Following the victorious return of the hunters, and subsequent round of greetings and happy reunions, the survivors quickly came back to work, splitting the resources among the crafters and thinkers. They were formulating plans and mental blueprints, thinking of the better ways to contribute to the tribe. Nova Star grabbed some long bones, the lion’s tail and some tendons. Last Ember isolated himself with the pony skull. Winter Light raised the strips of white fur within her aura and examined them carefully.

“I would need help with that.” She stated, feeling the rough skin with her hoof. The snow white unicorns pointed at the beast’s mane. “Onyx, be a dear and bring this at my workshop. And you’ll be lending me a hoof while you’re there.”

“Hey! I’m a hero here, you don’t get to boss me around.” Lashed the jet maned stallion. The mare swiftly spun toward him and simply stared at him with angry eyes. No matter how tall the stallion was, he suddenly felt incredibly small, and unbearably cold. “Alright! Alright! I’ll help you out! My time is all yours.”

“Good. I hope you don’t mind standing still for hours on end, I will need a model for shape and size adjustments.”

Grabbing the mane in his aura, Onyx Blade followed Winter Light to her workshop, mumbling all the way there. The other ponies who were still around simply watched while shaking their heads. He should have known better not to anger the ice queen, something everyone else already knew from what little interaction they had with her.

Day to day routine reinstated itself. The pegasi did their water runs at the river, the earth ponies brought food but also more saplings from their group outings. Meanwhile, the unicorns busied themselves working with the monster resources gathered in the previous hunt. But one night, while everyone was asleep, a scream pierced the silence around the settlement. As the noise fades, a chorus of horror roses up in answer. The settlement erupted into chaos trying to comprehend the source of the terrible wail.

The strongest and bravest made uncoordinated rounds to see if the settlement was under attack. Others gathered at the lantern hoard, frantically speaking without listening to one another. Some huddled together, shivering, and Last Ember was madly giggling in his own corner. Amidst the chaos stood Comet Flash who, alone, kept his composure. He flew a few feet over the settlement and took a deep breath.

“Enough!” He screamed, his powerful voice bringing every pony to attention. “What is the matter with all of you? A simple scream in the dark and we already fall into anarchy. It’s most probably just another creature living in the darkness and so long as it doesn’t come here to attack us, we don’t have to worry about anything. All of you, get back to sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll gather up some ponies and make a patrol to see if there is any danger to be found around the Sanctuary.”

It took little time for ponies to calm down and each returned back to sleep. The next morning, Comet Flash led the other pegasi in a quick patrol around the settlement. They found large hoof prints and chewed plants along the way but no sight of the creature responsible. The survivors concluded that they will certainly cross path again with the monster in the future, especially as they will keep exploring further into the darkness for resources.

Inside her little workshop, Winter Light was working on a new set of armor using the jet maned stallion as model. She was making some adjustment on an heavy coat of white fur, making sure the pony’s barrel would be well protected but could also move easily with the extra weight and padding.

“So, tell me, what do you think of Comet Flash?” Asked Onyx Blade to the snow coated tailor.

“He’s a capable stallion who knows how to lead by example.” Half-mindedly replied the mare, absorbed in her work. “Confident, but he seems to care more for the safety of others than his own. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to die by sacrificing himself so the other ponies could escape some mortal danger or a monster from the darkness.”

“And do you think it’s right that the others are making him into some sort of a leader?”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Onyx. I know of your plan and I will say this only once: I don’t care. The reason why I’m still here, working my flank off for some idiots I don’t give a second thought about, is because I’m well aware that I don’t have a single chance of survival out there in the darkness. Here, so long as I’m useful, I can expect to get food and shelter. That is all I care for, not politics or who gets to be the leader, but my own comfort and safety.”

“But we’re doing all the crafting and inventions. All the tools we’ll need to survive in the long term comes from unicorn minds. Unicorns are obviously the smartest breed, it’s only natural that we should be the leaders as well.” He stated, turning his head toward the mare.

“All the food comes from the normal ponies, and that’s what we need to even get to the long term. The Pegasus brings us water and they explore the darkness, and if we ever need anything urgent, they are the ones who can get it for us. Even without our gift, they still have their use and even I can appreciate that. Now stay still, would you?”

“Shouldn’t we at least get to openly discuss the matter and choose the obviously correct leader for us.”

“That’s a vote I will not participate in. I told you already, I don’t care about politics.”

“You seemed to care plenty enough if you ask me. Ouch!” He yelped when Winter Light pricked him with her needle. “What was that for?”

“For not listening to a single word I said. I. Don’t. Care! If you insist on me electing a unicorn as leader then fine, but it won’t be you, that’s for sure. Now be quiet and stop moving.”

The stallion mumbled some unsavory words about Winter Light which she chose to ignore in favor of going back to her work. It took a few more hours until she was satisfied with the look of it.

“Is it done, now?” Asked the jet maned stallion, looking at the strong fur coat he was wearing.

