Chapter Three

Divine Sister’s

I gazed down at the strange mare and noticed that the snow around her had begun to turn a dark crimson hue. “Damn it!” I cursed as I removed the orange jacket she had been wearing and discovered several lacerations and deep cuts. No doubt she had a few broken bones as well. Her breaths were shallow and weak as her body shivered; I needed to treat her quickly before she died from blood loss. I pulled out my medical kit and was about to use the healing bandages when the loud crackling sound of thunder caught my attention. I turned my head towards the sound and saw a massive storm blowing in from the mountains to the north. “We need to find shelter before that storm hits so I can properly treat your injuries, little pony,” I said as I put the bandages away and instead brought out a few tourniquets and cast a spell to help coagulate the blood to slow the blood loss. After applying the tourniquets, I looked around and saw a small opening at the base of the nearby mountain that looked like a cave. “That will have to do.” I carefully picked up the injured mare with my magic and made my way to the cave entrance. Once inside, I quickly cleared a spot on the floor and sat the mare down, and quickly started a fire with my magic for both light and warmth. I pulled out my medical kit and got to work cleaning the blood and wounds so I could better examine her injuries, aside from the lacerations I was correct on her having several broken bones including three broken ribs and a busted leg. I used my magic to mend her bones and more severe injuries then used my medical kit to suture and bandage the lesser ones after removing the tourniquets and cleaning the wounds so they would not get infected. This whole process took about two hours and night was falling fast but her condition was stable now, I suppose I could have used one of my healing potions but those were best saved for emergencies especially since I doubt these ponies had anything I could use to manufacture more of them. The storm raged outside as I laid out the mares’ attire to dry next to the fire when I noticed her shivering and breaking out in a cold sweat. “Damn it.” I walked around the fire over to her and placed my hoof on her head which burned to the touch. “Great, she has a fever now. Honestly, these ponies are so frail compared to us it’s a wonder they’ve survived for so long.” I said as I gazed down at the deep blue mare; she seemed so small and helpless. Normally, I would not care if a weak creature died. After all, the strong would survive, and the weak would be devoured by the strong, but something had compelled me to save her from drowning until I found out why… “I will not allow you to die, little pony.”

I spent the next two days looking after the sick and injured pony while the snowstorm outside raged in an endless white flurry, using what medical equipment I had to treat her fever and using my body as a windbreak for the cold breeze that occasionally funneled into the cave as well as to share my body heat with her. I still was perplexed as to why I was going to such lengths to keep her alive, but for whatever reason, I felt compelled to do so. Her breathing had become more stable, and the fever finally broke after another day, but she was still mostly unconscious and would murmur something about a sister every now and then. I knew I would have to get her to eat something to help with the recovery process. Luckily, I had gathered some mountain berries that seemed to be edible, as I had witnessed small animals eating them when I was following the frozen river and collecting firewood for later use. I pulled a few of them out of my storage space after throwing another log on the fire. They were large red-colored berries that came in a cluster of three on a white leaf with blue tips. I lifted them closer to my nose and sniffed; they had a rather bitter smell with a soft underlying hint of sweetness. “Alright, little pony, you need to eat to recover your strength quicker,” I said as I carefully lifted her head with my hoof and gently placed the berry in her mouth where, either by instinct or perhaps partial consciousness, her mouth started to subtly move in a vain attempt to eat. “Chew, little pony.” She gave a few more weak attempts before the berry fell out of her mouth onto the cave floor. “Really, you can’t even manage to chew a berry on your own?” She didn’t respond, of course, just kept softly breathing as I held her head, and after a few moments, I gave a long sigh…… “Can’t believe I’m doing this.” I closed my eyes and placed a few berries into my mouth, and started to chew them thoroughly; they were disgusting to me as I chewed them into a fine pulp. The berries were very bitter and left a grossly sour taste on my tongue. “I hope you understand how gross these taste to a carnivore little pony,” I complained around the mouthful of berries. After chewing them as fine as I could, I lifted the pony’s head more and pressed my mouth against hers. She moved slightly as my lips met hers but did not protest too much as I used my tongue to transfer the pulp between our mouths. Once I had moved it all to hers, I pulled my head back and kept hers at an angle as I moved my other hoof to stroke her throat to help coax her into swallowing the berry pulp. It took a moment, but she finally swallowed the berries. I pulled out my enchanted water pouch from my survival kit and gave her a small drink. “I’ll have to boil some water and herbs to get this sour taste out of my mouth after I’m done feeding you, little pony.” I continued looking after her in this manner for another few days before we finally shared words with each other. It was the dead of night as the storm continued to howl outside; I was attending the fire when I first heard her rustle from her long sleep. She gave an exasperated breath as she tried to sit up but quickly fell back down into the small nest I had made from what dry leaves I could find. clearly, she still needed to recover her strength, but it was a good sign that she had finally awoken.

“Whe… where am I? How’d I get here? Sister, is that you?” She had such a soft melancholy tone.

“You are in a cave, little pony, sheltered and safe from the storm raging outside while you recover from your injuries. As to your sister, I know not, for I only found you.” With some effort, she turned her head towards me. I saw her eyes focus and then go wide with surprise. Or Fear? I did not know.

“Who… what are you?”

“What am I?” I stood up from attending the fire and approached her. “That’s a rather rude question to ask to the one who saved your life, little pony, especially since I’ve had to nurse you back to health for the past week.”

