Status: I need a break

“Agh! Mother Fucker!”

A sharp jolt of pain woke me from my sleep, making me arc back, and send my eyelids fluttering open. My vision was slowly coming into focus, but I could still only make out colorful blobs. Shaking my head to focus, I looked to my right, where my cracked window let in the fading light of an orange sky, and I could just barely notice the telltale signs of the coming night.

Taking a deep breath to help ease my pain, I shifted in my bed, receiving more painful feedback. Looking myself over and throwing the covers off of me, I noticed that I wasn’t as bad off as I was expecting. There was an assortment of bandages and wraps on my arms and legs, as well as a large bruise on my chest. Putting pressure on my rib cage, I lightly touched my bones, noticing that there was no pain, I sighed in relief, everything seemed in order. Trying to get up, I realized that my main issue was my back. Just by shifting a few muscles, I could feel the pain all over, and my eyes widened as I flexed my wings out, fully expecting them to be shredded.

To my surprise, my wings flared out with ease, but there was something off about them. Instead of the angelic white wings I once had, they were now a bubblegum pink. Taking my right wing into my hands, wondering if it was a prank or from my blood, I licked my thumb and rubbed at one of my feathers, but nothing came out, as if my wings were naturally this way.

I don’t mind pink but…how did this even happen? Am I just seeing shit again?

Hearing muffled footsteps, I was alerted to a new arrival at the door to the bedroom. Standing there was a grey Pegasus decked out in a light grey and black armor. He had white hair and light blue eyes. Upon narrowing my eyes, I could see that he had a small saddlebag that hid a sheathed dagger on his right side.

In my peripherals, I noticed a human sitting on the floor, a white pony with orange hair sitting in his lap, a knife to its throat. Flinching slightly, I looked closer at the two, and the human smiled back at me, giving me a wave but saying nothing as the blade sunk further into the pony’s throat. Not able to stomach the scene, I closed my eyes, looking away and bringing my bandaged hand to my mouth, trying not to throw up.

This can’t be real, that’s not real, just ignore it, don’t throw up…

Before anything else could happen, I heard someone clearing their throat. I opened my eyes to find the previous situation gone without a trace, and to the left of the bed, the grey Pegasus from earlier at my side. His eyes flickered from where I had been staring and my eyes as we continued to be silent. We stayed like this for a while, looking at each other before I realized my delusions were normally a bit more extreme than this.

Well if this is Discord again, he’s really stepped up his game.

Cocking my head to the side, I cleared my throat and spoke to the stoic Pegasus. “Um…Not to offend, but are you real?”

The Pegasus blinked at that, likely not knowing what to say. Before I make up my mind on whether I should ignore his presence or not, I felt a sudden gust of air, making me wince, closing my eyes briefly and then saw him hovering in front of my face, his wings flapping with little effort, his eyes looking at me curiously. Then he reached out and poked my nose. I scrunched up my face at this, and he nodded, landing on the bed with me.

“I certainly like to think so, Mr. Osprey.”

His voice was deep, yet scratchy. I narrowed my eyes at him. I rarely got visitors outside of the girls and an adorable orange Pegasus. Looking him over again, I took the armor he was wearing into account before speaking to this grey stranger.

“Are you some kind of guard? I know I haven’t seen you around town before. Where’s Angel?”

He looked confused. I rolled my eyes.

“White Pegasus mare, pink hair, grey eyes, sometimes wears armor, is with me 24/7…ring a bell?”

“Do you mean Divine Intervention?”

I scowled at that name. “I refuse to call her that, now please start telling me what’s going on, and why you’re in my house.”

He gave a light smile and began to dig inside of his saddlebag for something. I flinched slightly, thinking he was reaching for his ‘hidden’ dagger I had noticed earlier, but started to relax as he pulled out a scroll instead, looking over its contents briefly before tucking it back in his bag, bringing his attention back to me.

“You certainly have friends in high places, Mr. Osprey. I have been cleared to answer any, and all, of your questions to the best of my ability.” He began to stretch out on my bed, one eye still trained on me, but saying nothing, leaving me with more questions. Shaking my head, I folded my arms, wincing slightly as I received another arc of pain. Noticing my silence, he extended his wings, one of them covering my legs. I could see that his grey wings were better taken care of than Angel’s, no broken feathers, dirt, or pieces of cloud to be seen, but there were small scars around the base of his right wing. Sitting back on his haunches and curling his white tail in front of him, he spoke, puffing out his chest slightly.

“I am Knight Steelwing Flex, a fellow comrade of…Angel’s. I was sent here ahead of my team to help nurse you back to health.” I tapped a finger on my bicep, wondering if I should be concerned. Here I was, injured and in bed, but Angel was nowhere to be found or heard. It was rare for her to leave me alone to even hang out with the girls, she was akin to a helicopter mom watching her child walk for the first time.

“Okay…nice to meet you I suppose, but you didn’t answer my question. Where is Angel? Is she hurt?”

He shook his head.