“For the coat, yes, but I still got enough materials for some leg accessories. Be a dear, and bring me the rest of the fur.” She said, pointing at a bin half full of hide.

The stallion obliged, though not without letting an exasperated sigh, and they went straight back to work again.

Nova Star was hard at work, once again. She went outside the settlement to grab some branch from a nearby tree. The unicorn mare had skinned and tanned the long and heavy tail of the beast. She sewn the hide and some leftover cloth with tendon to form a tarp which was then stretched across a frame of wood and bones. The tent was raised and solidly affixed to the ground with bone nails, planting the first step towards settling an actual permanent village around the Lantern Hoard.

Comet Flash was the first to enter the tent. The inside was still bare bone at this point, containing only a small rug on the ground, but nonetheless he was still impressed by Nova’s ingenuity. With this, they could finally sleep protected from the weather. The tent was large enough to allow up to six ponies inside with some room to spare.

“So, what do you think?” Asked Nova Star, entering her little construction. She walked up to the blue stallion side.

“I say, you did remarkably well.” Replied Comet Flash. “It looks robust and comfy at the same time.”

“Oh please, it’s quite flimsy actually. I bet a strong enough gust of wind could topple it all. I was actually thinking of reinforcing it with stone or wood but I didn’t have the materials at hoof.”

“We could ask the earth ponies to bring back building materials during their next foraging run. I will ask Stone Hoof about it.” He said, turning around to leave the tent but was stopped in his motion by a tug on his tail. Turning around, he saw Nova’s yellow aura surrounding the appendage.

“Please, don’t leave yet.” Requested the light yellow mare. “To be honest, there’s another reason why I built this tent and it’s so we could have some intimacy.”

“What do you mean by that?” Asked Comet Flash, but in lieu of an answer the mare simply got closer and pressed her lips on his. He responded tenderly to the kiss, placing a hoof behind her neck. Their lips parted after a few seconds.

“I wanted to do this for a while now, but I couldn’t dare with every pony else watching.” She said, wrapping her legs around the blue stallion. “Can we stay like this for the time being.”

“Sure.”

The two of them stayed in each others arms for about an hour or so, hugging and kissing, discovering each others in a new way for the first time. When they finally came out of the tent, they parted ways with a knowing wink. Comet Flash then flew to find Stone Hoof at the far side of the settlement, about to leave in today’s foraging run. The orange maned stallion explained to the large pony his plan to find more building materials.

“I’m not saying this is a bad idea, but it would considerably slow us down and thus put us at risk.” Said the large dirt colored stallion.

“How about we all go together? That way, we could better defend each others and we could bring even more resources back. We’ll only leave a pony or two behind to watch over the place in case of intruders.” Advanced the blue Pegasus.

“Yeah, that could work, but how do you intend to convince the unicorns to go along with the plan? They kind of like to do their own things, is what I’m saying.”

“Nova is already working on this; it’s was actually her plan to begin with. If any pony could convince the other unicorns, it would be her. Well, maybe not Last Ember. He’s still holed up in his little corner with that skull doing who knows what.”

“Yeah, last I went that way, I could hear him talking and laughing to himself. That pony is not right in his head. Alright, if every pony is going, then I’ll be going along with your plan.”

“And we won’t have to wait for too long, it seems, here they come.” Noticed Comet Flash at the sight of three unicorns walking towards them, Nova in the lead. From her sour expression, he could conclude that it didn’t go quite as planned, but if Onyx Blade and Winter Light were present to begin with, it probably meant they agreed to come.

“We’ll go.” Confirmed the jet maned unicorn. “So long as we get our own hut.”

“That would require a lot more materials than what was planned. We might not even be able to bring it all in one go.” Said the largest of the pony.

“We saw Nova’s little hovel and even if we could expand it, there’s no way we could fit every pony inside.” Explained Winter Light. “Besides, I like to have some alone time to think and work on my designs and I don’t expect it to be at all possible in communal hut.”

“Alright.” Conceded Comet. “I guess we could construct a second…”

“Make that three.” Interrupted Golden Sea. “We, earth ponies, are quite large and take a lot of space. It would be best if we get our own house.”

It was quite obvious the beige stallion was only telling half of the truth, but Comet Flash was more concerned about the implication of what was not said. Although there were signs of such a thing, what’s with the earth ponies always keeping to themselves while in the settlement, the blue Pegasus really wasn’t expecting this kind of bigotry. He had plenty of interaction with Stone Hoof, and he seemed like a reasonable pony, but he was left wondering if even the large stallion shared this mindset.

“Then I’ll be the one staying guard in the village.” Said the dirt colored stallion, eliciting many gasps from the earth ponies. “Golden Sea, you’re in charge of the expedition.”

“You can’t do that, Boss!” Exclaimed the beige stallion. “You’re the strongest one here…”

“Exactly.” Cut Stone Hoof. “If anyone is to keep guard here alone in case of intruders, it should be the strongest amongst us, right Comet?”

