Still "dreaming"

Luna had been holding nocturnal for hours. He barely moved, but at some point he asked the question that preoccupied him most with an almost hollow voice

"Princess Luna, why are thee here with me? I am no different from others. I have nay dream or nightmare. I ..."

"We help thee because we feel sorry for thee. We know what it's like to be torn from thy time. and thee too are plagued by dark demons. The survivor's guilt, for example. and now that."

Nocturnal then remained silent.
He lacked the motivation to do anything. So all he saw this time was Princess Luna, her moon, and darkness until he opened his eyes again.

In a tree that served as a library and Residents

When Nocturnal woke up, the first thing he saw was a group of mares around him. seven to be exact.
There were the six mares who had accompanied him to Ponyville after his resurrection and had said goodbye to him when he had started his new adventure and a batpony with a really concerned expression on her faces.
He just lacked any motivation to get up. So he was lying on the couch and just looked straight, no expression on his face, his eye empty and motionless

"How are you, Nocturnal?"
"Here, we have something to eat for you."

Twilight and Fluttershy.
He should be happy to see them.
But the emptiness in him was still there.
Only his stomach growled loudly, which was not enough motivation to eat.
Everything was here that he liked.
And the apples looked so fresh and juicy.
There was cheese, butter, bread ...
A few months ago he would have considered this luxury food.
Now he just sighed and trembled slightly. The cold had gotten worse.
Or did he have a fever?
He did not know. For that he would have had to lift his hoof to touch his forehead.

"Please eat something. For me."

Kallaxia cut one of the apples into bite-sized pieces and held them in front of his muzzle.
It took a lot of conviction, but he took a bite out of the apple and nibbled it a little before he completely got it off.
The apple was delicious, and yet it could only dampen physical hunger a little
Kallaxia was frustrated, Nocturnal could tell.
But was she frustrated with him or with the situation?
But he couldn't do anything about it because he lacked the motivation.

"Leave me. I am just causing thee grief and I am not worth it."

Kallaxia's jaw dropped as he said this.
She seemed to be furious because she was pacing up and down, looking angry.
more on Hellria, that was clear because she kept saying her name, then she set up before Nocturnal

"Listen to me carefully Nocturnal, you are the reason why I have changed. You alone are responsible for the fact that I can feel love. It is you alone that I want to accompany until the end of my life. I will find a way to cure you, I promise you that! Then we'll find out what happened to your Order, rebuild it just as you wanted it ... "

She was about to kiss him, but she didn't dare. What if there was still a bit of emotion somewhere and she accidentally devoured it? She was so hungry.
But she wouldn't do the nocturnal.
As much as it hurt her, he had priority.
She let her hoof caress his cheek when the tears came

"I don't want to lose you. I love you so much!"

Nocturnal would be touched if he could feel something. In fact, the cold inside him was so overwhelming that he couldn't even feel his hooves anymore.
Almost like when it turned to stone.
Maybe that would happen with a body without emotions?
If so, that would be fine with him.
Still, he checked.
No, his hooves were still fleshy, just cold.

"okay mares, we have an important mission! Somehow we have to get emotions in this stallion again. Any ideas?"

"Can't we just blast him with the elements and see what happens?"

"That wouldn't work. The author doesn't want that."

"What are you talking about, Pinkie?"

"You wouldn't understand Dashie"

"Calm down girls again. That doesn't help us. What was in his journal?"

"Was a bit fascinating. He comes from Germane, near Trottguart. His life has been relatively eventful. He loves hiking and fighting, but in the more recent entries this is rather secondary because of his marefriend Midnight here."

"Me? Does that mean I can somehow help him get back to normal?"

"At least that's my guess. At the beginning he wrote how much he longed to fight you again."

the four uninitiated mares looked up at these words.
That made no sense to hear at the first time.
Only Pinkie, Twilight and Kallaxia themselves knew what was going on.
But when it became clear that there would be no explanation, all six looked at Kallaxia.
She looked back and raised an eyebrow.

"do you really want me to fight him?"

All six nodded in unison.
then Twilight put her hooves on Kallaxia's shoulders.

"It's worth a try. And you've already been hiking. Even at night if I understood correctly."

Kallaxia just nodded and understood.
But first she wanted the nocturnal to eat more. Otherwise he would be physically too weak.
So she continued to feed him pieces of apple, patiently like a mother who cared for her sick child

A little later a little away from Ponyville

Nocturnal and Kallaxia both wore their red and gold cloaks, stood facing each other, the six mares some distance away, for safety. Fluttershy also brought a first aid kit.
Nocturnal had his sword in his mouth, but the tip of the sword lay on the ground as if it were too heavy for the stallion.
Kallaxia had her sword ready, but she was uncomfortable with the thought of attacking nocturnal.
Yet she did. She shot forward as if for a real attack, swung her blade around and ...
stopped just in time.
A small trail of blood flowed from a small wound on Noctunal's neck. the sword that he had held in his mouth lay on the floor.
He had let go of it and just looked at her blankly.
Kallaxia trembled all over when she realized what had happened.
He'd dropped the sword on purpose.
He just let go of it to be beheaded by her!
now the sword of Kallaxia fell to the ground and she began to cry, sat on her hounches and rubbed her eyes with her hooves

"I'm so sorry Nocturnal! I don't know how to get you back to me!"

