War Mages & False Prophets

Chapter 6

Learning Is A Two Way Street, Taking A Life Back

Lyra and Braxton walked side by side down one of the main roads of Ponyville, Lyra giving the taller human male excited glances every chance she got, as if to reassure herself that he was, in fact, real.

Recognizing quickly that his longer legs were forcing Lyra to hurry her steps, Braxton paced his stride to match the mint-hued unicorn mare so he wasn't pulling her along. Giving her a glance of his own as she entered his field of view, she struck Braxton as nineteen to twenty-two years old. She was five foot flat, with a medium-framed athletic build by human standards, and by his best guess weighed one hundred twenty-six to one hundred thirty-two pounds. Braxton also took note that she shook not from fear, but excitement; he could tell she had a lot of questions but no clue of what to ask first.

He gave Lyra a soft smile at that, and broke the companionable silence that was between them. “I can tell you have many questions, Ms. Heartstrings. By all means, ask me anything you desire. If it's too personal I will say so, but no offense will be taken. And in turn, I hope you might tell me of this rather ugly business you find yourself in.”

“Oh! Um… thank you…” Lyra struggled not stammer, startled by his voice and how easily he had read her. She didn’t wish to seem rude, but there was just so much she wanted to ask Braxton about his species, to say nothing about Braxton himself. His very presence made her giddy; she knew she was acting like a helpless fangirl around him and to top it all off she looked completely frumpy, far from somepony who should be walking down the street arm in arm with a stallion like this!

Plus her current troubles also weighed in on the back of her mind, only compounding her stress—it just didn’t seem right to suddenly feel so happy while Bon Bon was still in danger. But Braxton's gentle voice shook her out of her looping thoughts as she looked up to him. To see his gentle smile and crystal blue eyes, she couldn't help but blush at him when she realized she was staring.

“Oh… yes, perhaps could we start with the vital statistics,” Lyra said, trying but failing to maintain an air of professional objectivity and not let on how flustered she truly felt around him. Using her magic to bring up a scroll and pen as they walked. “Um... are you married?” she blurted out then grimaced, wondering why in the name of Celestia she choose to ask THAT first! W-Well, I just want to know how human pair bonding works… she tried to tell herself, not entirely successfully.

Braxton gave a short warm bark of laughter, belying the shadow that passed briefly over his eyes. “Widower.”

Lyra's ears flattened out, regretting the question instantly. “I am sorry. I didn't mean to pry.”

Braxton shook his head and gave her a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder. “Not at all, Ms. Heartstrings. I did say you could ask anything, and if it was too personal I would tell you,” he responded in a gentle tone. “This is such a case. Yes, I was married once, but I would prefer not to share the particulars at this time. If you wish to know about human courtship or marriages in general, however, then I would be happy to share.” He favored her with another smile.

“Thank you, Braxton. And please call me Lyra.” Lyra said her ears returning to their upright state, feeling not just relief but starting to relax around him..

“Very well, Lyra,” Braxton said with a smile.

“I should have asked this first… how old are you, Braxton? ” Lyra asked taking notes upon the scroll. “I ask because I wish to know if ponies and humans age at the same rate.”

“Over twenty-one,” he replied coyly. “And if I might ask a question in return… they said you were a doctor. In what field of study? ” Braxton returned with a question of his own.

“I get it, you don't want anyone to know how old you are...” Lyra wrote down her observations, a couple guesses as to why that would be floating through her head briefly. “I am a doctor of Cryptozoology, which involves the study of creatures whose existence is theorized but unproven... um, how big are you?”

Braxton raised his eyebrows and his voice danced with mirth. “My... my... we are covering the vital statistics. Perhaps you wish to know how that compares to ponies as well?” he suggested almost lasciviously as Lyra’s hands slapped hard over her mouth and redness shot from her cheeks all the way up to the tips of her ears. “But I suppose I could show you for the sake of science if you really want to know....” his expression turned impish as he teased her further.