“I… I’m sorry I did not mean to offend.” She held her head with a hoof as she groaned in pain. “My head is pounding, and I can’t think clearly.” I took the opportunity to pull out my water pouch and offered her a drink of the refreshing water, which she gulped down greedily.

“So, little pony, I have questions for you first and foremost; why are you in these mountains, and how did you get caught in an avalanche?” I asked as I took back the water pouch and sipped myself, which made her blush slightly for some odd reason.

“My sister Celestia and I were hiking through the mountains to reach the town of Snow-Hopper on the edge of Equestria for some ‘Excitement’ she calls it.”

“Excitement huh? What kind of excitement?”

“Snowboarding and mountain climbing, Snow-Hopper is a famous winter vacation spot for ponies, and my sister was getting bored with our nice, quiet, lovely retirement home in Seaward Shoals and decided we should go there for a change of scenery. And I, of course, as the little sister, got dragged along for the ride.”

“I see, but that doesn’t answer the other part of my question of how you ended up getting caught in an avalanche.” She gave me a rather guilty look as she laid her head back down.

“We… got into a fight over directions and how I didn’t want to come to the cold north to begin with, and in my anger, I stormed off into the snow. After wandering for a bit, I found a mountain peak and decided that if I could get to the top, I would be able to spot the town lights in the distance, but as I approached the summit, a storm blew in, and a lightning bolt struck the mountain which must have caused the avalanche taking me along with it as it crashed down the mountainside.” I looked at her like she was stupid.

“So basically, what you’re telling me is that you and your sister got lost in the snow, had a pointless fight, and you decided to wander off on your own instead of sticking with your sibling as a storm was approaching, and you were too angry to notice it?”

“I…If you want to put it like that, yeah… I guess that is what happened.” She tried to hide her embarrassed face in her hoofs with great effort. “Um, if I may ask, what happened after you saved me?” I spent the next half an hour filling her in on how I had pulled her from the freezing lake and nursed her back to health as I fetched out one of my rations and started to cook it in the fire, although I had never seen such a dark blue shade turn crimson red on a face when I got to the part about having to mouth feed her and share my body heat so she would not die from hypothermia caused by the bone-chilling wind. “Yo…. you did all that for me? I… had no idea I was so injured I would have died if you hadn’t been there to pull me out of the water ma…. may I know your name?” She asked, face still burning crimson.

“My name? My name is Tenebrae, little pony.” I said as I pulled my now-cooked ration from the fire and began eating it.

“Tenebrae, huh?” She gave a quiet giggle which resulted in a coughing fit that lasted about a minute.

“Something funny about my name, little pony?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“No… no It’s a lovely name I just thought it a bit ironic because of what my name is that’s all.”

“That being?”

“Luna, my name is Luna. And definitely not little pony.” She said with a delicate smile.

“You're all little ponies to me, but very well, Luna.” She started to fall back asleep, but our little conversation had sapped her still-recovering body.

“Tenebrae?” She softly whispered.

“Yes, little Luna?”

“Thank you for saving my life and I’m not little.” And just like that, she was fast asleep. I finished my ration as I sat there quietly thinking. No doubt she will have more questions when next she wakes. I do not like lying, but it may be beneficial to fabricate a story of being an adventurer or something of the like from a foreign land, as she may be more forthcoming with information that way and won’t be as suspicious of my questions about this Equestria or neighboring areas like the Crystal Empire. Dawn had come, though you would not know it as outside the cave opening, the blizzard continued to rage, and the wind's white symphonies continued to envelop the land in its whistling melody of frost when Luna next awakened. She was feeling better, but her body still needed to recover its physical strength.

“Here, drink this, it’ll warm you up.” I handed her a crudely carved but perfectly functional wooden cup I had made from a dead stump I found hidden in the corner of the cave last night.

“What is it?” She asked, carefully taking the crude cup in her magic. It was filled with a grayish steaming liquid.

“It’s a tea I made from the leaves of those winter berries mixed with other mountain herbs.” She gave it a cautionary sniff before taking a sip.

“A bit bitter but I prefer it to overly sweet.” She continued to sip the tea while I started to carve another cup from what remained of the stump. She eyed me cautiously when I extended my War Blade and got to work. “Tenebrae, if I may ask, where are you from exactly? I’ve never seen a pony like you before or wearing such frightening-looking armor.”

“North, and you’ve never seen a pony like me because I’m not a pony, though I suspect our species are related.”

“You’re not a pony? Then what are you? And what do you mean north, like from Yakyakistan?

“Further, much further north, and apologies that I cannot answer your other questions. Our laws forbid it.”

“Your laws forbid it?” She gave me a confused look as she sat her cup down on the rocky floor. “There aren't any other settlements or countries past Yakyakistan unless… wait, are you from the Unknown Regions?” Unknown? Perfect, so these ponies have not charted the northern providence above the Ghost Sea.

“Unknown to you, Equestrians perhaps, but yes, I am,” I answered back without turning to meet her gaze as I continued my carving.

“Really? If that is the case, you’re the first visitor we’ve had from there, to my knowledge. What made you travel such a long and dangerous way here to Equestria?” I dared glance over to her and saw her eyes filled with curiosity.

“I told you before our laws forbade me talking about it, and if you continue with your questions, you’ll wear yourself out again, like before. Your body is still recovering after all, so it's best not to strain yourself.”

“I’m feeling much better than I was yesterday, but thank you for the concern. Now, please, can’t you talk about it a little pretty please? I’m very curious.” I gazed into her curious blue eyes… her alluring eyes… damn them, I hate lying.