“No, she’s just fine. From what I understand, you were brought here by the element of kindness and Knight Intervention-er, Angel, after coming in contact with a dangerous timberwolf Alpha, we have codenamed Charcoal, ending up severely injured.” He picked up a blue feather from underneath my leg I hadn’t noticed before. “The report I received also stated that you held onto and attempted to protect the element of loyalty, refusing to let her go, even in your unconscious state.” He gave me a small smirk. “When I arrived here an hour ago, the two of you were sleeping, all cuddled up. It was rather adorable, especially with those pink wings of yours.”

I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to speak, but a door slamming open made me flinch, and Steelwing looked to the bedroom door, his wings slowly raising in anticipation. A moment later, Rainbow Dash appeared in the doorway, her wings bandaged to her body, and a bag of something in her mouth. She grinned, walking over to the bed and dropping the bag on the covers, her eyes looking at me curiously.

“So, you’re finally awake huh? It’s about time you big-” Steelwing put a hoof to her mouth, cutting her off.

“I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about, but first things first.” He looked at me, backing up a little. “I need you to lay down on your stomach so I can check the wounds on your back. I can imagine that you’re in a bit of pain right now, correct?” I nodded, rolling over, and sucking in air as more pain registered from my body. Cradling a pillow, I looked to the side, seeing Rainbow looking at my back, her face scrunched up slightly.

“Um…is it bad?” I asked, then yelping in pain as I felt Steelwing start unpeeling the bandages on my back. Rainbow looked away before coming closer to me, her head filling most of my vision.

“Its…uh, not pretty back there.”

“Far from the worst I’ve seen, though your wings have completely healed, albeit a few crooked and broken primaries. The cuts back here are deep, but you should be fine in a few days.” I could hear him rustling around in his saddlebags. “Do your best to hold still, I’m going to start picking out some of these branches lodged in your skin.” When he said that, I gripped my pillow a little tighter and Rainbow looked over at me, clearing her throat.

“Say, what were ya doin in the forest anyway? You know that place is like super dangerous right?” I bit my lip, trying to ignore my back pain.

“Well, you remember how I told you girls that I need to eat protein to survive?” She nodded. “Well, Angel and I decided that we’d start our hunting trips today or…yesterday? I thought we were prepared, and since we couldn’t find Flutters or the witch doctor, we kinda just went in. There were these weird plants, funny lookin squirrels, we killed a manticore-”

“YOU DID WHAT?!” Rainbow shouted at me, putting her forelegs on my face, as if she couldn’t believe what I just said. Steelwing ripped out another piece of wood out of my back, getting another yelp of pain out of me. Shaking my head out of her grasp, I used one of my arms to shove her away and turned to glare at the grey Pegasus behind me. He simply shrugged and continued what he was doing. I looked back at Rainbow, excitement in her eyes.

“…he’s gonna rip out my damn spine next if you yell like that again.”

“Yeah yeah, but there’s no way you took down a manticore, those things are huge!”

I rolled my eyes before continuing.

“Well obviously Angel helped, and my sword did a lot of damage to it. It almost got me with one of those thorns tho.” I looked at her, remembering the timberwolf attack. “Then we got attacked, but you already know that…why the hell were you there anyway?”

The cyan mare gave me a sheepish look, lightly blushing, rubbing the back of her neck with a foreleg.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, that is not natural.

“Well…I was actually looking for you, but I saw ya walking into the forest with your bodyguard. You didn’t hear me yelling at you, so I flew over the forest but couldn’t see you anymore! After a while I got tired of trying to find you, so I took a quick nap on a cloud. I was having this great dream of Soarin and Spitfire but I heard screaming, and sure enough, there you were! I saw you were surrounded so I swooped in to save the day!” She growled, narrowing her eyes. “That big black one was tough though, ima kick his flank all over the forest if I see him again.” Steelwing chuckled lightly, and I could feel a cold substance being rubbed into the cuts on my back.

“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that after tonight.”

Rainbow and I looked back at him in confusion.

“How so?”

“Whaddya mean?”

Before he could speak, a yellow blur flew into the room, and a pair of blue eyes were all I could see.

“Ohmygoshyou’reawakeandI’msosorrythatyoucouldn’tfindmepoorangelbunnywassickandIwaswithzecorafindingmedicineandthenyourwolfranoffandtherewasfightingandsomuchbloodandI-” A grey hoof stopped her tirade and Rainbow dragged her back to the ground, but Fluttershy continued to look at me with concern. I smiled lightly, shaking my head.

“Flutters, take a breath, sheesh, I’m okay now.” I looked at Steelwing. “I’m okay…right?” He nodded, but grimaced slightly, looking at his wings, his tips were stained with blood.

“You’ll make a full recovery, but something about that chaos magic is making you bleed a lot more than normal. I managed to close your wounds when I first got here. If you were a pony, you’d still be unconscious for sure, and we’d need a blood transfusion immediately. Though I don’t advise walking around just yet.”

I turned back to the worried yellow mare.

“See? All good.” I took another deep breath, thinking about her tangent before speaking once more.

“Alright so let’s slow down here, you said something about my wolf? I haven’t even seen her since we left Canterlot all those months ago, I figured she went back to the wild.” Fluttershy smiled lightly before shaking her head in response.