Lyra’s only response was an embarrassed whimper as she pulled her hood up over her head for a moment, trying desperately to get her blush under control. “I m-meant... how tall are you?” she offered somewhat feebly, not even sure if she truly did. Come on mare, get a grip! You’re walking next to one of the most important discoveries in Equestria and he now more than likely thinks you’re a pervert who just wants to get into this pants…. She inwardly cringed until Braxton's renewed laughter pulled her away from berating herself.

This time, Braxton answered her restated question directly. “About six feet two inches. And you may come out of hiding, Lyra. I may boldly jest, but I knew what you meant.”

“Th-thanks…” Lyra wrote more down on the scroll, mentally rehearsing her next question carefully for fear she might accidentally say something untoward again. “Next, might I ask how much you weigh?”

Braxton thought a moment. “I have not weighed myself in some time, but last I knew, about two hundred twenty-five to two hundred and thirty imperial pounds. And if you would permit another question in return, do you have colleagues in your field of Cryptozoology?”

Lyra wrote down what Braxton had said and stole a look at his handsome profile when she was sure Braxton wasn't looking, finding him very pleasing to her eyes despite his lack of fur or any real pony attributes. But his question brought her back to the present, and her expression dropped for it. “I am the only one in this field, and an academic laughing stock for it. No one takes my work or theories seriously and I fear I have few friends for it.” She became downcast.

“Then they are fools, Lyra Heartstrings,” he squeezed her shoulder again, sending a fresh wave of warmth through her, making her nearly drop her notepad. “For it would seem the proof of your theories now stands before you, and will be more than happy to assist you in regaining your good name.”

Lyra couldn’t help it, leaping immediately into his arms and sobbing in them. For she knew Braxton was right—his presence meant that her life had hope and meaning again.

He held her patiently until she was ready to let go. “Th-thank you…” she finally managed, still sniffling.

“Who am I to turn down the needs of a lady in distress?” he asked roguishly. “If I can in any way help you, Lyra, then I will do so. Simply name it, and it is yours.”

Lyra had to suppress several immediate ideas for he might do for her, having felt how powerful his form was while hugging him. “I think simply continuing to answer my questions for now will do…” she said, unable to stop herself from giving him yet another appraising look. “So I assume all your bodily functions are... normal?” she blurted out again.

“I beg your pardon, Lyra? ” Braxton asked.

“How very subtle this one is!” Kylnn Ka' tar noted in amusement from his back.

“I m-mean, do you eat?” Lyra said hastily to cover that she had been staring at him again.

“Yes. And by my species, I am an omnivore.” Braxton said stepping in front of Lyra and opening his mouth to show his a mixed set of teeth to her, some pointed and some flat, before closing his mouth and resuming his walk with her as Braxton's stomach gave a growl. This made Lyra giggle.

“Omnivore… exactly what I predicted humans would be…” Lyra said to herself in great satisfaction, just loudly enough for Braxton to hear. “Well, if you’re hungry, we could stop and eat at Sugar Cube Corner?” Lyra suggested as the two of them were crossing sugar cube plaza, still writing down about Braxton's teeth. Not only was he human, thus far he was proving her her hypothesized human behaviors right!

“The offer is appreciated it, but as I assume your race is herbivorous, I must decline. For while I can certainly enjoy eating fruits and vegetables, I need meat. Especially after suffering severe injuries and expending large amounts of magic.” Braxton flatly stated

That caught Lyra short. “Is that why we are going to Everfree to hunt?” she asked, a slight note of alarm in her voice.

He hesitated slightly before continuing, deciding there was no point in not telling her. “No, there is a dead chimera there that I was going to take the meat from. Given its enormous size, it may yield about four to five hundred pounds of meat, so I was going to use that.” Braxton said as they walked. “And before you ask, no, I cannot eat so much in one sitting, but I have ways of preserving the rest for later.”

The color drained from Lyra's face all of a sudden, the accompanying lurch of her stomach leaving her very glad that she hadn’t eaten anything yet. But her ears did catch that he had killed a chimera, and that was also a curiosity for her—Everfree chimeras came in many forms and she was curious what this one was. Of course, if I’m being honest with him, I don’t want to leave him either… she inwardly admitted, though she was less certain whether it was because she was afraid if he left her sight she’d never see him again or for reasons more… personal. I’ve just met this human stallion and I already wish to…?