Judging by the smirk the large stallion just sent toward him, Comet Flash immediately knew of his friend true intentions. That way, the other earth ponies could not rely on him to relay information with the rest of the group, thus forcing communication between them. The blue pegasus sighed a breath of relief, the grey maned pony was still his ally in all of this mess. It meant there was hope to bridge the gap between the three pony races. The other earth ponies had no choice but to abide by Stone Hoof decision.

Ten ponies went out in the settlement’s largest expedition to date. Yet, you could almost say it was actually three groups walking in the same direction, separated between racial lines. Nova Star and Comet Flash were both in the middle of the pack. They did not exchange much words, but knew something had to be done in the future. They would start making their plans in later days.

Golden Sea guided the expedition toward a valley of large carved stone faces and gnarled black trees. Food was scarce in this place, so the earth ponies rarely ventured there, but it made for a good source of building materials. The earth ponies worked at the stones with their hooves, breaking them into smaller, easier to transport rocks. Meanwhile, the unicorns and Pegasus felled some trees and cut the branches off.

When enough materials were gathered, they all trekked back home. Few words were spoken during all of this sortie, an eerie air of distrust blowing between the earth ponies and unicorns. Rapid Meadows cared little for all the tension between the two groups, and would talk freely to anyone walking near her. Thunder Storm was too absorbed in his own paranoia to even see the angry stares getting thrown from one side of the group to the others. It somewhat alleviated Comet Flash anxiety. At least those two wouldn’t be too much trouble in the near future.

When they finally came back to the village, they set to work immediately. The first order of business was to reinforce the first hovel, then once it was done, build the other two with the remaining materials. The unicorn’s house was on the small side, meant for four ponies, with separation with every inhabitant. Nova Star had her own room, but would split her time between this one and the first hovel. The earth ponies’ hut was much larger and had one room only, the group choosing a more communal lifestyle.

Later that week, Comet Flash and Nova Star convened with Stone Hoof about their ideas on how to strengthen the bond between the three races. First, the pegasi would be working more closely with the other breeds. They’d leave with the earth ponies to gather food and water, and assist the unicorns in their craft. That would be the easiest part of the plan. The unicorns seemed to think the winged ponies closer to their equal, due to their own gift, while the earth ponies were at ease with the carefree nature of pegasi. The rest, though, would be a difficult beast to slay.

“I can make it at least possible, but you gotta soften the unicorns a bit before we can pull it off. Especially that Onyx Blade fellow.” Said Stone Hoof. “I do not trust him in the least.”

“I’ll do what I can on that front.” Nodded the yellow mare. “But it might take some time.”

“You’ll have all the time necessary to make your move since the next hunt is definitely too early to pull it off. The one after that is when we should make our move.” Said the blue Pegasus. The others agreed with that plan, and each went their own ways to enact their part of it.

At about the same time, in the earth ponies hut stood Golden Sea and Lavender, alone. Blueberry was tending to her growing fruit bearing bush and Grassy Knoll was out on a stroll at the outskirt of the settlement. Between the two ponies was the waterskin filled with who-knows-what that was brought back from the last hunt by Rapid Meadows. No one had dared to open it since a few weeks and the purple mare had grown curious about it. Somehow, she had also convinced Golden Sea to take a look with her.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Lavender.” Said the beige stallion. “Whatever is in there must have turned bad since the last hunt. Heck, even the other lion’s parts were already smelling after just two days.”

“But… aren’t you curious about what’s… inside?” Replied the purple mare in her usual choppy monotonous voice. “We might even find a use to… it. That’ll show the… unicorns that they aren’t the… hum… only ones here with… ideas.”

“Okay, but why I’m I supposed to be the one to open it again?”

“Because you’re the… smart one.” She answered simply.

“I think you’re actually smarter than me. For starters, you’re not the one getting dragged into something really stupid. I am so going to regret this.” He sighed, his hoof slowly twisting the cap open, but suddenly stopped his motion. “You know what, no. I’m not doing it. It’s your idea, you should be the one to do it.”

“Eh… chicken.” She smirked grabbing the waterskin.

Lavender uncapped the leather pouch in a single motion. Immediately the hut got assaulted by a strong pungent smell. After so long, the liquid had fermented in the waterskin and the acrid stench was almost unbearable. Both ponies retched, tears welling at their eyes.

“Hope your satisfied now.” Gagged the beige stallion. “Let’s throw that away and forget about everything. Urgh! I bet the hut is going to smell for days now.”

“Not… yet.” Said the purple mare before taking a big swig of the foul liquid.

“Woah! Did you really drink that? Are you insane?” Gasped Golden Sea, incredulous.

“Want some? It holds quite the… punch.” Proposed Lavender.

“I’m sure it does, that crap must be poisonous by now. Spit it out before it’s too late.”