“She’s actually been following you around during the day, making sure you stay out of trouble.” I looked around, and sure enough, there was no wolf to be seen in the room with us.

“How do you know that? She’s rather big so I think I would have noticed her by-” I was interrupted by a sight that should only have existed in my nightmares. In the shadows of my closet, a familiar grey wolf stalked out from its depths, her glowing amber eyes staring deeply into my eyes. Her sudden presence was joined with a low growl that seemed to echo throughout the room, making me shiver in apprehension. The room still silent, and all eyes watched as she leapt up onto the bed with me, laying down next to me, her muzzle a breath away from my own.

“Uh…well hey there wolfie, haven’t seen you in a while…life been good?” Her gaze showed no emotion, only continuing to look into my own as if to say ‘Really?’
I chuckled nervously, looking over at Fluttershy. “So…you’re already acquainted with my companion here?”

Surprisingly, Fluttershy just giggled, sidling up to the wolf, nuzzling her, and in turn, received a nuzzle back, giving the yellow pegasus a look of content.

“That’s right! She’s been so helpful! She comes to sleep with me every night and helps keep my animal friends from getting too rowdy around dinnertime.” She then glared at me, her friendly demeanor disappearing instantaneously. “You know, you should really spend more time with her. She’s been so lonely ever since the two of you came here and you haven’t even looked for her until now.” I gaped at Fluttershy, giving the wolf a quick glance.

“D-did she tell you that?” Fluttershy nodded.

“I know you’ve explained that Humans on your world are the only sentient creatures there, but your wolf is capable of understanding us. Just because she can’t talk doesn’t mean she doesn’t have feelings.” I gave another glance at the wolf, who was looking elsewhere, her head resting on her massive paws.

“Um Fluttershy, I know your special talent is talking to animals, but I hate to break it to you, I don’t speak canine. Even if I was remorseful, she wouldn’t understand.” Fluttershy shook her head quickly, taking a step closer to me, her brilliant blue eyes looking deeply into my own.

“Osprey. She can understand you completely. She told me that she wasn’t able to before, back on her world when she first met you, but since you’ve come here, she’s understood everything everypony, you and Discord included, has said.”

Raising my brow at Fluttershy, I looked back at the wolf. Meeting her amber eyes, I slowly raised my hand to her head. She looked at my hand curiously, her fangs slowly becoming more visible, which sent a shiver down my spine as I remembered the last time I attempted to pet her. Clearing my throat, I slowed my advance even more.

“Um…hey there uh sweetie-“ The wolf narrowed her eyes and growled at me, making me flinch back, and in the corner of my eye, I saw Steelwing reaching for his concealed dagger. Fluttershy cleared her throat loudly, then hid behind her mane as everyone’s eyes were on her.

“Eep! Um…well, um Osprey…she doesn’t like being called that…” I sighed, putting my hand back on my chest.

“Well, what should I do? You seem to understand her better than I do.”

“Um…well…maybe you should name her?”

I laughed, but as I looked at the wolf, I noticed her eyes looking at me, a twinkle in her amber orbs. Taking a chance, I raised my hand to try and pet her again.

“Okay…how about…Uh mittens?”
The wolf growled at me. Fluttershy spoke up again.

“She said that she’s not a house cat…”

I nodded, trying to think of a name that would make her pride stay intact.

“Okay…” An idea popped into my head, and I focused on my memories of greek mythology and other works of fiction surrounding them. “How about…Lupa?”

She growled at me, but less aggressively.

“Oh come on! Not even the name of a wolf goddess is good enough for you?”

Rainbow muttered something but was too far away to hear. Fluttershy piped up again.

“Osprey…think about this. Names should be given with adoration in mind.” She gently took my head in her hooves and positioned me to look at the wolf once more, her head next to mine. “Look at her, and I mean really look at her. Find something you admire about her and name her with feeling in your heart. She is your companion, your protector, and most importantly, she could be your friend. She should look forward to you calling her name.” Sighing, I took her words to heart and looked at the grey wolf once more. She was much larger than any wolf had a right being, close to Princess Luna’s size. But even with her claws, size, and fur, there was always one part about her that I noticed first. Her eyes were a beautiful amber color, reminding me of happy memories of when I would spend hours in the prehistoric section of my favorite museum, looking at fossils and rocks encasing life from millions of years ago. Looking deeper into her eyes, I realized that this wasn’t the same wolf pup who had bitten me in spite in the winter forest of our home, but a creature like me, trying to find meaning in this crazy new life that the mini devil forced onto us.

Third time’s the charm, right?

Raising my hand once more, I smiled lightly.

“Okay…how about Amber? I can’t think of a better name to match those beautiful eyes of yours.” As my hand met the fur on her head, there was no growl, no flinching, or even the slightest baring of her teeth, just her eyes closing as she met my gesture, pushing her head into my hand, her tail moving slightly.

Fluttershy let go of my head, moving to sit next to her pegasus companions.

Scratching Amber behind the ears, I looked at Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. “So…anything else I should know about? Like maybe why you were so desperate to follow me, skittles?” The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes at me while the other two pegasi laughed at the nickname.