Braxton broke into her suddenly heady thoughts again. “You are welcome to join me, though I will understand if you prefer not to. Regardless, if you would permit one more question… what is the currency here in Equestria, Lyra?” Braxton asked, noticing that his escort was looking greener around the gills than usual, though the paleness quickly gave way to renewed warmth again.

Lyra was very grateful for the subject change, not wishing to throw up in front of this very important (and handsome!) discovery. “Oh! Um… our monetary system uses bits, Braxton.”

“Bits?” Braxton asked, looking to Lyra.

Lyra combed her clothes for a coin, finding one in the front pocket of her hoodie and then levitating it up to show it to Braxton. “This is a bit.”

Braxton looked over the coin for a moment before plucking it from midair, noting that the passage of his hand through her visible magical aura caused a slight tingling in his fingers. “I see…” he said as he inspected them, noting that despite its hue it was NOT made of gold, but from some unknown alloy. On the gold coin’s face was a bust of Celestia—whom he had learned of during his reading that morning—and upon the back a bust of Luna. “Interesting, but our currency system is radically different.”

“How so? ” this time it was Lyra 's turn to be intrigued as she watched Braxton pull a handful of coins from a pouch at his belt, pointing at each in turn.

“Well, we base our currency on precious metals, with scarcity or utility imparting value. We have Copper, Silver, Gold, Electrum and Platinum. Copper is our lowest, as it takes ten copper to make a silver piece. It takes ten silver to make a gold piece; it takes five gold pieces to make an Electrum. Lastly, it takes two Electrum to make a Platinum,“ Braxton said as he moved his fingers to show each piece to her.“As I might have need of local money, any idea as to the possible rates of conversion?”

Lyra thought a moment. “I don’t know off-hand. Filthy Rich might be able to give you the exchange rate; he is the town’s wealthiest businesspony and well-versed in financial matters, after all.”

Braxton smiled to Lyra. “Perhaps we will visit him later, then. Well, as escort and my guide this is your tour...”At that moment, Braxton's stomach once again growled, letting its thoughts be known. “After we eat, that is...this is getting embarrassing,” he chuckled, rubbing his empty belly.

Lyra could only giggle as well as they made their way back past Fluttershy's cottage and into the Everfree forest. Normally most ponies wouldn't want to set hoof in here except if they had to, but walking next to Braxton she felt quite safe.

Nevertheless, she was given some reason to regret remaining with him as they came upon the dead chimera in a clearing, already smelling somewhat foul. Even dead, it was a rather rattling sight as Lyra was not expecting it to be so big and vicious-looking. She shuddered at the thought of this creature being alive and then the other side of her mind recalled Braxton had killed it, suddenly appreciating how strong he must truly be in order to have slain such a beast. She began hurriedly sketching it in her notebook only to be drawn out of her thoughts when she saw her human friend take a utility knife out of his boot.

“Lyra, If you truly wish to watch, you might want to stand over there,” Braxton advised, pointing his knife to a location upwind of the Chimera. “Its upwind, and when I cut into this carcass, it is really going to stink,” he added as he saw her questioning look.

“Oh…” Lyra immediately moved to the location Braxton suggested. Forcing herself to observe, she watched in some horror as Braxton began to skin the creature and couldn't help but dry heave, covering her mouth as a small amount of the dead creature’s ruptured digestive tract hit her nose. “Br...Brax...Braxton” she heaved, thankful that she had nothing in her stomach to lose. She turned away from the sight trying to steady herself. “F-forgive me for asking, but… why did you kill this creature?”

Braxton then retold the tale of how he heard Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle being attacked by this chimera and how Apple Bloom was mauled and Scootaloo's wings were harmed by the dragon’s flame. Lyra listened stunned, unable to believe it, suddenly finding herself hugging herself tightly against the chill that crept over, rubbing her own arms as she considered how many innocent ponies this creature could have killed had it not been for her human friend.