“Very well, though, I can’t tell you much.” She sat up as best she could to listen. “I’m an adventurer from an Island nation far to the north past what we call the Ghost Sea, and I’m searching for a long-lost ruin of importance to my people that I have reason to believe lies here in Equestria. That’s all I will say.” I went back to focusing on my carving as I could not bear to keep looking into those eyes.

“An adventurer from a far-away unknown land searching for lost ruins? Sounds exciting; my sister would love that.” Suddenly she got up quickly, nearly falling onto her face as she stumbled toward the cave exit. “MY SISTER!!! I HAVE TO FIND HER!!! I grabbed her in my magic and lifted her slightly off the ground, which she immediately began to struggle in.

“BUT MY SISTE-”

“Calm yourself, little Luna. If you go out in this weather before you’re fully recovered, you’ll only succeed in getting yourself killed. Not only that, but it would make the effort I put into saving you pointless and a waste of my time. Of course, if that was your true goal when you decided to run off on your own when you and your sister were lost, tell me now, and I’ll toss your blue ass back into the freezing lake myself.” She stopped struggling and gave me a look of pure disbelief as if I had just struck her across the face. “Well? Are you wanting to die?”

“No…” She whispered softly.

“Good.” I levitated her back to the makeshift nest and sat her down gently. “Now get some rest. The faster you recover, the better.” She just sat there staring into the fire looking somber for a long while as I finished my carving of another cup. I looked over at her and gave a long sigh… “As soon as the storm passes and you're recovered enough to move properly, I will help you find your sister and escort the both of you safely to the town of Snow-Hopper, alright? And I’m sure she’s fine and probably just sheltering away from the storm like we are before continuing to look for you.” She perked up a little at my words.

“Okay… thank you, Tenebrae. I’ll choose to believe that.”

We walked through the deep snow staying close to the rock face as we followed the mountain pass. It had been a few days since the storm alleviated its assault on the mountains, and my companion was well enough to travel again. “I think we’re getting close to the area where we had our disagreement, Tenebrae. It should just be over the next ridge.” Luna called out behind me as she followed my large hoof steps through the snow.

“Good I should be able to pick up her trail then from there,” I said as we crested the ridge overlooking a frozen plain surrounded by numerous mountains and hills.

“I don’t know how you’re going to find her trail after so long, especially since I’m sure the snow has completely covered it by now.” She replied softly, panting as she came up next to me.

“I’m exceptionally good at tracking, little Luna. Now are you sure this is the right place?” She looked at me with doubt in her eyes.

“Yes, I distinctly remember these plains with surrounding mountains.”

“Good.” I began clearing away a large part of the snow and began to sniff the frozen dirt beneath it.

“Uhh… what are you doing, Tenebrae?” I ignored her and kept my attention on the surrounding smells. Yes… there were two distinct smells that didn’t match the frozen environment faint but definitely there alright. One smelled of lavender and moon lilies that of my current companion ah… moon lilies how I missed those I wonder if that’s why I… Irrelevant, I need to stay focused. The other smell is strange to explain; it’s like a mixture of sunflowers and sugar, yet oddly warm. This must be her sisters; I took a deep breath… the strange smell continued to the north.

“She went that way.” I pointed north towards a path that seemed to cross the plains beyond the distant hills.

“Wha… how do you know that?”

“I have a very good sense of smell.” She didn’t look convinced. Sigh… lying again. “Where I’m from, the terrain is very uneven, and the air is muddled with many smells and sounds, not to mention the area is full of dangerous monsters, some of which can be very deadly and can disguise themselves by mimicking would-be prey like a lure. Being able to distinguish and separate them can mean life or death, so we train to do so at an early age.” This seemed to ease her doubt.

“Sounds like you come from a very dangerous place.” She warmed up her hoofs with her hot breath. “I hope Celestia is okay because that storm was pretty severe and sudden.”

“I’m sure she is little Luna. Now come, let’s get moving while I have her trail.” I started my descent down the ridge.

“I’m not little. How many times do I have to say that?” She complained quietly before following my path.

“We’re close to your sister now. These tracks and scent are recent.”

“Truly? Thank the stars. I was beginning to worry we wouldn’t find her, though it’s still a bit weird to me that you can follow by scent over such a distance. It’s like having a tracking dog or something.” We had been following her sister’s trail for about a day and a half now. Thankfully, the weather wasn’t too bad; otherwise, it would’ve taken far longer to trudge through the snow and wind to catch up.

“I am not a dog, little Luna.” I glared back at her. “We’re close; let’s see if we can find her before night falls,” I said, turning my attention to the path ahead. We were in a frozen ravine filled with ice-covered crags and hills twisting about like a maze. It'd be easy to get lost in such a place without a map or a good sense of direction.

“It was just a jest, Tenebrae. No need to be so serious about it. After all, you also make a good snowplow. I would be chest deep in the snow were it not for your grand trail through.” I gazed back to glare again, but seeing the road I had carved through the snow winding behind her through the ravine and rocks, I decided to turn back towards my purpose.

“Snow-plow indeed.” I mused, continuing my path. After trudging through the snow for another twenty or so minutes, we came across the remains of a campsite tucked under a rocky shelf of a crag. The embers of the fire still glowed.