“Ugh don’t call me thaaaat.” Before she could speak though, Fluttershy spoke up again, surprising me. She normally wasn’t this talkative.

“Um…well, I have a request if-if you don’t mind that is…” I raised a brow at her. She continued. “Well, I-I said you should spend more time with Amber, but um…I know that she’s not the only one who feels neglected by you recently…” Rainbow Dash picked up the slack.

“Yeah! What’s up with that? I thought we were friends? Ya never hang out with any of us anymore. The only one who’s seen you lately is Twilight and that guard who follows you around.” She walked over to me, pointing a hoof at me. “Besides we still need to prank Princess Celestia, remember?” I smiled, but then frowned, once again realizing absence of my favorite winged mare.

“I’m sorry about ignoring y’all like that, I promise to spend some more time with each of you.” I looked to steelwing who was writing on a scroll on the floor, glancing at Amber every few seconds.
“So, is anyone gonna tell me where Angel is?” The grey pegasus looked up from his writing, a small grin on his face.

“Honestly, it’s better you didn’t know.”

The sound of clashing steel rang out loudly outside. I looked out of the window but only saw the orange sunset and a field that led to a part of the Everfree. I gave him another look, but he just reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a syringe.

“Now as for you Mr. Osprey, you need to get some more sleep and allow the medicine I administered some time to help you recover. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for you, and lots of walking at that.” He walked over to me, sticking the needle in my arm. I flinched but focused my attention on him.

“What do you mean? And not that I don’t appreciate you taking care of me, but why are you here again? You said something about a whole team of y’all coming, Angel’s missing, and now I’m learning that my day of lounging around is-“ He put his hoof to my mouth.

That’s kind of getting irritating

“Shhh…all in good time Mr. Osprey. I can assure you that Angel is fine…er, well, at least for the moment.” He visiably cringed as if remembering something painful, which didn’t help my nervousness. “She’s outside training with our Vice Commander.” I gave him a curious look, but my vision was fading, probably from the mystery vial he gave me. He continued. “Commander Strong Hoof is rather dissatisfied with her performance in keeping you safe…anyways, Princess Luna will be here to answer more of your que-“ With that last utterance, I fell into the darkness of my sleep.
— —

2 Months ago, at a lake near Sweet Apple Acres…

“Again, again! Throw it again!”

Taking the blue frisbee from the adorable orange filly that was Scootaloo, I looked over at Rainbow Dash, who was stifling her laughter.

“You sure y’all aren’t part dog?” I threw the frisbee as far as I could, watching Scootaloo chase after it, her tiny wings buzzing happily.

“Why do you keep saying that?” The cyan Pegasus asked, putting a hoof to her face. I smiled, inching closer to her.

“Well, y’all certainly love to fetch things for me, chase your tails, and are sluts for my expert belly rubs…” She scoffed at that.

“We are no-eek!” She yelped as I swept her into my arms, placing a hand on her stomach, grinning like a madman. She looked up at me in horror. “N-no y-you wouldn’t…”

“Oh? Scared of a little belly rub?” My hand started a slow circle on her stomach, a brief moment of bliss appearing on her face before she tried her best to fight the inevitable cooing sound that would soon come from her mouth. I chuckled darkly. “Tell me skittles…do you want me to stop?” I began to raise my hand from her, but a set of blue forelegs latched onto my hand, making her glare at me, a light blush on her face. She looked away, her short mane hiding her face as she muttered something. I quirked an eyebrow, leaning into her. “Oh? What was that Ms. Mumbles?” She shot a magenta glare at me before speaking.

“I never told you to stop…” I looked over at my white companion who looked at us with a smirk.

“Five bits Angel, I’m tellin ya, y’all are part dog or something.” Before she could reply, a small weight crashed into us, sending the cyan mare out of my arms and putting me on my back, a grinning orange filly filling my vision.

“Frow if afain!” Her cute voice was muffled by the blue frisbee, making me feel as if I had cavities from her adorableness. Tossing the frisbee aside, I cradled the filly.

“Scooty you are just so friggin cute!” She giggled and Rainbow Dash laughed at the two of us. I looked at the Pegasus, grinning. “You should take notes skittles, she’s bound to get more belly rubs than you.” She scoffed at that, a light blush still apparent on her face.

“Tch, who needs to be cute when you can just be AWeSOME!” She struck a pose. I laughed at that. I whispered in Scootaloo’s ear.

“Do you think I should tell her she just looks adorable? Awesome is so last year-
__ __

Present

A sudden pressure slammed into my stomach, making me instinctively curl up into a sitting position on my bed, waking me from my memories. I cursed as my eyes slammed open, looking around the room, my vision fading in and out before finally settling onto my lap where I was greeted with a familiar, yet horrifying face.

In my lap, in its dark, wooden glory, was the head of the Alpha Timberwolf. Shocked, I continued to stare at its lifeless head before looking at my doorway, where Princess Luna, in dark blue armor, stood proudly, though she didn’t look happy.

Tossing the head off my lap, I tried to get up to embrace my favorite princess, but a blue aura encased my body, rendering me unable to move. Luna’s face looked strained, but she continued to hold me in place.