“Are the fillies alright?” Lyra asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“They are fine,” Braxton assured her as he continued his grisly work. “A draught of Cure Critical Wounds potion was enough to heal them bodily… but mentally, I fear that remains to be seen,” he stated as he finished removing the hide of the Chimera and began taking strips of meat of it. “Lyra, as this will take some time, could you do me a favor and build a fire?” Braxton asked as he looked over the lion's head, trying to determine if there was any point in eating it or any utility in saving its teeth, which could be turned into various tools.

In the end, it took Braxton a good portion of the morning to clean and dress the chimera as Lyra built the fire ring Braxton had asked for. But instead of immediately going to it, he took out a stick of chalk and drew a door on the trunk of a nearby tree. “Lyra, I will be right back,” Braxton said as he carried the bundles of meat to the door, whispering something in a strange language before he somehow pulled it open and entered. As a surprised Lyra approached the tree, the door shut, leaving her for a moment looking at the solid trunk of a tree the door outlined in chalk. Braxton soon emerged and the door shut behind him, the chalk line of the door vanishing upon the gentle breeze of the forest.

“That was amazing! Where did you go, Braxton?” Lyra asked, truly curious.

But to her surprise, his eyes went pained. “Your pardon, Ms. Heartstrings, but may I not answer that, please?” Braxton said, a touch of melancholy in his voice that Lyra quickly picked up on.

She stared at him in some surprise. “I am sorry... was the question indiscreet?” asked Lyra, more curious than ever and wondering why his eyes suddenly looked so sad. .

In response, he closed his eyes and smiled, and by the time he had opened them again the sadness was gone. “No, Lyra, the question wasn't.... But I fear the answer could be..” Braxton answered somewhat cryptically. “And my apologies, Lyra, but I feel it best not to say more.” With that, he seemed to Lyra to put his game face back on and began looking over the dressed Chimera, his stomach growling again, increasingly angry at being ignored.

Lyra noticed him looking over the creature as if he was looking for something as Lyra began to assemble a fire ring. “What are you looking for, Braxton?”

“Looking for the Glyph.” Braxton said flatly as he opened the goat head’s mouth. “And there you are,” as Braxton opened the mouth finding what he sought upon the goat’s tongue; an odd symbol seemingly tattooed directly against it..

“The glyph?” Lyra grimaced as she saw Braxton cut the goat’s tongue out dry heaving again “I have the fire set up, Braxton.”

“Thank you, Lyra” Braxton said as he fashioned two spits and put two hunks of meat upon them. Braxton sheathed his knife and with his free hand snapped his fingers as a small flame sprung up to ignite the tinder and deadfall that Lyra had placed into the fire ring. Satisfied, he then set the meat to cook, propping the spit on some larger rocks and stumps.

“You can use magic?” Lyra asked Braxton in amazement.

“Yes, I can.” Braxton replied as he dried his bloodied hands with dirt.

Lyra hesitated, multiple questions in her mind all demanding they be asked first. “More on that later. First could you tell me about this ‘glyph’?” Lyra asked with great interest, picking up her quill and pen again.

“Certainly,” Braxton agreed as he began slowly turning the spit, the meat quickly beginning to sizzle. “You see, a Chimera isn't a natural creature of the wild. It’s what one calls a homunculus,” Braxton began.

“That sounds like a word Twilight would know of, but please do continue,” Lyra said as she wrote what he said down quickly, her pen scratching out words as it hovered in her magical grasp. “Far too few studies have been done on these creatures, so any insights you have would help us to understand them and defend against them.”

“Of course,” Braxton pulled one of the sticks that was cooking his meal out of the fire and and bit off a hunk of meat. Lyra winced at the act, but only briefly, deciding she’d rather have him eating the creature rather than the creature eating other ponies. She watched as he thought to himself for a bit before keying in on some moss growing on a tree. Braxton drew a circle around the tongue and put a N at the top of the circle relative to the moss of the nearby tree. Lyra watched as he put the other markings around the an E, an S, and a W completed the circle's outer edge around the goat’s tongue. His task done, Braxton finished his first strip of meat and placed another strip onto the fire.

