of my face being slightly more reptilian... and then the sight of my tongue shooting out from between my teeth and lips like a snake.

"Cor...Corpus... What happened to thee?" Grace asked as she covered her mouth with a hoof to keep from crying out uncontrollably.

"This twas but the product of a past internment with a race called the Yuzhan Vong... They decided to tamper with our DNA one day... It used to be much worse though... But after some work our own people had done... they had fixed most of the damage... But the piece of Vong tech that had been implanted i my brain was not in a place they could get to without killing us... So, we had to inplace a few counter measures for such a day that the implanted gland would act up... But our torturer broke through them all... And caused this..." I Sighed, having explained why i looked the way I do. Everyone reacted about as expected... In an unexpected way though... They were all pissed, livid, and filled to the brim with hate... But it was not directed at meee... It was all directed towards a race of being that none of them had ever met... And I hope they never will.

"Corpus... None of this is thy fault... Thou hast saved each of us countless times over the last few months... we would not shun thee for such a dubious reason as this Corpus... Come... Let us go and leave this place..." Grace calmly said as she came up and rubbed her face along my thigh and waist.

"Dost everyone else agree? " I asked, my voice traveling into their minds to break through the language barrier.

"YES!" Was the unanimous shout, and some how the Gryphons with us had said so in the Equestrian/basic language.

Running through the corridors, I led our ragtag group of escapees toward one of the other holding areas of the massive underground prison. One of the thoughts on my mind, now that my loved one and our friends were safe, was the freedom of all the Griffs that these barbarians had locked up in the 'nursery' section of the complex. Grace and the others also had a good idea of what I was doing, seeing as I had told them my plans. Grace and the others were all for it, rescuing the other Griffs that is.

As we came around a corner, everyone trailing by a good couple yards at least, I ran into a patrol... Seeing them I deftly evaded their spears and battered them into bloody pulps. Breaking necks, backs, and cracking skulls. The six man/gryph patrol fell in moments... Everyone just running past them as they tried to keep up with my quickened pace.

Making several break neck turns we caem upon a small hub one could say... It was a large room with several floors/levels that had wood bridges connecting them from great distances. With a large dome like ceiling, one that was at least several stories high, that we could see many a Gryphon flying under to get to the higher up echelons of the hub.

"Hide!" I quietly shouted to my fellows. Each of them scattering to the small crevices that littered the corridor. I then walked out into the room, raising my hand up into the air as I gathered the force around me... Turning it into force lightning as it flowed through my body and into my hands... As I gathered more power around me, letting some of it run wild so I wouldn't have to completely focus it all, I began to create a proverbial storm... As the ball of lightning in my hands grew, so did the amount of violet light that poured off my form... Alerting my enemies to the presence of such a high threat in their midst.

As they all began to take notice, some ran and some charged... One retreating while the other fought to live... I unleashed the power, aiming it up and away from m allies and myself... Letting the energy of the force have its way with the wood and metal in the room... The sound of feral screams rebounded off the walls in the dome, granted most sounds were around out by the sound of crackling lightning. As the bodies of scores of gryphons fell to the ground, I had to use the force to knock falling pieces of wood out of the way, and away from my friends.

Many of the gryphons that had been caught in the attack were now charred husks falling from the sky. Those that weren't dead wished they were as most of their feathers were burnt from their bodies. And like the flightless birds they now were, they fell as well. Grasping a hold of a falling sword, it was about a foot and a half long, I went about finishing them off. The floor was now littered with the dead and dying bodies of the gryphons, many of which were covered with the masses of burnt wood and metal that had been destroyed when I unleashed the force on the bridges and other ornaments that were in the room.

"Everyone! Go, Go, Go!" I yelled, waving them forward with my blade as I hacked, slashed, and maimed the fallen ... leaving no survivors. Quickly they made it to the other side, waiting for me. I caught up quickly and led them up to the fifth level, there was a sign hanging over it that read 'Nursery'... It was slightly charred and hung low on one chain.

"Alright... We are just here to free the women... No heroics! We get in, free them, get out... Simple." I then directed everyone ahead, keeping the sword I had picked up... even if it was just a toothpick. Filling into the tunnel/corridor, everyone being rather speedy with their movements, left me with bringing up the rear... Granted I got to stare at Grace's rear for a while, it was a good concelation prize.

*Splash*... *Screlch*... *Ching*... *Shink*... Three gryphons fell as I walked between them, delivering fatal blows as I passed.

Grace and Ducati had split of and taken half our group with them when we had gotten to an intersection... I had told them that there were prisoners in both directions... Which was true... Save for the fact that there were fewer guards that way. So, with Jazz and the gryphons, we stealthily made our way down to the cells... and the dozen or so guards.

Jazz and Talon Break took to the highest places they could find while we were down here, the two of them looking for unsuspecting members of the guard to pounce on... so one could bash their skulls in and the other could slash their throats. Morbid I know... But when you have been tortured by these bitch-ass mother-fuckers for a month, or so, the you would understand... Even though all of us were unarmed and under fed... We were a force to be reckoned with.

I hadn't found our weapons yet... Hence our unarmed state's... But I was going to put that on top of our list of things to do after this. I was sorely missing my sabers and armor at ths point... Granted I knew I was going to have to modify my armor for my new appearance... Slightly anyway... Hopefully the magic here will be able to undo some of my changes... Shaking those thoughts from my head I concentrated on the task at hand.

Throwing my sword like a knife, I impaled a gryph in the chest with said blade. He fell to the floor in a torrent of his own blood gushing from his wound. Three more then took his place as they charged at me... None of them noticing the two sneaky bastards above them... I love this kind of ambush! Just as they passed under their position, the two of them fell on them, breaking one's back and the other digging his claw into anothers neck. As Jazz finished of his target, Talon quickly slit his targets throat and moved onto the next one, the boy not even having any regret on killing his fellow gryph.

Tallon then quickly made short work of the other gryphon, whom hahd been stuned by the quick work, and gutted him with his hind paws when he tackled six of us, that being me, Jazz, and the fou gryphons on our side, then ran on further into the labrynth of corridors. Ducking around corners and vaulting over falen banisters we came to a large locked iron bar door. I had Tallon and his comrades deal with it while Jazz and I kept watch for any flanekrs...

Five minutes into them trying to pick the advanced lock... We had trouble... From around one of the corners at the 'T' a few yards away came the sound of heavy hoof falls... Severl pairs of them... Turnin the corner wre four of the biggest Minotaurs I had ever seen... Even bigger than theon e that had ambushed me and Jazz a month ago... They stood at almost eight foot six... They were monsters, each one was covered in armor from head to toe... and they each held a massive battle axe in their hands, along with a larger than life great sword on their backs...

"Kriffing bastards..." I whisspered as Jazz and I sized up our new opponents... What a drag...

"Buck..." Was all Jazz said as he let his wings droop at the sight of them.

"What ah've we 'ere boys?" the lead Minotaur, a red and black spotted bastard, sneered out at us.

"Yeh, boss! Look ahd 'em! They's look puny!" The one to his right said, a back and grey one, upper half black, bottom half grey, snarled.

"Lets eat'em boss!" The one at his back right yipped, it was to dark to see his color.

"We think not, Chut'ah's..." I grined evily as my tail slowly unwrapped from my waist. Jazz even got a sadistic grin plasterd on his face as he saw what I was doing.

"Grrr, Get them!" The lead one snarled. The other three charged forward, weaving past him, their axes swinging wildly at us as they got closer. Both Jazz and I also charged forward to meet them, our minds made up on what we were going to do. As they got closer I jumped up over a waist high swing and reeled back as I then punch the shithead in the face, sending him back a foot or two ,dazed.

Jazz, on the other hand, rolled under the swing and ceam up headbutting the Minotaur in the crotch... I felt about this much )( pity for him right then... But laughed when he whimpered and fell over holding himself like a child. Jazz then kicked he mighty axe my way, skidding it across the stone floor and right into my awaiting hands. Then, in spinig motionn, I wheeled around and up, burrying the smile of he axe up to his cholerr bone, splitting him open from crotch to just under the base of his neck. Leting go of the, now lodged, weapon I picked up my foes on Axe and lept at the third one, batting his Axe away with the force. At the apex of my jump I swung down,aiming for his head. At the last possible moment he tried to block, bringing his Axes long hilt to bear against my own blade.. . The instant they clashed, they shattered, sending thousands of metal shardes flying throughout the room.

Everyone ducked for cover as the shardes rebound and ricochet around the room, several of which got stuck in my arm and chest.

Paying no mind to the pain, i hooked a right, straight into the beastes cheek. Reeling from the blow, he looked at me in confusion, trying to figure out what just hit him... And like a lightbulb blinking on, he understood... And then he got mad, unsheathing his great sword and leveling it at me before he flurished and made for a bisecting cut towards my shoulder. An the just like that I lashed out with the force, unleashing a torent of power at him, sending him back, his body like a ragdoll as he flew.

Him and his sword went tumbling off towards their leader, whom had somehow stood up to the onslaught.

With his brow twitching in anoyance, he suddenly relaxed and started laughing.

"Well... What dost we have here..." He said darkly, as he walked over the dazed form of his subordinate he buried the whole smile of his Axe -along with most the face- into his subordinates back. He let go of the handle as he moved closer, the long hilt waving back and forth from the released tension. Then he stopped, not ten feet from me, and raised his his left came a blue- black glow, while his right began to glow a my causion I began to gather the Violet energy of Sith lightning... Along with enough energy to throw back his attacks if needed.

"Jazz, get behind us... We dost not know what his powers are." I muttered to him. Getting a nod I focused more on the new curiosity in front of me.

"Thou ready... Prisoner?" He asked as a sadistic grin crawled onto his lips. Suddenly he shot forward with his left-hand, unleashing a torrent of blue-black water. The water even seemed to have a small current of electricity running through it.

Eyes widening I lashed out with the energy in my hands and pushed against the attack with my lightning and force energy. His attack of water and lightning railed against my defenses, the overflow splashing onto the floor in front of me and off to the sides. The splash of water were negligent at best as I concentrated on defending my small band of misfits, what caught my attention though was the thousands of volts that suddenly arched through my body. Having not noticed the metal tip of my tail drift into the water, I was subject to the natural tendencies of water, lightning , and metal... No Buenos...

"FUUUUUUCK!" I howled as the power coursed through my body, snapping me of my concentration on my powers. Floundering under the onslaught, Jazz acted. Him not thinking on his actions, struck out at the massive beast of a Minotaur, striking said creature across the face with his fore hooves. Reeling from the blow, the Minotaur stumbled, losing his focus as it shot from me to Jazz.

Staggering, both combatants got up from their quick altercation and glared. Then, in a split second decision, our enemy launched a gout of super heated earth/stone at Jazz, tearing a hole in the ground as the almost magma like stone and earth came flying at us. Jazz quickly got out of the way as the psychopath lobbed another volley at him. Recovering moments later,I ripped a chunk of stone out of the wall and tossed it at the Minotaur.

Blinded by hate, he never saw the small stone boulder flying at him. The stone crashed against his left shoulder, spinning him around as he rock pulverized his shoulder,crunching bone and mincing cartilage. The end result was a mass of bones erupting from the profusely bleeding skin, though most of the skin was flayed from the muscle by the rock, so now the muscle was one of the only things holding it all together. Slapping his only working hand against the gored limb, he fell to his knees in pain.

"Kill him Corpus! Kill him before it's to late!" Jass screamed as he tried to get away from the Minotaur. Whom now was nothing more than an open nerve, one lit aflame by the pain.

Thinking fast, I flew over to the red and black spotted bastard. Shoulder checking him into the stone floor, I straddled his chest and dug my fingers into his temples; pushing my mind into his with the force. By doing this I was able to look into his thoughts... Something I will always have nightmares of.

"Firm Brass, take Golden Promise and... Convince them of their secrets." A short eye patched gryphon said, his body covered in regalia of the royal court.

"It shall be done, mi'lord." Firm Brass (also known as red and black spotted bastard) knelt before the gryphon, paying homage to his Future king. As the leader left, LongEared Silver spoke up.

"Why do we serve a trait'ah like 'im? On' tha' would see 'is king dead?"

"Pays well... End ah story." Golden Promise quips as he smacks LongEar and walks off.

"Drain... life..." I muttered as I forcibly pulled the life force from Firm Bronze and into my own body, killing him with nothing more than my mind and the force.

Reeling from the new information, like the fact that we are fighting a ghost war, and that one of these fuckers had rapped Grace... I was unable to keep myself from falling over, ending up sprawled across the cobblestone floor along side the now dead, and slowly cooling, minotaur.

Jazz, seeing my distress, ran over to help me right myself... Though we had a few issues, one of which was the fact that there was still a few hundred volts of electricity running through my body wreaking havoc with my nervous system.

"Jazz, dost thou know of any others like this fellow?" I asked begrudgingly, hopping against hope that he would say no.

"There are a few others we have heard of, Corpus... Though not like this... The closest thing I can think of are our mages in the College and the shamans of The far south... This is an all new encounter for me Sire..." Jazz said as he helped lean me against the gate next to our four Gryphon allies, whom of which had been working on getting the gate open as quietly as possible... Though now we all knew that was a shot goal.

"Mi'lord... Dost though need us to c-carry thee?" One of the gryphons asked, I couldn't tell who, as they worked on the gate.

"Nay, we will be fine... Just give us a minute to rest and get on our feet again!" I grinned encouragingly as they went back to their work with dire enthusiasm.

"Hmm?" Jazz asked as he sat down on his haunches beside me.

"Twas just them asking of my state and for if we required their assistance... We turned them down in favor of just resting for a bit... Something we thinks we both need right now." I said smiling to my friend, getting a chuckle out of him.

"Aye, tis a good plan Sire..." Jazz then lazily yawned and began to preen his wings... Which looked rather unkept by the way many of them stood out at odd angles.

"Did they harm them Jazz?"

"Hmm? Oh my wings? Nay Corpus... Lest not that I remember. But if we feel any pain, we salt let thee know my friend." He smiled and went back to his work, preening his feathers back to their proper sheen.

Sitting there I began to pull on the force, letting it run over and through my body to help ease the pain from the electrical shock and repair the damaged synopsis of my nervous system. Images of events that Firm Bronze had experienced ran through my head as I sat there. The image of that unknown gryphon coming up more and more the deeper I looked through the memories I had skimmed.

