The Dark Pony: Origin

The afternoon sun shined into the chambers as the councilponies sat at their desk and discussed their town’s affairs. Each pony passionately argued their points and opinions about laws, taxes and general ideas about town’s direction.

After they solved a taxation issue, Scion looked down at the agenda in front of him “our next topic is-“

“Excuse me, Scion.” Midnight interrupted “When will we get to the topic of defense?”

Scion scanned through the agenda “Hmm…ah, here it is. The discussion of town defense is five topics away.”

Midnight groaned “Do you mind if we skip ahead a bit. I believe that is a topic that needs attention now.”

“I suppose so” said Scion “Are you genuinely so concerned about monster attacks?”

Midnight slammed her hoof down on the table “Are you not!? The Everfree Forest is practically in our backyard and we have yet to set up any sentries, barricades or watchtowers and we have no military to speak of, if monsters attacked in mass it would be a disaster.”

Scion raised his hoof to his chin “Hmm, I see your point. In that case, our next topic is-“

A stallion burst into their chambers before Scion could finish his thought. Dull golden hair covered his large battle-scarred body. Strands of grey sliced through his short chestnut mane and tail. His jade eyes reflected the urgent look upon his face.

Scion jumped up with a shout “Raintree! What in blazes are you doing?”

Raintree answered back in a coarse voice “Quickly my lord! Somepony has been injured!”

Upon hearing that, Scion leaped over the desk. He rushed out the doors with surprising speed, followed shortly after by Ashen and Midnight.

The four of them ran towards the edge of town, Scion struggled to keep up as he shouted “Raintree, what has happened?”

Raintree’s strong legs propelled him effortlessly as he answered “All I know, is that a young mare walked into town covered in blood.”

Midnight gasped “Has it happened already?”

Ashen looked up at her “We won’t know till we get there, let’s not assume anything yet.”

As they neared the edge of town, they saw a crowd of ponies gathered around the young mare’s body.  Scion pushed his way through the crowd and yelled “Out of the way!” He tried to look at the girl’s injuries but the crowd closed in around him. A stallion bumped into him, Scion shoved him away “Get back! Raintree! Get these fools out of here!”

Raintree bowed “Yes my lord.” He raised his head, furrowed his brown and brought his large hoof crashing to the ground with a commanding shout “Leave this area at once! Or I will be forced to remove you!” All the onlookers stopped and looked towards Raintree. Raintree lowered his head and growled. The onlookers quickly turned away and left as fast as they could.

Scion began to examine the earth pony. Several slashes covered her body, some were little more than scratches while others were deep jagged wounds. Blood poured from her veins; the dark crimson buried her pale yellow coat and blended into her red mane.

Ashen closed his eyes. He turned away from the terrible scene. His teeth clenched as his chest grew cold “The poor thing.”

Midnight gasped upon seeing the girl. She took several steps back. Her eyes grew pale as they filled with tears. She shook her head and whispered “It…it can’t be. It just can’t be her.”

Scion lowered his head and placed his ear on the mare’s chest. He closed his eyes and listened carefully. After a moment, his heart sank but then he heard exactly what he was hoping for, a heartbeat. He opened his eyes and pushed then he heard it again, a faint heartbeat. He whispered “She’s alive?” he heard it once more. Scion quickly lifted his head and shouted “She is alive! Quickly Ashen help me get her to the hospital!”

Ashen quickly spun around, his grim expression turned bright “Yes, of course.” He slowly lifts the mare with his magic.

Scion walked next to Ashen and kept a brisk, steady pace “Keep her level, Ashen. We do not know the extent of her injuries.”

Ashen’s eyes locked onto the mare as he carefully carried her towards the hospital, once inside he brought her to a room and slowly lowered her onto a table.

Two nurses joined Scion. He gestured for the rest to leave before he pulled several vials from his bag.

The others headed to the lobby, Ashen and Midnight sat down to wait but Raintree spoke up “My lord and lady. May I take my leave? I would like to find the girl's family and tell them what’s happened.”

Midnight sat motionless, her head hung low as she stared at the ground with distant, icy eyes.