“How much meat do you normally eat in a day if I may ask? ”Lyra said, high curiosity and fascination in her voice she was running out of scroll paper and he had only done a few mundane tasks and she had only asked a handful of questions

“It varies with energy expenditure and other factors, but I generally eat about five pounds of meat a day,” Braxton guessed as he finished off the first spit and swallowed his remaining hunk of cooked meat.

“How long will what you have last?” Lyra asked as her jaw hit the ground, suddenly understanding his need to butcher the beast.

“About two and half months—three if I stretch it. There are ways to preserve it even longer, but it ruins the texture and taste,” Braxton sat down by the fire and took out the little pocket book unfolding it and immediately drawing Lyra's attention to it with childlike wonder.

“What type of book is that? I've never seen a book do that, it was amazing. Where did you get it and how does it keep ink and a pen inside of it?” Lyra rifled off the questions almost as fast as Pinkie had when they met for the first time.

Braxton threw his head back and laughed warmly. It reminded Braxton of his time as an apprentice. “To answer your first question Lyra, this is a traveling spellbook. It keeps the utilitarian spells that a mage or other practitioner of magic that he doesn’t want to commit to memory. As for where I bought it, where I come from there are shops that sell books like this for about one hundred pieces of gold.”

“One Hundred Pieces of gold!?!” Lyra was taken aback. “Braxton, our houses start at that price in bits!” Lyra told him, shocked at the book’s price.

“Perhaps, but for a mage of my talents, it’s well worth it, considering you get a hundred pages and a book that can compress down to a quarter of the size—and even contains a pocket that holds a vial of ink and a quill,“ Braxton continued as he started to jot down a spell from his spell book. He wrote down his spell on the sheet of paper as he ate, noting he had only two sheets left after an hour of transcribing.

“What are you writing? It looks more like a formula than words.” Lyra asked as she had not taken her eyes off of what Braxton was doing.

“You’re right, Lyra. This spell is called ‘copy’ and it’s likely the most used spell in my utility book,” Braxton told her as he picked up the two pieces of parchment. “Observe.” Braxton read the spell off the parchment and the parchment went up in a puff of fire and smoke as the fingertips on Braxton's left hand gave a soft glow. Braxton with his right hand turned the book to a new spell and placed his left hand on it before putting his right hand on the parchment.

Lyra watched in amazement as the ink seemed to burn itself onto the parchment of the two blank pages, perfectly transcribing itself. “That is amazing! Can it do more than a couple of pages?” she asked in excitement, thinking what it could do for her own work or ponies in general.

He smiled at her enthusiasm. “As long as the medium is the same, be it parchment or book page, the spell will transcribe it,” Braxton said as he stood with the two new sheets of parchment in hand and went over to the chimera tongue he had placed in the circle and began to read the parchment and when he concluded the spell the parchment went up like the first. The chimera tongue began to glow blue as it levitated off the ground about four inches, and then slowly spun until pointed to the northeast.

Lyra had by now taken to writing on the backs of her now spent paper; she could more than likely publish a dissertation from these few hours with Braxton alone! The thought brought a giddy smile to her face, and she didn’t immediately hear him call her, only realizing he was addressing her by name the second time he did so. “I’m sorry. What is it, Braxton?”

He gave her a patient smile. “If you went Northeast from here, where would you wind up?” Braxton asked her, deep in thought.

“Northeast? Oh... Canterlot, Braxton. Northeast leads to Canterlot. Is that our next stop?” Lyra said, hoping she could go with him, only to go slightly crestfallen when he shook his head.

“Not yet, Lyra. There is still something we must do.” Braxton said as his eyes looked into Lyra's. “As you have helped me, it is now time for me to help you. Now that my immediate needs are taken care of, let us save your best friend and get your life back.”

Lyra walked alongside Braxton about the town and at times she even blocked his path, carefully steering him away from certain roads. She felt ashamed, but did so in hopes of keeping him away from her trashed house and the embarrassment of her new friend seeing how she had let herself go into a tailspin over the loss of her best friend and her life's work. Braxton had already given her more than she could ever dare hope to imagine, far more than she thought she deserved, and yet here he was giving her even more. Lyra was just not used to this treatment, as it was both foreign and disconcerting even as she felt like she was dreaming.