“I’m sorry I doubted you, Tenebrae. It really does look like my sister came through this way.” Luna said as she approached the campsite, picking up a teapot with her magic that was near the fire. “This is definitely her teapot. I recognize the cute little animal on its side.” She touched it with her hoof. “Oww! It’s still hot!” As she put her hoof in the snow to cool it, I noticed something strange about the campsite: a pot and pan had been left in the snow near a partly buried saddlebag filled with numerous tools and utensils for cooking. A basket full of food and travel snacks lay tipped on its side with hoof prints leading away from it near an odd bump in the snow.

“Somethings wrong here, little Luna. Stay alert.” I walked over to the odd bump and began clearing away the snow to find a ruined tent that had been trampled with heavy clothing left inside. Luna had just begun to notice the discarded supplies in the snow and wore a look of worry.

“Oh no, Celestia. Please be safe.” She muttered quietly. “What do you think happened, Tenebrae?”

“Be quiet for a moment.” I focused my attention on the ruined tent and the path of the hoof prints. “It appears your sister was in the middle of prepping breakfast and had put some water on to boil before fleeing the camp with haste.”

“What makes you say that!?” She asked in alarm.

“Look around.” I gestured toward the fire’s embers. “Water still hot in the kettle, pots and cooking utensils left behind, discarded food, and this trampled tent I found beneath a patch of snow.” I pulled out a heavy red winter jacket from the ruined tent. “It appears that she left in such a hurry she forgot her jacket and had tripped over the food basket in trying to run away.” Luna grabbed the jacket from my hoof.

“What would have caused her to run in such a panic?” She hugged the jacket to her chest. “Tenebrae, if my sister is without her warm clothes and supplies.” She gave me a somber look.

“Don’t worry, little Luna, we’ll find her. I did track her this far, and this camp has only been abandoned recently, as evidenced by the glowing coals of the fire. We can’t be far behind her now.” My words seemed to alleviate her fear.

“Right, lead on.” She said, tucking the jacket away in her saddlebag.

“The trail goes this way. Come on; we can catch her before-.” Then it hit my nostrils: the smell of iron. No… I lifted my head as I sniffed the air. That’s fresh blood!”

“Blood!? What do you me…” I didn’t hear the rest as I ran in a full gallop towards the source of the smell, the same direction as the hoof prints.

As I turned the corner, I was greeted by the sight of billowing snow and open tundra. I skidded to a halt at the edge of a steep cliff and took in the sight briefly as I could hear Luna shouting somewhere behind me. I looked over the edge and saw about thirty-five meters below me a pure white mare with a translucent rainbow mane standing on a large boulder holding her bleeding wing. Something was off; why did she look so scared? From my vantage point, I couldn’t see or smell anything else in the vicinity, but then I felt it… a rumbling from the snow. Suddenly, the ground in front of the boulder exploded in a white flurry as something erupted from the ground beneath, and a putrid smell assaulted my nose. As the snow that was tossed in the air, creating a brief smokescreen, cleared from my eyes, I began to see the creature responsible. It was a massive white worm-like monster banded with deep blue feathers around the neck and a light blue pattern ringing down its body, its blackened beady eyes focusing on the small mare before it. It was easily twenty meters in size, I’d guess. From the exposed body rising from the ground, its tripartite maw lined with yellowed rotting teeth opened, revealing a sickly purple mouth with black tendrils writhing out from its throat, reaching for its prey… I jumped.

I extended my war blade and brought it to bear with my full weight and momentum directly into its eye. The creature recoiled in pain, shrieking like a dying banshee as its purple blood spewed from its pierced eye, coating my armor. It shook violently, trying to throw me off as I tried to force my blade deeper, hoping to hit its brain. It moved its body to thrash its head against the cliff edge, trying to crush me against it, but I was faster. Just before it hit, I retracted my blade and used the force of the impact to send me skyward. With one powerful beat of my wings, I redirected my momentum back downwards. The stupid beast had dazed itself with the strike. This time I aimed right between its eyes my blade piercing scale, flesh, and bone alike with its serrated edge as I forced it forward splitting its head apart down the back of its head. Brain matter and blood cascaded down upon me as the creature gave its final shriek, tumbling down into the purple-stained snow. I landed the fall without effort as its steaming dead carcass lay behind me. “What a worthless opponent.” I spat some of its purple blood from my mouth. “Back in my time, monsters like you would have given a far fiercer fight than that. At the very least, I won’t let your meat go to waste. I hope you taste better than you smell.”

“CELESTIA!!!” Came the panicked voice of Luna as she flew down from the cliff landing next to her dazed sister whose gaze seemed fixated on me. Can’t really blame her I suppose, judging based on how those pitiful soldiers at that lab reacted to the death of their comrades I must look quite the sight covered in purple gore. “SISTER, SNAP OUT OF IT! ARE YOU OKAY!?” Luna was shaking her sister, trying to break her from the daze. After a few moments, she seemed to wake up and recognize her little sister.

“LUNA!” She embraced her sister in a tight hug despite her injured wing. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried.” She hugged her sister closer. “I’m so sorry, Luna; I shouldn't have raised my voice like that.”

“I’m sorry too for running off.” They both began to weep softly for a brief time as I inspected the creature before Luna noticed the blood on her sister’s wing. “Sister, your wing is injured!”

“I’m alright just a sprain I promise.” Celestia, I think was her name, stroked Luna’s mane, trying to reassure her. But it didn’t look like Luna bought it as she prodded the injured wing causing her sister to wince in pain.

