Author's Note

Yeah we back again I’m getting better with this AnyWho I want to give a huge shout out to the goat WurkyWilk358 who was able to help me learn how to post my images. Now I’m not gonna lie these things are AI generated so if some details seem weird or off, that’s why if you could recommend a better way for me to draw these images let me know also this chapter may have some unsettling topics for some of you so just be advised . Until then.

Kurayami o tanoshimu/ revel in the darkness

TRYING TO SETTLE PART 3

(Sureiya 1st pov)

I woke up the next morning, the light just beginning to break through the windows. It felt early, too early for most, but the town was already stirring. Throwing on my clothes, I stepped outside, feeling the cool morning air. Around me, people were bustling about, preparing for whatever the day might bring.

My thoughts wandered back to yesterday’s conversation with the girls. It was still hard to believe – I’d somehow found myself in the middle of a harem, or as they called it here, a herd. Despite the time that had passed, my mind flickered back to Gabriella, my girlfriend from my previous life. We used to joke about what it would be like to invite a third person into our relationship, just for fun. It was a strange thought back then, but now? I couldn’t help but wonder what she’d think of all this.

As I walked through the town, lost in thought, I spotted BeniMaru approaching. His pace was quick, a little too quick for comfort. Something was wrong.

“My Lord,” he greeted with a hurried bow.

“Yo, you good, man?” I asked, noticing his urgency.

“There’s some trouble at the front gate. Ponies are there, begging for entry.”

I stopped in my tracks, a knot forming in my gut. My last encounter with ponies hadn’t exactly been… pleasant.

“Any reason why they’re here?” I asked, my voice laced with caution.

“No, sir. But… they’ve got wounded. And it looks bad. Real bad.”

A surge of unease swept over me. “Let’s go.”

We made our way quickly to the gate, the tension rising with each step. It took about five minutes, but it felt like an eternity. As we approached, the guards I had stationed there came into view—four hobgoblins, an ice wolf, and two orcs—all standing firm, blocking the entrance. Beyond them, I could see a group of ponies, about fifteen in total. Nine mares, six stallions.

But it was the sight of the wounded that stole my breath. Three of the mares and two of the stallions were in bad shape—deep, ragged gashes covered their bodies, bleeding profusely. One of the stallions was missing a leg entirely, the blood-soaked ground beneath him telling the story of his suffering. And then my eyes fell on a Pegasus mare. She lay on her stomach, her left wing twisted, bent at an impossible angle. Broken.

While the rest of the group wasn’t in nearly as bad shape as the others, they still weren’t in great condition. Bruised, beaten, and starved, their clothes were nothing more than rags, with some having no clothes at all. Scars littered their bodies, and to my dismay, I noticed a few of the mares had swollen bellies.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they’d been through. With the memories I’d received from that guard a while back, there was no doubt about it—these poor souls were escaped slaves.

“Bring them in and get the wounded to the medical house, now,” I ordered, my tone leaving no room for argument. We quickly gathered up the injured and rushed them to the medical house, along with the others to get them checked out.

One of the stallions caught my eye—he was limping as he walked. I stopped him for a closer look. His fur was a deep charcoal black, his mane and tail a striking bright green, and his pale yellow eyes glowed faintly in the light. What really stood out, though, were the bat-like wings on his back, marking him as a Thestral—a subspecies of Pegasus, omnivorous and winged with leathery appendages instead of feathers.

“What’s your name?” I asked. He hesitated at first, his eyes wary, before finally responding.

“My name is Swift Strike,” he said quietly.

I glanced down at his injured leg. Placing my hand gently against it, I applied a bit of pressure. He winced. Channeling my magic, a soft white glow began to form around my hand. “Heal,” I whispered.

The magic flowed into his leg, the white light briefly surrounding it before fading away. I pressed again, this time without causing him any pain.

Swift Strike stared at me in astonishment, then quickly bowed his head. “Thank you,” he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

“No problem. We’ll get you and the others properly checked out. After that, I’d like to speak with you, so you can tell me exactly what happened.”

We got all the ponies to the medical house. Once there, I, along with a handful of medical staff, immediately gave attention to the bleeding and heavily wounded ponies. As I looked at the injuries on their bodies, it became clear—these were claw marks. The stallion who had lost his leg seemed to have had it bitten off; the teeth marks surrounding the wound were unmistakable.

As for the mare, it wasn’t clear what had broken her wing, but from the bruising around the base, I could tell someone—or something—had twisted it out of place, snapping the bone.