For his part, Braxton let Lyra take him on a tour of the town. He guessed she didn't seem to want to head to her house, but he could not blame the mare. After all she had been though, he knew she wouldn't want to return to a place that no longer felt safe and probably would just set off her anxieties and fears anew. Time had taught Braxton patience, and he knew enough from past experience that if Lyra was kept busy, Braxton could pose questions about her work and her home. As he asked her about the architecture and general aesthetics of the town’s layout as well as learning Ponyville's social hotspots, he gently probed for information, never pressing, interrogating her gently and as much as possible without her knowing.

It was also his first foray into town, and that brought him additional attention as an alien in the town’s midst. Most of the ponies who saw him were initially startled to see him but put more at ease by the fact Lyra was with him, deciding they felt safe if she did. Most was not all, however; a small minority were openly hostile to him, but when challenged or told to leave, Braxton politely withdrew, not seeking to cause a fight or trouble for Lyra.

After and the two were alone again, Braxton looked to Lyra and realized she was clinging to him, shaking like a leaf. Recognizing her distress and guessing the source of it, he rested his hand upon hers in a comforting gesture. “One of those stallions was in your home last night. Am I right?”

“Silver Mane,” Lyra said shakily without thinking only to slap her hands over her mouth, realizing she had told Braxton something she didn't want to.

“I see…” was his only immediate reply, peering back down the direction the indicated pony had been. “I promise you’re safe with me, Lyra,” he told her, giving her hands a squeeze.

“Th-thank you,” she told him, feeling unsteady once more, and not entirely from seeing her assailant again. Lyra had initially wilted from telling him the name, thinking Braxton would be angered or go charging off like an angry minotaur to right the wrong against her. But to her sheer amazement Braxton did nothing merely craned his head to the side and asked politely. “Is it alright to come in to your home?”

Lyra whipped her head from Braxton to her left and then back to Braxton when she realized they were indeed outside of her home. “...How…?” was all Lyra could say to Braxton's gentle smile. Then she remembered all the questions he asked as they toured Ponyville, and concluded that he had gleaned his answers that way. Though grateful to him, Lyra made an immediate mental note that if her new human friend wanted to know something he could and would find it out. “Pony feathers,” was all Lyra could say with a sigh as she invited him into her home feeling very embarrassed and dreading Braxton leaving tonight.

Once inside in the ruins of her ransacked home, Braxton merely cleared away some debris, sat a chair upright and beckoned Lyra to sit in it, giving her some water from the kitchen. Once she had drank, he asked the mare in a gentle voice. “Lyra, could you tell me of these Stallions that came to you last night?” he requested politely.

“I c-can’t…” she told him. “They’ll kill her…”

“On my honor, they will not,” he swore to her with his hand over his heart, and somehow, she believed him. “If you are not ready to speak of this, then let us attend to your abode first, and perhaps then you will feel ready. I am here to help you, Ms. Heartstrings. What you are going through is something I have dealt with many times in my homeland. And believe me when I tell you I am well-equipped for redressing such wrongs.”

She would have hesitated further, but somehow, she sensed he wasn’t boasting or bragging, just stating a simple fact, and knowing that he had taken down a chimera gave credence to his claims. Still, it took time for her to open up, not wanting to relive the invasion and assault on her person the previous night, but as they worked on restoring her home she found herself finally opening up about the events, telling Braxton their names: Silver mane, Onyx Fire, and his brother, Shadow Fire. Braxton listened to her story, saying nothing as Lyra told him of what they had done to her the night before. Restraining her with silk rags, cutting and tearing her clothes, writing on her, threatening to rape her before her blood was even cold as they would stab and strangle the life out of her. Even driving her best friend Bon Bon away from their home, promising to kill her if she did not comply with their orders. Ransacking her home, destroying everything near and dear to her, taking from her everything, even her reasons to live. Lyra held herself together as long as she could but finally succumbed to the memories, collapsing into a chair as she could still hear their laughter echoing in her mind, covering her face with her hands

All yet, for all that, all it took to bring Lyra out of her dark revere was Braxton's hand upon her shoulder. Just that simple platonic gesture was enough to break the dam of fear and tears that she had been holding back as Lyra lunged at him, wrapping her arms around him as she broke down in emotionally draining sobs of anguish.