Traitor, backstabber, and usurper; these words began to attach themselves to the image of the unknown gryphon with the eye patch... Even from this pour bastards memories I could feel that this gryphon was different from the rest... Darker, twisted... and filled with a power that I felt somewhat familiar with... But did not fully understand.

"Jazz, mine friend... After this, if we live... We wish for thou to resign from this war..." Jazz began to form a protest, until I silenced it with a hand. "We would like to take thee and a few of the others here on as... Guards... one might say... Though ones personally trained by us... Dost that sound good to thee? Like a fair trade?" I asked, a slight -though mischievous- smile creeping onto my, and his, faces.

"Commander Corpus, leader of the third and hero of the common soldier... It would be my honor to serve with thee... Mine friend and brother!" Jazz beamed, a full on blinding smile etched into his face, representing all the glee and honor he felt at such a request. But, even though he was showing glee and honor, one could still see the hint of mischief in his eyes... Something that would be long since known as a sign of hope for his allies, and a sign of utter destruction to his enemies.

"We thank thee... our friend... And brother in arms..." I then embraced the slightly shocked Jazz as several tears slowly fell from my eyes... The thought of regaining what I had just lost bringing a new form of hope into my heart... Little did I know at the time that tragedy always follows happiness... Even if it's many decades later.

With the gate open and the four Gryphons leading us in like prisoners, we skulked around the corridors, coming up to the only guard hub for this area of the breeder camp. Talon break was leading our little band of misfits when we ran into the hub, all apart of the plan thankfully, as he led us into the 'office' were the sections warden was sitting.

"Jail Master Dark Feather... We dost carry the 'monster' with us... We hast brought his choleric self here for a new round of breeding Jail Master... Is the regular room ready, or dost thou have a different room set up for this evening's festivities?" Talon lied smoothly as he had our other comrades usher us in. I got to hand it to the fellow... He can sure spin a yarn with the best of'em!

"Shut you're gods damned whore mouth you daft bastard! Just put him in the regular pin... No need for such eccentricities with this one!" He growled as I gave him the stink eye. Racking his metal sheathed claws across the stone, he lazily gestured towards an empty room not twenty feet to our left... Right next to the entrance to the prison block. All six of us gave each other looks of -'Really... Fucking Really?'- before marching over to the awaiting door. Talon and his friends stacked on either side of the entrance, making sure we went in, Jazz showing a little bit of ire and suspicion as we walked through the threshold.

"Corpus... Are thou sure we can trust them?" He asked pensively, his brows arched in confusion.

"Aye Jazz, we can trust them... I know their hearts well enough..." I said with a devilish smile, letting on to the double meaning of my words. Yes I knew their hearts... Very well with the force and all its majesty... And also where they were, figuratively and literally... So I could crush them if they ever betrayed us and get us all out.

"If thou sayeth then I shall believe..." He let out pensively, his head bowed in resignation. Talon then closed the door... And latched it... And then placed a lock on it... Though he didn't click the lock, but he did trick the warden into thinking he did by smacking it against the metal bars a few times.

"Everything is under lock now... Is there any other aid thou hast need of requesting Jail master?" Our feathered friend asked abrasively, letting his disdain for the Jailer come out in his voice.

"Go stuff your self Talon!" The Jailer snarled as he went back to his papers.

"Sorry... But..." Talon cooed as he strolled up behind the Grumpy Gryphon, "It seems we need your key." Dark Feather then flipped around to reprimand the young Gryph, but soon found a dagger in his chest and a set of claws in his throat.

"Like I said... We need your key..." Talon break whispered as he ripped out his superiors throat and twisted the knife in his chest. The dead and slightly mangled body of Dark Feather fell to the floor with a few muted gurgles as Talon stepped over him and retrieved the keys to the prison block and cells beyond.

"Lets move!" Everyone nodded as I tore of the door to mine and Jazz's temporary holding. Talon, already in the process of unlocking the door to the female holding cells, smiled greatly at my enthusiasm.

Running down the halls, Jazz and I followed Talon with great interest. The gryphon was acting like he was on a mission... One that made everything else on this planet seem like an insect in comparison. As we went we unlocked as many cells as needed, letting out all those that had occupants as we raced after Talon and his goal... Though we knew not what it was. Jazz and I would oddly look at our other companions to see if they had any inkling as to where our impromptu leader was taking us... But all we got from them were the same confused looks we had when thinking about what the hell was going on.

"Sith spit talon! Where are thou taking us!" I yelled, getting slightly irritated with his silence and running about.

" I'm taking us to a...Friend of mine... I had lost her many months ago... But I saw her name on the Registrar back there... You would not fault me for wanting to find her would you?" Talon cried out between huffs of air as he led us down the long thoroughfare.

"Oh... Then lead the way Talon... We'll follow thou... And free thy mate!" I finished with a conspiratorial grin plaster on my face, it getting bigger as Talon spluttered massively before shutting up and focusing on running. Jazz just looked at the two of us like we were idiots and smiled, following my lead as the rest of us. As we marched everyone -minus Jazz- stopped, a low his rising up from the bowls of our very being...Something... Dark was afoot up ahead... I motioned for Jazz and the rest, save Talon, to head back and hook up with Grace and the others.

Heading my words, and the look of finality I gave him, Jazz led the others back to the main hub for this area. There they met up with the freed Griffs, getting them to follow was a slight chore, but thanks to the help he got from the others I had sent with him he got the job done and they headed off to find Grace and Ducati.

I digress though, Talon and I were now on our way towards the disturbance... I could feel it in the air, and more notably the force, as we got closer. By the time we got to the end of the thoroughfare, we had freed almost sixteen females... A large number for all the space they had... Which was dismal at best. Several of which were now tagging along with us, One of which was a Gryphon I had been... Mated with a few days back... She was a nice sort and not one to get in an argument, less it was to stop an even bigger argument from erupting.

I had learned as much from her during one of our 'talks' after hours, when she would bribe a few guards with a good night out so she could talk to me.

Her name was Ebba, which means Strength, and she was the niece of Dark Claw... She did not leave my side during our march on the pit of darkness that Talon and I felt... Though I was yet to discern a way as to how he was able to sense the darkness as I could... Questions for another time I guess.

"Talon... Wait." I then stopped and used my enhanced strength to pull a few bars out of one of the empty cells we were passing. I took out around ten of them and tossed a few out, leaving myself with three of the long metal beams. "Take this Talon... Thou shalt need a weapon by thy side for what is to come. We know this..." I intoned with a grave voice, making him latch onto my proffered weapon with a vice like grip.

"Thank thee, my brother in arms... We could not have done any of this without thy brawn and brain!" Talon smiled magnificently at me as he took the weapon in good graces. Everyone else just stared in awe at the amount of trust we placed in each other to speak like that, all save Ebba for some reason... We had only spoken a few times, yet she seemed to trust me, interesting and something to look into later.

"Alright, when we get in there, the girls are going to go left... Keep to the shadows and wait for an opening. We don't need to lose any of you at this time and place, so let the two of us do most the work... Ebba, make sure they do not do anything reckless... Talon, the two of us are going to take the right, keeping to the shadows at first so we might be able to surprise who ever might be the cause of the darkness there." Ebba and the girls nodded, determination burning in their eyes as they tightened the grip on their improvised weapons.

"Sounds like a plan to us, right girls? What about thee Talon?" While the girls whispered back and forth about what they would do inside, Talon had a look on his face. He was trying to think of anything else to boost their likelihood of success... But couldn't really think of anything... Save maybe...

"Corpus... dost thou have any abilities that might blind an opponent? Or maybe something that does explosive damage?" Talon asked as he looked up to their troops towering companion.

"Aye, we do... I'll gather the necessary energy to preform them as we go, they will be ready ten times over by the time we engage... That sound kosher enough for thy plan Talon?" I quirked a brow at him as I then lazily floated a small ball of red and black energy in my hand, making it float up and down for emphasis.

"Aye... show off, that is grand indeed... We shalt need that for later I suspect..." We all nodded and started walking again, the girls talking in hushed voices about what they were going to do when they got the chance. Talon and I took up the front and back respectively as we all marched at a slight jog towards the end of the corridor, not twenty feet away from us at this point. Stopping, we readied our weapons.

Kicking the door open I tossed a small ball of white light into the room, a condensed ball of lightside energy that was basically turned into a flash bang. Everyone looked away as it went off, filling the room and most the hall with light, before we all rushed in. We each took cover in the dark corners of the room, keeping the target of our assault in the dark as to our location as we began to size him up.

Standing in the middle of the room was a large stone table, roughly three feet across and six feet long... and on it lay the Female gryphon that we had come to rescue... Now, standing at the foot of the table was a large gryphon.

He stood at about five six and was dressed in dark red robes with a symbol of a bloodied... Hand?! No joke... There was a bloodied hand embroidered on the sides and back of the Gryphons cloak and robes... The embroidery was done in gold, and with being laid against the blood red robe made it look almost exactly like a bloodied hand. The gryphon was also holding a ceremonial dagger, which he was holding in front of his face to guard against the bright light that had invaded such a dull space not five minutes ago.

"NOW!" I yelled in Avianst as I used the force to yank him away form the stone table like alter. He landed on the other side of the room in a heap of robes and pain. He then got to his feat and growled out a few words in a different language before thrusting out with his dagger and pointing it at me. As soon as the last word left his mouth, a large gout of black lightning arced from his blade tip and struck me in the chest, throwing me back.

Talon and the rest were shocked and flabbergasted at my quick 'defeat' them already working hard to free their captive sister/mate... Who ever she was to whom ever I don't care!

"FUCK YOU BUDDY!" I then flipped up from my spot against the door, landed on my feet and lobbed a few small globes of bright energy at the fucker that electrocuted me. The balls flew through the air and scattered around him, sticking to their targets. A second later they exploded in a bright flash, unleashing a large whirlwind of kinetic energy on the little fuck that decided it was OK to try and sacrifice one of his own kind.

As the dust from the attack faded away, we could all see that the little shit was still standing there... With a force forsaken shield bubble thing encasing his body.

"Did he just..." I asked rhetorically as I stared, mouth agape, at the mage. He was heaving slightly with the exertion of erecting the shield, but was otherwise unharmed

"You mean, create a protective layer of something and stop your, whatever it was, from hurting him? Then yes... Yes he did..." Talon said as he stared wide-eyed at the untouched figure I had just tried to kill.

'Well fuck...' I tensed and gathered more energy to try something new... Or old with a new twist. "Try this on for size ya magical red dot!" I yelled as I lobbed a 'black' ball of force energy at the robbed gryphon. This time I made sure to hit him with it, making it latch onto his chest.

When it went off this time though, it unleashed a black fog like substance that soon engulfed his body, seeping into him through his eyes nose and ears as he began to shake and spasm on to the floor. His epileptic body then began to fire off small spells of light and energy, similar to force lightning and force push and the rare force illuminate. Seeing my error, I yelled, motioning everyone to get behind something as he went into his death throws... But that's when the screaming started.

"No sram! Tar grate tarmine! kallista! No losh nahframe... Kreem! Krrem NAW! KREEEEEEM NAAAAW!" Were his final words as he suddenly snapped his own neck with the force of his thrashing, blood then began to leek form his ears and nostrils. All the Gryphons in the room stared wide eyed at the now dead body of the mage, all looking like they had seen a ghost. Looking back and forth between the corpse and then myself, they all took a massive step away from me, just one... But it was enough to tell me that they did not trust my powers anymore, as if I could blame them.

Making one relive their inner most horrors, as if they were real, is not something anyone, gryphon or otherwise, would ever want to experience. Granted, none of them even knew WHAT the hell I had done to the Gryphon, they still feared it as the dark ability that it was.

"Corpus... Let us leave..." My newest ally muttered as he and a few of the other females went and freed his mate. I sighed deeply as I fell to my knees and leaned against the cold stone. I let myself relax as best I could after everything that had happened, the torture, the forced conception... all of the beatings that broke the mental barriers my sorcerers had placed in my head... I let the weight of my failings fall on my shoulders.

"Corpus?"

"Yes, Ebba?"

"Where are we going now... We are many miles within the gryphonian border... No town near us will take in a group of ponies and gryphons, they are to xenophobic for that..." Nodding she sat down next to me, her voice catching simply on her last words.

Nodding I placed an arm around her small frame, giving her what small comfort I could to her damaged soul. Sighing, she picked herself up and sat in front of me, staring into my eyes with her deep emerald green eyes. She had this look of regal grace about her as she fluttered her wings to get comfortable. Her chest was decorated with white spots that began just at her collar bone and stopped just short of the end of her ribcage. The rest of her feathers were a light brown that looked just a shade lighter then chocolate, and were very dexterous. Her wings, when stretched, reached about six to seven feet in either direction, almost as big as Luna's wingspan, if not the same.

Her head was crowned with a few golden feathers that traced along the lower part of her crown, almost perfectly simulating a crown on her head. Her beak was also a prominent feature of her face, looking almost like it was burnished gold. Her back half was also of the same color fur as he beak, the Burnished gold fur flowing gracefully over her lithe figure. Her tale was also quite striking, being tipped with a white tuft of fur and being around six feet long is a rather striking feature.

"Corpus... Dost thou think we will be free of this cruelty if we come with thee?" Ebba asked as she gave me her most innocent stare. Her eyes glistened and became dilated beyond what most would think possible and were beyond soul rending anymore.

"We dost not know... We had saved one of thy sisters many months ago... But she was in a coma last we had seen of her... And those that had caused this are currently dead and damned. They suffered for their crimes is all that we shalt say." I leaned for ward and looked her in the eyes, knowing that our whole conversation was being listened to by everyone in the room, knowing that I was going to be their savior, or their executor if, better yet, when we got back to the ponies.

"Will the protect us then, if thou are to set us free of this place?" Ebba asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked at me.

"Aye, protecting thou will be our purpose when this escapade is done and over with." I answered, smiling slightly as she brightened slightly at my words. Also, after hearing this, everyone else there released a breath they hadn't realized.

Sighing I began to get to my feet, dusting myself off in the process, and stretched. I then looked over at the fallen form of the mage, seeing his robes and cape laying a strewn across his disheveled form. Giving a cursory glance at myself and then at the clothing, I gave a small growl of irritation.

Note, please, that this entire time I have been running around Ladies and Gents, I have not had any clothes on. None, nada, zipo, I have only had my tail to hide my shame and protect it from the weary swipe of claw and weapon during my battles to this point. So, now seeing an opportunity, I seized it.