“Nah… I’m fine, see.” She punctuated her statement with a quick spin around on her wobbly legs. Her face was getting flushed.

“No, you’re not! You’re sweating all over and your face is all red.” He said, launching a hoof towards the waterskin. “Gimme that so I can throw it all out.”

“No!” She shouted, possibly for the first time ever, while jumping backward to avoid the grasping hoof. She then took another gulp of the liquid.

“Hey! Don’t drink anymore of it, it’s bad for you!” He scolded the mare and walked towards her, his hoof raised to grab the waterskin.

But this time, instead of retreating, Lavender quickly closed the gap. Golden Sea did not have enough time to react, as the mare went and pressed her lips against his. Surprised, the stallion opened his mouth for a gasp. This was the moment Lavender was waiting for as she spat the drink she had just took down the beige stallion throat. The stallion recoiled, coughing and spitting, but he had already swallowed most of the liquid.

“Urk, dammit Lavender! Why did you do that?” Coughed Golden Sea. Already, he was feeling his face getting flushed, his brow sweating and his member solidifying. “Oh no, it’s happening to me too.”

“Let it… happens.” The purple mare lasciviously whispered in his ear. She pushed him on his back and straddled him, her hips grinding on his.

“What are you doing?” Gasped the beige stallion.

“I don’t… know. But it feels so… good!” Moaned the riding mare. “Just roll with the… flow.”

“Aw, to heck with it!” Groaned the stallion, grabbing the mare’s hip with his forelegs.

Instinct took over the two ponies. Numerous times, in fact. They did what many mares and stallions did before them, and many more would do after them. Any pony that wandered near the hut that day could hear the strange noises coming from inside, but all knew in their guts it was better to leave them alone. Their frenzy only ended when the two of them laid all sweaty, dirty and exhausted on the ground. They both were on their back, side by side looking at the roof.

“Never again.” Swore the beige stallion, panting.

“Aww… really?” Whined the purple mare, turning towards him. “But it was so much… fun.”

“Okay. Maybe again.” Conceded Golden Sea, reaching for her partner. “But not now. I just want to sleep like that.”

“Yeah. Me… too.” Said Lavender nesting herself between his hooves.

Life went on undisturbed for many weeks. Winter Light finished the boots and leg guards to complement the lion armor. It had claws at the extremities to allow a better footing and was so well adjusted that, despite the heavy weight, one could easily pounce at their target.

Lavender took on lots of weight strangely fast and her appetite grew with her belly. The others were reluctant to grant her a bigger share of the food, at first, but when she started to feel unwell, Golden Sea decided to give her half of his own ration. The beige stallion wouldn’t leave her side since, tending to her every need. At some point, Rapid Meadows, of all ponies, came to a revelation when all the mares came in the earth pony hut together to discuss Lavender’s state.

“She must be making a small one!” Chirped the excited Pegasus, eliciting many incredulous reactions from the other mares. “I saw one of the antlered creature do that when I went to gather water. She had a round belly too and then a smaller one just came out of her mare bits.”

“One, gross! And two, when was that?” Asked Winter Light.

“Oh, a long time ago. Before we even left for the hunt.”

“And why didn’t you… said anything?” Said the most concerned mare.

“I thought you were just fat!” Replied the cyan mare, giggling.

“So, how did that happened?” Asked Nova Star. All of the mares’ attention turned towards the purple earth pony who was now sweating. Before she could answer, the cyan Pegasus chimed in again.

“Ooh! That must be when she and Goldie got drunk with the lion’s balls juice I brought back from last time and they went all hmpf! Hmpf! Haa! Haa! For like a full day, and every pony else was all like awkwaaaard!” She said, punctuating her onomatopoeia with suggestive gestures. Lavender’s face turned a deep shade of crimson, while Nova Star was beginning to sweat too. The light yellow mare coughed in hoof, doing her best to keep a poker face, then spoke again.

“So, Rapid, do you think you could help Lavender deliver the baby when the time come?”

“Sure, that’ll be easy-peasy!”

“Good! In that case I’ll take your place in the next hunt, if it’s fine with you.”

The cyan mare agreed and she, Nova Star and Winter Light left the hut in unison. Inside, Lavender finally let out a breath of relief. While it was good news to finally find out what was going on with her, it was such an embarrassment to be exposed in front of the others. Still, she felt fluttery knowing that a new life was growing inside her. With a hoof, she fondly caressed her inflated belly, but the moment got ruined when a cough came from behind her. Turning around, Lavender saw Blueberry who was still here. The blue mare was blushing so hard she looked more like grape.

“So, hum, how was it?” She shyly asked.

It was time for a new hunt, and all ponies were assembled near the Lantern Hoard, save from one. Stone Hoof, Comet Flash and Onyx Blade would be going once again while Nova Star took Rapid Meadows place, as was previously agreed on. She was also wearing the rawhide armor pieces while the large dirt colored stallion would wear the lion’s attire, the extra defense coupled with his natural robustness would make him withstand any blow. Onyx Blade tied his mask behind his face, and Comet Flash gave a few swing of the ivory blade found by Rapid Meadows. They were all about to leave when Last Ember finally came out of his hole, a mad smile on his face and holding a large bag in his aura.