“You've always been such a bad liar, sister. Since when does a sprain bleed? Thankfully, my new friend here is quite adept at medicine and fighting Itzalwurms; it would seem.” She gestured towards me.

“He is?” She looked at my purple blood-stained armor with worry.

“You can trust him, sister I would be dead were it not for him.” She finally broke away from her sister’s embrace, wiping a tear from her eye. “He saved my life and now yours plus without him I never would have found you in this endless expanse of snow.”

“Alright, I will trust your judgment Luna, but I want to hear all about what happened after we were separated. I have quite a few questions.” She still had a bit of weariness in her eyes toward me.

“Deal but I want to hear your side too, here you must be freezing.” She pulled out the red jacket and wrapped it around her sister. I approached them. “Ah, but let’s do proper introductions first, Celestia. This is Tenebrae and Tenebrae; this is my older sister Celestia.” I bowed my head slightly in greeting. “Thank you for saving my sister from that Itzalwurm Tenebrae. I figured you’d be a strong fighter after what you said about your homeland, but I didn’t think you’d be able to defeat a monster like that without using magic. It was quite impressive to watch!”

“Was it?” I looked at the carcass of this Itzalwurm behind me with doubt. It is still difficult to wrap my head around how weak the beings of this era were. What could have caused such a tremendous difference in such a short time I wonder, granted if the information I received from Sandy is accurate it’s been about thirty-five thousand years since we bicorns walked holy Equus. Still, that’s far too short of time for such a dramatic decrease in power, both physical and magical, not to mention the lack of technology I witnessed in that lab during my escape. So many questions and no answers. I need to hasten my way to the data center, hopefully I’ll get some answers there.

“It was. I’ve never seen anypony take one down so quickly or rather kill one at all. Usually, they keep to their hunting grounds, and even when they do attack, they are just driven away.” Luna looked at me with curiosity instead of the weariness her sister had.

“If you say so, little Luna.” Before getting answers, though, I need to escort these two to the town Luna mentioned first. I gave my word after all, and a bicorn always keeps it. “Celestia, was it? Let me take a look at your wing. I need to treat it before it gets infected.” I cleaned my hoofs in the snow and pulled my medical kit out of my storage space.

“I’m fine; really, it’s just a sprain.” She kept up her façade while flexing her wing. “See only hurts a little bit.” The pain was clear as day on her face, and I wasn’t in the mood for games. I grabbed her in my magic and pulled her closer.

“Good, then I can examine it all the quicker.” I sat her in front of me and gripped the injured wing in my magic, unfurling it.

“Oww! Must you be so rough!?” She tried to squirm away, so I pinned her under my hooves. She may be bigger than her sister and about the size of an average bicorn, but I was still far larger and stronger.

“Cease your squirming and let me examine it already you’re acting like a filly. Honestly, aren’t you supposed to be the older sibling?” She continued squirming under me and trying to cover her nose for some odd reason. Meanwhile, Luna was trying her best not to laugh at her sister’s predicament, but I noticed she had moved further away from me. “Is something wrong little Luna?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong exactly.” She struggled to hold in her laughter as she covered her nose with her jacket. “But Tenebrae, you smell absolutely horrible.” I gave her a puzzled look before giving myself a quick sniff. Okay... that was quite the smell I had going from the blood and brain matter from the Itzalwurm that caked my armor.

“I see, so that’s why you’re squirming. Too bad, though, as you’re not getting away until I’ve patched up your wing, so quit struggling and hold your breath.” I found the source of the bleeding as I examined the back of her wing. There was a large gash near the Ulna bone; fortunately, it wasn’t too deep. Celestia started gagging beneath me. “I found your wound hold still so I can treat it. The quicker I finish, the sooner I’ll be able to wash my armor off, and you can get some fresh air.” She tried her best to keep still as I cleaned her wound and used a healing spell to close the worst of the wound. “All done.” I let her get up and join Luna’s side, gasping for air.

“Thank you for your help, Tenebrae.” Celestia gave me a polite bow after catching her breath. “You have saved both my life and my sister’s. How can we ever repay you?” Luna followed her sister’s lead and joined in the bow.

“Not necessary, but I would be thankful for some information.”

“Information? About what?”

“Tenebrae, if it wasn’t obvious, is not from Equestria sister. He came looking for something that belongs to his kind.”

“Really? Sounds interesting.” Celestia raised her eyebrow at her sisters’ words.

“Enough we can discuss this later, night will fall soon and the temperature is already dropping. Luna help your sister back to her camp and get a fire going. Tidying up the place would be helpful as well; you can catch up on recent events too.” Luna nodded her head in agreement. “While you do that, I’m going to clean this gunk off my armor, but first.” I approached the dead Itzalwurm and extended my blade. “I’m going to make sure this doesn’t go to waste.”

“What do you mean go to wast-” Lunas' words caught in her throat as I began skinning the creature. The sight and smell caused both sisters to recoil and gag in horror. “By the stars, Tenebrae, what are you doing?”

“What does it look like? I am skinning this Itzalwurm before I carve some choice cuts to dress for the road. It’s been ages since I’ve had some meat to eat.” Which considering I’ve been gone for thirty-five thousand years wasn’t an understatement. “Besides, its parts and hide could be useful materials later on.” They looked at me like I was insane.

“Come on, sister. We can talk about it later. Let’s go before I puke from the smell.”

“Agreed, Luna, let’s go.” And with that, the sisters made their way towards the camp. Now that they were gone, I used my magic to hasten the process of skinning it. After the hide was off and put to the side, I drained several vials of the beasts’ blood and placed them inside my storage space along with its feathers.