Ashen stared at Midnight “Umm, yes.” He glanced at Raintree before looking back “Yes, that sounds like a fine idea.”

Raintree bowed then walked away. Ashen and Midnight sat in silence. Midnight stared at the ground barely breathing and Ashen stared at her; he grew more concerned by the second. Even though her body was still, Ashen could see when he looked into her quivering eyes, that her mind was racing and the course it’s on, was not a pleasant one. They sat like this for a while until Midnight spoke up with a broken voice “Ashen, did you see her wounds?”

Ashen closed his eyes and nods “Yes, yes I did.”

Midnight looked up at Ashen her quivering eyes turned as solid as stone “I’ve seen wounds like that before, scratches down a pony’s side, mostly in pairs of three. I know what did this.” she stood up, her body tensed as a fire ignited within her chest “And I'm going to find it.”

Ashen stood in front of her “Where do you plan on going exactly?”

Midnight glared at him “To the edge of the forest.”

“And if you find it?” asked Ashen.

Midnight bore her teeth with a growled “I’ll kill it!”

Ashen sighed “I don’t suppose I can talk you out of this, can I?”

Midnight responded bluntly “No.”

Ashen moved to stand beside her “Then I'm going with you.”

Midnight looked away “Fine. But if we find it, you better stay out of my way.”

“Mind if I join you?” Scion said as he walked out of the operating room.

Midnights burning eyes quickly turned soft “Scion!” She ran up to him “Is she ok?” Will she be alright?”

Scion looked to Midnight with a cold stare “She had several deep lacerations and has lost a significant amount of blood. At the moment, she is still unconscious. I have done all I can for her. She is not yet out of danger, however.” He showed a soft smile and nodded “I believe she will survive and make a full recovery.”

Ashen laughed with relief “That’s wonderful news!”

Midnight beamed a beautiful smile “Thank goodness. You saved her, Scion, thank you.” Midnight quickly wrapped her hooves around his neck and hugged him tightly “Thank you, truly.”

Scion blushed and looked away as sweat beaded on his forehead “Y-you're quite welcome. It-it was nothing really.” Unsure what to do about the mare hanging around his neck, he cleared his throat and continued the conversation “N-now a-about this creature; are-are you still going to look for it?”

Midnight let go of Scion, her eyes caught flame once more “Yes, I am.”

Scion adjusted his cape “Then allow me to accompany you.”

“Can you fight?” asked Ashen.

Scion grinned “I can handle myself should the need arise.”

Midnight nodded “Alright, but you two try to stay behind me.”

Ashen laughed to himself “Will do.”

The three of them headed to where they found the mare. Midnight looked at the bloodstained ground “This is the spot.” She looked over the area “Where did she come from?” Off in the distance, a spot on the ground caught her eye; she rushed over to it and saw another blood stain. Looking towards the west, she saw another then another.

Ashen walked up to her “Hmm, I see. Shall we follow the trail of blood then?”

Midnight said nothing and flew forward, following the blood trail.

Ashen watched her as his concern built “Night? H-hey wait up!” Ashen ran after her followed closely by Scion.

Scion tried to catch his breath as they ran “She…she seems to be taking this rather personally.”

Ashen panted as he tried to catch up to Midnight “I’ve…I’ve noticed. I-I only hope she doesn’t do something foolish.”

When the two of them finally reached Midnight she was looking into a large pool of blood “Look, the ground here is torn apart and there’s blood spattered all around. This is where it happened.”

Ashen looked around the area “I think you’re right. It looks like something attacked her here. This spot is far from town, it’s a miracle that she made it back.”

A dark insight struck Scion, as he stared into the pool of blood “This was no miracle.” He slowly shook his head as a chill crept into him “There is too much blood here; it could not have come from the girl alone.”

Midnight gasped “You don’t mean. Was there another victim?”

Scion turned away from the blood “Either that or whatever attacked her was also injured. However this blood is red, if this was monster blood it would be black.” Scion scanned the area “I do not see any bodies though. Should we look around?”

Ashen shook his head “No point. If there was another pony, they’re deep into the forest by now. Dead or alive, the monsters always drag their victims away.”

