Wrath

Wrath and Twilight finally made it to the edge of the Apple's property. Twilight and the girls were planning to have a small get together, complete with games, to see how Wrath handles social situations. They began to walk the dirt path leading to the barn and Applejack's home. Twilight turned to look at the human, and saw his typical stony face. She softly shook her head. Why does he hide his emotions? How would anypony know how your feeling if you have the same stern expression on most of the time? If you are down how would anypony cheer you up if they don't know. Twilight furrowed her brow. Maybe that's just it, Wrath is not a pony. Are human's just not social creatures?

Apple trees gave way to grass and eventually dirt as the pair made it to the household and barn of the apple residence. A large banner hung from the top of the door frame of the barn. With only a pony's face smiling on it. The doors stood semi-ajar with a familiar orange pony leaning on them, blocking Twilight from seeing further inside.

Twilight smiled at her friend, she smiled back and waved. Wrath made a short bow of his head his greeting.

"Howdy Twi and Wrath! Glad yall are here." The county mare seemed off to Twilight, who new her friend fairly well. Hey eyes kept flicking from the barn to Wrath.

"Are you ok Applejack? You look like something is bothering you."

"Well, I mean.." Applejack visibly swallowed a lump in her throat. "I just never had royalty in my barn before, its got me a little worked up,"

Twilight shook her head with a small smile.

"Being around Celestia has never bothered you before has it?"
'

"That's the thing Twilight, it aint Celestia."

Twilight visibly brightened.

"You mean Cadence is here?!" Twilight was overjoyed, and that fact was plainly written on her face.

"I dislike being the bearer of bad news Twilight, but that is not Cadence," Wrath said, staring over Applejack's head and into the barn. "I do not recognize that Alicorn."

It dawned on Twilight who it was, and she suppressed the urge to shudder. She had nothing against Princess Luna, but Nightmare Moon haunted her dreams still. When she first appeared she looked nothing like Nightmare Moon did. But as weeks went by, and her appearance returned to what it should be, Twilight could see the resemblance.

And it scared her.

Wrath however, seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Well, let's go meet her then." He said. Applejack nodded and opened the door further, and dissapeared inside. Wrath followed shortly leaving Twilight outside alone. The sun was bright enough that she could not see more than a meter inside the barn. She took a shaky breath and steeled her resolve. Princess Luna is not Nightmare Moon. Princess Luna is not Nightmare Moon. Princess Luna is not Nightmare Moon.

With that Mantra playing in her head she finally followed into the barn.

The barn was arranged to host a party. There were banners hanging everywhere obviously made by Pinkie. A table filled with all manner of confections. As well as for some reason a few carnival games. Pin the tail on the pony and darts to name a few. Why? Rainbow Dash and Rarity were at the dartboard talking fiercely, each with a dart in hoof. Pinkie was nowhere to be seen, and Fluttershy was hovering near Wrath's shoulder while he and Applejack stood behind Luna. Who had her head in a bucket of water and apples. Princess Luna, diarch of the equestria and keeper of the night, was bobbing for apples in a barn.Huh

Twilight and Applejack stand around her, unsure of what action to take next. Wrath however, has no such confusion. He walks around to the other side of the bucket before kneeling and sticking his hand into the water. A moment passes, and Luna rips her head from the water, splashing all the ponies that had been waiting behind her.

Wrath tries to wipe the water from his face, to no avail. He had been closest to the epicenter of the splash and was soaked. Luna's back was turned to the ponies and she seems to Twilight to just be staring at Wrath.

"So you are the creature our sister spoke of."

"I am."

Luna turns her head and looks at Twilight, who gulps. Not Nightmare Moon

"Twilight Sparkle, we would like to have a small discussion with you." Twilight nods shakily.

"Of course princess."

Luna turns and trots to the far side of the barn, Twilight gives her friends a nervous smile as she follows the princess. Once Twilight catches up Luna begins in a hushed tone.

"What have you learned about him? Can he be trusted?"

Twilight hesitates then slowly nods, and whispers.

"He is not impolite. Perhaps a bit blunt but friendly enough. I have learned very little about him aside from that he has seen more than his fair share of combat. He panicked when Pinkie used her party cannon and tore her door off its hinges and hid behind it. So maybe he has a stress disorder of some kind? He has not been aggressive in any way."

Luna rose her head and looked at the ceiling. She let out a hum as she pondered something unknown to Twilight. Bringing her head back down with a determined look she declares.

"We will question him ourselves."

Twilight watches her promptly turn and march toward the human. Who she sees now has his own head in the apple bobbing bucket. Her friends are surrounding him as his head moves about beneath the surface.

Luna and Twilight reach the scene and see some air bubbles coming up.

"How long has he been down there?" Luna asks.

"Oh a minute or two, or three." Rarity answers.