“Good, let’s start butchering this thing before using magic to dry the hide, so I have something to wrap it in,” I said to myself. I spent the next hour carving the meat from its body. I always enjoyed hunting in the Dark-Moon Forest near my territory, the magic beasts that prowled it made excellent materials for alchemy and armor crafting. Especially the more powerful ones they made for the perfect enchanted gear. “There all done now to clean my armor,” I said as I put the last of the Itzalwurms materials into my storage. It was almost pitch-black now, so unfortunately, I’d have to wash it with magic. I cast my spell, purging the stains and smell from myself. Shame there isn’t a hot spring around here. I would’ve loved to bathe in it and do proper maintenance on my armor and blades. “I wonder if that town little Luna mentioned has one, I should ask her when we arrive,” I said to myself as I made my way back to the campsite.

“I still don’t trust him, Luna. He killed that Itzalwurm without even hesitating and is now butchering it to eat. What kind of pony does that?” I was just about to turn the corner of the crag to the campsite when I heard the sisters speaking.

“I told you before, sister, that he is not a pony, just closely related, though I’ll admit it is a bit disturbing that he is a carnivore. Still, he saved both our lives, and that’s good enough for me.”

“I know, and I’m incredibly grateful to him for saving you. I had no idea you were so hurt, Luna. But I can’t shake this feeling that he’s hiding something from us.” I stepped around the corner into the light of the fire.

“Of course, I’m hiding something from both of you don’t be stupid.” They gasped in surprise at my sudden appearance. “I am a foreigner in a foreign land with little to no knowledge of your country, its inhabitants, or laws. The place of my origin is wrought with many dangers, we fight for our survival, and it should be clear that I’m a warrior, fighting is in my blood and has been for many generations.” I sat across the fire from them. I hate this lie, but I’ve no choice but to run with it for now. I turned my gaze on Celestia “And for the record, I never asked for your trust I am simply keeping my word to your sister. I promised to help her find you and escort the both of you to the town of Snow-Hopper. After that, we’re done.”

“Oh, I’m sorry Tenebrae I… I didn’t know you were back.” Celestia looked down, a little ashamed. “I didn’t mean to offend you or your kind, I know my sister and I owe you our lives. I just don’t understand how you can take a life so easily.”

“Tell me, Celestia, why do you think that creature attacked you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me Celestia now answer I dislike having to repeat myself, especially for such a simple question.”

“I… because I was trespassing on its territory?

“Wrong, it was simply the law of nature.” I threw another log onto the fire

“What do you mean by the law of nature?” Luna asked, confused. Seriously, how controlling are these ponies that they would forget how nature works?

“Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, be predator or be prey.” I found a skewer in the saddle bag of cooking utensils. “That Itzalwurm attacked you because it was hungry, and you were prey, simple as that.” I opened my storage. “Unlike you, I am not prey.” I pulled out a good chunk of the creatures’ meat and pierced it onto the skewer. “Tracking you through the snow and fighting made me hungry, so the worm became my prey.” I held the skewer over the fire and rotated it slowly in my magic. “Bottom line, Celestia, had I not taken that Itzalwurms life, it would have taken yours. Are you truly trying to say you would have rather been eaten?”

“Well, no of course not I just don’t like killing.”

“Enough already, both of you.” Luna chimed in with a hint of annoyance in her voice. What’s done is done, sister. He saved both of our lives and is being kind enough to escort us to town. Just leave it at that. And Tenebrae, please stop with all the predator-prey talk; it's weird.”

“Very well little Luna, instead how about a change in topic? Did you catch up with your sister about the recent events?”

“Yes, we did, and it would appear my sister had hurt her wing when she tried to fly during the snowstorm and got stuck here in these crags. Which is why she wasn’t able to get away from that Itzalwurm.”

“I see, this Itzalwurm is it a common issue you ponies deal with?”

“No, attacks from them are rarer than their southern cousin, the Tatzlwurm. In fact, the last attack by a Tatzlwurm was when Twilight and Cadence were helping Discord get a flower to cure his supposed illness. Honestly, that Draconequus can be such a pain to deal with at times with his so-called pranks or tests.”

“Agreed, sister, but at least he’s reformed now…mostly anyways.” Interesting I wonder if this Twilight is the same as the monarch or just similar in name and what the fuck is a draconequus?

“So, these worms are a species with several variants then, what other types of monsters are commonly found here?” Over the next half an hour, as my meat cooked, Luna filled me in on the common monsters and intelligent creatures found in Equestria. Manticores, basilisks, sea serpents, chimeras, timber wolves, and many other monsters were common to the deep forest of the Everfree, which was a large, mostly unexplored forest that surrounded the central region near the capital. There were also many types of intelligent creatures that shared Equestria as their home ponies, griffons, buffalos, kirin, and yaks, but the last one she listed caught my attention the most.

“And dragons usually inhabit the badlands, but we’ve been on pretty good terms with them thanks to Spike and the school Twilight made in Ponyville.” I was glad to hear that dragons were still around. They were our closest friends and allies, even before the war our cultures were intertwined. I was often told as a colt to look to the proud and honorable dragons on how royalty should behave. I may have to make a detour in my quest to meet them.

“Interesting, this land seems mostly peaceful by the sounds of it.”

