Counselor In The Forest

Chapters

Second Visitor
The Next Visit
Continuation
Convenient Circumstances
After The Villain is Defeated
Have To Get Used To It
The Usual Day
A Nightly Visit
Casual Conversations
Bird Cat And Lizard
Some New Faces
River Talk
Barely A Week
A Royal Day
So
Problems Of Birth
The Small Things In Life
Moving On
A Simple Morning
The Sides Of a Nightmare
A Normal Day At Last
Stories
Just Another Monster
Aftermath
Healing
Progress
Coming Together
Visit
Another Visitor
Caring
Daily Chores
Nightmarish
Warm
Heart's Warming
Repercussions
Path Ahead
Starting To Uncover
Some Progress
Hard At Training
Small Discussions
Focus
Griffins
Answers
Casual
Responsibility
Journal
Double
Thought Provoking
Zebras
First Response
Back To Normal
One More Visit
What Is To Come
Starting Point

Second Visitor

*Natural Remedy POV*

After about 18 hours of labor, I finally flattened an area, making it suitable for construction as I decide to rest on a pile of leaves.

I lie down calmly as I look upwards to the biggest tree I've seen in my life.

At the top were weird fruits of an assortment of colors, ranging from an aquatic blue to a fiery red despite coming from the same tree.

The leaves looked normal, but it's probably different since I saw rainbows coming out of it.

After a few days of living here, I realized that I haven't fully explored the area I was trapped in.

So, a simple walk around and I arrived at the center of my prison.

The tree itself was humongous, reaching up so high that I couldn't see the top of it.

The trunk was extremely thick, enough for me to need twenty steps just to go to the other side.

If I build a tree house, this will absolutely be the tree I'm gonna build it on.

I stretch a bit as I get up once again.

"Time to finally build this thing"

I move towards the even-ish planks of wood and the carved logs of wood.

Mentally picturing the design, I start by stacking the logs, making a cube design with one side missing.

Using vines to tie the planks together, I put a roughly shaped flat roof on the walls.

"A new face, in a place like this, it must be fate, to meet you in a crisis?" I hear somepony say as I quickly turn around.

What an odd looking pony?

"Hello?" I greet.

"Greetings to you as well my friend, it is a surprise that you have not fled" she said as she came closer with a slightly shocked expression.

Why does she talk in rhymes?

Her coat was mostly light grey with a heavier grey colored markings and her cutie mark was a grey stylized sun.

She wore a set of golden rings around her neck and her front left leg and two large golden earrings, two saddlebags on her back.

"What makes it a surprise?" I ask.

"I have learned from experience, that ponies are quite racist" she said with a blank face.

I involuntarily give a chuckle as I think about a few fairy tales and stories for foals I remembered.

"Yeah, most will judge things that they're unfamiliar with or have been perceived as something dangerous previously, a threat"

I invite her to sit under the shade inside the new makeshift house.

I'm pretty proud of it.

As we hide away from the sun, she puts down her bags to take out an assortment of unfamiliar objects.

There're some crystals mixed in too.

"May we have a fire started, for I am quite starved"

"It's gonna be hard, I don't have a bonfire yet, I also don't have much ingredients to actually cook something"

"Those are small issues, for I will leave you bemused, as these items of mine, will blow your mind" she said grandly as she brought out more stuff.

I'm pretty sure that the sum of all these can't fit in those bags, but I mostly ignored that thought in favor of eating something different than berries.

She dug a tiny hole and put in some kind of green gem and then slammed it down with a hoofful of powder.

Surprisingly, a pretty decent sized fire rose as it floated right on top of the crystal.

Looking closer, I can see the powder burning, albeit at an extremely slow rate.

"I can see my trick has left you in awe, for it will be hard to forget what you saw" she said while laughing slightly.

Shutting my slack jaw, I just look at the magical fire.

"Wow, I've never seen anything like this" I said, genuinely awestruck.

"What you have seen is potionry, it is in my specialty, it is hard and risky path, so not many pick it's wrath" she explained calmly as she pulled out six large sweet potatoes.

"Hard and risky? Not my cup of tea then" I comment nonchalantly as she wrapped the potatoes in a cloth drenched with a green substance.

"That's quite the contradiction, for I see how you've worked like it's addiction" she said as she handed me a steaming cup of tea that I took.

We haven't even boiled water yet.

She put the wrapped potatoes inside the fire as it floated inside of it.

"Magic sure is convenient" I absentmindedly comment as I watched the floating vegetables.

"As long as you get over the hurdles, you will find that magic can save you quite the troubles" she added cheerily and sat down.

I nod silently as I stare at the warm fire.

It was a weird flame, dancing to nothing as it freely took the shape it wanted.

It gave off the heat you would expect from a normal fire, yet it never seemed to burn what it touched.

"Oh, I didn't think I'd see a zebra here" a voice said as she came to the camp.

"Center Piece, good to see you again" I greet her as I signal her to take a seat.

"It's great to see you too friend, I hope you haven't had too much trouble during my absence"

"Not much"

"So, I don't believe I've met you ma'am" she said and turned to, uh.

Ah.

We never actually said our names.

"I am known as Zecora, I live amidst this flora"

"I'm Center Piece, great to meet you" she said with a calm smile.

"It is great to meet you as well, and may I have your name as well?" she said as she turned to me.

"Natural Remedy"

With each of us introduced, se calmly sit around the magical campfire that Center Piece doesn't seem to mind at all.

I guess magic fires are quite normal for nobles like her.

"How did you manage to build this thing in a day?" Center suddenly asked me.

"Had a lot of free time" I casually answered, getting a chuckle from both of them.

"Creating a shelter in a day is quite impressive, for laziness can be quite persuasive" Zecora added as she materialised another cup filled with tea and handed it to Center.

"Oh trust me, I know all about that" I say as I sip my tea.

Center let out a relaxed sigh as she drank her tea.

"Something stressing you out lately?" I ask as she looked like she was in heaven.

"Yeah, my job involves paperwork, and with the summer sun celebration coming up, the amount increased ridiculously" she responded with a complaining tone.

"Ah paperwork, I've heard many tales before, such as it being the biggest bore, but to think you would get even more" Zecora added with a pitying look.

"Paperwork, eh, I never really involved myself in it" I comment, getting a surprised look from Center.

"What, how? What about your farm? Surely you had to sign something since your brother left"

"Eh, I think my brother took care of it since I never had to sign anything"

"That sounds to me, suspicious, the intent may be, malicious" Zecora added.

Hmm.

"Welp, nothing I can do about it now" I just casually answer.

"I guess so"

Zecora only nodded for a response.

As comfortable silence enveloped the area, Zecora doused her hooves in a red liquid that she brought out from her bags and started taking out the potatoes.

Dividing it by 2 between us, I stared for a few seconds on how I should do it.

Center just casually peeled the skin off with magic, so I stared at the way Zecora did it.

She caught me staring and smiled before waving a hoof before it.

I confusedly stared at the hoof and back at the potato multiple times, trying to see what she did, then suddenly, the potato skin was gone.

"Whaaaaat?" I silently ask as I stare at her little show.

She just chuckles before throwing it to me.

Although surprised, I still catch before asking if she didn't want to eat it, but stopped when I realized one of my potatoes were gone.

Center seemed to be having the time of her life as she struggled to not laugh.

"Thanks" I just say and take a bite of the sweet potato.

I almost cry from joy at the taste as the memories of random berries and dirty grass fade away.

"I feel like I've taken life for granted till now" I say, earning a round of laughter from them as I continue to eat my potato.

*Celestia POV*

At first I was surprised to see a zebra in Equestria, even more so inside the Everfree of all places.

Though, after thinking it through, the Everfree is a perfect place for those who make potions, like Zecora.

With its abundant natural resources and a reality defying geography which promises even more, it's the best choice for a potioneer.

Then what Natural Remedy said rang out in my head.

He said he's never bothered with paperwork before, yet he's been alone for 20 years.

I should check the records, just to make sure.

"What were your parents name Natural Remedy?"

"Storm Chaser and Green Garden. Why do you ask? Also just call me Remedy, it's so much easier" he replied casually.

"Sure, and, no reason" I lied simply, though Zecora seems to have noticed it.

Thankfully, she didn't do anything, most likely in favor of helping Remedy.

I'll thank her for that.

"On a different note, I wanted to consult you on a different matter" I tell him as he turns to me fully.

"Yeah? What is it?" He asked after taking a sip of his tea.

Pretty sure he finished it about 10 minutes ago.

Zebra magic is always interesting somehow.

"I'm thinking of sending my student to a little town, with a tight knit community, so she could make some friends"

He let out a sound of pondering as he put his hoof to his chin.

Zecora also seemed to think about it.

"I need more details, can she take care of herself? Also she probably shouldn't go alone"

"Mhmm, sending out a young one by herself, could result in a crime by one who dares" Zecora added her thoughts.

"She's an adult mare, so she can take care of herself, and I'm also sending her with her assistant, and the town is quite popular for being a friendly community, so she should, in theory, be fine" I explained.

"Easy on the rant" Remedy said in a joking tone before replying. "Well, I understand that she's a loner, and if the town is famous for being friendly, I don't see much of an issue, though the fact that you're sending her there in the first place tells me that she's either an outcast, or a total bookworm" he finished with a slightly serious tone.

"The latter" I say with a sigh as I remember her reports about missing several parties. "At this point, it was either force her to attend parties, or send her somewhere where she's practically guaranteed to make friends, you know which one I chose" I lament my troubles as he just looks at me.

"Yeah, I see your point, though I wanna ask, do you see her as a friend?"

"What do you mean?"

"How close are you with her?" He asked with an easy smile.

"I, like to say we're close, I've been with her during most of her life"

"What makes you unsure?"

I release a heavy sigh at the question.

"As I've been in most of her life, I've also been teaching most of her life, she puts me on a higher pedestal than herself"

"Ah, difference in authority"

"More or less"

He nodded with a thinking face as Zecora added granite on the fire to keep it going.

"I can't say for sure, but have you ever interacted with her in a friendlier way? Like, not as a teacher, but an actual friend? I think you're close enough to at least TRY it right?" he said with a small smile.

"I guess so" I respond after thinking it through.

Acting like a friend, rather than a mentor.

I do wonder how well that would go.

After leaving a supply of food and drinks, as well as an assortment of tools he could use, I finally return to my castle without my disguise after raising the moon.

"Might I ask why you went missing the second day in a row?" Raven asked me as she held a very pissed off expression, having zero intent on hiding it from me.

"Oh I just, met a friend, and forgot the passage of time"

Ok I also visited Donut Joe for a fresh batch, under my disguise of course.

"You have friends?"

I cough blood as the question pierces straight through me.

The fact that it was a genuine question only made it worse.

"How? What kind of pony would they be to be friends with you? Your social cues are also terrible. Completely outdated."

Every question she asked, it felt like my heart had been skewered once again.

"Let's move on from that topic" I forcefully say as I wipe the blood I coughed from my chin.

She only shrugged and took out her clipboard.

"The scholars you've requested have all agreed to take on the task and will be heading out tomorrow, on the condition that you'll also send guards with them"

Well that's fair.

"Granted, send 5 guards per pony, ask Captain Shining Armor for which ones will go"

She nodded as she wrote down the instructions.

"Do tell Shining Armor to send at least one experienced lieutenant"

"Understood" she said as she stared at me with a slightly nervous look.

"What is it?"

"I'm worried, is it truly wise for you to be facing off against her, alone?"

Oh, this question.

"No, but it is my duty as a sister to receive her when she arrives, so I must do it alone"

She lets out a deep sigh as she debated on her next words.

"Fine"

"Thank you for your understanding" I say as I turn to head to my room.

She follows me as silence descends around us.

"Seriously, what kind of pony did you befriend? They're not imaginary right?" she suddenly asked, almost making me trip.

"I can make friends!" I shout, losing all regality.

"Prove it" she asked with a cold stare as she adjusted her glasses.

"Why should I?" I ask, testing her limits.

"If you do, I'll excuse your tardiness"

"What? I'm the Princess, what tardiness?"

"I'll take away cake privileges if you keep it up" she said as her cold eyes looked at me, causing shivers to run down my spine.

"Fine! I'll prove it!" I yelled, louder than I intended.

She smirked as her eyes took on a challenging tone.

Was she always this terrifying?

I gulped as I thought about my next move.

Oh.

That could work.

Two candles with one blow.

Wait, wasn't it something about stones?

Whatever, I need to make sure I don't lose cake.

I can never, lose cake.

I am currently sitting at the balcony of my room with Twilight at my side, looking over Canterlot as the moon hung high in the sky.

The stars shined brightly and dimly, creating the mest beautiful artwork for generations upon generations to witness.

We were currently sharing pieces of desserts and tea as I struggled to keep the calm smile on my face.

As beautiful as the sight is, I'd honestly rather die than stay here right now.

After getting started on this 'hang out', I had made, or at least tried, to crack a joke or two, but the scene of Twilight's face visibly crumbling upon itself made me want to kill myself, or atleast knock myself out for long enough for her to forget what I said.

The joke was about a rock and a tree that I still remember from my foalhood, though the only reason it was popular was because of how bad it was.

Looking back on it, that was absolutely an idiotic move.

My smile was strained as Twilight tried, very hard, to recover from the joke she tried to at least fake laugh.

Please don't.

That's only making it worse.

By the stars, Twilight, please learn social cues.

*Thud, thud*

There was knocking on the door as a guard came in with a report.

"Your highness, Prince Blueblood has requested to meet you"

"Yes thank you very much Twilight let's end it for today I'll see you later goodnight" I successfully said with a strained smile in 2 seconds at worst as I practically ran out of the room.

It seems, I've let my age affect my own social cues as well.

Author's Note

Honestly.

The hardest part about this chapter was Zecora, seriously. :facehoof:

For someone who never really payed much attention to rhyming and such, this was a challenge.

Especially since I'm on mobile. :raritydespair:

The texts from Celestia's perspective always felt like a break, and the later bits were easily the easier parts. :trollestia:

Seriously, whenever I had to make Zecora speak, my mind just stopped and I felt like I was going on a personal quest for the true me or something. :trixieshiftright:

Anyways, thank you all so much for the support you showed on the first chapter, I really appreciate it. :heart:

Maybe it's because I'm still new to writing :derpytongue2:

The Next Visit

*Natural Remedy POV*

It was raining.

I sat inside the little shack I'd built as I looked.

Sitting safely right next to the stuff both Center Piece and Zecora left.

A fire, not too big, burned on.

It was relaxing.

It was quite a heavy rain too.

I haven't seen heavy rain in about twenty years.

They'd started fully controlling the weather again back then.

A few crackles of thunder rang out.

I close my eyes, inhaling deeply at the moist scent.

It paired well with the scent of nature.

The smoke smell of the bonfire relaxed me.

Though, the scent of blood ruined it.

I slowly open my eyes.

Slowly looking down, a few tears roll down as I watch the memory play itself.

I'd gotten over it, mostly.

But I can't help but remember those days.

Then, my ears flicker as the bloody scent disappears.

Getting broken out of the memory, I concentrate, trying to locate where the sound is coming from.

It's all around me.

Light steps, coming from behind bushes.

Slowly reaching for the new axe Center left, I hear for any movements.

Hmm.

Six from the front.

Two from each side.

And another two behind.

A sneak attack.

I'm facing smart predators.

Axe in hoof, I stand up as I look at the ten Timberwolves in total.

Gulping, I slowly examine my spot.

I'm inside a shack, able to fit ten ponies if squeezed.

Rather inconvenient.

A bigger one slowly emerges from the back, standing almost thrice my height.

Dangerous.

I didn't notice him.

Then he did something.

With a growl, he whipped his head to the side twice as the others backed away.

The wolves, except the alpha, howled to the sky as they stood in a circle.

He's challenging me?

Why?

I observed him closer.

The half hearted circling.

The bored gait.

That arrogant look.

Well won't you look at that?

With a snarl, he lunges at me with an impressive speed.

I reply with an overhead swing, fully embedding my axe into his skull as he pushed me back.

Getting pushed back whilst a trail is left on the ground, I almost reach the impromptu arena walls, prompting one of the walls to try and bite me.

With a kick from one hoof, I knock it out before turning my attention towards the big one.

I climbed on him as I pulled my axe out.

With both hooves, I strike once more, getting another hit in.

He shook his body constantly, trying to get me off before finally deciding to just roll over.

I jumped off at the last moment, landing with a roll as I hold a grip on the axe.

I look at him as he now circles me.

No arrogance in his walk.

No boredom in his eyes.

Full of cold blooded wrath.

The eyes of a true hunter.

"Seem like a proper enemy now huh?" I ask, slightly teasing him as he growls in anger.

I stare at the two gashes, connecting on his forehead.

One more hit to break it off.

Another one to reach his brain.

He pounces at me once more, this time with his claws.

I take a step back to dodge it as others come in.

One more, I block, getting pushed back.

Another one, I successfully parry.

Using the chance, I get another strike in, creating a broken spot on his forehead.

GAH.

FUCK.

I raise the axe once more and strike down as hard as I can with only one hoof.

Fully breaking through the skull, I raise it and strike again.

Again.

One more.

Then another.

And finally, with one last hit, I split through his head, releasing my limb.

He got hit on purpose.

A set of teeth marks on the middle part of my front left leg as blood flows down through it.

Shit.

With a startle, I raise my axe once again as the wolves howl into the sky.

Are they mourning?

I confusedly look around, trying to figure what their intention is.

Then it came.

My whole body screamed at me, begging for me to move.

So I did.

Instinctively raising the axe in a defensive position, I block a singular claw strike.

This son of a bitch.

He was alive.

His skull reanimated itself as I took a leap back.

Almost reaching the walls, I hold the axe in my mouth as I balance myself on three hooves.

Though, the crack that ran through the metal part of the axe didn't give me much hope.

He rushed at me with renewed vigor.

I roll to dodge out of the way, wincing in pain.

Squelching sounds come from every move as the ground slowly turned to mud.

I focus my sights on my opponent while clenching the axe handle harder.

With a growl, he pounces at me once more, trying to scratch or bite me.

Just as he reached me, I ducked under while tilting my head.

Rotating my head swiftly, I swing breaking down one of his back legs.

I hiss in pain after landing.

Ignoring it, I look around me for a way out.

I can break out, but I won't survive the chase.

It's impossible to get a fire going with him hunting me down.

Fire.

I look towards the only source of light in the camp.

It's still burning.

I quickly run towards the bonfire inside the hut.

The adrenaline helped me ignore the pain coming from my limb as the wolf rushed towards me once more.

I roll out of the way, causing him to stop right in front of the bonfire.

I run towards him with all I can.

Right as I reached his range, I ducked under his swipe.

Tilted my head and swung the axe upwards, fully closing his opened jaw.

Letting go of the axe, I roll out from under him and reach the bonfire.

I grabbed the discarded stone axe with my mouth and stood behind the bonfire.

He turned back to me as he crushed the axe under him with a stomp, separating the handle into several pieces.

I breathe deep, slowly letting it out.

Fully concentrating on his every move, I wait carefully.

He can't fit inside the little shack, so he has to charge.

I was right.

He ran in, fully intending to slam me with his body.

I Jumped over him by running out, prompting him to slam into the shack and breaking it down.

I grab a random burning piece of wood from the bonfire and jump onto him, fully ignoring the pain.

With a swing of my head, I embed the stone axe into his eye.

With a swing of my hoof, I stuff the burning into his other eye.

Pulling the axe back, I prepare to bash his head in.

Right then, my instincts told me.

I brought the axe back and put it in front of me.

It felt like somepony just hit my chest with a large hammer.

I flew back.

With a thump, I hit something solid, then searing pain came from my back as I was pushed forward.

I shakily stood, staring at the big wolf with bloodshot eyes, trying to extinguish the fire inside his head.

I look at my back, seeing three large gashes.

Even if I survive this, I'll die from blood loss.

It's a miracle I haven't fainted yet.

I'll at least kill that bastard.

With that resolution, I run full speed ahead, fully utilizing all four limbs while numb to the pain.

I pick up the axe head from the previously broken and hold it in my mouth, along with the stone axe.

Basically grinding my teeth, I hold the stone axe into the fire.

The vines that held it together burned, and turned to fuel as the handle caught fire.

I pick up speed once again, and leaped towards him, taking the burning axe into my right hoof.

He finally put the fire out with rain as he looked at me.

Right as he saw me, I swung the burning axe into his neck.

I sent an uppercut with my left hoof, breaking bits off of his neck.

He rolled around, taking me with him as I held onto the axe tightly.

His neck slowly caught fire as he kept rolling around.

I try to concentrate, then I see it.

I was about to land on the bonfire.

Fuck.

No, if I land there I'll burn to death.

Clenching my teeth harder, I put more force into my limbs and plant my back legs on the ground, splattering the mud and leaving a trail into the ground as he tried to push me away with his body.

Barely stopping right in front of the bonfire, I feel my legs getting scorched from being too close.

I let go of the axe and take the axe head from my mouth into my right hoof.

With a shout, I plant the axe head right into his throat.

Taking it back, I give out a heavy punch with my left hoof, leaving behind a cracked mess.

I plunge the axe head into the same spot again as I pull my left hoof back, putting it into the bonfire.

It fully broke his outer shell, leaving behind a broken mess of wooden flesh.

With a final battle cry, I break through the soft flesh of his neck with a burning hoof, setting his insides on fire.

I let go of him, only to turn around and slash at the bags, now caked with mud.

Taking out a simple satchel with the burning hoof, I throw it at the wolf as the satchel caught fire.

I quickly swipe the ground with the wider side of the axe handle before forcing my burning hoof in.

With another swipe, I gather mud on top of my hoof, fully encasing it.

Before I can recover, I hear loud hissing.

*Blueblood POV*

Tch.

I should've kept my mouth shut.

I grumble to myself as I walk through the Everfree with a terrible mood.

At first, it felt terrifying, walking through the rumored Everfree, but right now, I'm just annoyed.

Disgustingly high amounts of mud, and the heavy rain from the sky.

She didn't even let me get an umbrella, or at least a coat.

Damn it.

Seriously.

Is it really that good of an idea to let a commoner AND a bookworm to organize the Summer Sun Celebration?

Aunty can be so ridiculous sometimes.

"Sir, we've almost reached our location." The guard on my right told me.

I send out a sound of acknowledgement, too tired and annoyed to properly respond.

I let out a lengthy sigh, fully remembering the details that led me here.

I heard about Aunty sending her student towards Ponyville to check whether they were ready for the celebration or not, so I went and told her about my thoughts.

Then she told me to visit her friend for some reason.

"That seems to be the barrier" the mage scholar from Aunty's school piped up from right next to me.

Right.

I'm also traveling with her and ten guards.

I wasn't informed about what the mage wants, but the guards are for protection.

Thankfully, we haven't met anything on the way.

We went through the barrier, which felt extremely weird.

Or maybe it was just my mind.

Then suddenly.

BOOM!

Three of the guards move forward to place a barrier as tremors travel the ground.

Realizing the danger, I empower their barrier by adding my own to it.

The mage snapped out of it and added her own magic to the barrier.

As the multicolored barrier held itself against strong currents, I struggled to keep wake.

Then I saw it.

An emerald green fire rose to the sky, then disappeared a second after.

"Zebrican magic?" The mage muttered from next to me.

Seconds passed and the winds died down as we let go of our barrier.

I noticed that the temperature had gotten significantly warmer.

I breathed heavily as two of the unicorn guards fell down with the third being barely conscious.

I growled in slight anger at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Just what is going on in this Celestia forsaken forest.

I take deeper breaths, trying to calm down.

I shouldn't use Aunty's name in a cuss.

I take a look at the fallen guards as three of the others wake them up.

"Are you alright sir?" A pegasus guard asked me.

Several words and sentences ran through my mind, berating the buffoon for not being able to do his one duty.

"I'm fine." I said with a sigh.

In the end, I'm both tired and irritated, so I don't have the energy to be mad right now.

We made our way through the forest, getting closer to the location of the explosion.

The ground was scorched.

Trees nearby were shattered.

Timberwolves were sat in a circle, bowing their heads despite sitting so close to a fire.

A fire that burned high with an emerald green color to it.

In the middle, large amounts of wood were used as fuel for the fire.

And right next to it, laid an injured green pony, surrounded by roots.

The roots gave off a light green glow.

I felt the magic from it.

It was so different from the magic I knew.

I furrowed my brows and examined the magic closer.

It felt, natural.

Like a perfect balance between pure and impure.

We tried to move closer to the pony, but were stopped.

The wolves, despite their heads never leaving the ground, they bared their teeth and let out growls when we got closer.

We backed off.

"We'll take a rest here. The Princess told us to converse with Mr. Natural Remedy before beginning our study." The leader of the guards commanded the rest.

We found a relatively good spot.

The guards stood at the ready, just in case.

While me and the mage chose to sit on overgrown tree roots.

They were a better option than burnt dirt.

I release a weary sigh at today's events.

I really, should've kept my mouth shut.

I turn my attention towards the circle of Timberwolves.

Is it some kind of ritual?

Why wasn't I informed of this?

Just who is this mysterious pony?

Are those vines under his control?

Do those wolves follow him?

Questions upon questions ran through my head as I kept looking.

Tch.

My beautiful coat got ruined.

I'll need to visit a spa after this is over.

I can't look too different from Aunty.

Ugh.

I'm tired.

I spent my magic on that barrier.

I look at the scholar who had already dozed off, snoring like a pig.

Getting slightly mad at her stupidity, I let out a sigh.

Who sleeps right next to a group of Timberwolves?

My eyes slowly travel around our little camp.

Two guards were building a little campfire.

Another had brought out little bars.

Blergh.

I almost puke, remembering how gross it tasted.

It was like salted dirt mixed with piss.

"Do you want one your majesty?" I shake my head in response.

The only way I'm eating those things is when I'm on the verge of starving to death.

I silently stare at the little campfire as the guards gathered around it, except two who were missing.

Likely standing guard.

The guards started little conversations that further turned to story telling, singing, an overall good experience.

They must've thought it was alright since I hadn't said anything yet.

But I still just silently stared at the fire.

Huh.

It was, calming.

Just look at the random shapes of the fire while relishing in its warmth.

It allowed me to think things through.

Made me look at how I am.

My situation.

My choices.

My life in general.

I guess that's why I catch Aunty just staring at her fireplace sometimes.

I have those thoughts as I close my eyes slightly.

They feel sore.

Lightly closing my eyes, I reorganize my plans.

After talking to Aunty's friend, I need to head to Gold Coin's Grand Opening Ceremony for his new art museum.

I'll also have to take somepony who knows their art to see if any of it is stolen.

Before that, I'll need to report to Aunty that most of the employed scholars didn't show up.

Tch.

They say they're scholars, but what kinds of seekers of knowledge pass up on something that even Aunty herself hadn't figured out yet.

I'll make sure they don't get off too lightly for trying to scam the Crown.

What the?

I get broken out of my thoughts as I felt my body being shaken.

"Stop that." I sternly tell whoever it was as I open my eyes.

Oh.

The sun was high in the sky and a blanket was placed on top of me.

"I'll take my blanket back if you talk to me like that." the mage told me with a pout as she sat back on her root.

"This is yours?" I ask in disbelief.

Not a lot of ponies would care for me or my wellbeing.

And those who do are paid to do so.

"Yeah? I couldn't just let you sleep without a cover, especially during the dark." She said with a bright smile.

I silently stared at her in disbelief.

Words ran through my head once more.

What would be the best choice?

Is she worth making a connection with?

What benefits would it bring me?

Would she be useful to the Crown?

"Just say thanks." She said with a light punch to my shoulder.

Normally, I should've been offended.

"Thank you." I utter out, getting a chuckle out of her.

"He's awake sir." One of the guards told me.

I looked towards the place the wolves circled, seeing them still there, but have simply sat down, some fully sleeping.

The fire in the middle had ran out.

The vines were gone and the pony in the middle was standing still.

He looked himself over, checking his left hoof repeatedly for some reason.

Nonetheless, we approached him.

This time, we were unimpeded by the wolves, though we received stares of warnings.

I walked at the front of the guards along with the mage.

"Good morning." I greet to start the conversation.

Soon enough, I can get back to the castle.

He turned to us with wary eyes.

I flinched slightly at the immense amounts of bloodlust radiating from it.

It felt like a blade was on my neck.

Inching ever so closer.

Then it was gone.

"Good morning." He said with a tired voice.

His personality changed.

From an apex hunter to an old stallion.

"I thought there would be more mages, since the barrier seemed quite rare and powerful." He commented as he started digging through the dirt.

I was about to ask what he was doing until he dug up a torn bag.

He grumbled something before dropping the bag on the ground and walked back to us.

"Sorry, it seems that anything that I had that was edible was burned in an explosion." He said with a nonchalant expression.

"It's fine, we weren't expecting a feast when we came." The mage said with a bright smile.

Before I could talk, one of the wolves came running.

I tensed up, preparing for the wolf to attack.

But it never came.

The green pony was also looking at the wolf with confusion.

I carefully looked towards the wolf, fully expecting to see a fearsome beast.

Yet, it was different.

The wolf was wagging its tail as a leaf basket filled with all kinds of fruits was tied to its chest.

My face blanked, never having even heard of such a thing.

The green pony suddenly moved towards it.

Before I could snap out of it, he had already started petting it.

"What the buck?" I just mutter in total confusion.

Just in case, I looked at the other wolves, only to see most of them whining with, jealousy?

Hah.

I chuckled a bit in disbelief as an apple was presented to me.

Grabbing it with my magic, I cast a simple cleaning spell before taking a bite.

"So, I'm Natural Remedy, what about you guys?" He asked as he sat down on the ground, fully leaning back on the wolf who had brought fruits.

"I am Prince Blueblood Platinum, I have come here on the command of the Princess herself." I presented.

"I'm Joyful Light, nice to meet you sir."

Oh, that was her name.

I focused back on the green pony.

What?

His eyes, they were mad.

Full of wrath, then it was gone.

It was replaced with confusion as he muttered something to himself.

"I guess I've been too disconnected." He commented before taking a bite into a pear.

"Well Mr. Remedy-," Joyful Light started.

"Just Remedy will do fine." He interrupted.

"Ah, yes, then Remedy, could you please tell me everything since you've woken up, even the smallest details will work."

I tuned out the conversation as I began eating my apple.

I kept staring at the wolves in the area.

They weren't really doing anything.

Eleven of them.

Most slept.

The rest were just watching us.

Though, they seemed bored more than anything.

"So, Prince Blueblood Platinum, may I ask what your objective is?" I was broken out of my stupor by the question.

Joyful Light had already moved on to her job.

"I was sent here to speak to you." I answered straight.

"About?"

"Didn't say"

He let out a few chuckles as he looked upwards for a moment.

"Alright, tell me about yourself." He suddenly said.

I raised my eyebrow, questioning his question.

Well, it lines up with my objective.

I think of my next words.

He's Aunty's friend, so he's most likely in the higher class.

Just stuck in a bad situation.

"I enjoy classical music, they're quite relaxing after any event." I tell my well practiced line as my face masks itself with a smile.

"That so?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

What.

Was there something wrong with that line?

It always worked though.

"Alright, what kind of food do you like? You got a favorite dessert?" He asked with a blank face that I couldn't read.

What kind should I say?

Which answer would please him?

Does he own anything in the food industry?

"You gonna answer?" He asked with a small grin.

"I like potato fondants." I give out an answer.

"Alright, tell me what you like about it." He said with that small grin.

What I like about it.

It's, tasty?

"I enjoy the taste." I confidently answer.

Was that enough of an answer?

"Really?" He asked with a raised eyebrow and a tilt to his head.

So it wasn't enough.

"Alright, do you like desserts?"

"Yes." That one was easy.

"What's your favorite?"

What desserts are there?

Is there anything else besides cake and biscuits?

"Cake" I say.

"What kind of cake?"

"Chocolate."

"Is it really?"

"Yes, I think I would know."

"Alright, what do you think about cookies?"

Cookies?

Right, they're biscuits.

"I never ate them much."

After that conversation, he simply keeps staring at me.

I get slightly nervous as my mask threatens to fall apart.

Seconds pass as he kept his eyes on me.

What is he waiting for?

Just what is his intention.

"You know," he started as his face took on a serious look, "your life is kind of sad."

What?

My mask fully breaks down as I stare at him in shock.

"What do you mean?" I ask with a frown.

"Alright, answer me this last question," he said with a sigh, "do you even like, being you?"

What does that even mean?

"I, believe I do."

"You don't even know who you are." He said as he got up with a groan.

I only stared forward in contemplation at his words.

He patted my head twice as he walked by. "Try to think about it"

I sat in confusion as his words rang inside my head.

What did he mean by those words?

Was that a test?

Different thoughts ran through my head.

Ugh.

I give out a weary sigh from thinking too much.

"Breakfast is ready!" Joyful Light yelled as a pot was steaming on top of the fire.

I give a nod of acknowledgement as I started to get up.

A slimy and wet feeling goes through one of my cheeks as I freeze.

The wolf that the green pony was leaning on licked me, then it went towards him.

I let out a long sigh.

I really, really should've kept my mouth shut.

Author's Note

Alright, finally another chapter. :yay:

This one got delayed cause of a few life problems.

The main one being that our country will be celebrating something.

Basically I need to clean out the whole house, even the fucking curtains and the cupboards, then buy gifts for the entire family tree. :ajbemused:

It's exhausting and also takes a bunch of time, so thank you for waiting. :scootangel:

I was also thinking of writing more in this author note, but right now it's late as hell and I haven't properly slept in a whole week so I can't think of anything. :facehoof:

Continuation

"Hello Center." I greet with a small smile.

Seeing the wolves go back to their usual activities, Center seemed shocked to say the least.

"Well, this is a surprise welcome if I've ever seen one." She quickly came back to her senses.

"Yeah, some stuff happened."

"I can see that." She replied as she stared at bits of burnt dirt and wood at random places. "Well," she chirped up. "Firstly, I'm sorry I couldn't visit the last two days. There were a few, complications to say the least."

"Is fine, the axe survived, somewhat. So I wasn't in much trouble." I reply as I hold the axe. The metal head tied to a branch.

She had a thoughtful expression as she looked at the surroundings.

"I will get you more supplies soon then, though I believe I myself won't be delivering it this time." She said with a slightly somber face.

"I see. Are you able to stay for some tea then?" I ask.

She gets an amused smile as she moves to sit down.

"I don't see why not." She replied with enthusiasm as I move to start up a fire.

"-And that's why I haven't trusted her with the cake batter ever since." She finished a story with a smile as I laugh in response.

We had stayed at the campfire the whole day, exchanging stories with each other. She turned out to be quite the storyteller.

Wiping a tear away, I sigh in content.

"You two are quite the characters huh?" I ask.

She chuckles in response. "We won't be ponies, or any creature for that matter, if we didn't have our little perks"

"I guess so"

Silence falls over us, the first time for the whole day.

The wolves have mostly gone to sleep, several other carcasses filled the area, teeth already dug into. The sun was reaching the horizon, slowly falling to make way for the moon.

"Well, it seems my time is up." Center said as she slowly rose. "I will see you later"

I give a small nod in response. "Good luck, I hope you succeed"

"Thank you." She said with a somber smile before leaving.

May the heart of Amore bless your quest, and may the light of Celestia guide your path.

With that silent prayer, I stretch a bit as I get up.

Although I didn't have much faith in Amore, she was still the ruler back then.

"Ugh, I'm getting too old." I talk to myself as I notice some pain in my back.

With Center's visit over, I decide to take a bath. Performing physical acts during almost any and all free time I get, I stank pretty badly. Honestly more surprised I haven't fallen due to overexerting myself yet.

"Damn it, maybe I should've done this in the morning." I mutter, shivering a bit from the cold water in the river.

*Awooooooo*

Huh?

"Oh yeah, I guess tonight is a full moon." With that comment, I decide to check it out.

Shaking my body like any four legged creature without a towel, I shiver a bit from the cold as I move to make a fire.

"I should really ask for a towel." I silently talk to myself. "But haven't I already asked too much? Or would my little rambles be enough payment?" I chuckle slightly at my words.

Taking out another bag, one Zecora kindly left along with some of her useful items, I bring out a small satchel filled with the helpful powder. It's practically a lifeline at this point.

With a light slam, the fire lights up above the buried gem, giving my body some well needed warmth.

Hearing the wolves starting their series of howls again, I wonder how long they would want to continue this.

"Heh"

I laugh to myself a little as I ponder if I should join in too, boredom is such an interesting enemy.

With that small joy, I lay on the soft grass and slowly let my body go.

Slowly drifting through my mind, I fall asleep completely. The wolves will make some sort of sound if something happens.

Then, the smallest of noises I heard. One of the last things I expected to hear.

*Ngh*

A whimper, one of pain and fear.

Shooting my eyes open, I get up as fast as I can.

"What the fuck?" I mutter as I run towards the source of the sound, makeshift axe in my mouth.

I kept running, the others of the pack followed behind me. With a quick glance backwards, I notice something peculiar.

"Was that seven?" I ask myself.

Arriving shortly after, I slide on the ground as I come to a full stop, slamming my body lightly into the barrier. I look back and sure enough, there were less wolves than before.

"What in Equestria happened to you?" I ask the wolf lying on the ground, halfway through the barrier as the others come close.

They whimpered as some growled in anger.

"You definitely left with a squad, where's the rest of you?" I asked him as I pulled him in to check his injuries.

I lightly grimace as I stare at his back half.

Both limbs missing with plenty more broken off, burn wounds at the edges.

He tried to get up. I moved to hold him as the others came even closer, licking the wounds and nuzzling him. I hold him with a hug as I saw the green glow in his eyes slowly fade away.

As his body slowly goes limp, I softly caress his wooden skin.

Howls rang through the area, crying out to the sky.

"Quite interesting." A malevolent, all too familiar voice said.

What?

*Nightmare Moon POV*

Groaning from a dull pain coming from our whole body, spite filled us as we thought of Celestia. She just had to be there to ruin our freedom. As we silently walked in growing anger, we met an unusual sight.

A barrier that which served no purpose.

We had followed the injured wolf, intending to use its carcass as a puppet, but we've found something that triggered our interest. A few prods here and there, yet it yielded no results. It doesn't stop anypony. It doesn't trigger any alarms. It's not even camouflage, with they way it somehow stood out more than anything in this forest.

"Quite interesting." I mutter as I walk inside, silently noting the strange feeling I got inside our head.

There was, however, a group of beings we hadn't noticed.

How could this be? We didn't see them? But that's impossible, they're right in front of us.

Six timberwolves, a green pony, and an already dead timberwolf.

"THOU WILL LOWER THINE GAZE, PEASANT! LEST WE SPLIT THEE IN TWAIN!" We yell in the Royal voice as the impertinent subject glares with a murderous look.

He, however, just continues to glare.

As we were about to bury insolent pony, he made a single action.

"Go." He darkly muttered as he let go of the corpse.

The timberwolves around him all lashed out towards me.

I growl in anger as I prepare several spells.

Timberwolves. They're normally opponents that we would have no trouble with, but our current state, especially after fighting Celestia, was incredibly bad. Bad enough to require actual effort in taking care of mere wolves. Still, we have no need for movement to beat them.

After several flashes and blasts of magic, I finally blast the last one away as it pounces towards us.

Right then and there, we realize our mistake as the green pony emerges from right behind the scattered remains still in the air, wielding an axe. Unluckily for him, his speed that would have been impossible for normal ponies to avoid, felt like the speed of a turtle.

With a simple flick of magic, his axe was reflected, as well as his entire body.

Tch, it seems our battle with Celestia has worsened our condition much more than previously thought. To allow a common-born to initiate an attack, and have it almost connect is a shame.

Slamming the pony into the ground, we approach as we initiate a spell.

He squirmed after the attack, a small trail of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"THOU HAST CONFUSED THINE IDIOCY FOR COURAGE. TO THINK THEE HADTH THOUGHT THAT, WE WOULD FALL SO EASILY." We told him as we approached him.

For and old stallion, his body seems to be quite strong. He will make a fine addition to our army.

Flipping him over with magic, we stare at his face as we charge up the mind break spell.

"Grah. What the?" We muttered in confusion after feeling a bout of pain and getting knocked back.

Giving a slight growl in frustration, we get our horn closer as we feel more and more resistance.

Just what is wrong with this one?

With a heavy frown, we focused all our attention on the spell, trying to break in. Now our objective was to study him, see what makes him have such protection.

Then, we felt a small pain.

Slowly opening our eyes, our vision was tilted. There was a very weak, almost unnoticeable pain in our jaw. And an incoming axe edge.

We slowly turned to him, barely holding in the rage from such rebellious behavior.

He stared back, eyes full with wrath. Full of deep hatred, and the intent to kill.

The axe was suspended in the air as our magic held it firmly in place, right under our neck.

This one is different. But a simple interest will not be enough reason for mercy.

"If thee does not want our mercy, then proper punishments, we shall give." We gave a silent declaration.

Launching him with a blast of magic, he was sent flying through the woods. Crashing through multiples of trees, he finally stopped as he was slammed into a rather large tree. Noting the location of this place down for future research, we made our way towards the still breathing stallion.

"Thy struggle for thine life is commendable, but it will only bring more pain." We say as we once again, face that stare with indestructible will to both live, and kill us. "This shall work." We declare as his axe was held in the air.

We looked the stallion in the eyes, trying to see even the tiniest fraction of fear, but only anger and contempt looked back. Any threats and promises that we could try would not affect him.

"FIRST, THE HOOF THAT STRUCK US." His right hoof was forcefully lifted off the ground and was held against the tree.

With a simple motion of our horn, the axe separated his entire limb from his body.

We stared at him once more. Barely a change, only the tiniest bit of, amusement?

"DOES THINE EXECUTION AMUSE THEE?" We asked as anger resurfaced.

He only chuckled in response. "What a monster you are, barely half a day since you're back, and you're already giving out executions." He said with a full sneer and mocking eyes.

"THINE EYES FOR YOUR IMPUDENT STARES!" We yelled in full rage as his eyes were plucked out with magic, before being quickly crushed under our magic.

We stared, just waiting for him to start screaming in pain.

BEGGING FOR MERCY.

Instead, all we got was his laughter. Full on mocking laughter, as if he's won. "A single sentence, was all I needed to rile you up. You don't qualify as a ruler at all." He said with that taunting smile as blood rushed down from his eyes.

Our jaw clenched hard as we tried to hold our anger back.

"THEN WE WILL TAKE THINE TONGUE FOR YOUR INSOLENT REMARKS!" We yelled in anger as his mouth was forcefully opened with magic, only to close shortly after with his tongue fully stretched out.

Blood spilled on the ground as the piece of flesh splattered on the ground.

We looked at him, only to regret it.

His eyelids were open, staring straight at me with hollow darkness. Blood constantly flowed down from his eye sockets, reaching his sickening grin that never seemed to leave his face. More and more blood fell from his mouth and through his smiling teeth. In the end, he only laughed at me.

"...got, you." He said without his tongue while chuckling.

"YOU!" We yelled, much louder than we had intended as his body was slammed into the tree once more before being split in half by the axe.

We breathed hard as we tried to suppress our anger. We took a look.

The sight froze us.

Even without eyes, his gaze, his smile, and even the way he had his head tilted. It all told us one thing.

He's the one dead, but we lost that conversation.

How dare he? How dare you die!

"GET BACK UP SO WE CAN WIN THIS ARGUMENT! HOW DARE THEE FALL BEFORE WE HATH WON!"

We let out a sharp breath through gritted teeth as we slowly lost control of our anger.

Then we let out a shrill scream.

We were about to send him, along with the tree to the sky with a mighty punch.

"Tch"

In the end, we stomped the ground and left.

Author's Note

Hey, I'm not dead, just overburdened with school. :ajbemused:

Only thing I can say is, first, sorry for taking so long to update. :applecry:

Second. School can fucking suck if you're gonna graduate soon. :flutterrage:

There's just so much shit to do, and plenty of different tests to take. :twilightangry2:

And my career is supposed to involve coding, but SOMEHOW, that shit needs fucking PHYSICS. WHICH I'M ABSOLUTE SHIT AT. :pinkiecrazy:

Anyways, future updates will have to be sort of short with about 2000 words each, higher if I get particularly lucky or free. :trixieshiftleft:

And thanks for reading! :twilightsmile:

Convenient Circumstances

In the dead of the night that now inhabited the Everfree forest, the singular sound of something growing very fast stood out.

Vines, as thick as an entire tree, grew from the ground, reaching out to the sky from right under the severed green pony. A few stayed near the pony, slowly connecting themselves with his body whilst the others grew further up.

Strands strayed out from the connected vines, penetrative the pony's soft skin and reaching inside. Those vines crawled inside the pony, slowly going out of sight. The mouth was lifted open from the inside as a piece of flesh from nearby was dragged back in. The lower half of the pony was connected with the upper half and sewed shut, completely ignoring the pool of blood underneath. The severed limb was seemingly glued back with nothing to hold it.

Those vines that grew high, came down bearing four fruits of assorted colors. A sky blue one, a pure white one, a wood brown one, and finally a light green one.

The vines inside his body connected the parts that were not, until they were left with the hollow eye sockets. As they grew out the empty eye sockets, they quickly stopped near the flesh plastered to the ground.

The vines shook, as if enraged or in fear before retracting back in.

Those that bore fruits held them above the body, until the vines inside quickly grew out and slapped them. The fruits fell to the ground as those that bore them shivered in pain.

They quickly turned to those that slapped them, as if asking why.

Those that slapped them pointed towards the pony's empty forehead, then to his empty back.

The response was the slow raise of the fallen fruits, as if they were negotiating a deal of some sorts.

The vines from the body sagged, reluctantly accepting the deal.

With that dilemma decided, the vines, all of them, held the fruits in their grasps as strands grew inside. Then they crushed the fruits. The crushed parts were left completely dry, not even a singular drop of moisture as they fell to the ground. The vines that were outside the body went inside, the same way the others had.

Then finally, silence once again descended the area.

Until.

A wave of magic swept through the area.

The body convulsed, glowing with the colors of the rainbow before finally settling on a natural green.

The pony gasped as he woke up. He coughed a bit as he spat out some dirt. With eyes that glowed a dominating green, he observed his surroundings before realizing something.

"Why is everything so, green?" He asked none in particular.

He was confused, until all of his attention was pulled inside.

With a slight groan, he gritted his teeth as he clenched his chest.

As Nightmare Moon bore her gaze at the rainbow colored beam that came at her, she tried to come up with a plan. But, knowing the power of the Elements, she knew that there was nothing she could do to fight against it.

"So don't fight it." She muttered to herself as she spread her senses to the max, trying to feel out even the tiniest bit of a familiar trace. "There!" She shouted in her mind as a grin overtook her face.

The smallest trace of one of her shadows, one made to take control of another. She wondered why it lived, but the urgency of her situation stopped all questions as she established a link with the shadow.

Just then, she felt a searing pain as she was hit by the rainbow beam.

With the Elements quickly erasing her, she left her current vessel, opting to lose most of her power by exposing herself rather than being eradicated completely.

Her senses numbed as she felt herself being seared alive, until she finally felt free as she was propelled towards the shadow using the link. Now, only a mist, she couldn't feel much as her body kept going and going. In the end, she felt the same weird feeling she had felt before.

Shaking in anger, and slight fear from almost dying, she gathers herself before she feels around her surroundings.

"What?" She confusedly asked herself as she looked and felt whatever was around her.

Seeing nothing but darkness, she tried to sense the shadow she had made a link with. Yet all that came back was silence.

"Ah, right. This must be from that stallion." She muttered before spreading her magic. "Huh." She was, however, unable to leave.

A tingling sensation came over her. Now without a physical body, she was left with having to use her entire, although misty, body to use her magic.

Fearful as she made countless attempts to escape, but all that accomplished was a growing sense of numbness that spread over her. Shouting once in annoyance, she opted to rather just take over than leave.

That, quickly proved to be her biggest mistake.

Suddenly, something gripped her. Despite her smoke like body, she could not slip out. She tried to move, but her bindings wouldn't budge. She tried to shout at it, or at least try to negotiate with her holder. But she couldn't even let out a peep.

Then finally, light shone down on her as her surroundings lit up.

She saw that her bindings were made out of thick vines, with each being bigger than her by at least ten-folds. Acknowledging that she could not move, she looked upwards at the light shining on her. A mixture of colors that all somehow gave off the same white light. Much to her horror, in the vast darkness and above the trailing lights, something came out.

Two eyes, made of a mystical light green magic, slowly opened as their gaze weighed down on Nightmare Moon.

The pure magic that came off of them, rushed towards her as she once again tried to escape. But it was futile. The magic fell down on her, unable to move as she screamed in pain from the searing pain that came with.

As the beam continued to contain her, her body slowly shed away the mist like appearance as her size decreased. From having the dominating size, big enough to be confused for a constellation, she was shrunk down to only a wisp.

As she finally stopped going down in size, the beam soon stopped as the eyes closed, hiding amongst the darkness once again. With the pain finally over, Nightmare Moon slowly regained her senses as she kept staring up. Relieved that the pain was over as she almost blacked out, only to sober up once she saw something on her vision.

"What?" She thought to herself. "I already left her though." She stared confusedly at the pitch black hoof resting on the ground.

Before she could inspect herself, she was once again lifted off the ground. This time, by seemingly nothing as she stared at the different colored lights.

"Blue, white and brown. Those are important colors, but what was it?" She silently asked herself as she stared at those colors slowly descending upon her.

Knowing that she could not move, she mentally prepared herself for more pain. Breathing getting slightly frantic, she just observed as those lights circled around her.

Finally, the first light reached her. She shut her eyes as she clenched her jaw, waiting for some kind of pain to spring out of nowhere. Much to her surprise however, was that all she felt was a small pressure on the base of her horn.

Slowly opening her eyes, she carefully watched as the white light went back upwards. Then, she watched as the blue light went to her wings. Again, with only the slightest of pressures, this time on her wings, the light went back upwards.

"Right." Her voice was coarse, and lacked the usual regality. "The colors of pony magic." She muttered to herself as she watched the brown light envelop her neck a slight bit before going back, leaving a necklace of sorts, made of wood in its place.

Nightmare Moon lifted her hoof to it, trying to see what it was but the necklace didn't budge. It was a lone branch, barely thicker than the usual horn that looped around her throat. There lied a singular leaf at the middle, acting as a centerpiece. As it sat snuggly around her neck, Nightmare Moon tried to lift it, only to recoil as the necklace seemed to tighten a bit.

"Didn't know earth pony magic had a kink for chokers." Nightmare Moon mumbles as she observed the necklace not going back to its original size. "At least it's not too tight"

Finally being released, she almost collapsed as she sat down with what little grace she could muster. Having fought and suffered under a concentrated beam of magic thrice in half a day, she was both mentally and physically exhausted.

"What now?" She asked herself as her ears folded in. Sagging ever so slightly, she let out a sigh as she stared upwards at the mixture of colors with light fear.

Then, her mind suddenly blanked as she was knocked out.

*Natural Remedy POV*

What the fuck! Why does my chest hurt so much?

I'm currently hunched over as I clench over my chest, silently praying for it to not be a heart attack. I've borne through more than enough painful experiences, but this hurt more than most.

I roll my body over and look towards the sky. It's morning.

Slowly steadying my breathing, I calm down and start to breath in a slower and more controlled pattern. Until finally, I find the sweet spot and just bear through the pain as I feel it slowly going away. Taking deep breaths, I had countless questions running through my mind, but the most calm one grabbed the most attention.

"I'm alive?"

Nightmare Moon is not a merciful pony. Besides, I already saw my body being split in half. I grimaced at that thought.

Shaking my concentration, a bush rustled next to me. With a slight jump, I take the axe out of the tree as I take a leap back, preparing to attack anything that comes through.

*Thud*

I release a breath of relief as I stare at the wooden paw that stepped out.

"Which one are you?" I ask as I step closer.

Then I notice something peculiar.

"You're, bigger?" I confusedly ask as it stood about twice my height.

The usual timberwolf stood about the same height as me, but this one was plenty taller than me.

As I became slightly wary, it all disappears as I feel the giant tongue go over my face.

"Ok, you were definitely part of the pack." I blankly tell them as I wipe my face with a hoof. "So, I assume you've a reason for running." I state as they sit down on their haunches.

Slowly twisting their body, they poke their belly with their snout a few times before looking back.

I only gave a bittersweet smile as I stare at her. I'd help her raise the cubs, but is this place even safe anymore?

*Thud*

Breaking both of us out of our thoughts, was the sound of something falling down.

I turned around rather lazily, mentally tired from the recent events. Then all of it vanishes.

She's here again? Did she revive me? Am I going to be her little toy or something?

Several thoughts, mostly negative, ran through my head as my body reacts before my brain. The axe was already headed towards her, out of my grasp as I had already followed behind it.

"What the?" She asked nopony in particular as she sat on the ground.

Then she looked at me.

My body raised alarms as the memory of her reflecting my attack before played in my head. My mind raced as I thought of multiple ways I could make this work, but they all seemed to end in failure.

Right then and there, I saw her face take the slightest bit of shock. Preparing mentally to be hit by magic, I thought to at least try to get a hit in. Then I stopped.

My eyes wide in surprise as I looked at her falling figure. The thrown axe embedded deeply in her skull. Her face, one of pure shock with wide eyes and an slack jaw.

I gave a few chuckles. I don't entirely know what part of this situation I had found funny, but I laughed.

I succeeded.

I killed Nightmare Moon.

There was huge smile on my face as I looked at her, still letting out a few bouts of laughter. It was hilarious.

A huge threat, one that haunted the entirety of Equestria and almost ruined the country in just a single week. Yet she died, just like that. Not by some powerful magic, not even by an army of ponies uniting together. A single axe throw.

Then slowly, the situation ceased to be worth celebrating. In the end, a hollow sensation filled me. I'd killed her, but, what exactly would that change?

I'll probably get some reward from Princess Celestia. Most likely some kind of land, at best I'd get a title. Probably Baron, could be higher since Nightmare Moon was a big problem back then. Somepony like her wouldn't be so stingy with rewards. What would I even do with that kind of reward though. I'll get a good life, sure, but would it really be that different from the farm? Even if it was, would the change be worth?

As the excitement wore off, I thought of my parents. I got my revenge, for both of them and everypony else she's either killed or caused the death of, but it won't bring them back. I could go and kill every single being that caused their deaths, but it would only that. They'd die, but it wouldn't do much.

Well, I doubt I'd ever regret killing Nightmare Moon. She's just too big of a disaster for me to be regretful of it.

Letting out a small sigh, I go to her limp body to pull out the axe. The wolf came out of a completely different bush as she stood next to me.

I let out a single chuckle. As cowardly as it looks, it's her job to make sure the next generation lives.

As I move grab the axe, I stood motionless as I stare at the scene. There was a series of hoofsteps behind me as I feel both shock and fear overwhelm me.

Her blood, was green. I don't know how I didn't notice it before. But the one thing I noticed however, was that she was moving. Fresh corpses can move, but they can't raise their hoof and keep it there, much less try to pull something out of their skull.

Her face was contorted in pain as her hooves slowly pulled out the axe head.

Acting fast, I pulled out the axe with both hooves and raised it high. My left hind leg stepped down on her head as I locked her on the ground with her neck revealed. She hit my hind leg a few times, albeit very weakly. Right then, I executed her.

Poetic revenge on my own death, but I was more concerned over the absurdity of the situation. I never knew alicorns could just, refuse to die like that. I breathed heavily as I took a step back.

Axe in hoof, I simply observed as blood spilled out from the severed area. A dark green painted the grass. There was a surprisingly light scent of blood. Much, much lighter than it usually gave off. I stood there, just watching as more and more blood spilled out.

Then something finally happened.

Small green tendrils grew out of her neck, quickly reaching the severed head. I watch in morbid curiosity as the head is slowly pulled back and seemingly reconnects. Then she stopped.

With nothing happening, I wait for some kind of movement. A few seconds of silence passes as nothing keeps on happening.

Slowly, I let my guard down as I lower the axe. Right at that moment, she instantly rises to a sitting position as she gasps for breath.

By pure reflex, I swung the axe with one hoof from the ground. Her eyes widen as she simply stares at me. I stare back, unknowingly letting her know of my fear as I watch her bleed. The axe stayed deep in her chest. Her gaze, full of fear and confusion as she stared at me.

The seconds ticked by, feeling like years have gone by. Sweat trickled down my forehead as I watched her eyes slowly close.

She finally died. But how long would that last? How many times would I have to kill her for her to finally stay dead.

Taking deep breaths, I calm myself down from my panicked state as I take several steps back, leaving the axe in her chest. I take a look at my surroundings, hoping for anything that could potentially help me. The wolf was also gone at some point.

After finding nothing, I simply went further way from her. Keeping an eye on her, I watch as her body stays still once more. Just as it happened again and again, her body slowly rose as the axe was pushed out. I nervously watch as she rubs her head before yawning massively.

I squint a bit as I watch her. I can't see a ruler, or even a tyrant. Just some random mare waking up. Once again, I was filled with shock as I watched the next scene.

She suddenly flinches as she stands up. Her head flicked to all sides as she looked at her surroundings. I silently hide my presence as I watch from inside a bush. She finally slowed down as she breathed heavily.

She's terrified.

That fear soon disappeared as it slowly gets replaced by confusion.

How forgettable was our encounter for her to completely forget this place?

I kept observing her facial expressions as it transformed between several different versions of confusion and uncertainty. Until it finally landed on fear once again as she ran her hoof across her chest.

So she still remembers her injuries.

"PEASANT!" She suddenly shouted.

Ah. She found me.

"DOTH THOU NOT KNOW WHO WE ARE?!" She yelled at me, unfurling her wings as I walked out of the bush.

Normally, a stupid move, but her expressions allowed for an entirely different interpretation. She's scared. For her to be using her fame as a scare tactic rather than her alicorn magic, she's also desperate.

"Are you, unable to use magic right now?" I calmly ask as I frown at her.

"THOU WILL ADDRESS US WITH OUR PROPER TITLE!" She kept yelling at me.

As I step closer and closer, she slowly takes steps back, those very same wings becoming more and more limp with each step. Her face contorted in several places as she had a strained smile that gave off no confidence. A heavy grimace on her face as she keeps shouting at me.

Oh, can she not use the royal voice anymore?

As I take a rather large step, she practically leaps back as her path is now blocked. She nervously looks at me as I come face to face with her.

She's shorter? I ask myself as I tower above her.

As she's backed up to a random tree, I look down on her with an impassive face.

"IF THO-" I stopped her rant by holding my hoof against her throat.

"You, why won't you die?" I asked her.

I loosen my grip a tiny bit to allow her to speak.

She coughed a bit as a response as she took a breath.

Is she that weak right now?

"Doth not make us laugh. Are thou not the one whom has trapped us here?" She asked with a slight smirk.

Ugh, that speech is so annoying when it's not in an announcement.

"You're pretty bad at this." I simply tell her. "You can't hide that you're scared, and you've also told me that your inability to die is out of your hooves." I state as I drop her. "Talking to you anymore is pointless." I walk away as I hear her coughing for air.

She's weak.

I don't know how, but she's been weakened. If her height is anything to go by, she's stuck like that.

"WILL THEE NOT-"

"Can you shut it already? You're both weak and unaware of your situation. That's called being a dead weight." I interrupted her as I pick up the axe and head back to my camp.

Letting her get away is seemingly a bad decision, but she couldn't even beat me, a fifty year old stallion. What chance would she have with the Princess?

Well, maybe with, that one. My mood somehow drops further at the thought.

Sighing, I relax as I take a seat at the long extinguished campfire. Though I get slightly panicked as I almost fall down from leaning back. I place my hoof to stop myself from slamming into the ground as I twist my head.

Where the fuck is-

"..."

I simply stare behind me for a few seconds. My mind was empty, just for those few seconds. My head slowly looked around the empty camp.

I felt a small surge of anger, only for it to float away as I just lay on the ground.

I guess I'd gotten pretty close with them.

With a shake of my head to clear my thoughts, I got up and reached for my bag. I should boil some water and start working on the house.

With an objective to focus my mind on, I move towards the river.

Should I have really let her go though?

What if I was wrong in my assessments?

What if she does take control over Equestria?

Have I made the worst mistake possible?

Thoughts haunted me as I cut down a tree to turn to lumber, not entirely sure I actually need more. Without my mind to focus on my actions, I simply followed a routine as I stood above the fallen tree with an axe. As I strip away the tree bark, my thoughts keep muddling my mind.

I should've at least buried her.

No matter what she'd experience, I should have done something to her.

So what if she experienced death? What about the thousands that died from her actions? Was it selfish to just let her go like that? What of those that are still suffering from the war? What would their choice have been?