Upon hearing this, Midnight’s eyes opened wide, she shot straight towards the forest.

Ashen yelled out “Night stop!” He used his magic to catch her in midair and pull her to the ground.

Midnight yelled franticly as she struggled to escape, his spell “Let me go! Let me go! Let me go Ashen! I…I have to save her!”

Ashen strained against her strength “Don’t be a fool! It’s been hours since the attack, if there was another pony, their long gone by now.”

Tears filled Midnight’s eyes as she screamed, “You don’t know that! She could still be alive! I have to save her!” Midnight broke free from Ashen’s spell; she spun onto her hoofs and kicked him away before she leapt into the air again.

Her kick knocked the wind out of Ashen but he recovered just quick enough to catch her again. Midnight screamed and yelled as she fought Ashen’s spell. Ashen poured his magic into the spell as he struggled to restrain her. Scion walked up and placed his hoof on Midnight’s shoulder. He looked into her fierce, tear-filled eyes and spoke with a calm soft voice “Midnight, you have to calm yourself and think clearly. Hours have passed since the attack, and we do not know if there was another pony. If you rush into that forest in a blind rage like this, the only thing you will accomplish is getting yourself killed. So please, take a deep breath and try to calm down.”

Midnight stopped struggling, after a few seconds, her heavy breathing slowed and the frantic look in her eyes slowly disappeared.

Ashen looked down at her “Midnight, are you ok now? Can I let you up?”

Midnight took a deep breath “Yes, I'm fine now, please release me.”

Ashen stopped his spell “Alright then, I’ll let you go. Please don’t take off like that again.”

Midnight got up. She shakes the dirt off her coat “Thank you, thank you both. I lost control and for that I am sorry.”

Ashen smiled gently “It’s ok, come on let’s go back to town, there’s nothing we can do here.”

As they started to walk away, they heard a rustle in the bushes behind them. They turned to see a creature step out from the forest. It stood just over three feet tall on two hooved legs. Dark fur and coarse scales created a patchwork design across its light grey skin. Remnants of dried blood covered its three razor sharp talons. The spattered blood traveled up its bony hands, past its skinny arms, and all the way up to its shoulders. Its twisted face vaguely resembled a ponies but its snarled, grotesque shape, came straight from a child’s nightmare. Its sharp brutal fangs dripped with saliva as it gnashed them together. A Smokey black mist filled the whites of its eyes, giving the creature a cruel, soulless stare.

Midnight stepped forward “A goblin!”

Ashen raised his hoof in front of her “Stop!”

Midnight turned to him “What, why!? Now’s my chance, I don’t want it to get away!”

Ashen stared at the motionless creature “Look at it Night, something’s not right. Why isn’t it doing anything? It’s not running away, not attacking, It’s just standing there and why did it wait until we tried to leave to show itself?”

“Good point” said Scion “also, when have you ever seen just one goblin?”

Ashen scanned the edge of the forest “Precisely.” A shrub caught his eye, he was not sure what it was about this seemingly ordinary bush, but his instincts told him that something was wrong. He looked at Midnight and winked “Watch this.” He picked up a nearby rock and hurled it into the shrub, when it hit, a loud screech echoed out, a second goblin stumbled out holding it eye. The goblin pointed at Ashen and let out a loud shriek. Several more goblins leapt out of the forest and rushed forward. Ashen yelled out “Get ready! Here they come!”

By the time Ashen took his first step, Midnight is already in the air. She dived down and slammed her wing into a goblin’s chest. The hurricane force of her strike sent the best flying backwards, its body tumbled to a stop.

A clumsy claw swiped at Midnight. She spun, easily dodging the claw while she struck its owners jaw with her wing. Midnight followed through with a stomping kick from her hind hoof onto the side of the goblins leg, which brought the beast to its knees. Midnight’s body flowed as she instills the full momentum of her spin into her other rear hoof it slammed it into the goblin's head with a defining crack.

Midnight stood on her hind legs and let out a long breath as she stared down an approaching goblin. Just as the beast got close, she leapt forward and crushed it to the ground with her front hooves. A bloodied growl escaped from the creature’s mouth before it went silent.