“It would seem Twilight Sparkle was correct, th-grr-you seem to have quite the resistance to magic.” Without warning, I was flung into the air, and within seconds, I was positioned on the Night Princess’s back, still unable to move. “Now, come along human, Canterlot awaits.” Before she could move, I finally gained control of my mouth.

“Luna! What the hell is going on? I’m so happy to see you but this is ridiculous, I can’t move, that wolf is dead, Angel is missing-“ I could feel more magic sweep over my body, rendering me mute once more.

“SILENCE! Th-erm, you disappoint me, human. Your recklessness as of late can no longer be ignored. Surely you know what’s at stake if you were to perish during your time here.” She looked back at me, glaring deep into my eyes, making me understand that perhaps striding into the Everfree without a better plan was a bad move. “Now, be quiet and think about what you’ve done.” With that last statement, a bright flash erupted from her horn, and moments later, I looked around to see that we were in the throne room of the night court. Before I could see anything else, the effects of teleportation hit me like a bullet train, and I fell off of Luna, curling into a ball as I tried not to throw up, my vision fading in and out, the world suddenly a whirl of bright colors.

“Ah…Right.” Luna muttered above me before I felt another wave of magic pass over me, wiping away most of my discomfort.

Closing my eyes, I reached for the night princess, my hand meeting a comforting furry feeling. Using her to brace myself, I slowly stood on my feet, leaving my eyes closed.

“Lu-urf-Luna I know you’re mad at me but…can we please not do that again?” I opened my eyes, staring into her blue orbs of beauty. “I’d rather be a chew toy for the timberwolves.” She rolled her eyes, looking away.

“Charcoal will bother you no longer. The alpha has met its end by my blade.” She turned to me, scowling once more. “What were you thinking? Going into my ancient homeland with only a pegasus to protect you?” Her eyes narrowed even more. “Know this Osprey, Discord does not play fair, no matter how he may word his lies. You could have…” Her gaze lightened and she looked away, sitting on her haunches. “We-I cannot lose another to that creature. Not again.”

Feeling guilty, remembering her previous human friend, I wrapped my arms around Luna in a tight embrace, getting an adorable squeak out of the dark princess. I waited for her to throw me off, but she stayed still, her armor slightly digging into my bandaged skin.

“Princess…I’m sorry. I-I know that it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, Sparky even warned me against it multiple times, but I need y’all to understand. I need to eat meat. Every day I feel myself getting weaker and weaker. It’s hard to hold a blade or open a door without shaking these days. I’m lucky that Discord’s sword was so light or I would be in the maw of some manticore right now.” My stomach growled as I thought about my missed opportunity of cooking the mythological beast into delicious, peppered jerky. “Besides…with that gift you sent me I figured you supported my desire to hunt?” She looked at me, a look of confusion on her face.

“I have done no such thing. What is this gift you speak of?”

“A bow and three regenerative arrows. They have phoenix feathers.”

She shook her head. “You will have to show me these gifts of yours later.” She released herself from my embrace, standing up and walking towards her throne. “However, bringing you here was not only of my accord. Captain, you may enter.” Hearing a set of doors open, I looked behind me to see a grey mare with what looked like large bat wings walk up beside me, kneeling before Luna. “You may rise. Please escort Osprey to Silent Night. She’ll be expecting his presence.”

“As you wish, my lady.” She rose and looked at me curiously with her golden cat-like eyes. Her hair was a light purple, and adorning her body was a dark blue armor, mirroring Luna’s. A foldable spear laid on her back, but aside from her dark horseshoes, she appeared to have no other weapons. Then she smiled. My eyebrow raised as I got a good look at the set of fangs she had hidden from sight, glistening in the candle-lit lighting of the lunar court. She raised a hoof to me. “A pleasure to finally meet you Osprey, I’ve heard and briefed oh so much about you.”

Not quite trusting the large fangs on the bat pony, I reached out to shake her hoof. “Charmed, um, Captain.” She nodded, then waved at the exit doors. I looked back at Luna, wondering if I could get a quick hug, but she only glared at me in response.

Maybe later then…

The walk around the palace was short, but my batty companion explained that she was Midnight Blossom, a new Captain of Luna’s night guard. She also explained that I would be meeting with the Commander of the Knights of Harmony, who Angel was once associated with. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get more information out of her, because we had arrived at a large dark courtyard, which she explained was one of the training arenas on the palace grounds.

Surrounding the torch-lit courtyard were many stairs which I assumed also made for good seats to watch ponies smack each other around in the arena. It looked kind of like a Greek theater. At the bottom, an assortment of weapons, shields, and armor adorned wooden benches, the objects fitting neatly inside of their respective carvings. Midnight led me to the center of the arena and took a seat on one of the stairs.

I gave her another glance, but after she said nothing, I looked around at the various weapons while I waited for something to happen. Picking up a greatsword, I held it in front of me with both hands, struggling to keep it upright. Giving it a downward swing, I yelped as the momentum and sheer weight of the blade nearly sent me into the ground. Composing myself and putting the sword back, I could hear the bat pony snickering at me. I gave her a glare.

