Secrets

Chapter 13: The Journey Begins

The bright sun burned as it hit the streets of Itia. Wildfire wished it was night again, mostly to hide the rotting corpses in the streets and to hide himself. He focused as he felt a bit green. There was one more person to kill before he let himself die. He turned around to see a mass of shadows creeping along the ground, it stopped at about a hundred yards from Wildfire. The darkness began to mass up, taking the form of a reptile. Black eyes seemed to suck in the nearby light, a twisted smile present on the subjects' face.

"So how does it feel to betray your own birthplace?" Wildfire's voice broke the monotonous howling of the wind.

"Heh, do you think I still care about them? I was always the freak of the group." Star replied with a great deal of contempt and bitterness. His eyes had turned from their usual emerald to a lifeless shadow. The two did not need words to know what to do, Wildfire drew his sword as Star drew his.

Wildfire's reverie was interrupted as he bumped into something. He fell back onto his rump, looking up he couldn't help but swallow. Before him stood the lunar princess Luna herself. With the way the shadows reflected upon her, Wildfire could not help but feel intimidated as she towered over him, her emotions unreadable.

"Can I help you, Princess?"

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked.

"Well, I have an old friend who's willing to be my friend again and I won't pass up on the opportunity." Luna was silent as she stared at Wildfire, making him a bit uneasy.

"I have been watching you." 'Kay, a bit creepy but okay. "Through your dreams, I know your past, and I know what you have done." And she's going to give me an otherworldly beating. "I'm not going to hurt you," Yay! "For I've also seen you reform. And I must ask, how do you have such a great connection with the public?"

"What?"

"You've killed, tortured and brutally assaulted more creatures than there are stars in my night sky. I demand that thou show us how you do it!"

"Do what, the killing?"

"Show us how you are in such good relations with everyone."

"Oh." Wildfire tried to get his brain to comply, the sudden demand taking some time to process. "Look, as much as I'd love to play teacher with you, I'm on a deadline. I don't like to keep her waiting."

"Then take me with you."

"S-wait what?"

Luna shrugged, "Why not? Our sister can surely take a few weeks without us."

"Don't you have royal duties to attend to? Court and all that?" Wildfire attempted to make her stay, after all, he knew the Rule of Comedy would inevitably make this end badly.

The Princess shook her head, "Does thou really believe that anyone would request an audience with me? The peasants still believe that I am Nightmare Moon." Wildfire groaned, showing his indecision. "Alright look. You and I are almost exactly alike. Both of us are creatures of the night, both of us have a dark past. I do not want to be alone again, Celestia is doing her best to make me feel wanted, but she cannot baby me." Wildfire thought about it, on one hand he wanted Luna to go home. On the other, I finally could have my own friend as well.

"Alright, fine. You may accompany me on three conditions. One, you will do what I tell you to do, when I tell you. I tell you to jump, you say how high. Two, you'll have to do this without your regalia and we may need to create a false identity for you. Three, don't talk, look or point at anyone or anything. It's not that I worry about your safety, you being a Demi-god and all that, I'm more worried about mine." It was now Luna's turn to look thoughtful, her delicate brow slightly furrowed.

"Hmph, although I understand all these conditions I would prefer add one of my own. I'll accept them if you teach me how to be more 'modern' and 'likeable'. Also, could you teach me that zippy thing you did?" Wildfire tried to find a way to get some profit, but as he was coming up with none, he decided to put his hand in the fire.

"Deal." Both eldritch creatures nodded before shaking their hooves, Wildfire lightly grasping Luna's small hoof in his hand. "Alright, now let's go."

"Steady, I just need to fly over to the castle. I will store my regalia and warn Sister of my departure." Wildfire sighed as he watched the stellar entity fly off. What have I gotten myself into?

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"Ah, there you are, Lulu. Did you have fun at the festival?"

"Can't talk. AbouttogoonanawesomeadventureintoanothercontinentwithWildfire." Luna responded as she unceremoniously threw her regalia into her room and leapt off her balcony. Leaving a confused Celestia trying to process what she had just said.

"What?"

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"Well, about time." Wildfire commented as Luna landed gracefully beside him.

"So where to?" Luna asked, ignoring the irritating comment he had made. Wildfire pointed to an unknown area in the forest.

"That way!"

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"How did you earn the title 'The Last Shadow'?" Luna's strong voice broke the monotony of their hoofsteps.

"Because mine would be the last thing you ever see. How did you earn the name 'Nightmare Moon'?"

"I would rather not speak of it."

"Fair enough. Answer me this, why did you really want to tag along?" Princess Luna seemed to hesitate before sighing.