Midnight grinned as she leapt back to easily dodge another claw. She lunged forward and buried her head deep into the goblin's chest. Her hooves planted firm in the ground. The muscles in her neck bulged as she lifted the beast. She threw it into the air with a fierce yell. Midnight pushed off the ground with a single flap of her wings and met the goblin in the air. She came from below with a head-butt to its chin followed by a downward strike from her hoof that sent the beast crashing to the earth.

Midnight grinned wider as she rose into the air. Her eyes locked onto the final beast in her way. She tore through the sky as she dove headlong towards the goblin. The frightened beast turned to run but it was too late. Midnight flipped forward at the last moment and extended her back leg. Her hoof slammed into the creature's back. Midnight’s thunderous roar drowned out the sound of the beast’s body helplessly crashing to the ground.

Ashen reached his first goblin as Midnight finished her second. Without a moment of hesitation, he slammed into the beast with his full force. As soon as the goblin hits the ground, a hoof crushed its chest.

Ashen strode forward without losing a drop of momentum. He stepped to the side to dodge a jagged claw. He instantly leapt sideways and smashed his shoulder into the goblin. Ashen spun on his front hooves. His back legs lashed out with blinding speed. The unsteady goblin took the full force of Ashen’s kick. It flew backwards and tumbled to the ground, falling as silent as the grave.

Another goblin rushed at Ashen; revenge filled its blackened eye. The beast slashed furiously. Ashen’s body swayed and slanted like a dancer on the stage as he dodged the strikes with a smile. One lucky swipe cut too close. The razor edge of the claw cut through Ashen’s mane and forced him to leap backwards. The goblin launched itself forward through the air, Ashen’s throat in its sight. A lavender glow surrounded Ashen’s horn. A bright flash of white light sliced through the air in front of him.

The goblin fell to the ground in front of Ashen, black blood slowly pooled around its body. Ashen looks down at the creature with a grin “Not bad, you actually made me use my magic.” He looked over the bodies in front of him; his heart sunk as his grin slowly disappeared as he looked at the carnage in front of him. He hung his head with a heavy sigh “You poor pitiful creatures. I'm sorry it had to end like this.” He looked down at the body on the ground before him and took a breath “Return to the mist and find peace.”

Ashen looked over to Midnight and saw the bodies lying around her as she breathed heavily with a fearsome smile. Ashen’s spirit lifted with his chuckle “Whoa, better remember to stay on her good side.” He turned to check on Scion and saw three goblins that broke from the pack charging towards him. Ashen immediately ran to help.

Scion stood smiling as he watched the beasts close in. He let a small laugh pass through his grin “That’s it, a little closer you fools. Come to me.” When the first one got close enough, Scion’s smile turned wicked.  He spun, snatched off his cape and threw it over the first goblin in one swift move. He leapt up and stomped down on the ensnared beast, its body viciously crushed to the ground.

Scion quickly reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a small vial of pale green liquid. He threw the vial at the other two. It shattered just in front of the beasts. The goblins ran through the liquid seemingly unaffected. However as they got closer, they began to slow. Panting and wheezing they slowly fell to their knees. They crawled towards Scion; one goblin got inches away before it stopped moving altogether.

Scion smiled and threw his head back as he laughed “Perfect, absolutely perfect!”

Ashen reached him just in time to see the last goblin fall. He grinned and looked at Scion “Well then, I guess you can fight.”

Scion grinned with pride “Like I said. I can handle myself should the need arise.”

Midnight landed next to them “Clearly you can.” She hung her head “But they never should have reached you In the first place. I'm sorry I should have done a better job.”

Scion chuckled “Midnight, there is no need for you to apologize; you routed a great number of the beasts, some in a single blow. You did a splendid job”

Midnight sighed heavily “No, I didn’t. My job is to protect the ponies of this town; you and Ashen shouldn’t have had to fight at all.”

“Protect them all?” asked Scion

Midnight answered back as a strong will filled her voice “Yes, every single one.”Scion shook his head “That is a burden far too great for anypony to carry on their own. Surely you know that.” He walked up to her and placed his hoof on her shoulder “Please allow me to bear some of that weight.”