“Don’t you have paperwork to do?” She scoffed at that.

“Hun, you are the cause of most of my paperwork.”

And mine as well

A voice echoed in my head. Grabbing a dagger, I whirled around, looking for the new voice.

Discord, if that’s you, you can fuck right the hell off outta my head.

I heard a light chuckle in response, but this voice was different. It was female, but far from friendly. Continuing to look around, I gave Midnight a fearful glance. She simply waved a hoof and pointed behind me. Whipping around, I was greeted to a dark newcomer who wasn’t there moments ago.

The mare in front of me was the darkest shade of black I had ever seen, wearing a lightly pulsing blue armor, like Luna’s. Matching her dark presence, she had short, dark blue hair, reminiscent of the night sky, but with a bright white stripe that seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. Her tail matched her mane, but it was much longer than I had seen on a pony, and I wondered if it dragged on the ground as she walked.

Her cutie mark, interestingly enough was a white quarter rest note that was surrounded by three grey diamonds. The most unnerving part about this newcomer was the shade of red in her large pony eyes. They seemed to glow in the darkness, sending shivers down my spine as I remembered my waking nightmares.

Holy shit those eyes are scary.

The mare in front of me sat on her haunches and cocked her head to the side, staring at me.

That’s rather rude to say to a pretty mare

My eyes widened as I finally understood that the unicorn was not only reading my thoughts but speaking in my head.

I gave her a sheepish grin, setting the dagger down and rubbing the back of my neck.

I don’t suppose you and Angel are related?

The mare grinned.

Not in the slightest

I shook my head, crossing my arms and clearing my throat.

“I take it that you’re this Silent Night I was told to meet?”

She nodded. I raised a brow.

“I think I understand why you’re named that…but I would like to know why I’m here…Ms. Dark, Silent, and Mysterious.”

She grinned once more, and a dark void suddenly appeared in front of us, and was gone as quickly as it appeared, leaving a wooden crate in its absence.

Open it

I did as she said and was greeted to yet another letter addressed to me, with hay covering the rest of the contents of the crate. Giving her a look, I opened the letter and read it silently.

Osprey the human,

It has come to my attention that you are unable of properly protecting yourself, even with the assistance of my most skilled of knights. To this end, I, and the commanders of my military have agreed that arrangements will be made for you to return to Canterlot to receive survival and combat training from myself, Commander Silent Night, Captain Shining Armor, Captain Midnight Blossom, Knight Steelwing Flex, Princess Twilight, and Princess Luna.

As it is of the upmost importance to ensure your safety for the fate of Equestria and your world, you are to remain in Canterlot until your training is finished. Knight Divine Intervention will be reactivated and released from her current duties until further notice.

Furthermore, in order to curb your reckless actions in the procurement of meat, you will be allowed to visit the Griffin ambassador’s quarters once a day to receive a protein-rich meal. Do not abuse this right, as there is little for you or my ambassadors to partake in until we receive new shipments from the Griffin Empire.

Lastly, in regards to your mental health, you are required to receive therapy from either Princess Luna or Dr. Hypo in the guard barracks once a day.

To your health and the Prosperity of Equis,

Princess Celestia

P.S.

Silent Night and ‘Angel’ have been working hard to create a suit of armor for you to wear in dangerous situations. You will find this armor in the crate before you. I suggest you thank them for keeping your safety in such high regard.

Raising a brow at Silent Night, I waved the letter in front of her face.

“Not that I’m not thankful to receive training or anything, but this was just one time. Sure, I’ve already had some run ins with Timberwolves in Ponyville before but I always came out fine, just with some minor injuries. Angel was doing a great job in my opinion, not sure why she’s being punished…” The dark unicorn showed no emotion, but her voice rang out in my head once more.

Despite the unpopular opinion many have with you being here in Equestria, surely you must understand your purpose in the grand scheme of things. This is the first time you have had any serious damage done to your…person, but we only wish for it to be your last. It only takes the loss of one life, yours, to bring our world into complete disarray, all at the mercy of Discord, a being who feeds on chaotic energy, with little to no interest in morality. Additionally, proper training will do more than prepare you for combat against the various creatures that would do you harm.

She walked around me, as if to inspect my figure.

Also, as a Commander of an elite branch of the royal military, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in you. The history of your kind is impressive. Your companion also speaks highly of your training sessions with her and noted that before you were inflicted with this mental illness of yours, you had aspirations to be a soldier, only to be stopped halfway through your training.

She stopped in front of me, finished with her predatory circle. Her lips curled up into a smile.

Who knows, once your survival deal is completed, you may want to stay here. If our efforts here with you are successful, both in body and mind, I may have a job offer for you.

I shrugged. While I did wish to go home, back to my world, back to my father, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t miss some parts of this place. There were pros and cons to both decisions, as much as I wish there weren’t.

“I guess that’s fair, but I’m still worried about Angel taking all the heat for this.” The commander shook her head, putting a hoof on my leg.