Sensing she needed this release, Braxton held her in his arms until she had cried herself into exhaustion and finally sleep. The human war mage then picked her up gently so as not to wake her and crossed the living room of the house to a nearby door. “Home is where my heart belongs,” he whispered softly in his own tongue, and when he turned the knob, the door opened not into the bedroom but into the interdimensional space that served as his shelter.

Crossing the foyer he made his way to the guest room near the kitchen and set Lyra down in the goose down feather bed, writing a quick note to leave on the nightstand beside her. He then left just as quietly as he came in to allow her a peaceful night of safe sleep. He expected his own night was going to be anything but peaceful as he took one last look over his gear, spotting his travel pack by the door and adding it to his supplies, having nearly rushed out so fast he had forgot to grab it. Finally, he took a belt from the mannequin, adding it to his armor before leaving the house trusting his instincts… he was ready. I may not be in my own world now, but there are still evils to confront here… he knew, having learned that much, at least from his short time in Equestria.

When Braxton closed the door behind him, watching the shadows of the house lengthen into night. As he set out for his destination, Kylnn Ka' Tar spoke softly into Braxton's whirlwind thoughts. “And just what has gotten into you, pray tell? Your behavior in the last twelve hours has been, to say the least, a bit odd…" she observed. “Protecting a mare you hardly know, allowing her to sleep in your sanctuary, telling her more of yourself in a few short hours than most have known in twenty years? So tell me, my dear Braxton… you're not in LOVE with her, are you?”

“That was out of line, Kylnn Ka' Tar. I don't appreciate the jest,” Braxton chided with his thoughts, focusing on the task before him.

“Brother, you would have to be dense as a rock to not see how she looked at you. And I daresay you encouraged her,” Kylnn Ka tar countered softly

“It wasn't lost on me, but even Pygmalion fell for his statue,” Braxton said flatly.

“Now you are just being cynical,” Kylnn Ka' Tar giggled.

Braxton let the banter go as his ears picked up the noise of three heavy steppers about the house, making their way to the front door. Braxton pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head and stepped back next to a wall by the entryway, taking on the color of the paint and surroundings. He then let his eyes slip into the black and white spectrum of vision, granting him low-light acuity he was certain the intruders couldn’t match.

Braxton could now see and hear three heartbeats as the ruined door slowly opened to admit a five-foot-six earth pony black stallion, his eyes glittering softly to the human war mage, who immediately noted he seemed to be leading the others.

Behind the first intruder came a pegasus, about five-foot-eight; the one Braxton recalled as being Silver Mane.

The last stallion was a black unicorn about five-foot-five; his horn casting a black aura keeping their hoof falls quiet and voices just below a whisper, rendering them invisible to all sight except Braxton’s. “So do you think we can rape this bitch since she hasn’t already offed herself? Our mares said we could get our rocks off instead of just writing on her this time,” he said.

The lead stallion turned to look him and sneered. “Knowing you, Shadow Fire, you will knock her up the first time.”

“Go to Tartarus, Onyx. You have sired more bastards than I ever will!” Shadow fire sneered back.

“Shut up, both of you! The house has been cleaned and I can smell the fresh paint.” Silver mane said in a commanding tone “Is she in here, Onyx Fire?”

“We saw her go in but not leave, so she’s in here, and most likely asleep. And thanks to my brother’s magic, we can get past any protective enchantments she’s set and muffle our way to her. We’ll surprise her in bed and be on her before she knows what hit her,” Onyx Fire said in a cool tone; it was clear to an increasingly angry Braxton he was looking forward to getting his hands on her.

“Good. Then let’s do this, I am missing out on important sleep,” Silver mane said softly, cracking his knuckles.

“Great. Since you’re too tired to enjoy her, my brother and I will get to double team her and you get sloppy seconds,” Shadow Fire announced wickedly to Silver Mane.