Walking over to the downed gryphon I knelt down and carefully dissuaded him of his current attire. Laying the robes off to the side, the cloak being laid on top of the other garments, I then took the gryphon in my arms and placed him on the stone table. The very same table that my compatriots had cleared moments before. I then took one of the massive flag motifs that hung around the room and draped it over his body.

Moving back to the clothes I took the robes and made them into a pseudo kilt like skirt. I then took the cloak and wrapped it around my shoulders, creating a sort of cape like scarf.

"Corpus, art thou ready?" Ebba asked as she walked up next to me, her wing coming up to touch my shoulder.

"Aye, Let us be gone!" I then motioned everyone towards the door, Ebba following right beside me.

"Grace, GRACE!" I called over the din of voices echoing around the cavern.

We had all met up in a cavern like cafeteria room, not many of us had eaten for many days and were readily stuffing faces and bags with what one could carry. As of now though, I was looking for my mate, Amazing Grace. Whom was now, that I could see, helping an overly pregnant gryphon with her food, also with getting a spot to eat at.

Seeing them I nodded to myself, I then sought out Ducati and Roid, knowing that they were going to be around I needed to get a word in with them. I also kept an eye out for the infamous trio; Lone Sentinel, Amber Rose, and Jazz Heartstrings. Sighing in defeat I went and sat down near the exit to the room, keeping an eye on everyone.

There were now roughly sixty ponies and gryphons in the room, all of which wanted to leave and never return. Talon and his bunch were off in a corner looking over their wounded, Ebba was somewhere... And the rest were busy talking amongst themselves. Ponies and gryphons seemed to get along quite well, seeing as Jazz was currently putting a move on one of the not so overly pregnant girls walking around... And that right there was going to be a problem.

Ninety percent of these gryphons were going to be giving birth in the not so distant future... The rest of the girls that weren't pregnant all huddled around them like they were the most precious things on this planet. Admirable, but not rightfully true, still admirable though.

Walking over I joined Grace and her companion at their table, along with many others. Several of which bowed their heads in difference to my presence being there.

"Think not of my being above thee, we art just the same as any other... Do not think highly of us for our actions..." I prattled off as I sat down, holding several rolls in my right hand as I waved them of with my left.

"OH! Corpus! tis such a wonderful sight for sore eyes to look upon thee again!" Grace exclaimed as she shot to her hooves and lunged over the table at me, embracing me for all her worth. And not one to be out done, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her the rest of the way across and into my lap. Pulling her back gently I gave her a loving kiss on the lips, to which she deepened and slithered her tongue in for some action of her own. The gryphons sitting around the table all blushed at such a casual showing of affection, which I did not feel needed to end any time soon.

About a minute later Grace pulled back for air and gave me a sweet, loving, ecstatic smile. Her beaming up at me as I stroked her mane.

"So, what all has befallen thee these last few weeks?" I questioned, giving her a curious glance as I began to braid her mane into dreads.

"Well... We would imagine it was similar to what thou faced... Days without water... Visits... and a few sessions of torture for information... The last of which I'm rather proud of... Having never broken under their ministrations." Grace said as she gave me a half smile, though I could see her pain and loss in her eyes. In the force, her soul looked like it had been beaten with an ugly stick... Her aura was literally black and blue from all the mind rape they had preformed on her.

All I can say is that they are lucky they are dead now, lest I get ahold of them and rectify the situation... painfully.

"Grace... My dear, thou said that thee had been 'visited'... tell us... What did they do?" I asked with an innocent looking face, even as all my emotions were plain to see in my eyes and the force.

"W-well... There was a few Gryphons... They... They... Then there was a Minotaur... He... Did things... And... and..." She then broke down as all that had happened over the last few weeks came crashing down on her mind, breaking it into thousands of fragments of its former self. Berating myself for my stupidity I drew her in close and wrapped her in my aura, letting the force in its entirety flow through the two of us... Letting its currents drag her consciousness to the glow of the light. In the process of this though, so that she would not be lost to the force, I tied her down to this realm with my own soul.

She now lay against my chest, sobbing silently, as the rest of the beings in the room stared at me in awe and pity. Awe of my ability to calm such a distraught mare. and pity for knowing that she was mine... and what had been done to her.

"Ducati... Gather everyone... We are leaving... Take Grace and have Jazz help thou carry her, we art to search for our weapons and then we shalt find thee... Just leave and hide is all we ask of thee and thy companions."

"Aye Corpus, Just don't take long Sire, we dost not know when we will need thou again..." Ducati then went over to Jazz, carrying Grace on his back, and got the stallion to aid him. I then went off to find Talon... And the rest of the resistance.

"Talon, we need this of thou... We cannot just let them go where ever! They need a leader! and thou hast proved a magnificent one in the time we hast known thee!"

"Corpus! We art not a Gryphon of leadership material! We art but a simple guard! We art unskilled in this endeavor in which thou hast asked us to partake in!"

"That is why we ask it of thee! Thou has no Preconceptions! Just instinct! and that is what these free peoples will need to survive until we get to the Ivory City! Just help us! That is all we ask..."

"... Hugh... Fine Corpus... We shall aid them... But do not expect any more from us after this!" Talon then spun on his foot and marched off to find the rest of his kind, readying them for the long march to Pony held lands.

Ya know... If you weren't off gallivanting around looking for your damned swords, this wouldn't be an issue right now... And you are DAMNED FUCKING LUCKY!

'yeah... Tell me about it... If the children here were not taught in their old language then most of them would not even understand a damn word I said!

=No shit Sherlock?=

Hi heart, how ya doing! Haven't spoken to ya in a while!

=I know, been busy trying to keep this guy in line with his feeling for Luna and grace here... and also this Ebba chick that's decided to take a liking to him... Thought I think its simply platonic in nature...=

'So... What are we going to do about Grace?'

What are we going to do about grace.. What are... WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT GRACE!? I'll tell you! We are going to shed every drop of blood those gryphon bastards have, skin their hides, grind their bones, and pluck out their eye balls, turn it all into a jam, and then force feed it down their throats!

'Sounds permanent... Me like!'

=You're both insane... But then again you're me so I don't have much room to judge. But yes... RIP OUT THEIR SPINES AND USE THEM AS JUMP ROPE! HANG THEM BY THEIR ENTRAILS AND WATCH THEM DIE A SLOW PAINFUL DEATH! KILL THEM ALL!=

...

'...'

=...=

'A little far?'

Naw... Just creative...

=Eh=

'Good enough for me, now lets find our weapons!'

Running down a few halls, barreling over anything that got in my way, or just killing it if it was gryphon in nature. I made my way towards the local armory, in which I felt my weapons were placed. My garments fluttered as I moved, whipping about at the high speeds I was moving. Looking over my shoulders I could tell that I had several dozen pursuers, many of which were injured thanks to my own actions against them.

Hurling several blasts of the force back at them , I launched myself into a wall, which I also bounced off of and continued my sprint down the dark halls of the prison.

Leaping over a kneeling Gryphon, I kicked the one next to him in the face, launching him back in to the wall with a loud crunch. In that same instant I smacked aside the other with my tail, making him reel in confusion and pain as he went spinning down the corridor a ways.

Not stopping I continued on down the corridor, spinning on my foot as I made a right and then spun over a scimitar and shot off, using the force to speed myself along. I then crashed into a corner, being tripped by an oddly shaped slab of rock. Careening into it I broke my nose on the corner and spun into a small group of guards, bowling them over with my immense size and weight.

Bashing a few in the head with my elbows, I shot up and took off, reaching my objective with my next few strides as I came to a heavy wooden, iron reinforced, door.

Leveling my hand at the door, I ripped it off its hinges and brought it out into the hall, to where I then tossed it into a group of incoming guards, killing a few and injuring the rest.

Walking in I shot a few bursts of Sith Lighting at the few guards there in, frying them in their seats as I walked the isles looking for my weapons. I found hundreds of different armors and weapons stacking the shelves. Maces, bows, crossbows, short swords, long swords, bastard swords, even a few tonfa looking weapons with blades and studs lining their surfaces. There were a few axes, a massive executioners axe, a dual headed great axe, a few small hand axes in several different styles ranging from curved handles to Axe and spade heads... A rather interesting assortment of weapons indeed.

In one corner I even found a few polearms; Poleaxe's, pikes, clubs, spears, hook axes, and a few dozen axe and hammer poles... They really loved their polearms... Then, rounding the corner of the isle, I saw a small crate. The force was drawing me towards it. My excitement began to rise as I got closer and the pull of the force got stronger.

Now standing over the box, I peered inside... And to my astonishment I had found them, well... Most of them... All but five of my sabers were in the box... Which is more than enough for my purposes... But having still, they had my other sabers somewhere else... And there was nothing I could do about it right now, save let the force guide me towards them when they were near.

So, I grabbed my sabers and clipped them onto a small belt I had found near the swords. Tying the belt around my waist I then took off towards where I knew the exit was, using the force to boost my speed and reaction time as I bounded endlessly down the halls and corridors of the prison.

Perspective: Luna

Meanwhile: sixth week of Corpus' imprisonment.

(And yes, I realize this time stamp makes little sense, but it will in a little while!)

Looking out over the land scape I scowled, seeing the smoke rise from e beyond the horizon put a damper on my mood. Granted it wasn't all that good today anyway... We had lost another outpost just south of Matella, a small farming town a few hundred miles south of us... We had only gotten a messenger form there a few hours ago, which also told us that the town there was also most likely in ruins as well. and with the smoke rising from that direction... It did not bode well for the moral of the divisions we had stationed here in Fletston...

The 3rd 6th and 8th were here under my personal command... All six thousand ponies and their six hundred some-odd quarter masters and the like. Commander Clydesdale in charge of 6th along with most of the towns defense force. He was being charged with the areas defense, seeing as the town led to a strategic pass that led most of the way to ivory city... It was a very well fortified town, being almost turned into a massive fortress as it were.

Captain Dark Star was, currently, in charge of the 3rd, seeing as Grace was not here to take charge of her forces... Wherever she and Corpus were... Captain Dark Star was directly under my command, seeing as he was only just promoted to Captain not a month ago. He was a veteran of the eastern campaign... like most of the third. He, along with most his men, were in charge of passing on any knowledge they had on how to fight the gryphons.

The 8th was currently without a true leadership, and as such I was assigned as their unofficial commander until somepony better was found to better lead this rag-tag group of militia stallions and mares... So until then I just went about teaching them the best I could on how to defend themselves and on how to use their weapons offensively.

Looking to my left and right I could only breath out a sad sigh at all the stallions manning the battlements that had been erected around Fletston, the brick and mortar walls standing over twelve feet tall as they provided a sense of safety for the civilians within.

"Pri-Ahem, Commander Luna, I have come to inform you that your men art ready for you... What would you have them do Ma'am?" My Aide-de-camp Carbon Heart asked as he presented me with a salute.

"At ease Carbon, we will see to them shortly Carbon, thou may take leave and enjoy thyself on the town." I graced him with a understanding smile, this young stallion had been helping me with my command for most of the month that Corpus had been absent, delivering me all sorts of missives and such from the other generals form the seven other campaigns that had cropped up since the war had started.

One day I even received word from our current archmage; Starswirl Cardamom. He was an excellent mage, possessing an understanding of magic that even rivaled mine and my sisters own. He was rather short though, standing at only three feet tall. Though he did have one thing going for him... He was only seventeen... Not even in the prime of his life yet and he was creating hundreds of new spells and coming up with many new inventions everyday.

In one of his missives was a weight spell, along with a few other spell formulas, and the designs for a... Chariot I believe he called it. Something that we could use to transport hundreds of units long distance with minimal waste of stamina. The only drawback was that it would need Pegasi to pull through the air... Hence the weight spell and flotation spell that was also located in the missive.

Now, Carbon had given a bow and left to go spend some of his time with the local... 'entertainment' and be a colt for once in his young life.

Sighing I slung my cloak over my shoulders and stepped out of the gazebo-like command center, it had been erected on one of the in-town built battlements-turned dais. I then walked around to the side of the dais, where a large ramp was placed for easy access, and began my journey to the training fields just north of town, to where my personal forces were training in their hoof-to-hoof combat.

"Dark Wing, spread those wings! Those blades on them are going to save you life if you actually use them!" A gruff voice yelled out as I got closer to camp.

"Hoof Tin, kick higher! Do you expect them to hobble on the ground as you kick them!? I thought not! Dim Night, do you want me o come over there and SHOW YOU how to do a pushup?! Good! Now keep it up!" The voice yelled again, not even stopping to really catch a breath.

"Alpha Mons, We art here as thou hast requested... What seems to be the problem Sargent?" Looking at him quizzically, I gave him a small smile and waved a wing about the large field where my two thousand strong force was busy training. "Dost this ragged bunch of soldiers prove to much for thee to handle?" I asked teasingly as he blushed up a storm.

"No Ma'am... But I did want to give you this... It is a progress report on how you men are doing thus far... And to say the least I am impressed with their steady growth. All four battalions seem to have broken down into twenty squads each, giving each of their Sargents and any that get placed into officer positions a manageable group to work with. It was mostly you Aide-de-camp's idea, but it was put into action by most of the Line soldiers here in front of you." He said as he waved a hoof at the three hundred some-odd trainees in front of me, all of which were going through shield and sword training, or as what a private so aptly named, Sword-n-board.

"We see Drill Sargent, is that all?" I asked, quite curious as to if he would really pull me away for something like this, granted it was a good thing he informed me of this... Though he could have just told me in a missive or himself.

"Yes, there is... I was talking to a few of the men form the 3rd and the 6th. I had seen a small flash of bronze a few nights ago... But I was drunk at the time and not entirely sure of what I had seen... So I have been asking around the past few days and I think we may have a scouting party spying on us..." Hearing this... My heart sank and my gut felt like it had a rock the size of G-R settle in.

"Th-thank thee Sargent... We will gather a few rangers and take care of this immediately..." I then gave him a stiff nod and walked away.. Feeling the dread well up in my gut was not a pleasant feeling in the least I must say... And now I was off to deal with a new threat to my soldiers... and their welfare.

Perspective: Corpus

Barreling out the front door of a prison was not my idea of fun, though it did hold it's own merits when you get to see the astonished look on the faces of the guards there when their post is blown through a second time... And let me tell you... those faces are PRICESLESS! Haha!