Nocturnal let out a small sigh, then sat down next to her and closed a wing around her.
She pressed against him.
And cried.
She cried out her eyes and the six mares both left some time alone.

"kallaxia ... it would be better if the finish me off. I do not feel afraid of the end, nay joy in life, nay love for thee, nay sadness because thou are crying ... The life that I have in front of me is not worth it . "

She cried the harder when he said that. inside she knew that he was probably right.

Let me try a little more, okay? I don't want to give up on you, not yet."

Nocturnal sighed softly, hung his head and looked at you out of the corner of his good eye.
He didn't know how to answer. How could he answer.
So he said it bluntly

"So thee want to see and let me suffer unnecessarily? Please, just end my life. Suck the last bit of emotion that is still be there out of me and then cut off my head, i do not care"

Kallaxia wept all the harder.
But he was right.
Fairy tales in a hive wouldn't help.
Stories of miracles wouldn't help.
If that were the case, it wouldn't be that much of a problem.
A husk would always be a husk.
She noticed the small bleeding wound on his neck.

"nocturnal wanderer. Since I am about to take your life, I will do this in the spirit of our order. In the spirit of the tradition of sword fighting that I learned from you."

Tenderly she kissed the wound and tasted his blood on her tongue, tears in her eyes.
It was going to be the worst she had ever done, so she closed her eyes to enjoy this last moment.
but ... was that a sigh of his?
even a little moan?
She looked up at him while she continued kissing his neck gently.
He had closed his eye!
How to enjoy this one moment!
He seemed to be feeling something!
she pulled away from him, looked deep into his eyes and then just kissed him on the lips.
She was careful not to suck any emotions from him.
It took so much to overcome because she was so hungry.
But there...
really quiet...
a very faint touch of sweet brushed her tongue.
At first she thought she would accidentally suck out love after all.
But no ... it flowed all by itself.
and it got stronger.
Then came kallaxia enlightenment.
Nocturnal still had a tiny bit of love for her somewhere. That's why he tried to comfort her even if he didn't know why or how!
And this kiss was like oil, poured into a faint ember!
She had to be careful.
Just don't overdo it.
She leaned against him and stroked his chest, kissing him more and more.
She did not notice that the six mares had just come back into sight and were now standing a little perplexed.
The love in him grew stronger, she could feel it.
Even more she could taste it!
She held back so much because she still felt like more and more love in this kiss flowed from his side.
Did he understand what was going on?
Did he feel it himself?
Probably, so she was not only leaning against him, but against him, pressing herself harder and tighter against him ...
and he did the same!
Nocturnal suddenly closed both wings around her, and his hooves like a drowning man on a lifebuoy.
she read it, then began to lean backwards.
just when it looked like the kiss was about to break, nocturnal leaned against her and on top of her until Kallaxia was on her back in the grass and he was over her.
only then did the kiss break

"Welcome back, my beloved Wanderer"

"I... thank thee, my beloved Night..."

both could hear the gaging coming from a certain cyan mare.

"A little mushier and I would actually throw up. It's good that you stopped before you both accidentally triggered an energy field."

"That wouldn't have been possible, Rainbow. Neither of them is a unicorn or an alicorn"

"Yeah yeah whatever Egghead"

The discussion between the two continued until they reached the two Batponys.

"So? Explanation please? I would love to write to the princess what the cure for this condition is."
Kallaxia just smiled broadly, was still lying under Nocturnal who looked much better again, and smiled at her too

"It was love ... all along ..."

After a day of relaxation

Nocturnal was doing much better than the day before. And thanks to a while to rest and gather strength, all the emotions that flowed back to him were able to find peace again.
Kallaxia was at his side the whole time, but she noticed that this effect would probably not be permanent.
She could feel that, even if everything seemed like the old one again, these emotions were just like a flare of embers.
An expert had to work.
and that expert was Princess Mi Amora Cadenzia.

"She is in the Crystal Kingdom right now. Princess Celestia says there are problems there. Would you like to come with us?"

Both looked at each other, Kallaxia smiled sly

"That would mean that you have to take a train."

Nocturnal didn't look enthusiastic, but he eventually agreed

"Do we have another choice? I ... would just like to avoid it. These trains are way too fast for my taste."

"I'm still surprised how well you have mastered our accent"

"kallaxia des'rves the praise. H'r patience hast hath paid off. "

All three laughed and then headed for the train station in Ponyville, where the others were waiting.

During the train journey

"What exactly is the problem?"