The 6 mares watch as Wrath's head continues to move about beneath the surface. I wonder what his lung capacity is? Twilight thinks. She has no measurement of the human's physical capabilities, she will have to try to correct that in the near future.

"Princess?" Rainbow Dash asks.

"Hmm?" She responds, turning her head away from Wrath.

"Not that you aren't welcome or anything, but why did you come and not Celestia? Didn't she say she wanted to personally oversee him?" She did. Twilight remembers the lengthy discussion her and the elements had with princess Celestia when Wrath was unconscious. Her and her friends where to see if Wrath could integrate into a pony society or at least prove he was not some bloodthirster addicted to combat. The elements would vote after the year period was up on whether Wrath would be resealed or freed.

"Yes, but we convinced out sister to allow us to come in her stead, we wished to see the human ourselves." As Luna finished Wrath raised her head from the water. He has an insane smile on his face and an apple core in his mouth. He takes the core from his mouth and thrusts his fist into the air, before promptly sucking wind.

"I don't think that's how your supposed to do it." Fluttershy mumbles just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Wrath dear, you don't have to eat the apple underwater, you just have to bite onto it and pull it out." Rarity says. Garnering a shocked expression from the human. Who slowly lowers his fist and uncurls it, revealing the crushed apple core. He tosses it behind him before coughing slightly and returning to his feet. He then locks eyes with Rarity.

"I see." He mutters.

"We would like to have a discussion with you." Luna says. "In private." She adds. Looking around to Twilight and her friends. They collectively shrug and make our way out of the barn.

Luna's magic closes the barn door and locks it. The five mares stand around and look at each other for several moments.

"Soooooooooooo," Rainbow starts. "Learn anything new about the big guy?" Twilight thinks for a moment before nodding.

"Yes, but not much."

"Oh then do tell darling." Rarity chimes in.

"Well," Twilight takes a breath and briefly reflects on the previous day. "He seems very intelligent, but very primal as well."

"Uhhhhh, what do ya mean by 'primal' Twi?" Applejack asks. Twilight takes a moment to consider her answer.

"He is very instinctual, and is close to nature. I think he has been doing the same thing, fighting that is, for a very long time. So much so that he became accustom to it. But I don't think he has always been this way, I can't prove that though, not yet."

As Twilight finishes a flash of pink soars past her vision and hears a distinct THUD. She is briefly dazed before shaking her head and looking toward the direction that the pink blur had gone, toward the barn, specifically its door. A door coated magically in a locking spell by Princess Luna.

None other than Pinkie Pie sits at the base of the large barn door, then turns Toward Twilight and the rest of the elements while clutching her nose.

"I dink I dok by dose." She says through her hoof. Twilight hears Fluttershy gasp and briefly wonders why, before seeing the crimson dripping from Pinkie's hoof.

"Pinkie!" Fluttershy exclaims before rushing to her wounded friend. "Oh my... we need gauze or cloth to cover it to stop the bleeding and some ice for the swelling."

"That is A LOT of blood." Rainbow Dash says looking at the blood running down Pinkie's hoof and dripping onto the grass. She shivers slightly. "I'll grab the cloth, be right back Pinkie!" Twilight looks at the Rainbow blur that is Rainbow Dash as she speeds toward Ponyville. Well that wont take long, now about the ice.

"I got some ice inside, I'll be right back girls!" Applejack exclaims before turning and galloping toward her home. Well, now all we can do is wait. Or maybe?

"Does it hurt Pinkie? I can numb the area with a numbing spell." Twilight asks the pink mare.

"Doh, id dust durts a widdle." She replies. Wow that is bleeding profusely. Twilight thinks. She looks down and sees none on the ground. Shouldn't there be a considerable pool of it by now? She looks back up at Pinkie's hoof and watches the blood flow. It goes from her nose, down her hoof, drips off her hoof and..... Mistifies? There is a stream of red mist. Twilight's eyes widen. It is almost impossible to see but a thins stream of red mist is flowing off of pinkie.

Twilight walks around and traces the stream to the cracks in the barn door frame. Where have I seen that before? She only ponders a moment before her mind flashes to the canterlot invasion.

A red fog began to seep through the cracks in the door. Chrysalis blasted it with a small amount of magical energy. Which is swallowed by the fog. The fog begins to work its way up the door, coating it, until the entire door is nearly concealed by a veil of crimson. The door fizzles briefly and a spell cast upon it by Chrysalis fades. The door slowly opens and a hand appears opening the door fully. Wrath appears, heavily wounded but with a look of grim determination on his face.

The vision of Wrath wounded with an aura of bloody fog surrounding him is perfectly envisioned by Twilight's mind's eye. This could be bad, very bad.

She waits around for several more minutes watching the stream of blood-fog flow before abruptly stopping, and pooling beneath Pinkie as it should. Soon both Rainbow Dash and Applejack return. Fluttershy carefully dresses Pinkie's wound and the six chat until they hear a shout from inside the barn.