I kept mindlessly working as the same questions kept repeating themselves. Only the words changed, but the meaning stayed the same as if mocking me. It felt as if those that died, only rose from their graves to scorn me for my actions.

*Thud*

I forcefully slam the axe into the log I was cutting down, the tough veins used to hold it together finally snapping off. I breathed heavily as I try to calm my mind. Weirdly, my body felt completely fine.

"Doesn't matter." I mutter to the air. "She won't die, and torture isn't really my cup of tea"

Leaning on the fallen log, I lounge back as I stare at the sky.

A drink would be nice right about now.

The sun stayed high in the sky. There was a cool breeze that flowed through. The sound of fire crackling soothed my mind.

My eyes slowly start closing at the peacefulness.

The comfortable grass and the sound of trees being broken down.

My mind stops for a second as I process that information. Being too tired mentally to figure it out, I just wait as the sound keeps coming closer.

I give a light sigh, knowing I'll have to deal with it.

I just hope it's not some giant monster.

I stretch my body as I stare backwards with an upside down vision, waiting to see what it was about. I must've stayed quite still since a spider managed to climb up onto my snout and hanged down from it with a strand of web.

Then the source finally comes out.

I saw Nightmare Moon flying through the air as she flew over me. Before I could fully pull my upper body back, I hear a grunt. Finally sitting upright, I stare in time to witness her falling to the ground in a manner somepony would never expect from royalty.

I accidentally snorted as I struggled to hide my laughter at her fallen position. She somehow had her entire body folded in half as one of her wings was trapped between her hind legs.

Before I could fully reign in my laughter, she suddenly gets thrown at me. Not having enough time to dodge, I just put my hooves up for defense as I feel her slamming into me.

When I came to, I felt her on top of me as I laid on my back. With a grunt, I threw her off me as I stood up.

What's she doing back here? Is she thinking of some kind of weird revenge? Though, her method of arrival didn't exactly seem intentional. By her at least.

"If thou did not wish for us to leave, thou should'st have spoken thy mind." She said with venom in her voice as she glared at me.

"I no longer give a shit whether you leave or not, but I do want you to leave me the fuck alone." I simply state as I take a seat near the fire. "Also, are you still talking in royalty? That shit's getting pretty annoying." I almost slap myself from revealing something for her to annoy me with.

She opened and closed her mouth several times as my patience slowly wears thin. Just standing in her presence annoys me to tartarus and back. As I felt my face slowly contorting into a grimace, she finally spoke up.

"We-I, can't leave. As soon as my hoof left the barrier, I was pulled all the way here." She said in a normal voice.

I simply raise an eyebrow at her sudden behavior. She actually listened to me? Is it because she's scared of me? Or does she want something from me?

"Sure, I'll believe you. Just stay the fuck away from my camp." I coldly tell her before sitting down at the campfire.

As I hope she listens and leaves, she spoke up after a period of silence.

"W-wait, I, need help." She uttered with a nervous voice.

"Could not care less"

"What! How could you refuse to help a helpless mare?" She asked as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"For fucks sake. How do you not understand this?" I complain as I turn to her. "I despise you, and the only reason I'm letting you go is because I can't kill you." She backed down at that explanation.

I don't know why or how she turned from maniacally narcissistic tyrant to a clueless mare in the forest, but if she continues to stay my mood will only get worse.

I calmly stare at the crackling fire as her hoofsteps ring out.

Then I heard her shriek.

Somehow, her misery makes me laugh.

I let out a few chuckles as I hear a much louder thud.

I might've been a sadist.

Author's Note

Alright, finally got this one out. :yay:

Honestly, not much to say. :unsuresweetie:

I caught a cold at some point, and that caused me to take a small break during he middle, but I'm okay now. :trollestia:

So, thanks for reading. :twilightsmile:

After The Villain is Defeated

*Celestia POV*

I silently walk through the door of my bedroom after nodding to the guards. The sight alone filled me with joy as I take off my regalia and practically throw it on a table as I collapse on my bed.

"Finally." I mumble to myself.

As much as I wanted to just give in to my slumber, I knew I still had to take care of a few more problems before being done for the day.

There was no big explanation as to why I currently wanted to just disappear from the universe, leaving all my responsibilities to anypony unlucky, or lucky depending on the pony, enough to bear it all. After settling every weird issues that nobles have had with the celebration, then even weirder and more absurd reasons as to why they made such demands, I was already exhausted.

"Seriously, who in their right mind demands to reschedule the sun for a longer beauty sleep"

Well, after dealing with those, I had to grapple with paperwork relating to the mages hired from the High Hoof society. That's fine, I can take care of them easily with public support and compelling evidence without any backlash from the citizens. Thankfully, my lovely nephew already took care of most of it. Though, the negotiations and the final judgement still had to fall on me. And having to write a signature ten times for each pony. Even after dealing with that, I still had to reorganize the Crown finances.

"Thank the stars Raven exists." I mutter as I remember how much easier she made my work to deal with.

I smile a tiny bit as I remember the next part of my two day sleeplessness. A moment of peace, if you will. After draining myself of most of my mental strength, I recharged it at my meeting with Remedy. It still felt a bit unreal, like I had been dreaming his entire existence. A pony with no intention to sell something to me or gain something from me, and most importantly, he doesn't treat me like a higher existence. He's an old stallion, not as old as me obviously, but even with millenniums upon millenniums of age and experience, I still seem to fall short when it comes to wisdom. He gives away the simplest of answers, yet it all makes me realize aspects of my problems I have not yet noticed.

"Then it finally happened." I say to nopony in particular as my smile drops.

After locating the point of her arrival, I had greeted her at a field under the stars. The fight was short, to say the least. I could not bring myself to attack her, and in the end, got myself sealed, almost the same way I had done to her. Of course, the idea of being sealed inside the sun sounds incredibly torturous, what with the whole unfathomable degrees of both temperature and the crushing gravity. But it was all quite relaxing for little old me, who is both fire resistant and have had no problems with the gravity whatsoever. Something akin to a small vacation to say the least.

Then my smile returns, both bigger and happier as I barely suppress a giggle.

My sister, she was back.

A thousand years. As short as it feels for an immortal like me, even just a month without her felt like eons had passed. I will not make the same mistake I made all those years ago.

Though the smile almost evaporates as I think of what her return would entail. Since an entire millennia has passed, not many would depend on her for ruling. Few could, no they would, go as far as to demand her to step down from the throne. She would fall into the same trap she was in.

But it's no matter. I, have grown since then. So, I will be there when she needs help. Even if it means I will be going against the entirety of Equestria, I will not lose my sister once again. Especially not to some money grubbing selfish nobles.

I stare upwards with a slight frown as I think of what I should do to fight against possible fear mongering from the nobles. Preventing it is simple, but if I play it right, I could downright stop pretty much everything they can say about Luna being a villain.

In the end, I let out a small sigh to relieve the tension.

"Your highness, I've brought the papers. Or do you want to end it for today?" Raven walked in with a stack of papers and bags under her eyes.

"You should retire for the night, I will take care of the remaining work." I gently tell her.

"Unacceptable your highness. As your assistant, I must stay with you until your work is finished." She rebuked with a slight frown.

"Raven, I insist. Besides, you can have quite a nice dream since Luna is back." I said with a small smile.

"Well, I insist you let me stay until these are all signed." She said with a slight smirk.

I simply give a few chuckles as I flick the fireplace on with magic.

"Well then, what's first on the agenda?" I asked her as I moved to lay in front of the soft fire.

Her smirk turned to a soft smile as she placed the stack of papers on the rug.

*Nightmare Moon POV*

We-, no, I. After feeling inside, I've truly cut all ties with Luna. Therefore, it's simply 'I', nopony else.

I was currently situated in the middle of a river with a weak current, rocks on the riverbed making my hooves hurt, slightly cold from standing a bit too long, but my patience will be rewarded. As much as I had wanted to just eat random fruits growing on bushes and such, I felt like I should probably go for something I know isn't poisonous. As such, I stood motionless as I felt for the waves in the river.

The water runs in the exact same way, causing the waves to always crash the exact same way. So, any single thing that isn't water would disrupt the flow. Also commonly known as fish.

*Splash*

"YES!" I cheered, disregarding all formalities as I hold the still alive fish in my hooves.

After an unknown amount of time and plenty of embarrassing fails, I finally caught and held one half the size of my head. With my stomach rumbling, I barely stopped myself from biting into the fish right then and there as I climb out of the river. Luckily, I still kept my thestral form, allowing me to safely consume flesh.

With a random rock I had cleansed in the water, I roughly rubbed it against the fish to remove the scales. A process that I never knew was so annoying. Running a hoof over it, I judged that there were no more scales as I took a bite unfitting for royalty, or common decency for that matter.

"Gah, stupid fish." I silently complained as I felt a stinging pain in my inner cheek.

I held my food in front of my face, staring at the blood stained fin. Did not know I had to remove those.

"No matter." I idly mumbled as I roughly pulled them out with my teeth before trying to bite in once again.

I was stopped once again as my teeth were met with hard resistance.

"FUCKING! WHAT IS IT NOW?!" I shouted obscenities as a dull pain took over my teeth.

Taking a look once more, I saw bones where I had bitten as I get slowly filled with rage. Only a single day had passed, but if things went the way it did, I'd want to die before reaching even the first week.

"And that one won't even think about helping me." I spoke with disdain as I thought of the green stallion.

I started to eat the fish again. This time, I took slower and a considerably weaker bite as my teeth glided over the bones. Chewing carefully, and taking my time to separate and chew every small part to mush, I finally judged that it was safe to swallow.

That is, until I started coughing as a small piece was stuck in my throat. It felt embedded as I felt it stabbing into the flesh. Hurrying to the river, I drank in large gulps, hoping for the water to dislodge the bone.

Finally, after about six gulps, the pain went away as my coughing fit stopped. The bone, will probably dissolve with stomach acid.

As I calmed down, frustration quickly replaced the calm as I yelled to the sky in anger.

"JUST WHY AM I TAKING THE BLAME FOR THAT REBELLION?! WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT ALL?! LUNA WAS THE ONE WHO STARTED THIS WHOLE, DAMNED, THING! Sure, I amplified her anger and jealousy to get more powerful, but THAT WAS THE WHOLE, FUCKING, DEAL! IF ANYTHING, IT'S HER FAULT WHO WANTED TO DETHRONE HER SISTER IN THE FIRST PLACE! I WAS ONLY A HELPER WHO ACTED IN ACCORDANCE TO OUR DEAL!" I ranted to the air with a heavy frown as I let my anger out on random spots of dirt and grass.

In the end, I grabbed whatever I could get my hooves on and threw it randomly as I punched some unfortunate tree or rock that were close to me.

"THAT BITCH, THE DECEIVING HORSE. THAT, um, POINTY EARED, eh, ROCK!." I fell silent as I thought back on my words.

Letting out an annoyed snort at my lack of a vulgar vocabulary, I moved to the river. Anger briefly overtaking hunger, I had practically forgotten about the fish as I found a slightly elevated spot. A boulder that was placed at the very edge of the stream. Laying down on it, I stared down at the moving waters, and the occasional school or two as my thoughts continued.

Tch, if anything, I was absolutely loyal. Not even leaving her side after being stuck with her on the moon for a millennia. If she was going to back out like that, literally during a fight, she should've at least warned me.

My frown grew sad as I thought of our meeting.

I really did think of her as a friend.

My head went silent as that last thought rang out loud. With a bitter frown, I tried to think of something else. Anything that would distract me from the memories that led to the deal.

*Grumble*

My thoughts were distracted as that rather loud sound complained to me.

Right, eating can work.

With a slightly eager smile, I turned to where I had dropped the fish. Only to find nothing.

My face was a stone mask with a simple smile, yet internally, I let out a shrill shrieking of despair.

"Where did I put that? What happened? Did some kind of animal come by?" I muttered as I kept going to and fro between different random spots whilst repeating 'no' under my breath.

Then I remembered it. Right during my bout of anger, I had been throwing random rocks and patches of grass. Rocks, grass, and the fucking fish.

Replaying that memory, my eyes followed to the river. Quickly running there, I almost tripped as I climbed up on the rock. With a higher vantage point, my eyes scanned the river like a hawk looking down on its prey.

"THERE!" My mind shouted as I spotted a blob of grey with blood tainting the water around it.

Throwing all precautions to the wind in favor of eating, I jumped from the rock into the river. Or at least, that was my intention until I felt the ground shake.

"An earthquake?" I silently asked myself.

Then the rock fell.

Along with me.

Panic gripped me as the world started to move slowly. My eyes slowly took in every detail of my fall as my body rotated sideways from gravity. Despite the world moving at a much slower pace, my brain just couldn't think of a command to give to my body.

At least it moved reflexively as my hooves moved to protect my head. My wings naturally unfurled themselves to try and fly. I activated my magic by pure reflex as the teleport spell formula instantly appeared in my head. Yet none worked.

With a heavy slam, I fell into the water as I felt a sharp pain invaded the middle part of my front leg. Water soon entered my lungs, prompting me to get up as quickly as I can. With a jump, I lied on my back as I coughed up some water.

I slowly opened my eyes, expecting to see the sun in the sky, but was only met with a blob of darkness. With panic quickly taking over, I forced my hind legs to push at an angle, making me jump to the side. As my body travelled, it was quickly pulled back as I felt searing pain in one of my wings.

With a short scream, I grunted as I turned my head towards my back. The boulder that I had been laying on had crushed my wing.

Groaning, I forced my body to start moving. Pulling on the wing yielded no results. I'm sure I got a few new tears on it. Tried to push the boulder away. Not even worth mentioning.

In the end, I stopped struggling as I just remained seated in the water, leaning against the shore.

"I'm stuck here." I mumbled to myself as I let my body relax.

That action was met with consequence as I flinched in pain coming from my limb. Raising it up, I saw it bending at an area it shouldn't have been bent.

My jaw clenched in frustration as I looked at the broken appendage. I felt a small stinging pain in my eyes as my vision became slightly blurry. My fur was drenched as I shivered every now and then from both the cold and the pain.

I wanted to scream out loud. I wanted to shout for help, but I knew it wouldn't come. I wanted to somehow express my frustrations to the world, tell it everything about my situation that had hurt me. Both literally and metaphorically.

Yet all that came out were choked sobs.

My body slowly lost its strength. My lower half had lost all sense of touch. My vision slowly became nothing but a dim blur. My hearing became muddy, barely making out a sound.

Slowly, but surely, I would die. The idea of death filled me with hope, wanting to just disappear after failing my mission. I don't even know what I was thinking when I ran from Luna. A sense of hopelessness took over as I thought about what I should do.

My kingdom, without citizens it's nothing but a fairy tale. My purpose, gone without even the tiniest chance of reappearing. My life, nothing but the suffering of a prisoner. My very existence itself, now toned down to a simple foal tale.

As drowsiness slowly took over me, I gave in without a fight.

With nothing but the slow moving sun to tell me the time, I simply laid there in the river. Cold water slowly felt warm as it became harder to move my body. My eyes slowly closed down, leaving me with nothing but my thoughts.

As I slowly became disconnected from reality, I heard the muffled sounds of a rhythmic thumping. I wanted to wake up, but I couldn't. With not even the tiniest chance to speak up, I simply gave up.

I know death wouldn't truly come, so I only hoped that I would be freed upon my revival.

*Natural Remedy POV*

I was sat at the campfire, now lit using only wood, watching it dance as I sorted through my thoughts. The events of last night still fresh on my mind. Looking back on it, I was too agitated. With my death, and the immense pain I had experienced right after, my mind wasn't in a stable state. There was something different about her. That wasn't just acting. I should've used that chance to ask some questions.

I acted too rashly.

As I was consumed in my thoughts, a small change distracted me. My ears twitched as the usual steady sound in the camp was disrupted.

Turning to the direction of the river, I walked forwards as I heard the stream quietening down.

"Hmm." I let out a disapproving sound as I stared at the river.

The water was still there, but the level has definitely gone down. It used to be about chest height, but now it stayed a quarter up my legs. Something happened upstream.

Holding the, once again repaired axe in my mouth, I follow the river. I should fix this as soon as possible.

As I followed the shores, my mind kept going back towards last night's meeting. All the way from her appearance to the way she carried herself. It was all too surreal with how she looked like a defenseless filly, as opposed to how she looked before she'd turned to Nightmare Moon, in a metaphorical sense.

A small grimace overtook my face as I thought about the younger princess. She was the guardian of dreams, our princess of the night and the one who protected us from our own nightmares. Then she just, snapped. Nopony, well, nopony except Princess Celestia, knows why she turned, but I'll give my two bits that it was because of nobles. Especially since commoners never really got the chance to even see her, let alone meet her.

But, if I meet her again, I can ask. What happened? What made her turn to the dark side? For what purpose had she went to war with her own sister.

Letting out a small sigh, I stop that train of thoughts as I start to see the river having a bit more water.

"Should be close now." I mumble to myself as I walk past a tree.

There I saw where the problem lay, and heard the pained weeping of a mare.

As I walked closer, I prepared to defend, just in case as the crying slowly ceased as it was soon replaced by silent sobbing. I slowly dropped my guard and peered in front of the blockage. There laid Nightmare Moon, her wing crushed by a fallen boulder that also disrupted the river flow.

But all my attention was focused on the crying mare.

My mind stayed silent as I stared at the broken mare. The previous image of her that I had inscribed into my mind was shattered as I stared at her. Her mane was absolutely ruined with the cosmos inside having somehow dimmed. Her right front leg had been broken as the bruise was barely visible on her muddied fur, somehow staying dirtied despite being hit by a constant stream of water.

As I kept on staring, my mind was static as I witnessed her fully broken down. No royal excellence or pride to hide her true face. No murderous tyranny to mask her normality. And most importantly, not even the tiniest shred of malice to hurt others.

This

This was something I didn't know was entirely possible. It's like something out of those novels that dad used to read.

I tried to speak up. Tried to tell her to stop acting, or maybe just to convince myself. But without evidence, the words died in my throat as I opened my mouth, only to close it shortly after. Even with plenty of biases against her and memories that told me that she deserves this, her current state overshadowed it all.

Eventually, my morality reached a consensus with my logic as I let out a weary breath.

"Sure, let's help the demon who killed my parents." I mumbled as I jumped down to the riverbed. "This is probably my dumbest mistake, or does trying to fight a yeti still hold its weight?" I talked to myself as I contemplated exactly what I should do.

At this point, Nightmare Moon had already cried herself to sleep. A sign of dying in this case.

I pushed the boulder a bit, wanting to see if it's somehow embedded into the ground or something. The boulder moved as dirt fell from the shores. With confirmation that it's fine to move it, I lifted the boulder slightly and got under it. Dangerous, but an alright move for an earth pony. With better leverage, I lifted my body upwards with all four legs as I felt the water crash against me in an instant.

"Shit." I silently cursed as I felt my body tilt slightly.

Quickly stepping to the side, I gave a small jump as the boulder fell sideways onto the shore.

"Alright." I let out a short breath as I turned around.

Fuck.

Nightmare Moon floated away with the current, her unfurled wings only acting as a speed boost.

"Celestia damn it." I cursed as I climbed out of the river and ran after her. "She better be fucking grateful for this"

I walk into my camp, completely drenched in the river water as I carried the wet blob that is Nightmare Moon. She woke up sometime during her unconscious escapade, only to lose consciousness once more from banging her head on a sharp turn.

Needless to say, it made my job a lot easier.

"Yep, definitely asking for a towel next time she visits." I grumbled to myself as I placed her next to the nearly extinguished campfire.

I cut apart a log and added it to the fire. With that little task out of the way, I looked towards my fellow prisoner, who had, unluckily for her, not died, therefore not allowing her to heal.

I might have slightly enjoyed it if I wasn't confused by a small detail.

Her appearance itself wasn't too shocking. Just the usual bat-pony but with an alicorn. A broken leg with messy mane and tail, along with dirtied fur. Her right wing was a battered mess with gaping holes in it, and of course, she had no armor.

But the detail that froze my brain was lower. Her cutie mark. It wasn't there.

The little spots were there, but the moon itself was gone.

Just as my mind was about to ask itself countless questions regarding reality, a loud groan broke me from my thoughts.

"Good evening, Moonshine." I casually told her as I moved I carefully moved next to the axe.

"What?" She asked with a coarse voice as she tried to stand up, only to fall down with a yell of pain.

"Yeah, you didn't die from your little accident." I simply told her as I sat facing towards the fire.

I expected some kind of response from her, either a remark, or a snarky comment. Yet all I got back was silence. I thought that she may try to attack me, but I was confident she couldn't.

As time slowly ticked by, I got slightly worried about what she was doing. Then it disappears as I hear her speak.

"Why'd you help me?"

I was about to answer, then I stopped. Thinking of the next words, I sat in silence for a few seconds.

"I only fixed a river blockade." I told her.

"Then why'd you drag me here?" She instantly asked.

"Do you really have the energy or interest to ask me these things?"

"Well, no, but I can't help it when you're suddenly all helpful"

I gave a light sigh as I turned towards her, who was laying on the soft grass with the broken limb close to her upper chest.

"Alright, I want to ask you some questions then. Does that alleviate your suspicions?" I asked with slight sarcasm.

She gave a snideful chortle before speaking. "Sure, just because you've told me your intentions, I suddenly think of you as the most honest pony i've, ever met." She finished with a mocking smile.

I only gave an impassive face as I stared at her.

As a few seconds passed, her smile slowly dropped as we just continued to stare each other. The air felt a bit tense as we both observed the other with suspicioun and wariness. Though, the longer it went on, it just became blatant staring.

Awkward.

*Cough, cough*

I gave a few fake coughs before speaking up. "So, why did you turn to Nightmare Moon? Not a lot of ponies know why." I simply asked.

She took a contemplating face as she thought of her words. "It's because I fused with Luna." She simply answered with a hollow chuckle.

Huh?

The answer threw me off. That simple answer itself changes the situation entirely. The implications alone brought out new problems.

"Then, could you call yourself 'Nightmare Moon'?"

"No." She answered with a shake if her head. "Nightmare Moon is the result of me fusing together with Luna, not a single entity." Her face took a slight frown when she mentioned the princess.

I stayed silent at the answer, but my thoughts were swirling.

If Nightmare Moon is simply the mixture of two ponies, then that itself could change the entire aim and reason for the rebellion in its entirety. Nothing but a spell gone wrong.

The fusion in itself could be the biggest issue. If two ponies, even if extremely similar, fuse, what about their traits? How would their ideals and emotions mix together?

The thought of her lying did cross my mind. Yet it was quickly shut down by the image of her when she spoke. An almost emotionless acceptance.

"Then-" I cut my question short as I stared at her droopy figure.

Right.

She would be tired after all this. Fuck, even I'm exhausted right now.

I was suddenly broken out of my stupor when she shrieked in pain.

"Hmm, We'll have to cut it off." I plainly said as she inspected her broken leg.

"Fuck no." She yelled as she pulled her leg back.

"Well, ya got a better idea? I'm not exactly a doctor you know?" I told her.

She stayed silent as her eyes darted all over the place, seemingly trying to figure out a solution. As interesting as it was, I eventually got bored of waiting for her.

"Look, Night- actually, what do I call you?" I asked.

She let out an annoyed groan at the question.

"I don't know. What did you call me earlier?"

"Moonshine?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, that"

"You do know that's an alcoholic beverage right? And I used it to mock you." I warned with disbelief.

"Sure, whatever." She answered as she looked hopefully at random leaves.

"Look, Moonshine." It suddenly felt weird to call her that. "It's a broken bone, and I don't know how to realign that shit. So, it's either cut it off, or live with a deformed leg that'll give you pain for the rest of your life, until you cut it off that is." I calmly explained to her.

"Isn't there any other way you can think of?!" She yelled as she asked me.

"Weeeellll," I intentionally elongated the word. "I can think of one other way"

"What is it?!" She asked with hopeful eyes.

Which was quickly shut down as I showed her the axe with a normal smile.

"Wait, no! Stay back demon!" She yelled as she tried to flee.

"Come on! It'll hurt for only a bit." I told her as I slowly walked towards her.

She, who had fallen down due to her broken leg, stared at me with terrified eyes as I stopped right in front of her.

I grinned wickedly as I slowly raised the axe.

A high pitched screaming rang through the sky.

Author's Note

Nightmare Moon, or should I say, Moonshine, has been fully introduced. Stay tuned to see how her and Remedy's odd relationship turns out.

Dunno why I wanted to type like I was advertising something, so don't ask me. :derpytongue2:

Anyways, I'll say, despite talking about how I'll probably give out shorter chapters, and putting it out slower. I'm pretty much doing the exact opposite somehow. :trollestia:

As always, thank you for reading the chapter. :twilightsmile:

Have To Get Used To It

*Natural Remedy POV*

The soft humming of the morning breeze governed the camp. The rushed travels of the river added to the serenity. The sun shone down from the sky, giving warmth to the otherwise chilling air.

*Snore*

And there was the black alicorn, sleeping away with barely a care in the world as she let out loud sounds. Well, I probably wasn't too different before I woke up.

I take a peek at the axe placed next to a random log as I remember last night.

I knew she'd been weakened, but I hadn't realized just how much strength she's lost.

After reviving one more time last night, she woke up enraged as she kept yelling at me. Though, her vocabulary was, not too diverse to say the least. I don't think she knows that many cusses. Repeatedly yelling 'fuck' doesn't really intimidate much.

A few punches here and there, but they were way too weak. Even if a foal were to hit me, I would feel something, but her hits were extremely weak. That means that all that power came from Princess Luna herself.

That ties to another problem.

She herself is not Nightmare Moon, and so is Princess Luna. It's impossible for me to blame somepony for what she's done then. I just don't know how well I would treat this in the long run. I'll have to watch myself.

Though, the problem still lies in their fusion in the first place. If Luna already wanted to fuse together with Moonshine, then she would've wanted something. Something that could be aligned with whatever Moonshine wanted. Ascending the throne, it would be quite useful for pretty much any ambition you have in life.

So, that was her objective. Moonshine needed the power of the Crown to achieve her goals, but that may or may not be just the 'Eternal Night' Nightmare Moon sought after. An ambition big enough that needed political power.

That realization almost hit me like a carriage.

Moonshine's goal was something so damn grand that it needed a monumentally huge strength in politics to achieve it. But what does that leave the younger Princess with? What could she possibly gain from being a tyrant. That title alone would deter any other creature from cooperating with her, leading to the isolation of Equestria. Not only are the countries that border Equestria are wild, the residents aren't those who would fear war, such as the dragons, or the griffins. Then trade becomes impossible.

So is that it? Did she simply want to become the sole ruler? So much so that she ignored all political ramifications and potential wars because of her emotions? Going so far that she would kill her own family?

Of course, these are all speculations. Theories at best. I'll have to talk with Moonshine to get a bigger picture.

Though, she might not speak. The mention of Princess Luna seemed to anger her. So, a betrayal, but how well did she take it? Is she only resentful? Or did she take a hit much deeper?

Thoughts upon thoughts swirled in my mind as I blankly stared at the cold campfire.

*Yawn*

"G'morning" she greeted casually as she struggled to wake up.

Good to know she doesn't hate me or something. Definitely distrust though. Just a little.

She rubbed her eyes while yawning, and came over with a slow gait.

"Start a fire or something, it's so cold." She complained as her wings wrapped around herself.

I raised an eyebrow as I thought of something.

"Well, as much as I want to, we're out of firewood." I lie through my teeth.

Her face had visible confusion as she looked around, reconfirming that she was indeed, still trapped in a forest.

"Fuck are you talking about?" She said with a small frown.

"Why don't you try cutting a few logs? I already brought the tree down, so you just need to split it into usable parts." I told her with a small smile as she glared at me.

"Why can't you do it?" She asked with a frown.

"Because I'll be making breakfast"

"Alright." She said with an unamused tone. "I'm a carnivore"

"Then I'll just catch some fish"

"Do you even know how to cook it?"

"I'm confident it won't be raw at least." I finished that conversation with a small grin as she took a contemplating face, weighing her options.

"Fine." She said with a sigh.

I simply nodded and lightly threw the axe at her. Which she caught, but fell down due to the weight.

I let out a few snorts, trying to hold back my laughter as she struggled to hold the axe.

"Shut up!" She yelled in an embarrassed tone as her face took a reddish hue.

The axe stayed still on the ground as I finally let out a few chuckles.

"Alright, alright, since you're obviously still weakened right now, I'll have to do everything." I casually told her as I grabbed the axe.

She seemed annoyed at what just happened.

"Get me the matches from that bag." I told her as I split a long into 8 parts.

"Yeah, yeah." She grumbled but complied anyway.

As I take a small piece of wood and chop it into even smaller parts for fuel, I hum a little tune in boredom. I still have questions to ask her, but those can wait until after breakfast.

"Should be enough." I mutter to myself as I hold the small piece of tree bark. "Where are the matches, Moonshine?!" I yelled slightly loudly as I turned around, then froze at the scene.

How should I explain this?

Moonshine, who currently held a box of matches in her mouth, stood nervously as her eyes kept glancing from different spots as she stood in front of a very, surprised?, Center Piece. No, that looks more like undying fury.

"YOU! HOW ARE YOU HERE?!" Center asked, no yelled that question as her voice blew away the nearby leaves and shook the tree.

What the fuck?

Moonshine took a step back in fear as the matches fell to the ground.

"Wait, wait now, we can talk this out. Center, let me explain." I said with a nervous smile as I got between the two of them.

Center looked like she was absolutely ready to kill Moonshine.

"What? Did Luna forget to tell you about our fusion?" Moonshine asked in a mocking voice as she regained her courage.

"Not, the fucking time." I try to dispel the argument.

"YOU'LL KEEP HER NAME, OUT OF YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!" My ears flattened at the volume as I started to hear a high pitched sound.

"BITCH PLEASE, WE SHARED THE SAME BODY, SO MINE IS AS FILTHY AS HERS!" Moonshine argued back with a sneer.

"OH WHY YOU STUCK UP BI-!"

"SHUT IT!" I yelled as I slammed both of their heads from high up as the ringing sound in my ears continued to get louder.

Moonshine almost fell to the ground as she stumbled to stand straight. Center took it better as she only grimaced and rubbed the place I had hit her. I rubbed my head in annoyance as a headache started to form.

"Look, I don't know what the fuck happened between you two, but you're not going to have a yelling competition before breakfast. Got that?" I asked with a frown.

"Tch, fine." Moonshine clicked her tongue and walked towards the campfire.

Center had a heavy grimace on her face as she glared at Moonshine, shortly before sitting down at the campfire on the opposite side. I let out a tired sigh as I grabbed the fallen matches.

This will be a long day.

The atmosphere was, awkward to say the least.

Moonshine seemed to have lost all fear, and was glaring straight at Center with anger in her eyes. Center replied in kind with her own glare, but hers was somehow colder, and had a judging feel to it. And here I was, stuck between the two as I try to get a fire going.

"So." I started as a piece of tree bark finally started to burn. "Let's introduce ourselves first, yes?" I said with a nervous smile.

"I believe I know plenty about her." Center started with venom laced in her voice.

"Do you really? Because I'm pretty sure that the most you know is that I'm not Luna." Moonshine responded with an equally threatening voice.

For fuck's sake, how am I supposed to go about this? And these two seem to know each other for entirely different reasons then I do.

Wait, Luna? Right, of course she's back, since Moonshine is also here. And Center knows her personally?

Small crackles sounded as I piled the firewood in a cone shape.

"Okay, girls. How about names first?" I suggested.

"Biased bitch is what I wanna call her." Moonshine started.

"Oh, don't act like you don't have a preference." Center retorted.

"What the fuck would you know about me?!"

"More than enough!"

"BEST YOU KNOW IS I'M NOT A PONY!"

"BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY THING ABOUT YOU THAT ISN'T NEGATIVE!"

"WILL YOU TWO TALK IT OUT LIKE ADULTS!" I cut them off as I incredulously stared at them.

These two definitely know each other on a personal level.

"Oh, screw it. This was bound to happen anyway." Center suddenly said as she stood up.

"What the fuck are you-?" My question was cut short as her skin peeled off like paper as she grew in size.

My eyes widened as I stared at her.

Her mane gained colors as it started to blow in a nonexistent breeze.

Her fur turned pure white as the sun replaced her cutie mark.

"Fucking, WHAT!" I just yelled in shock as Princess Celestia stood there.

"What the fuck were you thinking with that little trick, Celestia?" Moonshine asked with a sneer.

"Remedy, you need to listen. This pony is Nightmare Moon, and I need to make sure she doesn't cause any more mayhem." Center, no, Princess Celestia said as she completely ignored Moonshine.

"What? No, wait. I don't understand-"

"Oh you can just try me Celestia. Kill or seal me, I'll always be back." Moonshine told her.

"Can you not-"

"How about I just deal with you right now then?" Princess Celestia stated as her horn started to glow.

Moonshine let out a small shriek as she jumped from her spot and held me in front of her.

"You, Remedy was it? Pay me back for killing me thrice." She said in a slightly shivering voice.

"What the fu-NO! Can you just-"

"Remedy! Move, away from her, else you'll be in the blast radius." Princess Celestia said in a warning voice as her horn continues to brighten.

"WILL YOU TWO MORONS JUST CALM DOWN!" I yelled, sobering up from the shock of the Princess's reveal.

"Remedy, please, I need you to-"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" I continued to yell as I pulled myself away from Moonshine. "YOU, NEED TO CALM YOUR ROYAL ASS DOWN, AND YOU NEED TO STOP ANTAGONIZING HER! DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND?"

Princess Celestia seemed baffled, but shut her spell down as she glared at Moonshine. Moonshine returned the glare, but there was still a hint of fear in her eyes.

I rubbed my head in annoyance as the migraine continued to get stronger.

"Since you two assholes can't talk for a minute without a fight, you'll just sit here, silently, whilst I prepare some morning tea, alright?" I talked with an annoyed voice.

Receiving two small nods, I let out a sigh as I grab a pot and move to the river.

And to think this day started out, so good.

Walking to the river, my thoughts started to emerge again. Princess Celestia knows about Moonshine, but either Princess Luna forgot some details or she lied.

I hope for the former, but evidence points to the latter. Or did Princess Celestia already know back when the war started, if so, why didn't she tell us?

I scooped up enough water to fill about eighty percent of the pot.

If she didn't know, then that points to Princess Luna intentionally leaving out details for her own sake. Either way, somepony messed up. And there's still the issue of just what Moonshine wanted.

I returned to the camp and placed the pot on the fire and added some tea leaves.

The two sat exactly where I had left them, still glaring at each other with cold gazes.

"Alright, after hearing your argument, I have reason to believe that there are issues that could be solved with just a simple explanation, or at the very least give us an insight to how we could deal with it better." I calmly told them as I took a seat.

Moonshine only rolled her eyes. Princess Celestia gazed at me with a questioning look, but let it go with a short sigh.

"First, Princess," she flinched ever so slightly at that, but still maintained her stone cold gaze. "Her name is, Moonshine." She gave a small nod of acknowledgement.

"Alright, now, the issue of Nightmare Moon itself." I presented.

"There is not much to talk about. She corrupted my sister, and took advantage of her emotions to incite a rebellion for her own sake." Princess Celestia calmly stated.

"Fucking framed!" Moonshine shot back. "I can't do mind control alone, and for the record, there has to be emotion already there for me take advantage of. Everything else, that was all according to our deal, so I'm not the only one to blame." She defended herself.

"Oh, so the massacre of Cremo Village was just a part of the deal?" I shut my eyes tight, remembering the place a bit before opening them back up.

"Blame that one on, Luna. She's the one who was controlling the body at that time"

"And you expect me to just believe that?"

"Yes, of course." She said in a sarcastic voice. "Why wouldn't I believe that you would trust the creature that you already have a bias against, over your own, sister, whom you neglected so much that she ended up hating you for it." She finished with a mocking tone.

"THAT!" She started, but backed down. "May be true, but I don't believe for a second, that Luna would destroy an entire village like that." She finished with conviction, and a hint of uncertainty.

I raised an eyebrow as I saw her mask slipping slightly.

"Believe what you want, I only care that you, the apparently ever loving Princess of The Sun, doomed an entire species because of one bad apple." Moonshine said as her face took a fanatic look.

What?

This is new info.

Does she mean bat ponies? Or something else.

"That one bad apple that you mentioned, blew up half of the previous capital of Equestria!" Princess Celestia raised her voice.

Previous capital? It was something different before?

"Yeah, because self centered, jerk of a ponies like you, held him in a cell for Nocturne knows how long!" Moonshine pointed an accusatory hoof at her.

That, seems to be more of a personal vendetta.

"HE WAS A THREAT!"

"HE BUMPED INTO A FUCKING HIGH NOSED, SNOB OF NOBLE!"

"Alright, alright, calm it. We're getting off track here." I intervened. "Moonshine, you mentioned a deal with Princess Luna, how about you expand on that?" I asked, hoping dispel some of the tension.

It's good that they're speaking with no lies, but too much and a fight will break out.

"It's pretty simple. She gets to access my powers and get stronger by using her own negative emotions as fuel, which I, by her own request, enhanced to be more volatile." Princess Celestia frowned at the explanation, but stayed silent. "My cut of the deal, was that she would make sure that the moon stayed around for an hour or so longer everyday, letting my citizens to prosper once again." She finished with a strained smile.

"What about the whole 'Eternal Night' thing." Princess Celestia asked.

"That stuff is all Luna. As I said, I only needed about an hour of natural cosmic shade, not forever. So small, yet such a significant time you know? Or do you not? Because you grew up all sheltered?" She finished as her smile turned annoyed at best.

"How am I supposed to believe that?" Princess Celestia spoke up.

"Fucking don't then, I could not care less about your damn opinion." Moonshine dropped her smile as she ended with a frown.

I give a silent sigh as I processed all the information that just dropped on me like a bomb. The main issue has been solved, sort of. Moonshine no longer has a reason to do, anything really, since her citizens are no longer around.

I guess she was also royalty.

That means that Nightmare Moon returning just would not happen. But that still leaves other issues. Moonshine can't be condemned for the actions of Nightmare Moon, it would definitely fall onto Princess Luna, but she herself had no control over emotions.

Even if the blame is left alone, what about redemption for Moonshine's species? It can't be called right to just forget about them.

That also leaves Princess Luna herself. It's not fair to Moonshine to just sweep this under the rug and let her take all the blame whilst Princess Luna only acts as the victim of all this.

Morality issues.

That's the problem that hasn't been solved yet.

Also, that thing with the bumping into a noble. How the fuck did Princess Celestia end up perceiving him as a threat. And even then, nobles are prideful, but there shouldn't be too many that would call for imprisonment like that. Well, what would I know about nobles really.

Looking down while sorting my thoughts, I slowly get annoyed as I keep thinking about the situation.

It's an old ass problem, and it's practically guaranteed to never pop up again. So, those involved can just ignore each other and continue to live life. At least that's what I did.

Whether you wallow in sadness or seethe in anger, you shouldn't let your emotions create more problems. Doing so would just mean that you learned nothing from this.

Finishing my inner thoughts with a sigh, I finally remember the tea.

"Ah, fuck." I muttered as I started at the empty pot with burnt leaves at the bottom.

At least the two didn't continue to fight. Mostly. They're just sat there, glaring at each other with distrust and anger flashing in their eyes. Seems Moonshine finally realized that she won't die from Princess Celestia. Or maybe she just doesn't care anymore.

Either way, I wanted this meeting to be over. So, I let out a sigh as I put the pot on the ground.

"Look, there are a lot, of things that are missing, and it won't be solved until all those involved talk about it. But you gotta realize that you're trying to solve something that is no longer a problem." I calmly explained.

Moonshine seems to longer have any desire to talk more about this, so she just rolled her eyes and stared at the fire. Princess Celestia motioned for me to continue after staring for a few seconds.

"Nightmare Moon, is a fusion between two ponies. And we've already established that it was an agreement with full consent from both parties, so that part is already covered. The blame itself, will fall on the two that initiated a dangerous spell in the first place. Simple as that." I said with a simple smile.

Moonshine gave a small glare, only to accept it with a sigh and shut her eyes. Princess Celestia had a reluctant look on her face as she fully contemplated the issue.

"And, as far as crimes go, criminals with mental issues practically get away scot free. It's even worse when you think about how two different personalities, both with their own moralities and motives, can fuse together and clash with each other. It's practically a worse version of psychopathy." I finished with a hopeful smile.

If I can get Princess Celestia to go past this issue, then the only remaining problem would be the relationship between Princess Luna and Moonshine. They don't even have to get along or something, just be alright enough not to kill each other.

Princess Celestia took a long time to think this through. No matter how easy it is thinking logically, she would have to think about her sister. And it was quite commonly known that she was quite overprotective of Princess Luna.

Seconds slowly ticked by, eventually turning to minutes as the atmosphere turned tense once again. The course of where all of this will go depends on whether or not Princess Celestia accepts that the issue is over.

Eventually, my patience was about to run out, having been tired from dealing with all of this all the way from last night. I was about to lose it. That is, until Princess Celestia finally reached a verdict.

"I will, pardon her crimes on account of it being a cold case." She said with a small sigh as I finally let my body relax.

She seemed like she wanted to say more, but decided against it. Moonshine was shocked as her mouth stayed slightly open for a while.

"Finally." I said to nopony in particular as Princess Celestia let out a small chuckle at my attitude.

"I thank you Remedy, for being a reasonable middle voice in this." She said with a small smile.

"Is fine, I said you can talk to me about your problems anyway." I casually replied.

Moonshine seemed to sense that she longer cared about the conversation and left.

"Anyways, what should I call you?" I asked calmly. "I don't think I can comfortably call you either Princess, or Center after all the yelling, and what was basically treason." I said with a shrug.

"You can just call me by name, I prefer it like that anyway." She answered with a calm smile.

I give a nod in response. "Sure thing, Celestia"

She gave a content grin as her eyes shone a soft gaze.

"Well, it seems that this visit has been, uh, quite eventful, so I'll keep it short. I have to fulfill my duties anyway." She calmly explained as she set down two bags, both half my size from nowhere.

"Makes sense, and thanks." I told her as I ignored her reality breaking prowess.

"No problems. Oh, and do try to sleep a bit earlier tonight. Luna wants to continue her role as the guardian of dreams as soon as possible, so I ask that you grant this small favor of mine"

"Sure, sounds easy enough."

"Well then. Until next time Remedy." She gave a simple smile with the goodbye.

"Understood"

I gave her a simple hoofbump as she turned to leave.

"Oh, and by the way?" I asked before she left.

"Hmm?" She turned to me.

"Tell Princess Luna, that as long as she is looking for a fight, she is not welcome here." I told her firmly.

She stared for a few seconds. Then she nodded and left.

I stared as she slowly left.

"Is she gone?" Moonshine asked as she walked back to the camp.

"Yep. Your in charge of making tea now." I calmly told her as I grabbed the pot off the ground and threw it at her.

"What! Why?" She asked as she barely caught it.

"Punishment for making that much harder than it should have been." I said with a strained smile.

She growled as she frowned at me, only to release it with a sigh and walked towards the river without saying anything.

As I sat at the fire, my eyes twitched a bit as I realized something.

"I fucking forgot to ask for a towel." I facehooved.

Author's Note

Finally out. :pinkiecrazy:

I hope you all like this little setup I had for Moonshine. It only took me the time it requires for me to realize that I could probably use Nightmare Moon for a character with, well, an actual character rather than a psychotic villain. :trollestia:

As always, thanks for reading. :twilightsmile:

The Usual Day

In the confines of the ever mysterious barrier that is both my prison, and my current home, I was sat on a random log in front of the campfire, carefully bringing my lips to a steaming cup. Two teal eyes with sharpened irises stared as the eyebrows were furrowed in expectation and anxiety. Random spots on the grass were littered with weird purplish or greenish blobs of slimes.

A loud slurping sound came as I gave a soft sigh after swallowing the hot liquid.

We both stayed silent as I thought about the different qualities of the tea. How soft it is. How easy it went down. She watched on nervously, having already failed numerous times.

"It's, actually drinkable." I said with clear surprise in my voice.

"Finally!" Moonshine loudly celebrated as she slumped down.

"Indeed. You've improved quite fast since you were making poison this morning." I casually commented as I shudder from memories.

"It ain't my fault I never made tea before." She replied with a small frown.

I only gave a few chuckles at that. Which was followed by a few seconds of serene silence. Something that felt rare lately. I grabbed an apple and started breakfast.

I'll catch some fish for her after I finish.

Though, my enjoyment was quickly interrupted by remembering the argument.

"Hey, Moonshine?" I started.

"Yeah?" She replied with some pieces of fruit in her mouth.

"I thought you were royalty." I muttered under my breath before asking. "Who is Nocturne?"

"Oh, he's, kinda my dad. Kinda not, but he still tried" She replied bluntly.

"What?" I just ask.

"Yeah, he was the ruler, slash god of the Nocturnals. Pretty much the exact same as Celestia." She explained with reminiscing look as she swallowed the fruits. "I wasn't actually born from his essence. But I was birthed by his first wife, who cheated on him, because he couldn't make enough time for her." Her face was saddened by that. "Which I just don't understand. I mean, he was literally the one managing the whole Nocturnus Kingdom. It's not like he actually had time for, her, or me, when he couldn't even enjoy a cup of tea without a report coming in." Her body slumped and she hung her head low.

I didn't know what to say to that. Not like I experienced something like that before.

*Sigh*

In the end, I only let out a silent sigh and put a hoof on her shoulder. Empty words from somepony who doesn't know how it feels would just annoy her.

"Thanks." Her words were almost silent as we just sat there for a while.

Feels like I'm in one of those books dad used to read with how many emotional events have been happening lately.

She suddenly looked away and wiped her face with one hoof before turning to me. Her eyes were slightly red and there was a wet spot left on the middle of her eyes. Though I chose not to point it out.

"Anyways!" She yelled a bit too loud to break the ice. "What about you? You definitely have a story to tell." She finished with a strained smile.

I shrugged in response with a small smile as I take my hoof off. "It's not that interesting." I calmly replied.

"No way." She said with an exaggerated eyeroll. "You're telling me, that the pony inside a mysterious barrier that doesn't allow death, that also apparently has no problems with killing others, doesn't have a backstory?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Mhmm." I gave a nod.

I guess mine does count as interesting, but it's still a bit awkward to talk about it. Especially since she herself is somewhat involved.

Her face was full of suspicion as she just narrowed her eyes at me whilst letting out a humming sound. I raised a brow in response as I stared back.

"Fine, keep your secrets, but I know you're hiding something, Remedy." She said in a voice that failed to be threatening. "Actually, what is your full name?" Her tone suddenly changed.

"Natural Remedy, it was lethal to meet you." I replied with a nonchalant smile.

"Good, it was quite beheading to meet you too." She gave a response as she sat near the fire and poured herself a cup of tea.

Then proceeded to cough it back up from how terrible it tasted. I couldn't figure out how she managed to change the properties with nothing but tea leaves and water.

"I made this?." She muttered to herself. "How'd you manage to drink this with no issues?" She asked with a disgusted face.

"I've tasted worse." I gave a simple reply.

Yeah, raw blood wasn't that much of a better choice than snow. Too bad all I had was that weird sippy cup that didn't allow for refills.

I felt my mood dropping as some unpleasant memories popped up. Moonshine seems to have noticed my change in expression.

"Anyways, I'll go to the river to catch some fish." I told her to distract both myself and her and got up.

"Pray tell sister, just how far hast Equestria progressed without mine own presence?" Luna asked with a rather excited voice as she repeatedly opened and closed the fridge. "Doest this 'fridge' actually extinguish its light once closed?"

"Yes it does, Luna, else we'll be wasting all that energy after all." I gave a reply.

Shortly after awakening to raise the sun, I had gone to Remedy for a visit that turned out to be, quite different than the usual. After coming back, I am currently spending the rest of the morning with Luna. I was absolutely filled with joy at her return. And her reactions to whatever new technology that she happened to get her hooves on, are simply adorable.

"Please, do not let our presence disturb your work." I told the cooking staff, who were all nervous.

They gave a bow of sorts and carried on making preparations for breakfast, which was almost a disaster. Almost, being the keyword, as an assistant chef tripped on something and threw a pot of dough in the air. Thankfully, the head chef is on duty to save the day, and the dough.

Giving a slight chuckle at their antics, I turn back to Luna, who was staring at a coffee machine.

"Do tell, Tia, what wondrous thing this doth?"

"That, is a coffee machine. It's used to make coffee." I explained calmly.

"And, what is this 'coffee' that thee speaketh of?"

"It's a drink made from a type of beans that's mostly used to give a boost of energy. Personally, I prefer my blends to be hoof made, just tastes better somehow. Though, I don't drink much to begin with. Why don't you try a cup?" I tell her as I bring a coffee mug under the nozzle.

"Hmm. This drink may beest useful during mine own duties in the night." She said in an inquisitive voice.

Perfect.

She's showing positive interest in modern day aspects. This should make it easier for her to get used to the changes since a millennia ago.

A slight delay of water boiling and coffee beans being crushed, the hot liquid poured into the cup. She took it in her magic and gave it a gentle sniff. With a simple shrug, she took a sip.

Ah.

I believe I've made a mistake.

On the outside, I maintained a steady face as I stared at the slightly shaking Luna. On the inside, I was worried about her current condition.

"Are you alright Luna?" I tentatively asked.

She suddenly chugged the whole thing in one motion and turned to me.

"TIA, THIS DRINK IS MOST WONDROUS. I FEEL AS IF I AM ABLE TO BRING DISCORD TO HIS HOOVES." She sprang up with a burst of energy.

I gave off a few nervous chuckles at her behavior. She might not be able to make it to her dream walking tonight.

"Are you sure this'll work?" I asked Remedy, who was currently nailing in a set of stairs into the giant tree.

"Positive. We'll need a house to sleep in sooner, rather than later anyway. And having it higher up is just safer. " He replied with a few nails in his mouth.

He had spent most of the day nailing different sized boards together to create a set of stairs, though I'm not entirely sure if this is possible, or even remotely safe. Though, safety hasn't really been a matter of concern for a while now.

"After I make this steady, I'll put a few pillars underneath for support, then maybe some walls for better stability. It can also work as a shed." He explained with another swing of a hammer.

"Wouldn't it have been better to just put the support in first?" I asked as I tried to hold the hoof-made ladder more steadily.

"Maybe." He replied and he took a look at the hammer before dropping it down. "But I don't know much about buildings." He punched another nail in with his hoof.

"Then why haven't you asked Celestia about it. Seemed like you were friendly enough to ask for help on this." I put more strength into my hooves as the ladder wobbled.

There was a small period of silence as he put a few more nails in.

He eventually gave a sigh as his body slumped slightly.

"Hey! Careful. This thing is really fragile." I told him as the ladder started to shake even more.

"Sorry." He blankly said. "To answer your question, it's because, I already got so much from her. Just doesn't sit right with me to ask for more." He explained calmly.

"I, guess that makes sense." I gave a reply.

*Crack*

"Yeah, it's pretty sappyyeeeeEE!"

"Gah!" I let out a pained sound as he fell on top of me.

"Fuck." He said with a strained voice.

"Get off me." I told him with a grunt.

We groaned in pain whilst getting up. I'd shut my eyes in pain as I rubbed my back

"I told you that that fucking ladder would break." I told him.

"Yeah, yeah, not like we had a better choice." He replied while massaging his neck.

"Why couldn't we just build-." My words were caught in my throat as I stared at him.

"You good?" He asked with a raised eyebrow as his eyes shone a dull light green, clearly emanating magic.

I felt my body lock up as I stared at those eyes. At first, I thought it may be fear, but strangely enough, I was more entranced.

There was a muffled sound as I stared deeper.

A sense of belonging swept over me as I felt a familiar sensation inside myself. Feeling myself becoming light, my senses started to feel numb as I felt disconnected from the world. Soon I felt weightless, almost like air as a sudden feeling of constriction invaded me. It slowly became stronger, it started to get harder to breath. It's like a cloth was draped over me as it started to shrink.

Giving a few coughs, or atleast something that felt like it, I drew in a gasp of air as my eyes opened up.

"For fucks sake, Moonshine, are you alright?" Remedy asked me with a worried frown.

Still struggling to breathe, I looked down to see what was constricting me.

"What?" I said in confusion as I stared at myself inside a bag.

"Yeah, you suddenly started turning to mist, and I didn't know what to do. So I kinda just gathered you in this bag." He said with a tone that even he himself was unsure of what he did.

"Please get me out." I told him as I was reminded that I shouldn't fit in the bag.

A few pulls and a cut later, I was free from the clutches of the bag as I stretched my body.

"Uh, any idea what this is?" Remedy asked as he pointed at my neck.

"Oh." I let out a stupefied sound as I stared at the wooden necklace, or collar. "That's why it was hard to breath." I simply commented.

"So, any ancient knowledge about what just happened?" He asked with a slightly annoyed face.

"How the fuck would I know? Isn't this place your domain?" I shot back.

"No, actually. I'm as trapped as you are in this place." His reply shocked me.

"Wait, seriously? I thought you were just some weirdo who wanted to stay in the Everfree." I replied without thinking much.

He gave a deadpan face as he stared at me. A small trace of realization hit his face before quickly disappearing.

"Anyways, help me gather some wood. I'll try this again, but with a sturdier ladder." He told me.

"Yeah, yeah, but I won't hold that if it's as crappy as this one." I replied and followed him.

Ugh. My neck hurts.

Author's Note

Fucking finally! :raritycry:

Dude, the time it took to write this small ass chapter is baffling me. :rainbowhuh:

Like, life itself, is going way too fast for me. Fucking wake up, go to school, come home, and sleep. Eating is optional. :pinkiecrazy:

I had to finish this damn chapter during LUNCH. :flutterrage:

Anyways, as always, thanks for reading. :heart:

A Nightly Visit

"Ok, so, you'll sleep in the bag, I'll take the pillow though." Natural Remedy told Moonshine as they prepared to sleep for the night.

"You sure? Nights can get pretty cold, you know?" She asked back.

"I am. You, on the other hoof, have a severely weakened body. Therefore, this matter is non-negotiable." He firmly told her.

"Fine, but don't blame me if you get sick."

"I won't." He replied casually and added a bit more wood to the fire.

Moonshine took notice as she seemed to remember something.

"Wait, why would you add fuel to the fire? Wouldn't it just make it easier for animals to spot us?" She asked with a small frown.

"Normally, yes. But seeing that no beasts have attacked after blood was spilt here plenty of times, we can assume that the barrier hides those traces." He explained as he poked at the fire with a stick before throwing it in.

"Ok? But aren't you going to sleep soon?" She asked, not bothering to think of a counterargument.

Not like she'd die anyway.

"I will, soon." He replied with an impassive face.

Moonshine squinted her eyes in slight suspicion, wondering what it was about, but eventually shrugged and unrolled a sleeping bag that Remedy had given her.

"Good night." Remedy said with a cold voice that slightly surprised her.

"The fuck is wrong with him?" Moonshine thought to herself before climbing in the bag. "Good night." She said and went to sleep.

Slowly, the minutes ticked by as the moon went ever higher to the sky. A deafening silence, only broken by the crackling fire and snoring mare filled the area. Natural Remedy grabbed a piece of wood and retrieved a small knife from a bag. Having already forgotten about grabbing the pillow for himself from Moonshine, he deeply stared at the fire with a still face.

"I'm sure I missed it." He muttered to himself as he dug into the wood with the knife.

In the ambience, the sound of a knife softly carving wood was added. Remedy roughly cut off parts, slowly taking away mass from the wood.

His ears suddenly flicked as he heard the skittering of some random insects. Some losing control to approach the fire, others staying away for their life.

The fire continued to crackle at a steady pace as fuel was constantly added to it. Remedy continued to softly dig into the wood, at a much slower pace as he added started to shape the wood.

Hours ticked on as the camp continued in the comfortable ambience.

The winds picked up speed as the air grew colder. Remedy saw vapors coming out from his nose as he felt the heat from the fire cover his body, fighting against the chilly air of the night.

He was fully concentrated again as he stared blankly at the wooden piece, slowly taking the shape of a quadruped. The knife dug onto the upper part, shaving away pieces in an arc as the figure slowly looked more equine.

"Mmhmm"

He was suddenly broken out of his stupor as he realized he no longer heard the snores of Moonshine. Glancing at her, he proved his theory correct as she squirmed inside the bag, starting to mutter some incoherent words filled with anger and sadness.

Remedy wiped his carving, getting rid of some dust like particles as he put it down on the ground.

Moonshine soon lost her anger as fear came with her whispering as her voice slowly gained volume.

Remedy got up slowly as he approached the mare. She was shivering as sweat seemed to pour down her face, panting for air as she kept flailing around.

"PLEASE!" She shouted with desperation laced in her voice and anxiety filled her expression as she shot up.

"Calm, nothing's gonna happen to you." He told her with a soft voice as he gave her a simple hug.

Moonshine continued to pant for air as her eyes looked around with her blurry vision, moist with fresh tears.

"What? What're you? What happened?" She asked with clear confusion masking her other emotions.

"You had a nightmare." Remedy simply told her as he took a step back.

"What?" She asked again with furrowed brows.

"A nightmare." He replied back.

"No, no, I can't have a nightmare. I shouldn't-," she tried to explain, but was stopped by Remedy placing a hoof on her muzzle.

"Stop, go back to sleep for now. We can figure this out after breakfast." He calmly told her as he pushed her down with a hoof.

"No, it's not tha-," she tried to say her point as she started to get out of the sleeping bag.

"Shut." He told her with a firm tone and pushed her back inside. "Now, go back to sleep. There isn't a single thing you have to worry about during the night." He finished and dragged her a bit closer to the fire.

"I, bu-but, what about-," she continued to try, bit was silenced by Remedy glaring at her with a firm gaze. "I, Ok? I guess." She hesitantly accepted and laid back down, feeling much warmer from the fire.

As she closed her eyes, Remedy sat back on his spot near the fire and continued carving into the wooden figure. Minutes passed by in silence as Moonshine began to sleep once again.

With the situation handled, Remedy silently went about his wood carving as he felt himself getting tired.

"I'll finish this first." He muttered and continued his activity.

As the fire crackling began to die down, Remedy was about finished with his project.

The piece of wood had turned into a doll of sorts. With rough edges and no finish to smoothen it, the product seemed amateurish. Two fangs protruding from an opened jaw, armor like carvings engraved the limbs. Then lay a wooden cape, covering almost everything below the neck as the mane flew to the sky.

"Done." He muttered as he shaved off one last piece as a crown sat snuggly on the doll's head.

Unbeknownst to him however, a figure with a cloak silently treaded through the forest. Stepping through the fallen leaves, the figure followed a smoky trail that only they themselves could notice.

"This must be where she's hiding." The figure spoke in a hollow voice with a feminine tone.

She calmly stepped forward, noting the barrier giving her a slight tingle.

"What?" She confusedly muttered to herself as a light that wasn't there before suddenly appeared.

Carefully treading through the dense trees, she hides herself with a spell and approached cautiously. Though, what she saw, almost made her lose control of it.

"I knew it." She muttered with clear hatred in her eyes as her pace got a bit faster.

In her hurry, she had forgotten to scan her surroundings as her mind focused on her next action.

*Thunk*

She was broken out of her stupor as she stared at her reflection on a blade. She could see a bit of her own fur falling down slowly, separated from the rest of her by the knife that was stuck in the tree next to her. Her eyes were clearly visible in the reflection as her mind raced to catch up with reality, having a hard time to understand the fact that she almost died.

Swallowing the saliva pooling in her mouth, she turned towards where the knife had come from, expecting to see some mind-controlled pony or a mercenary of sorts.

Remedy, just blew at his finished product, fully admiring his work for a few seconds before throwing it into the fire.

"I gave my warning, Princess. If you're looking for a fight, you're in the wrong place." He told her coldly without looking back.

"WHO ART THOU!? THOU ART MAKING A FOOLISH MISTAKE!" She yelled angrily as she glared at Remedy.

"Did Celestia not tell you?" He asked with the same emotionless voice. "Doesn't matter. The fact is that you are not welcome here with those eyes"

"Huh?" She let out a confused sound as his response sank in. "Tia, had known?" She muttered weakly as she felt betrayed.

A sickening feeling filled her as she could not believe that her own sister would hide this from her.

"HOW ARE WE TO KNOW THOU HAD NOT LIED?!" She asked, rage filling her voice.

"How about you go and ask her yourself?." He coldly replied as he still refused to look at her.

"THOU SHOULD REALIZE, WHO THOU ART PROTECTING!"

"Yeah, half of Nightmare Moon. I kinda moved on from that." He told her with an annoyed voice.