“Buck you. I think she’s got enough holes we can fill them all,” Silver Mane said, following Onyx Fire down the hallway.

For his part, Braxton fell in behind Shadow Fire as they made their way to Lyra's room. “Ready?” Onyx asked the other two, who nodded and grinned, their pants already bulging with anticipation. But before Onyx Fire opened the door, Braxton pulled two items out of his red belt pouch on his left side, a small bit of bat fur and a small pinch of coal and crushed the two items in his fingers as Onyx Fire turned the knob to enter. .

They had just enough time to see that Lyra wasn’t there before a fifteen foot diameter globe of solid black darkness enveloped all four members of the group to shouts of alarm and consternation from the three ponies. The magic rendering even his enhanced sight useless, Braxton let his other senses guide him, able to pinpoints the others by sound and shifts in the air around him alone. Shadow Fire was first to fall as the human mage grabbed the stallion by the throat and struck the back of his leg in one swift motion, applying such force that he snapped the stallion’s digital flexor tendon and broke his cannon bone. The agony of the injury caused the stallion to go into immediate shock before the back his head hit the floor with a sickening smack.

“Onyx! What…?” The other two heard the ugly sound and the pained cry that followed, but had no chance to avoid the same fate as Braxton spun with his left hand, remembering the marching order as he grabbed Silver mane by the back of his shirt. Braxton used his thumb nail to set a mark on Silver manes shirt before tossing him down the hall as he struck the wall, still stunned and surprised, not knowing what had hit him and worst of all, unable to see even with the help of Onyx’s night vision spell.

When the globe hit the three stallions, Onyx Fire had pushed his way into Lyra's bedroom thinking the bitch had set a trap, intending to find wherever she was hiding and make her pay immediately for it. The sickening sound of breaking bones behind him turned his stomach and he drew a dagger, but still could see nothing until he made his way out of the inky black globe next to the bedroom’s far wall; a darkness he couldn't see into or dispel set there.

It was then that something that the earth pony with Thestral blood had never experienced also set in...true fear. Onyx Fire had always prided himself on being able to see into the dark as good as any Thestral pony, but here was a darkness that he even his eyes couldn’t penetrate, and it terrified him to the core. Only the creature emerging with glowing lapis lazuli eyes terrified him more.

Onyx Fire swung his dagger wildly as his fear had unbalanced him. The dagger bit into Braxton's Displacement causing it to disappear, but it had served its purpose. As Braxton grabbed hold of the stallion’s arm and using Onyx Fire’' wild momentum Braxton arm barred Onyx Fire into the foot of the bedpost and then drove the dagger through his shoulder blade to the hilt impaling him to the foot board post of the bed, causing him to scream in pain.

Onyx Fire's position he couldn't grab the dagger that impaled him. “Pull it out! I beg you pull it out!”

Instead of doing so, Braxton made his way back into the shadows again, going for Silver Mane as he heard him bumbling around on the floor looking for a way out of the disorientating darkness. Having mastered blind-fighting a very long time ago, he found Silver Mane very easily and dragged him out towards his comrade

Braxton dismissed the globe of darkness standing beside Silver Mane grabbing him up causing the Pegasus to gasp as he beheld the much larger human. Glowing cat-like lapis lazuli eyes looked right through him, promising pain or death if he didn’t comply. “Run, Silver Mane. Flee and take me to where you have Bon Bon hidden. Do so, and maybe I will spare your life,” he told him in an ice-cold voice. Braxton then grabbed Silver Mane and smashed him right through the front door, breaking his wings as the Pegasus broke through the hard wooden door with his body and a loud crash.

Silver mane hit the dirt outside with a thud. His wings screaming in agony; if Tartarus itself was not hot on his heels he would have been happy to lay there till the night watch found him and confess to anything to get away, but the order of his unknown assailant rung in his mind. “Run, Silver Mane… to where Bon-Bon is hidden,” the voice echoed, and despite his agony the pegasus did so as Braxton stepped through the remains of the shattered door hanging just off its hinges, following behind him, like a wraith of shadow.