“Look at this wondrous thing I just made.” He said, his voice croaky from its misuse in the last few months. He opened the bag and took out the pony skull, but it was changed. It was hollowed and the jaws were open and separated, tied to the cheekbones with strips of hide. Many hanging straps could be tied around a pony’s face to hold the grisly helm in place. It was painted with many streaks of dried blood, probably from the charcoal unicorn himself.

“That looks very impressive, Ember, but…” Began Comet Flash but was rudely interrupted by the mad pony.

“Oh! So you’re the one who wants it, then? Perfect!” Said the charcoal unicorn shoving the skull helm over the pegasus’ head before he could even protest. With his aura, he pulled some straps, loosened others, and tied it all once he was satisfied with the fitting. “There! Now you look all inside out. It’s like you’re already dead, which you will be, in time.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Muttered the blue stallion, doing his best not to anger the mad pony.

With that, the hunters finally left the settlement. For the entirety of the first day, Comet Flash did not dare touch the skull helm until it was time to sleep. Even then, it took some help from Nova Star to undo all of the straps. Looking at it from up close for the first time, he could see how tough the helm was. Despite its grim look, it would definitely protect him from any blows to the head. The next morning, he put it back on, justifying that however skull it was would probably be fine if its death meant saving some pony else life.

Early in the second day, the group found a couple of trees marked by the lion. They first smelled the acrid scent in the air, then saw the trunks still wet with the monster’s urine. It wasn’t far, concluded the hunters, probably having passed through there the same day in fact.

At about midday, the weather became unbearably hot. They were in a large savannah with no source of water in sight. They rationed what they had brought from the village for fear of running out. The thirst quickly came, but the ponies bore through. They welcomed the fresh night like a dear friend.

The next day came a refreshing breeze, but the ponies knew, this time, that it would carry their scent toward the beast and remained vigilant. Unfortunately, while their attention was over the horizon, they should have looked beneath them as a large sinkhole opened under Nova Star’s hooves.

She fell into the ground’s open maw. Thinking swiftly, she launched her hooves toward the wall of dirt, searching for any kind of grip. She found a jutting black stone and held on to it for dear live. This gave the others enough time to react. Onyx Blade enveloped the mare within his aura, ensuring she would not fall any more, but his magic was not enough to pull her out.

Comet Flash flew in the hole, grabbing the mare around her waist, flying them upward. When they were in reach, Stone Hoof grabbed the mare by the neck of her tunic with his teeth and pulled her to safety. In all this chaotic rescue, Nova’s loincloth had undone itself and disappeared in the abyss.

The mare was tightly holding on to Comet Flash, shivering from the ordeal. She had barely escaped death. The blue Pegasus was doing his best to comfort Nova Star, petting her back and whispering encouraging words in her ear. Onyx looked at the couple, his discomfort hidden by his mask. It was at this moment that Stone Hoof grabbed the whole group in his strong legs and pushed them into the tall grass. The jet maned unicorn opened his mouth to protest but the large stallion muted him with a hoof. He simply pointed toward the plains, where all could see a large White Lion stalking them in the distance.

From the look of it, the lion knew already where the ponies were, as it picked up pace towards them. It pounced into the tall grass and the ponies scattered around. Stone Hoof and Onyx Blade slid on both sides while Comet Flash flew below the beast’s claws. He emerged behind the monster, striking at its rear but his bone blade only glanced away. The jet maned unicorn had better chance when he swung his axe at the beast hand and cut deeply into its palm.

Nova Star, on her end, was galloping away as fast as she could. She was armed with the bone darts, and hence wanted to keep her distance from the lion. While running in the tall grass, she tripped and fell face first in the mud. Looking back at what caused her to fall, she froze instantly. There laid the mangled carcass of a pony. Most of its flesh was gone, eaten by a large predator most probably, and its bones were scattered all around. She marked the location in her head and scampered away from the ghastly scene.

In the furious melee, the ponies seemed to take the advantage. They had the beast surrounded and their attacks hit their marks, leaving the beast with deep bleeding cuts in its back and groin. Onyx Blade dodged a claw, then Comet Flash evaded a bite while Stone Hoof kick broke one of its rib.

Things seemed to go well, until the White Lion parried the unicorn’s axe with its hand and swiped at him with the other. Onyx was too stunned by the monster’s sudden show of intelligence to evade the attack. The claws opened a nasty gash on his barrel and the blow made him fall to the ground. The beast then jumped back and took a defensive stance.

“What was that?!” Exclaimed the blue Pegasus, helping his comrade to his hooves. “It’s like it knew what you were doing and countered it.”