While I believe it is noble of you to stick up for your friend, to the rest of us and the princesses, she has failed in her duties. There was no good reason for the two of you to explore the Everfree on your own. She is an elite guard, not a child. The reason she was placed as your guard was for her innate ability to make good decisions on the fly, but it has been made clear to us that something has affected her reasoning skills, placing you in danger like that. She’s one of my best Knights, and has the makings of a good leader, so there is reason enough to keep her doing what she does best, rather than sit in the dungeons for her negligence. That said, I have noted that the two of you share a close bond, and if your training goes well, she will be back by your side once more, as it would benefit your mental health.

Silent Night backed away, lightly smiling and levitated the crate towards me. Knowing what she wanted me to do, and my curiosity getting the better of me, I set the note down to the side and dug through the hay, pulling out various pieces of armor. With the assistance of the two experienced mares, the armor fit perfectly on my person. A mirror was teleported in front of me, and I had to admit, I looked kind of legit, as if I had walked out of a Dark Souls game.

It was a simple suit of light armor, but the metal was colored a dark blue and black, mirroring the armor of Princess Luna’s night guard. Upon doing a little twirl, saddened that there was no cape, I saw that there was a lunar crest on my back, as if to show that I was affiliated with the princess of the night. There were two empty sword sheaths on my belt, and what seemed to be three small pockets on my right leg for something long and cylindrical. On my left leg, there was a sheath with a hunting knife inside of it, which Silent Night explained was uniform for all of her Knights. She told me I would be receiving my twin blades when I began my training with her, and after enchanting my armor with spells she didn’t explain, she sent me out of the training grounds, with Midnight escorting me to my room.

Walking down the hallways in my new armor, I shivered slightly, the shadows becoming works of nightmarish art in my mind. Glowing green eyes, fleeting objects, and light cackling echoed throughout the halls while I tried to focus on the lightly swaying flanks of the night captain. Upon reaching a set of doors with a familiar Lunar Crest, I looked at Midnight in confusion.

“Uh, aren’t I supposed to go to my room? This is Luna’s.”

She simply smiled, knocking once on the door, giving me a wink, and jumped out of a nearby window, leaving me alone to deal with the unhappy Princess. The door opened with a light hue of blue, and Luna gazed at me, emotionless. I gave her a smile and opened my arms wide.

“Can I get a hug?” She said nothing, walking back inside her room, but leaving the door open. Sighing, I followed, closing the door behind me. Looking around, I took in the sight of the Lunar Princess’s room. It was a large room with a giant bed in the middle, dark curtains pulled aside from the windows to allow the faint light of the moon shine through. There were bookcases that lined the walls, filled with large tombs that I had tried to read but failed. Near the back of the room, there was a dark hallway that led to a bath, that really could be described more as a swimming pool, due to its size.

Looking at Luna, I gave another smile.

“I know you’re mad at me but…I’ve missed you, my friend.” She gave me a glance, but looked away just as quickly, showing her disappointment. Walking towards her balcony, I opened the doors to witness the masterpiece of glowing constellations in the night sky, raising my voice so she would hear me. “You're such a talented artist...your night is truly something to behold Luna. I’m just left breathless every time I see the moon in the sky, unlike that annoying ball of fire that ruins my sleep.”

"Hmph!"

The sudden sound making me flinch, I heard someone muttering dark things next to me. Looking to my right, another balcony was there, and I could see the flash of a multicolored tail retreating into the adjacent room. Luna giggled behind me and I turned to see her smiling, her cyan eyes glinting with mischief.

“I think I can forgive you after what just occurred.”

I bowed slightly, grinning more. “Well, you are my favorite princess, how could I not adore the nights you put so much effort into creating?” The night princess pulled me into an embrace, armor and all.

“I have missed you too, my human friend.” We split apart and I looked at the room, feeling tired.

“So…wanna cuddle?” Luna shook her head, motioning for me to follow her. I did, and she levitated a small box over to me. Grabbing it, I gave her a curious glance before opening it. Inside was a necklace, but unlike any I had ever seen. The string seemed to be made of a delicate silver, and on it was a blue crescent moon which seemed to glow in a familiar blue hue.

“I wanted to give this gift to you...erm...personally.” She levitated it onto my neck, the magic of the necklace sending cool waves of energy over my body. “I have spent many a moon enchanting this, and I believe it will help with your terrors of the waking world. With the loss of your companion, I hope that it will help ground you to the reality you so dearly cherish, my friend.”

Looking at the necklace, I smiled, hugging the lunar princess once more. “Thank you so much Luna…I hope it works. My hallucinations these days only seem to get worse and worse the more I learn about this world.” Escaping my embrace, she smiled at me, pushing me towards the door.

“Yes, I hope my gift will give you peace of mind while you stay here in Equestria. Now, Captain Midnight will escort you to your quarters, I have a moon to lower, and you have a friend waiting for your return.”

Sure enough, once the doors closed behind me, I was greeted by a smirking Midnight Blossom. I ignored her, walking down the hallway until she flew in front of me, leading me to my room. Thanking her upon reaching my door, she gave me a light smile before disappearing into the shadows, making my skin crawl. Instantly, I felt cooling waves of magic wash over my body, making me smile lightly.

