Defense of a New World

Not but two hours after dawn the village was a buzz with cows and calves. Those that were old enough helped make food and prepare everything for the evenings festivities. While the warriors slept to recover from last nights hard fight and those too young to help, played. There was one tipi in the village that had the calves attention. As they looked on at the sleeping forms of the strangers that helped to save them, they gaped in aw. Soon the armor clad worrier began to stir, they watched as he stood, stretched and as soon as he was done he kick the creature they had never seen before. The other stood and stretched and then grabbed his tail and yanked on it. A series of loud cracks could be heard before they started to dawn their gear and made their way to the entrance.

Night and Brights had a smile on their faces as they watched the calves scramble as they made their way out. "So Night what are you going to do?" Brights folded his arms behind his head and leaned back supporting himself with his tale.

"I'm going to see the Chief if I can. Get some info on where we are and see if there are any clues about our brother or our home. What about you?" He slightly turned to Brights.

"Me? Well I think I'll just mess around with the yokels. See what's what and have some fun."

Night fully turned to Brights towering over him "We need their help Brights don't go and mess this up with your shenanigans, got it!"

Brights gave him a cocky smile "You know me bro, always out for the fun."

Night slugged him in the shoulder "Just keep out of trouble ok? I don't want to have to bail you out again like last time."

Brights turned and waved as he walked off "Don't worry so much ok, it will give you a gray mane."

Night started to turn and began to walk before he was looking where he was going. He bumped into Little Strongheart nearly knocking her off her hooves. He quickly thrust out his hand grabbing her around her waist, pulling her up on her hooves and into his chest. A blush quickly took Little Strongheart's face and she backed away.

"The little ones came and told me you and your friend were awake so I came to get you. My father, the Chief, wishes to speak to you." Little Strongheart looked around and then checked the tent. "May I ask where your friend went?"

"Brights is a buffoon and is ill suited for what I believe your father wishes to speak of, so he took leave and is roaming around your village."

She held her hand to her chin in thought. "I see, very well then I shale lead you to my father, please follow me." With that she turned and began to walk off with Night soon hot on her heels.

From what he could tell as they walked Little Strongheart was leading him to the center of the village. They soon came upon a very impressive tipi which looked big enough to house at least ten to thirteen buffalo. Little Strongheart stopped just outside and held a hand up telling him to wait. She entered steam seeping from the opening before it closed and after a few minutes a deep gruff voice beckoned him in.

It was hard to see at first with all the steam but soon he could make out the Chief and Little Strongheart sitting across a pit filled with smoldering logs. The Chief slowly reached over to a ladle in a tub of water and splashed some on to the logs making them give off more steam. "I am sorry stranger for asking you to come in here while it is like this, it must be uncomfortable for you as you've never been in this tradition before. After a hard battle it is customary to go through this right to heal the body and soul."

Night just sat across from them and waved a hand. "It is quite all right Chief Thunderhooves. My brother enchanted my armor to be immune to heat or cold. I could fight on the top of a volcano ready to blow and would not feel its heat."

Thunderhooves Smile grew a bit. "Your brother has done well then to make sure you are safe from harm, though he does not strike me as a skilled magi."

Night just burst out laughing "I....I'm so sorry but....but do you mean Brights. Oh that is a good one. No sorry Brights is only skilled at summoning magic. No I mean our brother Venrus Nightingale, whom is the subject I would like to approach you on."

"Go a head my friend ask what you will and I will tell all I can but I will hope for the same in return. For starters what is your name?"

"Oh please forgive my rudeness I am Night Blade one of three leaders of the Dark Claw guild. Me and my brother Brights were out on a mission and some how ended up in this desert. If you can, have you heard anything about a strange Keep or creatures of unknown origins appearing in the area?"

"I am afraid I have not. What of you my daughter have you heard anything from Appaloosa when you last went?"

"No father I can not say I have but I am do to make a trip there tomorrow, perhaps I can take Night and Brights with me. They could ask around while I get supplies. If they don't learn anything they could take the train to one of the other pony cities and look there."