As I ran I jumped over a large bolder, though I did spin around and look at my pursuers with a Cheshire grin plastered on my face as I flicked my wrist at them... Sending a proverbial storm of stone, sand, dirt, and mud their way with the force as I vanished out of sight. In my other arm I now carried a bock full of swords and crossbows, a good thousand bolts of said bolts corssing being strapped to my right thigh as I ran. Across my back I had several polearms strapped to it, which I had tied together earlier, along with a quarter staff that had a blade attached at either end.

In other words... I was a fricken walking armory! I felt so~ badass right then it was making me giddy with excitement!

Getting about a mile away from the prison I began to search the force for my fellows. looking high and low for them as I scanned the environment for their life forces. Looing in crags, small valleys, and the occasional cave, I soon latched onto grace's and Jazz's life forces.

Sensing them up towards the north I took to the force, leaping over gorges, fallen trees, and the occasional predator that got in my way.

'Damn it... This place if kriffing huge!' I mentally crowed as I leapt over a feathered snake like bird. "Up you're too bird!" I yelled as I zapped it with a little bit of lightning as I landed on the other side of it, making it run off into the bushes.

'Alright... They should be.. around...' I looked around for a moment until I found a small cave entrance, "here!" I shouted in glee as I raced over to the entrance and shouted inside.

"Corpus of Equestria comes before thee!" announcing myself I entered and brought one of my sabers to bear, lighting up the cavern with a menacing red light.

"Corpus! Tis that thou that walks in the red gloom there!?" Yelled the voice of Lone sentinel as he and his 'mate' came walking out to me from behind a boulder.

"Aye Sentinel! Tis I! It is good to see thee our friend! How goes everyone? No conflicts we assume?"

"Nay Corpus.. Everypony is just waiting for thee to lead us back home... Jazz has not shut up for the past three hours about what thou had done in the corridors of that wretched prison... And most those that heard the tale were grateful... Well all those that could understand it were, not to sure of the gryphons seeing as it is hard for me to read them like my own race..." Sentinel sighed and looked at Rose.

"Take a nap dear friend, thou has done more than enough for us this day, we shalt rest here for the night and then leave in the morn." I declared as we walked towards the larger caverns beyond, where we were greeted with cheers and rapture by those near and dear to us.

Time skip: next morning

After many hours of much needed rest, we made way towards the north, in the general direction of a smoke stack off in the distance... Before leaving I had made sure to arm everyone with what they could handle best, giving the gryphons the poles and long range weapons, seeing as they had better dexterity than the ponies, and could fly to give covering fire if need be.

Traveling by the shade of the tries, we hid so that the patrols looking for us were unable to find any clue as to our whereabouts. Roid was currently carrying Grace, and was also surrounded with all of the pregnant gryphons form the prison... Talon and his three brothers, which I had learned were his real brothers, stayed close to help keep watch.

As we neared the smoke stack, I could smell a hint of burnt flesh tinting the air with its sickly sweet aroma... Something that everyone seemed to pick up as we got closer to the smoke.

"Everyone... Be prepared for a fight... Roid and Talon will hang back and watch the girls... the rest of you are with me. We are to recon only... If there are any survivors we go form there... Just watch your backs everyone!" everyone nodded and took off, Jazz and my other two friends hanging back at my side, nodding the four of us shot off towards the smoke in search of anything suspicious.

"Luna, we will be home soon... just... Wait for us a little longer..." I whispered to myself, hoping that we would be able to see each other soon.

Perspective: Luna

Seven weeks after Corpus' was capture/one week after the smoke appeared

"QuickSilver... Any news on Knight Corpus?" I asked, not looking up as I skimmed over the troop movements for the next few days. The gryphons had taken Huffington in seconds, raising it to the ground. I had also gotten reports that StallionGrad and a few of our other northern settlements had been attacked/or raised to the ground. This had all happened within days of Corpus being captured and taken form us. Our greatest weapon and ally... And my closest friend and companion

"Nay princess... Nothing as of yet, but, I have my men keeping an ear to the ground as to his location and any information concerning him... We will find him Princess, a creature like him does not die easily." QuickSilver said as she bowed, leaving me to my work as she went about delivering her letters to the other stallions and mares.

Right now I was alone on the battlefield, my sister was at home, petitioning our old allies for support and aid in our trying times... But she was also organizing a draft... A sort of Royal decree making all eligible Mares and Stallions prep for war... It was not something we had done for many decades... But we were doing so now.

"Corpus... WE wish thee were with us..." I cried softly, a few of my tears falling onto the map in front of me.

"We know..." A ghostly voice said, raising the hairs on the back of my neck as I whipped my head around, trying to find the speaker.

"Corpus?" It sounded so much like him... But I knew it couldn't be, he was nowhere near here... So going with the fact that it was most likely my nerves getting to me, I got back to work... Waiting for my friend to come home...

Fin

Author's Note

The end

It's been a blast everyone! I have loved writing this story for all of you to enjoy! But I must draw this era to a close... And move on to the next... I hope to see you all in the next chapter of this amazing saga: Darkness Rising/Fall of a Great...

Either of those will be the name of the next story... So keep a look out everyone! And thank you all for your words of support and reading this story all the way through! It's been amazing!

Last Stand: Ch 1

The streaks of light coming from beyond the ship were mesmerizing to watch, beams of green and red laser fire streaked about as the men aboard an old Victory Class Star-Destroyer called "Deaths Blade" ran about trying to out maneuver a Galactic Alliance Fleet that had jumped in system. The 'Deaths Blade' was the flagship for around twenty other ships, ranging from Acclamator-class cruisers and Venator-class Star-Destroyers to Imperial Broadside cruisers and light fighter carriers. The fleet had started off at thirty strong, but were down to twenty some odd serviceable ships in many states of destruction.

They were facing up against several Imperial II Class Star-Destroyers and fifty or so smaller Galactic Alliance ships, ranging from Cruisers to Frigates and below. the odds were stacked against the motley collection of ships under the 'Deaths' Command... Though they did have a small contingent of Sith pilots in their midst. The gunners of "Death's Blade" tracked the incoming fighters.

"This is Darth Corpus to all Sith Star Pilots... Meet me at the following coordinates in five... That is all!" The Dark Lord leading the Sith armada Hissed over the comms, he was not very pleased about how the battle was going... Especially since he was not looking for the fight in the first place.

Perspective: Dark Lord Corpus

"I have had enough of these bumbling idiots!" I screamed, slamming my hands on the tactical console in front of me, "How did they even manage to find us out here! We're in the Kriffing Unknown regions for Banes sake!" I seethed, my men were of a similar mind as me as we tried to figure out how to bypass their defenses and get our ships our of here. Several years earlier we had abandoned our homes on Telos, Milial, and Ziost... we had a booming empire, one that had even given aid to the Rebels at one point or another... But upon the GA coming to power... Things changed. They found that ALL who obeyed the Sith teaching, even in name, were to be hunted down and exterminated... They saw us as nothing more than parasites and weeds that needed to be culled...

I led my empire through one of the largest exodus' that the galaxy has ever seen, getting us all on our empires largest ships so that we could make good our escape, leaving only those behind that volunteered to stall the GA's advance.

Over the past few years we had made our way through the unknown regions, gathering supplies and renewing our fuel when ever we found gas giants that had the right makeup. At one point we found an old Republic Venator star-destroyer... it had several fighters and several hundred tons of fuel in its holds. It was there that our luck had seemingly turned around, finding more weapons to defend ourselves with.

"Men.." I cut off my train of thought and came back to reality, "I am going to go and rendezvous with my men, I am leaving the command of this ship, and the battle, in your capable hands." I turned to my advisers, all of whom were some of my closest friends in this day and age...

"Mi-lord, we shall make sure that there is a place for you to return to by the end of this." One of them, a Devorian named Marik, nodded and saluted in turn, followed by the rest of my friends. I nodded my thanks before abruptly turning and making my way for the nearest turbolift. Once there I took it down to my personal quarters and donned my personal flight gear, which for combat reasons, was similar to a set of armor instead of a flight uniform. after I donned it I pulled on a large belt, said belt contained a number of lightsaber hilts, numbering around thirteen or so, as they rested on my waist.

Once I had donned my armor I made my way to the hanger bay, where my own star-fighter was awaiting me. It was a Delta 7 Jedi star-fighter we had picked up from a Venator Star Destroyer several months ago, in that time I had upgraded the shields, lasers, and the engines to be on par or even exceed the new XJ-15's the GA forces used to battle my men. I even installed a set of torpedo tubes on the Delta 7 capable of firing off the infamous Shadow bombs the Jedi use.

We had picked up several dozen of the Shadow bombs when we had made a stop at Bespin to barter for fuel, one of my men had several contacts in the black market that knew of a guy looking to sell, and he just so happened to be on Bespin.

The turbolit came to a stop several seconds later at the hanger, letting me step off and get to my fighter. I looked over and saw that G-R, my personal Astromech, friend, and constant companion for over two hundred years, was being outfitted for battle, an extra set of armor was being applied to his dome and painted the ships colors. When my eyes came to rest on the heavily modified Delta 7, they brimmed with joy, The midnight blue paint with white dots speckled all over it, making it harder to see with the naked eye. It had an advanced cloak package installed on it, hence the reason for the unusual paint job.

The canopy of my fighter popped open the instant I set my foot down on its hull. I deftly flung myself into the seat and started the pre-flight checks as thy lowered G-R into the astromech droid slot. Once everything hit a green light I handed control of the systems over to G-R and took the wheel, igniting the repulsers and sending my ship over the edge and into the void, where upon I shoved the leavers fore and felt my fighter lurch into the darkness. I used one of my atmospheric thrusters to shoot the nose around and aim us towards the aft section "Death's Blade", right on coarse to my rendezvous with Black squadron.

"This is Black Leader, Fall in!" I called over the comms.

"Black two falling in.."

"Black three falling in..."

"Bloke frour fawlling in..."

"Blake Foive Falling in..."

"Black ssssixsss falling in..."

"Black s'ven fallen in..."

"Blacks eight though fifteen falling in sir... your orders?"

Everyone had made it, we were now ready to break the enemy blockade and free our ships...

"Well it depends... How much do you value you life brother?" I asked my second, he was a stout being, a grey skinned Twilek, I had met the man on Coruscant in my youth, not seeing him till a great many years later on Korriban fighting off a pack of Tukata.

"I'd say about as much as you... But that would be and over estimation!" He laughed, knowing I would use myself as a shield if it meant that my people would live.

"Well, we're going to go pay our friends in the GA a little visit... and maybe hand out a few long deserved presents... anyone interested?" I chuckled out, earning many rounds of "Fuck yeah!" and "Damn right!"

"Very well then its settled, Blacks five four and nine will charge to the right and take out their designated destroyer... You have ten minutes to do this before moving on to your next target... Eight seven and thirteen will head left... both groups will have twelve, eleven, ten, and fourteen covering them, the rest of you will be following me to the middle... I want their Command structure down and out before they get any closer to our families, understood?!" I received green lights across the board as we all turned our fighters around and shot off towards our designated targets.

My team of five took off down range, doing corkscrews and sudden altitude changes to throw off the enemy gunnery officers. We were an unstoppable force as we all rushed towards the lead destroyer, knowing that it was not the one we needed, but would damage anyway. We reached it in seconds, all five of us flying over the top of it in a scattered formation, i gave a signal with my wings, we each let off two of the ten shadow bombs we each carried, knowing that these things would tear this ship apart. The first ones tore the shield right off the ship, damaging several of the decks directly beneath the blasts, while the second ones dropped through and decimated the rest of the ship, effectively blowing a large hole through the left hand side of the Star-Destroyer. We must have hit something important seeing as the ship started sinking down below us and headed right for the planet, it wasn't fast, but it was noticeable.

Once the ship started 'sinking' we sped up to the next one, only laying a single bomb from our fighters across its bow, somehow we got through its shielding and tore several large holes cross the bow, making it look similar to a moon after a meteor shower. Throughout the whole flight i could not remember a minute that had not gone by that our guns weren't being used... shooting down fighters, small frigates and even the occasional cruiser, creating hundreds of blind spots that the GA gunners had to spot us through. Flying under one of the Star-Destroyers I saw a large quantity of antenna sprouting from one of the destroyers... surprisingly it didn't show up on my sensors.. meaning that it most likely had a very unique cloak package installed in the ship, just from the amount of static my sensors were picking up from it confirmed this for me.

"Do you guys see that..." I asked Black three.

"Yep... Looks like a cloaked ship to me Corpus... Should we say hello?" Devon rasped out, he was one of the few humans in my squadron, he had had his lower jaw taken off in a fight years ago and was forced to use a synthesizer to talk, which gave hi a rather raspy voice.

"My intentions exactly..." I could feel my comrades elation at putting an end to this band of brigands and twisted countrymen. WE could feel their hate for us, their loathing just permeated the force... it almost made many of my people gag when these rat bastards had jumped into the system, THAT is how dark their souls are... My people are shinning rays of light, much compared to their hate filled auras...

"Alright... Devon, take Black six and hammer the engines, black two and three, take strafe the bow with your shadow bombs... I've got a few things in mind for the bridge... Copy?"

"We copy sir..." The replied simultaneously.

"On my mark... ... ...Mark!" And we shot off, our cannons blazing a rainbow of colors down on the Star-Destroyer, wreaking havoc with its shields and even taking out a few gun emplacements as we got closer for our shots to matter. Devon and Black Six shot down and under the ship, launching proton torpedoes and the occasional shadow bomb at the lightly defended underside. Black two and Three were already peppering the deck with explosions as I made a be line for the command bridge, Leveling out I depressed the launch buttons for the torpedo launchers, and hearing/feeling a satisfying thud go off in my ship I saw the two Shadow Bombs take off towards the T like shape of the bridge. I could feel their fear and shock permeate the force as they saw the two blue con-trails arch towards them, it was rather pleasing to feel.

"Alright guys, BUG OUT!" I yelled over all comms, it was our universal signal for 'fuck it it's gonna blow!', and much to my satisfaction we made it out of there in time as the whole thing started expelling its final breath into the void, busts of plasma and flame jetted out across the void-scape, painting the area in a red and blue haze.

"Has anyone heard anything from the 'Death's Blade'? I can't seem to raise them on the comms..." I asked of my fellows, seeing as it might have just been a slight malfunction with my comms-relay.