“It probably learned from fighting other hunters like us.” Said Nova Star who had seen it all from a distance. “I fear we may have grossly underestimated this creature’s intellect.”

“Well, that’s just great for him, but how do we counter it?” Asked Onyx Blade.

“Just like this.” Said the larger stallion. “Prepare yourselves!”

He dashed at the monster who reacted by swiping at him once but to no avail, the fur armor being too thick to be pierced. Stone Hoof, once in range, kicked at it’s jaw but was in his turn parried and the beast swiped at his shoulder. Luckily, the thick furred armor again resisted the blow and even tangled the claws long enough for the jet maned unicorn to slash it on the back.

Comet Flash also attacked but this time the monster was ready and deflected the bone blade. It slashed twice at him, in both his head and body. The skull helm held firm while the monster’s claw barely scratched him.

The blue pegasus could barely regain his footing when the beast bit at his head. The sharp fangs cracked the skull helm but did not pierce it. Comet Flash mentally thanked the mad pony that just saved his life. Seeing her lover in danger, Nova Star threw a dart at the monster’s neck but it lost all of its momentum in its lush mane. Stone Hoof had better luck when his kick connected with the beast brow.

Undeterred, the lion threw the large pony aside with a strong blow to the body. Comet Flash and Onyx Blade jointly attacked front the flank and rear but the monster avoided the hits and, sensing it was getting surrounded again, leapt ahead to reposition itself.

The blue Pegasus dove at the beast with his blade trained toward its chest, but the White Lion batted him to the ground. The rough fall left him breathless for a few seconds. Onyx Blade slashed the beast again with his axe, opening new gashes in its shoulder and cheek. Nova Star threw another dart at the monster’s face but this time it bounced off its thick skull. Angered, the lion threw itself at the light yellow unicorn, slashing her leg and waist. It finished its combo with a bite at her neck that she barely avoided.

“Guys, I’m in trouble!” Screamed the pink mane mare, while dashing away from the furious animal.

“We better finish this quickly.” Said Stone Hoof. “I don’t know how long we can hold on like this.”

“He’s right. This lion is too tricky to let the fight drag like this. We must find an opening in its defense, now.” Concurred the jet maned unicorn.

“Give me an opening.” Ordered Comet Flash.

Stone Hoof threw a kick at the monster with all its might, but the beast jumped away. Fortunately for the ponies, this threw the lion into Onyx Blade’s axe which lodged itself deeply in the beast’s flank. The lion roared in pain, which gave the blue Pegasus the opening he needed.

Flying in a wide arc around the beast, he gained as much speed as he could, and then came diving on his target. His blade went into the beast’s ear, somehow pierced the thick skull and went into the brain. The White Lion flopped on its side, unceremoniously. It was dead in an instant.

The ponies took a quick rest to settle down the furious beating of their heart. They refreshed themselves with what was left of the water and Stone Hoof volunteer to scout for more.

While he was away, Nova Star showed to the others the corpse she had found. The sight was troubling for them both, knowing that they had just barely avoided the same fate. Debating over what they should do with it, they elected that their need for resource was more important and thus gathered some of the bones that still looked usable and buried the rest.

When Stone Hoof came back, he was holding a long spiraling horn in his jaw, and attached to it was the severed head of a large beast. The head was as large as the light yellow mare from the front. Living, the monster should have been about the size of the White Lion, if not a bit bigger. It had brown patchy fur, large black eyes and flat tooth similar to pony’s denture. Its large tongue was dangling out of its elongated snout.

“Where did you get that?” Asked Comet Flash.

“Over there.” Pointed the larger stallion. “That’s all I could find of it.”

“You think it was killed and eaten by that lion?” Said Nova Star to the dirt brown stallion, pointing at their freshly killed quarry.

“I don’t think so. This one was stalking us specifically. I don’t think it would’ve bothered for a bunch of ponies if it had already killed a much larger prey.”

“Which means there might be another predator nearby.” Concluded the blue Pegasus. “We should finish up what we have to do here and leave quickly.”

The others concurred and went to work. Comet Flash took the air as a lookout in case the unknown predator would be coming their way, while the rest went to town on the carcass. They got some large bits of hide, shaved the mane and whiskers and harvested a large femur. In the beast belly, they found a broken lantern. Clearly, that particular lion was used to dealing with ponies. Onyx Blade also gouged out an intact eye that still seemed to be following the ponies’ movements.

When they left, Nova Star realized she was still holding that black stone which had saved her life earlier when she fell in the sinkhole. Looking at it from up close, she found it was quite unusual. The surface was slightly reflective, and it smelled like blood. Tapping it with a hoof, it had some kind of ringing to it, similar to the lantern she was carrying around. She described it as metallic. Thinking it could be useful later. She pocketed it.

If you do not want to read a childbirth scene, you may skip until the next spoiler.

