Author's Note

Hey, look who's back from the dead!
Sorry this took a bit, but in the past two days, I suddenly couldn't stop the juices from flowing, so I was able to get this out, and I like how it has flowed, maybe rushed one part, but sometimes it's what you have to do.

Also, small trigger warning for child death but nothing explicit or graphics. I know that it can freak a lot of people out, so watch out for the XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and prepare yourself.

More questions than answers

Ivor and Applejack had dropped Rainbow off with a medical woman a few hours ago. Applejack was pacing back and forth outside a tent, waiting for any information as Ivor walked up with two steaming mugs.

"Here, drink this; it'll calm you down," Ivor said, offering her one of the mugs. Applejack took one and sipped the warm drink thanking the caribou chief. "She's special to you?" He asked.

"Probably my best friend," She said, staring at her drink. "We were one of the first of the elements to be captured because we refused to run." The farm mare walked to a bench and sat down, trying to gather her thoughts. "I tried to keep my ear to the ground so I could find a way to get us all back together, but…." She explained as Ivor sat down next to her.

"She'll be fine, I promise," Ivor said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Applejack smiled at him and was about to speak again when a loud commotion broke their moment. Looking over, they saw three mares stumble out from a tent scattering the contents outside as the group bolted towards Applejack and Ivor.

"Whoa, hey, where's the fire?" Applejack asked, jumping up to stop the trio. "Y'all acting like a bunch of- APPLEBLOOM?!" She yelled, now seeing that the three mares were the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Applejack!" The red-headed mare bolted towards her sister, both wrapping each other in a hug. The two soon began to chatter back and forth, asking and answering questions; their reunion was cut short by a loud banging of pots and pans hitting the snowing ground. Both turned to see what caused the racket and saw Vidar pulling himself from the small pile of junk he had knocked to the ground with him. The young caribou took a moment to gather himself until he saw Applebloom and made a dash for her before Ivor stepped in and caught him by the back of his neck.

"Simmer down, kid," Ivor said, yanking Vidar a bit. "Why are you bothering these fine young girls?" Vidar ignored his question, letting out a growl and trying to break the grip Ivor had on him.

"He's been giving Applebloom some weird looks all morning," Scootaloo said, stepping in front of Vidar and raising her fists, giving a few mock punches. "If he tries anything, I'll knock his teeth out," Vidar responded with a quick snarl, still trying to get away from Ivor.

"Maybe she has something he wants." Sweetie Belle suggested.

"Maybe," Ivor said with a heavy dose of curiosity. "Let's see." He said, loosening his grip on the young half-crazed caribou.

When Vidar felt the pressure on his neck, he dashed towards the Apple sisters but stopped in front of Applejack, who kept herself between the two as Applebloom hid behind her as Vidar kept moving, trying to look at the younger sister. Vidar eventually rolled to one side around the older sister and was right in front of Applebloom, looking right in her eyes, beginning to make her uncomfortable. If she backed up, he stepped closer; if she looked away, he'd try to look into her eyes again; cautiously, she extended a hand to shake, which only seemed to confuse the young caribou who quickly grabbed her wrist, inspecting both sides of her hand for anything he found unusual. Finally, instead of shaking her hand, he turned it palm side down and placed it in the middle of his forehead between his broken antlers.

"What do I do?" Applebloom asked the group as Vidar kneeled in front of her and seemed to become well and truly relaxed. All eyes quickly turned to Ivor, who shrugged, being at a loss for ideas.

"Not to break up… whatever the hell this is, but we have work to do," Gaius spoke as he walked up. Ivor agreed, and the two left to plan the next move for the armies.

-+-+-+-

Across the camp, Shining Armour had woken up and was currently watching his wife and daughter sleep peacefully, a sight that he had not seen in years.

"You're staring, Shining," Cadance said, not bothering to open her eyes.

"And?" He asked, leaning over and kissing her forehead. But their moment was not meant to last as sounds of a scuffle outside filled their ears. "Can't have a single moment, can we?" He asked rhetorically, getting out of the bed.

"Maybe later, sweetie." Cadance chuckled, watching her husband put on his shirt and grab his sword before stepping out of the tent.

