Issue 1:origins
“Darkness that is all I remember, wrapped around me like the ocean suffocating and heavy”

This story begins in the dead of night, underneath a low hanging apple tree, at the bottom of the well, the water in the well was pitch black, dark as oil yet smoove as ice with only the moon perfectly reflecting off of the surface. Then breaking the surface and pitch black clawed arm with white lines detailing it, reached out and grabbed the side of the well.

“But then I saw light, and I moved towards it. I crawled up from the darkness towards it, and the darkness no longer felt heavy but comforting like a cloak”

A second arm soon followed and Following that a head broke the surface, it had black hair though there was no way to tell where head became covered in it, the face was a literal mask with glowing white eyes and like the arms and the rest of the body that soon followed it had white veins glowing dimly over from the neck down.

“And then I saw the moon. So big and bright, the fear of darkness seemed to just leave”

The black figure soon reached the top of the well and looked up, and there was the moon closer and bigger than before and with that unicorn shape on the surface.

“I began to wonder why I was so scared to begin with”

The figure then looked around himself, at the open field with apple trees all around him, and tall grass and then he felt something land on his face, he touched the small trickle of water that was the first drop of rain as the rest of it began to fall.

“Though why I was there and how and what I was supposed to do…I did not know”

Suddenly the figure slipped on the rocks on the rim of the well and fell onto the soft grass below, he once again found himself staring up at the moon, and the eye of the unicorn seemed to wink at him.

He tilted his head at that, he then began to turn over and began crawling his limbs shaking with the effort, however the more he tried to get up the easier it became soon he was on one knee and staggering onto both feet upright.

He staggered forward, the stars winking down on him as he staggered and tried to keep his balance and finally he managed to get a steady walk and then sped up into a jog, then a run and finally a full on sprint.

He staggered to a stop chest heaving as his breath came short but strong, a bird tilted its head confused before flying off, the figure watched it go then he spotted lights through the trees in the general direction of where the bird had gone.

The figure tilted its head quizzically and began walking towards the light, as he walked he began to hear voices, “yah Damn varment I’ll kill yah this” said a female voice, “she has an odd way of speaking” the black coated figure thought, the thought surprised him as it was his very first thought since he had risen from the river.

Soon there were people to match the voices, 3 males and 2 females, the 3 males were all grayish skinned, the largest had orange hair, the second largest one had blue spiky hair and the smallest had dark brown curly hair.

None of whom were particular good looking but did look like they had no qualms killing people, “quiet apple bitch” snarled the smallest thug to the older female placing an apple in her mouth to act as a gag

The oldest female was orange skinned with yellowish hair with a blue skirt, green and white short sleeved shirt and had a hat over her head. Her hands and legs were hogtied together so she was positioned on her front and with an apple in her mouth for a gag as she glared at her assailants.

The second female was the youngest and the size of the smallest thug, but with red hair and a bow in it. Her arms and legs were tied together as she lay in the bunk of a car.

“What should we do with her Rover?” Asked the biggest thug, to the second biggest thug now identified as Rover, “just dump her In the river to drown Fido” Rover said to the biggest thug now identified as Fido.

“But I want to have some fun” said the smallest thug, gleefully getting towards the girl with the cowgirl hat with his long lolling as if he was about to like her while said girl struggled in her bonds.

The other girl struggled with even more tears and wide terrified eyes looking at the scene, “no Spot, get in the car and start it up” snapped Rover to the now identified, disappointed and reluctant Spot.

Spot closed the door of the boot of the car and hopped in the front and turned the key starting the engines, the sudden splitter of the engines made the black figure watch them recoil slightly and step on a twig.

He instinctively ducked down, but even if it wasn’t instinct he needn’t have bothered as the remaining two thugs were busy with the girl with the cowgirl hat. She struggled and screamed through her gag.

“Where is there a river?” Asked Fido, Rover suddenly felt rather awkward as he looked around, “um good question” he admitted. The dark figure watched with interest as the 2 absently looked around before giving up.

“Alright new plan we take her until we find somewhere to dispose of her then we get rid of her and take the kid where we need to” said Rover, “alright boss” said Fido as he opened the back door of the car tossed the cowgirl in before stepping in himself and Rover hopped into the passenger seat and the car drove off.

“Follow them” the figure thought, and so he stepped out of his hiding place and began walking down the road from where the car had gone.