"Sir... We won't be able to raise them..." I raised a brow at my seconds statement.

"Why's that?"

"The ship... The whole FUCKING SHIP! IS GONE SIR!... EVERYONE IS GONE!" He screamed, I could hear him bashing on his consoles and cursing in about five different languages...

"What does he mean by gone sir?" Devon asked, I could hear the emptiness in his voice... he already knew what the twilek meant. I extended my senses to the edge of the system and what I found was... rather horrific...

"They're dead Devon... The GA... They killed them... All of them..." I brought up a full picture of the area and could see why... "They've brought the Eclipse... and a remade Executor class Super Star Destroyer... There's nothing left out there but junk and ruble..." The words just tumbled out of me... just as the thrill of having thought I saved my people had reached it crescendo... they fucking ended them... All of them... My brothers... my sisters... the children... all of them... Dead...

"Sir... Permission to fucking end them, SIR." All of my brothers, save Devon cried out in similar fashion.

"Granted... Fly straight and true... Leave nothing of your target behind..." I solemnly replied, knowing what they planned to do... Even what I planned to do...

"Corpus... Why... Why did they..."

"Have to do this? I cannot answer that question Devon... But all I can do is say that we will give them a FUCKING DAMN GOOD REASON TO HATE THE SITH!" I cried out, opening my channel to a full fleet-wide transmission to the enemy, just so everyone of them could hear my hatred for them.

I could feel my men die... all of them, each one going out in a burst of light, ramming themselves into control centers when their torpedoes ran out and their cannons over heated and could't fire another shot without cooling off. Devon had taken his ship and armed the five remaining Shadow Bombs and took out the Eclipse Super Star Destroyer... Ramming his ship clean through one of its engines and igniting the fuel... which then turned even worse for them when the bombs went off, tearing a large hole into the back of the SSD, leaving it to slowly drift down towards the planet below... doomed to its fate.

I was flying about the ships, hammering away at any and all fighters they had left for patrol, knowing that they couldn't hit me in the debris strung stretch of space. I weaved in and out of dead wrecks and laid waste to those ships that didn't have any shielding left to speak of, leaving a trail of destruction in my wake.

"Well G-R... I think this is it... I'm out of Torpedoes... Shadow Bombs... and the guns are cycling again... And I just know if I make a run for it they'll just shoot me down... So... Lets use it..." G-R gave off a few queries about what I meant, though I knew he was just delaying me, but I decided to humor him anyway.

"I'm talking about the force storm... And I know you know what I'm talking about... The one that the clone of Palpatine used... Yes... The Planet Render... I will need you to hide us while I gather my strength... It won't be easy my friend... We will die... But it will be instant..."

G-R accepted my words, knowing that he couldn't argue with me, he took control of the fighter and set us down on the back of a star destroyer, magnetizing us to the hull. I quickly went about gathering the force within me, channeling the anger and fear, even jealousy, of the beings around me, concentrating it into the power... I knew this would consume me so I did not limit myself on the amount of power I was going to exude.

It took over half and hour, with them still searching for me all the while, to collect the needed energy...

"I think I'm ready G-R... Set us loose... I want a clear path of these bastards." He unlatched us from the ship and we shot off above them, dodging hundreds of laser volleys as we did so. Once we had gotten about three miles above them we made an intimidate u-turn, and faced down at them. I reached over and reactivated the inter ship communications, making it a fleet wide transmission.

"This is Dark Lord Corpus of the Demi-Sith Empire... You have attached the Empire without precedent and annihilated all its citizens... As king and patriarch of this Empire... I, DARTH CORPUS, sentence you all to death!" I yelled across the comms, I then lashed my hands forward and projected the contained energy into the middle of the fleet, Destroying several of their ships instantly... But what i saw made me rethink the purpose of the power itself... It was more than just a vortex... It was a wormhole! And it was sucking them in... Along with me... Though I knew nothing else as I fell unconscious from the sudden drain in power... falling into the void of hyperspace.

Perspective third person limited G-R

The droid was slightly shocked to see the massive amount of destruction the Force Storm had wrought to the GA forces. The fighter was speeding through the wormhole, not alone mind you, dipping in and out of the way of swirling debris, managing just barely to get by without any damage. The droid inside, known as G-R affectionately to his Master and friend, of the fighter was running hundreds of calculation on where the massive storm might place them, coming up with intangible numbers, even for a droid, and having to recalculate every other minute, each time coming up with a totally different calculation.

"Master Corpus is unconscious... He will not be able to direct the ship with his senses in this state... I must take control and get us safely out of this mess... If we stay here to long we will be destroyed eventually..." The droid thought to itself, trying to run the calculation of when this thing would end. It had done over a trillion calculations before coming to a horrifying conclusion...

"We're set in a loop..." The droid had done up the calculation... and they specified that the Wormhole had locked on to its beginning and had attached itself in a finite loop, meaning that there was almost no escape from the infinite prison that his Lord Corpus had created for their enemies... The droid then went about a process of trying to calculate the probability of them surviving the shift from an active hyperspace loop, just pulling out and slamming full force into space, thought the inertia shouldn't affect them all to much, seeing as there is no resistance in space.

After an hour of countless calculations and recalculations the droid came up with the idea of just saying fuck it and punched the maneuvering thrusters and pointed the nose sideways at, what should not have been, the wall of the wormhole. Lining up the nose correctly, as they flew sideways through space, the droid set the thrusters to full and launched the ship full speed through the debris fields and right into the blue and white wall of the wormhole, slamming through it and out into real space, at which point the starfighter started tumbling about at extreme velocities, something that the droid had over looked when it went through the last minute calculations.

The droid spent the next half hour stabilizing the fighter and reorienting the fighter to a nominal xyz axis. Once the ship had was slowed down enough, the astromech had turned off the engines and used the maneuvering thrusters to side fire ad slow the fighters beyond terminal velocity. Once it had come to a more stable speed the astromech activated the long range planetary sensors and went bout trying to find a suitable place to land the ship for a safe landing, the droid was looking for a place that might allow for an indefinite living capacity for his master.

Finding over a hundred stars in the vicinity, yet only one with a habitable planet, the droid made the logical choice and headed for it, not wanting to waste time in trying to gather resources for his master to consume and re-energize his system with. When the fighter got within a half light-year of the target planet it started picking up life signatures on the planet, being slightly intrigued by this the droid decided that remaining hidden until his master reawakened would be the best possible course of action, so, with that logic in mind the astromech set a course for an outlaying forest, in which he had picked up a large enough clearing to set the Delta 7 down and camouflage it from any prying eyes.

Author's Note

Thank you all for reading this, it brings a warmth to my tattered soul that I have such faithful readers!

A Questionable Thing: Ch 11

Now without further interruption, ON WITH THE STORY!)

Five minutes later Luna returned with the young white furred colt nestled snugly on her back. Taking a closer look at the colt I could see that his midsection was wrapped in several roles of gauze and tape; his left eye had an eye-patch slung over it with some medical tape keeping it in place, his rear right leg was set in a splint and his front left leg was set in a sort of cast. Each of the young colts wrappings were that of a medieval design... something that would have to change if any of these ponies were going to live through the possible conflicts to come. Luna crossed the now cleaned room, seeing as I had taken the pillows and made a small bed for the colt to lay upon on my bed.

The colt had sand blond hair with light blue streaks running length wise through it, acting like water running through sand. It wasn't as poofy and bouncy and the rest of the ponies manes... It was a boys traditionalist cut... (similar to the hairstyle that Theodore Gericault wore back in the 1800's) Luna set the poor injured colt down on the pillow bed I had made and sat down on her haunches to watch me heal the child.

I hunched over and spread my hands out over the top of his body, letting the healing presence of the force rain down upon the child's somewhat broken form. A dim green light started to engulf the child as a healing aura surrounded his form, making Luna go slightly wide-eyed at the small spectacle in front of her. My eyes then began to close as I concentrated on the powers that surrounded the colt, weaving them into his wounds and repairing the damaged tissue and bone. Using the Force to dull his pain and hasten the healing process ten fold... His ribs realigned, his hind leg fused back correctly, his front leg repaired the gash, his eye rebuilt itself; though he would be slightly weaker in said eye without a transplant, along with those injuries all of the fatigue his muscles and mind had been under for the past few days was drained away.

In roughly an hour and a half his body was brought back to the pinnacle of pony health, I had even gone as far as to strengthen his anatomy against future injuries, making his bones stronger, his muscles tougher, and his tendons nigh unbreakable. Though I could not return his vision to what it used to be... I was able to give him the gift of sight once again. In the short time span Luna had gone from wide-eyed to full on flabbergasted at the hastened recovery of the foal.

"Dearest Corpus... Thou art indeed... Correct, t'was a spectacular sight... We art thankful, again, for thy friendship in these... times." Luna said in a hushed voice,, sounding awe-struck as I finished off the healing procedure. Having lived for hundreds of years has left me with quite the length of time to practice many different fields of force abilities; ranging from the mundane to the almost god like, hinting at the whole rebuilding the child's body bit here.

"Thou art truly welcome Dearest Luna... We could not stand by and watch a child die whilst there was a way to save his life... Now... It is time to let him wake on his own... This young Unicorn will be jumpy, just to warn you Princess, So be careful..." I warned as she got closer to the sleeping colt.

"We understand Dearest Corpus..." Luna muttered as she stepped back and sat down next to me, though on the floor. With me sitting on the bead and her sitting on the floor we were at about the same height finally, letting us get a better look at each other. While I glanced at Luna I could only imagine what exactly was going through her mind as she looked at me.

Perspective Change: Luna

My dearest friend was now by my side once again... I had left him for what felt like days when he had told me to leave for the castle, to retrieve my sister and some guards... Now, even though it had only been hours, I felt as if I had met him anew after all that had happened, his rescue of the foal, of me, and of all the rest of our guards and even MY SISTER! ...He was unlike any stallion I had ever been close with before. And even though I had been with this man for more than a month... I was now really looking at HIM... Not just at him... But AT HIM; I took in his strong jaw line... His, now, thick brown beard ( or at least that's what he called it)... His long, wavy, brown mane, his smooth face, broad shoulders, trim stomach and lean arms and legs... He was by no means ripped... But he was fit... Very, VERY, fit... But one of his truly striking features was his silver toned grey eyes... They were old, yet young... and held such emotion in them that I thought they might burn me if I looked to long... They were entrancing...

Over the past twenty-four hours I had seen him go from a wreck to a full on god of war in a matter of seconds... He decimated a giant Hydra, not a normal hydra, A GIANT HYDRA! I have seen him go from a Black Spector to a Golden Angel... He is a being of extraordinary talents that could rival those of mine and my sister should he ever deem that he needed to learn more, or at least he could do so in my mind at least...

I have seen his compassion, his wrath, and some emotions in between... He would make a grand ruler one day... If we ever became such that is... I could see the three of us leading this kingdom into a Golden age... for centuries to come...

Perspective Change: Darth Corpus

Well, what ever she was thinking wasn't exactly what I had in mind... So... We both sat there, trading looks and small pleasantries between us as we waited for the child to awaken from his stupor. I leaned back in my bed as we whiled away the hours, talking about some of our past escapades at certain points in our lives. I told her of some of the teachers I had had on Kesh, along with some of the things I had done to liven up some of the more boring sessions I had been forced to take.

During once particularly hilarious story, concerning the head mistress and a small slime toad, I head the yawning gasp of a child waking from a deep slumber. Looking over I had noticed that the child was stirring from his slumber and stretching out on the pillows I had arranged fro him to sleep on. The first thing that caught my attention was the bright gold sclera of the colts eyes, it was deep, very bold, and writhed with the power of the sun... or seemed to anyway.

"Young one... Thou art safe..." I called out as he started to hyperventilate when he noticed he wasn't were he was last.

"Where am I!" The colt cried out suddenly as he almost fell from the bed, almost being that I had caught him in the force and gently levitated him back up to his perch on the pillows. He was now looking at me and Luna. He saw the Princess first and had calmed down significantly... though when he laid his eyes on me he kind of freaked out again. "Monster!" The foal screamed and fell of the bead... Again... And again being caught in my grasp.

"Whoa nelly!" I sighed heavily as I caught him again, now just letting him float in the air. "Young one, if thou wishes to fall to the ground thou will continue with thy obvious shows of paranoia... All we ask is that thee listen to us and let us explain... Quietly preferably..." I said with slight condescension in my voice.

"Um... Um... OK..." The boy said after several minutes of his struggling to calm down, with a few helping hooves from Luna to be sure.

"Thanks... Now, before we begin... What is thy name young one..." I asked tenderly, keeping my voice just above a whisper as he fidgeted on his pillow seat. He was trying not to look all to intimidated by the two of us once he had found out who we were, being the Goddess of the Night and her companion.

"I...I-I am Magus Blueblood Sire, Highness..." He said, bowing his head to us individually. He then went back to his somewhat reclusive form and hunkered into his pillows to wait us out.

"There is no need for such shyness with us young one... We are hear to protect thou...So be calm... Magus Blueblood... we shalt not let any harm befall thee this night..." I then sent a wave of comfort over him, allowing him to feel that we meant no harm... I also let a wave of protective instincts flow, letting my own parental feelings flood the entire room, which got a slightly confused look to befall Luna as she looked around for the cause of this new feeling.

"Lord Corpus.. Is thou.." she began to ask, that is until I silenced her with a slight gesture of my hand.

"Later Dearest Luna..." I cooed, making her blush slightly at my chosen tone of voice. I then motioned to the now drowsy colt sitting at the end of the bed. He was swaying back and forth as his memories started to catch up with him, though slowly as I was putting a sort of pressure on his mind... slowing the flow of memories to a more manageable pace so that he wouldn't go into shock... Or coma, given his young age and what he had went through.

"Corpus... What was that that though was doing in there... HOW would be a more accurate question though..." Luna looked at me with something akin to anger and confusion showing on her features. The child was, at this moment, asleep on his pillows with a spare sheet covering his body.

"Well, Beings with my level of skill have the ability to make our emotions manifest... it is similar in some ways to a reassuring nudge or other bodily show of comfort... though it is all held within the mind, allowing us to reach across great distances to comfort a loved one or a friend in there time of need... even if they are unable to feel what we do." I explained the rest of how it affected the mind and such to the best of my ability without coming off as using words she would not have known others wise.