"I wanted to follow along because Tia told me to meet new people. Make friends. I really appreciate that the villagers of Ponyville have accepted me, but this is just one small town out of an entire kingdom. And then when I heard you were going to a different kingdom, I thought, 'Hey, what better way to make friends than to go to a land devoid of pony kind'?" Wildfire shrugged, he wasn't in a position to judge someone who had been locked up in the moon for a thousand years.

"What is it like, to be on the moon?"

"It's not bad, for me at least. Tia says it is very cold and grey, but to me it is mild and colourful. Not red or blue, but rather many shades of black, grey and white."

"Interesting."

"Indeed." The duo moved silently through the trees, simply happy to be in the presence of someone who could overlook the past and judge from present actions.

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Meanwhile...

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"Drone!" A large black figure bellowed at a nearby drone, causing it to immediately bow it's head.

"Your Majesty?"

"Summon Mantis. Tell him that we will be having guests over soon. And bring me some nectar while you're at it!"

"Of course, your Highness." The servant quickly exited the room, leaving Chrysalis alone. She sighed heavily. The seven Hives aren't fairing well. Thorax and Exodus are almost completely out of love. Hopefully, with Wildfire on my side I will be able to execute my plan. To invade Equestria and take what is rightfully mine! She smiled at his eagerness to be with her. Little did he know that as soon as she was done with him she would toss him away. Part of her wanted to forgive Wildfire for what he had done and welcome him back into the Hive. The other, dominant part wanted to make Wildfire burn in Tartarus for all eternity.

"My Queen? Mantis has arrived." Chrysalis distractedly nodded assent to the servant, looking up to see her brother.

"You requested my presence your Highness."

"Indeed I did. Wildfire is coming back. I do not intend to kill him immediately, for I need his assistance in the invasion. I want you to arrange it so he doesn't get torn apart on arrival. You have two weeks before he gets here."

"Two weeks? Where is he that he takes weeks to get here?" Chrysalis smiled maliciously before answering.

"Equestria."

"He's right in our enemies noses and they do not even know it. Very well played."

"Yes. And where's my nectar?!"

**********

I am going away with him to an unknown country where I shall have no past and no name, and where I shall be born again with a new face and an untried heart. Do not worry, Sister.

But that's exactly what I'm doing! You can't just ditch all your duties to go traveling with a complete stranger, Lulu!

Pray tell, Tia, what royal duties do I have that require me to be at Canterlot?

There's night court...

And do ponies even go to my night court?

...

Exactly. Now please let me be. I need to set the moon. Luna severed her mental connection with Celestia.

"Would you mind pausing? I need to lower the moon."

"Sure."  Luna turned to face her astral guardian. Before she closed her eyes and willed the moon towards the horizon. Hush, child. She soothed the figure as it was startled by her sudden presence.

**********

"Sire? There has been an incident. He has been located once again by Commander Star." The charcoal coloured figure turned its creeping red eyes towards his messenger.

"What state is the subject in?"

"He is apparently unable to use his shade, and in his infant stage. He also is not carrying firearms or ABA." The dark king closed his eyes, a low rumbling noise escaping from it's throat. The sound evolved into a low laughter, which gained intensity until it morphed into a mad cackling.

"This is very good news indeed. Send a black ops squad over to Asthea. Send an AC thirty-eight with them and all the equipment they will need. Tell them to wait for my orders to mobilize into the new realm." The Lord waited until his servant dissapeared through the immense doorway. He then hoisted himself onto his feet, before walking to the balcony that overlooked the serene ocean. The sun burnt his skin slightly, but nothing seemed to dull the wide grin on the immortal's face. "I will win this time."

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Wildfire suddenly shivered violently. "Well that was weird."

"Hmm?" Princess Luna turned to him with an interrogative expression.

"I just have the strangest feeling right now... It's just sending shivers down my spine."

"Probably the cold."

"Probably the cold." Wildfire repeated as the two trekked on.

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"Boss? I have some intel you might want."

"Speak."

"Sources indicate that Seeker forces are mobilizing. An entire black ops detachment has been sent to Asthea. Apparently they found Wildfire and want to give him hugs and love."

"Funny... Do what we always do, just send the Retriever and put him on standby."

"Yes sir. Right away sir."

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Damn. Ivy couldn't help but swear as she saw the contingent of soldiers mass their way through the city. At this rate I'll never get to the market. She of course was referring to the local black market. She needed to restock, and bad.It's not like him to waste his finest men on a routine expedition. Maybe they found him? Ivy had to suppress the urge to look around for him. She wanted to find him so badly, so she could bitch-slap him right in the face.

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Wildfire shivered again, "Ok. This is definetly not the cold."

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A/N: And the chess pieces fall into place! Remember what happened in this chapter because its very important in about 30 chapters. :3