“It usually is, but we do have the occasional problem with criminals or the odd villain trying to take over or steal our magic, though truth be told, it has happened quite often this past decade.” Luna eyed me curiously as I took a bite of the meat I’d been cooking while Celestia did her best to look away.

“Very true, sister. It has been quite hectic these past few years, but thankfully, we had Twilight and her friends around to save the day. She more than earned the right to take our place. I’m proud of her and her friends’ achievements. The elements chose their bearers well.” I stopped midway through my bite.

“Wait, are you talking about the current regent of Equestria? And what do you mean take your place?” I looked at the sisters with a puzzled expression.

“Oh, right, I guess you wouldn’t know, being a foreigner to our land and all. I’m sorry, Tenebrae, for not realizing that sooner; we’re both so used to being recognized by everypony that it didn’t even cross my mind,” Luna said as she stood up from the fire and gave a polite bow. “My sister and I are the Princesses of night and day and the former rulers of Equestria, but we both retired and abdicated the throne to Twilight Sparkle.” I was completely confused by the dynamic of these ponies’ government system at this point. I mean, how the fuck does a princess retire, and what does she mean by the elements chose?

“You retired being princesses? That doesn’t make any sense to me at all. Is this Twilight Sparkle a member of your royal family and you chose her to rule instead?” They both giggled at my question.

“No, not at all. Twilight was my prized pupil when she attended my school for young fillies gifted in magic. I saw her potential as the bearer of the element of magic and set her on the right path to becoming a princess.” Celestia responded, seeming amused by my ignorance.

“The dynamics of this Equestria is more complicated than I thought.” I crossed my hooves in thought. “You said you were the princesses of night and day. Are those simply titles then?”

“We’re called that because I was responsible for raising the sun each morning.”

“And I for raising the moon at night though I did also watch over ponies in their dreams.” I was completely stunned by their words of raising and lowering the sun and moon. Why was that even necessary to begin with?

“Are you saying without the two of you, the sun and moon do not move?” They seemed a bit puzzled by my reaction.

“Well, yeah, I suppose so, but we did imbue an amulet with a small portion of our magic for Twilight to use to raise and lower the sun and moon when we retired, so we’re not fully needed for that anymore.”

“That doesn’t stop the ponies of Equestria from calling us the twin goddesses, though.” Luna chimed in, but I was lost in thought. How can this be possible? The sun and moon always moved on their own due to the magical gravity of the planet. “Uh… Tenebrae, you okay?” If they’ve stopped their orbit around the planet, that would mean the magic of the world had to have diminished severely or have disappeared completely.

“I don’t think he’s listening, sister.” Wait… if the magic of the planet has severely diminished that much to stop the natural orbit of the sun and moon, that would explain the dramatic decrease in the power of its inhabitants, but even if this is the case, that still doesn’t explain the cause or catalyst of it.

“TENEBRAE!” Luna was yelling in my face and trying to shake me out of my thoughts. I shook my head clear.

“My apologies. I was lost in thought.” Luna removed her small hooves from my shoulders and stepped back.

“Obviously, you completely clammed up on us and had a blank stare in your eyes.” She sat back down next to the fire. “We had called your name several times, trying to get your attention. What was that all about anyway?” I continued eating. I needed to change the subject quickly.

“I was just thinking about how there are three of us and only one tent and a rather small one at that compared to my size.” They both froze for a second and looked at Celestia’s tent that they had set back up on their return to the camp. It was a small winter camping tent designed for two maybe three normal-sized ponies at most. They then turned their gaze on me, looking over my massive, armored form a bit longer than was needed before slightly blushing. “Is there something on my face, little princesses?” The sisters quickly looked away from me.

“No, no not at all Tenebrae.” Luna refused to look back at me and gave a little cough. “I was just thinking you’re right; that tent is too small for all of us to fit inside comfortably.” How amusing that these mares would be so embarrassed by my little joke to change the subject.

“Agreed, sister, but it’s not like we planned for something like this to happen in the first place. Besides Tenebrae, why don’t you have a tent? I thought you were adventuring across Equestria and were used to camping in the wilds.” Another lie I suppose Is called for.

“I did originally, but I lost it when I jumped into the freezing lake after your sister, along with a few other items. It’s not easy swimming in full armor, you know, especially when carrying an injured mare.”

“Oh… I see. Wait. If you didn’t have a tent, then what have the two of you been doing in your search for me?” They both looked at each other, still slightly blushing.

“We usually found a cave, or I’d make a small igloo with my magic before it got dark. It’s fine, though. I was merely teasing the two of you. Go ahead and share the tent; it's best I remain out here anyway. After all, we may still be in Itzalwurm territory, so I’ll keep watch for the night.”

“Are you sure Tenebrae? I mean we could take turns on watch if you’d like.” Celestia suggested, finally composing herself, but before I could respond, Luna interjected.

“Tenebrae truth be told I don’t think I’ve actually seen you sleep once since I met you. You were always up tending to the fire or making breakfast by the time I was awake. Why is that?”

“You’re quite astute in your observations, little Luna and the answer to your question is simple. It’s because I haven’t slept since we met, and I won’t need to for a while yet. besides, I think I’ve slept long enough.” I ended that last part by crunching the bone from the meat to get at the marrow inside.

“But Tenebrae tha-” I raised my hoof.

“That’s enough, little Luna. You two go ahead and get some rest. I will keep watch as I said I would. There is nothing else to discuss about the matter.” I pulled out the Itzalwurms hide from my storage space alongside some tools and sat them next to me. “I will be fine; I assure you there’s no need for you to worry. There is some work I need to get done before we make our way to town. Besides, I quite enjoy the nighttime.” I finished up my food and got to work examining the hide.