Kallaxia seemed to be freezing. Definitely more than the others.
Of course they were more happy. As a changeling, she preferred the warmer southern regions.
It was just too cold up here.
Nocturnal noticed and widened his wing around her, together with his cloak, so that both enclosed and warmed her, and she could slide even closer.
kallaxia always kept an eye on him.
During the drive she had "refilled" his emotions and also took a little for her meal, but each time seemed to be less effective.
So it was urgent to meet the princess of love

"Well, the Crystal Kingdom only recently emerged. It was gone for about a thousand years. Erased from the map by an evil spell. And this evil spell now seems to be causing problems again. "

"Why does everything come back after a thousand years? Why not two thousand? Or three hundred years? Princess Luna and I have also been in our prisons for a thousand years."

That brought him a giggle of mares.

Arrival in the Crystal Kingdom

An icy wind whipped over the plains and Kallaxia was clearly too cold. She had already gotten all kinds of clothes from the six mares and also the cloak from Nocturnal.
The cold bit his wings too, but he could endure it better.
A shape came towards them.
As it turned out, it was Shining Armor, brother of Twilight and married to the princess.

"Any help is welcome. But I don't think swords can help you against Sombra."

"Sombra? I heard from him. It's been a long time."

"How that?"

"I am over a thousand years old."

Nocturnal smiled at the unicorn when the unicorn looked at him in astonishment. But there was no answer, unnatural black clouds drew behind them.

"Run!"

Nocturnal was a little against running away, but he had to agree. This cloud could not be fought with a simple sword.
So he galloped after the mares.
If he couldn't fight he would at least be the last in line to defend the mares in case of emergency.
Above all, he paid attention to kallaxia.
His everything in this world, and literally the only source where he could find feelings.
They came to a sign that was stretched over a town, behind which it was pleasantly warm. Shining armor followed a little later, black crystals on the horn.

"Everything okay BBBFF?"

"Yeah, just a little chipped. Let's go."

Nocturnal was unsure about that, but he followed the others, looked back again. The black cloud looked at him.
With green eyes.

"Mercenaries ... if you give me access to the city I'll give you what you want."

"thou know I am a mercenary?"

"You wear the colors of the Wandering Blades. One of the mercenary troops who helped me to my power before I came to this land. I would reward you richly and I would cure the disease of you. Let me in!"

Nocturnal hesitated.
The offer was too good, but then he looked at the group leaving.
Especially kallaxia.

"No. I will not help thee. I already have a pack that I honor. These mares are my friends, and these mares deserve everything I can and if I have to, I will die for them"

"So be it, mercenary! You have chosen your dead, like the dead of everyone else you care about. I will take everything from you""

Nocturnal began to smile, bowed politely

"I will look forward to the fight, M'lord, but I will not surrender without a fight.

A little later in the palace

"Kallax and I are on patrol. Thou talk to the princess."

The mares agreed and the group split up, everyone began to do their job.

"Okay what do we do now?"

"We will collect information. And patrol. This shadow knows what we are. And he wanted to hire me. In exchange for healing and wealth."

"He can heal you?"

"I do not know, but I do not really believe it either. He would say anything to get in here."

"I see. Then we will protect the ponies here and hold our position until we have destroyed this evil spirit."

"spoken like a true blade."

In the streets of a crystalline city

This town was really beautiful, but the ponies here looked really depressed. When asked about King Sombra, they reacted with fear and ran away.
It was a little depressing.

"Let us walk the outskirts. Not that anything gets in here."

"I agree. It would be terrible if one of the hisigen ponies were killed by a wild animal while we were supposed to keep watch here. Should we part?"

"together we are stronger"

"okay we'll stay together."

both made their way to the edge of the magical barrier. The chances were good that if they could just get away with it, everything else but sombra could too.
Indeed, when they came to a point in the barrier where there were a few rocks, they encountered what looked like crystalline ice wolves.

"Looks like the local version of the timber wolves"

Kallaxia drew her broadsword and got ready to fight, just like Nocturnal.
They agreed at a glance. He on the left, she on the right.
And with each flap of their wings they opened the fight, flew towards the enemy, and brought him down disappointingly quickly.
The crystal wolf just broke

"Hmm ... pretty disappointing so far. What dothee think my love?"

"I love it when you call me that."

Both looked at each other lovingly when a black shadow hit the shield.
The green eyes could be seen again.

"Oh how cute. You both will die together ... or ... you let me in, and I can guarantee you both a long life. You could serve by my side and lead the campaign against equestria."

"That sounds tempting, M'Lord, but I refuse again

"Can you really heal Nocturnal?"

Nocturnal looked at Kallaxia, startled. Her look was sad but determined.

"Of course I can heal your loved one. That would be my easiest exercise. You just have to let me in."

"Kallaxia, do not do that! Please!"

But too late, she struck her sword against the barrier, which formed a crack, just big enough that Sombra could get in and tear the shield apart

"Fools! I will take everything and force them to submit!"

"What have you done, Kallaxia?"

Author's Note

Kallaxia and Nocturnal Cuddling
Art by AlexDTI