Luna had been fully shocked at that small revelation, not understanding how such a thing could be. A small thought occurred to her, wondering if she could also receive such forgiveness.

Then that thought was instantly broken as he finally turned to her. His eyes shone a mystical green as a frown adorned his face.

She felt a massive source of magic emanating from his eyes, making her wonder if she should take action.

"I believe I've made myself clear. Leave. Now." He coldly told her as he gave an icy glare filled with wariness.

"Thou understand that the mare is but Nightmare Moon herself, what is thine reason for her protection?" She asked, lowering her voice as she warily glanced back.

Remedy stayed silent as he held his glare.

Luna silently gulped, realizing that she wouldn't get an answer, and sighed in her mind before turning to move. Slightly sulking, she was about to leave the camp, but Remedy stopped him.

"It's because she was peaceful." He spoke slightly louder than normal.

"What?" Luna perked up and turned towards him.

"She," he pointed at Moonshine with a hoof before dropping it. "Bore no intentions to continue fighting. That's why I protect her." He said with a slightly warmer voice.

Luna only stared in shock as his words rang through her mind.

"Come back after you've calmed down. Only then, I'll allow you in this camp." He said with a cold voice once more, and faced the fire again.

Luna wanted to reply, to tell him that he was being tricked. She was absolutely sure that this was the case, or atleast, that's what she told herself. Yet, she replied in silence and left the camp.

The calm ambience returned once more as Remedy poured water over the fire and glanced at Moonshine. Random thoughts ran through his mind as he closed his eyes with a pained expression.

He vividly remembered the details of that day. The rising smoke. The burning buildings. The smell of ashes.

"THE OFFSPRINGS SHALL BE MADE TO SERVANTS ONCE THE SUN HAS FALLEN!"

The only things left as he combed through mountains of corpses with his brother to find familiar faces.

Was he doing the right thing, by protecting her?

*Sigh*

"Forget it. I'm too old to care about such things anyway." He muttered to himself as he glanced at Moonshine once more. "Sleeps heavier than a rock." He commented with a chuckle before heading to sleep.

Moonshine slowly opened her eyes as she raised her upper body. Letting out a large yawn, she stretched her back and stoos up slowly. Silently sitting while waking herself up, she shoots up suddenly as she remembers something.

"WAIT. FUCK. REMEDY!" She yells as she tries to stand up and trips down.

"Easy, Moon. Luna came and went already." Remedy said with a casual tone as he sipped from a bowl. "A bit more salt." He said and reached for a bag.

"Uhh, what?" She responded with a confused expression.

Remedy gave a few chuckles and tended to the boiling pot over the fire. "Why don't you take care of business first? Then, we can talk about some things after breakfast." He said with a calm smile and stirred the pot after adding a small amount of salt.

"I. What. No. What?" Moonshine failed to fully form a sentence as she failed to understand why her co-prisoner was so calm about the situation.

Deciding that he was always too confusing for her, she went ahead and tried to ignore the issue.

"Wait, what kind of soup are you making?" Moonshine asked curiously as she approached the delightful smelling pot.

"Fish soup." He said with a blank face and poured a bit into a bowl and took a sip. "Mhm. Just right."

A few seconds pass as Moonshine finally wakes up, and promptly decides that she no longer cares and starts heading to the woods for her morning routine.

"Brush your teeth!" Remedy yells and throws a bag at her.

"Got it!" She yelled back and reached to grab the bag.

And promptly gets smacked in the face by said bag.

Author's Note

Whew. :ajbemused:

Hey guys.

Honestly, I don't really have much to say. My tests will be done tomorrow, and I'll finally be taking a break. :yay:

So that's good.

Anyways, thanks for reading. :heart:

Casual Conversations

"So, if you had magic, what would be the first thing you do?" I asked Remedy whilst connecting two wooden boards together.

"Probably learn how to use it." He said with a slight smirk and connected a triangle looking thing under a platform to the giant tree.

"Well duh, but I mean like, what would your reaction be? How would you use it? Would you even bother to use it?" I rolled my fetlocks a bit to get rid of the cramp.

"Eh, I'm too old to care about that kind of stuff. It'll be convenient, sure, but I won't bother too much with it." He replied with a shrug and nailed the platform to the triangle things.

How does he know where to hit it though?

"Seriously? You unlock, a literal, realm of possibilities, and the most you'd do is acknowledge it?" I ask, a bit flabbergasted at his answer. "Also, does this look right?" I quickly asked and held up the continuation of the platform.

"Yeah, that'll do, we can fill in the blanks later. And yeah, I really wouldn't care about surprises in my life. Got enough of it already." He finished his answer with a tone of emptiness.

I took a peek at him, out of both a small worry and curiosity. He had a bit of a hollow look as he stared off somewhere.

I slightly purse my lips as I stare at him. The last few days, I've noticed those weird little habits of him. He doesn't seem to notice it himself, but if I'm not actively conversing with him, he tends to get lost in his thoughts.

And, I don't think he sleeps much during the night. Though he makes up for it during the day. Somewhat.

"Alright then, what about wings?" I asked while acting chipper to change the topic.

He flinched as he heard my question and continued his work. Staying silent, I thought I'd triggered another memory or something as he didn't answer for a while.

Fuck. What else can I ask him about? I don't know him that well, and we've been talking for hours now. We've went through pretty much every topic I can think of.

"I'd fly." He finally answered, making me flinch as I looked at him again.

He had a small smile on his face as he had a reminiscing look. Soon enough, that drops as he focuses back on his work.

I let out a silent breath as I continue my own part.

'Not an interesting story' my ass! It'll probably be a best seller if he published it as a book.

As I resume putting wooden boards together for a more durable floor, or at least, that's what he said. I don't know, I'm just following whatever the guy said. Considering that he told me he's just been improvising everything here, it's the best to just do what he says since I don't know anything about it.

Hours pass as we continue our little project in the company of each others' questions and small talks. Without it, I'd probably be losing my mind over the boredom.

During that, I learned a few things about him. Most obvious is that he is incredibly blunt. He won't go out of his way to tell you your mane looks bad or something, but he will call it horrendous if you ask him. I wonder if Celestia would get me some shampoo, it has been a while since I've washed my mane.

I'll at least rinse it tonight.

*Thud*

He jumps down from the platform and looks up at it with a slight smile.

Yeah, that's pretty damn impressive since he built it in one and a half days.

"Alright, let's end it for today." He tells me and walks toward that camp.

"Sure." I answer and drop the things I was holding and follow behind him.

The walk back was uneventful as I just go without minding much. Though, a few thoughts were still swirling in my mind as I calmly passed by familiar trees. Things like, what the fuck is this part of the forest? Or can it just be credited to the usual instability of the Everfree? Then, who is Natural Remedy? What makes him so important?

I take a seat on a random log in front of the campfire and start putting twigs and such in it, then make a little tent like structure with bigger logs. Then hang a pot of water on the metal hook thing you put over campfires. Finally, I grab the matches from one of the tens of bags that are piled in the camp, and try to start a fire.

Lighting the gathered twigs on fire, I spread the sleeping bag and lay on it. I sigh in content as I feel my body relax.

I calmly watch on as the fire slowly starts to spread, rising higher and higher.

"Wait, how are we gonna start a fire if we live in a treehouse?" I curiously ask Remedy after remembering what we were building.

His hoof that was reaching a pot of fish stops as his face blanks upon the question. I still don't understand how he managed to catch so many.

Wait a damn second. Didn't he say something about making an axe without knowing what to do with it before?

"You, forget to think these things through, don't you?" I ask him with intrigue.

"Shut it." He tells me, losing the usual confidence in his voice.

I lose control and burst out in laughter at his embarrassed look.

"Wow. I might've just killed an entire ecosystem with that." I mutter to myself as I stare at the river water that quickly turned gray as soon as I started to wash my mane.

Turns out, all the moon dust was carried over, somehow. Eh, should be fine since it's a river. If it isn't, then it's no longer my problem.

Humming a little tune, I trot back to the camp. Feeling slightly happier from being free from my dirty mane.

"Oh." I let out a surprised sound as I feel rain starting to come in.

Hmmm, might be a pretty heavy one.

"Oh shit." I exclaim and start running towards the camp as it suddenly gets heavier.

As I think it couldn't get worse, it gradually gets heavy enough to feel like tiny pebbles were being dropped on me.

Why the fuck does rain just decide to get worse sometimes.

"Moon!" I heard Remedy yell my name.

Turning towards the direction his sound came from, I stumble through some shrubbery and end up at the giant tree.

"Oh, there you are. Get under here!" I followed his advice and took cover under the previously built platform.

Letting out a breath of relief, I slump down and lay against the tree.

"Good thing we built the floor before this happened huh?" I commented.

Eesh.

It's cold.

"Yeah, good thing we were diligent." Remedy replied casually and pulled out a slightly torn bag.

I was starting to shiver from the chill.

"Hey, think we can start a fire?" I ask and turn to Remedy.

"Yes." He said and pulled out a gem from his bag.

"A blessed emerald? Where'd you get it?" I asked him curiously.

"You know this thing?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, it's a thing only Zebras can do with their own magic." I explain to him.

"Huh. Didn't know that." He just mumbled and buried it in the ground.

With a hooffull of flame powder, he slammed it down and lit a fire. I inched closer to the fire and started to warm myself.

"Here." He handed me a metal container. "I was making some tea when the rain fell. So I just poured it all into these bottles."

"Heh, you did good, and, thank you." I told him and opened up the bottle, allowing steam to escape.

He flashed a calm smile and sat down at the fire, looking out into the forest.

I take small sips of the tea, finding it much better than the ones I tried brewing. Eh, different body, different taste buds.

A comfortable constant stream of sounds surround us as I just revel in the ambience. Rain like this really makes one sleepy.

I turned towards Remedy, thinking of bringing up a random topic to talk about, but stop as I look at him. He had a desperate look on his face as he kept on staring towards the heavy rain. Sitting in complete silence, his body was tense as he stared forward.

I took a peek at where he was looking, and found nothing out of the ordinary.

Great, he's thinking about something again. What is it though? There shouldn't have been anything too crazy happening during those thousand years. At least, none that I know of.

"Wanna talk about it?" I asked him, earning a flinch from him.

He turned to me with an empty look, staring straight at me. Felt like he was staring through my soul.

"I don't like heavy rain." He answered with a steady voice and looked forward again. "It reminds of me of snow." He added in.

I took a few moments to process what he said, and to figure out how rain could remind him of snow. Well, that one is understandable, I guess, sort of.

*BOOM*

I jumped from surprise as thunder struck through the skies.

As I was shaking, in anticipation, yeah. Nothing else. I heard Remedy laughing his ass off.

"Shaddap!" I turned to him with a frown.

"Su-ghrk, sure." He responded while trying to suppress his chortles.

I kept watching him try and fail to contain his laughter, my frown slowly loosening to annoyed acceptance. In the end, I gave a small smile as I saw him keep on laughing.

Good, I finally succeeded in stopping him from being consumed by his own mind.

"Ok, that's enough." I just state as he finally stops laughing after five minutes.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry." He just shrugged his shoulders and laid against the tree. "And, thanks, for that." He finished with a calmer tone.

I stared at him for a few moments, not really thinking much.

"No problem, it's just annoying to have you out of reality all the time." I gave a simple response and took a sip from the warm tea.

He gave a few chuckles and started drinking his own tea.

The ambience enveloped us once again, but was slightly awkward this time.

"So, I thought thunders were kind of your thing." Remedy suddenly spoke up, breaking the ice.

"Nah, that was Luna's, my thing is more, mystical, I suppose? I lean more towards my Nocturnal side." I gave a simple response.

"I see, any reason you're scared of thunders?" He asked softly, trying to keep the conversation going.

I thought of my next words as I thought of the reasons. Well, just one reason.

"When it rained in Nocturnus, for the first time, it really, really, rained." I was a bit nervous as I remembered how it happened.

"For the first time?" He confusedly asked.

"Well, you wouldn't know since it happened more than a millennia ago. Or maybe you would." I muttered the last part to myself. "Like a hundred more actually." I explained.

"Oh? What happened?"

"I, don't really wanna talk about that part." I answered slightly colder than I intended to.

He turned to me with a worried expression, and gave a simple nod.

I was distracted when more thunders suddenly rang out. Being concerned over my safety, I stared to the sky with my view being blocked by our shelter.

Being broken out of my trance, I felt something covering me. Looking behind me, I saw the sole sleeping bag being used as a blanket. Then suddenly, I was pulled sideways and felt myself leaning against something both soft and hard. A reassuring wall of fur, backed by a wall of muscles.

With the feeling of being protected, my body slowly loses its tension and I feel myself getting weaker.

"Good night." I heard him say in a hushed tone.

"Thanks, you, too." I muttered as my vision faded to black.

Author's Note

Alright, I'm alive, I think. :trollestia:

Now, first things first, some of you may be concerned over where our favorite Zebra has gone off to. Well, truth be told, I am terrified of writing her. :fluttershyouch:

When I first brought her in, it just had to happen, considering where the story itself was taking place. And writing scenes with her just straight up takes a monstrous amount of time, having to think of rhymes that work with the scene itself. AND THEY DON'T EVEN COME OUT THAT GOOD. :raritycry:

I remember, sitting down, thinking for literal days, coming up with dialogue for her when I first introduced her back in chapter 2. :trixieshiftleft:

So, yeah, that's the answer to where she's gone. I'll try to bring her back, but it's gonna be hard. I could think of something that does do it justice, like some kind of quest or something like that that she went on, but for now, she's gone. :moustache:

Finally, as always, thanks for reading. :heart:

Bird Cat And Lizard

I let out a delighted sound as I tried the latest batch of tea from Moonshine.

"You're getting better." I told her.

"Yes." She quietly celebrated. "Still can't get it as good as yours."

"I've made tea for forty years Moon, I just have more experience." I stated and took another sip.

It's actually quite good. With how easy it goes down, and the pleasant aftertaste.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're old." She said with a playful smirk.

"Right. And I'm only sixty, and still in my prime. You'll be wrinkly soon enough." I told her calmly.

"Bullshit." Ah, I think she got that one from me. "Even after a few centuries, I'll still be as beautiful as today." She finished with a smug expression.

"I doubt that." I told her with an impassive face.

"Fine, I'll bring you back from the grave when the time comes. Just so I can rub it in your face." She said with a challenging grin.

I finally broke and laughed out loud as her grin crumbled into laughter as well.

We soon stopped with a sigh and calmed down.

"Ahhh, we're so bored." She stated the fact.

And she was right. We were so dreadfully bored as we just lazed around under the previously built platform. As much as I would like for us to continue building our tree house, after the heavy rain last night, all our prepared wood became soaked.

I don't know how much it affects buildings, but I do know that wet wood brings out mold. Or at least, I know it's related.

"Try to imagine a fight scene from a book or something." I simply told her.

"What, like a foal?" She asked back.

"No, like a bored foal."

"The fuck, is the difference?"

"The bored part."

"Fine." With that, she fully laid on her back and stared upwards, a distracted look on her face.

I simply closed my eyes and started to loosen my body to try and go to sleep. I do need it somewhat after last night.

*Rustle*

Hmm?

I slowly opened my eyes back up and observed our surroundings. Seemingly nothing, but I heard some movement. Focusing on my hearing, the natural sounds of the camp slowly drown out as I focus on everything else. My hooves naturally go towards the axe as I stood up.

"Huh? What're you doing?" I heard Moon ask from behind me.

*Rustle*

My head whips to the source of the sound. Considering the last time this happened, I was more than ready to behead whatever that came in.

I slowly raised the axe, preparing to throw it.

"Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" Moon asked with an annoyed tone.

"There's an intruder here." I reply and focus on the sound.

"What?"

I respond by throwing the axe at the sound as it cuts through the air with a swishing sound.

A dull thud rings out, telling me I missed.

"WHAT THE BUCK!?" I heard somepony yell.

Who the hell uses 'buck' as a cuss?

"Dude. I think you just threw that axe at an innocent." Moon stated a bit anxiously as she stood next to me.

"Fuck." I cursed out loud and started walking.

I guess I've had my guard up too much since 'dying'.

"Finally, something to do." Moon jokingly said and followed suit.

"Anypony here!?" I asked out loud while tensing up to defend myself.

Because of my idiocy, whoever is here might attack.

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I-." There was a loud slapping sound and loud groan was heard.

I raised an eyebrow and got closer. Pushing away some shrubbery, I was met with a fearsome glare of a griffin who had, her, talons on her beak. Yes, the skull is feminine shaped. Like most griffins, her fur and feathers were brown except both her head and neck.

"What the? A griffin?" Moon was surprised.

"A griffin cuck." I now felt shittier since I saw the axe inches away from her head.

"A cuck? Seriously?" Moon asked with a slight smirk and an amused tone.

"Yes, that is the correct term." I told her with a bored voice.

She burst into laughter and started to joke around.

Ignoring her, I turned to the griffin, who, admittedly, had a right to have a scared glint in her eyes, as well as hostility. The area around her eyes were wet. Though, Moon doesn't seem to have noticed it.

"So, uhh." I started off a bit nervous. "I, apologize for throwing that axe." I finished it with what I hoped was an apologetic smile.

She stared back with disbelief and distrust clearly evident on her face.

Finally finished laughing her ass off, Moon leaned on my shoulder with her hoof and looked at our visitor.

"So, who are you child?" She asked casually.

"Why should I tell you!" She yelled back with a defensive voice.

"Because I asked?" Moon asked back sarcastically.

The griffin, cuck is too foalish for me to use now, only glared back, now with more anger than fear. That's, somewhat of a better development. Then it turned back to fear.

I let out a weary sigh and push Moon away first, earning a surprised yelp from her.

"Look, I thought you were some wild beast. I'm sorry I threw the axe." I apologized once again and held my hoof to her.

She alternated her gaze between me, my hoof and Moon, clear signs of distrust evident on her face. As seconds pass, Moon got up with a pissed expression and punched me in the shoulder. I barely felt it.

In the end, I let out another sigh and was about to put my hoof down. Surprisingly, I felt a somewhat weak grip around it. I let out a small smile and pulled her to her hooves, talons? Claws? Paws?

"So." She started with an extremely confused expression. "You're not, her mind controlled servant."

What?

Oh. Right.

"Uh, no. She's too weak to do anything big." I explained with a calm smile.

"Hey!" Moon shouted.

"Talk back when you can chop firewood." I simply told her.

She became pouty after that.

I turned back to the griffin looking at both me and Moon with a bewildered face, absolutely confused by what she was seeing.

"So, kid, what's your name? I'm Natural Remedy, by the way. That one is Moonshine." I asked the griffin child.

"Gilda." She said with a bit of hesitation. "And I'm not a cuck. And that term hasn't been used since like, a hundred years ago." She stated with a slight frown before letting go of my hoof.

Huh, could've sworn that's what that other griffin said.

"Sure." I simply shrugged and reached for the axe.

Gilda watched closely as I simply pulled it back and held it on my shoulder.

"If you'd like, you can join us for lunch back at our camp. As an apology of sorts." I asked carefully.

"You're really not gonna ask for my opinion?" Moon asked, her pout having gotten slightly bigger.

"Are you going to be cooking?" I asked her.

She seemed to think of a counter argument as she raised her hoof. Then seemed to shut it down by lowering it.

That elicited a chuckle out of me and I turned to our visitor.

"So. Will you be joining us?" I asked her.

"Depends, what are you going to make?"

"Some fish, from a nearby river." That seemed to win her over as I heard a slight growl from her stomach.

"Uh, sure, I'm down for a bite." She tried to act casual.

I gave a nod and turned to walk towards the big tree. The two followed behind, creating a rhythmic thumping sound on the ground. A continuous harmony that was soon interrupted.

"Hmm?" I stopped in my tracks and looked towards the source.

"What is it?" Moon asked.

"Should I be worried?" Gilda asked with hesitation.

I prepared to throw my axe, then I stopped after hearing Gilda's voice.

"I heard something over there." I simply told them.

"Just don't throw your axe at another innocent creature." Moon said with a teasing voice.

I only rolled my eyes at her antics. We've been, closer, after last night, I suppose. Either that, or the boredom of not doing anything for the whole day was driving her mad enough to open up to me.

"Hello? Anypo-, uh, anycreature here?" I corrected myself.

Not hearing a response, I walked closer as I slowly let my guard up. Suspense filled us as I slowly held the axe in front of me. Using it to push away some bushes, I let out an annoyed sigh at the sight.

"It's just a bunny." I said out loud and turned around.

And the two were no longer there.

Suddenly, something powerful slammed into me from behind me. I felt my body lift off as my vision became a blur for a bit.

BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK!

WHY DID WE HAVE TO ENCOUNTER A, WHATEVER THAT THING WAS.

I should've known something like this was gonna happen when I first saw this weird kinky version of Nightmare Moon. Speaking of her, Moonshine was it, isn't she gonna go back to her friend or something? Ponies like that sort of thing right?

As we both ran through dense trees, I felt parts of myself getting scratched by the low hanging branches and earning a few bruises from bumping into some trees.

Gah. If only I could get to someplace slightly less dense with trees, I could get the hay outta here!

Soon enough, I heard a masculine scream coming from behind me. Making the mistake of turning my head back, a sudden impact fell on my head. With my senses becoming muddled, I staggered a bit and fell to the ground as the world started spinning around. I saw a green blur crash into the tree I had ran into, and continue further out of my vision.

"Ughhh." Letting out a confused groan, I tried to move my body again.

Suddenly, I was yanked from my position and felt a sharp sting on my cheek.

"Ow!" I yelped and my mind started to wake up.

I felt and heard something loud falling right behind me. Craning my head, I saw the upper half of a tree laying down on where I just was.

"Get up kid! We gotta run from that hydra!" I was violently shaken by the mare.

"Got it! I got it!" I yelled back and grabbed her hooves before standing up.

Immediate regret came as I instantly felt sluggish and almost fell down again.

"Come on!" I heard her yell with frustration.

We both froze as an axe embedded itself on the trunk of the broken tree. That Natural guy was holding it as he coughed up some blood. He had plenty of small injuries and a large purple are around his chest. Breathing heavily, his eyes slowly traveled to us.

I don't know what it was, but something about his glare was extremely terrifying.

"A little warning would've been nice." He spoke to us with a rough voice.

Before I could think of a response, the ground trembled once again. The, hydra, I think, was walking towards us as its three heads roared to the sky. Its every step sent tremors strong enough to make my body jump on its own.

"Gilda." I heard him call me. "Get the fuck outta here before you die." He told me with a serious voice and walked forwards towards the beast.

"Don't tell me twice." Moonshine spoke up and tried to run.

Natural hooked her back with the axe. "Not you. I need you to act as a distraction." He told her with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Oh, come on!" She yelled with an annoyed face.

Although I was still slightly dizzy, I could tell by their faces. Moonshine barely cares about dying, and Natural is more angry than scared.

These two are crazy.

"I. Uh. Um. Good luck, I guess." Unable to find the right words, I told them that and started to walk away.

As much as I wanted to sprint, my body wouldn't let me. Flying would be even worse, since I can barely walk straight right now. So I took off at a slow pace.

"Alright Moon, we'll need to either take it down or drive it away before it does too much damage." Remedy told me as he took a running stance.

"Why do we care about the forest damage?" I asked him, more annoyed that I should've been about fighting a hydra.

Seriously. I hate that yellow color of it.

"Because we live here." He responded as if it was the most obvious thing. "Don't cut its head if it isn't necessary." He spoke up before running straight at it.

"Everypony knows that." I replied and ran after him.

How the fuck could I even decapitate it.

Remedy took the lead and climbed up a tree. Taking his signal, I ran up to the hydra and thought of a way to distract it.

"HEY!" I shouted as loud as I could. "WHY DON'T YOU FUCK OFF! YOU SHIT FOR BRAINS!" With that, I stared as the hydra heads slowly turned to me one by one.

OH SHIT!

Cussing in my mind, I rolled away as a head crashed into the spot where I had stood.

"You blind or something?!" I continued to annoy it.

At my insult, the head that crashed into the ground rose slightly and looked me in the eyes.

While shouting some other profanities, I picked up speed and started running. Weaving through the trees, I heard plenty of the forest being thrown away for the sake it chasing me down.

"REMEDY! WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU!" I shouted to the sky as I kept running.

I was only met with the stomping of the hydra and its roars. Loud thumping to the ground and a roar of anger.

Wait. That doesn't sound right.

After realising that the roar felt more pained than angry, I turned to look towards the hydra.

"What the fuck!?" I was absolutely shocked as I stared at the hydra with a tree sticking out of its chest.

It roared again at another direction. Following its roar, I saw Remedy picking up another tree with a somewhat sharpened end, creating a makeshift spear, or a stake. With a shout he threw it at the hydra. It smacked it out of the air.

I simply stared for a few seconds. "Holy shit." I muttered in shock.

"REMEDY! FUCK DO I DO!" I yelled the question.

"KEEP DISTRACTING IT! I NEED TO GET A CLEAR SHOT!"

"ALRIGHT!"

With my task at hoof, I took off towards the hydra, who was currently roaring and smashing its heads at the spot where Remedy was.

"HEY! WHY DON'T YOU GO SUCK YOUR MOMMA'S TITS! YOU BIG BABY! OR ARE YOU TOO MUCH OF A BITCH TO FACE HER!" Shouting another insult, I ran past the hydra who looked towards me once more.

Wait, that's only one head.

Realizing my mistake, I looked back and saw two of its heads roaring at the one in the middle. The middle one roared back with clear agitation in its voice.

As I was starting to get slightly nervous, I saw another tree flying through the air and stick itself into the hydra. All three heads roared in pain as it started to chase after Remedy once again.

I ran after it once again. Fuck, I'm tired.

Oh. Fuck.

I silently cursed in my mind as I stared at the jaw that was coming towards me.

After about half an hour of constant back and forth, I was finally caught as I was too tired from all that running.

The hydra started to fully focus Remedy halfway through, thus allowing itself to other dodge or block most of the tree spears Remedy threw at it. There were seven trees stuck in its chest in total.

Just as I let my guard down, I got caught by surprise. Staring at the slimy insides of its mouth, all I felt was an utter sense of disgust.

"FU-!" My scream was cut off as I was swallowed.

Gross. Gross. This is disgusting.

I could only complain in my mind as I struggled to get a grip on anything.

"YOU SHOULD WASH YOUR MOUTH OUT WITH SOAP!" I yelled out as I struggled to keep myself from puking at the pungent smell.

I feel so dirty right now.

"REMEDY! GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" I yelled in hopes of him finding out a way.

I felt myself going down through its neck. The walls felt so slimy.

"Eep!" I let out a surprised sound as an axe head stopped about a breath away from my face.

I watched as the axe was slowly pulled back outside, and two hooves came through the tear in the hydra throat. Pulling hard, he ripped it open as I finally got some fresh air.

I stared in slight awe as he stood there with the axe in his mouth, panting heavily whilst covered in blood. The sun shone behind him like he was some sort of angel.

"What the fuck?" I asked absentmindedly. "LOOK OUT!" I yelled as I saw another head rushing right in.

Without even a moment to think, I was thrown to the air by him as I screamed on the way down. Panicking, I unfurled my wings to at least glide on the way down. They creaked in pain as I hadn't used them for a while.

A groan escaped my mouth as I saw the ground fast approaching.

"Ok. How did Luna use her wings again?" Going off of memory, I tried to imitate flapping my wings the only way I knew how. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." Cussing my heart out, I started panicking more and more as the ground got ever so closer.

Right as I was about to hit the ground, I felt a rather weak impact as I closed my eyes.

"What the hay!?" I heard a rather rough voice speak out in shock.

I opened my eyes and looked at the pony holding me.

"Oh! The gay one!" I recognized the rainbow maned pegasus. "Thank you, so much." I hugged her tightly as we got down.

"Uhhhhh." She seemed to be extremely confused by something.

Letting go of her, I stood on the ground with a stagger. I never want to fly again.

"Get away from her, Rainbow!" I heard another familiar voice.

Just as I was about to speak up, I was hit by something as I flew away. Did the hydra catch up that fast?

Slamming into a tree, I stopped as I slowly down. Groaning heavily, I no longer had the energy to stand up.

"No! Don't shoot her. Shoot the bucking hydra." I heard GIlda yell out.

After hearing Gilda's yell, I turned my attention towards her. Although I was still mad about her being a jerk towards Pinkie, I still gathered the girls and went to the Everfree when she said that there were two ponies fighting a hydra.

As fake as it sounded, her injuries and overall tone told me that she wasn't lying.

"Do you even know who-"

My question was interrupted as I stared at the hydra that had fallen down. It had trees sticking out of its chest, one of its heads were cut off. It was still alive, just wounded badly.

As me and the girls, plus Gulda, all stared in shock, I saw something moving in its chest.

After confirming that the hydra was no longer moving, I started walking closer. I took a peek at Nightmare Moon to see her knocked down.

The others followed me and we stood in front of the spot where something was moving. It was like something was trying to get out.

"Eugh, gross." Rainbow complained.

To be honest, it did look rather gross.

"Should we do something about this?" Rarity asked with hesitation.

"Well, I can try a cutting spell." I explained and moved closer to aim my horn at it.

Only to be cut off as I saw a broken stick pierce through the skin and keep going. Aiming straight at me.

"TWILIGHT!" I heard my friends worried shout.

I involuntarily shut my eyes, expecting to feel a sharp pain of sorts. Only to feel nothing but a tap on my nose. Carefully peeking out, I saw the stick, barely touching my snout.

"Whew. Thank Celestia." I almost collapsed down as I saw the stick being dropped by a red hoof.

Looking towards the base, I saw another hoof sticking out as both hooves grip the hole that was torn through. I felt queezy as I stared at the blood that kept flowing out of the wound.

"Wait. Somepony's in there!" I had the sudden realization as I thought of opening the wound.

Then I stopped as I saw the tear get larger, and a loud yell as a red pony becomes visible. Heavily panting with blood flowing down through his body, he simply steps out with a fierce glare that sent shivers down my spine. His irises were a light green, and his pupils were a deep green.

I heard somepony puke behind me as I had my sights locked on the new pony. He slowly took a look around as I felt like there was a certain aura around him that terrified me. Something cold, and cruel. Something bloodthirsty.

"MOON!" He suddenly shouted, waking me up from my stupor.

"WHAT!" I heard Nightmare Moon yell in a tone I never expected from her.

"FUCK YOU FOR NOT WARNING ME!" He yelled back and promptly face planted to the ground.

Soon enough, I heard him snoring.

Author's Note

Finished another chapter. HOORAY! :yay:

So, I felt the need to write up an action scene, or something like that. So I satisfied it. Along with the need to actually progress the episode in a way that wasn't dramatic in an emotional way. :trollestia:

By the way, was it this hard to graduate 12th grade? Cuz I'm honestly surprised that I have this many tests from our countries government. :pinkiegasp:

Anyways. As always. Thanks for reading! :heart:

Some New Faces

Well. Shit.

I was on the defensive as I looked at the six ponies glaring at me. Sort of. I'm pretty sure they're terrified of me right now. Just hope they don't blast me with the fucking rainbow again.

"What are you doing here!" That gay one asked loud.

Okay, She's not scared at all.

"Ask the asshole when he wakes up." I replied back with a blank expression.

Their faces, except the pink one, took a small look of confusion. Then it quickly disappeared as, uh, what's her name again? She's the, one with the crown, the purple one. She stepped forwards as she stared at me with a glare. Which, honestly barely got a reaction out of me. She's too small to intimidate me.

"Don't try to change the subject with a new word. Tell us how you're here!" She yelled out the demand.

Apart from my head hurting like hell because of the concussion, I think that purple one hit me with a spell now that I think about it. I was extremely confused at the mention of a new word.

"You mean 'asshole'?" I asked back.

"Hey! She said no changing subjects, mister." The pink somehow closed he distance in a split second and glared at me before joining the others.

How the fuck?

I could've sworn she was right there.

"First of all, I'm a Miss. Secondly, I don't know. But I'm pretty sure it's got something to do with the barrier." I just gave a simple answer.

The one with the hat got a confused look as she whispered something to purple smart, who also looked like she couldn't understand something.

"How do we know you're not lying?!" The gay one got in my face whilst flying as she pointed an accusatory hoof at me.

"Can you not yell so loud? I still have a headache." I replied back with a slight frown.

These ones are starting to get annoying.

"Answer the question!" She yelled again and got even closer.

I took a step back to regain my personal space. She, still in the air, followed my every step.

"Do you wanna kiss or something!" I shouted out.

Seriously. She's starting to creep me out with how much she disrespected my personal space.

"Wha! Ew. No!" She spewed out as she flew a few steps back with a blush.

"Ow." I gave a flat response at her actions.

"Um. You should drink a lot of water, and have lots of rest after a concussion." That yellow pegasus, who I hadn't somehow noticed till now, spoke up.

Very softly, I almost didn't catch it.

"Thank you." I said and gave a smile.

She seems pretty nice.

She flinched and hid behind that marshmallow looking one before her head peeked out. "You're welcome."

Why is she so terrified? Oh right, the teeth.

"Fluttershy! Don't give advice to the enemy!" That marshmallow one told Fluttershy.

"How can we be sure ya'll ain't lying?" That one with the hat spoke up without a hint of fear.

"The same as always. You don't." I gave an answer and tried to move towards Remedy.

Ugh, he's covered in blood, which is also quickly hardening on his fur. That reminds me.

I took a quick sniff of myself, which I quickly regretted as I almost let out breakfast on the ground.

Fuck. I was still smothered in that disgusting spit of the hydra.

"I'm gonna take a wash." I told those six and started walking towards the river.

"Not so fast." The purple one spoke and put a barrier on me.

"Ugh." I groaned. "What the fuck do you want now, Purple Smart?" I asked, irritated.

Her eyes narrowed in response as a small frown adorned her face.

I glared back while controlling my bloodlust. I could be in deep shit with Remedy if he finds out I accidentally hurt a bunch of foals. Actually, how old are they? Twenty something is still a foal right?

"Look, I'm trapped in this part of the fucking forest. If you wanna pull me out, you're welcome to try." I told them in a bored tone, a bit tired from running all around the forest.

Maybe I should've tried dying at some point to, reset my body at some point.

"Alright. Can one of you at least try to wake up Remedy? Preferably the nice one." I said with a slight frown.

Taking a peek at Remedy once again, I started to ignore the six girls, I saw Gilda towering over Remedy with the bigger bucket. She poured water over him as he jolted up.

"Oh, good. He's awake." I commented and tried to move forwards.

Only to be stopped by the, dark pink? barrier.

I let out an audible groan as I sat on the floor.

"Let me out!" I yelled out.

"Not until Princess Celestia gets here." The purple one talked back.

Okay, this bitch is seriously getting on my nerves. She's not allowing me to wash myself, nor is she allowing me to check up on somepony.

"Seriously? She's gonna take hours to get here!" I complained and laid down on the ground.

Maybe I should just head to sleep. Let Remedy take care of this.

"Good afternoon." I heard Remedy say as he walked up here.

He looks like he's about to pass out.

"Fucking finally. Remedy, tell that purple bitch to let me out of here so I can wash up." I quickly told him.

He turned to me with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Fuck made you so mad?" He asked as he walked closer, Gilda next to him.

"Why do you guys keep saying 'fuck'?" Gilda cut in.

"It's just a habit." Remedy answered and turned towards the six. "So, why don't we talk this over some lunch?" He offered with a gentle smile.

Though, that didn't look as nice as it should've with all the blood covering him.

A few seconds passed as the six stared with some hesitation.

"Alright. We can stay for lunch." The purple one accepted for all of them as we started to move.

The bubble surrounding me was dragged on the ground.

"Now can you let me out?" I asked her.

"Not a chance." She replied without looking back.

"You can let her out. She's harmless." Remedy spoke up.

"You ass." I told him.

"We had this conversation before. You still can't chop firewood." He replied back.

"Tch." I clicked my tongue as the barrier fell down.

"Finally. I'm going to the river to wash myself." I told them and left.

"Hold on, two of us are going to go with you to make sure you don't run." Purple bitch spoke up.

"UGH." I loudly groaned. "Fine, Gilda, and Fluttershy, I think." I made my decision.

"What! Why me? And her?" Gilda asked with a small frown.

"Because you two are the only ones I like." I gave a simple reply and grabbed Gilda, who let out a surprised squawk at my sudden hold on her.

"No way. I'm coming with." That gay one spoke up.

She may have saved me before, but I just don't like her attitude. Especially since she kept violating my personal space. She stopped, but that doesn't mean that I have to like her.

"Fuck no." I refused.

"It's fine, her strongest attack is to run into you, and fall down before dealing damage." Remedy insulted my strength once again.

"Fuck you Remedy." I told him.

He ignored me.

"Yeah, she is pretty weak." I heard Gilda say as she just walked out of my grip.

Traitor.

"Alright, but I have a condition." Purple one finally accepted.

"What?" I asked.

Her horn lit up for a few seconds, then stopped after a flash. Her cutiemark now glowed on my chest. That purple creep better take this spell off before leaving.

"So." The pegasus that looks like a lesbian spoke up as she approached me. "Are you and her sleeping together?" She asked with a joking tone.

"Rainbow!" The orange farmer, and the white unicorn admonished Rainbow.

My mind blanked as I heard her question. A single mental image came to my mind before it got incinerated in the deepest parts of my brain.

"Hell no!" I replied, a bit louder than intended. "What the fuck gave you that idea?!" I asked loudly.

"The choker?" Rainbow said in a questioning tone.

Right. That thing.

"That, has nothing to do with me." I gave a reply.

"Your eyes aren't shining green anymore. Can you tell me about that?" The purple unicorn spoke excitedly with a notebook that she got from somewhere.

"My eyes were what!" I practically yelled the question.

Sometimes, ponies under the influence of bloodlust may mistake your eyes to be shining. But I've never heard of somepony mistaking it for green of all colors. That priest definitely said it was red.

"Yeah. They were glowing like whoooosh, and they gave me goosebumps." A pink blur said while shivering at the last part.

I simply stared forward, my muddled brain trying to catch up with everything.

"Alright, I don't know what you're talking about." I simply told them and turned towards the direction of the camp. "Camp's this way."

"Do you happen to have a house around here, or at the very least a tent?" The white unicorn asked in a posh accent.

"Nope. Been here for about two weeks now. Not enough time to build a house." I replied without looking back.

I hope she's not one of those fancy types who whine about everything. I don't have a problem with nobles, or fancy ponies. But they can be so annoying sometimes.

"Ya'll got a roof to sleep under?" The farmer asked me.

"I built the foundations of a treehouse. Works fine as a roof for now." I gave a simple answer.

"Well, if'n ya need help, ya can ask for help building the thing." She offered.

"Hmm. You guys are, awfully trusting for just meeting me. Especially after how you reacted to Moon." I spoke as I turned to them with a small glare.

Ponies don't usually just help like this. They feel suspiciously nice. Not too much, but still higher than normal.

"Well, Ah can tell. Ya'll ain't lying." She replied with a simple smile.

Pretty confident in that ability huh.

"You must be pretty close with Nightmare Moon to call her 'Moon'." The white unicorn asked.

Ugh. I can't keep calling them 'white one', 'blue pegasus' or something like that.

"What're your names? I'm Natural Remedy by the way." I introduced myself.

Introductions came soon as we finally made it to the camp. The second one, where I moved everything to.

"Here we are, my humble abode in the wilderness." I joked a bit as I grabbed a pot of water to boil.

"Wow. You built this in only two weeks?" Twilight asked with awe in her voice.

"Yeah, well, two days, actually, but I can say that it turned out good."

"No kiddin'. This is sturdy." Applejack complimented as she took a few steps on the platform.

"I improvised." I told them and moved to start a fire.

With a few sticks and leaves, I pile it into a little pyramid before grabbing matches.

"I can help with that." Twilight spoke and her horn lit up with a pinkish color.

With a whoosh, the sticks were lit on fire.

"Cool." I commented without thinking before gathering a few bigger logs and building another layer of wood for the fire to burn.

"Now that we have some time while you're preparing lunch, can I ask you some other questions?" She asked with a hopeful look.

She seems to be the scholarly type.

"Sure. Just, nothing too personal." I gave my consent.

"Understood." She nodded with serious expression before a smile appeared. "First question. Are you using a strength amplifying spell of some kind? Because you tearing the hydra's skin with your bare hooves and a stick seems unbelievable." She asked, her eyes practically shining in curiosity.

"I don't believe so." I answered. "It felt like I could do it, so I did. And it worked. It's like, knowing you can do a flip." I explained calmly as I peeled a few potatoes using the knife.

I threw away the peels into the fire.

"So, something like intuition?"

"Exactly like intuition." I said and brought out a three big pots.

Why did Celestia bring me so much cookware?

Did she also bring me any other vegetables?

I was a bit confused as I finally realized just how much stuff she brought. Seven different pots, two pans, two cutting boards, a spatula and ladle. Two sets of tea cups and a bunch of plates and bowls. They absolutely would've broken down by now. Some kind of magic was probably cast on them.

I searched through the bag and brought out some carrots. Two cloves of garlic, one big onion, mushrooms, bell peppers. What the fuck?

"Are you looking for something?" Twilight interrupted me as she stopped writing down on her notebook.

"No, well, yes, but I'm more confused about this bag." I replied and dug deeper into it.

I put my full leg in there, but I couldn't feel the bottom. Baffled, I just brought out a bunch of ingredients to use. Some broccoli, salt, black pepper, a bit of cheese and one lemon.

"Wow, that's a lot of stuff for that bag." Pinkie Pie, was it, commented and took a cupcake from inside of it.

I blankly stared as I tried to understand the situation. Didn't I have this bag like five days ago.

"Oh. It's got space expansion, and a preservation spell." Twilight spoke as she examined the bag.

She seemed to recognize something before shaking the thought away.

"Alright, second question. Were your parents both earth ponies?"

A risky question, but her curiosity is genuine I suppose.

"Mom was a pegasus, and dad was a unicorn." I replied and started peeling the carrots.

That's the best answer she gets, since I don't remember that far.

"Really?" She was confused by that detail.

"Mom didn't cheat. I can tell you that with confidence." I added with a small smirk.

"Oh no! I didn't meant to-!" She frantically tried to apologize.

"It's fine kid. I was just joking." I chuckled as I put the vegetables in a pot.

"Oh, alright then." She gave a sheepish chuckle. "Next question! Do you have a reason to stay in the Everfree forest. It's quite a dangerous place."

"You didn't notice the barrier?" I asked and pulled out the cutting board.

"The barrier?" She asked back.

"Yeah? You didn't notice? Pretty much everypony else who entered noticed it." I explained and started cutting up some of the ingredients.

"I. Didn't. Is it dangerous?"

"Not really, no. But it seems to choose random ponies to imprison. Like Moon."

"That reminds me. You still haven't answered the question." Rarity suddenly interrupted our conversation.

I looked at the platform, where the rest of the girls, minus Moon, one 'Fluttershy' and Gilda, were lazing on top of it.

"What question?" I asked.

"Are you close with Nightmare Moon?" She asked back with a curious glint in her eye and a tiny smirk.

She must be the type to enjoy gossips.

"First of all, her name is Moonshine." I simply stated. "And, sure. We're closer than when we first met at least." She seemed to be satisfied with that answer as she simply nodded and turned to the others.

"Moonshine?" Twilight curiously asked.

"Yeah. It's a weird name, but she liked it, I guess. So it just stuck." I explained as I finally finished dicing up everything.

I put equal parts vegetables in those three pots and filled them up with water before hanging them on the hooks above the fire. After sprinkling some salt and pepper on it, I closed all three lids and sat down with a basket full of fish.

"So, wait, you're stuck here?" Twilight suddenly asked. "Since you said that, Moonshine was stuck here." She said with a bit of uncertainty.

"Yeah." I replied without being too bothered. "Been easier than it should've been actually. I've had outside help, from a friend." I gutted open a fish, one that's the size of one my legs.

"That's fortunate. To have a friend who's thoughtful enough to travel inside the Everfree to help you." She commented as she almost puked from seeing me remove the intestines of the fish and throw it into the fire. "Who are they? Do they live in Ponyville?" She asked curiously while she forced her eyes to divert from the bloodied fish.

At least she understands that some of us here are carnivores.

"Probably not." I answered with a chuckle. "How deep am I in the forest anyway?"

"Not that deep. About a ten minute walk actually."

"Oh. That's good then."

"Alright, next question." She pipped up and she turned a page on her notebook. "What are some of those words you keep saying?" She asked curiously.

"Which ones?" I carefully asked as I finished deboning the sixth fish.

Should be enough for two.

"The ones you seem to randomly use. Like 'fuck', 'ass', and 'hell'. Those ones." She said those with such an innocent face that it irked me a tiny bit.

"Uh. Hmm." I struggled a bit as I thought of how I should explain those to her. She seems too innocent. "Ass is simple. It just means butt." I explained a bit hesitantly. She blushed a tiny bit at that. "Hell is just another word for Tartarus." Her reaction wasn't much at that. "And finally, fuck is just a cuss."

"Is it like, buck?" She asked slightly nervously.

Buck?

"Buck? You mean the hind kick?" I asked.

"Well, yeah. But it does have two other meanings." She explained as her words suddenly felt like a teacher's. "The first one is, pretty much what you said. Just a cuss. And the second one is, um." She stopped explaining as a flush appeared across her face.

"You mean sex?" I asked.

She almost did a spit take as she coughed a few times before nodding.

"Well, it's not really different then." I just explained.

"Mhm." She nodded and scribbled in her notebook.

"Are you kidding me!? That was so cool!" I heard a yell and looked at the platform again.

Rainbow was in the air with an excited smile on her face as she seemed to arguing with the three others. Well, two others since Pinkie Pie seems to be just peacefully enjoying a snack, whilst talking. I have zero clue how that pony even functions.

Rainbow's eyes met mine for a split seconds before she looked away and sat back down, away from my sight. Huh, did I somehow manage to offend her?

"Anyways, last question!" Twilight flipped to another page. "This one is more like a personal interest." I raised an eyebrow at that. "You seem really experienced with lots of things, especially the way you handled that knife. Can I ask how you got so good at it?" She asked with genuine interest.

My mind came to a halt as I heard her question. My face must've blanked since I reflexively hid my emotions. A small bout of silence passed, and I knew I should say something.

"It's," I thought of the next words. I wanted to lie, but I wouldn't let myself. "It's just, experience. Lots of, experience in life. I'm quite old you know." I managed to bring my mood back up and said a joke.

"I see." She said with a slightly serious expression. Then her eyes widened as she stammered a bit. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean that you're, old or, it wasn't my intention to." She started to struggle to come up with an excuse.

As I stared a bit, a few chuckles escaped my mouth before I started to laugh it out. She seems to be quite a dork, an absolute bookworm.

Oh yeah. That reminds me of something.

"Hey." After calming down, I called her out. "Did you just move from Canterlot by any chance?"

"Yeah, I just moved to Ponyville last week. How did you know?"

"Eh, just call it intuition." So she's Celestia's student.

Pretty coincidental, meeting her here. And with that knowledge, I can see why Moon doesn't really like these girls.

She narrowed her eyes at me for a few seconds before shrugging and turned her attention to the fire. A few seconds pass as I start to make out whatever the other four were talking about up there.

Something about suits, and a party.

"How old are you anyway?" Twilight suddenly asked.

"I'm exactly fifty this year." I answered.

"Really?!" She asked, definitely shocked.

"Yeah?" I just gave an answer.

"You don't look like you've barely gone past your thirties though!" Rarity suddenly cut in as her eyes had a frantic look. "Tell me your secret!" She practically yelled the demand.

"I don't know. Workout?"

"He ain't lyin'" Applejack commented on the side with a joking tone.

"If you're so old, how are you so strong?" Rainbow asked as she suddenly got closer.

"Workout?" I gave the same answer with a slightly nervous smile.

I guess mares care a lot about their looks. Except for Rainbow Dash, apparently.

Author's Note

FINALLY! :flutterrage:

I finally wrote a chapter. I'm so sorry for updating so late. :fluttershysad:

Three things factored into why this was so late. The first one was basically the fact that my SAT exams are around the corner. So I'm spending about half my free time preparing for this damn thing. :ajsleepy:

Secondly, I just didn't like this turned out at first. :moustache:
The first draft started out in the POV of Twilight, but I ended writing her like she was some sort of psycho, obsessed with magic. Let's be honest, she kind of is, but the way I wrote her made this chapter look like a crack fic. So, I erased like a thousand words and restarted. :pinkiecrazy:

Third, probably the only one I could've put off actually. Basically, I had to go to my aunt's during the weekend. So, I was away from my pc, and ain't no way in hell I was gonna write in a computer that ain't mine. I'll be long dead before anyone I know personally finds out I write fanfic. :pinkiesmile:

I did write on my phone, but I couldn't really get a good idea on how I should write. Hence, how I wrote like I was high the first time. So, I ended up writing a short story. :pinkiegasp:

It's called 'Wounds'. Check that out if you want to. :duck:

Just a little personal advertisement lol. :trollestia:

Anyways, thanks for reading. As always, I'll hope to see you in the next chapter. :heart:

River Talk

"Hmm. Those three sure are taking quite the while to come back." Twilight spoke up as she put down a steaming cup.

"Yeah, lunch will be ready soon. Wonder what's taking them so long." Remedy replied as he flipped the sizzling fish on the pan.

"Should we go check on them?" Rarity asked.

"If we do, one of you girls will have to go." Remedy told them.

"Why?" Rainbow asked as she stretched whilst getting up.

Remedy took a second on how he should say it. "I'm a male." He simply stated.

"Oh, right." Rainbow admitted casually and took off.

"Wait! Rainbow!" Applejack yelled after her.

Rainbow didn't hear her as she flew off into the distance.

"Pretty sure that's like, the opposite direction." Remedy commented with a bemused smile.

"It is." Twilight admitted.

Applejack let out a tired sigh as she stood up. "I'll go." She declared and started to walk towards the river.

"You are so adorable!" Moonshine said with glee as she held Fluttershy, who had a frozen smile and nervous eyes, in her grasp.

Moon held her in a tight hug whilst they were submerged in the warm waters of the river.

"You might wanna let her before you make her faint." Gilda suggested with an amused smile as she was drying off with a big towel.

"She doesn't want to. Right Flutters?" Moon asked with a confident smile, completely ignoring the expression of the terrified pegasus in her grasp.

Fluttershy simply looked upwards out of reflex, only to shrink down almost instantly at the sight of her smile. More specifically, the sharp teeth Moon had. With even more fear filling her, she silently prayed for somepony to save her as she vigorously nodded.

"See?" Moon asked with a prideful smirk.

Gilda playfully rolled her eyes as she hung the towel on a low hanging tree branch. Only to spot seven others on the same branch.

"Uh, why do you have so many towels?" Gilda asked.

"Ask Remedy. Pretty much everything on the camp is his. Don't know why he has so many towels though, he doesn't even use them. I just hang them there since I only use it here anyway." Moon replied as she regretfully let go of Fluttershy to get out.

Fluttershy, slightly relieved from no longer having a carnivorous goddess holding her, just carefully took a towel and started to dry herself.

"Honestly, he's a bit of a weird guy." Moon added in.

"What do you mean?" Gilda asked without thinking much.

"Well. He's got his, quirks, to say the least." Moon just casually moved on to draping Fluttershy with the biggest towel.

Gilda took a moment to think of her impression of Remedy. "I guess he's violent?" She guessed.

"Eh, sorta. He was pretty jumpy when he threw that axe at you." Moon explained with a casual tone.

Fluttershy just silently accepted her fate as she held a still face while being dried off. Gilda took a silent pity for her, but she would never admit it.

"Right." Gilda replied with a nervous smile.

"Hey, really, I'm not lying. He was basically brooding before we met you." Moon continued.

"Brooding?" Gilda asked.

"Yeah. From what I can tell, he's got a juicy story to tell. Just, he doesn't want to tell it." Moon said in a slightly complaining tone. "Done." She exclaimed and sat down Fluttershy in front of her.

"Juicy story huh?" Gilda muttered. "Who the heck is he to be having something like that in this age." Gilda blurted out.

"Apparently somepony strange enough to know me, ehh, Nightmare Moon, personally. Even after a thousand years." Moon just casually replied as she started running a comb through Fluttershy's mane. "Don't move too much Flutters."

Fluttershy let out a tiny eep as she fully froze up. Gilda looked shocked at the new info.

"Wait wait wait. Personally?" She asked, bewildered.

"Yeah? It's a bit muddy, but I can still remember his glare." Moon replied as she shivered a bit at the last part. "He was terrifying. But anyways, yeah. That look definitely held recognition, and deep, and I mean 'deep', hatred. Who knows how I ended up as close to him as I am." Moon explained with a slightly troubled frown. "Do you want braids?" Moon asked with a slightly cheery tone.

"Um, yes." Fluttershy finally managed to squeak out a reply.

Moon's expression visibly brightened up at her reply.

"That sounds, incredibly suspicious. You do realize that?" Gilda asked incredulously.

"Uhh." Moon froze for a second as her hooves worked on Fluttershy's mane. "Yes?" Her reply sounded more like a question.

Gilda simply stared for a few seconds, processing the weight of her next words. "You're an idiot." She simply stated.

"Hey, screw you too." Moon responded with a slight frown.

"No. Seriously." Gilda spoke with a slightly exasperated expression. "He's somepony that apparently knows a pony from a thousand years ago. Isn't an immortal alicorn. He also heals in a fight, as an earth pony. Doesn't that ring a few bells?" Gilda asked with an irritated face.

"Okay, first of all. He doesn't heal in combat. I don't know how much of this I should be telling you, but I can assure you that Remedy isn't some immortal god hiding in the forest." She explained slowly whilst she grabbed a few flowers growing nearby. "Secondly, yeah, he's suspicious as fuck. But I'm a literal goddess that made a deal with another goddess, and got ourselves trapped on the moon for a millennia. So I can't judge." She finished explaining.

"You-, but, what?" Gilda couldn't fully comprehend her reasoning.

"Also, when did he heal?" Moon asked as she stuck a few daisies in Fluttershy's mane.

"During the hydra thing. Pretty sure his chest was broken or something, since there was a huge purple bruise on it." Gilda replied.

"Huh. Anyways, what do you think?" Moon shrugged it off as she presented Fluttershy.

"Oh!" Gilda was actually surprised to see her new style. "You practice often?" She asked.

Moon gave Fluttershy a small hoof held mirror, who in turn, had a pleasantly surprised expression.

"Used to." Moon responded with a slightly somber tone. "But that doesn't matter! We should be heading for lunch right now anyways." Moon exclaimed as she picked up Fluttershy and placed her on her hooves.

"Um, thank you." Fluttershy uttered out with a small smile.

"No problem." Moon replied happily and took the lead.

Author's Note

Hey guys.

Now, most of you are probably concerned about the length of this chapter. Or the particular lack of it. :trollestia:

But, my SAT exams are this Saturday. So this chapter is something more like, on the fly. Wrote the second half of it during class lmao. :duck:

So, thanks for reading. :heart:

Barely A Week

"Haven't you been doing this for like, a week at best? How'd you get it so good?" Moon asked as she ate pieces of her meal from a plate.

"Just practice I suppose." Remedy answered with a slight chuckle.

"No, really, this is good. It has so many flavors!" Pinkie exclaimed as she finished her portion in a single gulp.

Sounds of agreement came from the camp as Remedy had a simple smile on his face.

"Well, if you want more. There's still some left." He offered to Pinkie, who gave him her bowl.

Pinkie was somehow on the underside of the platform, hanging on with only the tip of her tail. Twilight was enjoying the how bowl of soup, half forced by her friends to put her notebook down. Applejack was arguing with Rarity over what kinds of clothes one should wear in the countryside. Rainbow was taking a nap after wasting most of her energy circling the river about six times before returning to camp.

Fluttershy, now having her entire mane braided to the side with a few daisies pricked into it, was peacefully enjoying the calm atmosphere of the camp. Moon, to the utter astonishment of Fluttershy's friends, had laid down next to her without causing any kind of issues.

"Well, we best be headin' back 'bout now. Don't want the others to worry." Applejack spoke up.

"Oh yeah. We have been gone for longer than usual." Twilight commented.

"Yes, it's close to feeding time." Fluttershy agreed.

"Aw." Moon let out a disappointed sound as she let go of Fluttershy.

"I'll come visit again." Fluttershy told her.

"Okay"

"Yeah, still weird." Rainbow commented with a small yawn.

"I do like the new mane style though. Très élégant." Rarity added in.

"Well, we'll see you two later then." Twilight said to Remedy, who calmly nodded with a smile.

"We'll be waiting, and, travel safe." Remedy replied and pointed to where they came from.

"Thanks." Twilight said and she lead the rest of them out of here.

Moon and Remedy sat patiently, waiting for the girls to slowly disappear out of vision. Exactly ten minutes later, when they were both sure that they were gone, Moon spoke up.

"So, what the fuck was that?"

"What do you mean?" Remedy replied casually.

"The tree throwing? Or how about, ripping open a hydra's throat. I know you weren't that strong before." Moon explained with a slight frown.

"Well, I hate to disappoint, but the only answer I've got is that, I felt like I could do it, so I did it. Nothing else." He moved to sit next to the fire.

"Seriously? No, hidden magic technique, or, some kind of bullshit at the same level?" Moon asked incredulously.

"Nope. As far as I can tell, this is new." He drank lukewarm tea.

Moon stood silent for a few seconds. "And you're not worried about it?"

"Not really. Not right now at least." Remedy replied as he held back a yawn.

"Oh, you're actually tired." She said as Remedy went to grab his pillow.

"Oh." Remedy let out a sound as his hoof froze mid air.

"Oh yeah. She looked tired, so I told her to take a nap in the bag." Moon commented.

"Well, she'll definitely need the rest after the concussion." Remedy spoke and took his hoof away from the sleeping griffin. "Guess I'll hit the hay for today." Remedy said with a yawn as he climbed up to the platform. "You gonna join?"

"Eh, sure. I could use a nap." Moon accepted and climbed the stairs after him.

With a big stretch, Remedy laid down on the ground with his hooves under his head. Moon followed suit as she laid down next to him, looking up.

"So, any idea what those fruits are?" Moon struck a conversation.

"None." Remedy replied stoically.

"That," *Yawn*, "is probably a sing that we know too little."

"Probably." His tone remained stoic.

"Well, damn then." Moon ended the talk, noticing that Remedy wasn't in the mood.

Moon stretched slightly whilst laying down, earning a few cracks from her back. She laid still, and closed her eyes. Only to open them back up again as she stared at the orange sky, evidence of sunset. Despite letting out a few yawns, she couldn't seem to quiet be able to sleep.

"You're tired, go to sleep." Remedy suddenly commented, startling her a bit.

"I can't." She replied.

"I see. Try anyway." He spoke in a soft voice.

"I am." Moon gained a slight frown on her face.

A few seconds of silence went on as Moon became slightly agitated. Remedy stayed silent, a pure blank face with his eyes closed.

Just as Moon was about to speak up, Remedy asked a question.

"You seem to like that Fluttershy one. Any reason why?"

"The fuck? What's that have to do with anything?" Moon said incredulously.

"Well, nothing." Remedy replied as his eyes opened the tiniest bit. "So?" He insisted.

Moon stared at Remedy, disbelief evident on her face before she shakes it away.

"Well, I don't fucking know. I just thought she was cute, and she was the only one who was nice to me." She replied with an annoyed face.

"I see." He replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Moon suddenly asked back.

Remedy's eyes flicked towards her as he took note of her sudden aggression.

"Do you know what a hug is supposed to be?" He suddenly changed the topic, befuddling Moon.

"What?" Moon asked, fully confused by the question.

"A hug. Do you know what it means?"

"Yeah? I mean, you hugged me during that rainstorm. I still remember that." Moon replied, losing all aggression without realizing it.

"Do you want one?" Remedy asked casually.

"What? Why would I-? No." In the end, she declined.

"Are you sure? You seemed like you needed it." He insisted.

Another small period of silence passed as Moon had a confused look on her face. She kept opening her mouth to decline, but she found herself closing it back without letting out a peep.

Remedy simply pulled her in and held her head to his chest. Moon tried to refute, but she only sighed silently before relenting and closing her eyes. They gently passed the next few seconds as the leaves of the trees blocked the sunlight and the gentle breeze cooled their bodies.

"I need to use it." Moon suddenly spoke up.

Remedy burst into laughter as he let go of Moon, who quickly ran down the stairs with a red face.

"Bring the tea when you come back!" Remedy yelled after her while trying to hold back his laughter.

"Oky, so, connect these." Remedy calmly guided Moon, who held a hammer and a wooden construction in her hooves.