"Ah, We see... Then We thank thee for what thou hast done for the colt... It seemed to have helped him greatly..." Luna said with a thankful look spreading across her face. A small smile then started to spread across her muzzle, making me look at her oddly.

"Alright... What's on your mind now Temptress..." I said with a small chuckle escaping my lips. The blush that spread across her face at that was priceless!

"Uh. uh. uh..." She stuttered slightly as I gave a small snort and bopped her on the nose, making her blink rapidly at the action, trying to process what I had just done.

"Damn thou Corpus!" Luna whispered loudly! This made me laugh a little at our antics.

"Now then, what was one your mind Dearest Luna?" I asked, my voice turning serious, with a hint of mirth still present.

"As We were going to say... Thank thou... What thou did to our sister was most enjoyable... It has been several decades since anypony had brought her down a peg or two... or five in thy case..." Luna snorted and flashed me an endearing smile.

"Well... She kind of deserved it... She was not letting us explain ourselves and she then tried to capture us... not exactly the best first impression if thou asked us..." I chuckled and flashed her my own grin in return. Luna then giggled some more at my assessment of the whole situation.

"True, very true indeed Dearest Friend Corpus... Though We must ask... How art thou so strong? Thou lifted the whole of our sisters guard with very little effort... Not even our greatest mages are that strong!" Luna asked, being quite enthralled by my abilities.

"Well... It comes with years of practice... and being among a race of people that have a strong connection to the force when they ARE connected to it..." I said rubbing the back of my neck before continuing, "Though We also have the privilege of having a longer life than most ever will... Which means that as we get older We will slowly get stronger... If thou art interested We can share some of our orders Legends..." I gave her a devious grin, wanting to tell her of some of the galaxies old masters, of the beings that could move mountains on a whim, change the course of an entire planets evolution if bored, and how there were those that could move planets... and those that made solar systems.

"That... Sounds interesting, Dearest Friend Corpus... We art interested indeed..." Luna gave me a... Sultry look? Hmm, interesting...

"Very well then.. Let us tell thee of The Ancients... And of how some stars have come to be..."

Over the course of the next four hours I regaled Luna in some of the Legends of my galaxy.. With how some of the planets were crafted... how some stars were born and how some of the races had evolved with the help of crazed men... It was a hoot and a half for us both, seeing as I had seen both ends of the spectrum for most of the stories I told her we were able to make light of some of them and just have a good time as we waited for Celestia to give me a pair of cloths to wear.

Siting there I felt a small tremor in the bed, making me look around expectantly for a sign of an earth quake... but what I found was slightly less disturbing. The child was shaking and twitching uncontrollably at the foot of my bed, mumbling about his father and mother... It was heart wrenching to see tears start to trail from his closed eyes.

I tried to help the colt, sending reassuring feelings through the force to try and calm his mind. I even tried to shake him awake when the force was unable to help him. Though my shaking him did calm him for a moment all it did was earn me a bruised arm when the colt lashed out in his sleep and hit me.

"Corpus, is anything thou're doing that is helping him?" Luna asked worriedly.

"No, none of our powers are having an affect on him... But I can feel his heart rate climbing... If this continues he will give himself a heart attack, and possibly die... Is there anything within you powers of magic that can help this child?" I asked her in turn, sounding rather scared for the boy. Our eyes locked for a moment before Luna gave me a slight, hesitant, nod.

"We know something that might help... But we will need thy help, it is something we have only done a few times before..." Luna said Hesitantly, making eye contact with me and expressing her hesitance in wanting to use it with the worried look in her eyes.

"We shalt be with thee, dearest Luna, every step of the way." I returned my eyes to the thrashing colt and gave a slight sigh.

"Here we go then..." Luna's horn began to glow, along with the rest of her body only moments later, and she slowly slid down to the floor, unconscious. Seeing this I began to feel a sense of worry trickle into my mind, like a small crack in a dam as the thought of losing her made my emotions go haywire.

'It is alright dearest corpus... We art fine... Though We need thou to fall asleep as well for this to work correctly...' Luna's angelic voice rang true in my thoughts, stopping my self destructive thoughts in their tracks.

"Well, We trust thou implacably... So we shalt do as thou hast asked..." I then turned my mind in on itself as I went into a deep sleep, (Thank you meditation!).

Dream World

(Have A Nice Trip!)

"Damn... Where am I?" I stood on a large dais, atop one of the great Temples of Kesh... Over looking the emerald sea. Looking at myself I could tell that I was several years younger than I was, wearing one of my old Masters robes along with the over armor I had become accustomed to when walking among my people here. Two of the first five lightsabers I had ever acquired were now hanging on my belt.

Sending my force sense out into the surrounding area I could tell that none of the inhabitants that walked around me were real, save one. I turned around and found Luna staring at me with wide eyes as I stood under the violet skies of Kesh, the large mountain temple of our forefathers framing the skyline behind me, along with the massive forest that hung around the massive city state.

"Good afternoon Luna... How are you?" I asked, all formality gone from my mind.

"We art... good... Dearest Corpus." She said with a slight hesitance, one that most others would not have picked up.

"If you are wondering about where we are right now... This," I gestured with my right arm to the ;ad scape behind me, "Is Kesh... My second home after I was born... And as for why my mannerism has changed... Well, it is just how we talk here on this planet, we refer to each other as equals unless proven other wise... Or have a higher rank by two or more." Luna nodded slowly as she walked over to me. Her coat was the same beautiful shade of blue that I remembered from the waking world, though he mane was slightly different now. Her mane and tale had taken on a mystical void like color, the most surprising part was that there were stars and galaxies that floated through her hair, making it look as if space itself was trailing behind her.

"My, oh my Luna... You have changed..." She started to blush and was about to make some kind of statement when I held up a hand and stopped her. "It suits you... Goddess of the Night indeed... Though Mistress of the Stars would be a better Name I would think..." I said with mirth in my eyes as I saw her go into a full on blush and stammer moment, her eyes going wide and her nose flaring somewhat from my compliment, or innuendo which ever she chooses is fine.

"Um... Thank thee... Lord Corpus... But We must be going, his nightmare is getting worse!" Luna reminded me, earning my approval.

"That is fine, let us be gone... But how do we leave this place Luna... I find it... Hard to control."

"Just think of following Us into a void... We will be fine... We think" The last part Luna tried to mutter under her breath, but I heard it and chuckled slightly, knowing that this might not end all so great...

Author's Note

I hope you all enjoy this little delving into how Luna comes to realize her specialty of Dream walking... And my take on how she came to use it to help others.
If you all have a suggestion Please let me know!

Dark Forest: Ch 21

Perspective: Corpus

"Fucking 'A'... My head..." I growled as I rose out of my bedroll, I was trying to process the images, and the voices that accompanied them, as I tried to roll out of the covers. I looked over and saw that Grace still held her role in a death grip, one that could put a Wookie to shame even, and was having -by my deduction- one of the most pleasant dreams ever... Granted she was humping her sheets into oblivion... But still. I chuckled as she continued, unfazed by my presence, to have a 'rough' time with her roll as I staggered about, head pounding and aching with every beat of my heart.

I hate mornings... No two ways about it... But even more so after having a vision... that shit just sucks.

Flashback to vision/dream

Everything was shrouded in Darkness as I came to within the dream scape, only faint voices could I hear as I seemed to float towards the spot the voices originated from. As I got closer though, one voice stood out among the two... One i didn't think of ever hearing come from another tongue.

"You will never win this **************!" My voice cried out, sounding scared and broken. My tone was heavy with dread and exhaustion...

"Darkness is my ally Corpus! You shalt not dispose me as easily as you did my soldiers!" A female, dual toned, voice barked out at me, though I did not know who it was...

"I will take you head ************* And I will get back my ******!" Many parts of their, our, conversation I could not understand... It was all garbled and seemed to be spoken in a different language…

"You will never get your ***** back you damned dog! I shalt kill her once this is all over!" The dual toned voice spoke again, except this time I could make out a part of the vision.

I was standing on a large Ivory bridge in the Ivory city... My robes were in tatters, my armor was gone, and my face had a new wound graced my face, racing over my left eye and down my face to the tip of my chin. I could tell by the depth of the wound that my eye had been ruined... That and the milky liquid running down that side of my face from my eye confirmed it.

The being across from me though was shrouded in the darkness of the world, to the point that not even the sun light could penetrate its depths... But I could not be sure of the fact that it was just their own power doing this, or the force telling me the depths of their darkness...

Flashback to vision/dream End

Shaking my head once again I was able to regain my balance and done my armor and a new cloak. I then gathered up my slightly beaten saber hilts and re-attached them to my belt, even going so far as to place a Gryphonian Great sword in one of my belt loops as well. Granted the 'great sword' was only four feet long... So it only really counted as a long sword for my use...

Once I was ready I gave a few stretches, making sure that none of my weapons were getting in the way of my bodies natural movements. I even did a few warm up exercises , jumping jacks and pushups to name a few. After a few minutes of waking my body up fully I saw a moment to have a great laugh... Yes I'm a Sith Lord... Doesn't mean I don't have a sense of humor, no matter how sick it might be to some!

"HEY GRACE! WAKE UP!" I yelled as she was in the middle of giving herself a MASSIVE orgasm... Making her shoot up out of bed and wet all over herself with her own juices... Yes, I'm a sick bastard... what can I say...

"What... The ACTUAL. FUCK. YOU ASS!" Grace yelled after she got herself calmed down from her abrupt flying lesson. She then launched herself at me, murder in her eyes, as she held a small dagger in her mouth... My only response?

"Mommy?" Was I could say as I bugged my eyes out and fell back with the impact of her slamming into my chest piece. She then started beating on my chest with her hooves, laying a series of small dents in the softer outer layer of my armor. Her eyes were slightly bloodshot as she beat down on my chest and tried stabbing at my face, her tears flying every which way as she moved.

After a few minutes of her yelling/screaming/mumbling around her blade and beating the forever loving shit out of me, she fell against my battered chest and sobbed out her anger.

A little while later I was able to calm her down, though she was still teary-eyed and very much angry with me. Her steely gaze bored into me as I sat there, a slightly clobbered look adorning my face.

"Corpus... I am going to hound you until you explain what the fuck that was all about!" Grace growled out at me, her ears flat against her head and her eyes shining bright with anger. Her glare was one to match the ages as it was able to intimidate me into compliance... Which was surprising seeing as I usually was the one intimidating people and the like.

"Well... Thou were having a dream... Er-well, a 'Dream' would be more precise... and we felt that it was prudent to wake thee... But we just couldn't stop the situation from gaining us a better sense of humor..." At the word 'Dream' I emphasized with a slight of hand as to what she was doing, which in turn made her blush, her eyes shrink and her ears shoot back to her skull.

"Um... No pony saw... correct?" She whimpered silently. Her voice barely traveling the distance for me to hear.

"No, that was some of the reason why we did what we did... though it was mostly for our entertainment... But we digress!" I said, smiling cheekily as she went even redder at my comment.

"The only thing we can say then is... Thank you..." She then decided that donning her armor and other military dress was a better point of interest than talking to me any more. Which was fine with me, seeing as I had a few Pegasi to go hunt down and debrief. Hunting up a good cup of caff from my fellow half dead beings I was finally able to think clearly... And rationally for that matter... damn my brain and his insistence on doing stupid shit…

'You're welcome asshole...'

=Love you too Beatrix...=

'Dafuq? Really? Beatrix... From that old ass song? Really?'

=-_-... Yep...=

'Fuck you man...'

=Love you too=

ANYWAY! After having an asinine conversation with my own psyche I made my way to the sentinels that had been watching over the way into the hills the past few hours, the group of which were siting under a large tent like structure in the middle of camp. As I strolled up closer to the m I found that they were partly helping cook some vegetables for the rest of the men while the rest played a game of cards. It seemed that a stallion with light blue coating and silvery hair was winning, seeing as he had the largest stack of golden coins next to him.

"Good morn' gents... Might We get in on this game of yours?" My sudden greeting made most of them jump -those not looking in my general direction anyway- as I had walked up on them rather quietly. The three stallions that had been playing against the winner were among those that had jumped and had ended up spilling some of their coins on the ground around them, along with a good portion of the winners, seeing as they had almost knocked over the table they were playing on.

'Orning 'Mmander! How mi't a stallion such as we serv' thee this fine day?" The light blue stallion asked as he had already finished picking up his coins. He had a rather interesting accent, something of a Corelian draw mixed with low Tarisian I suppose... And he had a perpetual smile on his face... something I didn't think I was going to ever see out here in the camps -A smile that is-.

"Morning to thee as well..."

"Sergeant Sky Cord, at yer service 'Mmander..." Sky said as his deep brown eyes spoke volumes of his distrust of me... though not showing it outright. He was an earth pony with -as I had said- a light blue coat, silvery mane and tale, brown eyes, and a cutie mark of a steel cord running though what looked to be rays of the sun in a clear sky.

"Corpus, Commander Corpus, We art searching for info on the scouting party we had sent out yesterday afternoon. Though we truly just wish to know if they hast come in or not this morn... And seeing as you gents were on watch we thought you would know the most." I replied amicably, feeling their resentment rolling off their minds in waves, all the while I could feel awe and loyalty coming from most of the others around us, most of which was directed at me.

"Aye sir, we would know if they had or not... But seein' as they didn' turn up my best guess ish that they are still out there... or dead." The Sergent spit out, as if the words were poison to his tongue, his muzzle twisting into a snarl. Looking down on him and his men, all of which were sneering and snarling at me in disgust, made me want to hurl them into the next town... But we needed them and we couldn't sustain anymore losses... So no killing the simpletons... Sadly.

"Thank thee gents... We shalt leave thee to thy game and be off... Good morn!" I said, giving them a formal wave and making an about face, leaving them rather quickly.

I quickly made my way over to where Grace and I had spent the night, seeing that she was now getting her own cup of caff and getting her head in order.

"Morning Grace, we just needed to alert thee of something before we acted on it." I yelled out to her, making her cringe slightly at the loud noise, apparently already having gotten a migraine for the day. She shot me a long suffering look and went back to nursing the cup of caff in her hooves... I lazily walked over and sat down next to her after that, not really having forgotten what I was doing but just 'cause I could. I then gently placed a hand on Grace's forehead, which did catch her by surprise, making her give off a slight 'Eep'.

