Fire, Ice and Blood

„We should turn around“, urged Moonshine with a bit of fear in his voice. “What?” Sir Zodiac scoffed, “Are you  now afraid of some dead bodies?”. Moonshine wasn’t, but he felt uncomfortable with the thought he had to watch that sad, earthly scene again. They were knights of the sky, destined to protect their civils from above, although in the last times all they were doing was, counting the corpses for their weekly report. “It is truly a shame what the knightskies became; from distinguished warriors to little boys that can’t even defend their own land from those things. To my times it was an honor to join these knights”, grumbled Old White Feather. “Those things” how White Feather described them so tenderly were the fabled monster every knightsky feared in the deep of their heart. They called them “Star’s Death” because after the legend every time a star would fall from the night sky a creature of this abomination would be born. Sir Zodiac snorted, deriding the old stallion. Of course he didn’t believe those fairy tales. Yes, they found a bit disturbing mount of dead civils in the last days, but it could have been anything that killed them. Equestria was a dangerous place to live and in the end it was probably simply the cold that let them die one for one. “Over there”, pointed Moonlight, this is where I found them”. Their dark wings brought them to the bright glade. A few houses and a mill were standing there. The wind blowed cold and relentlessly as they landed. “And?”, Sir Zodiac asked, “Where exactly are all those dead ponies you told us about?”. Moonlight searched for any clue on the floor. “I swear they were-“, he began but stopped all of the sudden. The Old White Feather shrugged alarmed, not knowing what has happened behind his back, only feeling the sharp dagger that was drilled in his scapula. The old stallion tried to turn his head for the last time. He wanted to look his murder at least face to face. How disappointed it must have been for him to only find this figure of a white, chubby pony with a dirty mane and jet-black eyes that twinkled like buttons in the moonlight. Its horn glowed in a disturbing kind of blue as it pulled the dragger out only to pile it him deeper in his neck. White Feather looked at the Star’s Death, the knowledge of his fate already in his eyes. He glanced down. The puddle of his blood seeped in the ground. And he fell down. Moonlight stared at his dead body. “Don’t just stand there!”, Sir Zodiac screamed, “Help me!”. Zodiac took his blade out of the sheath, ready to fight. He joined the Knightskies five years ago and was ever since a loyal and brave warrior even in the face of death he would swing his sword daintily to save his brothers. Quite the contrary to Moonlight whose wings served the Knightskies for not a full year. In his eyes you could see that he was still a colt, unknowing of the actually threats from the world he was living in. All he could do was watching Zodiac fight, watching Zodiac fall. The Star’s Death would ram every second his dragger into the knight’s head. “Moonlight, help me!”, he screamed. Moonlight stepped backwards. “Help! Help me! Moonlight!” But the stallion didn’t move, although he couldn’t watch Zodiac die either. In his daintiness lied something Moonlight secretly admired. No was his chance. Save him, become a hero. Save him, become a true Knightsky. That was all what he could think of. But he thought slowly, paralyzed from fear. And he was no hero and no true Knightsky and neither would he ever become someone.

He was shaking like a leaf as he flew away. The Star’s Death killed two of his brothers so he could flee. He chose to become a deserter instead of dying as an honored Knightsky and he knew what punishment he would get. Moonlight resided in the Frozen North and it would take at least one night and one day to reach the Galloping Gorge where the Lord of Gorgefield together with his wife and his children lived. Or Moonlight could go to north back to the Knightskies how his oath demanded it, however it would be much easier to go first to Galloping Gorge and trust the mercy of the ruling Lord. He enjoyed an excellent reputation of being distinguished, honest and brave, a true gentleman. He will understand that the Star’s Death left me no choice. Even if everypony thought those creatures would be extinct, Moonlight trusted the Lord of the Gorgefield enough to have mercy on his soul. And so he set up.