She truly is the best Princess

Pushing open my door and closing it behind me, I found myself being tackled to the ground. Groaning in pain, I focused my eyes into a familiar set of stormy orbs. Her lips were turned up in a smirk.

“Looks like you need more training after all.”

Realizing who it was, I smiled, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Despite our armor clinking together and chafing, the warmth and comfort of the pegasus mare made it all worth it.

“Oof- what, did you miss me, you big oaf?”

“Shh…lemme just enjoy this. You're like a teddy bear.”

“You’re such a big baby.”

“You know you love this.”

“Just like you love my flank? You know, you may as well cop a feel before I leave, I certainly won’t tell…”

“Shh you…”

“Uh…Osprey, we have a guest.”

Furrowing my brow, I turned to look at the door, which was now open. Inside the doorway was a pink alicorn, slightly bigger than Twilight, with a collection of yellows, pinks, and purples adorning her mane and tail. Her cutie mark was a crystal heart, blatantly obvious against her bright coat. Her purple eyes seemed to shine, and her lips were forming a wide smile, looking between the two of us. Angel's tail uncoiled from my leg, something I hadn't noticed happen.

“Oh I do like what I see here…”

For some reason, for the first time, I saw Angel blush.

What the hell does that mean?

“Cadie, what are you doing-oh.” A voice from the hallway called out, the voice stopping short as a white unicorn stopped beside her, looking at the three of us with curiosity. From underneath his two-toned blue mane, his eyes finally settled on me, a smirk forming on his muzzle. He then cleared his throat, taking a step closer. “So you’re the human I’ve heard so much about…” The look on his face sent a shiver down my spine, reminding me of my drill instructors from basic whenever someone did something stupid, and they thought up a punishment.

Gulping slightly, I let go of Angel and sat indian style, wondering what these two were about. I looked at Angel, who was still blushing, looking to the side. Grinning, I looked at the pink newcomer.

“Well, she's never done that before...” The mare giggled, a sly smile forming. The stallion beside her rolled his eyes, looking over at Angel.

“Knight Intervention.” Angel seemed to sober up immediately, standing proudly with her chest puffing out a little.

“Captain Armor.”

“I believe your team is waiting on you, perhaps you should be on your way.” His tone made it clear that it wasn't a suggestion.

“Understood.” Without even a glance at me, she left the room, the sound of her hoofsteps fading quickly. I furrowed my brow, looking at the stallion.

"She couldn't have, I dunno, a few more minutes? I haven't been able to talk to her since the attack." He snorted.

"That is hardly any of your concern-" He was interrupted by the pink mare stepping forward, her eyes half lidded, peering into mine.

"Oh I'm sure the two of you will have quite the time together when she gets back...distance makes the heart grow fonder after all..." I scrunched up my nose at the statement, removing a dirty thought that came to mind from her implication.

"Sorry to rain on your parade, but I'm not into ponies like that. She's just a good friend." The pink mare dropped her act, cocking her head in confusion.

"Wait, so you don't find us...attractive?" I shook my head, ignoring a small voice in the back of my mind. Surprisingly enough, she narrowed her eyes, not convinced. Her horn began to glow a bright pink, but before she could say anything else, the stallion cleared his throat.

"Anyways...I believe you're going to be my trainee for the next few weeks. Care to join us for breakfast? Maybe do a little sparring afterwards? If you're anything like the ancient legends say, I definitely want to see how you fight." I looked at my watch, sighing. The sun would be rising soon.

"Pass?" The stallion smirked, and his horn glowed a deep blue. He strained at first, but soon my body was floating off of the floor, unable to move.

"I'm afraid you don't have much choice in the matter, even though you seem to have quite the magical resistance." Before he could move me out of the room however, we were greeted by a familiar voice.

"Captain, Osprey here is supposed to be recovering." The magic gave out, putting me back on the floor while I smiled at my favorite princess, who stood in the doorway wearing the same tired look from earlier. The stallion's eye twitched, and the pink mare spoke up.

"Isn't that more reason for him to join us for breakfast, Auntie?" Luna smiled.

"I believe your interrogation about his love life can wait Cadence, I am no stranger to your antics with newcomers, do not take me for a fool." The pink mare blushed slightly, looking away. Luna then looked at me, walking in the room, giving me a sly wink. "Besides, I believe a proper snuggling is in order." She turned around, and despite my previous claim, I couldn't help but admire the shapely flanks in front of me, her starry tail swishing slightly in the invisible breeze.

"Now leave us, we shall not be disturbed during our rest." The door was shut before anything more could be said, and she turned to me, her cyan eyes locking onto mine expectantly. I couldn't help the smile that continued to grow on my face.

"Have I ever told you that you're my favorite princess?" She smiled at that, tossing her regalia to the floor, and with a quick flash of her horn, I was left in only my boxers, my armor stacked in a corner. Looking up from my declothed self, I raised a brow at Luna, who was curled up on my bed, grinning madly.

"Come, my human friend, let the cuddling commence!"

Author's Note

Doing my best to keep these chapters under 10,000 words, but we'll see how long that lasts.
Next chapter will be from Angel's POV, we won't be seeing Osprey for a while. As for Discord, well...you'll just have to wait and see.
Enjoy!