"That is a great idea daughter. What say you Night?"

"I don't see why not but it may be Brights that does all the talking I am a bit imposing in my armor."

Thunderhooves smirked an tilted his head. "Then why not remove your armor or at the very least your helm? I have to say I would like to see whom I speak with."

"I can not!" Night trembled in his armor as his memories flooded his mind. All that pain, all that suffering and it was all his doing. "I am sorry but I can not. When I was just starting out I was young and naïve. I join a guild I thought would help me make it to the top but in the end they were my downfall. They used and abused me to no end and blacked mailed me to keep me on a leash. It was not till my brothers found and saved me did I truly find a home. I am sorry but I will not show my face to anyone I do not trust with my life."

"You fought by my side, I give you shelter and invite you to our feast and you think me unworthy of your trust!"

Thunderhooves clenched his fist and was about to stand but was stopped by Little Strongheart. "Father he has just met us and is new to this land by what he told us. He is well within his rights to not show us who he is. He did save my life after all."

Thunderhooves grunted and gave a small bow. "Please excuse my outburst. Now let us get on to other matters."

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Brights was sitting on top a tipi watching as everyone went about there business. The cows were happily at work and calves were running around. He was starting to get very board until a group of calves started to call to him. He jumped down from the tipi into the middle of the small group before they even saw what happened.

They all jumped and spun to the middle where he was standing. "Wow mister you sure are fast. How did you do that?"

Brights gave them a big smile before he crossed his legs and sat on his tail using it as a chair to sit in the air. "The how does not matter little one but what does is what you need with me."

A few began to marvel at how he could just sit three feet off the ground on his tail but a few were still determined to talk to the new creature. "We want to know how you did that. All there is to do is clime the cliffs or go to the cave or the cannon. Every time we try to get to the top on the tipis they come apart and if we do get up there the poles move causing it to fall."

"Well you see what I'm doing now right, well its the same thing. All I did was jump up on top and kept my weight even with the poles to make sure it didn't fall. You just got to practice is all." Bright laid back on his tail without falling over making a few of the calves mad.

"We do, the cows do there job and we bulls train to be warriors but I've never seen anyone do what you have."

"Well I am not a warrior, I don't rely on strength to beat my opponents like you do. I am a rouge, I use speed and agility to take down my enemies."

"Oh we met someone like that once. He wanted to fight some of the bulls and beat them by getting around their attacks and going for their weak points."

"Yes that is exactly what I do. So now that you got your answer is there anything else?"

A female calf walked up to him with a cute innocent smile. "Yes there is. Tag your it." She then gave him a big shove nocking him to the ground and the calves ran off.

Some of the cows that saw what happened moved to help him but stopped when they saw his face. It was not one of anger but one of mirth and glee. A huge smile threatened to split his face in two as he got on to all fours his tail lashing in the air like an anger cobra. What the cows saw looked like a wild beast ready for a fight. "So that's how you want to play it. Well ready or not here I come." He pushed off to the left and in a blur of motion he was gone. Only a little push of kicked up dust moving in the same direction was any indication he was ever even there.

For the rest of the day till it was time for the festival the mirthful screams of the calves could be heard throughout the village.

Right as the festival was to start Brights walked by and happened to see Night, the Chief and Little Strongheart leaving a tipi.

"So how did everything go Night, get any useful info from the Chief here?"

"Yes but nothing on Venrus or the Dark Flame Keep. Tomorrow we will go with Little Strongheart here to a nearby settlement and see what we can find. Depending on what we get, there is a train we can take to other cities to gather more info."

"I see, that is a problem. I hope we can find him soon he cant take care of the garden if his life depended on it and the servants can only do so much."

Thunderhooves threw an arm over their shoulders pulling them close. "That is for tomorrow my friends but for now we party!"

The festival went on well into the night and everyone had a blast. The food, music and drink set the perfect atmosphere. Brights and Night both had a good time but slipped off to get a early rest for the trip a head.