"Got it." She replied and hammered in a nail.

"Then you'll connect it together with the other one."

"Mhmm." She replied and pulled a wooden pillar to her. "Where's the, triangle thingies?" She asked.

"Here." Remedy replied and gave her a support structure.

Moon silently aligned the things together, and with Remedy's guidance, she was successfully building a pillar.

"Hey, Remedy?" She called out.

"Yeah?" He called back nonchalantly.

"How did you know?"

"How'd I know what?"

"I don't know. Everything, I guess? You always somehow know something is wrong."

Remedy's hooves stopped mid air as a nail threatened to fall down.

"Experience. Lots of it."

"But, how is what I'm asking you. Anytime somepony has a problem, you just, seem to know."

There was a small period of silence. The quiet winds dominated the area as Moon held a small grimace on her face. With a silent sigh, she turned to look at Remedy, who held a blank look on his face. His gaze was still as an indescribable emotion flashed through them.

"Are you-"

"As I said. It's just experience." Remedy interrupted her with a cold voice as the area suddenly felt colder.

Moon opened her mouth to say something, yet no voice came out. In the end, she only nodded and returned to her work.

*Rustle*

"Hello." A sudden voice surprised the two.

"What the-? Oh. It's you." Moon grew a slight frown on her face as she ignored the visitor.

"Twilight. Great to see you again." Remedy's blank face disappeared as a small smile overtook it.

Moon glared at Remedy for a few seconds, but ultimately let it go.

"Yes, you too." Twilight said back in a slightly tired tone as she sat down in front of the extinguished campfire. "Actually, I came here to ask your opinion on something." She said with clear exhaustion on her face.

"Shoot." Remedy spoke as he stood up and tapped Moon on the shoulder.

"You deal with it." Moon replied with annoyance.

Remedy looked for a moment before sighing lightly and sat opposite of Twilight. Twilight herself had a troubled look on her face she stared at Moon before eventually sighing. She knows she's pretty much never going to be able to build that bridge with her.

"So, what seems to be the problem?" Remedy asked.

Twilight was a bit conflicted about just leaving the matter there, but decided to move on since there was nothing she could do about it.

"It's, well. I just needed to hide for a bit." She started off slow.

"From what?" Remedy asked with curiosity.

"From, how do I explain it. My friends want me to do something, but I really don't want to." She explained with a sheepish look. "It's, selfish, but doing it would just be me bragging about it."

Remedy took a moment to register her words as he thought of the situation. Seconds pass with nothing but silence between the two as Moon takes a break from building structures.

"What do you don't want to do?"

"I don't want to brag." Twilight answered hesitantly.

"Brag?" Remedy asked, a bit befuddled.

"I know, it sounds weird when I say it out loud." Twilight was slightly flushed while explaining.

Moon rolled her eyes with clear annoyance before deciding it was time for a wash. Though, the other two were left confused since she said nothing and left.

Remedy sighed with a quick shake of his head to clear his mind.

"So. You need to do something, but that means you'd be bragging, which you don't want to do." He resumed as he started to boil some water.

"Yes. Well, I don't need to do it. But I should."

"How badly?" He asked and brought out a chopping board.

Twilight took a moment to think of the answer. "I need to defend my friends' pride?" She stated it almost like a question.

"Huh." Remedy let out a sound as he pondered the answer. "Exactly what is it that you need to do?"

"It's really stupid. I need to show-off my magic." She answered with a flat face.

"Magic? So you met an, entertainer?" Remedy suddenly asked as he started chopping some leaves.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Twilight gave a smile at the answer.

"You said pride and magic. So, I got a guess." He spoke in a nonchalant voice. "Then the issue is simple. They probably gave a show, challenged a few hecklers and ended up humiliating them. That's their job." He explained calmly.

"So I shouldn't do anything?"

"Pretty much." He answered and poured the chopped leaves into the water. "How was the performance?"

"Not that bad actually. Sure, the magic was a bit elementary, but she was really good at controlling them." Twilight answered as her eyes took an analysing look.

"Sounds fun. She say anything about defeating some grand foe? Like a, I don't know, giant snake? Or, one of the constellations?" He asked with a small smirk.

"Uh. She said she vanquished an Ursa Major." Twilight answered lightly.

Remedy gave a small chuckle. "Either she did it this morning, or she's lying. Since I saw the Ursa Major in the sky last night." He stirred the pot lightly before adding a small amount of salt.

"Wait. So, destroying a, constellation, makes it disappear in the sky?" She asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Uh. Yeah." His answer got slightly cold before he shook his head to clear it.

"Wow. And, what is the Ursa Major?" She asked with interest.

"It's a, I think it was a bear. I didn't pay too much attention in astrology." He gave an answer as he poured in steaming tea to a cup.

"Thank you." Twilight said as she received a cup.

With a small hum of joy, they enjoyed a silent period of tea. Letting out a content sigh, Twilight relaxed as she held a satisfied grin on her face.

"So, that take away your stress?" Remedy asked with a joking tone.

"Yes it did." She answered happily. "I want to know more about these constellations. I'm pretty sure Ursa Major isn't in the modern classification system of constellations." She explained happily before running off.

"What? Wait!" Remedy tried to yell after her, but the frenzied mare was already gone.

Silence enveloped the camp as Remedy stood there with a thoughtful expression.

"Wait a fucking minute." He angrily muttered to himself as a small grimace overtook his face.

"What're you yelling about?" He slightly jumped as he heard a sudden voice speak from behind him. "Woah. I never thought I'd actually sneak up on you." Moon spoke with a surprised voice.

"That doesn't matter." Remedy spoke seriously.

Moon's face turned serious in turn as she waited for his words.

"When did they change the star system?" Remedy asked without a hint of change in his expression.

Moon thought for a few seconds, before ultimately coming to an answer.

"I don't fucking know. Somewhere in the thousand years?" She replied with a questioning tone. "Is this related to why I couldn't find Canis the other day?"

She, however, didn't receive an answer as Remedy's face turned blank. A perfect stone face as his eyes unfocused.

"Um, you good?" Moon asked with a hint of worry.

"WHAT THE FU-"

Author's Note

Yo!

I'm alive and I've finished my SAT exam, which I'll be using as my score in my final exams. As for how I did, I'm just a little more dead inside. :pinkiecrazy:

Anyways, I think I've sprinkled some hints about Remedy's backstory. Take a guess at what is it if you want to. Winner gets a personal congratulations from me. Lol. :trollestia:

And as always, thanks for reading. :heart:

A Royal Day

"Oh dear." I mumbled to myself as I stared at a piece of paper.

The edges were burnt, and most of the contents were unreadable. Yet, the only readable parts were the most useful.

"Whatever is the problem, sister?" Luna asked from her throne.

"It appears, a friend of mine, has a problem much more complicated than I first presumed." I answered with a small frown.

The very last copy of the residents of Cremo Village.

"Green Garden. Who art, um, who is this pony?" Luna asked again, catching herself .

I let out a quiet sigh as I quickly debate whether I should answer truthfully or not.

"He is a late resident of Cremo Village, and this is the last registry of the place." I explained calmly.

She flinched at the information before looking away. I couldn't see her face, but I could feel her sorrow.

"I see." She answered with a quiet voice.

*Bam*

A guard came in while panting as he slammed the gates open.

"Your Highnesses!" He started his report with a shout.

"Speak." Luna commanded him.

His eyes traveled to Luna for a single moment before they set upon me. It seems it'll take time before anypony trusts Luna once again.

"A cloud of smoke has been reported to be coming from the mountains west of Ponyville." He gave his report as he caught his breath.

"I see." I replied.

There are lots of reasons a cloud of smoke could form. The pegasi would've noticed if it came from a fire. That amount of smoke from magic would be too difficult to not notice. Then, the most likely answer is.

"A dragon." Luna suddenly spoke up.

I saw the guards currently present widen their eyes in shock at the answer.

"My sister is correct. An elder dragon is the most likely answer." I backed her up. "Those old ones are too prideful to care about a single creature except themselves." I calmly explained as I brought up a scroll and feather.

With a burst of dragon fire, the letter was sent away to Spike.

"Are you sure it is wise to make thine student take on this problem?" Luna asked me cautiously.

"I'm positive." I answered nonchalantly.

Not a single dragon of the older age would dare to hurt a pony. At least not seriously. Else they'd face me.

"Hmm. If you're sure." Luna replied.

I simply nodded in response as I turned to look through the stained windows. Though, my eyes slowly travel to the southern direction as I suddenly realize the amount of stress I've felt recently, even if it started just about a week ago.

About the time I last visited Remedy.

"Would all of you be willing to give us some privacy?" I told the guards as they swiftly emptied the throne room.

"Did you wish to speak to me sister?" Luna asked.

"Yes. How would you feel about visiting a friend of mine in the Everfree? Close to the area we used to play in."

As I kept staring out the window, I got slightly worried as I didn't hear an answer for a while. Thinking that something may have gotten her attention, I turned towards her.

She held a small frown as she stared downwards with a saddened yet fierce glare.

"It seems you've met him already." I stated as her expression hardened.

"I am not welcome in his domain. You will have to visit him alone." She spoke as her glare turned almost deadly.

At this small display of bloodlust, I reassured her with a simple hug. Looks like I didn't get the chance to tell her about Nightmare Moon, or, Moonshine, as Remedy called her.

Seriously, who names themselves after a booze. Especially one that took so many lives just from its production alone.

I was suddenly woken from my thoughts as I heard a rather crude noise coming from my sister.

With an amused chuckle and a single sigh, I held her tightly before teleporting her to her bedroom. She may be pushing herself too much trying to catch up to her duties. With that taken care of, I bring the paper back as I examine the contents I'd already cruised through a few times.

"Either he lied, or there was a mistake." I mumbled as I read it once more.

Civilian Registry

Green Garden

Age-35

Married to Storm Chaser (36) since 984 AU.

Son named Bright Idea (8) born on 989 AU.

Son named Floral Green (Real name unknown. Real age unknown), adopted (Presumably) on 997 AU. (Read further for more details)

Owns plant shop named Floral World on the Merchant Street.

Reported to have brought an unknown colt in Cremo General Hospital on June 17th. 997 AU. Report showed that the colt was malnourished, dehydrated, extreme signs of frostbite, signs of poison consumption, heavy bruises on the soles of his hooves and dozens of small physical injuries. The attending doctors, Dr. Green Cross, Dr. Calm Mind, Dr. Tight Splint and Dr. High Medical, along with dozens of nurses managed to heal and cure the colt of all injuries and illnesses. Later, Dr. Calm Mind, wrote a psychological report, indicating that the colt wasn't shy, but rather traumatized. Report as follows:

Psychological report on, (Floral Green). June 24th.

Extremely defensive. Will get aggressive if he suspects somepony is trying to harm him.

Signs of anxiety from a traumatic event. Questions any and everything while not giving a single answer about himself. A brief observation revealed that he is extremely aware of his surroundings, sometimes knowing even more than the staff themselves.

Trust issues. Refused to take any pills or injections until he was absolutely sure he'd be fine. Dr. High Medical had to go on sick leave after trying to prove that the medication wasn't poison by taking the medication himself.

PTSD. Possibly taken by foalnappers as he showed signs of trauma at the sight of a mare with a collar attached to a chain (Two assholes from roo Two fools couldn't hold back until one healed). Seemed to despise (IMPORTANT) magic to the extreme. Strangely enough, this only applied to unicorn magic, even after being informed of how magic is around us at all times.

Violent tendencies? (Most likely trauma related) Most times, his answer to even the most basic problems seem to be physical harm.

Small Clues: (May be useful clues to find real home)

Loves tea. Hates magic unicorn magic. Likes stuff foals his age would normally hate. Strangely unfamiliar with even the most common things (Few examples include thin blankets, cold drinks, needles being used on ponies).

End of Report.

"Just who are you?" I asked the question out loud as I calmly stepped out of the throne room, the registry floating right infront of me.

"Finally!" I heard a shout as nobles swarmed the door.

"Today's Day Court has been cancelled." I simply stated before teleporting to my room.

Taking a deep breath as I loosen my body slightly, I stretch as bones crack throughout my body.

As I prepare myself mentally to leave, I already start to feel a headache forming from all the problems that this could cause. Well, at least most of it would be personal problems rather than national. Actually, I think that's worse.

Raven is gonna be so pissed with me once she comes back from her vacation. Though, maybe forcing her to go to that Manehattan tour wasn't the best way to go about it. The stars know she needed to rest though.

"Guards." I spoke out loud after collecting myself.

The pair of guards standing outside my door walked in swiftly with hardened looks as I magicked a bag to me. They saluted instantly as their spears roughly landed on the ground.

I really can't tell whether they should chill more, or be more disciplined.

"YES YOUR HIGHNESS!" They shouted loudly.

"Could one of you go inform Stirred Pot to prepare the usual presents?" I enchanted the bag with the usual spells and floated it over to them. "Tell him to pack it in that." I ordered.

"UNDERSTOOD!" They yelled and saluted before slamming the door on their way out, making me flinch slightly from the impact.

"Yeah. There definitely needs to be a change in their training." I commented to myself before heading out.

"Auntie." I was suddenly greeted. "I was just on my way to see you."

"Blueblood!' I spoke up excitedly. "I have not heard from you ever since that High Hoof incident." I gave him a tight hug as he struggled in my grasp.

"Auntie! Let go!" His protests were simply adorable, but I haven't seen him for atleast a week.

"Why haven't you been writing to me huh? You seeing a mare?" I teased as I finally let him go.

He took a moment as he caught his breath. Huh, maybe I hugged him too hard.

"In a sense." He simply answered.

I froze for a few seconds as my face remained a perpetual smile.

"Wait! Not like that." Blueblood suddenly spoke up with a flustered face.

"Oh my stars!" I couldn't contain myself as I grabbed him once again. "Who is she? When did you meet her? How long? What's she like?" I let out a barrage of questions in excitement.

He hasn't let a single pony in his life except me in, well, forever.

"Auntie! I told you, it's not like that!" He cried out.

Damn it.

"Well? What did you mean then?" I asked him.

"It's the mage I told you about, Joyful Light. We've been trying to copy the barrier." He explained with a slight frown on her face.

"Oh." I let out a sound of acknowledgement. "Any progress?"

He sighed before speaking. "Unfortunately, not so much. Trying to duplicate the barrier yielded in, mixed results." He finished with a slightly frustrated tone.

"What do you mean? Did anypony get hurt?" I asked with small worry.

"No. None of that." I sighed in relief. "We managed a barrier, not the barrier. It was like a cheap copy that wore off after ten minutes. Besides, every single function was completely off, breaking the whole barrier in the process too"

"Hmm." I grew a slight frown at that.

If the only thing the research came up with was a cheap knockoff, then that barrier would be that much harder to crack. There's still the problem of Remedy's past as well. Just what is he hiding?

"Well, it's only been about a week. I'm sure you two can find a solution with time." I gave him reassurance.

"Yes." He simply answered.

"Well then, I need to be going. I'm going to visit Remedy. Would you like to come with?"

"Sorry, no. I need to meet up with Light to perform more tests." He spoke as his eyes seemed to become slightly distracted.

I smirked as I realized what was going on.

"Ok then. Will it be just the two of you?" I asked, holding myself back.

"Yes? It'll be just us two until we find more mages to cooperate with." He answered, albeit confused.

"I see." I gave him a sagely nod. "How about you two share a drink over this?" I suggested and magicked a bottle of wine.

"What the!" He was surprised, but managed to catch the bottle in magic right before it hit the ground.

Oh yeah. Alcohol.

He should be more than willing to have a drink or two right?

"Anyways, good luck on your date." I simply told Blueblood before teleporting away.

Breathing in some stale air as I walked through the basement, I cruised through the place while looking for a specific barrel.

"Aged Wine's Brewery. It's been quite a while since I've had a taste from her products." I talked to myself as I casually lifted the whole thing in my magic. "He's responsible enough to build shelter, he should be responsible enough to drink, well, responsibly." I talked to myself and teleported away.

Wait, does she drink whiskey? Well, either she does or she doesn't.

"Dude! Why'd you scream?" I asked annoyedly.

"Shut up Moon. Oh fuck. Oh shit." Remedy was pacing around with an infuriated expression.

"What happened?" I asked with an incredulous voice.

"What year is it?" He suddenly asked me.

"I dunno. Two thousand, something AU." I nonchalantly answered.

He froze as his stare became monotone. Suddenly, he started massaging his head with an expression that said 'I'm holding myself back from committing a crime'.

"FUCK!" He suddenly yelled.

"Remedy! What the hell is your problem? Stop fucking yelling!"

He continued to ignore me as he kept shouting. Having had enough of this, I punched him.

For fuck's sake.

My hoof hurts, and he barely even flinched from that.

"Did you just?" He asked with a confused tone.

"Yes." I cut him off. "And you need to get your shit together. What the fuck, is the problem?"

He took in a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh. With a frustrated look, he opened his mouth.

"I've been stuck here, for a millennia." He spoke seriously.

By my dad, and by the stars, I could only give a singular answer. Whether that was due to me not taking this seriously, or because I was just decentisized to the millenia thing, I don't know.

"So?"

Remedy's face morphed into full on confusion as he was in disbelief at my answer.

Honestly, I don't blame him. My answer was completely unprecedented.

He tried to form a coherent thought, or at least that's what I think he's doing, as his face slowly shifted from confusion to reluctant realization, then finally turned to acceptance.

"Oh shit." He held a hoof to his forehead with a tight frown on his face. "My chickens are fucked." He finished with an annoyed face.

I was confused for a slight second, then burst into laughter at his idiotic concern. Well, he should be calm now.

"I'm sure your egg supply is thriving." I gave him simple reassurance. "Now go make lunch." I pushed him weakly.

He stumbled slightly, but walked normally soon after. This is worrying. But somepony like him should be fine.

With an unreadable face, he silently walked towards the river.

"Hello." I suddenly heard somepony familiar calling.

"Good afternoon, Celestia." I greeted sarcastically.

I fucking hate that she can just tower over me now.

With annoyance already building up in me, I turned towards the insufferable mare.

"Do you know where Remedy is?" She asked with a practically emotionless voice.

"The river." I answered and moved to sit down at the camp. "Tea?" I asked reflexively.

She stared for a few seconds with narrowed eyes. "Sure." Her words were reluctant.

With an eyeroll, I poured some in two cups and gave her one. She eyed it suspiciously as her eyes kept flickering to me.

Taking a sip, I relished in the warmth as I heard Celestia sitting down. She slurped almost silently with a judging look.

"Did you make this?" She suddenly asked.

Deciding to try something, I looked at her, straight in the eyes.

"Yes"

"It's terrible." She answered and continued to sip it.

I grew one of the brightest smiles I've ever had, and called to her.

"Celestia?"

"Yes?" She answered with a raise of an eyebrow.

"Fuck you."

Author's Note

Okay. I finally got another chapter out.

Sorry this one took so long. Reasons are the same as always pretty much. Lotsa tests, more preparations, upping my grades as much as possible for a good GPA. :twistnerd:
I'm sure most of you can relate.

Anyways, thanks for reading.

See you later. :heart:

So

"So, you look distressed." I started a simple conversation with Moonshine.

"Do I?" She replied sarcastically.

"I guess just, worse than usual." I gave my retort and took another sip of her tea.

It's, actually amazing. Like, years, or maybe even decades of experience went into the brew.

Her frown grew heavier at my reply as she glared at me deeply. Just like that, minutes slowly passed away in silence.

*Sigh*

I curiously glanced at Moonshine, who had slumped down as her glare softened, ever so slightly.

"He's distressed." She spoke with another sigh.

"What?" I asked reflexively.

"Remedy. Says he's from a millennia ago. He's pretty freaked out about it." She spoke with visible worry on her expression.

No, wait. Seriously? Her, of all ponies? Showing actual concern to another?

...

Wait, what did she just say?

"Huh?" I let out a weird sound.

"Are you finally going senile or something? I said he's freaking out about being from a thousand years ago." She spoke with annoyed grimace.

"What, no, shut up. I'm just a bit confused, how did you figure this out?"

"He asked me what the date was, and something about the star system." She answered as she gazed towards the river.

I took a moment as I thought about it. "How freaked out?"

"Like his soul was sucked out." I clenched my jaw at that.

I had hoped to ease this into him, but for him to figure it out on his own.

"What is the date actually?" Moonshine spoke up.

"Thousand AB." I answered on instinct.

"Huh." She quietly made a sound and slumped down.

Taking this as the sign that our talk has ended, I turned towards the river. Maybe I should go after him.

"Don't." I suddenly heard.

"What?" I looked at Moonshine.

"Don't go after him." She stated seriously.

I was a bit confused by her sentence.

"I know the whole 'we're friends, so we should help him' part, but he just needs to think about this for a bit. We'll just stop him from thinking straight if we annoy him with our opinions right now." She said in a slightly defeated tone.

I was fully taken aback by her attitude. One that betrayed every expectation I had for her.

There still may be a chance after all.

"I see." Giving a simple reply, I decided to sit still.

A rather long amount of time passed as we sat in silence. The tea was reheated four times, we shared a simple lunch of baked potatoes as we still waited for Remedy to arrive.

As my worry for him began to grow higher and higher, Moonshine started another conversation.

"Do you know where Canis went?" She suddenly asked.

Canis?

"You mean the dog?" I asked back.

"Yes. Canis Major. I figured Remedy probably didn't know, so I didn't ask." She spoke with a longing in her voice.

I took a moment to think of where she had gone. Canis was loyal to Luna, evidently, more than the other constellations. So much so that her faith wasn't abandoned. Even during, the banishment.

My eyes widen slightly as I remember when it happened. Though missing, she always glowed in the night sky. Yes, that's when she disappeared.

"About, forty years after, you know." I spoke with a small pause.

She suddenly perked up at my answer.

"That shortly?" She spoke with confusion. "Who, or even, what was strong enough to beat Canis of all beings. That just doesn't make sense." Her expression was filled disbelief.

"Yes, I don't remember too clearly, but I do remember sending out dozens of search teams to find her after she disappeared from the skies. Never found her." I explained as I remembered the incredible amount of stress I received from that event. "The nobles were quite, ecstatic about that." I shuddered slightly as I thought of the line that went from the castle doors to the throne room.

Taking a glance at Moonshine, I was shocked once more. She just sat there, barely an emotion on her face as she peered at the ground. Yet her eyes held a hidden grief behind it.

With a sigh, she steeled herself and looked at me with a nonchalant gaze. Acting.

"Anyways, how'd you find out? You didn't seem to mind the actual 'from a millennia ago' part." She asked as her eyes flickered to the river once more before coming back to me.

"An investigation. Searched for his parents and found a file." I spoke casually as I brought out the burnt paper.

Moonshine stared at the paper for a few seconds as her eyes widened in surprise.

"Cremo." She muttered.

I nodded in response.

"Let me see." She raised a hoof.

"No." My response was simple.

"Why not?" She asked with annoyance back in her tone.

"Because it's personal?" I said back.

"So what? You saw it." She replied with a frown.

"As logical as your retort is, I don't think I should let anypony else see it. Except for Remedy obviously." I shook the file in my magic before proceeding to insert it back into my mane.

I closed my eyes after being content in teasing her as a sudden feeling gripped me.

"We'll see about that." I heard her speak.

Reflexively, I looked at her in slight fear. Her figure already in the air as her trajectory swung towards me.

Completely unprepared for this, I yelped in surprise as I felt her colliding with me.

"Gimme that fucking paper!" She yelled as I felt her hoof enter my mane.

What the? I can't get her off.

"We both know it doesn't work like that!" I screamed in retort as I finally took her off me with magic.

Seriously. She was weaker than me just a week ago.

"What's going on here?" I heard another voice as I stood up from the ground.

"This fucker is hiding your file from me!" Moonshine spoke without a single care as she pointed a hoof at me.

With a groan, I straightened myself and came face to face with Remedy. He stared back for a moment before looking at Moonshine.

"Why do you need to look at my file?" He asked her with an inquisitive look.

Moonshine stared at Remedy with a thin glare in silence as a few awkward seconds pass.

"Riiight." Remedy ignored her and turned towards me. "Good to see you again, Celestia." He greeted with a small smile.

"It's good to see you too." I greeted and took out the file for him. "It's your father's, from Cremo's Civilian Registry"

He nodded and took it. "Moon, why don't you peel a few vegetables if you're just gonna be pouting." He spoke casually.

"Fuck off." She said with an eyeroll and walked away.

I stood there surprised as my eyes followed the mare, who took a seat near some bags and started taking out potatoes.

"Hmm." I turned towards Remedy, who was reading the file with intense focus. "Yep, that's correct alright." He spoke and held the file to his forehead. "I need a drink." He muttered to himself.

"If you're saying that it's correct, then, how did-?" My question was interrupted as he suddenly threw the file into the extinguished camp fire.

"Wha? Why?" I quickly asked.

He looked me straight in the eye. I felt my body stiffen as I looked at the dead gaze he gave me.

With a soft laugh, he gave me an empty smile. "Don't worry, it's in the past. It's not something I'd brag about." He said in a hollow tone as he turned to sit at the fire.

As I stared at matches being lit, I couldn't bring myself to stop him. Something about his eyes, that dead, empty gaze brought chills to my bones. The gaze of somepony who has become familiar with death and suffering, both his and others.

"Remedy." I called out to him.

"It's fine. The cause of my problems died long ago." He said in a dark tone as the fire rose higher.

I shut my mouth as I stared at his back. Right at this moment, he seemed so alone. He's been carrying heavy burdens, with both regret and guilt pulling him down.

Deciding for the direct approach, I brought out the barrel and placed it next to him.

"In times like these, a drink is the best, right?" I stated and magicked two cups over.

He stared silently as I opened the top of the barrel with magic and dipped both cups in. A bit much considering the contents, but it should be fine.

"I shouldn't." He refused. "It took me about ten years of forcing alcohol out of my life to stop the withdrawal effects." His eyes held even more regret as my mind froze up.

Now I didn't know what to do. My mind went back to what I did when I was grieving.

Ah, I was drinking. That's why I have an entire basement full of all kinds of alcohol.

With, probably visible panic on my face, my eyes darted around the place, looking for something to give me an idea.

Then a hoof caught my eye.

Moonshine was looking at me with a pissed off expression, making a circle with her hooves?

What?

I mouthed 'what' as I tried making a circle with my hooves. She facehooved and formed the circle again, then pulled them in, making an X.

What? What the fuck does that-Oh! Right. A hug.

Dropping the cups into the barrel, I stood behind Remedy, who was gazing into the fire. Gently wrapping him with my hooves, I pulled him off the ground and into my chest and covered him with my wings. He didn't protest as I stared at Moonshine for confirmation.

She was looking at me with disbelief on her face.

'What the fuck are you doing?' She mouthed to me.

'What do you think?' I mouthed back.

'I told you to hug him, not embrace him.' She mouthed, disbelief growing even bigger on her face.

I am awesome at lip reading.

"I'm fine now." I heard Remedy speak.

"Alright." I let him out as he landed softly on the ground.

He had a small blush on his face as he coughed into his hoof.

"Well, let's have some lunch, yeah?" He spoke quickly and walked towards the bags Moonshine was working on.

Letting out a relieved sigh, I gave a grateful nod to Moonshine.

"Huh. I, actually got help from her." I mumbled to myself as I took a peek at the opened up whiskey.

I gulped as I remembered the amazing taste of whatever that came from Aged Wine's Brewery. Why did I even bring this. I quit like, 700 years ago.

"So, you still drink?" I suddenly heard Moonshine speak.

"No. I quit." I denied it.

"Right." She clearly doubted me as she grabbed one of the cups inside. "The perfect time to have a drink, ain't it?" She said with a nostalgic smile before taking a swig.

I was a bit slack jawed since she just drank about six shots worth.

With a satisfied sigh, she turned to me. "One drink?" She asked with a smirk.

I can't believe I'm being persuaded like a mischievous foal, talking their friend into drinking.

"One drink." I insisted and took the other cup from the barrel.

With a sigh, I took a small gulp.

That was weird. Why did she hug me like that?

I rinsed the last of the peeled vegetables and started dicing them up.

Glancing at the knife I was using, some bad memories rushed in. I'd gotten over it over the years, but the realization of how long I was gone sort of amplified it. Or, something like that.

"The rising oceans, and the falling skies!" Those two were singing some sea shanty.

And they're drunk.

Gleefully smiling with a cup in one hoof as they danced, connected to each other by their hooves. A weird sight, considering their last encounter.

The choice to join in was, tempting. But knowing I would just remember more of my life if I drank stopped me.

With the soup ingredients assembled, I hung the pot over the lit fire. The file, I'd hoped I wouldn't be reminded of that ever again. Well, not like it's worked until now.

Huh, the doctors. Always thought they were idiots back then. Especially High Medical, always looked like he was actually high.

With my task finished, I sat at the fire, listening to the off tone singing.

"And when the skies fallll, WE WILL BE THERE TO WATCH IT BURN"

Right.

Moon asked about Canis. I wonder if that bell is still buried there. Constellations are pretty weak if there's no magic protecting them.

I just hope nopony's too upset about that.

"WE CONTROL OUT DESTINY, IT'S ALL IN OUR HOOVES!"

I chuckled as they kept singing. What song even is that?

"Hey Remdy?" Moon slurred as she addressed me.

"Hmm?" I turned to her.

"Drink with us! Tartarus knows you need it!" She spoke gleefully as she downed some more.

Pretty sure they've drank more than a lethal amount. Then again, there's the deitified sun goddess, and somepony who's been proven to be unkillable in here.

"I'm fine." I replied and stirred the soup a bit.

They're gonna have the worst hangover in their lives after this.

"Come ooon, even I'm drinking." Celestia backed her up as she leaned on Moon for support.

Then they both fell down.

I gave a sigh as I stared at them. They're having fun.

With contradicting thoughts floating in my head, my attention kept going back to the opened barrel.

"Relapse is one hell of a thing." I said out loud before grabbing a cup.

Author's Note

And that's one more down. :yay:

I think I've dropped more than enough hints at Remedy's past. So, take a guess at what it is. I'll reward the first person the guesses it with an awesome 'good job'. :duck:

That asides, thanks for reading.

And see you next time. :heart:

Problems Of Birth

Author's Note

Whatup people!

Now, normally I put the author notes at the bottom of the page.
BUT! This chapter, I have to put it at the top because I need to put up a warning. :moustache:

Mentions of self-harm is pretty obviously implied in this chapter. For those who're actually paying attention can probably already guess, at least a small piece of the premise. :derpytongue2:

This chapter was actually supposed to come out like two days ago, but I managed to fuck it up in one of the most stupid ways possible. There I was, casually writing the story, until a cousin suddenly knocked on the door. Now, personally, when guests suddenly come in through the door, writing fanfic is one of the things people would like to hide. :pinkiegasp:

So, I saved the chapter and greeted them, blah blah blah, then at some point, I laid down on my bed. Take out my phone to continue writing the story. :duck:

My phone was already on the site, so, screw thinking twice, I didn't even think once, and pressed the save chapter button. Successfully erasing 3500 words. :pinkiecrazy:

Without further ado!

Thank you for reading! :heart:

And see you next time. :heart:

Edit: I forgot to name the damn thing at first. :facehoof:

Problems Of Birth

Ugh.

What the fuck?

My head hurts.

Wait.

Shit.

Did it happen again?

With a random burst of energy and a colossal migraine following shortly after, I sat up and forcibly opened my eyes. Only to close it shortly after as I was met with a blinding light.

"Remedy." A dry voice called me out.

"Huh." I half heartedly answered.

"Where do you keep your water?" Celestia asked with a pained expression.

"That bucket. It's not boiled." I gave my warning and laid back down.

My head landed on something soft, but the hangover forced me to ignore it and continue sleeping. Fuck, I went overboard.

Well, that's ten years of sobriety down the drain.

"What time is it?" I asked out loud while covering my eyes.

"Morning?" Celestia answered.

"Wait, you stayed the night?"

"I guess so. Or I'd be in bed, equally in pain." She answered as I heard something burning.

"Please tell me that's the campfire." I spoke out loud and rolled over to my side.

"It is, don't worry." She said in a casual way.

With the smell of smoke filling the air, I peacefully took in the morning breeze and snuggled up further into the softness. Not entirely minding exactly what the softness was, I was fully comfortable with my current sleeping arrangements.

Until I felt something hard, with a wood like texture covering me.

Wait, what?

Realizing something was wrong, I fought against the sun rays and sat up again to look behind me. Before I could say a word, I felt something wet and slimy go over my face.

"Hi." I spoke before wiping off my face.

"Oh yeah, it was here when I woke up." Celestia told me.

"It's a she." I answered and stratched the back of the timberwolf's ears. "Is it time already?" I mumbled as I laid back down.

Seriously, how much did I drink?

I heard a soft whine coming from the wolf. With a sigh, I rose and turned to Celestia.

"Celestia?"

"Yeah?" She answered as she cut up a leaf in the air with magic.

"Do you know how to deliver a baby?" I nervously asked her.

Her face froze as she stared for a few seconds.

"Well. I, have a very distant memory of watching Luna being born." She spoke with an unsure tone.

"How different do you think a timberwolf's biology is from a pony's?" I asked again as I stood up with a groan.

"It's definitely different, wait a sec. She's giving birth?!" She asked with a freaked out expression.

"I think so, I may be wrong though." I replied and held the wolf carefully in my hooves. "Where the fuck is Moon?"

"Uh, right above you." She answered and came running over.

A bit confused at her answer, I looked upwards. There was Moon, hanging off of the branches of the big tree. She had covered herself with her wings, sleeping like a bat. A few dried fruits were hanging off of her hoof, tied to a string.

"Moon!" I yelled.

"Wha! What happened?" She woke up startled and flailed around as she fell down.

Celestia caught her with magic and placed Moon on the ground, the fruits weirdly turning to dust. Though, the current situation allowed me to ignore it.

"Ugh." Moon groaned loudly as she held her head. "Ffffuck. I think I went overboard." She complained as she shut her eyes tight.

"Yeah, no shit, you drank about six shots in one go, as a start." Celestia spoke with an amused tone.

"Fuck you." Moon cussed and stood up, almost falling back down again. "Oh hey, it's one of your timberdogs." She cheerfully spoke.

"Timberwolves, and she's about to give birth." I told her firmly and continued to hold the wolf.

"Oh cool, what's her name." Moon said casually.

"Hmm." I thought a bit as I realized I haven't actually named any of them. "Where were dogs important again?"

"Uh, Neighpal?" Celestia answered.

"Country whose language that I know." I stated and moved the wolf to a more comfortable position.

"Why can't it be in Equestrian?" Moon asked.

"Because, I never had a pet before." I answered and gently put the wolf's head down on the ground.

"Please don't name her in either draconic tongue, or griffonian tongue"

"Why not?" Celestia interrupted.

"I don't want to make gargle sounds whenever I say her name." Moon answered.

"Hey, that's kinda racist." Celestia stated firmly.

"I, kinda remember having a race war." Moon responded drily.

"The Draconic war happened thirteen hundred years ago, and the Griffonian war ended twelve hundred years ago." Celestia spoke like a teacher. "Those were truly dark times"

"Well, I clearly remember it." Moon responded.

"Girls, please." I interrupted their shenanigans.

"Right." Moon spoke.

"Sorry." Celestia apologized.

Starting to become slightly frustrated at not being able to help the wolf in any way, I just sat there, giving her comfort. Though, the thought of giving her a name did come up a few times.

"Could one of you get some water?" I asked out loud.

"Eh, you do it. You have magic." Moon answered lazily.

"Fine." Celestia was not amused.

With the previously boiled pot of water floated over to me, I took a gulp first to quench my thirst, then brought it to the wolf's mouth. She greedily drank it as she laid flat on the ground.

"What about Broncovia? Or Germane?" Moon suddenly suggested.

"Maybe Neighpan?" Celestia spoke up.

I felt a random spark as I heard that one. "Neighpan, that works." I muttered.

"Wait, you know how to speak Neighpanese?" Moon asked with disbelief.

"I traveled there a few times, a very honorable place, is all I can say." I spoke while trying to remember the language. "Seriously, I saw on average, three duels a day about honor"

"Well, Neighpan has always had a history of being all about honor. Sometimes, weighing it more than actually living." Celestia spoke some more knowledge.

"Hahoaye, no that's not right. Hahaoye? Hahaoya!" I finally remembered.

"What?" Moon was confused.

"Mother?" Celestia was slightly less so.

"Yeah, and uh, Sizen? No, Shizen." I got the words.

Celestia and Moon looked at each other for a second before shrugging.

"Shizoya." I stated.

They stared in silence for a slight few seconds.

"How the fuck did you get that?" Moon asked.

"You do realize that's not how naming in Neighpan works right?" Celestia asked with an amused expression.

"Well, how does it go?" I asked back.

"Remedy, seriously, drop the fucking Neighpanese thing." Moon told me.

"Fine. Then how about, Daydrin." I stated. "It means Caregiver"

"Oh, Oxian." Celestia recognized it.

"Thank you." Moon said sarcastically and walked away.

Then she randomly fell down.

"You sure your migraine is manageable right now?" Celestia asked.

"That's not why I fell." I heard Moon say in an annoyed tone. "Who the fuck tied up my legs?!" She angrily shouted.

Deciding to ignore the two, I fully focused on Daydrin. If I have to some up with even more names, I'm fucked.

She was breathing a bit heavily, her eyes were shut tight.

"What the fuck." I muttered as I looked closer.

The smallest of lights was glowing inside her neck. Normal, except it was red. Trying to get a better look, I touched it with my hoof.

"Fucking hell." I mumbled as the wood covering her neck fell off.

Observing closer, I noticed several different colors flowing through the gaps in the pieces of her wood.

"Hey!" I yelled at the others. "Come take a look at this!"

Not hearing a response, I turned around. The two were nowhere to be seen.

"The fuck?" I reflexively cussed as I felt an annoyed frown grow on my face. "Really just left without saying anything huh?"

*Rustle*

"You gotta be kidding me." I turned towards a bush on my left.

Grabbing a piece of rock from the ground, I tensed my body as I kept staring at the bush. Seconds pass in silence as the movement in the bush has stopped completely. Yet I still kept my eyes locked on it. The long period of silence continued, with nothing to show for it.

In an instant, I threw the rock to my right side.

The beast swatted the rock away with its tail. A scorpion stinger. Bat wings and ears, and a lion's body. It's a manticore.

But what the hell is wrong with it? There's a green glow in some parts of its hair. Its muscles are bulging much more than I remember these guys having. And isn't it, bigger than usual? About twice the size.

With a standoff happening between us, I took the chance to thoroughly examine our surroundings. With confirmation that there isn't another one, I prepared to dash in.

The manticore roared in response as its body tensed up.

Exhaling softly, my leg muscles tensed up as my body went lower. Speed, will be my advantage in this. With a burst of speed, I rushed towards it with my full speed.

Right as I entered its attack range, I jumped upwards as a paw slid under me. Grabbing at the last second, I used the paw as leverage to pull myself under him, successfully dodging its stinger.

A single uppercut.

"Fuck"

I instantly rolled to the side as its jaws closed at where I was standing.

I need something sharp.

*BANG*

My thoughts were interrupted as a beam of light was shot to the sky from the direction of the river, slowly disappearing after an earsplitting sound, with a constant tremor coming right after. Quickly waking up, I ran to the camp right after throwing a rock towards the equally shocked manticores eye.

With the roaring and the stomping acting as confirmation it's following me, I made my way past the campfire and right next to the firewood.

"There you are." I mumbled to myself and grabbed the axe lodged into a stump with my mouth.

Right after I bit into the handle, I jumped away with the axe as a lion paw came down on the stump. Grabbing the axe from my mouth with hoof, I got into a stance.

"Alright asshole, let's see how you act with your head split in half." I taunted with a small smirk as I tensed my muscles.

The manticore took a cautious stance as it bent down as far as it could. Its tail was slightly raised than before. Its mouth was a permanent snarl as it growled.

*BANG*

Another sky piercing pillar rose to the skies. I took that as a signal and ran straight towards the manticore. It responded in kind as it roared to the sky.

Right as we met, I leaped upwards as its stinger hit the ground underneath me. Taking this chance, I grabbed onto the stinger as I felt myself being thrown around.

"Alright, Ow. One, two, fu-NOW!" I let go of the stinger and landed on its back.

Quickly acting, I bit into its mane as I swung the axe its shoulder. The manticore started to jump around, trying to swing me off. I held myself on top as I observed the situation.

I can either wait until this thing takes a pause to catch its breath, which seems unlikely, or I can take a chance and try to get close to its head.

As I was being bounced on his back, I took a glance at Daydrin. My eyes slowly widened at what I saw.

Timing it just right, I let go of the manticores mane as I felt myself get launched upwards.

Feeling as if the world slowed down, my eyes lock onto the snake just about to pounce on Daydrin. My body moved reflexively as the axe quickly left my hoof.

*Thud*

A simple sound rang out as a beheaded snake fell to the ground.

*Roar*

Hearing the manticore, I looked downward as I continued to fall down.

"Ah shit." That was all I said before propping my hooves infront of me to block an incoming swipe.

I felt like a carriage had ran into me as I felt myself breaking through several different trees. Although I couldn't feel it due to adrenaline, I was sure my bones were broken.

*Bam*

"Ugh." I groaned.

My vision was blurry and the world was spinning. Every part of my body hurt immensely as my sense of hearing became muddied.

Holding my head with my left hoof, I carefully tried to stand up, only to stumble down as my front right leg collapsed.

"Fuck." I cussed and looked at the aftermentioned leg.

A giant bruise on the outside and bent at an angle it shouldn't be.

Leaning against another tree, I rubbed my aching head as I tried to recover a bit.

"Hmm." I let out an annoyed sound as I noticed my bloodied left hoof.

I'm bleeding from my head.

Punching the ground once for some more adrenaline, I force myself to stand up, only to fall down again.

*BANG*

Another blast of light went off.

*Shuhk*

My ears flickered as I heard something get stabbed into the ground. I concentrated closer, and heard something else among the woods. Something moving.

Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to at least sit up and look at what dropped to the ground.

"What?" I muttered.

It was a familiar thing. A dagger with a serrated back. And although I couldn't see it from here, a hollow handle for storing utilities.

Why the fuck is it here?

I buried that damn thing next to the bell. I could remember it as clear as day. It's impossible to forget my last caper.

As I was having a mental crisis, another weird phenomenon surprised me.

A single vine started to come down from up high. It soon touched the ground as it started to move around.

'you know what to do
you are running out of time'

My mind blanked as I read the two sentences the vine wrote, only working once more as the vine quickly disappeared to the tree tops.

Then I realized, I couldn't feel that manticore walking around anymore.

With panic quickly filling me that it could be aiming for Daydrin, my body shot forward as it closed in on the dagger. Feeling like every second wasted was a disaster, I crawled forwards, and soon reached the dagger.

Gripping it with my one good hoof, I lifted it out of the ground and took a good look at the pristine edge.

"Moon revived fast enough, right?" I asked nopony in particular.

*No one POV*

With the whimpering sounds of Daydrin ringing through the area, the heavy steps of the manticore drowned out everything else.

*Rustle*

The manticore quickly turned around, wary of the enemy it had just flung away. Although it was sure the nimble creature had been too heavily injured, it was still careful in order not to die.

*Rustle*

It quickly swirled around as its head whipped towards the source of the sound. It was confused, the sound came from two completely different directions.

*Rustle, Rustle, Rustle*

It was now utterly confused as the sound seemed to be coming from everywhere. Letting out a simple whine, the manticore was spinning around in place, hoping to catch its enemy off guard.

Then it stopped.

An eerie silence, only broken by the whimpering wolf, filled the area as the manticore felt uneasy.

Then it felt it.

The single reason the manticore had been wary of its enemy. The soul crushing pressure it felt when it looked at the pony. The immense bloodlust that threatened to break his mind completely.

And he felt it from above it.

Acting as quickly as it could, it sent its head upwards and had prepared its stinger.

That was swiftly proven to be a mistake.

It roared in pain as blood sprayed out from a fresh wound.

*Thud*

A wing, dropped to the ground.

*Bam, Bam, Bam*

Black smoke randomly rose through the area as it felt a searing pain on its legs. Randomly swinging its paws and stinger throughout the black smoke in anger, it was scared from whatever that been attacking it.

Right then, his entire body froze as a certain sight entered its eyes.

Two green lights shone, cutting straight through the ominous smoke as it circled around the minotaur in a slow pace. It was scared, utterly terrified of its life as the lights slowly faded out of existence.

Seconds passed, the smoke seemed to clear away just a tiny bit. Allowing the manticore to see one last sight.

A green blur suddenly appeared in front of its eyes.

*ROAR*

It screamed out in pain as its vision was suddenly turned to dark. It's eyes were in searing pain as it couldn't see anything.

Stumbling blindly across the camp, the manticore didn't know what was happening as it started to feel cuts from every part of its body. A new injury every second, a new cut forming at every movement.

Then suddenly, it couldn't move anymore.

All strength was lost as its body felt numb, and impossibly heavy like it was made of metal.

"Bye." That was all it heard before the world turned silent.

"ARE YOU EVEN USING THE RIGHT SPELL?" I asked Celestia with more anger than I had intended.

"Yes!" She yelled back as she teleported away. "I vaporized it! Like five times!"

"Well you didn't do it good enough!" I yelled and rolled out of the way of a pretty large fist made of rocks.

This weird golem thing isn't natural. It just can't be. There's no way for a natural occurring golem to be this powerful.

"Fuck." I cussed and jumped out of the way. "Oof." Landing pretty heavily on my gut, I rolled and looked upwards as a foot made of rock was coming down. "AAAAH!"

"Moonshine! Shut up and get up!"

"Aaah, what?" I was confused as I saw myself lying right next to Celestia

"Focus!" Celestia shouted once again.

"Yeah! Yeah. Thanks." I quickly spoke and stood up. "So, any actual idea on what we should do against this fucking golem?"

"Yeah." Celestia blasted a crap ton of pure magic at it.

It only pushed the golem back a bit.

"We need to find its source. It's not inside the body, so it has to be somewhere close by." She explained with a serious tone.

"Alright. Any clue where it is?" I asked as I stared at the rock giant coming ever closer.

"Not really, you'll just have to-." She was interrupted as a sudden explosion went off on the golem's head.

"Did you?" I subconsciously asked Celestia.

"Not me." She answered back with an equally confused tone.

"You two so fucking owe me an apology!" I heard the pissed off voice of Remedy echo through the area.

"Remedy!" I called out on reflex. "How the fuck are you echoing?"

"Real important." Celestia said sarcastically.

"More importantly, I found this." Remedy suddenly appeared from behind us with a glowing rock on his hoof.

With a grunt, he slammed it down on the ground as the glowing rock shattered to pieces. The, rock.

The golem quickly broke down into a pile of rocks.

With the adrenaline quickly wearing off, I sat on the ground to catch my breath.

"Welp, I'm pretty late for my job. So, see you later?" Celestia spoke in a casual tone like she wasn't just in a fight.

"Yeah, see you later." I answered her.

"Understood. Good luck on the Day Court." Remedy wished her farewell and Celestia walked away.

"So, do you have some wisdom as to where these creatures suddenly came from?" I asked Remedy.

"It's the Everfree. Impossible bullshit is this place's specialty." He answered casually and headed towards the golem.

"Aight." I was too tired to argue, so I just accepted and followed him. "Where the fuck were you when we were fighting the golem?"

"Fighting a manticore." He spoke nonchalantly.

A manticore.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah? You need to see the corpse?"

"No, just, you fought a hydra about a week ago." I spoke confusedly.

"Yeah? It wasn't dead yet, so it ran away, but yeah." He simply replied.

"And you, legitimately destroyed it. Like, you tore through it from the inside and kill-defeated it." I caught myself as I was making my point.

"Okay?" He said in a questioning tone.

"Then, how the fuck did it take you so long to beat a manticore?"

"Well, you can ask the corpse. It was pretty strong." He said as he pulled away a few boulders.

"Pretty strong huh?"

"Yep." He replied. "There you are." He said in a mixed tone.

"Whatcha got there?" I asked as he held a super sharp looking knife with a serrated back.

"Something I should destroy." He said it like he didn't care at all.

"What? Just give it to me if you're not gonna use it." I refused. "That thing looks cool"

He stared at me with a raised eyebrow, and sighed.

"Fine." He said and tossed me the knife.

"Thanks." I happily said and tried to catch it. "Oh fuck." Cussing reflexively, my hooves tried to swipe it in the air as I failed to catch it.

With one final attempt, I perfectly grabbed the knife. Just, on the wrong area.

"Ow!" I yelped in pain as I pulled my bleeding hoof back.

*Shuhk*

The knife stabbed itself into the ground, through a pebble.

As I stared in shock at the sharpness of the blade, Remedy looked at me with an incredulous expression.

"Really?" He uttered that single word.

"Fuck off." I retorted casually and grab the knife in my mouth as we start to move.

Still, this thing is pretty damn cool. And that sharpness just makes it even better.

"Was my cut that deep? There's a lot of blood on this thing." I commented without thinking much.

Remedy suddenly froze as he turned his head slightly. "It's probably the manticore blood." My eyes widened in shock as I stared at him, just now noticing a new detail.

There was blood on his neck.

"Remedy, did you?" I asked, not believing it.

He sighed and turned to me with a lazy smile. "Didn't get a choice." He said and turned to continue walking.

Giving a worried glance at Remedy, I continued after him.

"It really is manticore blood though. I stabbed it in the throat." He suddenly spoke up.

"Please let me hold him!" Moon begged me as I held a certain pile of wood in my hooves.

Harkon, meaning 'leader' in, I guess, old, Oxian. That was what I named this little pup that was laid next to Daydrin.

"No, you didn't help in protecting him." I vehemently denied her request.

Daydrin was laid next to me, sleeping peacefully with her head resting on my outstretched hind legs. A piece of manticore bone was placed next to her head.

"Please, Remedy, PLEASE!"

"Shut it! You're gonna wake them up!"

The Small Things In Life

A certain equine, wrapped in a brown cloak steps into her home, breathing heavily whilst holding a wooden mask. A fire burned right in the middle of the house, only stopped by a heavy cauldron.

With a shaky breath, she took a single flower from her robe. A pure white flower with a golden colored stem that shone in the dark.

A single deep breath, and she dropped it into the cauldron.

A heavy red smoke suddenly filled the room, eliciting coughs from the equine. Then, as if it was never there, it all disappeared into the cauldron.

With a nervous gulp, she put her hoof in the cauldron and brought out a small, red ball.

Placing the mask down on the ground, she sat on the ground as she looked at the ball intently.

Then she popped it into her mouth.

Her eyes turned red as the heavy smoke seemed to come out of every orifice on her face. With a hoof, she wiped her mouth as red liquid dropped off of it.

Her other hoof searched the ground for the mask, and finally found it after several attempts.

With the liquid, she carefully began to paint the different parts of the mask, going slowly as to not make a single mistake.

As minutes slowly pass, the mask begins to more and more depict something. Right as it finally began to take shape, the smoke stopped.

The equine coughed a few times before she began to breathe deep. With her eyes returning to normal and her breathing stabilized, she held the mask infront of her face.

"With the conditions met, I have paid my debt." She happily talked to herself before hanging the mask on a wall. "Enough adventure for a lifetime, one I will not do again for quite some time"

"Is this really how it's supposed to go?" Moon asked doubtfully as we looked at Harkon, peacefully sleeping in the dirt with only his head popping out.

"Well, every baby drinks their mother's milk. This would make sense if the species doesn't have organs that can make milk." Twilight theorized as she took notes in a small book.

"Well, that's simple." I spoke up as I finished up a drawing of Harkon and hoofed it to Twilight. "I'm more concerned on why the pup is glowing six different colors." I gave my thoughts.

"Thank you. This'll help me to identify similar cases, if there are any, of course." She spoke excitedly and stuck the drawing in her notebook. "As for why he's glowing, I have no idea. As far as I know, there's not a single record of a timberwolf pup, ever." She answered with an enthusiastic look.

I guess she's thrilled to find something new. A scholar's heart, or something like that.

"Welp, there's nothing we can do right now, I guess." Moon said a bit hesitantly before she started to walk towards the camp.

"Right." I agreed. "Well, Twilight, we haven't had breakfast yet. Would you care to join us?" I asked.

"Sure, if it isn't a problem for you." She replied happily.

"It's fine." I answered with a smile before we started to move towards the campfire. "Moon! Start a fire!"

"Got it!"

"Ready!" Blueblood yelled out after moving behind a yellow hazard line.

"Alright!" Joyful Light shouted the question as she put on a pair of safety glasses behind a glass wall. "Initiating in, three! Two! One!" She finished and flipped a lever.

A vortex of magic suddenly appeared in the middle of the testing area as an apple was imploded before getting sucked in. The air itself was getting sucked in as the metal walls creaked from the pressure.

Blueblood hurriedly lit his horn up as his eyes glanced over a spell on a piece of paper to make sure he gets it right before firing it. A few seconds pass as nothing changes except the vortex becoming bigger.

A sudden large pressure fills the testing area as Blueblood staggers from it. As the pressure leaves as suddenly as it had come, he stood tall as his eyes traveled towards the apple used in the test. A splatter on the floor.

"Blueblood!" Joyful Light rushed to his side with a bottle of water in her magic. "Are you alright? How are you feeling?" She worriedly asks as she pushed the bottle into Blueblood's mouth. "Drink plenty. You need to rest after getting hit by the anti-magic effects"

After a bit of struggle, Blueblood pushed the bottle out of his mouth as he gasped for air.

"Light, you were closer to taking my life than that damn spell." He commented casually as he sat on the ground, slowly stabilizing his breathing.

"Oh, sorry." Light replied with a sheepish smile.

"It's fine." he reassured her.

They silently sat there as they looked at the results of their test.

"Well, maximizing the constraint rune was our last decent idea." Light said in a tired tone. "Got anything else? Even if it's ridiculous." She asked with a bit of hope.

Blueblood sighed wearily with a shake of his head. "Not unless you feel like dying from an explosion rather than an implosion"

"Oh, never mind then." Light slumped as she sat down next to him.

With nothing much else to talk about, they just sat there in silence for the next few minutes. Until a sigh escaped Light.

"Something else on your mind?" Blueblood asked on reflex.

To the surprise of Blueblood, the answer came much, much slower than he imagined.

"I'm worried." She answered with a dejected voice.

Blueblood's head snapped towards her as shock was clearly evident on his face.

"It's just, this is both the best and the worst thing to happen to me." Light spoke without her usual demeanor.

"How so?" Blueblood asked without really knowing why.

"It's because it's a Royal request, from Princess Celestia herself! I mean, do you have any idea, how excited I was when I heard that Princess Celestia was looking for capable mages to work on this huge problem that she herself hadn't solved yet? And to hear that I was specifically asked for, rather than just meeting the qualifications to work on this thing? I felt so, honored, or something. Now I just feel stupid." She finished her rant as she somehow slumped down further.

Blueblood was silent as his mind raced to think of some kind of action. With smoke practically flowing out of his ears, his hoof slowly rose as if it had a mind of its own. Practically acting on auto-pilot, his hoof patted Light's head twice as Blueblood himself practically blanked out as he stared at it.

As he was silently questioning what he was doing, Light suddenly hugged him, fully shutting down Blueblood's mind as he had not a single clue on which action he should take.

"Just hug back dummy." Light said with a muffled voice.

Blueblood followed her words and put his hooves around her.

Stuck in that position, he combed through his memories and lessons he's learned over his life as he tries to find something useful. Thankfully, he needn't do that as Light peeled herself away.

"Sorry, I guess the stress got to me." She spoke with an embarrassed flush. "And, thanks."

"It's, fine." He answered and wiped away a damp spot on his fur.

Before an awkward silence could fill the room, Blueblood let out a small chuckle.

"What?" Light asked curiously.

"It's just, you didn't act so joyful there, Ms.Joyful Light." He said with a small smile.

"Oh shut up. I'm just tired since I haven't slept good for four weeks because of this damn thing." She said with mock anger.

Blueblood froze as he suddenly realizes something. "Wait, did you just?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're a bad influence to me"

"Oh, Aunty would kill me if she ever finds out." Blueblood said in a resigned tone.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Blueblood let out a relieved sigh. "If, you buy me ice cream." She suddenly added the condition.

"What?" He said in an incredulous tone.

"Come on, you're royalty. You got more than enough money"

"And you receive a hundred and fifty bits for your expenses from your scholarship, which, by the way, provided both your own house with everything paid for, and pays for your entire tuition." Blueblood spoke with slight disbelief on his face.

Still, despite those facts being laid out, Light simply stared into Blueblood's eyes with a still smile and bright eyes.

Blueblood couldn't believe it as a small frown was present as he kept staring back.

"Fine." He relented.

"Yes!" Light pumped her hoof in celebration.

"Yeah, yeah, you've successfully honey trapped a royal into buying you frozen desserts." Blueblood said in a tired voice as he stood up.

Light followed suit with a slight jump in her step as they slowly headed for the exit.

"You wanna eat out?" She suddenly asked.

"Only if you're paying." He answered with a small smirk.

"Fine, but I get to choose where"

"Please pick somewhere that follows some kind of health protocol." He said with a slight shiver.

"You liked that kebab." She suddenly turned to him.

"No, you liked the kebab, and ate both." He stated and pushed the door open.

"Oh yeah." She remembered as she put her hoof to her chin. "Well, don't you worry. This place is absolutely the best. None of that, whatever it was with a single piece of grass through a circle thingies"

Blueblood stared with a raised eyebrow before giving a resigned sigh.

"I guess, it couldn't hurt to try something else from time to time." He relented. "Though, I'm taking a shower first"

"Oh, absolutely. We look terrible right now." She fully agreed as they went on their way.

It was going quite slow at Day Court today. Not that there were that much less ponies today. In fact, the amount is only a few less than usual. The problem was, these two.

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO USE THE PRINCESS'S KINDNESS, TO INCREASE YOUR OWN FORTUNES!" Field Harvest yelled back at his brother.

"HOW DARE I? CELESTIA KNOWS, YOU YOURSELF WON'T DO MUCH WITH IT!" Fruit Harvest shouted even louder than before.

Or wait, was he Fruit Harvest? By the stars, they look like copies of each other. How am I supposed to tell the two apart?

"Gentlecolts, please, do not bicker." I finally spoke up. "We are here to solve this issue." They both seemed to agree on that part with a silent glare at each other. "Now, please provide me with evidence on why should one of you get this, inheritance." I still don't actually know what it is.

"Of course Your Highness." Fruit? Or, Field? The one on the right spoke first, and brought out an old photo, from back when cameras were practically bigger then me. "This, is a picture of my ancestor taken from about seven hundred years ago. The inheritance is shown right behind him, in his farm which is owned by me currently." He proudly presented the photo of a stallion glaring at something out of the shot.

"Oh, such lies. A picture can be faked these days." The other one said in a boastful voice and brought out a scroll.

My eyes slightly widened in horror as the scroll unrolled itself, and kept going until it finally hit the gates and bounced back. Then it stopped at the base of the throne.

Damn it. The amount of work it's going to take to verify all this.

"Right here." He pointed at somewhere in the middle. "This is the only photograph of my ancestor, Fortune Harvest. As it's seen here, the inheritance belongs to me." He said in a tone that said he won.

The picture was pretty much the exact same as the other. The stallion was glaring at the opposite direction.

Huh.

"Could you two please give me your pictures for a moment?" I asked and magicked the photos to me.

Putting the two together, I get a complete picture of two brothers glaring at each other in front of a field of trees. Without saying anything, I simply gave them the picture as a look of realization came in.

Great, now there's no easy way to solve this. Not like the original plan of action was that much easier.

"What exactly is the inheritance? A field of trees? Or maybe some land?" I asked, both out of tiredness and a bit of curiosity.

"Princess?" Raven called out with an exhausted, yet furious voice, for some reason.

"Yes?" I responded.

"It's a tree." She stated blankly.

I froze as the word 'tree' echoes through my mind. I must've stayed in that position for quite some time as one of the brothers called out to me.

Slowly turning towards them, I struggled to keep my annoyance hidden as I couldn't even force a smile.

"Is it true?" I asked simply.

They didn't answer, but their silence was enough.

"Five hours." I mumbled as I fought to keep the anger in.

"Pardon?" One of the asked.

"FIVE FUCKING HOURS!" I finally snapped. "OUT!"

They scrambled to leave as the left one roughly folded the scroll and left.

"Raven! Close Day Court!" I commanded and teleported away. "I need a damn break."

"Sister?" A voice suddenly spoke from behind me.

"What the!" I was surprised and quickly turned around. "Luna? What're you doing in my room?"