Back at the village, routine was promptly interrupted by the cries of a certain purple pony. It wasn’t hard for the survivors to guess that Lavender was about to deliver her baby. Blueberry and Rapid Meadows helped the expectant mother walking into the earth ponies hut while Winter Light expelled the stallions out. They settled Lavender down as comfortably as possible, given their situation, and all gathered around.

“So, what do we do now?” Winter Light asked the cyan Pegasus.

“I don’t know.” Admitted Rapid Meadows, a nervous smile plastered on her face.

“You don’t know? You’re the one who said it will be, and I quote, easy-peasy, and you don’t you know what we should be doing?” Said the white mare, incredulous.

“When I saw that mommy gazelle doing it, it all went by itself. Like, poof! Baby is here! So I thought it would go the same way for Lavie.” Explained the Pegasus. The expectant mother let out a long pained cry which attracted the attention of every pony present.

“Well obviously this is not happening in this case, so what now?”

“Hummmm…. We could give her good words of encouragement? Ooh! How about sending her positive energy? Or likes and prayers?” Said the energetic mare, sounding less and less confident with each suggestion.

“Oh dear! How did I get dragged into it?” Complained the white unicorn.

“Um… Girls, Lavender’s bleeding a lot over there.” Said the blue mare, snapping the others back into the task at hoof. “Winter Light, can you, um, pass me the rags over there so I can sponge the blood, please. And Rapid, do remember anything about that time with the mother gazelle?”

“Well, not really. She was just standing there during all of it.”

“Standing? I guess we could try. Come one, now Lavender.” Said the blue mare, helping her friend to her hooves.

“Blue… it really… hurt.” Complained the purple mare.

“I know, Lavender, bear with it. Anything else, Rapid?”

“Ooh! I remember now. Her face was all scrunchy, like when you’re pushing a huge sh…”

“Yeah, got it.” Cut the blue mare, her face hinting at getting red again. “Try pushing now Lavender.”

The purple mare pushed. At first she did with all her might but seeing as she only got exhausted with little result, Blueberry suggested she pushed by small burst, synchronising herself with each contractions. It bore fruit as after a while, small baby legs finally escaped the maternal tunnel. Lavender then pushed harder until the head followed suit.

“You’re almost there, Lavender.” Comforted the blue mare. “Keep pushing a little more.”

“I can’t… do it… anymore.” Panted the exhausted pony, her legs giving up. “I’m… spent. Sorry…”

“Oh no! What do we do now?” Said Blueberry, catching her friend in her hooves.

“How about pulling?” Suggested the cyan mare. “The baby is already half out, I bet we could pull it the rest of the way.”

“Pulling? Yeah, why not? Can you hold her for me, Rapid Meadows?”

The two mares switched places. Blueberry then took hold of the little dangling legs, she steadied her breath before looking at the expectant mother’s exhausted figure.

“Okay, Lavender, on the count of three, I will pull while you give one last push. Do you think you can do it?” She asked her friend who replied with a nod. “Alright, one, two, three!”

She pulled on the little legs while Lavender pushed with one last scream and with that, the baby finally came into the world. They cleaned the newborn and cut the umbilical cord, like the cyan mare remembered the gazelle doing. Blueberry wrapped the little filly in a sheet of cloth and hoofed her over to her mother. The purple mare held then fed her daughter for the first time, driven by her maternal instinct. Blueberry and Rapid Meadows looked upon the touching scene with a satisfied smile on their faces.

“This is so beautiful; don’t you think so Winty?” Asked the cyan mare to the white unicorn who hadn’t moved in quite a while now. Her face was stuck in a weird expression, somewhere at the crossroad of fear, surprise and disgust. Rapid Meadows approached her and waved a hoof in front of her eyes but got no reaction from the icy mare.

“Huh. I think she blacked out.”

And we're back.

When the triumphant hunters came back to the settlement, the were greeted by an additional, adorable little face. The newborn filly had a small patch of gold hair on her head and a light green coat. The proud mother had called her Goldenrod and was holding her close to her chest while she slept. It hadn’t taken long for the baby to take her first shaky steps, merely hours after being born. The parents were worried that little Goldenrod would venture out in the darkness and were keeping a permanent close watch on her.

After the delivery, Winter Light had shut herself in the unicorn hut and would scarcely leave to get food and water. Whenever she was outside of her room, she would go to great length to avoid any male. Rapid Meadows was the only pony who could approach the white mare, mostly by sneaking her way into her room. Nonetheless, when the hunting party returned she went out to greet them, from a safe distance.

Last Ember had seemingly came back to his old pessimist self after Comet Flash had left with the skull helm. He would mingle with the other ponies and even sounded almost normal in his interactions. The only odd part in this behavior was his new fascination with the Lantern Hoard. He would often stop by the glowing pile of bent metal and stare at its light for hours on end. The other survivors brushed it off as another one of his weird antics. “That pony is mad, ignore him”, they would simply say before returning to their duties. But when the hunters came back, he was nowhere to be found.