"We will not be subverted! you are on!"

The barn door shuts, and Luna casts a warding spell upon the door.

"There, we shall not suffer small ears" She turns to me with a stoic expression. "Now, onto you. I have some questions of my own."

I nod and sit. Cross-legged on the ground. Sitting, the Princess's head is only slightly higher than my own.

"What would you wish to know?" I ask, opening my arms with my palms exposed in a hopefully placating gesture. Luna seems unimpressed.

"Firstly, we would like to gauge just how much a threat you pose. My sister tells me you defeated the Changeling queen, but barely survived the ordeal. Is this correct?"

"Yes, but I would like to add that I fought through her army as well." Luna thinks for a moment, and then squints her eyes.

"Yes, you did. Ponies reported a strange bipedal creature wading through the melee. I assume this was you?

"I believe so."

"A few of the reports stated that you seemed rather insane whilst you fought." I sigh and relax my shoulders, I look Luna in the eyes while maintaining a stoic expression.

"Yes. That would be accurate." Her gaze does not waver.

"Explain."

"It is a long story princess."

"We are immortal and therefore have a lot of time."

"Very well." How am I to start? I stroke my beard absentmindedly. " To begin, I am a human being."

"I am aware of what you are, Wrath."

"Ah, so you are. But have you ever seen one like me? Do you have any knowledge of my kin?"

".........no" The princess lowers herself to the ground.

"That is where the tale begins, do you know of the alicorn empire?"

"Aye, but very little. Only what archaeologists have uncovered while we were....away.....we knew nothing of it before." I nod in turn. She does not know about her parents. Celestia keeps that knowledge to herself. Interesting.

"I was summoned to this realm by the old alicorn King and Queen." Luna's eyes widen and her mast of stoicism breaks, and her confusion shows through.

"How is that possible?"

"I know not. But I know I was wrenched from my home to this realm, not willingly I might add." Her confusion lasts several more moments, before the stoic mask reforms.

"The tale of your origin is interesting. But how does it pertain to your apparent lust for battle?"

"I am getting to it. My kind used magic different, yet the same, as yours." She nods, I continue. "We materialized out magic through the 11 different magical energies. I am attuned to one of them, as are all humans. I am attuned to the seventh magic, it manifests almost exclusively during combat. Specifically whenever blood is shed" She raises an eyebrow.

"And when the magic is 'manifested' as you say, it causes you joy?"

"No, not exactly," How do I put this? "It...affects me. If I am not careful it can overtake me. The further into a melee I get, the more blood is shed, the harder it is to maintain control. All creatures are effected by their magic. But some are uncommon, and some do not have such adverse affects."

Luna frowns and lowers her gaze to the ground in front of her.

"You say the seventh magic, surely you have a name for it?" I open my mouth to respond, but a familiar energy enters my body. Luna must sense it too for head snaps up and her horn begins to faintly glow.

"What are you doing?!"

"Nothing! The magic is coming to me from....from..." I turn my head and look about the room. Trying to pinpoint the location. Blood is being shed, somewhere very close. My hands form fists.

"From where?" Luna asks.

I look about for a moment longer before I see the source. A steady, but weak, stream of bloody fog is streaming through the door frame.

"It is coming from just outside the barn." I tell the princess. Her horn lights up in a brilliant display of magic before softly returning to the dull glow of before.

"It seems the element bearer of joy has injured her nose." I try to relax my body, but old urges are hard to ignore, I cannot un-ball my fists or un-tense my muscles.

I chuckle darkly.

"Do you see now princess? My magic in action! I can control myself with such a small amount but a nasty wound would prove harder to ignore."

She looks worried for but a moment before her mast of stoicism, her 'princess mask', returns.

"This is.........informative. Thank you Wrath, we will bring this information to our sister. As long as nobody is seriously wounded then you are safe to be around, yes?" I shake my head.

"It is not the severity of the wound that matters princess, it is the amount of bloodshed. A bloody nose bleeds a great deal. Unless a pony is disemboweled no single wound should affect me more than this." I steady my breathing and try to return to my previous state of calm. It is proving to difficult a task with the constant stream of blood.

She walks over to the door, and her horn glows a brighter shade of blue, and the door is layered with another spell. The flow of blood ceases. She walks back over to me and smiles.

"We have learned much! We thank you." She turns to the bucket of water and apples and sticks her head in. She rummages around fora bout 15 seconds before raising her head with an apple between her teeth. She levitates the apple away from her mouth and sets it on the ground next to the bucket.

"That is how you do it! Would you like to try again? Under two minutes this time?"

With the flow of magic cut off. My normalcy begins to return to me. She has a spell that can block the magic? I have never seen such a spell before I stand. But that is not a bad thing, in fact, that is a very good thing. I look the princess in the eye.

"Very much so Princess, in fact, I bet I can beat your time." I wolfishly grin. She looks aghast.

"We will not be subverted! You are on!"