"I was looking to see if thee had taken my brush without knowing. Is it not time for Day Court currently?"

"Ugh." I suddenly felt sluggish as I collapsed into my bed. "I'm too mentally exhausted for today."

"Bad luck with the nobles?" She asked as she laid next to me on her stomach.

"Yes. I just spent five hours listening to two stallions argue like colts, over a tree. A singular tree. Which, normally, I would be able to deal with, but a series of random events keep popping up in my office. I mean, seriously, who would've thought that Ursa, well, her child, would suddenly appear in Ponyville?" Complaining my heart out with my sister felt nice.

"I understand you, sister." She spoke with a small laugh. "Remember the time when the ones having such petty fights were the commoners?" We shared a laugh at the ridiculous memories. "Having a petty squabble over an axe."

"Oh, how the times have changed." I commented as we continued to lay at my bed.

"Do you ever feel like we should retire?" I asked a question.

"Hmm." Luna frowned slightly as she thought it over. "I can't say the thought of doing this forever was ever really pleasant." She gave her thoughts. "Equestria would fall too fast if both of us were to leave"

"Well, we just might have a chance." I said as I remember a certain pony.

"Ah, yes. You believe she might do it?"

"I'm certain."

She let out a sound of acknowledgement.

"Now get back to work, Tia. You haven't retired yet."

I sighed wearily as I ran my hooves over my face.

"Fine"

*Knock, Knock*

I opened the door with a creak as I hold back a yawn.

"Ms. Joyful Light?" A rather large stallion in a delivery suit asked.

"Yes?" I answered with a groggy mind.

"A package came for you. Sign here please." He said with a business smile.

"What? OK?" I complied and received a box twice my size. "What the."

"Have a nice day!" The delivery pony walked off.

With a simple cutting spell, I opened a hole on the side of the box.

"AHH!" I let out a shriek of a scream as I was suddenly avalanched by a mountain of cold objects. "Ow."

Digging through the pile, I got on top and stared down.

Piles upon piles of neatly packaged ice cream. The branding was also a company I never knew about.

"Joy Frozen in Ice." I let out a chuckle as I read the label. "A prank only a rich pony would pull off. Damn Blueblood."

Author's Note

Yo.

This chapter is brought to you by the forgetfulness of the sense of time. :derpyderp1:

Basically, because of all the crap ton of tests I'm gonna give, I managed to completely forget about the fact that I was writing something. I guess writing five essays a day tends to burn you out. :pinkiecrazy:

Anyways, after this chapter, I'm actually thinking about picking up the pace of the story. I can stretch Remedy's trauma for only so long after all. :duck:

With that said, thank you for reading. :heart:

And, see you next time. :heart:

Moving On

"Nope, I personally overlooked the search and we found none." Raven answered my question with a tired look.

"Well, that just makes this even more mysterious." I mumbled to myself.

I had Raven and few other ponies search our archives for any and all missing reports. Even during the years that took place to after the, war, only a hooffull of ponies have ever went missing. With only a single report from the last century.

Since the archives have always had the highest possible preservation and tracking spells cast on them, even from when it was first being recorded back when the unification happened, it can only mean one thing. Remedy is not from Equestria, or at the very least, from a place that grew to be Equestrian land.

Because he said he was a farmer, I expected something akin to a slave farm, illegally ran by some of the nobles who managed to go unfound under my clouded eye.

Though, I suppose I can't rule out the possibility of somepony either destroying or stealing some of his records. But then, who from the nobles would be bothered enough by a, mudblood commoner, to make them just disappear like that. Something like that would've never went unnoticed by me, even with an unclear mind.

*Sigh*

Sighing tiredly, I supported my head with a hoof.

At least that gives me more hope that I had not let something like that happen during my, downtime.

I took a look at the copied report of Green Garden again for the nth time, hoping to see more clues from the report that I may have missed. I still feel guilty about making a copy of this without informing Remedy, but as much as he is a friend, he's a complete anomaly.

Though, looking at the details, he definitely seems to be a victim more than a villain.

It is as Moon said when we went drinking. Remedy's past is definitely, interesting. Traumatic, would be the word I'd use to describe it though. And having already been involved with the Nightmare incident, I can only imagine what sort of mental breakdown he went through.

Heh, for me to find out more about my friend from somepony whom I had deemed as a villain. I do wonder how they managed to get so close though.

"Well, I should get going before it gets too late." The purple one stated as she stood up.

"Right. Be careful on the way. You shouldn't need me to explain how dangerous the Everfree is right?" Remedy spoke casually.

"Bye." I just waved a hoof and continued to lay down on the platform with the pillow.

I still don't really like that purple one. In fact, I don't like any of those six except Flutters of course, and the gay one, since she saved me from that fall.

"Of course. See you two later." She gave her goodbye and left.

Remedy waved after her with a simple smile.

"I feel like I should ask this." Remedy turned to me with a smirk. "What were you calling her in your mind?" He asked with a straight stare.

"The purple one." I answered nonchalantly. "I can't be bothered to learn their names." I said and stretched into a more comfortable position.

He chuckled at my answer as I heard him throw a few pieces of wood into the lit fire. Seriously, this guy just likes tea too much. Then again, if I could make tea as good as he does, I might also be in love with it too.

Feeling nice and comfortable, I started to feel lethargic as I stared at the sky. Well, I would have, if there wasn't a tree top in the way.

Hmm, I wonder if Harkon and Daydrin are doing alright. I couldn't really approach Daydrin since she seemed to hate my guts, but Harkon was just adorable. They both suddenly left after they finished eating the manticore corpse. Remedy says that Daydrin is taking Harkon to teach him how to hunt, and other stuff. Does it really start that early though? Harkon is like 3, 4 weeks old.

Nature is both cruel and beautiful, just like dad used to say.

"What the?" I suddenly heard Remedy say in a confused tone.

"What is it?" I rolled to the edge and asked.

"I don't know." He answered and held up a small blue colored ball.

Not getting a clear enough image from up here, I took the stairs down and approached him. Though, I stopped in my tracks as the ball suddenly turned and stared at me with eyes huge for its size.

"Holy shit! Throw that thing in the fire!" I shouted and ran towards the bags that held our food stock.

"What!? Why?" Remedy asked back.

"That's a fucking parasprite. Burn that unholy abomination!" I yelled and started to dig a pit.

"A what-sprite?" He was still asking stupid questions. "What the fuck!" He suddenly shouted out.

Needing to see what happened, I turned around and froze.

We're fucked.

There was practically an entire army of those things that appeared at the edges of our camp.

"Remedy." I called out as I moved slowly not to aggravate them.

"Yeah?" He responded with a slightly nervous voice.

"Help me hide our food." I said and slowly stepped back to the bags.

Even just a single one of those parasprites can eat enough to feed an entire city on their own.

"Not sure if I can move right now." Remedy answered as he kept staring.

A few seconds pass as I contemplate on how I should do this as the parasprites keep staring at us.

Instantly turning around, I threw one of the bags into the pit as I heard the fluttering of wings of the horde and their annoyingly sweet squeaking sounds.

"No, let go!" I yelled as a bunch of them suddenly grabbed the bag I was about to throw in the pit. "Gah. Fuck you!" I cussed after them and threw a bunch of dirt onto the bags I had piled in the pit.

"What the fuck, are these things!" I turned around to Remedy swinging the axe at random parasprites that got too close.

"Huh." I froze as I watched a bizarre scene.

One of them, just bit into our soup pot.

"Oh shit!" Remedy yelled out as he jumped away from the spot and sprinted towards me.

"Remedy?" I called out to him.

"That thing just ate my axe." He muttered in slight confusion as held up an axe handle with no axe head.

"We, might be screwed here." I commented as I just stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Happen to remember any weaknesses?" He asked as he tried to squash one of them under his hoof.

"Uhh, catchy music." I answered and tried to swat away any that got too close.

"Well, shit." Remedy cussed as we were now stuck.

With nowhere else to go, we stood over our buried food stock. The other bags already devoured as the entire camp was filled to the brim those little things, constantly multiplying themselves.

Then suddenly, the sound of dirt moving rings out clearly from behind us. Spinning around, I was slightly fearful as a parasprite had eaten the dirt.

"Shit!" I yelled out and jumped at it.

Only for it to move out of the way as I slam into the dirt.

"Fire." Remedy suddenly spoke up.

"What?" I asked back.

"Fire! These things can burn!" He suddenly exclaimed and jumped into the air.

With a chomp, he grabbed one in his mouth and ran straight towards the lit campfire. Stopping with a skid he spat the little things into the fire as a high pitched shriek of pain rang throughout the camp.

All the others suddenly stopped as they slowly rotated to look at Remedy.

Remedy himself, only stood tall as he took a deep breath.

"Come." He spoke as the entire swarm suddenly turned savage like.

I yelled in fear as a part of the swarm attacked me too.

"Fuck! Let, go! You pieces of shit!" I kept shouting out curses as I ran and dodged everything I could.

These things are fucking feral! Straight up trying to bite me, or drop a boulder on me.

"MOON!" I heard Remedy's voice somewhere.

"Yeah!" I yelled back.

"WHERE DID YOU PUT THE DAGGER!"

"Right next to the firewood!" Doing evasive rolls and such, I keep running at full speed.

At least they're not going for our food supply anymore.

Suddenly being slammed from behind, I rolled on the ground a few times before crashing into a tree.

"Ugh." Groaning from pain and disorientation, I slowly raised my head to see what hit me. "Fuck!" I yelled and dodged to the side as a jaw made from rocks landed where I was. "What the-OW! Shit!" I couldn't exactly see what tried to eat me as I had start running from all the parasprites.

I don't know how long I ran for, but I do know that those things have kept chasing me.

"Water!" I yelled in realization as a thought occurred to me.

It should be the river. And I'm close, I recognize some of these trees.

"Yes!" I spoke in relief as I finally ran out of the woods and onto a small field, clear of any trees as the river was flowing peacefully in its place.

Getting a burst of energy from somewhere, I pushed my body and was just about to reach the river.

"Whoa!" I yelled in surprise as I tried to stop myself.

Unable to stop myself entirely, I kept sliding on the ground even though I had completely laid down. A green, rocky texture leaped over me as I finally slid over the edge and fell into the river.

"Uph, ow." I let out a few sounds of pain as I splashed into the river.

Taking a breath as deep as possible before going down, I looked upwards as the swarm of parasprites suddenly stopped.

"Ha-!" I facehooved underwater as I quickly closed my mouth back.

I think hanging around Remedy all day is messing with my brain.

Staring upwards as I mentally prepare myself to resurface, I stopped myself as a shadow suddenly covered me. Moving as fast as I could, I swam away as something heavy splashed into the river.

A few dozens of parasprites were flowing either around me or falling from the sky as I resurfaced for air.

"What fell?" I muttered and looked around, only to get pulled underwater as something clenched around my hind leg.

Not entirely knowing what was happening, I kept repeatedly slamming my hooves onto whatever was biting as I slowly lost feeling with my leg. Yet the pain still coming stronger than ever. Still, despite my hooves hurting, I continued to punch and slam into whatever was biting me. Until I finally felt it loosed a bit.

Getting a good grip on whatever was biting me, I wasted no time as I pulled it away from my leg. Surprised that I actually had enough strength for it, I resurfaced as I coughed up water and took deep breaths.

"Argh." My leg had a stinging pain that I suddenly felt as the adrenaline started to wear off a bit. "Ooh, that hurts like a bitch." I muttered as I crawled out of the river.

Ignoring the pain as much as I could, I limped as I started to make my way back to the camp. Which way is it again? I went too far with the current. I can't tell where it is.

Looking to the sky with a sigh, I drop down as since I don't know where to move. I can just go a random direction and find my way from there because of the barriers, but I'm just too tired right now.

*Sniff*

I caught a random smell.

"The fuck is that smell?" I muttered and tried to find the direction. "Oh." I stood up, extremely tired. "Fucking Remedy, really hope he didn't burn the entire camp down." I spoke to nopony in particular as I headed towards the rising smoke.

"Last one." I muttered to myself as I pulled the last bead out of the dagger.

It's a miracle in itself that it still works, even if its performance isn't half as good as back then.

Putting the bead in my mouth, I gently bit down on it as my mouth was filled with a smoky taste. Grabbing the lit torch, I blew into it with as much force as I could as the flames spread through the air, completely turning the pests into ashes.

"Gah." I coughed and took breaths as I stared at the last of those, something-sprites disappearing out of the camp. "Finally." I muttered and threw the torch into the campfire and sat down, placing the dagger on the ground.

I do wonder if the sheathe for the dagger is still there. I didn't bury it, but I still left it at that church.

"Now, where the fuck is Moon." I spoke to myself as I stared around the camp.

I could feel my anger rising as irritation almost took over.

Everything is either gone, or destroyed. The few bags me and Moon tried to protect, gone. Our fucking treehouse, that we made so much damn progress on, crashed to the ground as most of the wood we used became devoured.

Really makes you want to quit.

And night is coming too. We could make a fire, but nothing to drink.

Let's see.

There were a few leftover pieces from our pots and pans. Handle, useless. I need large, flat pieces. This one, could work. This one is too thick.

About ten minutes pass as I finally collect enough pieces.

"Where the hell is Moon?" I muttered as the sky started to darken. "Well, not like she'd die." I mumbled and moved to the river with the pieces of metal in my hoof.

I need some water.

"Moon?" I asked with an intrigued face.

She was lying on a rock, a bite wound on her left hind leg. It looked to be deep with blood flowing out of it.

"Remedy?" She asked weakly.

"Yeah, it's me." I answered and put her on my back. "What bit you?" I asked as I placed the metal pieces on the ground.

"I don't know. It had a rocky skin, and it was green." She spoke with a tired voice.

"Alright. You just rest now, I'll take of the aftermath." I reassured her as I hurried towards the camp.

A green, rocky skin? The possibilities aren't that much. It's most likely a cragadile.

Coming back at the camp rather quickly, I chopped down a tree and threw pieces of it into the weak fire.

With the heat problem taken care of, I quickly gave my attention to Moon. Placing my hoof on her neck, I felt her increasing heartbeats. She was sweating heavily and breathing deeply. Losing too much blood.

Ah shit.

"Moon, you're losing too much blood. I can't close the wound since all our stuff got devoured. You can either struggle like this, or you could die." I spoke clearly.

Her eyes, completely unfocused and disoriented, opened up to stare at me directly.

"I don't wanna die." Her words were almost silent.

"You won't. We both know that." I replied.

"No, no. It hurts. I don't like it when it happens. It's too cold." There were slightly wet spots near her eyes.

"Moon. This will hurt. And you'll have a pretty ugly scar." I warned her.

"It's better than dying." She barely lifted a hoof and clutched unto mine. "Promise me,
asshole. You won't let me die again."

I sighed as I looked at her pleading eyes. "You idiot. I think I'm spoiling you." I spoke with a tired tone. "I promise." I said and walked away.

The giant ass tree that we previously started to build our treehouse in. For some reason, it didn't have any bite marks on it. Which means, there could be a chance our whiskey survived. Previously, I decided to store the barrel behind the tree because of the shade.

"Good, it's untouched." I mumbled and grabbed the three cups on top of it.

Rolling the barrel, I placed it next to Moon and put the three cups on the ground. Gathering as many leaves as I could with a few vines to hold them together.

"Alright, Moon, take a sip." I put the cup filled with whiskey to her mouth.

She drank it slowly as her face grimaced from the taste.

"A bit more, you'll need it to dull the pain." I commanded and poured the rest into her mouth.

As she gulped down the last of it, I took a deep breath as I held the dagger. The blade turned a reddish yellow as I pulled it from the fire.

Putting a small piece of wood in Moon's mouth, I started.

"Three. Two. One." I pressed the blade on the outside wound as Moon shrieked from pain.

As she held herself by slamming her hooves into the ground a few times, I continued as blood flowed down her leg. Alright, that should be enough. Splashing a bit of whiskey on the wound, I wrap it in leaves and use the vines to hold it tight.

"We don't have disinfectants, so this'll have to do." I informed her as her screams turned to heavy breathing. "Just rest for now"

Letting out a relieved breath, I held my head in my hooves as I looked around the area one more time. Today has really turned into a shit show.

With a stretch, I got up to get some water if I could.

*AAAAAAAAAAAAH!*

I froze a bit as I heard screaming. Glancing between Moon and heading there, I grumbled and started sprinting.

"Who the fuck is running around the Everfree at this hour." I spoke to myself and made my way through the woods.

"Run! You'll find Remedy at the middle!" Twilight yelled and shot a burst of magic at the cragadile that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

I quickly took the girls into my hooves and flew towards Remedy's camp.

Since it was quite late, Twilight recommended that we take the Crusaders here because it was generally safer. Unfortunately, the stare didn't work on the cragadile.

"Fluttershy! We can't leave her alone!" Apple Bloom quickly yelled out.

"Yeah! We gotta help her!" Sweetie Belle added in.

"Yeah! We can beat it!" Scootaloo boasted.

"We're not leaving her. We're just getting help." I spoke to try and calm them.

If I can get to Remedy quickly, he can easily take care of that cragadile. I've seen him defeat that hydra after all.

"Fluttershy?" I stopped mid-air as I heard the familiar voice.

"Remedy!" I quickly flew down and put the fillies on the ground.

"Are you the one who screamed?" He calmly asked.

"Um, yeah." I replied, a bit scared.

Remedy seemed to be just, scarier than usual today. Though, I haven't spent that much time with him.

"We don't have time for this!" Apple Bloom suddenly yelled out. "Twilight is in danger! You gotta go help her!"

"Which way?" Remedy asked stoically as he cracked his neck.

"That way." All three fillies pointed back to where we came from.

"Got it. Fluttershy, you take the kids to the camp." He ordered and ran off towards Twilight.

I meekly nodded after him and took towards the camp with the fillies.

I think he's in a bad mood. He just seems so, darker than last time.

"Who was that?" Scootaloo started a conversation.

"His name is Natural Remedy. He lives here inside the barrier we just went through, along with somepony else." I answered a bit nervously.

"Are you ok Fluttershy?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I'm fine. It's just that the person living with Remedy is a bit, different than usual." I tried to downplay the issue as best as I could. "Don't worry, she won't hurt you. She's just, not somepony you'd see everyday"

They looked between each other before shrugging.

"Is it really ok to leave those against that rock monster?" Apple Bloom asked.

My mind went back to when we first met him. Covered from top to bottom in hydra blood as I shuddered a bit at the memory.

"Remedy is quite strong, so they'll be fine." I reassured them and made our way.

Walking for quite a bit, we slowly made our way through the woods as the fillies started to become droopy. It is quite late into the night. Carrying them on my back, I slowly walked as I spotted a few spots of blood stained grass and trees. Huh, those two seem to be getting attacked a lot more than I had thought.

Finally arriving at the clearing after pushing a branch away, I walked towards the lit fire under the huge tree.

Moon is, sleeping, I guess? Where's all their stuff? And what happened to the treehouse they were building?

Walking closer while questioning the state of the camp, I was shocked to see Moon.

Putting the fillies down as gently as I could near the fire, I ran up to Moon who was shivering with a skin that looked paler than usual.

"Oh dear Celestia." I muttered and examined her leg. "This is quite rudimentary." I commented at the smell of drinking alcohol coming from her.

*Bam*

Suddenly breaking through trees, Remedy was riding the cragadile with Twilight running after the two. Remedy raised his head and stared at us in surprise before jumping in front of the cragadile and getting a grip on it.

Keeping its jaws closed with his hooves, Remedy slammed his hind legs on the ground as the two left a trail in the dirt.

"Eep!" I put my hooves in front of me as the two got ever closer.

Tightly shutting my eyes unconsciously, I waited for. Though, the pain never came. Slowly opening my eyes, I witnessed Remedy holding the cragadile down on the ground.

"Fucking, move." He said through gritted teeth.

"Right." I spoke on reflex and grabbed Moon before jumping out of the way.

Good thing I put the fillies on the others side of the fire.

"Remedy! My spells can't go through its defense!" Twilight yelled out as she finally reached us and started to hold it down using her magic.

"Ugh." Remedy grunted in response as he struggled to keep it in place. "My dagger! Did you pick it up?!"

"Yeah!" She replied and threw a knife using her magic.

*Clang*

As it flew in the air, the cragadile hit in the air using its tail.

"Fuck!" Remedy yelled as the knife landed right in front of me. "Fluttershy! Kill it! I can't hold it in place for much longer."

I didn't know what to do. I grabbed the knife, but I couldn't move closer. It was so scary. I couldn't do it.

I looked to Twilight for help, but she only returned a nervous look as her horn was lit, clearly struggling to hold the cragadile in place.

Looking at the cragadile, I completely froze at the glare it was giving me. A murderous glare, filled with intent to hurt me.

Unknowingly, I took a step back. I was gonna run. It wasn't a conscious decision, but I knew it was going to happen. I felt my breathing getting deep. I couldn't do it.

"Give it here." I suddenly heard somepony say, almost whisper.

Before I could turn around, a black hoof came from around me and grabbed the knife.

"What?" I muttered and turned around, to see a tired Moon on the ground.

I had fallen, I didn't realize it.

"This is how you throw something." I heard Moon say in her boasting tone.

And with a grunt, she flung her entire front leg as the knife quickly made its way through the air. With a sharp sound, it dug its way straight into into the forehead of the cragadile. Giving an annoyed grunt, Remedy raised a hoof as he slammed it down on the knife, finally stopping the movements of the cragadile.

With the threat out of the way, I practically collapsed from lack of adrenaline.

Heavily breathing, Moon suddenly pulled from behind me.

"Whoa!" I was surprised as I found myself lying on the ground.

"Good night, Flutters." I heard Moon mumble before going to sleep.

"Well, that's still a bit weird to see." Twilight commented as she stepped forward.

"Just wait until you see her drunk." Remedy added with a chuckle.

Unable to really move, I couldn't do much except listen as tiredness slowly crept up on me.

"Is it possible for you to help me make a pot of some sorts?" Last thing I heard before passing.

Author's Note

Hey guys.

After this chapter, I might not be able to post for about two or three weeks. I'm finally going to finish the last of my test, and be able to go to college. After that, it's just going to be some personal courses for coding and such, and I'm thinking of getting a driver's license. So that's cool. :coolphoto:

Anyways, I'll see you guys later.

And as always. Thanks for reading! :heart:

A Simple Morning

I heavily gasped as I kept on walking. I knew exactly what would happen if I stopped.

For the past few days, or maybe it was weeks. I can't tell anymore. I have been walking, not even stopping for even the most important of reasons. I could tell that my health was deteriorating and would soon reach past the point of fixable. Still, I could not stop. The horrifying shadow of his presence alone kept haunting me.

Stopping, would be my death.

My stomach growled. Pain was evident as I felt like there was a void inside of me. The last of the bread I stole from that camp is long gone. Thoughts and regrets kept coming back to swallow me. I should've stayed back there. Hundreds of tents meant that ponies still lived there. No signs of blood after all.

What if those ruthless guards came back? I wouldn't be able to do anything against those traitors. But, I don't know. I never saw who owned those camps, so I lost to my own fear and left.

It was hard to walk, in fact, it was hard to even see. I was tired, my eyelids heavy, and I kept having blackouts. Yet, I knew I never laid down. Because laying down, meant death.

My entire body was shaking, from either tiredness, or the cold. It could be both.

I have long since changed regions, but I know he's still after me. Why would he stop? He's merciless. He didn't care about the reason, as long as it angered him, that pony was as good as dead. Some say that whoever angered him wished they were dead, just so they could escape his torture.

The surrounding area was nothing but stone as far as I could see.

My neck is sore from carrying this stupid collar.

My hooves hurt.

My legs are aching.

I'm thirsty.

I'm hungry.

I want to lie down.

I want to sleep.

I want mom to make me some soup.

I'm cold.

As my eyes are barely slits, I had a blank mind as I somehow dreamt and walked at the same time. The horrifying memories came back from the dream. My condition, not much different than my current situation. Cold, hungry, and tired all the same. Still terrified of the monster on my back.

Then, thoughts on my own birth haunt me.

Why couldn't I have been born a girl? I would've had a much easier time, just learning how to clean and stuff.

Why did I have to be born now? Why not later? Or earlier, when things were different.

In fact, why did I have to be born at all? Why do I have to struggle like this? What am I doing? Can I not just, stop?

"Please, for your mother, live. I'll watch over you." That single sentence echoed in my ears.

I felt like crying. I would have cried, but my body felt too dry to do so. With barely half a conscience, I continued again.

Then something changed. I was awoken from my half sleep as I checked the area with half lidded eyes, barely registering my surroundings.

It's so, green. It's different than what I'm used to.

The place was so, full of life. Plants and trees were as far as I could see, and random noises were coming from further into the place. High pitched melodies echoed through the area.

As I sat there in shock, slowly taking everything in, a sound managed to single itself out. A bit loud, and definitely big. With nothing else to do, I slowly managed to stand up and tried to walk.

Only after several tries, I pulled my hind leg from the ground and stepped over wood growing from the ground. Almost falling down from the sudden weight shift, I continued my walk, having a much harder time as my body begged for me to stop and rest just as I had seconds ago.

I nodded off several times during that small trek. It wasn't much of a surprise really, I had long overgone the limits of my body. It's already a miracle I can even think. Still, my sleeping brain managed to wake up and stop me from falling into the clear thing.

Before I could even fully register what it was, I had already dived in and took several gulps. Vigor rushed through me, waking my dead body. And the taste. Such a crisp, yet cool feeling as if I had just been served a drink, not even the richest nor the most privileged of ponies have ever tasted.

A suffocating feeling suddenly reminded me that I needed to breath, only then did I finally feel like I was alive, even if it was only a little.

I painfully climbed out of the, what is this? Flowing water, a little fast. A river right? Climbing out of the river with much difficulty, it felt like my brain went into overdrive as I suddenly started to feel every corner of my body at super sensitivity. My growling stomach became much louder. The countless small scratches and bruises I had gained from my journey suddenly felt like it was burning. I took deep breathes as I felt tears were about to stream out of my eyes. Collapsing from, something, I just laid there, on the ground, shivering from the harsh winds that my damp fur only made worse.

I gave a few chuckles as I slowly savored every sensation, I had done it. I had finally done something that everypony thought to be impossible, including myself. I lived through it.

With a sudden burst of energy, I miraculously stood up with barely any problems.

"Interesting." I mumbled to myself and looked around the forest.

Somewhat familiar patterns of trees. Conveniently placed shrubs of berries and low hanging fruits that wasn't there before. My mouth watered as I stared at the selection, all things I shouldn't know about right now, yet I do. Taking steps with no difficulties, I specifically chose a shrub with a familiar fruit. Small, fleshy, red, and certainly poisonous.

"Stop." That fucking voice echoed. "Thou had known"

"And you figured it out." I stated as the forest disappeared and we stood in a dark void.

My point of view rose as my body quickly grew to my current age.

"Thou had given, a few hints." She finally appeared in front of me. "Especially thine choice of sustenance. Of all the delicacies we had shown, thou chose yew berries specifically." With that, she stared at me with a guilty expression.

"There were a few inconsistencies. Like a splotch of blood on my muzzle that I now clearly remember being there. And I ate holly berries, not yew." I stated as I glared at her. She violated my personal space, and tried to dig out my past. "I don't really enjoy having others peek at my story. If possible, I want to take it to my grave. So, get the fuck, OUT OF MY HEAD!"

"Mister Remedy, we understand that thou art mad. We jus-"

"MAD?! That's a fucking under statement!" I cut her off as I suddenly snapped. "I'm not asking for your damn pity, but I like to believe I had one of the shittiest foalhoods, in the last century! Or a fucking millennia. I don't know, and I don't care. But I don't need to be reminded of the shittiest, the most fucked up years of my life, because of your damned to tartarus relationship with Moon!" Finally controlling myself, I took several deep breaths to calm myself as I clenched my eyes.

"I-uh." Luna was seemingly troubled on what she should do.

Letting out one final breath, I opened my eyes and stared at her. "Either go fuck yourself, or go and talk with Moon. This is between you two, and you don't need to fuck around with me to find an answer." I explained as calmly as I could while barely holding myself back. "Now wake me up, I'm not in some, posh ass castle with guards rotating day and night"

She stood there, her eyes were distracted as she processed what I told her. And finally, she focused back on me. "Sorry." She muttered and left through a door that suddenly appeared behind her.

As the door closed, it disappeared and I was left with nothing but pure darkness and a pissed off feeling.

"Fucking immortal babies." I cursed under my breath as I sat down.

The details of my dream, they were horrifyingly accurate. Sure, there were a few things she got wrong, but the complete dread I felt, the exhaustion of both the mind and body from slowly killing myself, the nauseating feeling of being hunted down, even the first time I ever ventured inside a forest. She got it right on the dot. How the fuck does she even replicate the dreams, inside another dream.

I really, truly, hope that she couldn't see the memories when we just talked. That's not something I want a single pony to see.

Waking up with a groan, Apple Bloom had a groggy mind as she sat up for her daily chores. Ignoring the white sounds of crackling fire and rustling of leaves, she slowly tried to get up as she rubbed her eyes to get rid of the crust that had formed. Feeling like she's more tired than usual, she had a slow mind as her body moved sideways to get out of bed. Something she'd done for her entire life.

"Huh?" Confused at why the ground was at the same level as her bed, Apple Bloom finally opened her eyes and looked around.

"Oh, you're awake." A rather tired voice suddenly called out.

Groggily turning around, her mind was trying as hard as it could to function as she saw who was talking to her.

"Oh, you're that mister with the scary face. Remedy, I think?" She asked, a bit unsure.

Remedy, who had been sitting against the massive tree, gave a few chuckles at her words. "Yes, Natural Remedy, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, mister. I'm Apple Bloom." She introduced herself as she shivered a bit from the morning breeze.

Remedy took a sip from a steaming cup. "Want a cup of tea? It's chamomile"

"Sure." She answered sluggishly.

Remedy put down the cup gently before getting up and pouring some tea into another one from a steaming pot.

"Wait." Apple Bloom suddenly realized something. "Ain't this the Everfree forest?" She asked as her eyes widened a considerable margin.

"Yes it is. Don't worry, nothing dangerous is here right now." Remedy reassured her and gave her a steaming cup. "Here you go." She accepted it calmly as her eyes kept glancing around.

"Thanks." Apple Bloom finally took a sip of the tea. "Mhmm, this is really good." She peppered up.

"Thank you. I've been brewing tea for close to forty years now." Remedy happily explained as he sat back down against the tree. "How well did you sleep?" He asked as his eyes turned slightly serious.

"Pretty good, I think. I did have a nightmare about that rock monster, but Princess Luna came and solved everything." She said in a pretty happy tone.

"I see." He replied calmly. "At least she did her job." Remedy mumbled to himself.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." He waved his hoof in a nonchalant way. "What were you and your friends doing in the Everfree by the way?"

"We were going after Fluttershy's chicken. Then, we got lost, and Fluttershy had to come get us." She finished the sentence with an embarrassed expression.

"A chicken?" Remedy said with a look of disbelief.

"Yes." Apple Bloom's face had no trace of a lie.

"Was, Twilight, with you three at least?" His disbelief was even deeper.

"Nope! It was just us, the Cutie Mark CrusadersTM!"

"So, you three, went into, what is probably the most dangerous place in all of Equestria, for a chicken?"

"Yeah? That's what I said"

Remedy burst out laughing as he heard those words. "Well aren't you three quite the package." He said with an amused smile.

"Yeah, I guess so!" She exclaimed happily.

"That's good." Remedy said as his smile turned from amused to kind. "Good friends can take you through many things, thick and thin. Some don't have that, so you're lucky kid"

Apple Bloom was taken aback as she thought on his words, and finally gave a smile. "Yeah, I am pretty lucky to have them as my friends."

They stared at each other before finally sharing a laugh.

"So, what exactly are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Remedy curiously asked as they peacefully settled down while facing the fire.

"It's a group between me and my friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. We made it so that we can finally earn our cutie marks!" She enthusiastically explained with a smile. "Though, it hasn't worked at all." She said as she slumped down.

Remedy stared with the tiniest bit of shock before smiling with understanding.

"You'll get it soon enough, Apple Bloom. Cutie marks always take time." He said with reassurance.

"I know. Everypony says that." She slumped down.

Remedy gave a few chuckles before speaking up. "Don't you worry. Eventually, something important to you will happen in your life, and you'll know exactly what to do"

"How though?"

"You just will, nothing else to it. It'll come naturally."

"Really?"

"Really." He softly chuckled once. "I remember being worried about that at some point."

"Ok." Apple Bloom accepted with a sad nod. "How did you get yours then?" She asked.

"Oh, that, um." Remedy's face morphed to regret from steering the topic there.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to." She noticed the obvious discomfort on Remedy.

"No, no, it's, perfectly fine. I got it when I, uh, managed to, inspire, a group of ponies to, to, try one more time after failing quite a few times." He spoke as he changed his words in the middle.

"Cool. How did it go?"

Remedy stayed silent for a bit as his mind went backwards through his memories. The tiniest of frowns on his face as he tried his best to hide it from Apple Bloom.

"It went, not as good as we had hoped." He said with a sad smile. "Well, it all worked out in the end." He suddenly cheered up with a fake smile.

Apple Bloom was perplexed at his sudden shift in tone, but ultimately decided to drop the subject.

"Ah, you're awake." A new voice joined in.

They turned their heads as Twilight walked through some bushes with a few items floating behind her. Remedy stared at the floating items with a blank expression before nodding in response.

"Good morning, Twilight!" Apple Bloom happily called out.

"Good morning to you too, Apple Bloom." She said back before sitting down at the fire. "So, after Remedy informed about yesterday's, uh, incident, with the parasprites, I went back to Ponyville and bought some necessary stuff for the camp." She explained and three boxes and a saddle bag on the ground.

"You really didn't have to buy that much stuff." Remedy said with an unwilling smile as he opened the bag to find it full of fruits.

"No, no, I insist. After all, it was kind of my fault all your stuff got eaten." Twilight replied apologetically. "And besides, I get a lot of bits from my scholarship on account of being, you know, Princess Celestia's student. And she also gives me lots of money to spend on personal things." She finished with a sheepish smile.

"Right, I see." Remedy accepted with a simple nod.

Twilight nodded back before she suddenly realized something. "Wait, you don't seem to be shocked by that at all." She spoke and stared at Remedy with a bit of confusion.

"Don't I?" Remedy said with an amused look.

"No." She stated. "You already knew." She pointed an accusatory hoof at Remedy.

Remedy replied with a teasing smirk and silence.

"You got attacked by parasprites?" Apple Bloom interrupted their conversation.

"Hmm, oh, yeah. It was like half an hour before you guys showed up." Remedy replied as if it was common occurrence.

"Can you guys shut up?" A sudden voice asked the three.

"Ah, don't freak out." Remedy quickly said as Apple Bloom turned around.

She froze completely as the cup fell from her hoof.

There laid Moon, her wings wrapped around her and one more pony. Fluttershy was in deep slumber with a content smile as her head peeked out slightly from Moon's wings.

"Some of us, are trying to sleep." Moon said sluggishly as her loose grip on Fluttershy tightened slightly.

Seeing exactly where this was going, Remedy had already moved from his spot. Just as Apple Bloom started to scream, Remedy put an apple in her mouth. Confused on what just happened, Apple Bloom took a moment to examine the situation before spitting the apple onto her hooves.

"Nightmare Moon!" She shrieked and threw the apple at Moon, who couldn't fully comprehend what was happening due to her just waking up.

The apple quickly flew through the air, its direction horribly off from the intended target as the huge bat wing suddenly stood in its path.

"Hey! Watch it brat. You almost hit Fluttershy, and she has a bout a thousand, no at least a million times more worth than you do." Moon quickly spat out as a glare grew on her face.

"Moon, drop it." Remedy spoke in a tired voice.

His mental exhaustion was quickly catching up to him.

"Tch." Moon clicked her tongue and wrapped her wings around Fluttershy once again before turning around and starting to doze off.

Apple Bloom was struck with confusion as she didn't know what to do.

A notoriously evil villain, who managed to apparently overpower Princess Celestia herself, was just sleeping there. Confusing her even more was that not only did she not attack her, the so-called villain was cuddling Fluttershy. Which made even less sense. Fluttershy, one of, if not the biggest scaredy-cat in Ponyville, was seemingly happy with this predicament.

"I'm, uh, guessing Applejack didn't tell you." Remedy guessed a bit nervously.

"Wha-Why is she? How is she-? Didn't-"

"Kid, Apple Bloom. Calm down." He instructed and laid down to reach her eye line.

"How? That is literally Nightmare Moon and you're not worried?" She asked frantically as she was shaking from fear.

"No, I'm not. Also, she's a bit of an idiot." Remedy said with a small chuckle.

"I can still hear you!" Moon said without moving.

"So you know I'm not lying." He shot back with a grin.

Twilight stayed silent as she watched the scene unfold with a fascinated face. A trace of disbelief lingered around her face as she watched the Nightmare Moon, although has significantly changed, having zero problems receiving orders from Remedy.

"Fu-"

"Hey! There's kids here." Remedy interrupted Moon.

Moon gave an annoyed wave.

"Ok, not exactly zero problems." Twilight thought to herself.

"Ugh, who's making all that noise?" Sweetie Belle slowly sat up, dropping tons of leaves that had been gathered on top of her.

"Seriously, it's way too early for all that yelling." Scootaloo complained and disrupted the bed of leaves on herself.

Apple Bloom's fear, which had been overwhelmed by her confusion slowly disappeared as she quickly placed herself in front of her friends. Her groggy mind long awoken.

"Apple Bloom?" The two fillies confusedly asked their friend.

"Wait, we're still in the Everfree?" Sweetie Belle quickly realized.

"Oh yeah." Scootaloo agreed without much of a reaction.

Then, all of a sudden, Fluttershy rose up from her sleep with a horrified gasp. Moon slowly sat up with tired eyes as she held back a yawn.

"What time is it?" Fluttershy asked nopony in particular.

"Um." Twilight tried to think of clues that could tell her.

"It's about, eight in the morning?" Remedy answered while looking at the sky.

"Eight?!" Fluttershy practically yelled out as she climbed out of Moon's nest. "Oh no! I have to go and feed my animals. Oh dear, they must be starving right now"

The others were simply watching in silent shock.

"She keeps animals in her place?" Moon just muttered to herself as she thought about her diet.

"Duty calls right?" Remedy joked a small grin.

Fluttershy gave a shy nod in response.

"Well, we should be leaving anyway. Their families must be looking for them about now." Twilight added her opinion.

Scootaloo flinched at her comment, which didn't leave unnoticed by Remedy.

"You better protect Flutters, purple one." Moon said with a sharp glare.

Though, her droopy eyes, added on top of the fact on how weak she was, barely put a dent on Twilight.

"You've been calling me 'purple one?" Twilight asked incredulously.

"You're not important enough for me to remember your name." She replied with an annoyed face.

Remedy just found this amusing as he sat there with an amused smile.

"Um, maybe we should leave fast? Like, right now?" Scootaloo suggested to Twilight.

Twilight turned to look at the nervous fillies, and Fluttershy who was restlessly staring at her. Then finally, she gave an annoyed stare at Moon before sighing.

"Get home safe." Remedy said his bye with a calm smile.

"See you later, Remedy, Ms. Emo." Twilight said with a playful smirk before walking away.

Fluttershy gave an apologetic wave before flying off after her with the fillies in her clutch.

"Pfft." Remedy laughed at Moon's blank face.

"That bitch." Moon said with a strained grin. "You fuck off too, Remedy." She turned to him.

"Aw, come on, Moon. You shouldn't have started it without a comeback at least." He replied while barely holding back chuckles.

"Fuck you." She said before laying back down.

Remedy gave a few chuckles before standing up to open one of the boxes Twilight had brought.

Humming a small tune to himself, he dug through them all before finding a thick, black blanket. With no hesitation, he draped it over Moon, who accepted with no issues.

"Get some rest, your injury should be taking a lot out of you." He said in a kinder tone before moving back to bring take a pillow.

"What about you? The others probably passed it off as you just waking up, but you look exhausted." Moon said casually.

"Ah, that? I just, didn't get a good sleep last night." He replied as his face shifted to slight anger.

"The fuck you talking about? Isn't the Protector of Dreams doing her job?" She asked in a sarcastic tone.

"She's doing it." He replied without much thought.

"Then what gives?"

"Don't worry about it." He said before pouring himself a new cup of tea.

Moon simply stared for a few seconds with annoyance clearly written on her face.

"Remedy. Sleep." She told him.

He simply stayed silent as he sat in thought, before finally sighing.

"Fine, I'll sleep." He poured the tea back into the pot. "Thanks for caring about me." He said with a smirk as he brought out another thick blanket from the box, this time, green colored and another pillow.

Laying down next to the fire, he gave a small stretch before closing his eyes.

Comfortable silence enveloped the camp as rhythmic breathing filled the silence.

"You still should've prepared at least one comeback"

"You bi-"

Author's Note

Hey guys.

I'm gonna be ending my break about here. I still won't post for like 10 days, but I'm only gonna be busy for two of those 10 days, and I need time to actually write another chapter. I only wrote this one cuz the entire the entire layout of the chapter was pretty much formed in my head already. :coolphoto:

And as always, thank you for reading. :heart:

The Sides Of a Nightmare

Luna was currently sitting at her seat on the dining room table. Face nervous, yet serious as she considered an action.

Her breach of privacy last night was quite unforgiveable, especially without a proper reason as to why she did it. Yet, what she saw itself was something of great concern. The fact that a pony of Equestria, even if they were an adult now, had suffered such a heavy past was not something she could let go as a ruler Equestria.

So it was something Luna needed to discuss with Celestia. But the problem still stood.

Just how should she tell her sister?

Forcefully making her sister's friend to have such a dream was already in the 'never fucking do it without reason' category. Added on top of the fact that she saw something that she absolutely should not have made it that much more offensive.

"Ugh." Luna grabbed her head as she dropped it on the table.

With a small swing of the door, a slightly shaking mare in a maid outfit walked in. "Um, w-would you like anything, Princess Luna?" She asked with clear fear in her voice.

Jolting slightly at the sudden voice, Luna straightened herself. "Would thee repeat thineself?"

The maid was shivering as she barely held herself together. "W-would you like a-anything, your highness?"

"Ah, yes. We would like a simple latte. That is all." With that, she sent the maid away as she slumped back down on the table.

After plenty of interactions with her citizens, Luna had made an observation that even the most idiotic of ponies wouldn't notice. Everpony, except only a few absolutely feared her. It had been so ridiculously obvious to her.

It hurt her. So much so that even a single emotion other than fear gave her some sort of relief. Even if, that emotion was something quite negative.

She grew a small frown as she found herself pondering on that ever important green pony. No matter how she thought about it, he didn't make sense.

The downright chill inducing glare, impossible to obtain without taking lives. And judging by how sharp it was, he had shed more than his fair share of blood. It truly baffled Luna why her sister had not dealt with this pony. The thought of her sister being tricked occurred to Luna more than once, but she could not act on it due to one other instance.

"Just how does he know about-"

"Luna?" Celestia walked in with a slightly shocked face as she disturbed Luna's monologue. "It's rare to see you of all ponies up this early." She commented happily with an exhausted smile on her face.

"I, had a concern. Why does thee look so tired? Thou art usually a morning pony, as they say." Luna commented with a hint of worry.

"Not really, it takes me half an hour on average to get out of bed." Celestia slowly walked to the table and took her seat before replying. "It's because I, also had a concern." She said with a small frown. "You remember the friend I told you about?"

"Yes, Natural Remedy. What of him?"

"Well, first of all, he seems to have come from a millennia ago."

Luna blanked.

"What?"

"He's from a millennia ago." Celestia repeated as if it was the most common thing.

Blinking several times to fully sober up, Luna simply stared at her sister.

"Yes, I was quite surprised too when I first found out." Celestia added on. "Well, that's only part of the issue. I'm more concerned with what he actually experienced from that time." She spoke with the tiniest of frowns.

Suddenly, the door to the dining table opened as a butler walked in. He held a tray with two steaming cups and a plate of waffles. Skillfully placing one cup in front of Luna and the rest in front of Celestia.

"Thank you, Steel Mask." Celestia said with a warm smile.

"It is my pleasure, your highnesses." He gave a simple bow and left.

"Pray tell, does thou know the names of everypony that works here." Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Of course." Celestia replied happily. "You should learn, even from the highest esteemed guests from Saddle Arabia, to the humblest of workers in Rockville. Each and every single one of them makes up some part of life." She explained calmly with a smile. "And I've known Steel Mask for nine years now." She quickly added with a wink.

Luna gave a chuckle and a lighthearted eye roll before finally taking a sip from her coffee. "Hmm, I'm not sure if this beverage actually affect me anymore." She spoke as she stared at her cup.

"Don't increase the dosage, Luna. We both know what happened after your first cup." Celestia warned with a bite of her waffle. "Coffee is supposed to be a light kick to wake you up when you need to, not a random burst of energy that will undoubtedly leave you with a crash"

Luna shivered in slight fear as she remembered the time she found herself with the worst headache she had ever felt, added on the fact of how she could not do a single thing to prevent it as she felt as if she had no energy.

"Anyways, back to the matter of Remedy." Celestia sipped her tea to wash down her waffles. "If possible, I'd like you to take a visit there. I don't know if you already know, but I'd like you to meet somepony else." She said with her warm smile.

Luna only sipped her drink as a thousand thoughts went through her. Though, with both a pony she barely knows, and her own sister telling her, she could only guess she should take the visit.

"Your ass is not going to be walking on that leg anytime soon." Remedy told me with a stern stare.

"I won't then." I replied as I felt my face muscles tensing. We've been doing this shit for ten minutes by now.

"That's not the fucking problem." His face had a trembling smile with an annoyed frown. "The problem, is that you're now one leg short. Therefore, diminishing your ability to either run or fight by at least half"

I took a deep breath to try and relax myself as I felt the strained smile on my face threatening to crumble. "Remedy. I need to take a piss. And you're not letting me go in private." I calmly explained.

"Letting you go alone would be leaving you defenseless"

"Bitch, did you feel like watching me piss or something?!" I finally snapped.

He completely froze as his hoof held his chin. His face completely lost in thought.

"What the fuck are you thinking so hard about?!" I asked louder than I intended.

"I'm contemplating how traumatizing that would be." He answered with a serious face.

I felt myself blank.

"Remedy." I calmly addressed him. "Go fuck yourself. I'll be back in thirty." I told him and turned to leave.

I heard him sigh as I walked over to the bushes.

Finally, that prick. The hell got into him, suddenly being that overprotective. Well, I guess it feels nicer than usual.

Walking with a slightly blurry mind, I stretch to hear a few pops. There was a random chicken here for some reason, though, it ran away. I heard some chirps echoing through the area.

"Pretty lively today." I mumbled and walked further in.

This fucking leg is an actual problem though. Seriously, I'm pretty damn sure cragadiles don't do all that hiding shit. I still remember that presentation I had to do in the academy.

I stop on the spot as I think back to when I encountered it.

"I punched it, right? No, I, pulled it away." I muttered as I remembered the cloudy memory.

Staring at my hoof with a curious thought, I turned to a random tree. And with a small shout, I punched it.

"Ow, fuck!" I slowly pulled my now hurting hoof back and continued to walk.

That was a stupid fucking idea.

As I spend a minute or two more, peacefully walking through the calm forest, I finally reach my destination. Pretty much at the barrier, as far away from the camp as possible. The reason I chose to walk so far away was just hygiene issues, like, shitting near the camp is just a bad decision in general.

And the other reason of course, was to practice a little something.

Releasing a deep breath, I take a seat and concentrate. Deeper, make yourself disappear from the world. Then, feel the world itself. Spread your senses, feel the light coming from above. Hear the sounds and pass through it. Predict the winds and follow its path. Then, finally, become the true opposite of light.

Inhaling deeply, I felt the air coming to me, only to dissipate as if I didn't exist. Then, I opened my eyes.

I felt my skin becoming slightly burnt from the sunlight. Slowly, I raised a hoof, and took a single step. Entering a completely different world, I was in a pitch black void.

Fucking finally!

Willing my now ethereal body to move forward, I felt myself jumping from shade to shade. Any and all shadows that were created, even by the tiniest of grass on the ground to the largest of trees, they were all a part of this empty world.

Suddenly feeling like I was empty, I quickly exited the world and was thrown out of the shadows.

"Oof." I let out a pained sound as I slid down the tree I got slammed into. Laying there whilst heavily breathing, I slowly started to laugh. "Fuck yes! This body is finally starting to get used to it." I talked happily as I inspected my hoof.

It always had a pure dark fur, but now it's different. Anypony can look and tell the difference. Instead of it just being dark colored, it looks like it's not something physical. With a deep breath, I released it and eased my body.

Nocturnal magic. Novices can't do all that shadow traversing, but I already have over two thousand years worth of experience. Not to mention the full century worth knowledge about it that I had to learn about from dad.

"This body is still pretty shitty though." I commented and spat out some blood.

Even with all my experience, it still takes me a full ten minutes of full concentration just to use it for a few seconds. This body just has way too little magic, though, it's probably because of the damn barrier.

I've thought of a few theories over the time I spent here. Yet, there's only one I think is actually plausible. When I first came here, I had that weird ass dream being captured by vines. It's obvious, those lights sealed away pretty much everything related to magic in this body. And just like Remedy, I'm slowly gaining more strength.

But that still leaves questions. Just what the hell is this barrier? What's its purpose? Who made it?

*Sigh*

"This shit is really complicated." I said and stood up.

I still need to take a leak.

Behind those bushes should do it.

As I relieved myself, I had a strange premonition that today would be shitty. Well, shittier than the average monster attack we've been getting. The fuck is up with that actually? Why are random ass monsters just deciding to suddenly attack. Just blaming it all on the randomness of the Everfree feels pretty dumb.

"Ugh." I groaned from annoyance.

Is this what Remedy keeps fucking doing every time he gets distracted? It's ridiculously infuriating.

"Whatever." I mumbled to myself as I finished my business and turned around to leave. "What the fuck?!" I cussed and jumped back at the bitch that appeared.

"Hello, Night." She greeted with a poker face.

"Ugh." I physically groaned as I a dragged my hoof over my face. "What the fuck do you want?" I asked Luna with a tired voice.

"Well, I had thought that we should have a proper talk, about the events that took." She said with that usual shit. Then again, I was doing the same thing when I first got stuck here.

"Alright." I need to see where this goes. "What did we of all ponies need to talk about?"

She stayed silent for a few seconds, her lips clearly trembling. Is she holding back anger, or shame?

"We need to discuss the matter of our failed fusion." She spoke clearly.

"What about it?" I was starting to get impatient. Her appearance alone was starting to piss me off.

"I am, sorry for losing control." She said with a nervous look.

I stayed silent. Seconds slowly pass as I kept meeting her stare. And for each second that passed, I was getting more pissed.

"That it?" I asked with a chuckle, gripping onto the last shred of hope I had.

"What?" She was confused.

Fucking what?

Ha!

No fucking way.

"You bitch." I replied, holding back so much damn anger, that I felt like I was suffocating.

She was taken aback. Shit, I was taken aback.

"The audacity." I muttered as I felt my face slowly cracking. "Did you really, really think, that you could just say that shit so, so fucking, shit I can't even find the words. You, what the fuck did you think was gonna happen? Did you think I was just gonna say 'ok' and apologize back? Like some damn foal's story?" I was chuckling, somehow finding this hilarious.

"I, had hoped." She was fucking shameless.

I finally stopped laughing as I stared at her. She flinched and I felt the slightest tingling sensation of magic being gathered. I must've let out killing intent without realizing it.

"Hey. Luna." I addressed her. "Do you really think, that we suffered the same amount?" This question was serious. Her answer will decide fucking everything.

She was befuddled, her eyes traveling everywhere. That poker face long gone.

"I thought we did." She was serious. "Was I not right? We lost our own minds, and was imprisoned on the moon for a thousand years."

"Seriously?" I asked and took a step forward. "Are you really not fucking with me?" I took another step forward and directly in front of her. "You," I pointed a hoof at her, "do not have it as shitty as me."

I could see her being visibly frustrated. She really doesn't understand shit does she?

"What is it!? What makes thee, a bigger victim?" She asked.

"Fucking, EVERYTHING!" I was taking deep breaths not to fucking kill her right now. "You." I pushed her back slightly as I pointed at her. "Lost nothing."

"What!?" How the fuck, dare she become enraged. "Do you have any idea, what it's like for me? To be hated, and feared, to the point where getting a single drink, is like torture. To be unable to rest easy in your own home. To not be able to even run into a pony, and have them not run away. Do you know how terrible that feels?"

"Oh, boo-fucking-hoo! Strangers don't trust you anymore, so fucking sad! Let me tell you what's really tragic. Not getting that second chance." I'm done with this idiot. "You do all that royal shit, I know, I was also a ruler once. You're the Dream Guardian, Protector of The Night, it's all that you got because you cared for your citizens. Do you know what it feels like, to not be able to do that anymore? Have you ever felt the anguish, the absolute torture, of knowing that everything you cared for, is gone. Have you ever felt that?" Her face was tense, probably unable to fully understand what I was saying. "No, you haven't, because I can already venture a guess. You have Celestia, you have your kingdom, you actually got a whole ass life to live. I don't have any of that left. Now stop fucking bothering me." I started to walk back to the camp.

"I-wait." She said something as I felt something.

With the smallest of tingling sensations, I fully stopped and stared around.

"Uph." I was suddenly slammed into. "Ugh." With that groan, I found myself on the ground with a fading vision.

Right as I started to faint, a random tremor managed to wake me. Sitting up with a gasp for breath, I looked around to find a dragon being blasted by magic.

It roared in anger as Luna stood her ground in front of it.

"Wait, what?" I muttered and took another look.

There's no real reasons dragons would attack ponies, not this time at least. Actually, they would, though I don't think any old dragon would be fighting with Luna. Is this another monster attack?

Then it stood up fully and inhaled deeply. Oh, it's a wyvern, not a dragon. It exhaled fire as Luna fought against it with her magic.

Finally standing up, I looked around, trying to find something to use. I left the damn knife back at the camp.

*ROAR!!!*

An absolutely terrifying scream echoed throughout the entire forest. It didn't come from the wyvern.

"At least I'm not fighting whatever the fuck that is." I mumbled and ran to the wyvern.

As a green pony was flung into the air, high above the tree tops and near the clouds, he put the knife he held in his left hoof into his mouth. And with that left hoof, he grabbed his right shoulder and with a few rotating motions, he pushed it in as a loud popping sound came out.

He flung his right hoof a few times to get used to it before looking down to the ground.

And a jaw bigger than his entire body came down on him.

With a stone in hoof, I was holding tightly from the wyvern's neck, slowly trying to climb up to its head. Though, it swinging around like a buffalo really didn't help with the situation.

"Fucking watch it!" I yelled at Luna as her spell flew over my head.

She was about to say something, but hesitated as I felt something wrong.

"Get off!" I heard Luna's distant voice.

Wait, distant?

I looked down, only to look upwards and hang on tighter. This fucking thing was flying.

I managed to drop the rock because of that.

"Holy shit. Okay, okay, I need to think." I talked to the air and thought about the choices I have. "Oh, right, fuck." I realized a power I have.

Taking a deep breath, I started to concentrate. Careful, I haven't done a dangerous spell like this during that banishment.

The magic in my body is low, but I just need a single moment of connection to kill this thing.

I felt constant tremors as Luna kept spamming the thing with spells. How is this thing so strong though? Even if Luna is weakened, it's not something that should take her more than a few attacks to deal with.

Guide my own magic, turn to the shadow as you feel yourself lose all physical aspects. To be able to go any and everywhere you like. Enter the crevices, crawl through the smallest spaces, and find a part of yourself already existing there, and strike.

I pushed, then instantly pulled as spikes upon spikes emerged from the wyvern. Blood splattered through the air as the wyvern was frozen in place. I let out a tired breath as I disconnected my magic, allowing my hooves to be in the physical world again.

"Oh, fuck." I cussed as I felt gravity working its magic.

"Night! Grab on!" Luna was falling down next to me, holding out a hoof.

"Fuck you." I had no hesitation as I positioned myself on top of the dying wyvern.

I can use it to cushion the impact, and then roll away to minimize the damage. Thankfully, we didn't fly too high.

Just as I was thinking that, we reached the ground, forcing me to finally let go of the wyvern as I rolled on its body and onto the ground. Finally stopping by slamming into a tree, I lay there for a bit and catch my breath.

Aren't I getting slammed into trees too much lately? Wonder if I'll get any back problems because of this.

Hehe. I managed to use nocturnal magic with this body. I know for a fact that not a single other can do this. I can finally stick it to Remedy for calling me weak.

*ROAR!!!*

Hearing that loud noise once again, I opened my eyes and started to stand up. Though, I fell back down as I was quickly reminded of my injured leg.

"Ah fuck." I mumbled to myself.

"Night!" Fucking seriously? "Are you alright? What were you thinking?!" Luna came running over as she stood over me.

I'm just, so done with this girl.

"For fuck's sake, stop bothering me. And stop calling me that." I said as I stood up, and turned to leave.

I'm so fucking tired right now.

"No, Night, seriously." She grabbed my shoulder.

I turned around and punched her.

"Agh." She had a small bruise on her cheek as I struggled to hold myself back further.

"I don't know what kind of delusion you think you're living in, but we, are not friends. In fact, I don't even if we ever were, or I was just some, tool, ready to use whenever you needed to. Meeting you was the worst fucking mistake I ever made." I finally told her.

*ROAR!!!*

I heard that noise again, this time much closer as I turned around.

There it was, Remedy riding a bloodied wyvern. He was looking at the sky before he finally noticed me. And the wyvern was falling down, with plenty of tears in its wings.

Looking at the one I managed to kill, I looked at the one he was riding.

"It's fucking massive." About thrice the size actually.

Only other creature I know that's that big is Lord Torch.

"LOOK OUT BELOW!" I vaguely heard Remedy yell out as I turned to dodge.

What the fuck?

Luna was just sitting there with a hollow look.

"Fucking damn it." If she dies, Celestia will come and blah, blah, blah the usual shit. "HEY!" I shouted and grabbed her by the shoulders. "STOP BITCHING AND GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" I yelled and looked back at the wyvern. "OH SHIT!" I cussed and shut my eyes to brace for impact.

Though, all I felt was a strong breeze.

Slowly opening my eyes, I realized that the wyvern missed me, no, I got moved. I felt something behind me. It was Luna, I guess she teleported us or something.

I got up with a grunt as I coughed a bit from the dust that rose.

"Is it true?" Luna suddenly asked me.

"What was that?"

"Is it true, that you meeting me was your biggest regret?" She asked coldly.

"Luna, don't you get it? Meeting you, not only cost my country to fall, it caused my species in its entirety to disappear. There isn't even a single chance of me birthing a pure nocturnal because of the damn fusion. So, yes, it is my biggest regret." I cracked my neck and turned to the fallen wyvern. "I don't have anything else to say to you"

"You alive?!" Remedy yelled out from behind a dust cloud.

"What the fuck were you thinking asshole!" I yelled back and started walking towards him.

"Not really a lot when you're flung over the clouds." He replied casually as he came over, pulling the knife out of the wyvern's wing.

"The fuck you mea-" I suddenly lost all energy and fell down.

"Whoa, easy there." He caught me as I collapsed. "Adrenaline is one hell of a drug."

"I want grilled meat." I managed to let out before passing out.

"Seriously?" Remedy mumbled and put Moon on his back.

Putting the knife in his mouth, Remedy looked to their guest. His gaze was a cold one that judged Luna harshly.

"You apologized." He took a guess.

Luna woke from her slumber with a small jump, and stared back at Remedy. "I thought I did." She answered with a defeated voice.

Seconds slowly pass as Remedy simply stared.

"An apology. It's something you say to acknowledge your mistake, and to seek forgiveness. Not to give closure to yourself." He calmly said before walking away.

Author's Note

YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I'm finally back! For real this time. I don't have any other tests and shit for the rest of Summer. Well, a driver's test but that's not super time consuming. :derpytongue2:

Anyways, I thought I should finally address the relationship between Moon and Luna. So, I decided to make this chapter a lot more dramatic than it would've been. I mean, come on, I named this chapter fucking 'Construction' when I started it. So, this one was rewritten. :moustache:

And as always, thanks for reading! :heart:

A Normal Day At Last

In the ever dangerous Everfree forest, deaths and destruction is about the minimum for life. In this environment, prey and predator are mostly alike, with only a single difference of what you could use to kill something.

*Rustle, Thud, Thud*

Though, there's always a hierarchy.