Ashen walked up to her “I’ll gladly carry my share as well. This is my town to and I'm not about to sit by and let you have all the fun.”

Midnight raised her head with a faint smile “Thank you, thank you both very much.”

Scion walked over to his cape but stopped to look at Midnight “You are quite welcome, Midnight. If you ever need assistance with anything, please do ask.”

Scion looked back to his cape as he raised it off the goblins body. He saw a black blood stain on its underside and growled as he tossed his cape back down to the ground “It seems these filthy creatures have sullied my favorite cape.”

His irritation quickly disappeared when he looked at Ashen. Scion nodded to Ashen with a laugh “It seems my cape was not the only one soiled today.”

Ashen looked at his cape and noticed the black blood scattered across it “Honestly.” Ashen looked at Scion with a small laugh “I forgot I was wearing the thing. Well better the cape then the coat I suppose.”

Scion sighed “Yes, I suppose.”

Midnight smiled “Well, at least nopony was injured.”

Scion nodded “True.” He looked down at his cape “It seems the only casualties were our capes.”

“That’s a shame” said Midnight “I can tell you cared for that cape.”

Scion scowled at the stain “I will try to save it if I can but if I cannot, I have three others just like it.”

Ashen smirked “Wait, really? You have four identical capes?”

Scion looked up at Ashen with a smile “Well, yes. One should always be prepared. Do you not have an extra in case yours is destroyed?”

Ashen shook his head with a laugh “Not a single one, this was my only cape.” He turned to Midnight and flashed his striking smile “But this does give me one more reason to buy a violet cape.” He winked at her “You know, one that matches my eyes.”

Midnight groaned and turned away as she tried to hide a slight blush “A-are we done here?”

Scion rolled his eyes and turned to leave “Yes, I do believe we are.”

“Actually” said Ashen “Could I get you two to help me with something?”

Scion stopped and turned back to Ashen “I suppose so. What do you need?”

Ashen ran his hoof through his mane and smiled weakly “Um…well, it won’t be pleasant, but could you help me get the bodies together in a pile?”

Midnight turned back with a questioning stare “What? Why? Won’t they just dissolve away after a while?”

Ashen nodded “Yes, but I want to purify them before they do.”

“Purify?” asked Scion “What exactly do you mean Ashen?”

“It’s a spell.” said Ashen “A very difficult spell that I only want to cast once, so I need to get them together.”

Scion glared at Ashen “Is this really necessary?”

Ashen grinned at him “Yeah, it kind of is, and didn’t you just say?” Ashen cleared his throat and mimicked, Scions accent “If you ever need assistance with anything please do ask? Or is that only for Midnight?”

Scion glared at him unamused then finally sighed “Fine.” He pointed to Ashen “Just remember, you owe me for this.”

Ashen smiled and laughs “Don’t worry, I’ll pay you back.”

Scion tossed his second body on the pile “Ugh, disgusting. These repulsive things reek and here I thought their stench was bad when they were alive.” He turned to see Midnight about to pick up one of the goblins he poisoned. He quickly ran towards her and shouted “Careful, Midnight! Do not touch them!”

Midnight quickly looked up “What’s wrong?”

“Those two are not dead yet” said Scion.

Midnight looked at the goblins then quickly looked back to Scion “What!? What do you mean ‘not dead yet’?”

Scion glanced down at the beasts with a grin “They are merely paralyzed.”

Midnight looked at one of the goblin’s chests and saw it rise ever so slightly. She quickly turned back to Scion and yelled “What are you thinking!? Were you planning to just leave them here?”

Scion takes a stepped back “Umm…well, yes. The paralytic I used on them quickly affects their limbs, but it takes more time to affect their internal organs. However, it would have killed them, eventually.”

Midnight looked down at the goblins “We don’t have time for eventually.” She took a breath before standing tall “I’ll grant them a quick painless death.”