"Just relax Grace, this will but take a moment..." I explained, making her relax a good bit. I then started gathering healing elements of the force in my hand, focusing it around my finger tips as I began to massage her forehead. Just after a few second I could tell that my 'treatment' was taking affect; her eyes were no longer blood shot, her ears were perkier, on top of that though -she looked altogether better than she has since we left 'Ivory City'.

"Feeling better, My dearest Grace..." I whispered into her ear, being as soft with my words as I could. She slowly colored red as my words wisped past her ears. Though of being overly embarrassed she had a smile on her face and a slight gleam in her eyes. Now, turning her head slightly to place her lips next to mine, she whispered.

"Much better... thank you." Where upon she gave me a slight kiss on the cheek and got up, walking over to get her sword and other armaments needed to conduct war -although shooting me a wink as she swayed her hips in my general direction...-

General reaction from my mind? Complete and utter 'DAFUQ!?' moment... Along with 'DAMN! That hot!' But most importantly it had a break down...

"Brain... This is Corpus... Brain respond... Hello?"

-Brain here... What seems to be the prob' boss?-

'It might be the fact that all locomotion has ceased ya dip...'

"Thank you for the apt declaration there heart... Though it's also somewhat your fault too... So what gives guys?"

-Beautiful woman... Dat ass...-

'As my now catatonic partner says... She be hittin' on ya and ya done goofed... And I thought we were going after Luna... not some random mare?'

"Fuck you, that's how!"

_ Reboot complete... Welcome back Commander! _

"Yay..."

"We'll be back later Grace... Tis that fine with thee?" I asked, finally regaining my finer processing powers.

"Aye Corpus, that tis fine... Just be careful ya big goof..." She said, mumbling the last part to her self, but still loud enough that I could here, unbeknownst to her.

"We shall!" I said as I began jogging, knowing that I had just flustered her even more than this morning with that simple action.

I hate forests... Nothing good ever happens in a forest... And it always happens to me... Like that time on Kashyyyk when one of my apprentices and I, his name was Shan Kork, had to fight through an infested part of the Wroshyr forest... Beating back waves of the four legged insect Kinraths as we had to get to the Myyydril Caverns... Not a good day for us... But worse for them.

I had been walking through a valley made by these dreadful hills for almost five hours now. Which is kind of impossible as I have been going at almost top speed this whole time looking for my scouts. Seeing as this place is only a few miles thick, I knew something was going on here to fuck with my perception of the world around me. The worst part was that I could not pick up any life signatures for miles around me, not even insects... What was worse than that though... Was the thick as force Dark Side Miasma.

"Well, this is starting to get irritating... and rather spooky..."I mumbled to myself as i pushed a dead tree over and out of my way, making it splinter into a hundred different chunks. Sawdust and dirt flying up just a little at its landing. Soon after though i felt a presence emerge out of the Miasma several yards behind me... Though more like Grow would be a better description. I then whipped around, pulling the long sword out of its spot on my belt and aiming it one handed at the new presence.

Looking upon the dark presence I became rigid and wide eyed as I stared at its smoky form... For when you see yourself and what you used to be... Or an even darker You...One tends to feel dread at what might happen.

"Hello Corpus... Been awhile, hasn't it..." The smoky figure spoke out in a twisted version of my voice; it was dual toned, one dark and the other warbled, but there was also the sense of screams being heard along with it... just hearing his -my- voice was making my head hurt. I could feel after a moment that I was bleeding from my nose and left ear, feeling the warm liquid running slowly out of the two orifices…

"Yeah... long time..." I then noted that he had his own long sword in hand as he stared at me, his smoldering yellow eyes boring into my soul as his crooked and jagged yellow teeth bared themselves and formed a feral grin. I then took a Soresu fighting stance and awaited his charge, or what ever he was going to do. Almost immediately after I took the form, he charged -striking high and low in quick succession- leaving me reeling with the hard hits. I quickly parried a strike to my face and landed a swift and powerful strike to his abdomen, doubling him over and sending him back a few yard with the force empowered strike I had just laid into him.

I then dropped into the well known 'Djem So' stance, the very one used by Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader during their lifetimes. I then launched a quintet of heavy handed strikes against his weakened guard, bashing his sword away with the fourth hit and taking off his right arm, above the elbow, with my fifth. His left hand then shot up with his fingers spread as he unleashed a violet stream of lightning right into my face, launching me backwards with the force of the blow. He then picked up a few of the trees around me and sent them on a collision course with my flying body.

"How are you going to kill me now Corpus! you can't even defend yourself!" The twisted version of... Myself? taunted as he flicked his wrist in my direction.

I regained my wits just in time to bating one of the trees away with my sword, snapping its blade right in half on contact. It then felt like I took a ton of bricks to the face when the damned thing hit me... splintering to pieces on contact. Though shattering into a million pieces did not reduce the energy behind it, which in turn shot me a good hundred feet back -right into a rock- blowing apart the decayed remnants in my path.

Sitting there, rather dazed and pissed, I clumsily got one of my hilts off my belt and was able to ignite the blade in time to stop a strike at my head -thank you force-sense- as he was already upon me. I then, with my head cleared with a new rush of adrenaline, ignited my second blade and plunged it directly into his stomach, cleaving the blade to the left to disembowel him. With his body now having no connection to most its lower half he fell over and gave a low gurgle and a few spasms before lying still.

"Fuck you... That's how..." I said as the Miasma flowed back in and became a thick as smoke around me. This in turn made me take a Soresu stance, using both my blades to make a vague 360' defensible around myself.

"Really now... And WE thought you were going to shower us in pretty kittens... Pathetic... If you think I would die so easily... Then you must be slipping... Vactis..." The 'evil' me snarked out as he, and what felt like a few hundred others, began to rise from the dark and take form again. This in turn made my skin itch at the thought of finally taking this to a resectable level of fighting...

"Then stop pussy footing around and strike me down ya git!" I mocked as I used the force to launch the dual blade on my back backwards like a missile, on and deadly, through a few masses of thicker than normal Miasma. This in turn gave off satisfying garish sounds as my blade melted through whatever creatures this dark specter of myself had summoned.

"You will die soon enough Vactis... But WE wish to have fun with you first!" His twisted voice called out to my left as his sickly yellow blades glowed in the him as he rushed me, getting a full powered force push to the face as I quickly slammed boot in the other direction, nailing another in the face with the metal soul of my boot crushing its skull in with the impact. I then blocked a heavy down ward slash from a green bladed saber as a blue blade came darting in from my left. Quickly disengaging and disarming the ghoulish looking 'knight', as it cried out in undeniable pain, I batted the blue beam away with my purple blade while my Red darted in and skewered it in the right eye socket, killing it almost instantly.

I was then tossed bodily a good fifty yards up, over, and out onto the marsh like ground. My chest hurting, my breast plate cracked , and the wind knocked out of me, I tried to get some air back into my lungs -though i ended up trying to cough them out instead didn't help- and failed miserably. 'How in the hell did that get through my defenses... The force should have picked that up! I call Bullshit-!' My internal rant was cut off as a sudden volley of blue and red blaster fire came raining down range towards my position. Using the force I called back my dual blade as I used my other hand to deflect some of the oncoming bolts with my purple blade, deflecting them harmlessly into the surrounding trees and dirt.

With the smell of Ozone getting stronger in the air my dual blade hilt came flying into my hand finally, smacking firmly against my palm as I activated it and twirled it in an endless circuit to effortlessly deflect the barrage of oncoming fire. During the whole ordeal I was busy collecting a good amount of Force energy to use in a wide area Dark side technique... Drain Life... Seeing as the constructs that my evil twin was using were still able to feel pain and 'die' by my hand it only made perfect sense that they were being given form by some form of life energy... To which I was going to exploit, and exploit well. Feeling the darkness around me thicken as I called upon the negative thoughts in my mind, and the twisted nature of the force around me, I was more than happy with the feel of the technique, the density, that it had to it as I was close to unleashing its power on the unsuspecting constructs firing at me.

"Drain Life!" I snarled, my voice becoming venomous as the words passed my lips, letting a thick black cloud shoot from my now extended finger tips as it shot towards my enemies at high speeds, even eating away at the blaster bolts that flew my way unexpectedly. Having seemingly made the Power strong enough to corrode even energy itself and turn it into pure life energy was not something that most could claim to have done... Though -through speculation alone- I could guess that it was only thanks to the dark energy around me and its abundance... along with my extreme mastery of the force giving it an even further boost in power.

Once I had exhausted the length of the power a series of nine thumps could be heard as the bodies of my enemies fell to the ground, lifeless and inert. Not taking a second to breath a sigh of relief I spun around and slashed an incoming hand clean from its bearer and with an upward chop decapitated the zombie like creature. Bringing my other blade up I stopped a mad swing at my head from a ruby colored blade of energy, just inches from my eye. In the same moment I dropped the hilt in my right hand and aimed a finger at my attacker and released a concentrated burst of force Lightning right into his solar-plexus, sending him flying with the blast. I was then launched, from my spot, a good ten yards when a powerful blast of force energy washed over me... My eye sight darkening as I got closer to the ground, finally going dark when I hit, instantly falling unconscious.

Author's Note

I would also appreciate it if everyone checked out this little number here: http://www.fimfiction.net/story/233194/flying-through-a-hole

It's a wonderful story written by one of my friends here on FimFiction... The feels this gave off were... Wow, all I got to say is read and you will understand... It left me guessing and in utter shock more than half the time...It was magnificent, and it's not even done yet!

happiness in a Sea of Dread: Ch 25

We were almost there, no more than a few hours walk from the town. Hell I could even see the outskirts of it as we crested the small hill leading us towards our hopeful rendezvous point.

Grace, my Grace, was anxious to leave this force forsaken place and head back to the capital so we could get together a MUCH better plan of action against the encroaching gryphons. Our forces now numbered in the low hundred and fifties... Seeing as a few had passed on in the previous night from their injuries... Amber Rose, Lone Sentinel and Jazz Heartstrings have been staying quite close to us, not letting either of us out of their combined sight as we led our forces to salvation...

The trio have also been none-stop harassing us about what had happened the other morning... Heckling us about, though mostly me, about what it was like laying with a pony, how was she, and how long was I able to last... While they asked/cajoled Grace about the size of my pecker... Making the both of us flush with each new level of vulgarity they would reach...

Surprisingly though, in hindsight not so much, Sentinel was the one with the most vulgar of jokes to tell about our hours of passion... Damned bastard... Though he was our source of laughter when Amber made a comment about his own sexual escapades... or their lack there of ... Seeing as she was his only marefriend at the moment. Though when she had said 'Only' I asked if it was traditional to have more than one... The answer surprised me seeing as I thought this was a Monogomy based race I had stumbled upon... though when she told me otherwise I was shocked.

"Actually Corpus... It is rather uncommon for their to be a relationship nowadays that their is only one mare or stallion in it... Most have up to three or four mares on average... Though I have heard of those back east that have up to nine mares and two stallions, usually brothers, that run what they call a herd... It's not a very widely spread phenomena, but it does happen."

After that I was loaded with questions, which they each answered very readily, each of them getting the gist That I knew very little about the civilization I had found myself defending. I even learned that it as, in herds, the stallions job to protect his mates while they went and earned the income for their family... Something I didn't quite agree with seeing as i was from a MUCH different place and society.

"Alright, I got a joke for ya's!" Jazz called, making his way through to the center of the group, pushing his way between me and grace as he did so.

"Alright, lets here it..." Lone said, his deadpan voice telling me that he's already heard it before.

"Alright! Corpus... How many Guards does it take to replace a banister in the Ivory castle?" He asked his cheeks bulging from his retained enthusiasm.

"Hmm... Nine...?" I asked, not getting the joke yet.

"One!" he fell over laughing.

"How is that so?' I asked, not finding it funny yet. Though I could see Grace give him a depreciating sigh as she bowed her head and shook it slowly.

"Cuz it only takes one to get Princess Celestia and show her the rip!" ... Not. Funny...

"Hey Jazz... How many Sea green maned Pegasi does it take to change the sun?"

"Huh?"

"One..." I then picked him up in the force and gave him a good toss up into the air, straight up. Lone and Amber looked up at his flailing screaming body and started to laugh, seeing the humor in my action. Grace just gave me a deadpan stare and shook her head slowly, giving me the 'Not cool bro...' head sign without really knowing it.

As he came back down I caught him in the force, gently lowering him tot he ground.

"THAT WAS NOT FUNNY CORPUS!" He screamed and flailed as he touched down. That is till I hooked a thumb in Lone and Ambers Direction. "Alright... Maybe it was a little funny." he allowed, still looking a little hurt by my action.

"Alright, hers one for you... How many Sith does it take to kill a Jedi?"

"How many corpus?" Jazz asked, slightly interested in my answer.

"Several hundred if its Luke Skywalker... only one if you're Obi-wan-kin obi..." i chuckled, the look of confusion on their faces was priceless!

"That makes no sense!"

"I concur..."

"Eh..."

"Why..."

"... You guys are no fun..." I sighed and continued walking, passing them by as I continued on towards the town. I then began to flex my proverbial muscles as I stretched out with the force, letting it connect me to all the living things around me, the birds flying south over head, the insects crawling on the ground, the arachnids making webs off in the bushes... And even the none-sentient wildlife of the forest over a mile to my left. I was even connected to the life forces of all the ponies that had traveled with me, linking me to their minds as I sent waves of pride and gratitude through the link and into their minds, bolstering their moral and slightly speeding up their set pace.

I morning light was something I had missed looking forward to with the short time I was out here in the fields... Not knowing when the enemy as going to attack had placed me on a very short leash when it came to my sleep... Never fully getting to sleep the whole three weeks we were gone.

"Hey Corpus, wait up!" Jazz yelled as he and the rest galloped after me. I grinned and looked behind me as I heard them getting closer.

"Commander might we inquire as to how far away our destination is now? Seeing as we have been traveling for quite some time." Lone asked, falling into formality like it was a second language for him... which considering his demeanor, I wouldn't be too surprised if that was true.

"Well, seeing as we started out not to long ago... We would say... either this after noon or some time around supper is when we will arrive at Huffington... And, if Roid and Ducati followed my instructions, we should be meeting up with some form of liaison or some-er-other." I smiled at the sight of their relieved faces as I looked ahead of us again, still scanning our surroundings as we walked, though i only used the force.

Perspective Luna

"Princess Luna, I have word from Commander Brumby of the 39th!" Quick Silver announced as she came racing up to me as I walked down the halls towards the western training fields. I was adorned in a light set of plate armor and some Chain-mail underweave. It wasn't exactly heavy for one of my stature, but if it was ever worn by a regular pegasus it would weigh them down many times over...