A deer with blue antlers was currently frantically running through the woods, breaking down bushes and low hanging branches alike as it heavily panted from exhaustion. A few cuts visible on its snow white fur, evidence of a fight it had recently had.

*Growl*

Hot on its tail was a truly big threat, standing about twice the deer's size.

The deer, sensing the threat, made a split second decision as it swung its head to the side as clusters of ice broke down the trees behind it. Those trees fell rapidly, yet it only slowed its pursuer by a small margin.

The deer ran as fast as it could, eventually meeting upon a river. With another swing of its head, its antlers glowed a light blue as a bridge of ice was created over the bridge. Destroying it right as it crossed over, the deer continued to run. Not daring to look back, it kept and kept running.

Feeling until it could no longer, it panted as it finally decided to rest, at least for a little bit. Its hooves hurt and its lungs burned from the chase, feeling like it was about to die, it took refuge amongst the flora, hidden from sight.

But not from the scent.

*Gurkh*

Without even a second to think, the deer was caught between the maws of a beast. An open neck with blue blood pouring out, a sense of fading life in its eyes as wooden fangs tore away the flesh. And it died.

Chewing and swallowing what he had in its mouth, Harkon stood tall and turned around.

Daydrin approached with a happy gait, proud of her son for being such a natural hunter. Even if he did make a few mistakes and let the deer flee, it was a usual sight even amongst the most elite of her previous pack. Though, one thing did bother her to a certain extent.

The fact that her son, who was currently jumping around excitedly around her, was glowing in certain parts of his body. In normal circumstances, this wouldn't bother her much. It was what came with the glowing.

Harkon took a bite of the deer, and fire spewed out from his mouth, effectively roasting the flesh inside his mouth as he happily chewed.

She had taken her son out to train him, and she was successful. But she couldn't help but feel like she should bring them back to the camp.

*Arf*

She was woken from her thoughts by Harkon looking at her with a questioning gaze.

Giving a simple growl as a response, she started to dig into their lunch.

Waking up with a pounding heart, I hastily opened my eyes and looked around. Slowly calming down from the peaceful surrounding.

Shit.

*Snore*

Moon was still knocked out from the earlier scuffle.

I sighed and held my head in my hooves.

Ever since that visit from Princess Luna in my dream, I feel like I've been having shittier nights. It's not like it's her fault either, since she didn't come again after that night, but shit did I want to blame her.

My past. I know I can never fully separate myself from it. As much of a victim I was, I was also a cause of despair for many others. I couldn't even be counted as a pony during those times, just a bundle of pure anger in the shape of one.

I thought, that I could at least, live quietly after that night. Even with all my wrongdoings, I thought I could stay away, and never even approach the idea of becoming a monster again.

I gulped some saliva, my face tensing from remembering those murders. So many deaths, bringing utter destruction to those who didn't deserve it. After all, they didn't even know about Nightmare Moon then, let alone the atrocities she committed. Those innocents only relied on a pillar of strength to live, a pillar of hope. Yet I ruined that because of my blind rage, giving it false grace by masking it as justice.

But vengeance was never a good thing.

And I only hurt those who didn't deserve it whilst chasing after it.

"You don't look well, why don't you share. What troubles you? I'm here to care." I was surprised by a familiar voice.

A bit worried about why I couldn't sense her, I turned to the voice. "Zecora, where have you been?"

"I was dealing with a personal plight, A part of my faith, guiding me right." She said whilst taking a seat next to me whilst putting her bags down.

"You're religious?"

"It’s not quite religion, but part of my culture. A personal issue I had to handle and nurture." She answered and brought out a single apple for me. "Would you like an apple, just for a taste? It might brighten your day and help you feel great."

I gave a single chuckle and took it. "Thanks." Culture huh? "I never went to Zebrica. What's it like there?"

"In my country, life’s simpler than you might know. Yet the ponies there are as happy as can show. Though, trains and travel here are quite a delight. Making journeys smooth and easy, day and night." She explained calmly as she brought out her own apple to chew on.

"Mhmm, sounds delightful." I commented and thought on her words. "What's a train?"

There was silence for a few seconds, making me look at her. She held a slightly shocked face before finally grinning in realization.

What happened? What did she get out of that?

"I always thought you were a bit unique, but I truly didn't realize how different you'd be." She commented with a playful tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked back intrigued.

"I just realized why you have that special flair. The unique aura you always wear."

I didn't have an answer to that.

"Has no one else seen it yet, that dangerous flare? The intense anger you hold in the air? Though I can guess it shows up only in tense times, when stress and anger mix in your mind's rhymes." She said as she stared at me with a slightly amused gaze. "Well, seeing how friendly you are, it's clear to me. You've moved beyond that, and found your peace."

I was shocked, I never even noticed it. Plenty of questions and answers went through my mind. Wanting to know what I should do from this point on.

"I'm not quite sure I've found it." In the end, I only gave that simple sentence.

"You've found it, of that I'm sure. A way to peace that helps you endure." She said with a calm smile and looked at the sleeping Moon.

"You really think she did that?" I asked.

She gave a soft smile and looked at me. "Those who seek to protect are always more strong, than those who seek revenge and right the wrong."

I simply stared as I tried to find the words.

"Thank you." I gave my gratitude and continued to eat the apple.

Time slowly passes in serene silence, a comfortable time away from my thoughts.

"So what actually is a train?"

"It's a new form of travel, faring on grounds made of gravel."

"I see." I guess Equestria would still be thriving without my presence.

Well, not like I actually had a huge impact in the first place. Most of my actions took place outside of it.

"How about you brew a fresh cup of tea? You make them taste just right for me." She asked simply.

Letting out a weary sigh, I groaned as I got up. "Alright, it's about time I should make some breakfast anyway."

"A steak of wyvern meat is quite the griffon’s treat. Try making some for her, it’ll be a hard meal to beat." She commented casually.

"It's been dead for a day."

"Wyvern meat is fine, with skin tough and divine. Its magic keeps bacteria away, so it’s safe every time." She happily explained as she brought out a few small bottles. "Season well with these to try, a medium rare is your best design." She said and placed the items where I was sitting.

"Thanks, I'll try it out." I responded and started on breakfast.

Walking up to the giant wyvern I killed the day before, I climbed up and stabbed into the rib area.

The morning went by quite fast as Zecora left. It was quite nice to talk to a friend I haven't seen for some time, though, I wish our meeting was under more, simpler circumstances.

The dagger worked wonders as it cut through the wyvern's tough skin like butter, though my hooves tell me how hard it actually is.

"It would be pretty impossible for flies to get into it." I muttered.

Unable to tell exactly how much I should use, I roughly cut out shapes of hay steaks a bit deeper in, just in case. Since this corpse will be filled with a crap ton of everything bad, I decided to get three. Any more than that and she won't be able to eat it before it gets rotten.

The walk back was uneventful as I carried the cut steaks in a pot.

"Agh." Moon was groaning in her sleep as she squirmed around a bit.

She should wake up about now.

"AH, FUCK! THAT HURTS!" She suddenly sat up whilst screaming only to groan in pain and lie back down.

Putting the pot down, I sat down next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Ugh, Remedy?"

"Yeah, it's me. Where's it hurting exactly?" I asked and removed her hooves around her chest.

"It's around my chest." She said through gritted teeth.

Placing a hoof above her heart, I asked. "Here?"

"A bit lower."

"Here?" I softly pressed her fourth rib.

"Fuck, yeah, that's the one." She had a scowl as she tried to breathe slowly.

"Hmm, try to hold in the pain." I advised and pressed around the rib a bit harder.

"OH SHIT, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

I took away my hoof. "Well, it's not broken, but I'm pretty sure it's fractured." She seemed to calm down a bit with that. "You'll have to take it easy if you want this to heal, for about six weeks."

"Ugh, I thought you didn't know shit about bones." She complained and put a hoof over her eyes.

"I only said I didn't how to realign a broken bone, not that I was clueless." I answered and went to retrieve water from a bucket. "Here, a single cup should be fine. Drink it slowly."

She grabbed the cup and started taking small sips.

A, somewhat peaceful day went by. Thankfully no more attacks as I took care of the daily chores around the camp. Basically just brew some tea and check our equipment.

*Sizzle*

Carefully flipping the steak on the searing hot pan, I held the pan a bit higher and added in some butter. Swapping the spatula I used to flip the steak with a spoon I held in my mouth, I used the spoon and started to baste the steak.

I think I'm doing pretty good so far.

I put in a clove of garlic and crushed it lightly with the spoon.

"Dude, that smells amazing." Moon mumbled from the side.

"Get a plate." I said as I started to see the edges of the steak starting to get a darkish color.

She quickly grabbed a plate, letting out an 'ow' in the process as I carefully brought the steak out.

"Here it is, a wyvern steak. I cooked it the same way I would with a hay steak, just altered it slightly." With that, I placed it on her plate.

Before I could get her a knife, she had already dug into it with a fork. I would've asked it if was good, but her big smile told me everything.

I let out a soft chuckle and started on my own lunch. A simple stir fry this time. Potatoes, bell peppers, carrots, an onion and a clove of garlic. Though, my peeling was quickly interrupted by an excited Moon holding up an empty plate.

"Seriously?" I asked with a laugh.

"What? You said you brought two more." She answered as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Alright, alright, but I want to eat something too. I'll just mix it in with some vegetables." I said back.

Dice the meat and fry it together with the vegetables. I won't gain much nutrition and such from it, but it'll work. Filling two plates, I finally sat down with cups of tea for the two of us.

"I'll admit, this wyvern meat definitely tastes a bit better than the fish. Or maybe that's just the seasoning talking." I commented as we ate.

"I don't know what you're complaining about, there shouldn't be any differences in taste buds." Moon was still scarfing her food down.

"I guess, it's something about growing up in a different culture. Also, slow down, nopony's gonna steal it from you." I told her and drank my tea.

"Yeah, yeah." She swallowed and quickly drank emptied her cup. "I don't know about you, but I was starving when I woke up. How long was I out for?"

"About a day. There's plenty more left in the pan, if you want some." She quickly stood up to fill her plate.

"Guess that explains the hunger." She continued to eat.

"I guess so." I said back as I kept staring at her.

She finally caught on and stared back. "What? Something on my face?"

"Have you checked your teeth?"

"What?"

"Your teeth. I kind of just accepted that you were a carnivore, but have you actually checked?"

She blanked and kept staring at me.

"I, assumed, since I was one before." She answered drily.

I stared with my best 'are you serious' face.

"Could you open your mouth?" I asked and got close.

She just silently opened it as I took a close look.

"You have molars." I finally said.

"What now?"

"Molars, only creatures who eat plants naturally have those. It means you're an omnivore."

"Oh." She accepted with a blank face. "Oh shit."

"Yep." I sat back down.

She sat down next to me and stared forward. "Does that mean I need to eat more vegetables?"

"Yes, because omnivores need vitamins and minerals to live. Good thing you've been having some along with your fish as a snack." I answered and tried to remember that book dad had in his library. "Didn't you learn this from your princess things?"

"Uh, they did. I was just focusing on something else at the time alright." She explained with a higher pitch than usual.

I stared at her in the eyes.

"Ok, in my defense, that biology class was boring as fuck."

I chuckled at her excuse as I tapped her once on the head. "Idiot."

"Fuck off."

"Sure." I replied and finished my tea. "Bring the whiskey over, I feel like having a drink."

"Ugh, fine." She complied, albeit annoyedly.

I took a small stretch and heard a pop from my back. "Finally, a calm day."

Author's Note

Hey guys.

I hope you don't mind the simple chapter this time. One big reveal at the start, and not much else. I felt like I should finally make one that didn't have a bunch of deep stuff throughout. Just simple bonding and interactions. :scootangel:

And as always, thanks for reading. :heart:

Edit: I managed to mix up wyvern and hydra. So, I fixed that.

Stories

It was a peaceful, yet boring day, as usual. Without much happening, Our protagonists were continuing their daily routine of building their treehouse. Though, with the previous one destroyed halfway, they had to start from scratch.

*Thud*

With a sharp breath, Remedy wiped some sweat off his forehead as he stuck in one more nail into the floor.

"Alright, this should be more than enough for us. Got room for guests too." Remedy called out to Moon before taking a sip of cold tea.

"Yep, the stairs look fine too." Moon said back and stood next to Remedy.

"How's your leg doing?"

"A lot better than before." She calmly said and took a seat.

Remedy sat down and peeled away the white bandage over her leg. The heavy scent of alcohol entered his nose as he revealed the injury.

"Well, I'd say you don't need the bandage anymore. This'll leave quite a big scar though." With that, he bundled up the bandage with a slightly damp cotton ball.

"Eh, it's fine. I don't care about that stuff anyway."

"As long as you're happy, right?"

"Yeah."

*BOOM*

A sudden heavy pressure enveloped both of them, causing them to hunch down as they were forced to the floor. The wood creaked under the pressure as the area seemed to fill itself with magic. Hundreds, thousands of tiny balls of glowing balls fill the area, turning the forest a light green color for a few seconds.

"Agh."

"What the fuck?"

They couldn't do anything against the pressure currently as Remedy felt something go wrong.

Something was watching him, a familiar feeling of being observed as he tried to look back at it. With veins protruding from how hard he tried, he managed to lift his head slightly above the floor and turn it sideways as he caught a glance.

And what he saw shocked him.

"Who are you?" He mumbled to the entity.

As two eyes peered down, full of cold judgement and an undying fury that was barely concealed. As Remedy kept staring, his body slowly seemed to weaken, yet he slowly rose. His veins twitched, his eyes were wide with the light green color. His muscles were tense as it clearly struggled to not burst.

Under such pressure, his consciousness seemed to slowly fade away as he was almost entranced. Yet, under that influence, his mouth seemed to open the tiniest bit before closing down.

"GAH!" Remedy woke up as he almost collapsed again.

With a clearer mind and a bleeding tongue, he looked to Moon, who was struggling to even stay awake.

"WHO ARE YOU! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He yelled out as he glared back at those eyes.

Then finally, they closed as the pressure disappeared.

"Ugh." Moon groaned as she stayed down.

Remedy quickly stood up as he searched the area, waiting for some kind of attack.

"What the fuck." Moon opened her eyes and laid on her back whilst holding her head. "What was that?"

Seconds slowly passed as Remedy kept looking everywhere with a sharp glare. Moon sobered up as she felt the intense bloodlust Remedy was emitting. She felt tingles around her skin, a creepy sense crawling her back as she prepared to fight. She'd done this enough times to know when something is about to attack.

"See anything?" She asked.

"Nothing." Remedy answered swiftly.

Gulping a small amount of saliva pooling in her mouth, Moon was apprehensive for an attack to come. Nothing happened after the wyvern attack, so she was worried for the worst to come.

"Do you know anypony powerful that has light green eyes." Remedy asked.

"I have. It's when I first came here." She replied quickly.

After that short exchange, silence returned to their camp as the two slowly let their guards down. With nothing happening for hours, they eventually climbed down.

"So, what do you think that is?" Moon asked as her eyes still nervously went from shadow to shadow, careful of any opponents.

"I can't say. I haven't seen anything like that before." Remedy replied whilst sprinkling some salt onto a salad. "You got a guess?"

"I'd say it's whatever that's been keeping us here." She added and took a bowl of fish salad Remedy gave her.

"Makes sense." He sat next to her with a bowl of vegetables. "It's worrying that this thing seems to know my past entirely, probably yours too."

"I'm more worried about how we're gonna kill it."

"Hmm."

They sat there in complete silence, the lit fire being the only sound that comforted them. Not having an appetite, both of them just sat in awkward silence, just stirring their meals with thoughts.

"How did you and Princess Luna meet?" Remedy suddenly broke the silence.

"What?"

"You and Princess Luna, how did you two meet?"

"You're still calling her 'princess'?"

"I'm not close enough with her to be casual." He said as he finally put a piece of cabbage in his mouth.

"I guess." She sighed as she combed through her memories. "Well, I didn't really meet her, more like stalked her for a few weeks before finally revealing myself."

Remedy raised an eyebrow in thought before asking. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you know how the Nocturnals were suffering because there was too much sun?"

"I, eventually came to that conclusion, yes."

"Well, the short answer is that she owes me her life." Remedy froze at that answer, not entirely knowing how to take that.

"What?"

"Yeah, it's hard to believe, but that's what happened." She said before finally starting her dinner.

Remedy kept staring at her in slight disbelief. Moon tried to ignore him, but eventually looked back at him.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"It has taken a lot of my interest."

"Ugh, for fuck's sake. Fine, but you're gonna tell me shit about yourself after this." Moon relented.

"Alright." Remedy immediately accepted.

"Wait, really?" Moon was surprised to hear him accept.

"Sure, story for story."

Moon stared at him with suspicion. "You better not tell me some boring ass shit that's not even relevant." She warned.

"I won't, you have my word."

She kept staring for a while, before finally sighing. "Well, what happened was, that I'd been watching her for a few weeks at that point. And as I was thinking about how I should talk to her, she went into battle."

"Battle?" Remedy muttered to himself.

"Yeah, it was against some guy I didn't know about. He was definitely out of control though. I remember slavery, murder, war, all that bad stuff. His spells felt familiar though." Moon explained with a slight frown. "Really disgusting guy."

"Familiar? How?"

"Well, it was kind of Nocturnal magic, just, watered down a lot. A lot weaker, and barely any way to use it for day to day stuff. Pretty sure he couldn't even control it properly. I mean, he was using a lot of crystal magic though, so maybe it just felt weaker because he tried to make a new type of magic, or something."

"That so?" He said in a sort of empty voice.

"Yeah. Anyways, Luna and Celestia were fighting that guy for, honestly I don't remember. Didn't really care about that guy." She failed to notice. "But, shit was he strong. He took both Luna and Celestia on at once, and won. He knocked out Celestia and was about to kill Luna. That, is when I came in. Had a little conversation with Luna, lent her quite a bit of my power, then, I think you can guess what came out of that." She finished in a slightly boastful manner.

Though, not getting an answer, she turned to Remedy to see why.

"What, happened after that."

Moon was confused, but had a look realization before continuing. "Well, I fucked him up. Then, he took the whole place with him. And, that's about it. After that, was just me and Luna talking with each other at about every opportunity."

"I see, it wouldn't have mattered." Remedy muttered to himself with the tiniest of relief.

After that, they didn't speak. A heavy mood dampened the conversation as Moon slowly built up the courage to ask.

"If you want, you can delay the story." She said.

"I-yeah, yeah, it's fine, it's just, bad memories is all." He said as he kept looking to the ground. "Why don't you go to sleep first, I'll be on the guard for another attack tonight."

Moon had a worried stare for a few moments, before giving a silent sigh. "Alright, but try to get some rest yourself alright?"

"Alright. And thanks."

"It's fine. It's what friends are for."

Night came fast for the two. With no more work being done, the two silently finished their meals before Moon headed to sleep. Though, it was painfully obvious she couldn't.

*Sigh*

"Can't sleep?" Remedy asked.

"No. Not after whatever that was." She complained as she sat up. "What are you doing, by the way?"

"Oh, this?" He held up a half finished wooden figure. "Just something to calm me down a bit, and, to make sure I don't forget those days."

"Huh, sounds like a good way to let it bother you for life." She said and moved to sit next to Remedy in front of the fire.

He softly chuckled in response. "Maybe." He says before continuing to carve the figure.

"So, who is it?" Moon asked as she observed the figure interestedly.

"Him? He, used to be a hero, then I thought of him as a villain. In the end, he was just a victim." He spoke somberly.

"A victim huh? He looks pretty big compared to his head."

"It's because he used to wear armor. He was in the royal guard, but I could never remember him with his helmet on."

"Who was he?"

"Like I said, just a victim. I can never remember him."

"He sounds a lot more important than just a victim."

Remedy paused as he stared at Moon.

"Sorry, I shouldn't pry." She apologized.

"It's fine, I promised."

"You don't have to."

"Yeah, but I should. Even if it's just to take some weight off my chest." He took in a deep breath as he closed his eyes. "It was the day that the last Crystal Faire was being celebrated."

It was a beautiful day, as usual in the kingdom. Foals crying for both their parents and for laughter. The adults were joyfully going on with their jobs. The markets were bustling with activity. Suffice to say, all were happily enjoying their lives.

*Creak*

And one little colt stepped into his home.

"Hey, mom?" He asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

His steps rather frantic, his expression uneasy.

"Oh!" A yellow furred mare let out a surprised sound. "You're back early. I thought you were going to play with your friends today, since you asked for that bag of bits and all." She spoke softly as she put the newspaper down.

"Uh, that, yeah." He said in a nervous way.

"What's wrong honey? Are you alright?" She was worried as she quickly stood up to grab him.

"Um, when's dad coming home?"

"He'll be home as usual, what's wrong?"

"It's just, I feel like something bad is gonna happen." He spoke nervously.

"Aw, are you worried about your dad?" She cooed.

"Yeah?"

She gave a few chuckles in return.

"Come on, why don't you sit down. Lunch is about to be finished, how about I make you that tea you really liked?" She suggested as she placed him on the kitchen chair.

"Y-yeah, sounds great." He accepted as he ignored the tingling sensation in his stomach.

"My little pony, don't you worry about your dad, alright? He's gonna be just fine." She comforted him with a hug.

"Yeah, he will be. I was just, worrying over nothing."

She finally let him go with a soft laugh. Seeing her starting a new brew of tea, the colt took off his backpack to bring out his homework. As peace settled into their home, that invading sense of uneasiness came back. Unable to entirely shake it off, the colt just focused on his homework as he thanked his mother for getting him tea. The mother just silently staring with affection.

"So, how was your day today?" The mother asked.

"Huh? Oh, today. It was fine, math class was a bit boring though."

"Oh, then, did you see the stalls for the faire? What were they selling?"

"Hmm." He scratched his chin as he tried to sort out his blurry memories of the day. "Um, what they normally sell? It was as loud as every year." He answered casually.

"Then I guess it'll be as grand as usual huh?"

"Yeah, I think so."

After that exchange, they stayed silent again as the colt continued his homework.

Thought, as time went on, the mother started to notice something wrong. This didn't go unnoticed by the colt.

"That's odd." She finally commented.

"Uh, mom? What's wrong?"

"Well, if it's as loud as usual, we should be able to hear it from here." She said in a confused tone before looking out the window. "What the?" She mumbled.

Unable to douse his worry, the colt quickly climber to the kitchen stand to look out the window too. "Is that, Sir Sombra?"

"I think he is." She replied as she looked for more details. "What are those guards wearing? It's a bit too, dark, for the faire isn't it?" As she continued to mumble, her eyes suddenly widened in full shock.

"Wow, are they making new armor for the royal guards? They're pretty cool." The colt commented without much thought before he suddenly felt himself being pulled. "WOAH!"

His vision was blurred, but quickly changed to the outside as he now found himself grabbing on from his mother's neck.

"Mom!? Where are we going?" He asked as he quickly balanced himself.

"Don't worry honey! We're just getting some ice cream!" She said an obvious lie as she sprinted down the alley.

There were ponies in their way, some running as well, others just coming out of their houses or minding their own business without much thought.

As the colt's mind raced to come up with an answer as to why this was happening, his ears jolted up as he finally heard it.

"RUN!" The shrill screaming of others.

Chaos seemed to suddenly surround him as he looked around. Unable to process it, he just shut his eyes as held on for dear life. Screaming and shouting filled his ears. A constant trembling that shook his body. And a terrible feeling covering every last part of his soul.

With one final impact, he saw himself in a building. His mother put him down on the floor and pulled the rug away, revealing a trap door.

"Here, go through this. At the end, you'll see snow. Just keep going forwards, and you'll reach Equestria." His mother calmly explained as all the chaos started to come closer.

"Wait, mom. No, come with me. Let's go together." He tried to talk back.

"Hey, hey. Listen, honey." She spoke softly and hugged him as tears started to form. "Please, for your mother, live. I'll watch over you." She whispered as she placed him down. "Now go." She said and closed the door as he heard the rug cover it back up.

*Bang*

There were a bunch of banging and thudding as it slowly disappeared. And one final thud that landed on top of the trapdoor.

Fearing the worst, the colt suppressed his doubts and continued on forward.

Breathing heavily, tears streamed down his face as he kept running and running. His lungs burned and his vision blurred. In the end, he slowed down. Unable to keep up, he stopped for a minute to catch his breath.

Then, before he knew it, everything turned dark.

"-home." His mind was fuzzy as he couldn't comprehend what he was hearing. "-ant my mommy." Slowly, his mind woke up as he jolted awake. Breathing heavily as he sat up as fast as he could.

"Ugh." He groaned as a sudden headache assaulted him.

"MY FATHER WILL HEAR ABOUT THIS!" A loud yelling of a fellow colt only worsened his migraine.

*Crying*

"It hurts!"

"I'm hungry!"

"Why are you doing this?!"

He got up and slowly opened his eyes. Stone, and metal bars. A series of purple torches lighting up the area.

"What? What is this?" He was confused as he looked through the bars.

There were many colts and fillies alike, more than his young mind could count. At the end of the hallway of cells, a pair of guards with spears in their hooves were standing. Completely unbothered by the screaming foals.

His breathing was slowly getting stronger as his ears were staring to ring. An annoying pain assaulting his head. And then, right as he was about to snap.

"Hey, don't." He heard another voice.

Quickly turning around as he sobered up, he saw another colt. A pegasus.

"You'll just get tired if you yell like those guys." He said in a defeated voice.

"What?" He couldn't understand it.

"I'm telling you, save your energy. It's the exact same as getting into a competition." He said coldly.

"Wait, no. Who even-wait. Silent Gust?"

"Huh? You know me?"

"Yeah, I'm Floral Green. I was in the Junior Equestria Games with you, though, you won. Pretty much everypony knows you. You're the super fast guy that won the race." He said with recognition.

"Oh, that? Right, I kind of forget that sometimes." He said with a bitter smile. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"The Crystal Empire fell."

"Huh." The colt was chocked to his core as his face blanked.

It was just too much for one as young as him.

"Sir Sombra, or is it King now. He killed Princess Amore and claimed himself ruler."

"Oh." With that, they sat there.

Not another word was spoken as they rested in silence, the countless other foals still screaming and shouting until nightfall. Only then, did the two of them wake.

"We should try." One whispered.

"What's our chance?" The other whispered back.

"It's higher than living here."

"Why not just wait for the Princesses to come rescue us?"

"What's the chance of us still being alive when they come here?"

"Right."

*Clang*

One of the guards hit the bars with his spear as he turned to them with a questioning glare.

"Buzz off."

"Jerk." The two told the guard with an annoyed glance.

As the guard kept standing there with a glare, Gust rushed to the bars, and with a slam, glared straight at his face. "Traitor."

"He's not wrong, you know? You're nothing but a pile of beans." The other glared as he stood up to the guard.

Without any reaction, the guard walked away to stand at his post.

"You get it?" Floral whispered to Gust.

"Yeah." He replied and secretly showed a pair of keys.

"Alright, we'll wait for an opportunity." He said as he took one key and put it his mouth, under his tongue. "Egh, metal."

"I know," Gust replied and put the other key under his tongue.

They put the empty key chain in a dark corner, away from the lit torches as they sat there.

"It's night, should be close by now."

As the two patiently waited whilst leaning against the bars, the occasional guard coming to peer at the cells before moving onto the next one.

And it finally happened.

The pair of guards walked away.

In an instant, the two spat their keys out and unlocked their cell. Frantically running around, they opened every cell one by one, waking the foals inside.

"Come on, wake up! We can get out of here!" They ushered as the foals woke up, and started to gather at the entrance.

Those cowardly couldn't stand the thought of being stuck alone as they forced themselves to follow with teary eyes.

"Guards!" A filly yelled in fear.

"HAH!" Another colt, a rather buff one for his age, threw a lit torch at the guards, momentarily blinding them.

"NOW!" Floral yelled in command as the ones at the front charged at them.

With the waves of foals crashing against them, one of the guards stood in front with his spear as the other lit up his horn. Though, with only one weapon, the spear was useless. Though, a small wall of crystal was formed in that instant, leaving the one with the spear against the wave.

"NOOOO! HEART!" A terrified shriek rang out.

Until, Floral suddenly scaled the wall and with a shout, crashed into the unicorn.

"Gah!" With another shout, blood splattered the walls as Floral stood up whilst heavily breathing.

"Floral!" Gust followed suit and stood next to him. "Are you alright?"

There was no response as Floral continued to hyperventilate.

"Floral!" Gust shook him.

The other foals were slowly scaling the crystal wall, some helping those who couldn't

"Come on. We have to get out of here." Gust stared at his eyes, successfully waking him up.

"I-uh, alright." Slowly calming down, Floral stared down at the guard, and took out the metal object from his neck.

A broken key.

"Alright." He calmed himself with a sharp breath. "Come on guys! We can make it!"

Rallying the others, they marched forward. Running as fast they could, they kept running, eventually reaching stairs. They kept rushing, breaking through the doors and grabbing whatever they could to be used as weapons.

Though, they couldn't find the exit.

Eventually, there came more guards.

"RUSH THEM!" One of the foals roared out as they attacked just as they had done.

The guards formed a line with spears pointed at them, yet they didn't care as the foals rushed forwards with all their might.

"AHH!" A pegasus flew up a bit as they were the first to crash in, barely dodging the spear as he broke the line.

Chaos followed as those who stood behind the line tried to stab him, yet were stopped by the others rushing in, interrupting their attacks as spells flew overhead. Yet those were quickly suppressed as more and more broke through. Blood painted the floor and walls as lives were lost. Those who could picked up the spears and used them against the guards as they tried to ignore the death of their friends and push through.

"We're almost out!" One of the foals shouted in excitement.

And they pushed through one more door.

Though, what greeted them was just a room.

"What?"

"Where are we?"

"Are we out yet?"

Questions arose from the crowd as they all slowly turned hectic, noticing something was wrong.

"It has been quite interesting." Suddenly, an amused voice rang out, drowning the voices of the others.

And there he stood.

"YOU! GRAHH!" The rather buff foal from earlier shouted and ran at the owner of the voice.

Crystals shot out from the ground, instantly capturing the foal.

The others lost hope as they stared at the ashen colored king stood tall. An amused smirk on his face as guards suddenly poured out from the door they came in through.

"Floral." Gust suddenly whispered.

"Yeah?" Floral whispered back.

"The window."

"What about it?"

"Run at it on three, and jump at the end."

But, before they could do anything, a wall of crystal stood in their path.

"You two, quite impressive. You managed to rally this many, and still lost." Sombra stepped forward with that awful grin of his.

The two stepped back in fear. Floral seemed terrified as he hugged Gust. Stepping back once more, Floral threw a cell key at Sombra. Yet it was stopped an inch before his eyes as he inspected it.

Sombra only gave a mocking laughter before leaving through the door. The guards shackled the foals one by one by their necks as they dragged away.

Yet, the two were separated from the others.

"Where are you taking us?!" Floral shouted as they were forcefully dragged through hallways upon hallways.

The two slowly quietened down as they noticed the hallways becoming more and more fancy. Shiny things decorated the walls and ceilings with ruined paintings hanging from the walls.

"Princess Amore's portraits." Floral mumbled as they went on their way.

They soon reached their destination as the guards left them. A gigantic door was opened as they were pushed in before the doors closed.

"Welcome." Sombra said sarcastically as he sat pridefully on the throne. "I'll have to thank you. Amore was way too easy to kill, so I was beginning to think that this was too boring. But you two have given me quite the entertainment for my first day as king."

"Shut up, you shard of ice!" Floral shouted.

"Ooh." Sombra only laughed in response. "Such profanity. Where did you learn such a disrespectful line?"

Gust thumped on the floor once.

"Your mom." Floral replied while gaining a nervous smirk. "No guards with us here? You really think you can fight the Princesses if they come here?"

"Oh, a comedian huh?" Sombra was unfazed. "Well, she died when I was little. So I don't see how that can work." He couldn't care less. "And yes, the Royal Sisters. They won't be much trouble, this is my domain after all."

Gust thumped once more and flinched.

"Well, enough about that. I want to give a proposal. As much as I'd like to just put a helmet on you two, I like your wits. So how about you two work for me? I can give you everything you want. Money, fame, your own mansion even. How about that? Pretty generous no?" He had a full grin as he held up the still intact key thrown at him. "I mean, you managed to steal this right under these mindless morons. Granted, those were just normal civilians, but it's still quite a feat."

"Only if I don't have to go to school anymore." Floral added with a smirk.

"School?" Sombra asked intrigued.

"Math is boring." Floral said.

Sombra full on laughed as he covered his eyes. Fully amused from how daring Floral was.

Gust thumped one more time.

Sombra was still laughing as he wiped a tear from his eye. "You're quite daring." He finally said as he looked back at Floral.

Only to find him gone.

Floral jumped, shattering through glass as he started to free fall. Gust was right above as he took out the broken key from his mouth, bleeding as he accidentally cut his tongue.

"Hurry!" Floral screamed.

"Shut up!" Gust yelled back as he stuck the key into his collar.

Tweaking it in all directions, the ground seemed to come ever closer.

"GUST!"

*Clank*

And with it, the collar came off as Gust quickly grabbed Floral from his hooves. Groaning as he fully spread his wings, he struggled as they glided over the city. Now ruined as the barrier that protected it gone. Thousands of purple torches lit around the empire to drive the snow away.

Gust maneuvered around the air as countless spears came from both the ground and from behind them, barely missing.

"YOU WON'T GET FAR!" Sombra yelled from his castle, his voice echoing throughout the entire empire.

"Floral! We won't make it!" Gust yelled.

"Uh, THERE! That green house!" Floral yelled back.

"Which one!"

"The one on Ruby Street!"

Hearing it, Gust fixed his posture as they gained more speed. Starting to go much farther than the guards chasing after them, Gust spread his wings to the max as their descent was slowed by the tiniest bit.

"Gah!" Gust yelled out in pain as they rolled over the ground.

"Gust!" Floral acted quickly as he grabbed Gust and put his broken leg over his shoulder. "Come on! Just a bit more!" He yelled and pushed through a door.

Finding himself in the familiar building, he tried to ignore the bloody stench in the room as he pulled the trapdoor open. Then he felt an impact.

"Guh." Knocked to the ground, he opened his blurry eyes before they widened significantly. "GUST!"

Gust, had been grabbed by the neck and lifted to the air as a guard held him up.

"Let go of him!" Floral yelled in anger and charged straight at him.

As he reached, Floral threw a punch, yet the guard barely flinched as he felt like he hit a wall. Gust was struggling to stay conscious as his feet swung everywhere. Floraly kept trying to punch him, after that didn't work, he kept punching the hooves that held Gust.

Yet, as luck would have it, Gust managed to kick the guard's chin.

The guard let go of Gust as he grabbed his neck, having a hard time breathing as he made coarse sounds.

"Floral! His neck!" Gust yelled.

Floral instantly knew what to do. Jumping at the opportunity, he rammed into the guard. Although the guard was unfazed, he let go of his neck and tried to grab Floral. He retaliated by biting into his neck.

The guard was trying to rip him off, yet Floral tightened his jaw as he started to sense a metallic taste in his mouth. As he kept struggling, a yell came from outside.

"ONCE I GET A HOLD OF YOU! YOU'LL KNOW TO FEAR WHAT IS WORSE THAN DEATH!"

And then, the guard finally pried Floral off.

As he landed hard on the floor, Floral was slightly dizzy before shaking it off. He noticed something. The guard, was blue.

"Floral! You have to get out of here!" Gust screamed at him.

"Wha-what happened! The guard!" He stood up immediately and looked at the guard.

He was holding his neck as blood continued to spill out like a fountain. His helmet unbuckled as his face was tense in concentration to not let any more go out.

"FLORAL!" He was shaken out of his stupor by Gust shaking him.

"Huh? Yeah?"

"Sombra's here! You have to leave! Hurry!"

"What? What about you?"

"I can't. I'll only slow you down."

"No, you can't. We'll just leave. We only have to get to the end of this tunnel." Floral was starting to breathe heavily.

"Hey, hey. Floral, listen. I only knew you for a day, but you're a good friend. You even got you cutie mark because of today." Floral looked at his flank, just now noticing the flower that appeared. "So, if no, when you make it out. Try tasting that whiskey thing the adults drink, alright? For me." Gust said to him seriously.

Floral stood for a few seconds, before finally nodding with a teary smile. "Promise."

Gust smiled brightly with a chuckle. "Now go." He pushed him weakly with one hoof.

Floral, with a teary face, opened the trap door and jumped down. Never looking back as he sprinted forward with what he could.

YOU'RE A FOOL, CHILD! YOU WON'T SURVIVE THE FROZEN DESERT!" He heard that shout before disappearing into the darkness.

"And that's what happened. In just half a day, I lost my whole life." Remedy spoke somberly as he blew at his now finished figure.

Moon was just sitting there in shock.

Before she could say anything, Remedy put his knife over the figure's neck, and slowly pushed down as he took a small chunk out. Then he threw it into the fire.

"So, who was it? The figure." She asked.

"My dad." He said as a single drop of tear traveled down his face.

"Remedy. I'm, I'm sorry." She finally said.

"Don't. It's something I've lived past." He said calmly. "Now sleep. I have a feeling something will happen tomorrow."

"I. Alright. Good night, Remedy."

"Good night, Moon." Remedy said as he turned to Moon. "And, thanks. For listening."

Moon looked back without an expression, before finally sighing. "It's fine. You can always talk to me if you need to."

Remedy took a few moments to consider. "Yeah, it's what friends are for. Right?"

"Yeah. It's what friends are for." She said with a smile.

Author's Note

Hello and good morning/afternoon/evening people!

I hope you found this chapter interesting. I really wanna think that I shocked you all with this one. So, if you want to, please leave a comment about what you thought of this part of Remedy's story. I really like reading about what you guys have to say. :trollestia:

So, and as always.

Thank thou for using thine time for this tale this simple bard has spoken. :heart:

lol

Just Another Monster

Grunting in annoyance, Moon turned in her sleep as something bright was shining down on her eyes. Getting even more annoyed as the light seemed to be everywhere she went, her mind eventually started to wake up. With enough mental awareness, she finally pulled her blanket to cover her eyes and fall back to asleep.

Though, having already moved once, she found herself unable to recover her sleep.

"Ugh." She groaned once more after she realized she could not breathe.

Finally sitting up, she first checked her leg, which was slowly recovering before getting up for tea. During her imprisonment, it had become a daily routine for her to quench her thirst with some Remedy's warm tea.

"Huh?" She let out a confused sound at the sight of remedy still asleep. "Well that's rare." Without anything else, she decided to settle for some water.

Becoming slightly proud at the fact that the stairs let out no creaks of pain, she groggily walked to their pot of water. After checking to see if there were bugs or not, she scooped up some with a cup and confidently gulped it.

"PFFT!" Spitting out in complete surprise, she was fully shocked as an extremely sweet taste assaulted her mouth.

Almost puking from how sugary it tasted, she began coughing as her mind started to work in overdrive.

"What the fuck?"

"Now, now, that's quite the harsh language." Hearing those words, she jumped away from her cup, that had grown eyes.

"Who the fuck!" Moon yelled as she glared at the cup.

"Oh, cool off." She heard the voice and was doused in ice water.

She stood still for a few seconds as ice cubes fell from the air and bounced off her head. "Ow." She said in a blank tone.

In a second, all of the ice cubes melted together and an ice statue was created.

"Oh. You." Moon was not impressed.

"You know me? Why, I'm quite flattered that such a high ranking Nocturnal knows of me." The statue was giggling about. "Wait, wait, let me get something." He said and reached into his ear.

"Stop messing around, Discord." Moon was already tired from his acts.

"Oh, come on. Please just sign this." Discord said with a bright smile as he suddenly appeared beside Moon, dressed up in pretty much any merch you could get her.

"I'm not signing your stupid shirt." She replied and spilled everything in the water pot to the ground.

"Ugh, you're so boring. Just like Celestia." Discord said in an annoyed tone and snapped his fingers, causing his merch to disappear. "That doesn't really work on me, by the way." He said in a bored tone.

"Tch." Remedy clicked his tongue and put his dagger down. "What do you want?" He asked coldly.

"Remedy, forget about this bozo. His entire existence is a joke." Moon called out. "I'm gonna go and bring some water." She said and walked away.

"Agh, that's so hurtful." Discord said mockingly and grabbed his chest.

"Still true!" Moon's voice echoed from the woods.

Hearing that exchange, Remedy proceeded to lose all interest in the draconequus.

"Wha-? That is all you need to start ignoring me?" Discord asked in an insulted tone.

Remedy gave no response and started his breakfast of fruits and lettuce.

"Ugh. Fine, you two were boring anyway." He gave one final insult before walking through a door.

Hearing the door closing, Remedy had a vigilant eye on it until it disappeared. With that, he gave a single sigh and bit into an apple. Then he felt something tap his shoulder.

His gaze traveling without his head moving, he was taken aback as a thick vine hung from up high. The vine was pointing at him, until it started to sway from left to right. Then, it pointed towards the place Discord disappeared to, and swiped its supposed neck swiftly.

"No." Although not fully understanding what was happening, he declined almost instantly.

He may not be scared of Discord, but he fully knew that he could not kill him. He didn't want to make a powerful enemy just because of some random vine.

The vine shook in anger. Remedy took it as a sign of aggression as he fully prepared himself to dodge or attack. But, to his relief, the vine simply went back up, disappearing out of vision in the thick treetops.

Seeing this, Remedy sigh wearily. "This, might have been a mistake."

"The fuck is up with this river?" Moon worriedly commented as she stared at the glowing river.

Intrigue somehow winning over worry, Moon tapped the river. Surprised to find that it was somehow solid, she placed her hoof there. Slowly putting more and pressure, she fully stepped onto it.

"Ok. This is just weird. Discord! You still fucking around or something!?" Not hearing a response, she decided to go back to the camp and inform Remedy.

*Crack*

Hearing that single sound, she full on sprinted away. Which seemed to be the right decision as she soon heard heavy thumps coming from behind her.

Remedy was bored. Without anything to do except wait for Moon to come, he bit into a banana with the peel on as a fire was started. Though, there was still a nagging feeling at the back of his mind like something was about to happen. Which was the reason he had the dagger sitting right next to him.

He took another bite. The thought about what the vine was just doing still worried him. He found himself worrying over Moon. Which came as a sort of surprise as he thought about the ponies he had worried over during his entire life outside of the Crystal Empire, but before he was jailed in the barrier, which came to an astounding three ponies. Though, that number very quickly changed to only one.

He had another bite and finished the entire banana.

"Ugh." He groaned in realization. "There are way too many problems lately." He mumbled and decided to go meet Moon halfway.

It was cut short as he heard a scream.

"-medy!"

He squinted into the direction he heard the scream from.

"-emedy!"

His ears tensing from trying to hear more, he prepared to act.

"REMEDY!" Moon was screaming as she jumped over some bushes and came running over.

"Moon?" He asked a bit confusedly.

Then it quickly disappeared as he felt tremors.

"What type?" Remedy asked and tensed up.

Moon was panting from her sprint as she tried to recollect herself. "A rhino, definitely." She heaved and caught her breath.

As she said, three horns tore through the woods as a giant came running over.

Fully prepared for battle, the two rolled away as the rhino barely missed by an inch, destroying their campfire and the pots and pans they had there.

Remedy carefully analyzed as the rhino stopped about a hoof's reach from the big tree and turned around.

"So it was special." He mumbled to himself.

"What?" Moon asked.

"Later. You take the dagger." He said and tossed the knife to Moon before charging ahead.

As the rhino charged back, Remedy waited until the last seconds before jumping, easily reaching its horns as he held on tightly.

Getting annoyed, the rhino instantly started to jump around, almost making Remedy lose his grip before it started to ram into trees. Realizing this, Remedy started to climb up the horns.

"Agh." He grunted and almost fell off.

Taking another grip, he started to climb again.

Moon, however, was quickly starting to become exhausted as she tried hard to dodge the rhino's stomps. The knife in her mouth, she attempted a few times to cut the leg that landed on the ground.

Though, it didn't seem to do much as blood barely became visible through the thick skin.

"Remedy! The knife isn't long enough to reach blood!" She shouted and jumped back, dodging another attack.

Hearing this, Remedy changed his direction from the top of the rhino's head and onto its eyes.

"Just hold it off a bit longer!" He yelled and jumped upwards.

Jumping away, Moon grunted as she landed on the ground roughly. "I don't think I can hold it for much longer!" She yelled and rolled away from another stomp.

Hearing this, Remedy picked up his pace, almost falling off several times on the process. Breathing heavily as he got into position, he got a good grip on the highest horn.

"There we go." He muttered and threw a punch at its eye.

The rhino let out a pained sound that ringed in Remedy's ears before it started to sway from side to side. Remedy grunted as he held another grip whilst the rhino swung him from tree to tree. Then, before he could do anything else, he felt himself accelerating as he turned around.

The rhino was now full on charging ahead through the woods, breaking through wood and stone alike as Remedy bared the brunt of plenty little rocks and branches hitting him. Seeing this, Moon was panting before groaning and running after them.

Holding a good grip on the horns, Remedy threw punch after punch as he tried to blind the rhino. Although not much, he was making some progress as the area around the eye seemed to get more swollen after every punch.

Until the rhino suddenly raised its two front legs. Holding on tightly, Remedy tensed up as the rhino slammed into the ground, successfully launching Remedy to the air.

As he started to fall back down, he analyzed the rhino, watching its patterns as it stared right back at him.

"Shit." Knowing exactly what it was planning, Remedy barely pushed a tree, allowing himself to change directions as a horn missed him by a breath.

Landing one the ground with a grunt, Remedy stayed low as he thought up plans.

"Hah, hah. I'm here." Moon came running over.

"You're a bit late." Remedy commented. "Give me the dagger, I'll try to stab its head. You distract it." He commanded and took the dagger before running into the woods and disappearing.

"Wha? FUCK YOU, REMEDY!" Moon shouted after him and jumped away.

Already losing track of time, Moon pushed herself to her limits as she leaped and ran from place to place as she dodged as best she could.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" She shouted upwards before almost falling down.

Remedy responded by falling from the sky and landing perfectly on the rhino's head.

"Woah." Moon was impressed slightly.

Finding a good landing, Remedy started to repeatedly stab it into its head. The rhino trying to retaliate by starting random movements, making Remedy sway from side to side.

But Remedy knew better as he rotated the knife slightly before stabbing in, allowing his swaying movements to slice clean through its skin and create a giant gash. Blood sprayed like a fountain as Remedy simply dug deeper in, reaching the brain.

With one final thud as the body fell down, Remedy jumped off.

"You good there, Moon?" Remedy asked tiredly.

"Hell no. I feel like I ran a marathon twice." Moon was drenched in sweat as she sat down whilst catching her breath.

He gave a few chuckles at the response before sitting down next to her.

"Next time, you be the distraction." Moon suddenly said.

"Why?"

"Cause it's so damn tiring to keep dodging."

Remedy laughed it out as he laid down on the grass. "Sounds to me like you need to work on your stamina."

"Fuck off, I can last longer than you." She said with a mock punch.

"I've had much more than you. Pretty much just to get info though." Remedy said casually.

"Wha-ew." Moon was not impressed.

"You started it."

"It will take at least, the entire universe resetting itself before I find you attractive." She said in a disgusted tone.

Remedy yawned loudly. "Yeah, that's something I agree on." He said in a tired tone as he stretched.

Moon stared for a few seconds before shrugging in acceptance. "You're still sleepy?"

"Unlike you, I'm a pretty light sleeper." He said and closed his eyes.

She tried to retaliate, but ultimately stopped before lying down herself. Staring at the leaves and the light piercing through, she was starting to get pretty lazy too as she felt like sleeping. The constant running and dodging didn't do much to help her situation either.

She was then woken up by Remedy sniffing the air slightly.

"What're you doing?"

"It smells a bit damp. We should head back to the camp, it might rain soon." Remedy suggested as he got up with a groan.

"Alright." Moon accepted and was getting up. "Huh." She let out a confused sound as three horns were closing in on her.

Time seemed to slow down as Moon didn't even have a chance to react before feeling something push her sideways.

Getting up as quickly as possible, she tensed up and was ready to go before seeing something.

"Agh." Remedy was struggling as the rhino from before pushed against him.

Vines were growing out of its head as blood stopped leaking out from it. Remedy stuck on its horns as one had already started to draw blood from his stomach area. A constant green glow came from behind him as the barrier showed no signs of struggling against the rhino.

Moon picked up the knife from the ground and started sprinting at it.

The rhino let up just a tiny bit, before smashing forwards once again. Moon stopped in her tracks as blood started to flow to the ground, creating a small pool. Remedy just barely clutching onto life as he weakly smacked the rhino's horns before his body went limp.

The rhino simply threw his corpse at Moon as she was collided.

Rolling on the ground from the impact, she felt weak as she moved Remedy from atop of her. Preparing for another attack, Moon laid low and decided to wait for Remedy to get back up.

Yet, the rhino didn't move. In fact, it just kept staring at her with the intent to charge, but never actually doing it. Minutes passed with nothing happening as Moon started to realize something.

Turning her head with a desperate gaze, she saw Remedy's lifeless corpse, unmoving. Nothing happening. No vines, no magic.

Instantly forgetting about the rhino, Moon turned around fully and started to shake Remedy.

"Hey, hey, asshole. What the fuck? Are you not dead yet? Why aren't you getting up." She started to mumble as a deep sense of hopelessness started to settle in.

Millions of words and questions formed in her mind as she struggled to process it. An intense stare as every last of her focus was directed at the unmoving Remedy.

Then she went quiet.

Not a single thought in her head.

A ringing sound coming from somewhere. Her heart felt like it was trying to jump out through her chest.

In that void she had created for herself, a single thud woke her up.

Turning to the source of the sound as she felt liquid coming her eyes, she knew exactly what she had to do. Full darkness took over as the previously sunny area had started to turn dark. The sun was still high in the sky, but for this area only, there was a true eclipse covering it all.

"You." Moon spoke softly, but her voice rang through the dark world as a heavy pressure seemed to crush the vicinity.

Her body slowly dissolved from a shade of black to true darkness. Her eyes were now glowing the fearsome teal blue as her beast like pupils seemed to cut through everything.

"You're dead." She uttered and she disappeared.

The rhino tried to charge forward, only to be met with resistance on its legs. Not understanding why he couldn't move, it tried to look around, but there didn't seem to be a single light source.

*ROAR*

It screamed in terror and pain. It felt like it was being stabbed from a million places as it felt a wet substance pour down from every last part of its body. Then its bones started to scream in anguish as the sounds of snapping came constantly. It felt its skin, like it was being boiled and shredded at the same time, until it finally stopped.

The light from the sun started to invade the darkness as the rhino became visible. What best could be described as a pile of flesh, all its skin was torn off as every single bone of it was smashed to shards.

Moon, however, ignored it completely as she appeared over Remedy. Needing to know what she could do, she ignored all the blood and focused on his organs.

"Nothing's gone." She muttered as she felt a shred of hope coming to her.

The shadows off of her body climbed away and went inside Remedy. It managed to block off the blood loss as she started to squeeze his heart in a rhythm. She put a hoof over his neck and felt a small pulse.

Distracting her slightly, she puked out a mouthful of blood as she fell down. Crawling just a tiny bit, she forced her body as she bled internally, a heavy pressure falling on her from her overuse of magic.

"Come, on." She tried her best.

With her doing everything she could possibly do, she was forcefully hardening her shadows and plugged the hole in Remedy's chest.

"This'll hurt like hell." She mumbled as a pure dark orb slowly crawled out of her chest. "Thanks for teaching dad." She mumbled once again, and cut out a tiny piece of it and held it in her hooves.

Instantly vomiting blood again, she was starting to lose consciousness. With one last struggle, she plunged it into Remedy's chest before losing all sensations from her body.

"Don't die." She muttered as she finally passed out.

Author's Note

Alright people, done with this one.

I know some of you might have noticed that I'm starting to post chapters at a faster pace. But that's mainly because I finally have some free time to myself since I finished pretty much everything I need to do. But a word of caution, I can tell for sure that I'll be starting to post at a slower rate once September comes around. Preparations for college and all that. :rainbowdetermined2:

As always, I thank thee for taking thine own time to gaze upon this simple story. :heart:

Aftermath

"Ugh, fuck." I cussed as I was awoken by pain covering my entire body.

Slowly opening my eyes, I saw the grey sky starting to turn darker.

"Agh." Suddenly feeling more pain coming from my core, I was reminded of what I just did. "Shit." I cursed and forced my aching body to stand up.

Almost falling down again a few times, I stood over Remedy. His chest was fully black. I put a hoof over his nose and felt the tiniest amount of air escaping.

"Oh. Hah! YES! Fuck, it worked." I was laughing a bit as a smile grew on my face.

*Cough*

I roughly spat on the ground. It was green.

Shit. I'm ill.

I grabbed the knife off the ground in my mouth and put Remedy on my back.

"Ugh. Why the fuck are you so heavy?" I mumbled and walked towards the camp.

This'll be a long day.

Sitting in front of a lit fire, I patiently waited for the soup to boil whilst rubbing my head. I used too much magic. It's a miracle I didn't break my body forcing it like that.

Focusing inside of me, a sphere slowly floated out of my chest. There was a tiny chink on it with a black substance leaking out slightly. Starting to feel the pain coming back again, I tried and commanded the sphere to shrink, causing it to cover up the hole enough not to leak anymore.

Panting from the action, I pulled it back inside myself and spat out some blood.

I hope I don't fall from blood loss.

What the fuck happened back there? Why didn't Remedy revive like usual? What was up with that fucking rhino?

That river, and the eyes from before. I think I can safely put Discord away from the equation.

Letting out a weary sigh, I grabbed some salt into the soup and gave it a stir.

"Gakh." I jumped and turned to Remedy as he started to cough.

Running to him, I held him up and guided his mouth to the ground. There was a trail of blackish blood flowing out.

Fuck. The Nocturnal magic is starting to infect him. A creature without connections to the shadows can't handle it. As he soon started to breath normally again, I let out a relieved breath and laid him back down.

"You're fucking high maintenance aren't you?" I muttered and sat down again.

Ugh, I'm getting a headache.

When the fuck is Celestia coming, or at least Flutters and her friends. I don't know shit about all this.

Seeing the pot start to boil over the top, I took it off the fire and poured a bowl for myself.

Staring at the bowl of soup, I was stuck in thought. I didn't know what I should do. There were so many plans and actions that I could think of, but I didn't know what to do.

Fucking hell. Remedy, you better get up. Or, I don't know what to do.

*Drip*

I was startled as something fell into the bowl and caused some of it to splash onto me.

"Rain." I mumbled and put a lid over the pot of soup.

Placing the bowl on the ground, I brought out out two blankets and placed it over Remedy. Lifting his head slightly, I put a pillow under it and sighed one more time. With a groan to lift him up, I laid him under the incomplete treehouse to shield from the rain.

I grabbed the bowl of soup and sat next to Remedy. Forcing myself to eat despite my lack of appetite, I almost puked.

"This fucking sucks." I complained loudly and continued to eat the soup that tasted much, much worse than usual.

I sat up slightly as I heard some thuds coming into the camp.

"Uh, Moon?" Celestia asked in a confused tone.

"Celestia! For fuck's sake, come here and check on Remedy." I haphazardly threw away the bowl of soup and dragged her to Remedy.

"Woah, easy. What happened?" She asked.

"This, happened." I said and dragged her to Remedy. "Healing spells, do you know any?"

"I-what happened? How did he get like this?" She was starting to freak out a bit as she inspected Remedy's injury.

"Shit happened. Now do you know any spells that can heal this fucking hole in his chest?" I said a bit frantically.

"Uh, it's, black. What is this?"

"It's pretty much condensed shadow. I can remove it, but it'll just make him bleed out without anything to heal him." I explained as calmly as I can.

"This. How big was is the hole?"

"Like, twice as big as a hoof?" I took a guess.

"That big?" She muttered as an apologetic look took over her eyes.

"No." I didn't want to believe it.

"I'm sorry, I. There isn't a spell to fill in a gap like that. At least none that I know of."

"Oh fuck. Fuck." I was feeling frustrated. "No, no. You gotta know something. You're fucking thousands of years old. You have to know something that could help!"

"I-I don't, I. I can't do much more for him than you already did." She explained.

I was starting to breath heavy from holding myself back. "AGH! You're useless!" I yelled and punched the ground.

FUCK! This can't be how it ends. He can't just die, not like this. And if I just keep him like that, the Nocturnal magic is gonna slowly kill him before he recovers.

"I, apologize." Celestia said and sat down, watching over Remedy.

"Fuck." I cursed once more and sat down again.

"How long has it been?" Celestia asked.

"It's, I don't know. I lost consciousness, so it might have been days even." I replied.

"What caused this?"

"It was a rhino. It was huge, and didn't die the first time."

"What?"

"The rhino. Remedy split its head open and stabbed the brain. Then it rose up again and attacked."

Celestia was silent as she was thinking about something. Then she sighed.

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with such magic."

"I figured. It's probably related to this fucking barrier."

"I suppose. I'll have to see how much progress the research team has made."

"Yeah, be on your-" I was silenced by a sound coming from inside me.

"I-um, brought some ingredients from the griffins and a traveling minotaur group. It's in a brown bag, just boil it all in some water." She explained simply before standing up with a smile.

"Alright, thanks." I replied and watched her leave.

I sighed wearily once more and got up. I need to have something that doesn't taste shitty anyway.

*Thud*

Mindlessly doing work, I managed to make a pillar and connected it with the floor of the treehouse. About nine more left.

"Agh fuck. My back hurts." I stretched and got a few pops from my back before walking down the stairs and checking up on Remedy.

The gaping hole was slowly closing up, but the Nocturnal magic was slowly spreading in a web like matter.

"Alright, you can do this. Just like you've been doing." I mumbled to myself and started to concentrate.

As I slowly connected to my Nocturnal side, I placed my hooves on his chest and my consciousness went in.

Following the trail of Nocturnal magic to the most severe parts, I blocked it off before pulling it back. It all slowly traveled back to his chest. I grunted as some of it got pulled in to the direction of his heart and was absorbed. It doesn't matter how good I am with Nocturnal magic, even just that tiny piece of my core is already much more concentrated and more powerful than the magic that's pulling it back.

Starting to feel the strain, I barely pulled my hooves back as shadows whisk through the air and disappear. My hooves themselves in a thick coating as I slowly absorb it.

At least this situation is helping me get stronger.

Slowly opening eyes as I take a deep breath, I push the magic out of my hooves as two blades shoot out.

"Alright, it works." I muttered and pulled it back in.

Sitting back down next to Remedy, I think about the time that passed. It's been three weeks, and I'm not sure how, but Remedy was still alive. Though I've managed to hold the magic back this whole time, keeping Remedy alive shouldn't be possible.

It's like, replacing somepony's blood with nothing but water. Both magic, but completely different. Remedy's Equestrian magic should've been slowly transformed to pure Nocturnal magic, but somehow he's still surviving normally.

In the dead of the night, I sat in the church. Every mistake of my life transformed this dark world, slowly trying to crumble me down. My emotions were heightened to a ridiculous degree as I felt pure rage with a coating of wrath and hopelessness.

Even in this moment right now, my thoughts keep getting changed to what I should be doing. No, what I had already done.

"Please, this village is innocent! Don't you get it!? These ponies aren't controlled! They're just looking for something divine to look up to! Something they could believe in! Please! I don't know of what prophecies or rituals you speak of! This church is nothing but a glimpse of hope for the unfortunate!" I saw the last priest screaming as loud as he could with a stab wound in his gut.

Blood spilled over the church hall as corpses of others wearing a blue robe stars on them, lay dead, hanging from chairs and walls.

The priest kept screaming with desperation as I looked on with a cold gaze.

"You don't understand how much suffering she brought on. What she did to my family, I can't forgive a single creature that dared to do that." My mouth moved without my input, yet it felt like I had done it myself.

Slowly raising my green hoof, coated in the blood of others, I let a burning torch fall to the ground as fire rose through the building. Flames coated everything as ashes fell to the ground.

"YOU'RE A DEMON! A MONSTER! A BEAST! YOU CLAIM TO KNOW OF SUFFERING, YET YOU BRING SUCH DESPAIR TO OTHERS! YOU ARE NOT PURSUING JUSTICE OR PEACE! YOU'RE BLINDED BY RAGE AS YOU BRING OTHERS DOWN FOR YOUR OWN EMOTIONS! REMEMBER THIS MOMENT, YOU MONSTER! ETCH THIS MEMORY OF YOU BRINGING SUCH PAIN AND DESPAIR TO INNOCENTS, DEEP IN YOUR SOUL!" The priest shouted at me as he slowly melted away.