Wasting no time, I channeled my magic, covering them in a soft glow before using a healing spell to close their wounds. The spell even managed to snap the mare’s wing back into place. I had to focus a larger portion of my magic on the stallion’s stump, and as the glow intensified, a new leg began to materialize from where the old one had been severed.

Everyone watched in stunned silence, astonished by the miracle that had just unfolded. I did a quick check of the others, and after ensuring no one else was seriously injured, I ordered food, water, and proper clothes to be brought to them.

The staff and guards rushed off to carry out my orders. I decided to sit with the ponies, keeping an eye on them. The looks on their faces were nothing short of miserable, haunted by what they had been through.

Soon, one of the pregnant mares began to sob, clutching her swollen belly. Her quiet weeping soon spread through the room, and before long, others joined in, their tears a bitter reminder of the suffering they’d endured.

The only one not crying was Swift Strike. I turned to him, my voice low but gentle. “You’re all escaped slaves, aren’t you?”

His eyes widened slightly, surprised that I’d figured it out, but he nodded glumly.

I glanced at the pregnant mares, a sinking feeling in my chest. “I’m right to assume that most of these pregnancies weren’t consensual, am I?”

He nodded again, slower this time, his expression pained. I clasped my hands together, the weight of it all settling over me like a shroud.

“How did you all escape?” I asked quietly.

Swift Strike was silent for a moment, then finally spoke, his voice laced with bitterness. “We were all being loaded up to be taken to another location. They have underground travel routes that let them sneak around without being noticed by the public. One of the guards, though… he got bored. They stopped to… to ‘use’ some of their merchandise, as they put it.” His jaw clenched, the anger and disgust clear in his words. “They wanted to have their way with the females.”

He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “When they opened the cage, I took my chance. I rushed the guard, and the others followed. We didn’t know the tunnel routes, so we just ran. One of the exits led out to the borders of the city, into the Everfree Forest.”

His voice cracked slightly, and he shook his head. “I know it was stupid. We could’ve turned back and gone to the princesses, but we were too scared. So we kept running. Eventually, we ran into the Everfree, and that’s when the Timberwolves attacked. We managed to fight them off, but… not all of us got away unscathed.”

I nodded, letting the weight of his words sink in. After a few moments of thought, I stood up and addressed the group.

“Look, I’m not going to lie to you. Some of the people here haven’t had the best experiences with ponies—myself included. However…” I paused, softening my tone, “I can see that you’ve all been victimized, just like many others here. So I’ll make you a deal. Once you’re rested and recovered, I’ll allow you to stay. But you must promise to cause no trouble, and you must contribute to the community.”

The room fell silent as they took in my words. “Everyone here contributes in some way, shape, or form. If you can promise to do the same, you’re welcome to stay.”

Their eyes widened in disbelief. Swift Strike was the first to speak. “Just like that? You’ll let us stay, and all we have to do is work?”

I smiled warmly. “Of course. It’s what I do. I help those who are truly in need. It’s the reason I’m here.”

Tears began to fall, but this time, they were not from pain—these were tears of happiness. Even Swift Strike, usually so strong and composed, was crying.

They dropped to their knees and bowed deeply. “Thank you. We promise to work hard,” they said in unison, voices filled with gratitude.

At that moment, the rest of the guards and medical staff returned, carrying food, water, and clothing, distributing it among the ponies. As everything started to settle, I quietly took my leave.

As I strolled around the town, I paused and smiled. “No matter how quietly you try to move, Rumi, I can always sense or smell you,” I teased.

A dramatic, exasperated groan came from behind me. When I turned around, I saw the ice wolf girl, Rumi, standing there with a pouty look on her face. “No fair!” she whined adorably.

I chuckled and walked over to her, gently scratching behind one of her ears. She instinctively leaned into my touch, her tail swaying happily from side to side. “So, are you excited for later?” I asked.

“Most definitely,” she said, her face lighting up with a smile. That’s when I noticed she was wearing a cozy sweater.

“What’s with the sweater?” I asked curiously.

She blushed and shyly looked away. “Well… I thought it would be something nice to wear on a date. But now that I think about it, I probably should’ve waited for you to see me in it…” she trailed off, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink.

I smiled warmly and pulled her closer, wrapping my arm around her waist. “It’s perfect,” I reassured her. With her snuggled beside me, we continued walking around the town together.

After walking and chatting for a while, we eventually went our separate ways. I took some time to browse around, picking up a few things here and there, my mind already wandering to the evening ahead. As I finally headed back home, my heart was filled with anticipation, hoping everything would go perfectly for my date with the girls. I couldn’t help but smile, silently praying that it all went as well as I imagined.