As he stepped out, he saw a young bull caribou and colt, both about twelve, wrestling on the ground as their peers watched and cheered on. In an instant, Shining could tell this wasn't good-spirited at all and went to step it. The former guard captain grabbed both of them by the scruff of their necks and pulled them apart; both had done some damage to the other, with the caribou sporting a busted lip and the colt getting the worst of it with a bleeding nose and a quickly swelling eye. The two fought to try and get back at each other, but Shining roughly knocked their heads together, disorienting both of them long enough for him to get some words out. "What in the name of Celestia are you two fighting about?"

"I'm teaching this bent horned bastard a lesson." The colt yelled, pointing at the caribou.

"So you attacked him? Why?" Shining asked.

"Because of what I am." The caribou answered, shaking Shining's grip. "He blames me for what his mother has chosen."

"What is he talking about?" Shining asked, confused.

"We can answer that." A voice called out. Looking to where the voice was coming from, and saw a large male caribou with a tall female caribou and a short unicorn mare. "The caribou is ours; Bluff, come here." The male called, and the young caribou didn't even hesitate to run to his mother, who grabbed his chin, giving him a quick once over before ruffling his hair with a chuckle.

"The other one is mine, Caspian come here right now and apologize young colt." The unicorn demanded.

"Like hell, I will," The colt yelled, breaking Shining's grip. "I don't care what you or anyone says. I will never apologize to these monsters for what they have done to us and our home!" Caspian then took off into the camp, disappearing into it.

"My deepest apologies, your Majesty; he has been this way since I escaped his father," The unicorn said, rubbing her temples in frustration. "He feels I betrayed him and Equestria by leaving his father, and well…." She explained, gesturing to the caribou couple and child as they joined her in front of Shining armor.

"You three are...something?" Shining asked, a little confused.

"Well…" The unicorn said with a blush. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Phantasia. Call me Phan; this is Viggo and Thora; you've already met their son Bluff." Phan explained as the caribou gave a slight bow which Shining returned.

"We never meant to anger the child," Thora commented. "Freya chose us to share the burning fire that is our love and passion; who are we to resist her will?"

"The boy is just upset with such a significant change to the life he has known." Viggo stepped in. "I would be too."

"Well, we'll talk about this later; for now, we should find him before he wanders off too far," Shining said; all of them agreed and started towards where Caspian had runoff.

-+-+-+-

Caspian hadn't stopped running until he was outside of the fort and making his way down a beaten path into some close by woods. The young colt was understandably unhappy; his mother and father had lived happily for years, and when Dainn took power, it seemed even better as far as he could tell; his dad smiled more, his parents didn't argue anymore, and his father talked about how Caspian might get a few more siblings in the future. He knew people only talked about having kids if they were happy together, right? Why did the Warborn have to come in and ruin it? As Caspian walked, he heard voices and decided to investigate what he came across was a gold mine for a young colt like himself.

He saw a tall yellow pegasus mare with a long flowing pink mane naked and bathing in a small pond. Her body was something out of a dream. Caspian couldn't help but stare as she used a bucket to rinse herself off of any suds and bend over to repeat the process. He heard her speaking but wasn't listening as he was too busy tracing the scars on her body with his eyes as they seemed to always lead him back to her plum hindquarters or generous breasts. The sound of someone wading through water stole his focus and made his eyes dart to see an equally naked caribou bull approach the mare and gently grab her waist, pulling her in for a kiss which the mare seemed more than happy to return. The two lovers seemed ready to go further, but the very sight reminded Caspian of his mother and the caribou she had chosen to do similar things with, and it made his blood boil.

-+-+-+-

As Fluttershy began to kiss down Vargar's chest and soon stomach, intending to go lower when her lover suddenly stumbled away with loud 'OW,' holding the side of his head where a sharp pain had just hit him.

"The hell was that?" Vargar growled, scanning the area for what may have just attacked him.

"Are you okay?" The pegasus asked, rushing to check his head for any blood or injury.

"Yeah, but what-OW!" He cried again as another object hit him, causing him to stumble back again. "This is getting old real quick, whoever you are!" Varchar called out into the woods.