I couldn't move my body as I simply stood there.

The fire slowly took over everything as the scenery changed. My body felt different, weaker as the fire now spread over buildings. The village was dead as I suddenly felt exhausted.

"FLORAL! CHECK THAT PILE!" I heard Bright yell at me through the chaos as screams rang through the village.

Witnessing all this once more, I could only concentrate and not let whatever this is, affect my mentality.

Time slowly passed. During the time, lots of guests arrived and stuff. The purple also didn't know any useful spells. Some zebra came and spoke in riddles before disappearing through the woods. Didn't really understand her, nor was I interested in really talking to her. Anyways, all of their reactions were pretty much the same. Nopony knows how to help Remedy.

And right now, I was sitting next to Remedy. A few minutes to rest after I clear the magic infecting him.

"What exactly is this knife?" I mumbled and held it up.

The pristine edge was covered with shadows as the blade now extended into a sword. My magic, it went through with no problems whatsoever. It means the material in this thing isn't your average metal. It doesn't matter how everything in Equestria as magic, Nocturnal magic shouldn't be able to just pass through it.

I didn't even have to wrap it in shadows. It just went in, no resistance, no having to force anything. It just accepted my magic, which shouldn't be possible with normal materials.

Swinging it through the air, it didn't feel heavier or anything. But the swishing sound it made, made it clear that it was just as sharp.

Pulling my magic back, the blade slowly disappeared. With a breath to concentrate, I swung it towards the big tree as it barely went in. The depth, was small. The outer parts of it were normal, allowing things like nails to go in, but after that layer, everything is too hard to go in.

Extending the knife again, I stabbed into the tree. This time, it went in, although it was still hard.

"This tree is definitely a bigger deal than just being overgrown." I commented and sat down again.

As a few silent minutes pass, I ate few fruits to pass the time. But as those minutes slowly started to feel longer, I found myself stuck in place with my thoughts and concerns.

"Ugh, fuck it." I eventually got too annoyed with them.

With the knife in hoof, I started to build the tree house again.

Author's Note

Yo! This chapter is out. :yay:

Sorry it feels a bit short. I don't really have much of an excuse. It's just that my little cousin (7 btw) is visiting for the week. And as the guy who's only activities for the day involve going to the gym, going to driving lessons and spending the rest sitting on my ass, I'm the only one who has time apparently. :ajbemused:

Anyways, as always, thanks for reading! :heart:

Healing

"Ugh." I groaned as I removed my hooves from Remedy. "Just what the fuck are you doing?" I muttered and felt the amount of magic I absorbed from him.

Calling it a lot would be an understatement. Just looking at the pure volume of it, not to mention the density of these shadows. They're dark, heavy, more than several times too much to bear for the average Nocturnal. So, just what the hell is Remedy doing to produce this much?

Though, there is still one thing. My core. Basically the manifestation of my entire being in a ball. I broke off a part of it and planted it in Remedy so the magic could work without my input. But it seems to be doing much more than just keep Remedy alive.

Realizing all of this, I get slightly nervous as I stare at Remedy. This fucker, he might lose control if this goes too far.

I sigh and sit down to concentrate. I'll have to quickly absorb all this extra magic, and extract even more from Remedy. Pretty risky though, considering the stress my body is receiving from just holding it inside myself.

"Well, there is one upside to it." I mumbled and released the magic.

My shadow started to grow, stretching on the ground in a perfect circle. It expanded quickly as everything was engulfed in darkness. Lifting a hoof, I waved upwards in a direction. Dust rose as trees were uprooted and destroyed. All replaced by rows upon rows of spikes rising from the ground. Suffice to say, anything standing in the direction I had waved was replaced by magic, that slowly melted away.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on the feeling of the shadows, focusing on everything that my darkness touched. With confirmation, I raised my hoof once more, and slammed it to the ground as spikes shot out of the ground and to my surroundings.

Pained whines rang throughout the camp as all sorts of sounds mixed in. Bleating, growling, heavy and soft footsteps.

I stood up and stretched my body, earning a series of cracks from everywhere.

Slowly looking at every creature that came here, I observed their movements and all their oddities. Eyes glowing a light green. Their muscles being way too dense to be natural. "Alright you soulless bastards. How about I send you back to that fucker?" I spoke out loud and held up the knife.

...

What was I doing?

Where is this again?

It's definitely familiar.

I, killed something. I think? I can't remember. A lot of things happened, that I'm sure of. But I don't know what it was. I was doing something.

Ah, right.

I wrote a letter to Bright. What was it? What did I write to him? I know it was something important.

Bright. Bright. That's the opposite of what's happening right now. Right now, everything is dark. I can't see. I can't hear. I can't even feel anything right now.

This just doesn't feel right. Something is wrong. What time is it? I'm supposed to be doing something. It's routine, I do it every morning. But, what is it?

Questions and questions repeated nonstop. I still don't know what was happening. Time passed. How much? I don't know. But it was long. I think.

Then, something finally happened.

A green light, from above. It was shallow, weak. But it was light, and it was barely penetrating through the darkness.

"Hey, Remedy." I flinched as I heard a voice.

Unknown feelings suddenly rushed in. My mind instantly became unstable as the world started to shake. My judgement was clouded as it was hard to think straight. I was filled with emotions. Needs. I need to kill something. Something needs to die. And I should know exactly what that something is.

"Bright?" I asked and turned around.

He was a colt. Last I saw him was when he was twenty eight.

"Yeah, it's me, you idiot." He said in a joking tone.

"Don't bother me right now." I said back.

"Eesh. When did you go back to being so cold?" He asked and sat down on a chest.

I didn't reply and stared at my surroundings. I was in a room. My old room.

A single bed, too big for one pony. A few tens of sketch books, which I know is filled with ideas on how to generate money. A large whiteboard, filled to the brim with a single plan. Plenty of toys to pass the time. Simple, bright yellow walls, a window with an old curtain covering it. And a wooden door.

"Come on, Remedy. Take a seat. I need to talk to you about our plan." Bright spoke casually as he pulled the whiteboard in front of him.

I nodded without much thought as I looked around the room. The bed, should do fine.

*Creak*

With the frames crying out in pain, I calmly sat on the bed as I stared at the whiteboard.

"Okay so, this was the original plan." Bright started out with a calm smile. "We were to gather as much money as possible, buy training equipment, get absolutely jacked and join the Royal Guards. Then, we get permission and go to the Crystal Empire and take down Sombra, successfully getting your revenge." He explained and kicked the chest he was sitting on, letting out the sound of coins rattling.

"The Empire is no more." I mumbled as I felt like a part of my memories rushed in.

"Focus, brother! We must stay hopeful. Away with the bad emotions!" He exclaimed and wiped the board. "Now!" He said and brought out a marker. "As you said, The Crystal Empire is gone. So, that takes us to the next part of our plan." He was speaking like he was acting in a play as he made amateurish drawings of a few ponies on the board.

I simply tilted my head as I kept staring. A feeling kept invading my head. Something was warning me. Something was going to go horribly wrong if I'm not careful.

"Same thing as last time! We get stronger. Gather allies, and get our revenge on, Nightmare Moon." He was almost ecstatic as he explained that part.

"Oh, right. Yeah. That's something I'm supposed to do." I realized what I was supposed to be doing.

"You already got it." Something whispered to me.

"Huh?" I let out a confused sound and looked around.

"Hey!" Bright yelled and held my head and stared at my eyes. "Focus! You said this was important to you! You need to know who you need to fight!" He felt a lot more aggressive than usual.

"Alright." I agreed and continued to stare forward.

"Now, the next step. This is definitely the hardest one. Discord. The spirit of chaos and disharmony. Basically omnipotent." He explained in that same unserious tone.

"You don't even know him." That same voice whispered to me again.

"What?" I spoke up on reflex.

"What is it?" Bright asked.

"Why do we need to fight him?" I asked as I felt chills running up my spine.

Something was wrong. Something was incredibly wrong. But, just what is it? Just what is it that's so wrong right now?

"Why? Isn't it obvious? He's you biggest enemy. He's the entire reason you're like this. He's why you're stuck in the forest. Unable to leave until you get strong enough." Bright said as if it was the most obvious thing.

I stared at him as I instinctively felt something wrong.

In an instant, I stood up and rushed to the window. Yanking the curtain away, I saw the outside world. A void as far as the eye can see, yet a light was shining down from the sky. The sky was slowly getting broken, shattered as the light invaded this world.

"HEY!" Bright shouted.

I knew what was wrong.

"How the hell are you gonna take revenge, if you're not gonna listen to my plans? What about all this rage huh? You said you were pissed off, right? You know who your enemies are. So, sit, and we'll continue to discuss or plans." Bright said sternly as I felt the mistakes.

He doesn't know how to kill. So, he shouldn't be emitting this killing intent. He has yellow eyes, so they shouldn't be glowing a light green color.

"You know exactly who your enemy is." The voice whispered to me once again.

This time, I heard it clearly as I glared back at Bright. No, the impostor as I simply walked through the door.

"Don't you dare walk out. Are you really gonna let Mom and Dad's deaths go unavenged?" The fake Bright asked with an intense glare.

"I already made sure Nightmare Moon stayed trapped on that moon for the full thousand years. I don't have to do much else." I told him and opened the door.

Though, I was almost immediately stopped as a bell rolled to my feet. A full green, ancient looking thing. It had a glow that was fading away as I looked forwards.

"Hello, Canis." I muttered and walked towards the, now magicless dog.

"Don't be fooled." The voice whispered once more as the surrounding shattered.

"I know." I replied and stood in front of Canis. "I'm sorry." I spoke softly and gave it a pat.

Canis, although growling, made no attacks as he laid down.

The shattered surroundings slowly disappeared. A new layer was formed as fire spread over everything. Building burned down as screams of agony and fear filled my ears.

"FLORAL!" Bright, the real one that I remember, shouted over everything.

I looked back, and stared at my brother for a few seconds. He's dead, that I know. But, I know he lived peacefully, even after all that happened.

"Rest easy." I said my last words to him as I walked away.

The sounds fading away as reality started to burn down. Finally, I stood in front of the two ponies that had been the root of all this.

"Sombra, Nightmare Moon." I addressed them calmly.

The two instantly turned shadow-like as both crystals and shadows aimed to kill me. I, however, simply stood there as they both went through me, only to disappear.

Taking a deep breath, I concentrated. Focusing on reality, I slowly unlocked all my memories as the illusions disappeared one by one. Everything, all that is not real, dissolved into nothingness as I gain full sobriety.

"And there it is." I muttered as I stood in a dark world.

Seemingly no differences than before, but the light was now under my control. Commanding it to stay where it was, I looked down. Through the ground, I saw a reflection of myself. Knowing it was fake, I stomped once as the mirror shattered to reveal what the culprit of this situation was.

A black orb. Barely the size of a pebble, surrounded by a tornado of three colors. Brown, blue and white. Now, with the barrier separating it broken, light green was slowly getting pulled in to the mix.

Floating through everything, I could feel it all. It was so, vivid, like I had just grown another limb. So, intense, and it was powerful. As mesmerizing as it was, I was struck again by the feeling of something going wrong. Staring towards the sky, I saw that the light green color was slowly weakening.

The darkness is getting more powerful. Too powerful.

"Hey, that's too much!" I yelled out and tried to control it.

In an instant, I was hit with one of the worst headaches I've ever felt. My body suddenly felt sluggish, and robust as I felt like I was about to pass out.

Come on, think! There's gotta be something you can do. What is it? There's all these weird shit inside you and you don't know what it is? Impossible.

Some clues, something I could use. What sort of characteristics do these things have?

"Wait." I remembered.

If the fake Bright came out when the light first appeared, then that means that darkness is the opposite of it. Then, the beings that fake Bright wanted me to kill. Evil, unstable, chaotic. Chaotic. Then that means that the light is orderly.

I need to somehow find a balance that's unfair.

But, how the fuck would I-Ah. Those other lights.

Does it work? Only one way to find out.

Focusing on the other lights, I slowly form everything into a ball. I can't control the dark part, but I can control everything else. So, make it so that the dark equals to everything else combined.

Slowly opening my eyes, I was sat in a lotus position.

Looking around, I saw the camp. A fire burning not too brightly as a steaming pot of tea was bubbling over it. There was a light drizzle of rain as the winds gave a fresh breeze. The incomplete treehouse gave me the perfect shelter.

And right in front of me, was a ball.

Shaped into a perfect sphere, half of it was purely dark. The other half was mostly white, with four different colors swirling around inside of it. It was perfect. The darkness had no problems as it was stronger than any of the others. The light held no issues as it knew it could always reign the darkness in. Chaotic, yet fair. Orderly, yet imbalanced.

Looking at it, I simply tapped it.

This resulted in the ball suddenly flying into my chest.

"...ok." I had no words.

I accepted it easily as I stared forward.

"I hope Moon isn't having too much trouble while I'm out." I mumbled as I felt my body starting to heat up.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. This is getting harder and harder every second.

I turned around and gave a wide slash. All I did was destroy a wall of stone as a bear made of fire came out from behind it. As the bear tried to catch me in a hug, I turned to a shadow as several tendrils came and shredded through the bear. Without much time to rest, I looked back and slashed again, creating a wave a of shadow that cut through a cheetah and any other unfortunate beasts.

At this point, I was panting. I don't know what else to do. I've been fighting for hours at this point. I can't even move from this spot since Remedy is right behind me.

ABOVE!

Spikes shoot out from underneath me and pierce through an ape that tried to swoop down. With barely even a chance to confirm whether it was dead or not, a lion pounced on me. Trying to hold it back, the leftover beasts all took the chance and started to approach.

"Ugh, come on." I was struggling as I tried to push the lion away.

My body was weak. Muscles were strained as I couldn't even breath properly. I felt like puking.

As the shadows on the knife slowly start dissolve, turning it short once again, I knew I was losing strength. As the shadow very slowly started to disappear, it finally snapped once it became thin enough.

Reality seemed to slow down as I stared at the lion's maw. Those fangs coming dangerously close as only a single thought came to my mind.

Ah, I'm gonna die.

*BOOM*

Ah, I'm not dead?

My breathing suddenly came back. I felt a slight pain in my chest and my ears were ringing a little.

Before I could process everything, I felt myself being lifted.

"Seems like you're in quite a lot of trouble huh?" I was instantly relieved as I heard that voice.

"REMEDY!" I yelled out loud.

There the idiot was, holding me in his hooves.

"You're alive!" I was, relieved.

I didn't know what else to say.

"Yeah, I had to do a lot of shit. But I'm alive." He replied casually and laid me against the tree.

"Careful. Those guys aren't normal." I warned him.

As much as I should be worried, I wasn't. I don't know what it was, but Remedy was dependable.

"I can see." He replied and cracked his neck.

Then he truly surprised me. "Holy shit."

"Yeah, I think I got this from you." He said and got into a stance.

I let out a few chuckles as I stared at him. His shadow was growing. Climbing up his body as I felt Nocturnal magic fill his body.

This psycho. What the hell did you do?

Without any warning, he slammed into the ground. A dust cloud rose as my vision was blocked, and the cries of beast rang out loud. I couldn't see what was happening, but it was obvious. Remedy, he was killing every last one of those beasts. At a complete bullshit rate at that.

As I was resting while watching, I heard a growl right next to me. Right as I was about to call out for Remedy, I heard a slam and the beast was dragged away.

"Woah." I was impressed.

Suddenly, clearing all the dust away, a glacier of ice rose. There was Remedy, having rolled in the air to evade the attack, getting a grip on the glacier before launching himself downward. With a slam, he instantly broke the neck of a deer with blue horns.

"Ooh, ouch." I winced as I stared at the way he handled the monsters.

A bull made of gems tried to ram into him. Remedy punched it into the ground. A giant praying mantis tried to slice him. He dodged twice before dragging it down to his level and squished its head between his hooves. A gorilla made of rocks tried to punch him. He dodged, then pushed the arm away as the gorilla lost its footing. Remedy used the chance and punched the gorilla, lifting it to the air before dragging it back down to the ground with a slam. Stomping on its head one more time, he killed the gorilla and moved onto a tiger made of bones.

Witnessing all of this, I didn't have much to say. Though, one worry did come up for a slight bit.

"Isn't he, way too strong now?" I nervously asked the air as I kept staring.

He has to have to done something. Nocturnal magic doesn't enhance the body, it just can't. So, he has to have done something else to survive. And I know he didn't make his own earth pony magic stronger either. He'd have to let it absorb something else, and Nocturnal magic is too volatile to let itself be absorbed. If he tried to let something else absorb the Nocturnal magic, it would straight up self destruct and destroy the host.

As I observed the fight, I noticed that Remedy wasn't actually using Nocturnal magic. This somehow pissed me off.

"Hey, Remedy! Come on! Extend the shadow! It's like an extra leg! Shape it!" I started to shout out instructions on how he should use it.

This, somehow felt really exciting.

*Sigh*

"Finally." Celestia spoke softly as she wrote a signature on a paper. "The last document of, today? It's still today right?"

*Knock, knock*

"Come in." She spoke as calmly as she could.

"Um, princess?" The noble walked in with a box.

"Oh! Fancy Pants, what brings you here today?" She asked and moved all her paperwork to the side.

"Oh, nothing much." He said in a slightly nervous tone. "I was just wondering, when the sun would come up. And I brought cake, as a, gift of sorts since I was visiting." He explained and set the box on the table.

"Ah, I appreciate the gesture." She thanked him for the cake.

There was an awkward silence between them as his words slowly started to register in her tired mind.

"THE SUN!" She shouted in realization and quickly ran to her balcony.

"Wha?! What's happening?" Raven sat up quickly as she knocked over a few stacks of documents.

"Seriously. How could I let myself forget about the sun!" Celestia talked to herself and pushed through the curtains.

Acting quickly, She raised the sun in an instant. Though much ruder than the easy and relaxing morning than usual, it'll have to do for now.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Raven asked groggily.

"It's eight AM." Fancy Pants answered calmly.

"WHAT!" Raven sobered up in an instant.

"Ugh." Celestia instantly felt a migraine coming.

"Oh no! There's gonna be that meeting with the city representatives, then the Yakyakistan dignitaries will be coming to visit!" Raven mumbled and paced around with a tense face, clearly forming a plan. "PRINCESS!" She suddenly yelled.

"Yes?" She replied.

"You go freshen up, I'll go and get the servants to set up the early meeting. Hurry, hurry! We don't have much time!" She kept shouting as she started to push Celestia out.

"Okay, okay. I'm walking, take it easy." Celestia tried to calm her down as she walked towards the direction of the bathroom.

"Mister Fancy Pants! As you can see, we're a bit busy today. So, please see yourself out when you leave!" Raven instructed before sprinting down the hallway as a clipboard floated behind her.

"Uh." Fancy Pants was a bit perplexed as he stared around the room.

Quickly starting to feel uncomfortable as he realized he was checking out the room of a mare. No matter how high or low the mare's status may be, it still bugged a gentlecolt such as him.

"Hmm?" Though, it quickly disappeared as he happened to come across one of the documents that Raven knocked over. "I haven't heard of a 'Cremo'. Green Garden, Bright, Bright Idea!" He recognized the name. "And Floral Green!"

"Sir?" A guard suddenly peered into the room.

"Oh, uh. Please inform Princess Celestia that I'd like to meet her if a time becomes available. Preferably, as soon as possible. This may be quite important." He told the guard and walked out of the room with a slightly disturbed expression.

"Understood, sir. I'll relay the message." The guard gave a slight bow before continuing to guard the door.

Author's Note

Chapter out! Let's go! :yay:

Now, some of you may be thinking that I probably resolved this way too fast, and you're mainly right. I do have a reason though. If I did decide to stretch it out, I would've bitten off more than I could chew. I don't really know how to write things like, slowly getting more and more depressed or something. :applejackunsure:

I like to think I can write tense moments. Where every line is super important, or something. And I also think I just can't really write good emotional scenes. :unsuresweetie:

Anyways, you can just ignore my rant. :derpytongue2:

As every chapter, my deepest gratitude to thou for taking thine time to bask upon mine own simple tale. :heart:

Progress

*Gulp*

"Ahh, that hit the spot. How long was I out for?" Remedy asked as he swallowed down his third bowl.

"About three weeks?" I replied as I kept staring at him.

After the fight, he said he was starving and instantly started on a meal. His chest was still blocked off by a shadows, but I don't think it's really corrupting him anymore. Though, there were streaks of black that traveled up to his eyes from his heart. As hilariously edgy as it looked, I couldn't help but feel like that's not something that's supposed to happen.

"Holy shit. Did you make me drink some water while I was out?" He asked and forced himself to put the bowl down.

"I couldn't. You were barely breathing, let alone drink." I explained and finished the stir fry he made.

"Oh. I see." He said and started to think about something. "You said I didn't revive, right?"

"Yeah, I waited like five minutes and you still didn't move." I calmly explained as I fought against the urge to sleep. "You were definitely dead though. I mean, I had to literally use shadows to grip your heart and make it beat artificially. Honestly, it was a desperate move."

"Hmm." He acknowledged before letting out a weary sigh.

"What'd you figure out?" I asked.

"Nothing new. It's just that whatever's trapped us here doesn't feel like playing anymore." He said with a slight frown before glaring upwards.

I followed his gaze and looked at the sky. Freely expanding to infinity behind the glowing barrier. A constant green glow fell down for a while before finally calming down.

"I'm going to behead that asshole, even if it's the last thing I do." I commented and focused back on my meal.

"How do you know it even has a head?" Remedy asked in a casual tone.

"I don't, so I'll just have to chop them to plenty of pieces, don't I?" I replied back and glanced at the knife sitting next to me.

Remedy just gave a few chuckles in return. "Alright, let's just make sure neither of us die doing that." He spoke as he stretched while letting out a large yawn.

"Yeah, yeah. Yeah. We won't die, neither of us." I replied and took a few gulps of water.

"Stop raising red flags and come sleep." Remedy said in a tired tone as he crumbled onto his blanket.

"Right, right. My bad." I said and went to grab my blanket. "Now, where did I? Oh, right." Mine's under Remedy's one.

"What're you looking for?" Remedy asked while suppressing a yawn.

How's this guy still tired after sleeping for three weeks.

"It's just my, actually, never mind." I stopped myself and laid next to him.

"Wha-?"

"Shut up, I nursed you for three weeks, so hug me." I demanded and wrapped him in my wings.

He can easily get out, but he didn't. He gave a single sigh before pulling me in with his hooves.

"You're a baby." He said.

I just hugged him in response.

"I, really, really, thought you were going to just leave me here. Just, like dad. Sudden, and not even a single word." I hid my face as my eyes started to sting.

He simply pulled me in further. It was warm, safe. Kind of like being hugged by dad.

As seconds passed, I slowly felt the accumulated stress from the last three weeks quickly catching up.

"I won't. Not like that."

"Ugh, ouch. LIGHT! YOU ALIVE?!" I asked and pushed a piece of the wall away.

"Yeah, I think I'm alive." I went to her voice and pushed another piece off of her. "For Celestia's sake, what happened?"

Pulling her on her hooves, I cast a light healing spell on ourselves. "I can't really say. None of anything we put in into that equation should pull off an explosion like that." I replied and thought back to what we were doing.

"So, experiment failure?" She asked and magicked a pack of ice to her.

"Most likely. Though, this can be a pretty big discovery on magic. Especially since the last big discovery was a few hundred years ago." I explained and put Light on my back.

"Well, that's pretty good. Can't believe so many different things are happening just because we started to add in elements to the equations." Light said with an exhausted, yet excited voice as she accepted the ride.

I can't say I share the emotions though. The combinations we began to try were, out of the ordinary. Wood, dirt, light, life, concealment, constraint. Those were the runes used in the experiment. But, it doesn't make sense. The elements, sure, they're natural, but the concealment and restraint runes. Those two aren't naturally occurring elements that come together.

*Sigh*

Well, maybe it's just not related to the barrier at all.

"Good evening, sir."

"Evening." I replied curtly to a servant and continued my way through the mansion.

As I walk the hallways I had went through hundreds of thousands of times before, I couldn't help but feel like they were becoming more and more unfamiliar as time went on.

Green Garden. That was the answer. I can't believe I actually found the next answer. A total of seventy three generations ever since the passing of Bright Idea. The pony who managed to rise from a common farmer to the most successful pony in Equestria.

I thought about the contents of the late patriarch's diary. Although describing his daily life, there were plenty of hints of him hiding treasures and innovations in the basement of his mansion. Throughout the last millennia, many of the innovations that moved Equestria all came from his mind. Watches. Carriages that can move without being pulled. The Friendship express. Even the first ever use of electricity.

I walked into my office on the first floor. A seemingly weird decision for a pony of such high status. But as soon as this was discovered, all the questions were soon answered.

I moved a bookshelf out of the way with magic. A wall. Putting my horn to the wall, I let my magic slowly seep in through a maze as big as the entire room itself. Despite having completed this maze hundreds of times before, I was still left tired as I completed it.

*Rumble*

The room shook lightly as the light coming in through the window suddenly disappeared. Standing in complete darkness, I waited for the movement to stop before finally opening my eyes.

In front of me were three doors, all with their own signs on them. A drop of liquid. A coin. An eye. A fang. A bed. An awfully personal question was etched into the floor.

The start of my journey,
The beginning of his way.
What started it all, a single promise.
One above all else, becoming our guidance.

I picked the door with the coin. Plenty have failed this before. Getting it wrong resulted in stepping into a trap and locking the place for a whole year. Many of those who failed walked out with devastating injuries. A missing limb, a blind eye, a broken horn. Still, the rewards granted us the ability to live life with leisure.

The room was dark as the door closed behind me.

"Hello, Descendant." A young child spoke to me.

"Hello, Ancestor Bright." I replied out of habit and a bit of respect.

"Ah, the circuit broke." Bright suddenly said a new line. "That means it's passed the thousand year mark!" He said in an excited voice.

Despite having seen this plenty of times before, I still couldn't comprehend how he managed to make such a lifelike version of himself. I would've tried to see if he was real or not, but he turned into particles of magic the last time I tried.

"SO!" He spoke up with a huge grin. "We'll have to speed things up!" He said and his face took on a look of concentration. "Let's see. Oh, you guys already went through the ten checkpoints. I'm actually surprised, I didn't think you could do it!" He was laughing as he said that.

I had an impassive face as I heard the insult. Throughout every one of his many quizzes and challenges, this fake version of him constantly followed the challenger around and annoyed them constantly.

"Alright, let's see. Descendent, could you go and stand on the X over there?"

I gave a simple nod and stood on an X that came into existence from nothing. "Now what?" I asked.

"See ya!"

That was the last thing I heard before I was dropped straight down. "Ugh." Groaning from how I didn't see this coming, I forcefully suppressed my frustration as I felt myself land on a slide.

I don't know why, but out of every single pony I've ever met, this fake Bright Idea always manages to anger me. Like, to the highest possible degree.

"WOOOOOOOOOO!" I looked to my right and saw him yelling in glee whilst on his own slide.

Though, the ride was cut short as I was thrown to the ground. The rough landing dirtied my mane and gave a few new rips to my suit. Annoying, I'll need to freshen up before going to meet Princess Celestia.

"YEAH! That was fun!" Bright yelled in excitement before skipping over to a door.

I was left nervous as I followed suit. If I get a question wrong, I may end up with a big injury.

"Alright! Only two vaults left now! I'm sure you've taken all the other rewards and used it to grow the family and your own riches. Honestly, I don't care what you do with it. I just couldn't actually put those ideas to use before dying." He said in a joking tone. "And, well, this is where I'll leave you. I won't come back."

Thank Celestia.

"No, seriously. After this, I'll be gone forever. So, don't be sad." He said and had a meaningful smile.

No, seriously. I respect you, but I also find you to be the most annoying pony I've ever met.

"Well, goodbye." He said and disappeared.

Looking at the place he was standing, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad to se him leave. Sure, I didn't really like him, but his ideas were always for the good of Equestria. Giving a sigh at my emotions, I continued forwards to the only source of light in the room. A single door with a slick and smooth tablet stuck to it.

I picked up the marker I dropped on the ground the last time I visited, and letters started to shine into existence.

The ones who fostered the broken and birthed the brightest.
The only one who now knows their names being the youngest.
Never questioned for a tale from the oldest.
Showing kindness despite his darkness.

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

Carefully picking up the marker with my magic, I carefully initiated a spell. A picture of the document I saw before floated in front of me.

"Green Garden. Storm Chaser." I wrote those names and braced myself.

With seconds slowly passing in silence, I slowly looked around as nothing happened.

Weird. I know every other door opened on their own after answering the questions.

Still a bit confused, I hesitantly tapped the door. Dirt fell from it as dust rose and rushed at me at once. Coughing a bit, I shielded my eyes before entering.

"What the?" I stopped as I arrived on the reward.

The room was, untidy, to say the least. A long workbench covered almost every last space as hundreds of different tools were laid about. Blueprints laid on the tables and unfinished creations littered the benches. Picking one up, I wiped the dust away and read the print.

"A communication device?" I read the title with a confused tone and looked at the picture.

It seemed to be a brick like structure. It had buttons and a screen on one side. Picking up another one that was stacked on top, I read the title. "Service Tower." I don't understand any of this.

Well, it'll most likely be useful. With that thought, I rolled up the blueprints and put them inside my jacket.

*Bzzt*

"This working? Alright! This is experiment number three hundred, uh, something, something." An older voice rang through the room.

Turning around, I expected to find Bright again. I did, but he was different. Instead of his usual appearance, being colorful and lifelike, he was blue. Just, different shades of blue, and his image was distorting.

"Alright so I think I finally-"

*Knock, knock*

"Sir, a letter has arrived." A new voice called out.

"Stoic, I thought I told you not to disturb me!" Bright said back in a slightly annoyed voice. "I'm inventing!"

"Apologies, sir, but the letter is from your brother."

"Oh, Floral." Bright suddenly cheered up and ran away, causing him to disappear. "That's weird, he usually writes once a week. Does he need something from me?" He mumbled to himself and the sound of a door closing came in.

With a slight skip in his steps, Bright ripped the letter open with his magic as he took a seat on his workbench. Though, as seconds pass, his face slowly turned to one of worry and confusion. As his eyes read through the last lines, a few tears streamed down as he placed the letter down on his bench. Then he disappeared.

"That's it?" I muttered and looked at the spot where he placed the letter.

A simple box sitting there.

Picking it up, I looked at the lock. It was like a number combination lock, but with letters instead. It had thirteen slots in total and every slot had the full twenty six letters. There was the next riddle on top.

A meaning that is not right.
A name which I don't write.
That which belongs to the one,
forgotten by the growth of time.

I physically groaned as I read it. Every last one of his puzzles and quizzes, except for the maze, have all been incredibly personal. Requiring our family to either take guesses, or dig through history's most obscure places and ancient documents to find clues.

"Welp, Floral Green doesn't work. And this communication device isn't gonna figure itself out. I'll need to hire a few engineers and mechanics to make this." I mumbled and walked back out the door with the box in my magic.

*Creak*

The loud sound filled the room as I was back in my office, like I had just walked into it from the front door. I sighed as I finally found myself in safety. Practically crumbling into my chair, I take a moment to gather myself as I place the box into my drawer.

"Platter!" I called out.

*Creak*

Silver Platter peeked into the room with practiced perfection. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Prepare the bath, and a new set of clothes. Also, hire a team of engineers and mechanics by the time I return from that meeting with Princess Celestia." I gave the orders and sunk deeper into my chair as Platter left. "If Princess Celestia has somehow found such a big clue, then maybe she could help in opening the box. Who knows what kind of ridiculous invention that could be sitting in there." I mumbled to myself as I felt a small headache coming.

Hmm.

I might've gotten sick from that adventure. Of course, it's been about ten years since I've went down there after all.

*Sigh*

"Why do I feel like I've become involved in something I absolutely shouldn't have." I muttered before getting up with a groan.

I have an appointment after all.

*Phew*

I blew on the steaming cup of tea before taking a sip.

I was sat on one of the wooden seats as others around me were starting to pour in. Though, despite having realistic faces and distinguishing factors, they all looked quite fake. I exchanged a quick greeting with the few that passed by as I continued to sip the tea.

The moon was high up in the sky as it's light poured in through the windows. A large crescent moon made of silver hung up high on the wall in front. Standing right under it was stage with stand for the priest to read out a scripture.

"bzzzt." Was all I heard.

I sighed as the ponies whispering around me slowly disappeared into the air. The priest was now out of sight. And the church was silent once again.

It's a dream.

I've never dreamt like this before, but it's probably because of the, Nocturnal magic that Moon placed inside of me. Although I couldn't get much practice in before I eventually had to rest, I could still control it a tiny margin.

I wished for the book on the stand to come to me. As per my command, the dream world made the book fly over as I took a look.

"Figures." I mumbled and let the empty book drop.

I never got to read it, so it would never exist.

"Anyways, would you like a cup, Princess?" I asked the only other sound except for me in the church.

"Nay, we art in no need of a beverage." Princess Luna replied as she flew down from the ceiling.

"Your loss." I commented and took another sip.

"Where, hast thou seen this place?" She asked whilst looking around.

"The west. Sitting snuggly outside of Equestria. Well, maybe not now, it's been quite a while." I answered calmly and refilled the tea with my mind.

"Hmm." She let out a thoughtful sound as she was fidgeting in her seat. "Um. How does thou, know of Sombra?" She asked in a nervous voice.

I guess she saw the figure of Sombra when she first visited the camp.

"Are you actually curious about that?" I asked back.

She took a few moments to come up with an answer. I could more or less guess the reason she came to visit in my dreams.

"Nay." She finally answered.

"Then, why did you decide to come in my dreams, rather than in real life?"

She became fidgety after that question. Confidence issues. A bit of anxiety as well. Then guilt. Those are her current problems, and she needs to overcome them if she wants to grow.

"We, have heard of thine, help, that thou has provided for mine sister."

"I've listened to Celestia's problems a few times, yes."

"We had hoped, that thou would grant us the same privilege."

"I see." I replied and took a sip of tea. "So, what's scaring you so much?"

Author's Note

No sabía qué decir. Así que aquí tienes un agradecimiento en español. :heart:

Coming Together

"Think, Blueblood, think! What is magic?" Light asked as she walked around the scorched room with a thoughtful expression.

"Magic is energy. Despite it being energy, it doesn't follow the law of energy. Magic can't be destroyed, but it can be created or manifested. Thus, making it an infinite resource, which is how beings like Aunty Celestia can exist and hold a ridiculous amount of magic in their bodies, but not upset the natural balance and create a magic shortage in Equestria just by existing." Blueblood explained lazily for the fiftieth time.

"You think I don't know that?!" Light asked in an uneasy voice.

Blueblood didn't answer as he held a pack of ice to his forehead and sizzling horn. After the last few experiments, they were both left exhausted as Blueblood ended up pushing himself a bit too hard. Not exactly knowing how to answer, he just gave an exhausted stare at Light.

"Oh, what do we do? What do we do? We don't have anything to show for when Princess Celestia gets here." Light was murmuring to herself.

"Light, calm down. We tried our best, and we didn't find it. It's not like she's going to punish us for this." He spoke tiredly.

"How are you so calm about this?!" She asked and stepped in front of him.

"Because it's ridiculous?" He suggested. "Everypony involved in this already knew from the start that this was practically an impossible riddle in the first place. She's not gonna get all mad because we didn't manage to crack the impossible barrier." He explained whilst trying to calm his friend down.

Light was silent as she stared at Blueblood. "I, guess." She finally said and sat down next to her friend. "Ugh, seriously. If we could just figure out the barrier's elements, it'll be so easy to dismantle it. And it's not like we could get more info about what it is." She complained and leaned into Blueblood.

"Hmm, actually. Why don't we take another visit. Just in case." He suggested and threw away the now melted ice pack.

"I suppose. I mean, it's not like something bad would come out from it." Light agreed and visibly cheered up.

"Yes, I also need to have a talk with Mr. Natural Remedy." Blueblood said with a slightly thoughtful expression before getting up.

"Woah!" Light fell without her support. "You jerk!"

"Yeah, what about it?" Blueblood replied with a smirk before walking away. "Come on short stack, we should freshen up before meeting Aunty."

"I'm like, quarter of a hoof shorter than you!" Light said with a pout before following.

"Still shorter." That earned him a smack on the back of his head.

"Alright, just like that. Concentrate deep inside of you, and then tug it." Moon instructed as she held her hooves on the back of Remedy, who sat in a lotus position. "Remember, Nocturnal magic is extremely hostile. So just, give it a light tug, like a suggestion. As long as you don't piss it off, it'll do as you say."

Remedy let out a deep breath as he silenced himself. Not a single action produced sound, not even his breathing as he completely erased himself from the world. Even Moon, who was still attached to him, couldn't completely tell if he was there or not.

As minutes slowly pass in complete silence, Moon opened her eyes with a confused expression as she stared at her hooves. They were coated in her shadows as she gave them a few flexes. Realizing something, she slowly got up and stood in front of Remedy.

"What the?" She muttered and stared as the lines that traveled up to Remedy's eyes slowly melted away.

The pitch black hole in his chest somehow seemed even darker. His shadow that was cast on the ground enlarged. His simple pony shaped shadow kept traveling more and more until it finally reached the trees.

*Gulp*

Moon stood a bit nervous as chills went down her spine. She's experienced this plenty of times before, especially when they first met.

"Just what did he do to have it be this strong?" She mumbled to herself as she steeled herself.

The camp seemed to darken, starting to feel much more hostile. Moon felt like something was staring at her from the shadows. There was an inexplicable feeling of being hunted that stayed at the back of her mind. Right as she started to become slightly more comfortable, a sudden shift occurred in the camp.

"What the fuck?" She muttered and looked around.

A light green color glowed brightly from the ground as parts of the camp started to brighten up.

"Wow." Moon was left stunned as a breathtaking scenery took place.

Before she could snap out of it, the feeling of being watched returned once again. This time, much stronger. If the first time felt like a hunter was vaguely aware of your presence, this time it felt like that same hunter was staring you down, straight in the eyes as it held up a blade to your neck.

Moon just rubbed the back of her neck as she stared at Remedy.

"Seriously, this guy. You've got something other than just Nocturnal magic." She muttered and stood there.

Her surroundings felt darker. Sunlight seemed to have disappeared as little spots of pony shaped lights traveled around the pitch black world. Moon was all but familiar with this world, though, what was less familiar was the pure bloodlust she sensed from those pony shaped lights.

"Yeah, scary as always." Moon just mumbled to herself.

The world instantly turned back to normal as the sense of death disappeared from Moon.

"Sorry, I lost control for a bit." Remedy apologized.

"Yeah, I figured." Moon replied casually as she moved to sit closer to Remedy. "I suddenly got cut off when you started to really get into it."

"I see." Remedy replied. "This is an annoying feeling I didn't know before." He said with a small frown as he repeatedly flexed his hooves.

"What?"

"Not knowing what's in my body. I think you also realized it right?"

Moon took a second to answer. "Yeah, the dark colored magic is definitely Nocturnal, but that light green one, not a clue." She said and glanced at Remedy.

"Hmm." He pondered as he inspected his hoof. "I wonder if Celestia has a clue about this." He said as his hoof started to glow a light green.

"So. How does that one feel?" Moon asked as she leaned over to take a closer look.

"Well, it's definitely different than, I'll tell you that. It feels, orderly? It's a lot more docile than yours."

"Nocturnal. I don't own the shadows."

"Right. This is a lot easier to control than Nocturnal magic." He explained as he focused on his hoof and the light shot out. "Though, I don't actually understand how to use it." He said as the light landed on the ground and fizzled out.

"Doesn't it like, make you stronger, or something? Because I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be smashing rocks with just brute strength." Moon asked and laid backwards, earning a few pops from her back.

Remedy stayed silent as he pondered for a few moments. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." He finally answered and got up with a groan. "Welp, time for lunch."

"I want soup!"

"Yeah, sure."

"You have got to be kidding me." Twilight was dissatisfied with what she had just been informed of.

"Is something the matter, Twilight?" Celestia asked her student in a curious tone.

"Oh, no, Princess, don't worry. It's nothing." She instantly replied with a sheepish smile.

"Well, that's good. I'll be leaving you three to it then. If possible, I'd much appreciate it if you three could get results as fast as possible." She masked her nervousness as she said in a calm voice. "This matter has become, quite urgent due to circumstances." She explained and looked at all three ponies. "Funding will be provided from the Crown, so, you may use all you need to find success." She finished with a hopeful smile and turned to leave.

"Of course, Princess. I won't let you down." Twilight replied with a cheerful tone.

"We'll try our best, Aunty." Blueblood added on.

"I know." Celestia flashed them another smile before leaving to return to her duties.

As a few seconds pass, Joyful Light practically collapses from the pressure as Twilight lets out an annoyed groan.

"Can I expect you behave decently during our experiments?" Blueblood asked Twilight as a few memories of a much younger, and much more experimental Twilight going just a tiny bit too far with her spells.

"What do you know about behaving? I heard what you did at the Gala." She refuted angrily at the stallion.

Blueblood stared for a few seconds as his unfocused eyes tried to remember the events of that night. "What?"

"Maybe a certain, unicorn mare that you treated horribly?" She asked as she got in closer with a strained smile.

Light began to wake from her stupor as she listened to their conversation.

"Oh yeah." Blueblood seemed to realize. "I still don't know who you're talking about."

"Rarity! I'm talking about Rarity! You were such a jerk to her!"

"Oh her!" Blueblood had a bright smile. "I still don't have a clue who you're talking about." He finally said as he started to lose patience.

"Oh why you-"

"Um, why don't we calm down a bit?" Light tried to interject.

Blueblood took a moment as he took a glance at Light.

*Sigh*

He sighed wearily before turning to Twilight.

"Look, Booksmart, I'm sorry, but I really can't remember every single gold digger that happened to be my consort at any social event."

"Blue!" Light spoke up. "I'm pretty sure that's her friend you're talking about!"

"What did you call her, you snob?"

"A gold digger. If your friend was really that different, I would've remembered."

They stood there, glaring at each other whilst Light didn't exactly know what she should do.

"L-look, guys." She hoped to cool the situation down as she stood between them. "Why don't we just, calm down a bit? We can just talk this over some coffee. I got a bag of roasted powder from Neighpan, and there's a bit coffee machine in the break room."

Although she was replied in silence, between the exhausted Blueblood and the studious pony who had developed a taste after countless all nighters, the brown drink sounded perfect at the moment.

"Hmph." Blueblood let out a dissatisfied sound and left the room.

Twilight's gaze followed him until he walked out of sight. Only then did she let out a breath and turned to Light.

"Um, I apologize for that. We have, some history between us." She explained with a sheepish smile.

"Uh huh." Light nodded in acknowledgement.

"I'm Twilight by the way. Twilight Sparkle."

"Joyful Light."

After introductions were over, the air turned awkward as the two mares stood there in thick silence. As the two were beginning to break down from the situation, Light spoke up first.

"So, how about that coffee, huh?" She said with a forced smile.

"Oh, uh, you can go ahead. I already drink too much anyway." Twilight replied as her expression turned to annoyed.

"I. Um, alright. You can just, familiarize yourself with the lab for now, I guess?" Light said nervously before turning to walk out the door.

Watching her leave, Twilight groaned audibly as she was left alone.

"Amazing first impression, Twilight. Truly unforgettable." She complained to herself as she took a look around.

A long white room with enough anti-magic runes decorating the walls to shut down Princess Celestia herself. A long warning line that seemed to have been replaced and moved further from one end of the room multiple times. A room behind an enchanted window that had a few hundred, likely empty scrolls piled in the back. The actual experiment field was charred black and a single damaged scroll sat snugly all the way at the back. The walls were damaged and some of the tiles looked like they were about to fall off. Scrapped pieces of the walls scattered about everywhere.

"That's weird. Those tiles all look like they've been exploded. Princess Celestia wouldn't be one to research such destructive spells." She muttered to herself as she slowly examined the room.

*Bang*

"Hey, Twilight. What'd I miss?" A new voice opened the door quite strongly.

"Oh Spike! There you are." She turned to the door in a more cheery mood. "Why do you have a basket of gems?"

"Princess Celestia gave them to me. I ran into her after putting our stuff in our old room." Spike replied casually before throwing an emerald into his mouth. "So, what happened? Princess Celestia said you were going to meet the research team."

"Oh, right. I already met them."

Spike swallowed before looking at Twilight with a questioning gaze. "Are you alright? You seem like you're in a bad mood."

"It's, fine. It's just, Blueblood is part of the team."

"Blueblood?! I didn't know he was good with magic." He commented as he remembered his few interactions with the stallion. "What's so bad about him again?"

"Spike. Don't you remember the Gala? The way he treated Rarity?"

"Oh, right. But, doesn't he do that with every mare though? I'm pretty sure he was still like that even back then." He said as he sat on a random piece of debris.

"Exactly! And that's horrible. He can't go around treating ponies like that."

"Hmm, true." Spike pondered the morality situation for a slight second. "Well, Twilight. Try to get along with him. You'll be working together for the next few weeks right?"

Twilight tried to come up with a reply, but as seconds pass she couldn't think of one. She finally sighed as she fully thought about it.

"You're right Spike, I'll try to not let my personal feelings get to me. But that doesn't mean I have to like it." She ended the discussion and turned to leave. "Come on Spike, we should meet the rest of the team." She said and levitated Spike onto her back before leaving.

"Good morning, Celly!" Luna greeted happily as she swung the door open.

The door, thankfully, didn't slam into the wall. Courtesy of the enchantment Celestia had put there, knowing such an event would happen

"Aren't you in a good mood today, Lulu." Celestia spoke softly as she put away a stack of papers to her side, much to the annoyance of Raven, who was working alongside her. "You're up quite early even."

"Yes, sister. I have given that 'therapy' thing thou had told me of, a chance." Luna said with a smile as she approached Celestia.

"I see. I've noticed you may have been dissatisfied with something, but I'm glad you're taking care of it." She spoke with a soft grin.

"So am I. It has been quite an enjoyable experience to speak with somepony without them fearing for their life." Luna was rather happy.

"That's good, it means you're making progress." Celestia was quite pleased with the outcome as well.

*Thud, thud*

"Your highness, Sir Fancy Pants has requested your presence." A guard peeked in through the door.

"I see, let him in."

"Well, I suppose we shall meet again at lunch." Luna said her piece and left through the door. "Good morning, Sir Fancy Pants." She said on the way.

"Good morning, your highness." Fancy gave a curt bow.

"Hello, Fancy Pants." Celestia greeted calmly. "To what do I owe the pleasure."

"Hello to you as well, your highness." Fancy gave the same bow before speaking. "As for the reason of my visit. May I ask a question?"

"Of course, what's the matter?"

"Do you happen to know of a pony named 'Bright Idea'?"

Celestia was stunned as she froze for a split second. "Raven, could you please leave us alone?"

"Yes, ma'am." Raven understood the signal and took her leave.

Celestia watched for a few seconds before making sure she has left, then promptly casted a spell on the door.

"How did you come across that name?" She asked, wasting no time.

"I happened to come across a document on your floor the last time we met." Fancy was slightly intimidated, fearing he had made a mistake.

"I see." She said with a sigh. "I ask you to keep everything a secret. It's quite a personal issue of my friend."

"I understand, I'll take it to my grave." He was relieved.

"No, you don't have to go that far." She almost shouted. "If somepony manages to find out and threaten your life for that information, I ask that you prioritise your own life over this. The protection of my citizens are my highest priority." She explained calmly.

"Uh, I, yes. I'll keep that in mind." He replied rather awkwardly.

Before the air could turn thick, Celestia cleared her throat to break the ice.

"So, may I ask how this name is important to you?" She started.

"Oh, yes. It is actually a family secret, that I may have to share." He was rather nervous.

"Are you comfortable with that though? As high as my position is, I believe that those secrets bring no harm to Equestria."

"I'm not, but it is still a scam that has gone on for a millennia."

"A millennia? What scam?"

"Well, as you know, my family has made quite a few accomplishments during the last thousand years."

"Yes? And I'm quite grateful for that. The inventions that came from your family has changed the course of history multiple times."

"And I'm proud of that." Fancy said as he struggled to get the next words out.

"But?" Celestia asked.

"But, it's also a scam that has been going on for that thousand years." He let out.

A few seconds passed in silence as Celestia processed those words.

"What?" She just asked.

"I'm not exactly proud of it, but, our family isn't as ingenious as we had led others to believe."

"What? Wait, please don't tell me your family has been stealing the merit of others." She asked a bit angered.

"No! No, the ideas all came from the family. It's just, it all came from one pony." He was frightened slightly.

Celestia stared in complete silence as he questioning gaze inspected every last corner of Fancy Pants to tell if he was lying.

"Elaborate." She said.

"Yes. Although the name 'Bright Idea' might not be so important in history. The name, Brilliant Epiphany should ring a bell."

"Ah." Celestia had a realization as she dug through her memories of the important families. "The first patriarch of your family."

"Yes! Him. Every invention and every new discovery, they all came from him and his experiments."

"What? How? He can't possibly live that long, and immortality is quite a long shot."

"Of course. Even with his brilliant mind, it's quite impossible for him to achieve immortality so easily." Fancy agreed with the idea. "You're aware that our family hasn't really tried to tie ourselves in with politics too much."

"Yes, I'm well aware."

"Well, the reason for that is the secret of our family. There is a tomb, more like a dungeon, but still a tomb. It's location and its contents are only shared between family members, but I can tell you that the rewards for entering such a place is the reason for our family's reputation." He explained calmly.

"The inventions are the rewards." Celestia muttered to herself. "Seems rather egoistic. Then again, Brilliant was quite egoistic himself."

"Something I can agree on." Fancy commented.

"So, why tell me this now? Even if I had found the name 'Bright Idea', this isn't something you just reveal like that."

"The reason is quite simple. I have almost reached the end." He spoke confidently. "Of everything that it could be, a maze, a trap room, even just finding the right combination for a chemical brew, the last answer is a name." He gave a single sigh. "When, if, I find that name, there will be no more left to take from the tomb."

"And you fear your family name will fall?"

"That is of no concern to me. I just wish to be the one to finally unlock the secret of the tomb. Just why he built it, and why all the quizzes and hints were all extremely personal to his life."

Celestia slowly thought through his words as a small picture formed in her mind. She gave a single nod as she came to a conclusion.

"Well, you have set your sights on this, I will not stop you. However, I say you should get some answers from the stallion who knew Brill-Bright Idea best." She said with a smile as she pulled out a paper.

"What?"

"Your ancestor. Well, your ancestors' brother." She explained and gave him a map with a marked location. "Remember to bring a gift." She said that with a bright smile.

"I. I, see." Fancy was left confused with a few questions in mind.

Though, he feared he may not get the answers to those.

Author's Note

Alright, finally.

Sorry this one took so long to come out. I had a lot to this last few, uhh, something days. I ended up interning for a job and that already takes half the day. :unsuresweetie:

Then I had to fill out a health sheet, which took a whole week just for them to end up telling to get my blood type tested before fully going with all the tests. :facehoof:

Which is both things I have to do while sacrificing my free time to look after younger cousins. :flutterrage:

Add all that on having to take my driver's license test. Then, you can guess how fun it's been for me. (Not fun at all, I was arguably more stressed than when I was taking my finals.) :pinkiecrazy:

Anyway, as always, thanks for reading. :heart:

Visit

Oh dear Celestia. What should I do?

I was currently sitting at the table in the break room. A single cup of a delicious brew of one of the highest quality coffee. It was mixed with chocolate from the finest manufacturer that had dominated for the last three centuries in a row, where even Princess Celestia herself orders her chocolates from. A practically perfect milk from the royal milking parlor where the cows live a more leisureful life than most ponies in Canterlot. The finest of common sugar from the corner store.

Despite having one of the best coffees in Canterlot, I couldn't take a sip as two unicorns were glaring with such intensity that it made me little too scared to speak.

"Uh, so." Spike the dragon, who was Twilight's assistant tried to speak up.

I commend your bravery.

"The whole team is just you guys?" He spoke nervously as the unicorns didn't even spare him a glance.

Blue was looking as perfect as always. Despite having spent months with me on the experiments, he always came back in the morning as if nothing happened at all. He held a sharp glare and a still smile as I could practically feel his annoyance.

Twilight, on the other hoof, was almost the opposite as she held a full frown and was visible holding herself back from killing Blue.

"Uh, yeah. There was supposed to be about seventeen of us, but that whole thing with the High Hoof happened. So it was just the two of us for a bit." I answered Spike as I observed the two.

Without even the slightest movements, except for the occasional eye twitch from Twilight, the two seemed to be having a silent conversation with just their eyes. Though, I'm sure what they're saying aren't so nice.

"So, how about we actually get to doing our job?" I spoke up to at least distract them.

Blue glanced my way for a slight second before going back to glaring at Twilight in silence.

*Sigh*

He finally sighed as I felt like an entire mountain was lifted off my back.

"Right. We do not have the time to waste on this petty squabble." He spoke with barely a hint of emotion in his voice as he moved to get up.

"So, you're not going to apologize?" Twilight spoke up as she refused to move.

"For what do you think I actually need to apologize for?" Blue replied as he stopped.

"For embarrassing my friend and for making my childhood a lot more torturous than it should've been."

"Yours a lot more torturous?" Blue suddenly seemed to be more pissed.

I looked to the opposite of the table to ask Spike for help, but he seemed to be as clueless as I was.

"Do you have, even the slightest idea, on how much trouble you caused? And how much of that I had to sweep under the rug? Just so you didn't ruin Aunty's image amongst the nobility?" His mask slowly cracked as he grew a small frown.

Twilight just rolled her eyes. "Like you're any better."

Blue froze for a slight second before he lit up his horn. A stack of papers fell on the table, producing a loud bang that rang through the room.

"This, is the amount of accidents that came from Ponyville. All starting from the day you first started to live there." He said in a strained voice.

I curiously took the top paper.

"You had a dragon attack?" I asked on reflex.

"It wasn't an attack!" Twilight yelled, startling me slightly.

Spike looked a bit guilty.

"Just last week, a group of reporters tried to spread that news throughout the entirety of Equestria. I had to deploy a team of seventy three just so they didn't, and that's not even counting the amount of bodyguards." Blue explained as he started to lose patience. "Do you have the slightest idea on what kind of damage any of these papers could do if they ever make it to the public? Then there's the Ursa Major attack, and, an apparently an invasion of an unnatural acting Parasprites that infested Fillydelphia." He slammed the table as he leaned over. "You don't seem to realize just how dangerous the political side of things is. Because, even of a single one of these things manage to come out, some random noble looking for power can use it to start a riot and plunge half of Equestria into a rebellion."

Spike seemed to want to say something, but he and I both knew what Blue said was right. Nobles tend to use any and everything they can get their hooves on.

"It can't be that bad." Twilight refuted, albeit a bit nervoulsy.

"It can be. A single imperfection in the image of royalty is the same as a rat being served with your salad." He said in a threateningly low voice before walking away.

I looked between Twilight and Blue for a second, before finally deciding to go after Blue. Slowing down just a bit to make sure I didn't ram into the door, I closed it behind me before looking for him.

"Blue!" I yelled to get his attention as I stopped right next to him.

He stopped in his tracks and turned his head slightly as a single eye stared back. I could see repressed rage, and a worrying amount of stress and sadness in it.

"Are you alright?" I gingerly asked.

"I'm fine." He said with a fake smile.

"Blue, I spent every day with you for the last month. I can tell when you're lying."

His smile froze for a second before giving a sigh. Right at that moment, he seemed so tired. Unlike the exhaustion that comes from working in the lab, it was different. An exhaustion deeper than just physical, and maybe even mental.

"I'm not. I'm just, tired. I always thought that I could have an amicable relationship with Twilight."

"Wait, you tried to date her?" I was honestly shocked.

"What!? No! I just." He immediately retaliated, though his eyes were downcast. "I just wanted a friend. I was five years old back then, and I couldn't handle those that wanted to be with me just because I turned royalty."

"So, you wanted to be her friend because she had the same status as you?"

"That was part of it, yeah. But it was mainly because we both lived in the castle, and I was pretty shy back then." He held a slightly embarrassed look. "You know, the whole adoption thing. At that point, I'd lived in the castle for barely a week."

"Ohh, I understand now. Then, why did you stop?" I reflexively asked. "Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

"It's, fine." He said as his eyes wrinkled, like he had a bad taste in his mouth. "I tried for a full year, then something happened."

"What was it?"

He suddenly stopped in his tracks. His fur got slightly damp as cold sweat ruined it. Eyes were wide as it shivered in fear. His breathing felt a lot heavier as his legs started to wobble.

"Blue!" I yelled in worry and moved to support him.

"I'm fine." He whispered as he stood upright again.

Staring at him, he seemed like he didn't have a single problem. The still perfect image he'd displayed over his entire life was standing again.

"Blue." I simply muttered.

He tried to look at me, but he couldn't keep eye contact.

"Blue, look at me. It's fine. You don't have to tell me."

I don't know what happened, but I can tell he's terrified of something.

Seeing as he didn't reply, I put my hooves around his neck and pulled him in for a hug. There was heavy scent of some mane product and a bit of sweat. His chest was beating strongly before slowing down.

I kept standing in that position, until I finally felt something tapping my back.

"Thanks." He mumbled as I finally let go.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I am. It's just, a single memory. I try not to think about it."

"Are you sure?"

"I, yeah, I am, I'm sure."

I stared for a few seconds before finally sighing.

"Hey, if you ever need to talk, I'm there, alright? You know where I live." I said with a small laugh.

He gave a chuckle as he rubbed his neck. "Yeah, sure. Thanks." He held a small smile before looking at me. "Though, I have to warn you. I don't know how much Twilight has changed, but she's a loose cannon, weakly hoisted up by Aunty."

"I see, I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. I don't want you to get hurt."

"Pray tell! We posses a nephew?!" Luna was ecstatic to find that out.

"Yes, despite that title, he's more of a son to me. I don't think I had the chance to tell you, but he's been with me for exactly twenty three years and two months."

"Wow. I was unaware that we had other kin still among the living."

"Well, Blueblood is technically adopted. I first met him during that year's Gala." I chuckled a bit when I remembered that day. "He had sneaked into the castle because he saw the food preparations coming to the castle. A dusty boy that crawled in through the vents and infiltrated the kitchen without an escape plan. Of course, I caught him in the act. So, I took him under my wing, and before I knew it, we were already seen as family to the public. I wasn't exactly opposed to the idea." I calmly explained with a smile.

"That is a most intriguing tale. I must make it a point to acquaint myself with him!" Luna yelled excitedly before her expression turned to questioning. "Hold on a moment. Did thou say he had snuck in?"

"Yeah, through the vents. Can you believe it? He had to scale the wall around the castle, go past the guards through the garden, and the finally break through the vent that led outside."

"Hmm." Luna had a thoughtful expression. "It appears that the guards are neglecting their duties."

"Wait, Lulu. Don't-"

"But first! I must make the acquaintance of my nephew!" She exclaimed and teleported away.

I stared at the smoke coming off of my carpet for a few seconds.

"Oh, feathers. I guess the guards will finally have to step up their training."

Maybe this is for the better.

Though, they will probably suffer a lot from now on.

Should I send more? Or is too much? Maybe I shouldn't have mailed them. What if he gets offended that I didn't send my gifts personally? What if he doesn't like the chocolate? Or the pastries? What if he's the type to hate sweet things?

What if the gifts are too poor of quality?! Knowing Ancestor Bright, that dang chess board might not be good enough! Maybe he likes jewelry! Maybe some kind of old treasure?! But maybe he already has enough of that lying around! He probably didn't sit around during a thousand years!

"Argh! I should've thought about it more!" I finally broke and yelled.

"Dear! What is it? You've been pacing around all night." Fleur asked from the couch.

"Fleur! When did you come back?"

"About a full hour? You seemed distracted with something important."

"Oh, uh. I apologize dear, I ran into quite the problem during your trip to Prance." I said and sat down next to her.

"That's alright. I'm more interested in what's troubling you." She said before giving me a kiss and laying down on my lap. "You haven't been this nervous since your last trip into the tomb."

"Oh, that. It's quite an issue, alright. I just found out that I have family alive."

"Oh! I thought your father was the last one."

"That's what I thought too."

"That's amazing then, isn't it? You should go meet them."

"Well, there's still a problem."

"Come on, they can't be that bad can they?"

"It's not that. He's from a thousand years ago."

"Well that's not that-" She stopped talking as she visibly froze.

"Dear?" I asked.

"He's how old?"

"A millennia. He's the brother of my ancestor from a thousand years ago." I'm pretty sure that was the best way to say it.

Silence passed for a few seconds as she stared at me with a blank gaze.