Scion quickly snapped at Midnight “No! This was my doing! I will end them!” He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a vial of deep purple liquid as he muttered to himself “A quick painless death. Humph these creatures deserve no such thing.” He walked over to the goblins. He carefully pulled the cork out of the vial then dripped a single drop into each goblins mouth. He corked the vial and placed it back in his bag “There, it is done.”

Midnight glanced at the goblins then looked back to, Scion “That’s all it takes, just one drop?”

Scion smirked at the disbelief in her voice “That is all it takes.”

Midnight stared at the goblins “Are they gone now?”

Scion’s intense stare burned a hole in the beasts “Give them a second” He smiled and intently watched the goblins as their eyes slowly dilated. Their claws started to curl as their faces contorted in agony. Their mouths gradually opened as their muscles constricted tightly and pulled their limbs towards their chests. Foam began to pour from their mouths as they gurgled out labored breaths. Midnight had to turn away from the ghastly scene just before their eyes rolled into the back of their head and they breathed their last.

Scion looked over to Midnight with a casual smile “Now they are dead.”

Midnight turned to him as she caught her breath “Th-that was awful, they looked like…they were suffering…horribly.”

“Something wrong?”  Scion asked.

“Well” said Midnight “Why…why did you do that? Why didn’t you just let me finish them mercifully?”

Scion scoffs “Mercy!? I have seen these…these things rip a pony apart in front of my own eyes. Why should they receive mercy when they have none to give?”

Midnight placed her hoof just below her right shoulder “I know how you feel, Scion.”  She closed her eyes “Better than you know, but not showing mercy makes us just as monstrous as them.”

Her words struck Scion hard “I…I never thought of it like that.” He hung his head “My apologies Midnight, I hope you can forgive me.”

Midnight opened her eyes and smiled “It’s alright, Scion. Like I said, I know how you feel, but please don’t do that again.”

Scion bowed “Thank you, Midnight; I will not repeat my actions today.”

Midnight nodded her head then lifted up one of the corpses and carried it towards the pile.

Scion gave the last corpse a kick as soon as she was gone “Damn! I never thought she would sympathize with these wretched things.” He reluctantly picked up the last corpse and carried it towards the pile. When Scion tossed the corpse down “There, that is number eleven the last one.” He turned to Ashen with a scowl “I do hope your spell is worth all this Ashen.”

“What does it do exactly?” asked Midnight.

Ashen wiped the sweat from his brow “It purifies the chaos magic that created them and returns it to natural state, or so the theory goes at least.”

Scion tilted his head and looked at Ashen “Chaos magic? Hmm…I have never heard of such a thing.”

Ashen shrugged “Well it’s just a theory. I’ll explain it all later.” He walked away from the pile “For now, will you both come over here?”

“Gladly” Scion said as he and Midnight walked to Ashen’s side.

Ashen took a deep breath “Ok, here goes.” His horn started to glow bright Violet. A white line slowly took shape and surrounded the goblins. The line traced a triangle on the ground around the bodies. Ashen exhaled sharply as he raised his head. The light shot up from the ground and formed a shimmering crystalline chamber around the pile. The glow around Ashen’s horn intensified as he poured more power into the spell. The bodies inside the chamber slowly began to dissolve into a swirling black mist, tinted with shadowy rays of purple and green light.

Ashen focused as he prepared for the final step in the spell. He stomped his hoof on the ground, lowered his head and took quick deep breaths. The glow around his horn intensified and created a corona that released small sparks of energy. Ashen focused his gaze at the chamber. The white light slowly grew in the chamber.

The black mist twisted and turned as it expanded and pushed out the light. Ashen struggled to lift his head as he poured more magic into the chamber. The chamber glowed brilliantly as the light began to collapse the dark mist. The mist writhed and took a serpentine shape as it shrunk. It slammed itself against the walls of its cell over and over as it tried to break free of its glassy prison. The light pushed the mist to the center of the chamber. Ashen knew this was his chance. He focused all of his magic into his horn and pushed his body to its limit. He screamed out to the heavens as his magic exploded into the chamber and filled it with blinding light.