Caspian smiled from his hiding spot and made to grab another stone to throw but was cut short by a low growl behind him. Turning slowly, the colt was met with the face of a bear-like creature. The animal was twice the size of an average bear and had traits like a mountain lion, with almost pitch-black fur and breath that smells like blood and rotting flesh. The beast approached in a slow, stalling motion as Caspian crawled back in fear. With a loud snarl, the animal lunged, causing Caspian to try and run but slipped and began tumbling down the small hill and found himself in the pond where Fluttershy and Vargar had been bathing.

The pair had redressed slightly, with Vargar still shirtless and Fluttershy had only managed to put on her shirt. The two watched as the colt tried to stand but stumbled with a yelp of pain; the fall had broken Caspian's leg, so Vargar began to walk over to him when he heard something big coming down the hill. Looking up, he saw the beast and dashed to put himself between the colt and the creature. As the bear-like animal arrived at the water's edge, Vargar stood with his arms out, blocking its path.

"NO!" Vargar boomed, making the beast stop dead in his tracks. For a moment, the hunter and the animal locked eyes in an intense staring contest. Vargar tilted his head a bit and gave a command. "Flutters, get him out of here."

"Right." The pegasus nodded and walked over, helping Caspian to the other side of the pond. As they two put some distance between them and the standoff, Caspian spotted a dagger on the ground close to the clothes the two had yet to put on, making it seem like he tripped, grabbing it as he fell the hiding it in the back of his pants, and Fluttershy helped him up. "Come on; you can do it." She encouraged him as they continued towards a nearby campsite. Once at the camp, the yellow mare set him on a log and began to tend to his injuries; Caspian's eyes roamed over her scantily clad body as she worked since she was still only in a shirt.

He thought it unfair.

A caribou didn't deserve a mare like this.

He was so angry that even the thought of him looking at the mare made him want to end him. Fluttershy eventually grabbed the side of his face looking him over before giving a smile.

"I am so sorry." She said plainly,

"For wh-OW MOTHER BUCKING HORSE APPLES!!!" The colt screamed as she popped his leg back into place with her free hand.

"Language." She chimed as she worked on a splint for him. "Now, what are you doing out here by yourself?" She asked as she worked. Caspian mumbled about his mother and how she betrayed his father as they heard footsteps approaching, but instead of Vargar, they found Caspian's mother, Viggo, Thora, and Shining armor. Phan immediately ran and embraced her son, checking him over once or twice before doing something a little shocking to the group, and delivered a fierce slap to the side of his face, making them all cringe a little.

"Don't you dare run off like that again, do you hear me, mister?" She cried before embracing her son again with a sob.

"You gave her quite the scare boy," Viggo said, crouching down beside him. "And you're lucky just to get a slap; my mum would have knocked a few teeth out of my skull." He chuckled, trying to sympathize with the young colt, but Caspian only turned away.

"I wouldn't give him too much flack," The voice of Vargar called as he joined the group, his and Fluttershy's clothes being carried in the mouth of the beast that had just attacked a few moments ago. "This big boy here almost ate him." Vargar gestured to the animal as he grabbed Fluttershy's pants and tossed them to the mare, who hastily began putting them on to cover her decency.

"Still, though, he shouldn't have run off like that," Phan commented and began to help her son stand, who shrugged her off and began to walk away on his strength. As the rest save for Shining, Fluttershy, and Vargar, who stand behind.

"So I'm guessing you aren't with Stonehoof?" Shining asked, giving Vargar a questioning look.

"I'd rather be in Helheim with my back broken than be one of those pieces of shit," Vargar commented. "I'd say they treat females like animals, but they don't even treat them half right, and I'm not about treating them less than what they deserve."

Shining chuckled before nodding towards Fluttershy. "Thought you might be an animal lover considering the company you're keeping." Vargar followed his gaze to the yellow mare, who was now fully dressed and rubbing the belly of the animal as it lay on its back, making happy lowing and snorting noises. "What the hell is that anyway?" He asked curiously.

"Well, if you are who I think you are, you know the mare," Vargar jokes. "If you mean the animal that is a deep woods black banther, and it almost ate that kid a minute ago."

"And you're just going to keep it around?" Shining asked.

"If he wants to stick around," Vargar shrugged. "Besides, they're usually vegetarians unless they can't find anything."

"Right…." Shining said, a little unsure. "Well then, I just have to ask one last question; Will you fight with us to bring down Dainn?" Shining asked, this time speaking with absolute certainty.