“I did not know what drove me. But my body, my very instincts told me to follow them. And so I did”

The rain was now pelting down intorriable for most people, the figure just kept walking however he soon began to shiver and get cold. And hug himself.

“I did not understand myself, I knew everything that a person should without being taught. But who was I?. Those people. Did I like them? Or was I something entirely different?”

The figure soon had to stop and rest beneath a tree and leaned against the bark and slid down and sat against it, the branches giving him some cover and he sat there cold.

Then light broke through and the rain stopped. The figure looked up to see the moon looking down at him, or that was what it looked like even As the black figure stood up still hugging himself from the cold and wet and looked up at the moon his hair sagging from the rain.

“Once again i saw the moon and new that it was good”

“My child” whispered a beautiful female voice behind him, he turned around slowly “a gift, my Tantabus” said the disembodied voice again as the wide glowing eyes of the figure saw hanging from a tree. A black cloak, it was dark black on the outside and dark gray on the inside.

“Tantabus? Was that who I was or what I was?”
The black figure took the cloak off the branch, it was perfectly dry and unscathed or scuffed in any way, the figure wrapped it around himself and pulled up the hood over his head.

“But it was my name, the only name I have. Now I can follow those men without getting cold. Even though I had no idea what I was going to do when I found them”

Tantabus continued down the road with the moon lighting his way.

10 minutes later
The road continued in one direction, there were no intersections, off-ramps or roundabouts to lead him astray. However he soon found a river and heading downstream towards him he saw the hat from the cowgirl.

“Oh no” thought Tantabus the first feeling of concern inside of him, he quickened his pace and soon found what he was looking for. And he had hoped it wasn’t.

It was the girl, he didn’t even know her name and yet the emotions still swelled inside, sorrow and guilt. She had most likely drowned, the river was rather deep despite being narrow. The ropes had gone slack in the water and her body floated helpless on the surface.

“This was my first time feeling the emotions since I emerged from that well. the first time I realized I had hoped for the best only to find the worst”

Tantabus' shoulders sagged but he saw muddy tire tracks going in a certain direction down the road, he began to follow them.

“But the one I remember the most and clung to that night… was what I would come to know as rage”

5 minutes later

“I find what I am looking for…the muddy car prints become faded but their survive long enough for me to find where they went and where they are”

Tantabus stood on top of a hill looking down on what appeared to be an old abandoned hotel, long since abandoned and falling apart, he could see the car the trio of thugs he had seen earlier parked outside.

A single guard outside the main door, and god knew how many inside, plus he did not know anything about himself, what he could do? could he fight? Could he sneak around?.

“Do not worry my Tantabus” said a voice this time it was more clear where it was from, he looked up and saw the moon, had the voice really come from the moon? Was it only for his ears?.

“Only you can hear me. I will give you only one bit of advice to fight. Rely on your instincts and me I will provide you the weapons” the moon said, “guess I’ll just use the front door” Tantabus thought. It was his first attempt at sarcasm, he walked and pressed himself against the wall around the corner from the door.

He needed to draw the guards attention, well there were plenty of rocks about, he picked one up and tossed it against another rock. It collided with an audible sound that made the guard jump. “What the hell” the guard said drawing a gun and walking over he picked up the rock and studied it.

Then a cloth was wrapped over his head tightly, Tantabus held his cloak firm over the guards head effectively beginning to suffocate him, the guard had dropped his gun in the process so there was no shooting him. Then the guard stepped on his foot and elbowed him in the side making Tantabus stagger and let go of the cloak allowing the thug to get it off him, and grab his gun but by pure instinct Tantabus charged and sent a punch at the thugs chest.

And it happened, the arm changed shape, the shadows surrounding it extended into multiple tendrils and twirled around each other and formed a single sharp sword that punctured the assailants chest, straight through his heart and out through his back. The thug coughed up blood as Tantabus stared in shock looking from the thugs face to his chest, he slowly pulled the sword out and the thug fell to the ground dead and bleeding, he raised his arm up studying the blade.

“Now I have a weapon. That will make my job easier. Guess i am going through the front door”

Putting back on his cloak he entered the building with the sword hidden underneath it, “hey who the hell are you?” asked one guy, “this place is closed. Aren't the boards on the windows enough of a clue?”. And that was when the sword shot out and across the man's chest cutting deeply and causing him to fall and bleed out as Tantabus sped up the stairs. “Huh what are you supposed to be?” asked a familiar face. It was Spot.