The hunters showed the village their gory bounty and shared many tales of what they saw outside of the safety of the settlement. When they talked about the large antelope head they found, it was concluded that it was possibly the beast whose scream had awaken the village earlier that year. Finding one, and slaying it, would certainly bring a great boon to the survivors, and a new understanding of their surroundings.

Things were going well, until the charcoal unicorn came out of hiding. His bright orange eyes belied the madness within. He saluted everyone and grabbed the cat’s eye and a bone in his aura. The strange pony took the monster’s part and holed himself again in his workshop. Seeing all this, Onyx Blade quickly followed his fellow unicorn inside.

“Ember, what do you think you’re doing?” Asked the jet maned unicorn.

“Why, I’m just collecting my share of the loot. I got ideas, my horned brother, so many ideas. Anything else you want to tell before I start my work?”

“You look very troubled and from what I heard of the others, you seem to have taken some strange habits. You changed a lot in such a short amount of time, is there something you want to tell me?”

“You caring for any pony else is quite out of character, Onyx, but I guess I could indulge your curiosity. I act the way I do because I have finally accepted the inevitable. We’re all going to die in blood and tears. Even that poor little filly, her end will be oh so terrible. I have seen it all, brother, and in time, you’ll all see it too.”

“The others would probably say otherwise.” Explained the off-white stallion. “We just killed our third White Lion and we are getting stronger every time we do. Food is abundant, we got a roof over our head, and those filthy mud ponies are reproducing. Overall, things are looking up.”

“Wrong, wrong, so wrong! Am I the only one who can see clearly here?” Snapped the charcoal pony. “There is no hope to be found in this world! No happy ending either! It’s all kill or be killed, and us ponies are so weak and fragile. We don’t stand a chance. Do not believe that your victories up until now mean anything, my horned brother. Those were the weakest lions out there. There are others, stronger and faster and smarter. And not just lions but other bizarre creatures that could put this kitty to shame. There are kings of hundreds and even thousand battles lurking in the deep darkness.”

“The ones we confronted were already quite strong.” Said the off-white unicorn, shaking in fear at the horrible reality. “Even the juvenile could kill a pony with a single bite. Is there any way we could beat those kings?”

“I can make you strong.” Replied the charcoal stallion. “Stronger than Comet Flash, and even Stone Hoof. Just trust me. There is power to be found in the darkness.”

“Tell me about it.” Asked Onyx Blade, intrigued at the prospect of power. The charcoal merely smiled in response.

The off-white unicorn left the bone workshop with a renewed conviction. The earth ponies were too soft, despite their tough bodies. A communal lifestyle was unfit to survive in the kingdom of death and monsters. The pegasus were adaptable. They could be swayed to his ways, if only he could show them the value of strength over friendship. And Comet Flash, he needed to be set aside. By force or persuasion.

In the deep of the night, when every pony was sleeping, a song rose from Last Ember’s workshop. Its words were incomprehensible but it deeply touched the heart of every pony in the village. Many woke up in tears, none could go back to sleep. Bent over his workbench, the charcoal pony was working on a strange craft, humming and chanting, a terrible rictus tearing his face in half.

Author's Note

(I'll be trying to update once every week but I can't guarantee anything. These chapters are already quite long and I'm not even at the biggest years yet.)

Things are heating up, if you know what I mean. Also, lots of close calls but more on that later.

In this chapter, I'm setting up a confrontation between two ideologies, championed by Comet Flash and Onyx Blade respectively. In Kingdom Death, you get to choose 4 principles for your survivors: Life, Death, Society and Conviction. There's two option for each, and let's just say that one is more hardcore than the other. With the birth of Goldenrod, I will get to choose my Life principle but I kept that part for the next chapter.

At first, I wanted to detail the sexy scenes. There's already a high probability of headsplosion, considering the source material, so why not show some pony doing the horizontal tango. In the end, I chose not to because in itself a sex scene doesn't show anything as far as characterization goes. Maybe in a spin off containing all the naughty parts, but I don't think this story is ever going to be popular enough to warrant that.

Anyway, the delivery was particularly difficult because in game I rolled a 4 (on a ten-sided die), and a result of 2-3 meant the mother dies in labor. Close call number one.

The sinkhole was another possibility of death but the risk was pretty low on that one. Still, close call number two.

That lion was a tricky one. Three traps in two rounds is harsh. Quick mechanic lesson, in Kingdom Death, when you successfully hit a monster, you draw a location card which you must then roll to wound. Resolve the card according to the result and what is written on it. Traps are location card that grants the monster a free, almost unavoidable attack. There's one trap out of about 21 cards in the lion's deck so that was quite unlucky of me.

Finally, when Last Ember got possessed at the end, there was a chance I would have been forced to exile him. It would have been a call on my part but the alternative just wasn't worth it. Luckily, I got only the second worst result, which consequences will be felt in the next chapter.

Again, thanks for reading the story so far and I'll see you in the next one.