“Alright, if you say so, Tenebrae, but please don’t push yourself. If you do get tired, please don’t hesitate to switch out with us. Come, sister, let’s turn in for the night. We have a long and very cold road ahead of us to town.” Luna made her way past Celestia, who seemed curious as to why I was examining the worm’s hide.

“Right; goodnight, Tenebrae.” She turned to follow her sister into the tent.

“Goodnight, little princesses.” Now, then, I think I’ll make a hooded cloak out of this worm hide. It seems to be highly resistant to the cold and would serve to conceal most of my armor and horns. I’ll need to be careful in the settlement. I’m sure word has spread about my attack on their research lab by now. And I’d hate to have to kill my new companions after spending so much time and effort saving them. Not to mention the information they have provided me with is invaluable plus I doubt the ponies would take kindly to me killing their I suppose ex-rulers.

“I must admit it’s still weird seeing you in that cloak Tenebrae. I hadn’t expected you to make clothing out of the Itzalwurm, but I cannot deny it looks professionally made. Especially in such a short time, even Rarity would be envious of such skill with a sewing needle.” Luna and Celestia were following my trail through the snow. It had been a few days since I reunited the sisters and was leading them to the town of Snow-Hopper using my armor's auto-map. Thanks to using the paper map Celestia had in her saddlebag, it was simple to chart our course.

“I don’t know this Rarity, nor do I care to; it’s just a hobby of mine, little Luna, and it's more useful than just being fashionable. The Itzalwurms hide is highly resistant to the cold environment though the main reason I made it to begin with was to help conceal my identity when we get to town. Speaking of which, we should arrive there shortly.”

“That’s good to hear, but why would you need to hide your identity?” Celestia asked. She took a moment to warm her hooves with her breath.

“In my experience of traveling, locals tend to have a problem with outsiders. They don’t trust them or try to lay blame if something should happen and some refuse to even allow passage. So, I think it’s best to hide my armor and horns to help dissuade the fact I’m a foreigner.”

“That’s good thinking, Tenebrae. However, your size and the fact that you’re wearing a cloak made out of a monster might not be very persuasive.” Luna chuckled.

“I suppose you have a point about that.” I stopped for a second to think of a solution. “Ah… I got it; if you don’t mind, little princesses, should anypony raise questions about me? Can I ask that you tell them I’m a mercenary that you two hired for protection?” I turned to look at the sisters.

“Oh, like a bodyguard? Sure, we could do that; it’s the least we could do as thanks for saving us, right sister?”

“I agree with Luna and it does make sense that we would have some sort of protection since we were traveling so far. I think once we get to town and the rumor about you being our bodyguard, Tenebrae gets around, ponies won’t be suspicious of you being an outsider.”

“I appreciate your understanding.” We continued up the path, and as I crested the slope of the hill, I could see lights in the distance. “The town of Snow-Hopper, I presume?” The sisters came up beside me and peered in the direction of the lights.

“Looks like it.” Luna sat down in the snow. “By the stars, the journey here was ridiculous and way more dangerous than I thought it’d be.” Celestia took a seat next to her sister.

“Agreed, the brochure had said the mountain views and natural hot springs were to die for, but I didn’t think it was literal.” She chuckled at her own joke.

“They have hot springs?”

“Oh yes, rumor is they are some of the best in the kingdom. Why do you ask? Do you like hot springs, Tenebrae?” Luna looked at me with a strange look of curiosity.

“I do very much. Soaking in a hot spring after a battle or successful hunt is a core part of our culture.”

“Really? Well, let’s not waste any more time getting there then. As our bodyguard, you must stay close to our side, right?” I shot her a puzzled look.

“I suppose that would be correct in this situation, given that’s the story we’re sticking to. Why do you ask?” She turned away from me.

“Because that means you have to escort us until we’re ready to leave.” She gave her sister a sly look. “After all, a bodyguard can’t just leave his charges in a remote town surrounded by dangerous creatures and unknown ponies. Isn’t that right, sister?” Celestia tried her best not to smirk at me.

“I do indeed agree, sister. Especially one we already owe our lives to.” I was not amused, which must have been evident on my face because Celestia’s expression quickly softened. “All joking aside, Tenebrae, what I and Luna are saying is we would like you to join us in enjoying some rest and relaxation in town as thanks for saving us. We’ll cover all expenses, of course, including the hot springs, so please, won’t you stay?” They both gave me puppy-dog eyes.

“I don’t know. I have my quest to consider, and I’ve already been sidetracked as is.” I tried to look away from their pleading eyes.

“Please, Tenebrae? I mean, think about it, we are the former rulers of Equestria and are popular amongst the ponies. We can get VIP treatment at any of the establishments. I can guarantee you’ll have a good time.” Luna said, moving into my field of view alongside her sister. Their eyes… damn them. I let out a long sigh…

“Fine, I’ll accept your terms, but remember what my role is when we are in public; otherwise, it may cause issues for me.” They both beamed at my response.

“Yes, of course, we promise!” They said in almost perfect unison. I looked at the town in the distance and felt an eerie feeling down my spine. Just what have I gotten myself into?

Author's Note

This last year has been crazy with everything going on as I'm sure most of you know. And that trend seems to be continuing this year so updates will be slow but I'm determined to finish the story.