"And what dost he say Fleetfoot?" I asked, my brow raised as I continued to walk.

"He has acquiesced to your request and is sending many of his pegasi squadrons to aid you... Also, Commander Hurricane is already waiting for you, he wanted me to let you know that he has sent one of the 101st airborne to scout the air space ahead of us, and to also make contact with Corpus and his men if they see them." Quick Silver saluted as she awaited my response for her to continue.

"Hmm... Good, what of the 22nd and the 36th?" I asked, quite curious as to their answers.

"Apparently the 22nd doesn't have as many pegasi as we thought Princess... They are unable to send any our way without compromising their entire battalions infrastructure... The 36th on the other hoof is willing to give us half of their entire battalion... Well over five hundred ponies, as they are going to be broken down soon and used as a training regiment..." Taking a breath she continued.

"Their commander told me that his forces were some of the best when it came to regimental fighting... So the general wanted them to train the next wave of recruits as payment for their unending training regiment." Quick Silver then sighed and shook her head, getting back to the conversation at hand.

"Also, I was approached by a unicorn by the name Scotch Thistle, she said that she is related to the commander of the 3rd division... a Miss Amazing Grace... Daughters of Hawthown and Lily from Inverneighs. She wishes to come with us on our trek to Huffington Mare... She says she will not be a problem and will be able to keep up with your flyers well enough to not get lost." Saluting with her right hoof she signaled that her report was over and awaited me to let her go.

"Very good Quick Silver... Thou may go... And tell this Scotch Thistle that she may run with us... But that she had better not fall behind..." I said in parting, smiling kindly to the messenger mare as she gave me a curt bow and smiled in return, going off to find the mare and give her the news.

Walking past the throne room on my way to the main entrance I saw my sister siting on her throne, conversing with Commanders Clydesdale, Cob, and Mustang... They were talking about an operation going on in the north, something about a suspected spotting of Gryphons or something of that course.

Ignoring them I continued on to outside.

"Ah, Princess, a pleasure as always!" Hurricane called as he saw me traversing the large hedge lined fields to his position by the back wall of the city. He was making the pegasi that showed up form into groups based on their specialty, fast flyers, mixed with the slower bunch to help with maneuvering if need be. Scouts on one group, heavy muscled fighters near the front along with the muraders, also a small platoon of pegasi was sectioned off to the side, each of them carried a set of quivers and a long bow... Obviously being the long range fighters here.

"It is good to see thee as well Commander... How goes thy life in this day-n-age?" I asked, raising a quizitive brow along with my warm smile. He beamed at me, his scared left eye showing some life as he smiled. He then trotted on over to my side, his light plate clinking together as he moved.

"Tis good, tis good! And how art thou, Sister still coddling thee for whatever damned reason she can think of?" He asked, a teasing light entering his voice as he chuckled at my pouty face.

"Nay... She just wishes to protect me... from... things..." He gave me a look, making me break down in his presence, Aye! Fine! She still does, and its very annoying our dear friend! She seems to not take a hint! Even with our Dearest Corpus getting in her way of doing so she still finds ways of doing it!"

"Hmm... Seems thou hast a problem Princess... Now... 'Dearest Corpus'?" he asked a mischievous light in his eyes as he smiled at me sidelong, making me blush and stammer at his insinuations.

"Um...uh...he-i-um..."

"Is he somepony special to thee, Dear Princess?" He asked his teasing tone still tickling at my hearing.

"Um... we... dost see him as someone special to us... For he did save our life once or twice already..." I said meekly, making him look at me owlishly as he suddenly began to howl with laughter.

"Ah! So the grapevine proves true once again our fair lady! So, we are to understand that he is not a pony then, with how thou had said 'someone' instead of 'somepony'... So tell us, what dost he look like, this 'Corpus' of yours? He asked, all teasing gone from his voice anymore.

"Aye... He is what he calls... 'Human... Though he said that he is also of another race as well... Though we cannot remember the name of what he said for the life of us... But! He is a fine stallion... Very Noble and kind... Though he dost not waver from using force when necessary... He is also a finally skilled swordsman... Having seen him take on our sister in battle and trounce her in but a second was... awe inspiring... He is also the strongest mage we hast ever seen..."

"How so? I myself know many a good mage... What makes him the strongest?" Hurricane asked, his brow arced in curiosity.

"Well... he has a master over lighting, being able to conjure it with but his fingers... and with a thought he is able to lift many thousands of times his own weight, he is even able to enhance his agility, being able to move as fast, or faster, than the average pegasus during flight..." To say that Hurricane was gobsmacked would have been an understatement... He was completely at a loss of words and was very truly stunned at what he was hearing. He knew how hard it was for many mages to conjure lightning, having only seen the adepts of the order use it with some difficulty... But levitation was quite simple for them.. but to lift on such a scale was unheard of... And to augment ones speed... that was something not very many could do... Only the Arch mages and a few outside their office could boast to that effect.

"He...He sounds like a magnificent stallion your Ladyship... But I must say... I would like to meet such a stallion soon if thou would allow it... princess." Hurricane bowed slightly to me, showing his true want of this request with his actions. So, smiling, I gave him his answer.

"That would be fine Hurricane... Seeing as thou would be the commanding officer on this operation with us... It would be most likely that thou shalt meet him quite soon." I said, smiling as I myself could not wait to see my dearest Corpus... My friend, and so much more in his absence...

Perspective: Corpus

"Alright everypony! we are just about to the city! Get ready for a bit of relaxation... And grieving if you need to... None shall judge thee if you chose to..." I called out, making several of the ponies arrayed in front of me nod and smile with tear filled eyes as they thanked me.

"For now though, get some rest, grab some food, and make sure to be ready in an hours time!"

"Sir!" They all shouted, saluting, before they walked off to tend to their wounds and get some food in their starving tummies.

Sighing to myself I walked away, back to my small group of confidants and their area of comfort. We had sortied ourselves on a small hill, over looking the small cam below, a small fire had been set up in the center of a circle of six logs. We had dumped most of our things on one of them. Lone and Amber had chosen this time to bath in each others presence, the two of them laying up against one of the logs as the fire warmed their fur. Jazz was off down in the rest of the camp helping with treating some of the more minor injuries... Something that I was going to go tend to as well soon enough. Grace was sitting by the fire, a rose and a lavender held in her hooves as she glazed at the tantalizing flames before her.

"Grace... We art heading down to the soldiers... Dost thou wish to join us?" I asked, sitting beside her as I wrapped one of my long arms around her, bringing her in close as I rested my chin gently on her head. Taking a small whiff of her mane I could smell the gentle smell of lilies and mango in her hair...

"That would be fine Corpus... Lead the way my love..." I smiled as she whispered the last part into my ear, her blush ever present on her fur covered face.

"If that is thy wish my love... So shall it be..." I purred in response as I picked her up bridal style and carried her out of camp, the small giggles and chuckles of Lone and Amber barely reaching my ears as I strode away down the hill.

Grace giggled and laughed as I carried her down the hill, making me smile at her care free attitude, brightening my day from its earlier somber attitude. Though, when we got to the bottom, our joyous mood ended as we laid our eyes upon the injured and dying laying around us... Knowing that more would be perishing this night of nights.

"We'll be going around helping the wounded... What will thou be doing in the meanwhile?" I asked as I set Grace down on the slightly wet ground.

"I will be going and finding one of our few remaining apothecaries and seeing if I can help them with their duties, seeing as I have some experience with this kind of work..." Her tone being that of reminiscence and happier times. I could see the ghost of a smile on her face, just as it had died seeing the pained expressions of many of our troops around us.

"Alright, go, we shalt be here tending to the wounded. We'll be together again soon..." I got down and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. Her demeanor brightened as I raced off into the crowed of injured, looking for the much in need as I moved.

Finding a Mare with several broken ribs and a busted wing i went to work, setting her ribs and wrapping them in an aura of force healing as I went to fallowing instructions from a fellow Pegasus as I wrapped her wing and set the brake. I then moved on to a Stallion that had been suffering from several deep wounds to his barrel and sides...

Firstly upon sitting beside him I used the force to scan his body, using it to search for any foreign bodies that might be present, IE; blade's, wood, dirt, rocks, or other inanimate objects. This also happened to save this poor stallions life when I found that there was a blade resting up against the outer layers of his heart, just centimeters from killing him outright. Alarmed and slightly distressed by what I had found I used the force to put him under, which did alarm the Apothecary next to me... Though I allayed her fears when I explained that I had just given the stallion a drug to help ease the pain... Granted it was a lie, it was much closer to the truth than what she was going to understand.

Using the force I steadied the blade shard and helped pry it away from the heart wall... I was concentrating so much I did not notice that many of the Ponies around me were starting to stare. I knew I had to be quick seeing as he was going to go into shock soon if I didn't remove the piece of metal and heal his wounds... I know that the force can preform many a miracle... My self being a piece of living proof... But not all have my luck that I know.

With a soft 'squelch' the metal came sliding out, it also acted as a plunger, bringing some blood, that had been contaminated, with it. I then tossed the blade haphazardly to the ground and began to seal up his wounds... Taking out a shoto to cauterize the more damaged and open wounds as I saw fit. When I had taken out the shoto I had heard many small gasps from around me, not really caring I just continued. But, now knowing many other things, I know that it was just

"Um... Corpus, Sir, what was that just now... That thou did with thy light beam thing?" One of the apothecaries asked. His brown coat was stained with blood and caked with a weeks worth of dirt and grime... along with some more... Gruesome aspects of his job...

"We used our blade here," I motioned to the saber in my right hand, "to cauterize the wound. This helps keep the wound from festering and becoming infected, so long as there are no foreign bodies present. Those being anything that a body should not have in them, like say a blade or a piece of rock or some dirt." I then motioned for some of them to come over and watch what I was doing, thinking to myself that; 'I might as well teach them how to better treat their comrades then let them continue in ignorance.'

"Come, we shalt show you all what we mean, it will but take a minute." I called, gathering even more of them up as I continued to work on the stallion, being quick as I cleaned out the rest of his wounds, using some clean water and a rag.

After a few more treatments I was confidant that most of them would be able to get most of our men treated, and on their feet soon... But I was unable to save the stallion I had worked on... He went into shock not more than a few minutes after i was done with him, shocking everyone there and showing them the look of failure. Shaking my head i then trudged back up the hill, juggling a few rocks around my body wit the force to keep my mind preoccupied.

Getting there I saw that everyone else was already back, though Jazz and Grace had less than stellar looks... also being covered in grime and blood from trudging through the dead and dying. Lone and Amber were sitting on one of the logs, looking ever the part of the most stone faced couple I had ever seen... So much in fact that I bet you could have bounced a credit chit off their faces and they wouldn't have noticed...

"Ah... Corpus... Thou hast returned from the pool..." Jazz said blithely, his usual happy demeanor having been skewered and shot from all the death he had had to see down in the camp... Not really even smiling anymore and just opting for a scowl instead.

"Pool?"

"Aye, that's what we started calling it, seeing as you start drowning in sadness when you walk into it..." Jazz mono-toned out, his flat voice heralding many sad thoughts and shattered dreams.

"Ah... It is apt we will give it that..." I said, a small, sarcastic, smile wrecking my visage as I looked at him. He nodded in assent and went back to staring at the small fire we had going, not opting to continue our conversation in the face of such distress.

"Well... We ar-" I cut myself off as I heard the telltale signs of flapping wings on an approach vector. I knew the other s hadn't heard it yet as they were still motionless next to the fire, but i quickly reacted and threw out my senses, pushing my perspective of the area to the farthest reaches of my abilities. Then, I felt it, it's energy.

Almost immediately I could tell that it was not a gryphon, the sense of emotions I got from it, and the way its mind worked, was much to different to that of a gryphon for me to NOT be certain. That's when it clicked, 'pegasus!' That's what I was feeling!

"Grace, alert the troops... We have a visitor!" I shouted; I was happy, ecstatic even, as I started cheering.

"Why, are there Gryphons coming Corpus?!" She asked, her and the others instantly grabbing their weapons and forming up into a circle around me.

"NO! Force No! It's a scout! An equestrian scout!" I shouted, tears of joy running down my face. I picked up Grace and the rest of them in a massive bear hug and spun around, making them all scream and shout in joy and surprise.

"Alright! I'll go alert the troops, just. PUT. ME. DOWN!" Grace shouted, still laughing. Dropping them all I leaped for joy and started shooting off shots of purple lightning, acting as a living flare to the scout, so he could find us easily.

Grace and the rest quickly ran down the hill, yelling all kinds of joyous things as they got close to the troops, raising moral through the roof. Suddenly, the sound of wings flapping got very loud and I flipped around to see a large Cyan colored Pegasus landing not twenty feet away from me. He was dressed in thin gold colored plate and wore a sash across his chest that was attached to a small satchel.

"Are you Commander Corpus?" The pegasus asked, his stance guarded and very ready to take back off in a moments notice.

"Aye Soldier... We art thee, Commander Corpus... Might we ask who thee are?" I gestured to him with an outstretched hand, a small smile on my face as I showed I was not a threat.

"I am Sergeant Lightning Strike, of the 101st Equestrian Airborne. ...I have orders from Commander Hurricane to escort you lot to the township of Huffington Mare, posthaste."

"Good! Good! We were all headed there soon anyway! We were already prepping the troops as soon as we saw you... They should be ready soon! Also, dost thou know of any Medical Facilities that might be located in Huffington? For we have many injured soldiers in need of serious aid..."

"Nay Sir, but we can pray and hope that their is..." The stallion bowed his head in reverence to my concern for my troops.

"Alright! Everypony is to wait here while I and my three guards scout ahead... WE need to make sure that the way is clear into town... Even if we are but a mile or two from it... Now, Grace will be staying here with Lightning and will be keeping an eye on the lot of you... We shall send a signal for the all clear. It will be fairly obvious." I said, smiling as many of them laughed at my declaration, though Lightning just stared at me with a raised brow.

"Alright lets go!" I yelled as the three Pegasi took to the air and raced after me. I cleared fallen trees and the random small water filled ravine as we came ever closer to town. From where I was I could see the signs of life in the town, though of which kind I could not rightly know just yet, not until we got closer.

Author's Note

Life seems to be looking up for our heroes... don't it?