Tantabus grabbed the little man and tossed him with ease up into the air and down where he was knocked unconscious by the fall, which was lucky considering his small status.

Continuing to run upstairs another thug tried to tackle him but Tantabus grabbed him and tossed him overhead not even looking back as the thugs back landed on the rail of the stairs breaking it and crippling the man as he slid off and back onto the second floor.

Tantabus soon came across another familiar face, it was Rover who found himself with a sword leveled at his neck, “a-are you after the girl she’s on the 6th floor” he blurted out, Tantabus turned away ready to go, which was a mistake, Rover drew a gun and fired a shot that went straight through Tantabus shoulder, he staggered, the shadows exploding from the injury like a water spout. Then it collected back to the origin point and Tantabus recovered.

“I could still feel the wound, i could still feel the pain, but it was like i didn’t care, the suit if that’s what it was stopping the bleeding, that gave me more questions for another day”

Tantabus swung the sword cutting both the gun and the fingers in half, Rover yelled in pain as he slunk down and clutched his now fingerless hand.

Tantabus ignored him and continued on, however on his way up to the fourth floor he ran into a man standing at the top of the stairs with a gun pointed down, instinctively Tantabus jumped down from the stairs to cover, “how am i going to get past him?” he wondered to himself. The answer came in the form of a knife forming in his hand and he knew what to do, he did not know how he knew but he did.

He rolled out of cover and threw the knife, it hit the thug in the mouth underneath the chin, “whuh huh fuh? He slurred as Tantabus charged at him and kicked him in the head knocking him out completely.

Three more thugs charged him on the fourth floor, reforming the sword Tantabus cut them down dead all with deep fatal cuts across their chests, his cloak trailing behind him as he sped up to the 5th floor. “The hells going on I'm trying to take a nap” said a familiar voice and from a door emerged Fido, large and looking rather irritated, Tantabus swung his sword only for the brute to catch the arm attached and lift him off the ground. He punched Tantabus in the face.

Tantabus tasted blood in a mouth he did not know he had until now.

Tantabus formed another sword with his other hand and stabbed Fido in the gut, he let the other arm go with a yelp clutching his bleeding gut, and Tantabus landed crouching and slashed at one of Fido’s knees cutting it in half and the giant of a teen fell to the ground clutching his stump.

W-we’ll kill you for this” he declared but Tantabus had already made it to the 6th and top floor.

Tantabus found the right door which was wide open, he expected, he looked through its sword ready, there was the child lying hands and legs tied on the bed with a gag still over her mouth and blindfold over her eyes. And there was a thug holding some kind of device in hand with a red button.

“Take one more step and get it” the thug warned, Tantabus tilted his head, he wondered what harm such a device could do, but his instincts stopped him. That device was dangerous despite not being obvious to him.

The sword morphed back into a hand, “that’s good now get in here nice and slow” Tantabus did so, “that’s good now stay there while I…” he began as he drew the gun but he let his arm holding the strange device relax and take the finger off the red button.

Tantabus in that split second formed a kinai and threw it and it hit the thug In the eye making him double over in pain, Tantabus made a move for the little girl, “big mistake pal” the thug said and he held up the device andtonator and pressed the button.

From his position the explosion shot him out of the door and onto the opposite side on the third floor where he crashed through the railing and hit the wall with a audible crash, this time it wasn’t just a simple nose bleed he felt his limbs at odd angles, his bone puncture organs and pierce skin.

Even still he stood up and looked to the remains of the room on the 6th floor, guilt and sorrow washed through him, he had failed to save the girl, he had failed to save her life, he unsteadily stood up and looked at the destruction, he felt something wet run down his face, and down his neck.

He touched the wet tear tenderly, was this a natural reaction to sadness and sudden loss? He had barely known the girl, only that she needed help and he had the ability to do so.

“My failure taught me a lesson, more than one, but the one that I learned the most was what I needed to be and what I am. I am and will be the protector of those who travel under the moon.”

Tantabus was now back on the hill cloak flapping in the wind looking back at the building now on fire and fire trucks beginning to turn up.

“I am Tantabus and it was the mare in the moon gave me my name”

Author's Note

Here is the equestria girl story I said I was going to be doing.