Vargar thought for a second before Fluttershy spoke up for both of them. "Just show us where to sign up." She said, mustering up enough courage to be intimidating but still looked a little too cute to be so.

"Good," Shining said. "Gather your things. I know a few mares who will be ecstatic to see you, Ms. Shy." He told them as he began his way back to the fort.

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Back at the fort near the healing tent, Applejack and Applebloom sat together on a bench, just holding each other Vidar stood close by, leaning against a post and looking to be asleep. Still, the occasional sporadic twitch that jolted him awake suggested it wasn't coming easy.

"So, what do you think his deal is?" Applebloom asked her sister as her eyes drifted towards Vidar, who literally slapped himself awake before growling and tried again to return to sleep.

"I'm not sure," Applejack answered. "Ivor said they found him locked up tighter than that special bottle of Ma&Pa's wedding cider Granny kept in the cellar."

"He looks….sad," Applebloom said, not finding a better word to describe it.

"With the way he is acting, a good nap would probably do him wonders." Applejack commented as the young caribou seemed to jolt himself awake again.

"Might be a good idea." A deep voice said, making the two sisters jump as they turned to see Ivor. "I thought you might like to know that your friend is a little weak, but you can see her now." He said, gesturing to the tent which had the healer waiting by it to show them in. Applejack nodded before looking at her sister to see if she would follow, but the young mare just looked at Vidar before speaking.

"You go ahead. I think there is something I want to try." Applebloom said, getting a concerned look from her older sister.

"Just be careful, okay?" Applejack said as she and Ivor entered the tent to see several warriors and liberated slaves receiving treatment, some worse than others but all healing quickly.

As they neared the back of the tent, they saw Rainbow Dash being fed soup by an older female caribou who watched the two approach, giving a slight bow to Ivor before calling for an assistant to continue providing food for the mare who seemed only vaguely aware of her surroundings.

"She is weak but a fighter for sure." The healer spoke. "Severe dehydration and malnutrition, not one spot on her didn't have a bruise or injury, and I'm not even going to mention what was done to her sexually." The healer said in disgust as Applejack found a stool and sat down to her friend's side, holding her hand and trying to hold back tears as the blue pegasus gave a weak squeeze to the farm mare's hand, trying to show she knew it was her.

"She seemed weaker than most. Why is that?" Ivor asked, and the healer had him follow her to a section of the tent cut off from the rest by an extra thick tarp. In this section, he saw a single table with a funeral cloth draped over something small.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She had been force-fed almost a gallon of harlot's curse," She explains, holding up a vial with a bright red liquid in it. "She shouldn't have a single thought in her head besides getting her next dick, but we fixed that. What concerned me was that." She said, pointing to the table with the funeral cloth. "Harlot's curse would not affect that, maybe how she was thrown around, but when I looked it over, they should have been healthy as can be."

"Wait, are you saying that she was…. Pregnant." Ivor asked, confused.

"By my guess, due in about two weeks, maybe three." She answered. "But the child was stillborn when you brought her here; I didn't think much of it until I saw the rest." The healer continued to explain.

"What do you mean the rest?" Ivor asked, worry rushing to his face.

The healer moved past the table and pulled back a curtain, revealing a section of the tent reserved for any who died.

What Ivor saw drained all the color from his entire body and made him start to question some of his core beliefs. While he saw maybe five or six adults or elders dead with funeral cloths over their bodies, there were dozens upon dozens of cloths covering what appeared to be infant caribou, pony, and other species alike across numerous beds, and several more religious creatures had taken to praying over the poor souls.

"By our count so far, we have five warriors dead by injury, an elder couple dead from disease, and 42 stillborn infants each whose father fought under a Stonehoof crest or served in some way, all of which seemed to be fully developed and would be born healthy." The healer informed, closing the curtain before taking a flask from her hip and downing the whole thing. "No heart problem, brains fully formed, lungs perfectly fine, not a single issue that I can find, but yet they all died in the womb in an almost peaceful manner."

"How could the gods allow such a thing?" Ivor asked, trying to steady himself against a tent pole.

"I have a theory," the healer spoke.

"What do you know about the Iron pelt curse?"