An eerie cry echoed out as the light burst into the chamber. The black mist faded with the light and soon revealed a translucent, shimmering radiance at its core. The light glimmered and flickered, its ever-changing hue made the chamber’s walls glow in a myriad of colors. The chamber walls sung out as cracks worked their way up to the roof.  The small cracks split then shattered the chamber into thousands of tiny fragment that floated in the air and slowly faded away.

Midnight stood still, her jaw agape as she watched the mist fade into the winds “By the storm’s blood! What…what in Equestria was that!?”

Scion answered her in a voice just as shaken “I…I have no idea. I-I have never seen, nor…nor even heard of anything like that! That…mist appeared as though it was…alive.”

Midnight turned to Ashen “W-what just happened?”

Ashen’s head hung low to the ground, his eyes wide open as he took quick, shallow breaths. Concern quickly replaced Midnight’s Astonishment “Ashen? Are you al-?”

Ashen collapsed to the ground before, Midnight finished her sentence. Midnight and Scion both yelled out his name as they rushed over.

After a few minutes, Ashen slowly opened his eyes. Midnight knelt beside him and fanned him with her wing

Midnight quickly looked up to Scion “Scion, he’s awake!”

Scion bent down to look at Ashen “Ashen, are you alright? Your pupils are quite contracted.” Ashen nodded his head. Scion smiled “Well, that is good. However, you seem to have overexerted yourself.” Ashen tried to stand, he got about halfway up before his leg gave way and he fell back down. Scion caught him and lowered him to the ground “Easy, easy friend. No need to rush, take your time and catch your breath.”

Ashen spoke up in a breathless voice “How…how long was I out?”

“Nearly three minutes” answered Midnight “You had us worried. Are you sure you’re ok?”

A weak smile crossed Ashen’s face as he let out an exhausted laugh “Who wouldn’t be?” He paused to take a breath “Waking up next to you.”

Midnight immediately stopped fanning him and stood up with a scowl “Clearly, he's fine.”

Scion shook his head and sighed “Clearly.” His tone turned serious “Ashen, you have depleted most of your magic any further and you would have risked injury or even death. Do you understand how serious this is?”

Ashen slowly stood “Yes, yes I do. I understand perfectly, but I had to purify them and return their magic to its natural state.”

Midnight lowered her head with a sigh “I…I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Do not feel bad Midnight” said Scion “neither do I, that black mass, chaos magic, purification, magic’s natural state. Ashen could you please explain any of this to us?”

Ashen held his head “Alright. I’ll try to explain everything.”

Midnight’s stomach growled loudly before he could say another word “S-sorry” her cheeks slowly turned a rosy red, much to Ashen’s delight “I…I had to skip breakfast this morning and because of all this…I missed lunch too.”

Ashen could not contain his smile even if he wanted to “Maybe I could explain over dinner then. Come on it’ll be my treat to thank you both for helping me today.”

Midnight quickly smiled as her eyes lit up “Really? That would just be great!”

“A splendid idea Ashen” said Scion “but could we have some time to freshen up first?” He scraped the last remnant of goblin blood off his hoof and onto the grass “I feel rather…unsanitary at the moment.” “

“That’s fine” said Ashen “let’s meet at the restaurant in an hour.”

Midnight quickly spoke up “How about, half an hour?”

Ashen laughs “Alright then. I’ll see you in half an hour.”

Midnight spread her wings and walked past them both with an eager smile “Sounds great, see you boys there.”

Ashen happily watched her as she flew off “Seems all it takes to make her happy is to mention food.” He chuckles to himself “Wish I knew that earlier.”

Scion looked at Midnight then glared at Ashen “You know Ashen. You really should not tease her so.”

Ashen shrugged “Yeah I know, but she’s just so adorable, especially when she blushes.”

Scion chuckled “While that may be true, you just met her yesterday. You should not be so discourteous towards her.”

Ashen sighed and rubbed his mane “Yeah, maybe you’re right. I know I can be a bit irritating at times. Maybe I’ll apologize to her at dinner.”

“I think you should” said Scion “But for now, let us just get back to town. I want to wash the stench of goblin out of my mane.” Scion picked up his blood stained cape then they both headed towards Canterlot.