"Yeah, I was pretty shocked to find that out too."

"Just shocked?! I'm flabbergasted! Is he an alicorn or something?"

"I do not know. As far as I know, not a single pony from my family have ever heard of him. Only a few hints of his existence from Ancestor Bright."

"Quite the mystery pony huh?" Fleur mumbled before looking me straight in the eye. "I just realized, we can finally get an official blessing." She said as a smile slowly took over her face.

"Oh my Celestia, you're right." I muttered back to her.

"Oh my gosh! I have to prepare gifts! I need to make a good first impression!" She practically jumped up. "What did you give him?! I need to make sure I don't send the same gifts! SILVER TRAY!"

"Wait, honey." I tried to stop her.

"Yes ma'am?" Silver practically came into existence right next to her.

"Prepare a carriage and a thousand, no, two thousand bits! And a box of Da Hong Pao!" She shouted the command and ran out the room.

"Fleur! Wait!" I called after her.

All I got as a reply was her shouting to make an appointment with a tailor.

"But it's midnight." I muttered the sentence as I was left alone in the room.

"Hey, Derpy!" One very jumpy pony greeted the local deliverymare of Ponyville.

"Hello, Pinkie." Derpy greeted back, and almost fell to on her side as she was dragged down before standing upright.

"What'cha got there? It seems pretty heavy." Pinkie asked.

"Oh, this. It's a package all the way from Canterlot. There's a lot more in the post office, but I can't carry them all."

"Oooh, from Canterlot? That probably means it's pretty fancy, but I wonder who would be getting it though?" She said as she rubber her chin whilst combing through the file cabinet in her mind.

"It's for somepony named 'Floral Green', do you know them?"

"Hmm, nope! It's somepony outside of town, otherwise I would've known about them." She said as she jumped from excitement of meeting a new friend.

"Oh, well. I need to get these to the Everfree forest. Nice running into you." Derpy said happily and started to walk away.

"Waaaaaaiiit!" Pinkie bounced to the air in shock. "The Everfree forest!?"

"Yes? I even got a map to follow. It's weird though, the map points to the opposite direction of the Everfree." She said and brought out a map.

Taking a look at it, Pinkie Pie let out a thoughtful sound. "I think it's upside down."

"Oh! I was wondering why I needed to go to Ghastly Gorge first."

They shared a giggle before Derpy spoke up. "Welp, those packages aren't gonna deliver themselves." She said as she prepared to move.

"You're a brave pony, Derpy Hooves." Pinkie complimented her.

"Thank you."

"But I can't let you go alone!" She said and easily took Derpy off the ground and sprinted through Ponyville.

Before Derpy could even react, Pinkie calmly opened the door of the post office and came out with a stack of boxes placed on the very tip of her mane.

"Come on! I know exactly where this map is telling us to go!" She said bravely before skipping away.

"Okay!" Derpy cheerfully replied before walking behind her.

"Maybe we should've brought more help." Pinkie muttered as she saw rows upon rows of teeth inside a single mouth staring right back at her.

"Oh no, what do we do?" Derpy asked as she hugged Pinkie, who had also hugged her back.

Just as they were thinking of a plan, something fell down from the sky. Landing with a bang, a single swing was made. Blood splattered to the sky, horrifying the two mares.

Looking at the one who swung the blade, the two mares were left terrified as the giant beast fell to the ground.

Their teal blue eyes seemed to pierce directly through their souls. A pitch black body that seemed to drown every single bit of light.

"Oh, Moonshine!" Pinkie suddenly lost all sense of fear.

"What the fuck?" Moon cussed as she jumped down from the beast as her body slowly turned to normal.

"N-nightmare Moon." Derpy fearfully uttered before passing out.

"Hey, Moony! Sorry I couldn't throw you a party, Twilight didn't allow me to. So, here's an apology gift." Pinkie spoke up and brought out a cake the size of Moon from off screen.

"What in the?" Moon's mind crashed. "I, uh, thanks, I guess?" She seemed unsure. "Um, anyways, you're probably here to see Remedy. This way." She said and put her knife in her mouth.

Pinkie casually picked up Derpy and threw her upwards as Derpy somehow landed perfectly on her stack of boxes. With a skip in her steps, she followed Moon. The cake floated a breath's width as the shadow it cast carried it behind them.

"Hey! Remedy! You alive!" Moon yelled as soon as she reached the camp.

The reply came soon in the form of a loud bang as a dust cloud rose. As the wind cleared it up, Remedy stood tall over a bird about five times bigger than him. An axe was stuck into the bird's neck as Remedy took a breath before slamming down with both hooves, successfully decapitating the bird. He picked up the axe before swinging down. Swinging a few more times, he broke through bones and vines before finally reaching the heart. Throwing the axe away, he reached inside and pulled the heart away as vines tried to jump at him. Though, they all died down as the heart was disconnected.

Remedy let out a tired breath as he tossed the heart away.

"Remedy!" Moon yelled at him.

"Yeah?!" He yelled back.

"You got guests!" She said and placed the cake and knife down before collapsing near the campfire.

Remedy stared at Pinkie, who was struggling not to puke on the spot.

"Good afternoon, Pinkie Pie. Sorry for the mess, the last few weeks have been a mess." He spoke and walked over.

"I-It's fine. I don't think it looks that bad." She said and swallowed down so she didn't puke.

"Well, did you come for any specific reasons?" He asked as he blatantly ignored the stack of boxes on her head.

He had long decided to just ignore any and all abnormalities with the mare.

"Oh, right, it's for these packages." She said happily as her mane on its own and placed the stack on the ground.

Remedy stretched out a hoof and caught Derpy.

"Derpy said she wanted to deliver all those boxes."

"I see. Thanks for bringing these then." Remedy said with a smile as he grabbed the top box.

Looking at the address, he confirmed it was for him. Biting softly, he tore the top part open. The box had a chest inside with a fancy writing on it. He simply opened it and brought out a single bit from the small mound.

"A chest of bits?" Remedy questioned.

Pinkie examined closer as she took a sniff.

"It's chocolate!" She had a twinkle in her eyes and a big grin.

"Really?" He said and threw it in his mouth. "Mhmm, good chocolate." He commented and grabbed a hooffull. "Here, it'll help with the sickness."

Pinkie took a deep breath of shock and happiness. "Really!?"

"Sure. Just take it as payment for the delivery." He said in a joking tone.

"Thanks!" She said and ate them all in a single bite. "Mmmm, so good~" She practically melted from the taste.

"Remedy! Toss me one!" Moon called out as she laid still.

He grabbed another one threw it to her. Landing perfectly in her mouth, she chewed for a bit with a pleased expression.

"Thanks!" She yelled and took a big stretch before closing her eyes.

"Well, would you like some tea then?" Remedy asked Pinkie.

"Sure!"

"Alright. Moon, get a fire started."

"Yeah, sure."

"And I wanted to throw a 'Welcome to Ponyvile' party but Twilight said it was too dangerous. I still tried to do it, but nopony wanted to show up since it was still in the Everfree. Then I wanted to find another way to make you happy, but it didn't happen and that made me really sad. Then I tried to-"

"Holy shit! Can you please let me sleep?" Moon shouted at Pinkie, who had rambled on for about five minutes.

In that timespan, I learnt about every single one of her hobbies, what her job is, where she grew up on, how she got her cutiemark, what she did on her last birthday and finally, pretty much everything there is to know about her pet Gummy.

Suffice to say, she's a very excitable pony.

"Sorry, Moony, I'm just so excited to see you guys again."

"Whatever, just keep it down. I'm too tired from whatever bullshit this forest throws at us." She complained before lying back down.

"Woah, somepony's in a bad mood." Pinkie jokingly whispered to me.

I simply gave few chuckles as I took a sip of tea.

"Remember to never go too far, Pinkie. No matter what you do, what you've done before that has helped before. There'll always be ponies who prefer other ways, and forcing your own to others, even in good will could result in disastrous outcomes." I gave a suggestion as she looked on, with a surprisingly large focus.

She nodded sagely. "Yes, I understand."

"Good." I said. "Though, you don't need to be worried about Moon. She's just tired after fighting those birds." I said with a chuckle.

"Okay! I brought cake by the way. I wanted to apologize for not being able to throw a party, but then Twilight told me I couldn't make a 'Sorry for not being able to welcome you' party."

"You should listen to her, as far as intelligence goes, I can tell she's quite knowledgeable."

"Yeah! She's super smart! Kinda like you, but it feels different."

"Thanks for the compliment, and the difference is quite simple. She's incredibly smart, but she's still too young. She'll grow, and learn lessons you can't be taught in a classroom. When that happens, you should follow and grow too. As long as you don't forget your roots, you can live a good life."

She kept nodding as she held a notepad. "Thanks, I'll keep those in mind."

"I'm glad I could be of help." I said and looked to the sky. "It's starting to get a bit late, you should head home and remember to take your friend with you."

"Alright! Goodbye!" She said and hopped to the air before taking off, without ever touching the ground.

Her gray furred friend quickly followed behind her, tied to the pink mare's tail.

"Chess is one of those games where it's easy to learn, but hard to master." I explained calmly as I picked up a piece. "This, is the pawn. It has only three types of moves. It can move one square directly forward, it can move two squares directly forward on its first move, and it can capture one square diagonally forward. It's the weakest piece, yet it can also be the strongest piece as it can be upgraded to any other piece except the Princess when it reaches the last tile on your opponent's side."

"So, I need to kill them all as fast as possible?" Moon asked as she examined the other ones.

"Not exactly. In chess, there's nothing that you actually need to do except capture the Princess."

"So, kill everything else and game is over?"

"No. It does have this one interesting rule. If you manage to capture the pawns, the earth ponies, the pegasi, the unicorns and the Prince, the game becomes a draw. Apparently, it's the Princess becoming angered and finally stepping in because all her soldiers died."

"Wait, who the fuck is the Prince?"

"Basically a fictional character. It's supposed to be the guy who first made chess."

"Seriously? This sounds pretty annoying to play."

"It can be, but what else are you going to do in this forest?"

"Hmm, true." She said and picked up the pegasus. "So what's this one do?"

Author's Note

Heya guys!

Sorry if the part with Blueblood seemed a bit weird. I'm pretty sure I was in a meeting with death when it happened. Seriously, this summer break was absolute hell for me. :ajsleepy:

August is almost over, and I'll soon be out of time to really get into writing. So, I'll apologize in advance when school comes back. And based off of the college experience from everyone I asked, it doesn't seem like I'll even be able to sleep for a bit. :applecry:

Verily, I thank thee for bestowing thy time to hearken unto a tale from this humble minstrel. :heart:

Another Visitor

"Oh, Heart's Warming is coming up." I commented as I read the date on one of the parcels.

Time sure flies fast when you're stuck in a forest.

"What's that again?" Moon asked as finally got up to open the packages.

"Heart's Warming. You never celebrated it before?"

"Uhhh, oh, right. The winter thing with the gift exchanged right?"

"Well, yeah but, it's a lot more than that. I thought you'd be more familiar since, you know. I guessed you probably spent a lot of time with Luna." Not a question I should've needed to ask.

"I, guess? I don't know, I didn't really understand it back then. Besides, I only learned about it when Celestia gave Luna a scarf."

Well. Shit.

Now I can't tell if they were actually friends or not.

"Eh, doesn't matter. I don't really care about it anyway." Moon said and picked up a box from the pile of packages.

"You should. Hearth's Warming is one of those rare events where you can show how much you care about somepony."

"It's that important?"

"One of the more important ones. At least, that's what I was told when I was a kid."

"I, hmm. Alright, I'll keep it in mind." She said with a thoughtful expression before shaking the thought away. "Who the fuck is Fancy Pants?" She asked as she read one of the parcels.

"No clue, though they're probably a noble." I answered and opened the one I was holding.

"What kind of status did you have to get these kinds of packages?" She asked and held up a glass box.

A diamond bigger than my head was nestled nicely on a red pillow.

"I was a farmer." I just answered and took a closer look.

"Authentic Blue Diamond excavated in the soils of the dragon lands. Checked and verified by 'Glamorous Gems'. I don't know who this 'Fancy Pants' guys is, but at least he knows where his gems should come from." Moon said after reading a tag.

"Are gems from the dragon lands good?" I curiously asked and went on to open another one.

"Well, yeah. It's kind of a gamble compared to Equestria, but if a pure lump of carbon manages to be buried deep under one of the volcanoes, with the heat from the lava, a pretty damn rare diamond can come out."

"Huh. How much are these worth then?"

"Well, I don't know how much these are worth now. But Luna did get this exact diamond before, just a lot smaller. About the size of a hoof. I'm pretty sure that one went for over two million bits."

"Two million? For a lump of coal?" I was honestly a bit shocked.

"Don't look at me. Ponies are the ones who found it valuable in the first place. The most expensive things for Nocturnals were crops, since we needed to light to grow them."

"Alright. Then how about this?" I asked and held up a ring.

"Dude, I'm not a noble of Equestria. I really couldn't tell you." She said with a shrug and took it in her hooves.

"Hmm, well. I don't really have a use for these, so you can take them if you like." I said and went for another one.

"Eh, it won't look good. The gold doesn't match my fur." She said and grabbed another box. "Hey, Remedy, I just realized. These things are addressed for 'Floral Green'. How'd they know your past name, in fact, when did you change your name?"

"I never legally changed it. You'd have a better chance finding a six leaf clover than a legal document about me. That's why I was surprised when Celestia first found my file." I proceeded to open the next one. "Me and my brother both changed our names at some point, though I did it a lot earlier than him, I think."

Actually, exactly when did I change my name again?

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah? I didn't tell you?" I brought out a blue box and opened it. "Cold sweets?"

Eh, it's been at least thirty years. It's not like I can remember every single detail.

"No, or I was pretty tired then." She said and ignored the others. "So, is he as ridiculous as you?"

"Not in the sense you're suggesting, no." I thought about Bright. "He's a, uh, an extremely egoist pony. Bright Idea was an inventor, though not of weapons, all of his creations were pretty damn good. At least, I remember him asking me to help him make a structure to hold a copper pole in place."

"So he's arrogant?"

"Yeah, that's the word."

"So, why did he want you to build that?"

"I don't remember his exact words, but it was something about lots of power. According to him, lightning could be harnessed and used as energy. Though, I have no clue how that ended up." I shrugged and opened the last one. "We did end up in the hospital a bunch of times because of his experiments though."

"Damn, so you hate him or like him?"

I was about to answer, then I actually remembered the times I spent with him. I remember us fighting over a fucking rock before. Honestly, as ridiculous as it sounds, that rock was mine, for sure. I definitely found it first.

"Eh." I gave a nonchalant shrug. "We were brothers, what can I do about it?"

"Hmm. Sounds right, I guess." She took the answer. "Hey, what do you want me to call you anyway? Remedy or Floral?"

"Depends, what's your real name?"

"Oh, that's easy. It's 'Puer Umbrae Laito Nocturn'." She said.

I had a blank face as I stared.

"What? I was literally the child of a god, adopted, sure, but still. Oh! And I was Nightingale Chorus for a bit before I got adopted. It's why Luna still calls me 'Night', even though I told her not to." She said that last part with an annoyed expression.

Well, then this issue might be a lot bigger than I though. If Luna knows about her past, and still calls her 'Night', then she's basically worsening her relationship with Moon every time she calls her.

"Well, you can call me whatever you want." I spoke up.

"Alright, then I'll call you Floral, 'cause nopony else calls you that." She said with a proud expression.

"Although not one of worst reasons I've heard somepony call another a name, it's still on the boring side." I said with a chuckle.

"Oh, fuck off." She replied with a chuckle as she reached into the blue box. "So, what the hell is this thing?"

"Don't know. It's cold, but not frozen, why don't you give it a try?"

"Yeah sure."

That was the day I realized Moon really, really likes sugar. Which prompted me to hide away the box of chocolates by carving a tree inside out as she devoured all thirty six of the cold treats inside the blue box.

I'm sure she'll learn her lesson after the crash.

At least she made quite a bit of progress on the treehouse before collapsing from fatigue.

"That's why you can't go into the Everfree, even of it's just because of your friends and school ended early." Derpy talked in a tone not a lot of ponies knew she could.

"Got it, mom." Dinky Hooves, who had not, to the relief of her mother, inherited the misaligned eyes.

"Good, now mommy's gotta go do her job, alright? Have a good day at school!" She said with a smile before flying away, accidentally hitting a street light on the way.

Dinky flinched slightly as she worriedly watched her mother fly away, looking for a few extra seconds just in case she got hurt. Though, it didn't last much longer as the bell rang and Dinky ran into school building.

Now, despite having just heard an incredibly disturbing news from her mother, Dinky was very smart, and also very much a child. Since she was never going to go into the Everfree forest anyway, she decided it was not her problem.

What she didn't think of was, that another had just happened to listen in on their conversation.

"Silver, did you hear what that mare said?" A very pink filly with a tiara asked her friend.

"Of course I did, but that can't be true right?" A grey filly with glasses asked back.

"No way, Nightmare Moon can't be back. Twilight and her goons destroyed Nightmare Moon back then. She's gotta by lying."

"How would we know for sure though?"

"Isn't it simple? We just go into the Everfree to look."

"Go into, the Everfree? Are you sure, Diamond Tiara? That seems like a bad idea."

"Come on, that Postmare said it's not even that long in. Just a quick ten minute walk in and we're done." Diamond encouraged her friend as a few plans went through her head.

Mainly on how she can cause the biggest mess that would gather the most attention.

"Diamond Tiara! Silver Spoon! Just what are you still doing outside?! And why are you two in that bush?" The teacher yelled out at the students.

"Oh crud." They said in unison before sprinting to the schoolhouse.

No matter how much power they have, in this little town, the teacher held a much more powerful position than you would assume. Especially over kids.

"Who?" Floral said in an absolutely flabbergasted tone.

I stifled my laughter as I stared at his fully shocked face.

I just took a sip of my mixture of whiskey and tea, mostly whiskey, as I stared at their conversation. Oh and I'm currently hanging from the bottom of treehouse. I don't entirely understand how this is working, but I'm basically making my hooves stick by using a bit of Nocturnal magic.

"I am Fancy Pants. I'm the current patriarch of the family your brother, Bright Idea has started, sir." That white dude with the tuxedo repeated himself.

Don't know why he's so damn terrified though. His face is basically begging Floral to not go ape shit.

"And I'm the matriarch, Fleur De Lis." The white mare with a nervous expression said. "Sir!" She quickly added on.

"I, how?" Floral was absolutely losing it.

About a full minute went on with just Floral sitting with the most confused face I've ever seen on him.

"So, you're telling me. That, Bright Idea, the same asshole who told a mare that she was too dumb to be his marefriend, actually got married and managed to have kids? The same guy whose ego was big enough for him to say 'Gods may be stronger, but I will always be the most intelligent'. That guy?"

Is that what he's confused about? Holy shit, I'm actually struggling to hold my laughter in. This shit is one of the most entertaining things I've seen in my time here.

"Um, according to family tree, Patriarch Bright conceived four kids in total." The male one said.

"I, alright. That sounds unbelievable, but since you somehow know about my name, I'll, accept it, somehow." Damn, he's really struggling to accept it.

Hmm, I'm starting to get a headache. I should probably stop hanging upside down.

"Why don't you just admit you're jealous, Floral?" I finally spoke up and landed on the ground.

Feeling a bit heated from the whiskey, I made my way over to Floral. Though I was rudely interrupted by some moron in a guard costume, pointing a sword at me.

Oh wait, that's an actual guard. The fuck is up with that stance?

"HALT!" He yelled in my face.

Seriously?

"Is the guard training that bad nowadays? You really think your neck and jaw muscles are stronger than your hooves?" I asked as I examined the guard.

There's barely even a hint of an actual battle stance. He doesn't even have the basics down. He can basically be pushed down, and why is he standing as high as possible? His neck is left completely unprotected.

Before I could actually make an action, I froze for a slight bit as I felt that familiar bloodlust.

"Hey. Be careful where you point that thing. You should know when somepony is an enemy or not." Floral sternly said with a blank face and sharp glare.

The guard was basically in shambles from the pressure.

"Yo, you should probably stop that before these guys faint." I managed to say in a joking tone as I went ahead and laid down behind him.

He let out an annoyed breath as I felt the bloodlust crawl back in.

"If this is the best guards you have, I suggest hiring some better company. And I assume it's your best, this is the Everfree after all." He said in a cold voice that sent a bit of shivers.

"Y-yes, sir. I'll make sure to check the skills next time." The fancy guy replied in a shaking tone.

Props to him for still maintaining his smile.

The mare was trying to secretly shove the guard back behind her.

Huh. She's standing pretty strong right now. That composure too, she might actually be a fighter.

"Anyways." I spoke up to break the ice. "You guys got anything else to say?"

"Oh, yes, actually. Since I have never managed to meet Fancy's family, I thought to at least introduce myself to you." Thankfully, the mare noticed my attempt and directed the attention somewhere else.

"You two are married, yes?" Floral asked with a much calmer tone.

"Um, yes. We've been engaged for fourteen years by now." The stallion spoke out.

Sensing that I don't really have much of an interest in their discussion, I took a small stretch and looked around the camp.

A whole squadron of guards, a carriage and a wagon. Wait, if there's a while squad, why'd only one guard move? Is he actually a rookie?

Looking at that wagon, I can see it's full of all kinds of random stuff. Gems, gold, boxes of stuff. Are those clothes and shit? There's a bunch of hats and, some round thing with three needles moving around in a circle. It's a clock? Why's it so tiny?

Looking at those items, I couldn't help but feel like I should be thinking about something.

OH SHIT!

Taking a glance at Floral and seeing him be distracted with some serious talk, I took the chance and stood up.

"Hey, you, the mare." I called her and went over to her.

"Moon?" Floral asked.

"Shut up, Floral. Mare talk." I quickly made an excuse and went over to her.

The guards were a bit too damn cowardly to actually stop me.

"Uh, yes ma'am?" The mare was terrified.

"Girl, drop that shit. I need you to find something for me." I quickly asked and looked back at Floral to make sure he was out of earshot.

"Y-yeah, sure. Whatever you need." She said in a shaking tone.

"Perfect." I whispered and grew a smile.

I got the perfect idea.

"I need you to find me a cloud walking spell."

"What?" She was a bit confused.

"Come on, don't make me repeat myself, you're too young to be going deaf. I need you to find me a spell that lets me walk on clouds." I said and wrapped a hoof over her shoulders. "Don't scream or anything, I need to make sure you do this in secret."

"I, um, may I ask why?"

"The fuck you mean why? Isn't it obvious?"

"No? Not really."

"Look, it doesn't matter, I just need you to do me this favor and find me that spell."

"I, uh, can, teach you the spell right now."

"Even better!" I accidentally shouted and shut my mouth.

Taking a peek over my shoulder at the two stallions talking seriously, I sighed in relief and turned to the mare.

"Alright, teach me that spell right now."

"So, you want my blessing?"

"Well, yes. Although I keep calling you the brother of Bright, you're still my ancestor." Fancy Pants said in a slightly nervous tone.

"Okay, first of all. Calm down, you're not talking to Celestia or something." I said and grabbed a nearby cup. "And I'm not exactly your ancestor since I was adopted into that family." I continued and poured in some tea for him.

"I, see, but it shouldn't matter if you're adopted. I just wanted to make it official, I suppose." He said, still a bit nervous as he accepted the tea.

"Oh don't worry, I've never let that bother me." I reassured him. "And for the blessing, I guess I could try." I said and thought of the words.

What do you usually say for a blessing.

"May the light of the sun keep thine marriage divine, and Harmony bless thine future. Does something like that work?"

"Y-yes! That works just fine. Thank you."

"It's fine, sorry I'm not good with these things."

"It's good, it's perfect. Don't worry about it." He said in quick succession. "Since I'm introducing myself, I'll leave the wagon with you. I hope you found my gifts to be good, and the ones my wife have brought."

"Speaking of gifts." I muttered as I thought of a problem. "Could you get me some silver chains. Preferably, ones that won't break or rust easily?"

"Yes, absolutely. I can do that for you." He said and took a sip.

Looking at his pleased expression, I glanced at my pot of tea. I wonder if I could make it better?

"Good, I need you to get them to me in the next week. As early as possible." I knew I was being a bit demanding, but those chains are more important right now.

Moon liked the ring, but she said she didn't like the color. And getting her a ring might feel a bit weird.

"I can get them to you on the day after tomorrow."

"Perfect, I'll thank you in advance." I said and gave a nod.

"No problem, sir." He gave a small bow.

"You don't need to do that, and just calling me Re-actually. Where did you get my real name?" I almost forgot to ask about that.

"That, I found about you a bit from your brother's recordings, and the rest from Princess Celestia."

"Celestia huh? She should really warn me about stuff like this." I mumbled that to myself. "Wait, recordings?"

"Yes? I was under the impression you knew, since he seemed to be connected to you by the time he first made it."

Oh, right. He did mention something about that in a letter.

So the asshole actually managed it. Getting big from his inventions. I chuckled once as I grew a proud smile. The idiot actually achieved his dreams, and got over all the struggles.

Why do I feel like something went wrong though?

"Well, I advise you to leave as early as possible. Monsters tend to attack this camp." I gave the suggestion.

"Excuse me, monsters? Right, I can make it so that guards are regularly stationed here." He said in an encouraged tone.

Taking a glance at the squadron of guards standing at the wagon, I almost let out a worried sigh. They'd been standing for about thirty minutes at best, and they all look like they're about to fall down. Speaking from experience, they should be able to stand in those armors under the blazing heat for at least eight hours. A bit of bloodlust shouldn't even faze the guards of nobles and royalty.

"I advise against that. If those guards really are your bests, they won't even survive a minute in a fight to the death." Rather harsh words, but I won't let others die because of negligence.

"I, see." Fancy replied in a discouraged tone.

"Don't worry, Luna said that she'll take over the guard training from now on. Those guards should start being able to fight soon enough." I tried to relieve him of his worries slightly with those words.

Not sure of they worked though.

"Well!" I said in chipper tone. "You should head out now. You don't wanna know what it's like to stare into Timberwolf's maw."

"Yes, I understand. I'll visit again, si-Floral." He caught himself.

I grew a calm smile and gave a nod.

"Oh, and, if you see monster walking into the barrier. Don't attack, you'll die." I gave that warning.

He gulped once before nodding and calling his crew.

Moon seemed to be done with her 'Mare talk' with Fleur De Lis.

Watching them slowly leave, I made sure they went out of sight before addressing Moon.

"So, what did you two talk about?" She asked first.

"Depends, what did you two talk about?"

"Forget it, it's mare talk. You don't need to know." She said rather quickly.

Thank Ce-

Who do I thank again?

Anyways, it's a good thing she didn't pursue the matter. It should stay a surprise after all.

Finally letting out a breath, I breathed heavily as I gave a few relieved chuckles.

Fleur seemed to share the same views.

"Dear Celestia, that was much more intense that I thought it would be!" I let out and got on the carriage.

"You're telling me. Your ancestor is a really scary guy huh?" She asked back with a nervous laughter.

"Absolutely, and the way he addressed the princesses. It seems like he's just decided to live a quite life, since he just calls the princesses by name."

"Yeah, no kidding." She said and let out a relieved breath before collapsing onto the seat and leaning on me.

I wasn't much better as I laid back fully onto the seat, forgetting all about etiquette.

"What the!" Hearing one of the guards, best of the best in Canterlot by the way, I quickly rose up and looked at where they had their weapons pointed at.

Witnessing a gigantic Timberwolf casually strolling into the barrier, along with a child that seemed to have a skip in their step, I sweated slightly, wondering what I should do. Though, remembering Ancestor Floral's words, I let out a deep sigh and sat back in my seat.

"Forget the wolves and move back to Canterlot!" I gave the command.

Author's Note

Alright guys, one more to the chapter pool! :yay:

Not much to say on this one, regretfully.

So, as always, thanks for reading! :heart:

Caring

"Good evening, your highness!"

"Your highness! Good evening!"

"Aye, aye, 'tis a fine evening. Pray, canst thou tell me where my father might be?" I was already annoyed with the constant greetings from every last creature I encountered.

Despite having gone through this sing and dance about a hundredth time this night, I still couldn't find father.

"Apologies, Young Lady. I have not had the chance to see the Lord." I sighed wearily as I heard the butler speak.

Just where is he?

He promised to have tea with me today, and he never broke one before.

Ugh. This is stupid. I get him being busy, but he should still be busy with work.

Deciding to look into his office one more time, I hastily made my way there.

Hmm.

Knowledge is knowing that he most likely wouldn't be there. Wisdom is thinking that it's probably worth a try.

And intuition is realizing that something went wrong.

Increasing my pace a bit, I quickly made my way to dad's office and opened his door. I sighed in relief as dad was still busy writing over some documents.

"Dad! Where were you? I've been looking all over the castle for you." I complained and walked over to him. "Uh, dad?"

He wasn't really moving. Just kinda, twitching a bit as writing magically appeared on the papers.

"Dad?" I nervously asked and took a step back as something started to feel wrong.

Not knowing what felt so wrong, I was getting confused and worried. Stuff started to feel out of place.

There was a small pang of pain in my chest, then it grew. Steadily climbing higher and higher, it quickly turned to searing pain. Like I was being blasted with fire as I felt every cell in my body slowly start to burn.

Then I felt it. My body, it was different.

I hadn't realized it, but I was a shadow. A deep shade that could be deadly to the touch. That's what I am, was.

That thought came true as I looked around. Woods, and more woods. My body felt, physical. I was a pony again.

Again?

Looking at dad, he was still writing something on those papers. He lifted one up, and his face couldn't be seen.

"Dad?" I asked one more time and walked over to him.

It was, weird. I couldn't see his face no matter where I stood.

"Why do the tips of your mane look green?"

Just as I asked that question, I felt a presence and quickly turned to them.

"Night?"

Then I woke up.

With my breathing a bit heavier than usual, I allowed myself to lie there and calm down a bit.

"Fuck." I cussed and started to rise.

I can't believe I had a nightmare after all this time.

With a slightly groggy mind, I went ahead and drank some water from the barrel. There was an annoying pain in my head.

"I shouldn't have drank so much." I mindlessly mumbled to myself.

Was that Luna at the end? The fuck was she doing in my dream? She should know it was me, even if she just came because I had a nightmare.

Feeling happy as my thirst was gone, I took a bite of the cake that, uh, the something Pie mare brought. I think it was something like, Punch Pie? Powerfu-no that doesn't sound right at all.

Letting out a few yawns in the process, I stumbled back to my blanket.

We should really ask for mattresses or something.

Taking a glance at Floral, I chuckled as I stared at the rigid way he slept. Fully straight and a completely blank expression on his face.

Even if a meteor crashed on him or the sneakiest bastard alive were to try and kill him, I'm pretty sure he'd have a plan of action laid out the moment he feels it.

After having that bit of fun for myself, I laid back down and draped my blanket over myself.

Shutting my eyes lightly, I slowly calmed down breathing as thoughts slowly disappeared from my mind.

In silent serenity, I slowly went to calm sleep.

.
.
.

Yeah, that's bullshit.

I'm tired as fuck, but I can't go back to sleep.

I took another glance at Floral. Dude seemed so peaceful sleeping like that. He probably is to be honest.

I looked away and stared upwards.

I would say the stars were shining, but the damn trees were blocking the view. The camp was pretty dark, but the shadows didn't feel as comfortable as it should.

I sighed in slight frustration and annoyance.

I took another glance at Floral. He wouldn't mind right? I mean, we've done it before.

"Agh, screw it." I said to nopony in particular and got up.

Dragging my blanket over to Floral, I laid down and used his as my pillow.

He's so soft, yet so firm.

This is nice.

"And now I don't know what to do." Luna said with a freaked out expression.

"Well, you should give her some time." I calmly told her. "You two should have plenty of that."

"I, guess you are right." She accepted, barely. "But what if that never happens? What if she ends up hating me for the rest of time?"

Well, I guess she can drop the royal talk when she's emotional.

"Maybe, but you have to realize that it's her decision. The only thing you can do until she forgives you, is try."

She seemed unsure, but in the end, she regretfully accepted it.

Seeing her tone, I could only give a sigh.

"Look, Luna. I don't know what happened between you two, and as insensitive as it may sound. None of it is my business. This is a personal issue that only involves you two, but I can only say this. If you truly believe you are in the fault, you should keep trying to apologize. If you do it right, time will eventually heal that wound." I calmly explained as a cup of tea manifested into my hooves.

I took a small sip as I looked around. We were in the calm night sky without ends. A gentle breeze sung in my ears. The stars were shining softly, painting a canvas for my eyes.

I let out a satisfied breath at the tea. It was such a gentle taste that left a good feeling behind. I wondered slightly if I could ever brew something as good as this.

"I see." Luna finally spoke after minutes of silence. "I, beg thy pardon for presenting thee with such an unbecoming visage." She said, regaining most of her usual vigor.

"It's fine. I agreed to help you with your problems after all." I spoke softly. "Why don't you try drinking a cup of tea? It can be quite relaxing and help you think things through."

She nodded with confidence as her face took on a look of pondering.

I grew a smile at the display. It matters what she had done in the past, but it matters more what she's doing to amend those mistakes.

"Well, I suppose you should be doing your job by now?" I suggested.

"Verily, my duties are not yet fulfilled, for they endure as long as the night doth linger!" She yelled with renewed vigor and walked through a door that appeared out of thin air.

Though she quickly came back in throught the same door. "My thanks for thy wisdom, it doth aid me greatly."

I gave a single nod and went away, along with the magic door.

"Well, I should be waking up shortly by now." I mumbled to myself as I slowly felt it.

Like my body had been numb this entire time, as it slowly wakes up and gains strength.

Waking up sharply, I almost reacted with a backflip to move, but stopped a moment before as I actually observed what was hugging me.

It was Moon. She had clung herself entirely to me with all four legs.

A few thoughts and decisions went through my mind, but eventually I gave a defeated sigh.

"I guess this is acceptable." I commented.

Well, I should at least get some work done.

I started to focus. Concentrating inside as I slowly started to feel the magic inside. Going deeper into a state of meditation, I finally saw it.

The multicolored sphere, separated perfectly at the middle. I commanded the multicolored magic to come, and gave a light tug at the Nocturnal magic. Both slowly started to spread around my body as I started to feel a bit of heat.

Too much.

Letting both of them go back a bit, I eventually settled on an amount I felt comfortable with.

Then I was quickly shaken away from my concentration.

Opening my eyes lightly, I looked at Moon, who was shivering ever so slightly. Winter is coming soon enough.

Controlling the Nocturnal magic carefully, I gently pulled away my blanket without waking her up.

I guess the magic she used to hold the cake is a lot more simpler than I thought.

I draped my blanket over Moon gently.

Her face turned pleased as she hugged tighter. I gave a soft sigh and pulled her in.

With her soft snores filling the area, I closed my eyes and. My hoof carefully caressed her back as I slowly went back to sleep.

Author's Note

Hey guys. I know this chapter is short compared to the others, but right now I'm on the road. :coolphoto:

Yeah, my family just randomly decided to visit my Aunt, who's loving like halfway across the country. And even though I apparently have the status and responsibilities of one of the big boys, I don't have the authority to refuse. :applejackconfused:

It's still just polite to visit my aunt though. :heart:

Anyways, I decided to at least treat you guys to this short, but hopefully, comfortable chapter. :eeyup:

And as always, thanks for reading! :heart:

Daily Chores

Moon let out a large yawn as she took her mandatory morning stretch. Only being satisfied after hearing several different pops and cracks, she lay in content as she decided to just stay there for a bit longer.

Five more minutes couldn't hurt after all.

Then she was confused as her hooves fell back on something soft. Something, moving.

Panic quickly taking over her mind, her thought process accelerated to ridiculous speeds before she could even open her eyes. Tens, maybe even hundreds of plans quickly ran through her.

Then she almost punched herself after opening her eyes.

There she was, clinging to Floral like a filly to their father. Much to her relief, Floral wasn't awake to see this yet.

As far as she knows, at least.

As much as she wanted to go back to sleep, she couldn't imagine the explanation she would have to give if Floral found out she snuck into his bed at night.

"Ugh, sounds way too scandalous when I say it like that." She mumbled to herself as a small frown took over.

Against her desire to sleep, she slowly started to move. Carefully as to not wake him up, she was making fast progress.

Until she came to a halt.

Her right front and back legs were both under him. Realizing this problem, Moon started to think of ways to take her legs out.

"I could just lift Floral with my magic, but that's risky since he could easily wake up. Maybe I could enter a shadow and leave." She mumbled to herself.

Though, before she could implement anything, she felt a sudden force pulling her in.

She yelped in surprise as she found herself in a hug.

"Ugh, nope, he's too damn strong. Why are you so damn strong?" She complained a bit after trying to break free.

Externally, she had a face of annoyance as she struggled to move. But internally on the other hoof, there was full on panicked screaming as she didn't know what to do.

This wasn't exactly something she had dealt with before after all.

"Oh screw this." After being forced to think of solutions right after waking up, she got annoyed and decided to go back to sleep.

"No, seriously, I can't take you guys into the Everfree." I denied the ridiculous request.

"Why not? You're apparently the hero of Ponyville, so why can't you go into the Everfree?" Diamond, something asked. The kid with the tiara asked.

"Well, yeah, I am pretty awesome. But I still can't take you two into the Everfree. There's just no way." I denied again.

Seriously, these two. I'm pretty sure they're the two that kept bullying Scoots and the others. Even without that, taking them into the Everfree is just plain ridiculous.

"Ugh!" Diamond, Tiara!

Right, that's her name.

She groaned in annoyance before turning around.

"Come on, Silver. Let's go see what the blank fanks are doing." She said a rather insulting remark and started to walk away with her friend.

Right as I was about to yell after them. The most ingenious, perfect plan came to mind.

"Hey!" I shouted and got their attention.

"What now?" She whined.

"Look, I'll cut you a deal."

"And why should I accept it?"

"It's simple. I can get you into the Everfree, if, you promise to leave Scoots and the others alone."

"Hmph, fine. Now take us to the Everfree!"

Well that was easy.

I can just take to Remedy's camp and come back. Any more and I'll just pick them up and fly us back here.

Not a single problem.

"Alright, while the pan and oil are heating up, we can dice the vegetables. Don't forget to keep stirring so they don't get burnt on one side." Floral instructed.

"Got it." Giving a short reply, I picked up a mushroom from the pile of cleaned vegetables.

Slicing the vegetables in small pieces, I threw them all into the pan. The sound of sizzling and a pleasant aroma reached out.

"Good, now, after the vegetables start to turn brown, pour in your diced fish."

Following his words, I picked up the fish pieces with the knife and placed them in the pan.

"Don't forget to season them."

"Right." I responded and sprinkled some salt over.

He added in a bit of black pepper into the stir fry.

"Give it a good stir, and then taste to see if you need to put some more in."

"Got it."

I used the spatula and scooped out a piece of fish. It looks like it's done.

Hmm.

Needs more salt.

After sprinkling in a bit more, I stirred it around for a few seconds.

"Here." Before I could ask for plates, Floral already held them next to me.

Placing a good portion on both, I sighed in relief and sat down after putting the pan away.

I took a spoonful.

Hmm.

This. It's definitely burnt. I'm hearing cracking when I chew.

"Hey, Floral. How's it taste?"

"It's slightly burnt, but it tastes pretty good." He replied almost instantly.

That's gotta be a lie.

"Bullshit. What do you mean slightly?" I asked.

He gave a few chuckles at that.

"Well, it's a lot better than my first attempt. At least you're not serving ash and solid soot." He said with a laugh.

"Wait, seriously?" I gave a chuckle.

"Yeah, but in my defense, stovetops were a new thing for me."

"No fucking way. You can cook really good now though."

"Sure, I do now. But I was arguably worse than you when I first started." He said as he chuckled with a look of reminiscing. "Good times. I remember arguing with Bright about whose fault it was that the apron caught on fire."

I laughed at the story. This guy always has some interesting ones.

"Well, finish your breakfast. We should start building the tree house again after a bit."

"Aight." I answered and took another spoonful. "By the way, is it really alright for you to eat meat?"

"Don't talk while chewing." He said in a slightly scolding tone.

"Oh shut up, you're not my dad." I replied.

I still ended up talking without chewing.

"Well, it's not exactly good for me to eat meat, but a little is fine from time to time. I'll just roast a potato or something later." He replied and continued to eat.

I continued as well as we had a few chats here and there.

"This is the most effective attack against armored enemies, to my knowledge at least." I explained as I held a piece of wood on my hooves.

Focusing a bit, I connected with the shadows that slithered in before aggressively pulling and pushing at the same time. The shadows instantly become agitated and shoot out in several directions, piercing the log from the inside out.

"Hmm, that's an attack I would've liked to know earlier." Floral replied as he watched on with interest.

"Well, you probably can't pull it off, even now. That big gap in your chest is literally filled with shadows. If you try the same thing I did, it would probably agitate it and kill you at the same time." I had to warn him. "I couldn't care less about blood and gore, but I still don't want to see you getting pierced from your inside alright?"

"Sure, sure. You have my word." He accepted in a joking tone.

"Floral, I'm serious."

"So am I. I promise, I won't die before you do." He said with a warm smile.

I responded in kind. "You better, or I'll drag you from your grave and force you to keep your word."

"Sure." He accepted it easily.

"Ugh, seriously? I just took a bath." I grumbled as I felt a hint of killing intent.

"Don't let your guard down. This one is, different." Floral said as he stood up and stood before me after grabbing his axe.

"Well, yeah. That's basics." I replied and tried to get a good look.

Right then, I froze ever so slightly as something came into my vision.

Eh?

That's, a hoofle? It's made of wood. Wait there's something else.

Holy shit.

It's a knife made of stone and wood. And it stopped right before my eyes.

"Like I said, this one is definitely different." Floral said, waking me up from my stupor as he pulled his hoof in.

"Wh-fuck." I moved on and took a deep breath and leaned lower. "Thanks." I would've died from that.

"We're not done yet." He responded before slamming the knife down and shattering it.

I involuntarily gulped and tensed up for a fight.

"So, what is it?" I asked.

Staring at where the dagger came from, I couldn't see much. Hidden in the intense woods, the only direction we hadn't gone to take wood yet.

Fuck, we'll clear this whole damn camp after this then.

Where's my damn knife? I think I left it in a log somewhere.

"A pony?" Floral said in a questioning tone.

"What?"

"No, it's only pony shaped. Get your dagger first. Don't commit in an attack." He gave a simple instruction before sprinting forward.

"Fuck." I gave single cuss and ran towards the firewood.

Yep, there it is. Picking up speed, I instantly stopped and used the momentum to flip forward, successfully jumping over an attack.

Fuck was that?

Skidding to a stop, I pulled the knife out and held it in a defensive stance.

"No, fucking, way." I was left stunned as I stared at the enemy.

It was a pony made of wood. And there was vines growing out from its crevices.

"This is bullshit!" I yelled and rushed in.

As I ran forward, the vines turned erratic and started to try to whip me. Letting my body guide itself, I weaved through the gaps and sliced the ones I couldn't dodge. I quickly closed the distance and ducked down.

"Hah!" I shouted and instantly leaped up, successfully dodging a swipe. "Easy!" I yelled and slashed down, cutting it in half.

Though, before I could even begin to celebrate, I noticed something.

The vines. They're still moving!

Forcing my body to rotate, I gave a general slash and cut away most of them. Most, being the problem as the rest started to wrap around me.

"Fucking, kinky piece of shit." I grunted as I gave a complaint.

No matter how much strength I used, the vines didn't budge. Fuck it, I gotta do something else.

Staring at the thing, I ended up a bit confused as I stared. There's nothing inside this damn thing. Just more densely packed wood and moving vines.

Shaking the thought away, I started to gather Nocturnal magic. I need to coat my entire body and turn it into a shadow. This shit is made a lot harder to do with the damn vines gripping me.

"UGH!" I groaned loudly as I felt an impact on my stomach area.

Taking a glance at the wood thing, it had fully reattached itself back. It's hoof had dug into my gut as it stared at me. Staring back, I couldn't help but feel a bit freaked out.

This thing doesn't have a face. No eyes, no nose, no mouth, and not a single hair. Literally a board of wood and vines that passed for a mane.

It slowly tilted its head sideways as its face started to crack, mimicking a grin. Creepy.

"So that's how you wanna play." I said with a chuckle.

Forget defensive then.

Forcing as much magic as I can in a single second, I gathered it all in a single point and shot it out forward. Having used aggressive force to use my magic, the shadows all shot out in a barrage of spikes as I fell to the ground.

Right as I decided to attack one more time, the wall of spikes cracked. Instantly leaping back, I laid low as I stared forwards.

This fucker. I know these bitches don't die that simply, but I haven't seen one that still attacked before reviving.

It cracked its head open fully as it gained a full on smile. There was a light green color emanating from its mouth as vines crawled out, slithering into the gaps in its body. Patchwork healing, I guess?

I took a deep breath as I started to gather magic. That one attack already took away half of my reserve, but I don't think I have the space to pull any punches.

Just what is this thing?

I pondered over the idea as I jumped ever so slightly, rotating myself to kick it away as I dodged a dagger attack. Landing with a sharp breath, I held up my axe, or at least, what's left of it.

Deeming it useless, I threw it away and took a defensive stance.

This is hard to fight. Unlike all the other beatsts I've fought, this one has strategy. A proper chain of attacks and a fighting style.

It's nimble, swift, and a hell of a challenge to even get a hit in.

Well, at least none if us dealt a good damage yet.

As it rushed at me, I ran in front and instantly jumped back. Following my instinct, I slammed two legs downward, using the force to rotate myself and dodge a stab.

Already spinning, I attacked upwards as it leaned to the sideways and dodged it.

Silently tugging at the Nocturnal magic, I jumped back once again. Grabbing the dagger it threw at me, I held it in mouth as I thought of plans.

The dagger itself is sharp, but brittle. The only problem is that this guy can make more.

I need fire.

But I haven't lit one yet.

Other things I can use. The cart full of gifts? I didn't find anything useful in there. The bags? I don't exactly have the chance to light a match.

As I thought of my options, I played defensively as I dodged and blocked its attacks.

It can alternate between dagger attacks and punches, making it experienced in fights.

Right then, I tilted my head and sprinted in whilst throwing the dagger. Finally getting a hit in, I used the chance and rushed in.

"Finally." I muttered and grabbed its head.

With only a split second to attack, I forced my head downwards, breaking through its wooden face. Taking the chance of it being stunned, I used the magic I gathered and pushed it forwards.

A rather large spike of shadow pierced directly through its chest.

Deciding not to take the chance, I leaped back and observed. It slowly reanimated itself.

Alright. What did I use when I fought the Timberwolf alpha. Fire. But I can't get a fi-

Green! It was green fire.

I need the emerald.

Rolling away from a large vine that lunged forward, I leaped and got even more distance.

And, the wooden pony took the emerald.

Fuck.

"Why did you two wanna go inside the Everfree anyway?" I asked the two girls as we went through the camp.

We should be nearing their firecamp soon.

"Uhh, no reason." The other kid with the glasses responded.

Hmm.

Suspicious.

I couldn't continue the thought as I started to hear something.

Trees breaking? Are Remedy and Moon practicing some moves?

I gotta see that.

*Bam*

"Ugh, that hurts like a bitch!" I took a moment to recover as Moon slammed into a tree and slid down while holding her chest.

"NIGHTMARE MOON!" The fillies screamed and ran deeper into the forest.

"Wait! That's the wrong, way." I slumped slightly as those two ran away without hearing me.

"Ugh, fuck!" Moon shouted as she stood up with a struggle.

Not exactly being comfortable enough to help her, I scratched the back of my neck as I awkwardly watched her get up.

"How the fuck," she stretched and got a painful sounding crack, "did you pick the absolute worst time to come?" She said with an annoyed face and walked past me. "Either get those kids and get the hell out of here, or help us kill those pony impersonators."

"What?!"

Pony impersonators?

"I don't have time for this." She replied and stood still for a second.

Right as I was about to ask what she was doing, her shadow suddenly shot out in all directions. It traveled on the ground and reached the trees and bushes. Then suddenly, the area felt like it was darker.

She suddenly sighed in content as she shook her body. "There, that's a lot better." She muttered and turned pitch black as she dissolved into the ground and left.

What in Celestia's name?

With a shake of my head, I took off for the fillies.

Well, this just went from annoying to straight up harrowing.

I've been slowly leading this guy away from the camp so I could use a trap of some sorts, but I had to stop.

I licked the inside of my cheek and felt a small stinging from the bruise. The fucker got a good hit in.

Normally, our fight would've continued without much change. The occasional vine attack on the dagger strikes. But there was the problem.

Who the fuck, are these two?

I timed and leaped to the side with the kids on my back and tilted my head, earning a scratch on my cheek as the stone dagger flew by.

And these two foals won't stop shrieking into my ears.

"Will you two be quiet!" I yelled and blocked a punch.

They continued to scream.

Right after blocking, I jumped backwards as several vines tried to take a hold of me.

I've already searched every corner of its body. It doesn't have a core like a golem, and it doesn't have any organs like any other living being. So, it's a puppet.

Well, at least it's not too experienced. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to even touch him.

Hearing something skidding to a stop right behind me, I braced myself and caught her.

"How's it going on your side?!" I asked and stood against the dagger wielding one.

"What?!" She yelled.

"IT'S NIGHTMARE MO-"

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTHS!" I ended up yelling louder than I intended.

At least it worked.

"Moon! How strong is that one?"

"It's pretty damn good with its vines." She replied. "The gay one is here by the way."

The gay one?

"Rainbow mane?" I asked and broke another dagger.

"Yeah, that one." She replied as I felt a familiar sensation from her.

"Where is she then?" I asked again and slammed down on a vine.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?"

Damn it.

"You take these two and go get the fire dust. I'll hold them off for a bit." I instructed as a clear plan was though out.

"The fuck? You have the emerald?" She asked as I felt something slither up my leg and take the fillies off.

"No, it's inside that bastard somewhere. Kill him, and we move on to yours."

"How do you know it'll kill them?"

"I don't. Now go!"

With that command, she sprinted away through the trees. The vine controlling one tried to give chase, but I followed it instantly as I leaped to the air and jumped off the trees, dodging a few dagger throws.

Leaping from tree to tree, I stressed my hooves and got a bit of speed and slammed into it. Punching once more for good measure, I broke its neck and threw it backwards.

"Don't think you can just walk out of this." I said and prepared for the next attack.

Come on. Where are they!

I was controlling my breathing as I ran through the thick woods. They're just two fillies! They couldn't have gone far.

And there's too many dang trees for me to take flight. I already hit my head trying to fly.

"Finally." I mumbled and pushed through a bush and found the camp.

Thank Celestia! Both foals are fine. Fancy Pants would kill me if anything happened.

Moon was frantically searching through some bags as she threw away random items like pots and spoons.

"Come on, come on. Where is, ah hah!" She exclaimed and brought out a blue sack.

"Hey! What's happening?" I asked and quickly flew over.

"You, there you are! Help us kill those fucking things!" She replied and put the sack in her mouth. "Thath thirection!" She said with a muffled voice and slithered away again.

Dang it!

Taking the chance, I flew upwards and got through the thinner treetops.

Following where she told me to go, I burst forward and look down at the same time. Since he beat a hydra last time, it shouldn't be too hard to find whatever he's fighting against.

Speak of the devil.

I flew downward and picked up more speed at where I saw several vines climbing upwards. Weirdly enough, there wasn't any trees in the way as I instantly went into action.

Biting into a vine, I tangled up one of them and flew to the other one. Excitement rushed through me as I started to wrap them around.

"Done, ten seconds flat no less!" I said my catch phrase and let go as the two were now tied up.

"Not yet." Remedy muttered as he ran past me and slammed both hooves into one of them.

Before I could ask what he was doing, he started to bring out a giant gem.

"Now!" He yelled out loud.

Moon suddenly jumped up from a shadow and threw the sack.

Right as Remedy fully pulled the gem out, the sack landed in the cavity it left behind. With a shout, he slammed the gem back in place.

I was blown back and was forced to close my eyes.

Coming to a stop a second later, I opened my eyes and saw black hooves holding me. Then I fell to the ground.

"FLORAL!" Moon shouted from behind me.

Shockingly, with a worried voice.

Oh no.

Going wide eyed, I stared at where the explosion happened. A raging fire, colored green. Heavy smoke rising up to the sky.

Oh no. Oh dear Celestia.

"Here." A sudden hoof caught my shoulder.

Surprised, I jumped away and turned around. Remedy had tilted his head, barely dodging a spike that shot out from the ground. Cool magic.

"Holy shit!" Moon shouted another made up word. "Floral! What the fuck is wrong with you!?"

Floral?

He chuckled a bit as Moon kept hitting him. And she's, crying? Really? I actually can't believe this.

"Sorry, sorry." He apologized with a nervous smile. "I curled up behind the emerald, but it ended up launching me away."

I gave a relieved sigh as I took a step closer. I still don't know how I should feel about Moon, but that, that was pretty good. Remedy took a sword from Moon.

Woah, that's a cool sword.

"See something you like?" Moon suddenly asked.

"What, pfft, no. It's cool, but I got like, ten swords cooler than that."

"Ten? You're pretty obsessed huh?" She asked with a grin.

"Of course not. I'm just, uhh, always ready for a fight!" Saved it.

"If you-"

Surprising us both however, was that the sword from before suddenly flew between us. Nervously glancing at where the sword went, I saw another one of those wooden ponies. This one had wings and the sword was stuck in its head. There was also a thin black line that extended to the hoofle.

I turned to look at Remedy, who pulled with a hoof as the wooden pony flew over.

"I get that you're both filled with adrenaline, but you should be humble about this. Just so you can control yourselves." He said and threw the wooden pony into the fire.

"G-got it." I replied.

That sword missed me by a hair. It flew literally, right in front of my eyes.

"You're a bitch." Moon just replied in an annoyed tone.

"What's a bitch?" I asked.

"I'm not explaining that. You should take the kids and leave." Remedy instructed with a serious face.

"Yeah, sure." I gladly accepted as I glanced at the pile of burning wooden ponies.

I should probably tell Twilight to tell the Princesses about this. It's definitely getting out of hoof.

"I really fucking hope those kids weren't nobles or something." Moon said with an annoyed tone.

"Why would that matter?" Floral simply asked as he snacked on a slice of watermelon, held up by a shadow tentacle.

"I can't fucking believe you're already that good with Nocturnal magic." She said with an exasperated voice.

"Eh, I'm forced to constantly use it anyway. So, that's probably the biggest reason." He replied and took another bite, audibly cracking the seeds.

"Whatever, but I'm still worried about those kids."

"Why so?"

"Well, politics, duh." She said as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Why would we care about that?"

"Ok, it's not exactly politics, but it's more about local outrage and shit. One fancy dude gets mad, he can spread bullshit and get the whole town rallying for somepony's death." She explained a bit annoyed.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. But would they really walk into the Everfree?" He asked as he focused on a plate of watermelon.

"Well that hasn't stopped ponies before has it?" She said before she felt a twitch. "Finally!" She shouted in excitement and pulled her fishing rod as hard as she can.

Though her effort was valiant, the string broke as she tumbled backwards. Floral almost burst out laughing as he forced himself to stay quiet. Though, several snorts still went through.

"Shut it!" Moon yelled with a red face before sitting back in her spot. "It's all your shitty hoofmade rod's fault."

"Really? Then explain how I managed to catch a full bucket with that same rod." He replied as he checked over his plate of watermelon. "Want some? I took all the seeds away."

"Sure, thanks." She happily accepted. "And the reason is simple, you used it too much and it broke down." She said and bit into a piece.

Floral simply chuckled at her reasoning.

As the two spent a few more minutes in piece, something was gnawing at Moon.

"Hey, you're not gonna tell, right?" She finally asked.

"Don't you worry. I won't say anything." He promised her with an amused smile.

"Good." She accepted it with a small cough.

Though that silence only lasted a few seconds.

"I appreciated it, by the way. It was the best sleep I had in decades." Floral said with a calm smile as he looked in the river, just watching the fish swim by.

"Y-yeah, whatever. You're welcome." She said and continued to eat her watermelon pieces.

"I mean it, you're so soft." He said in a teasing voice.

"Shut the fuck up!" Moon finally cracked and threw her plate of watermelon at Floral.

Author's Note

Hey guys!

Sorry I'm super late on this one. College just started, and I got hit, hard. Instantly, my daily schedule broke apart and I now spend my entire day at school. Literally wake up, go to school, come back at like 8 or something. :rainbowderp:

I literally wrote the second half of this on the bus. :duck:

Anyways, I'll have to regretfully inform you that the updates are going to be as slow as this. Maybe even slower if what I've heard about college is to be believed. :ajsleepy:

And as always, thanks for reading. :heart:

Nightmarish

Alright. It is exactly the third hour of the night. I have already culled the Dreamscape of all nightmares. It is a wonder how the foals of Ponyville do not have more terrors of the night with such dangerous events that seem to take place every other week. Still, I'm glad that the ponies of Equestria are having such small problems during their resting hours.

"I do have a bit more time." I mumbled to myself as I traveled through the realm.

Taking an interest in a few dreams, I dove into those ones. The fantasies the minds come up with are truly amazing. A glorious battle to save Equestria. A wish fulfilled to ascend to the crown. Even just a simple scene such as asking your crush out on a date.

Some may be, evil, compared to the others. But those are no troubles as mostly fantasies and unlikely scenarios occur in this world.

"Harder!" I heard my sisters voice.

I hastily cover my eyes and escape as I continue my travelling.

Of course, there are quite, uh, embarrassing dreams, such as the one I just witnessed. Though, it's good material to tease Celestia with.

Eventually, I come to a stop as I land on the imaginary ground in front of three doors. A completely different setting than the others. One made of solid gold with the sun on the outside, a few stains of cake frosting covering it at random places. Another was a pure black door made with wood.

I had, at some point, moved these doors to this specific place. A corner where I put the dreams of ponies important to me basically. Celestia's door wasn't glowing though. She may be working at the moment. I'll have to speak to her about this.

Though, the one that concerned me was the last door.

It was made of different materials. Several cracks present on it as a single dagger was stabbed into it. Two beams of gray metal on the side. The top part was made of a dark crystal that just looked dangerous. Random scratches smeared the metal beams, evidence of hardship and battles. It gave off a dark feeling in general as a heavy scent of blood permeated from it.

Standing in place, I was getting more nervous by the second. I had done this every night ever since asking for help from him. Adding that on top of my promise to not invade his dreams anymore, I was jittery as I stared at the door.

As worrying as the state of him is, I have received his help for the better part of a month by now. So, I shall trust him.

Still, I can't but feel curious of his past. A mysterious pony with an even more unknown past. He had already faced hardships since young, so this door just makes him even more interesting.

Waking me from my thoughts, a shadowy aura started to leak out.

"What?" I muttered in confusion at the familiar presence.

Shadow magic.

Why is it leaking from his dreams? How is it leaking from his dreams?

Having already experienced what sort of effects such magic brought, I stood in confusion at the event. Those shadows, they bring out your darkest feelings and shove it in your face. It's powerful, but it is dangerous. A double edged sword.

As I was pondering whether I should go in or not, I was suddenly pushed back at the amount of magic emanating from it. It almost burst open from it as it started to make the area darken. Taking a few cautious steps back as the ground quickly darkened, I looked around. The darkness was spreading to the Dreamscape.

Several doors had already been infected as I felt the Dreamscape cry out in pain. Nightmares had been spontaneously created. If those ponies get injured by this, they may take damage to their minds.

Glancing at the door a few times, I gave a sigh.

"Apologies, Remedy. I intended to keep my promise, but I can't if it places the innocence in danger." I uttered a quick apology and slowly pushed in through the door.

A dark and cold sensation ran through me, making my body shiver slightly. The inside was, surprisingly well lit. I was in a house, quite cozy if I say so myself. A warm fire under the chimney. The angry shouting of ponies.

Wait what?

Quickly disguising myself, I turned to a raven bird and took flight. Phasing through a window, I followed the sound. Weaving through buildings I didn't recognize, I flew up high as I stared down.

A mob of ponies were all yelling angrily as they marched outside of their village. They all held torches and pitchforks as they walked as a single entity.

"Saddle Arabians?" I questioned and followed them.

"Hadha allaqit yajru ealaa muhajamat 'iilahna!" The pony at the very front yelled to the others. "Fakayf sanarudu ealaa hadha?!"

Unfortunately, I wasn't very well versed in the Arabic language.

"Sawf nahmi 'iilahna!" The entire crows shouted as they all suddenly started to run off.

Just what is happening?

Silently following the angry mob, I started to worry. A nightmare because of shadow magic, an angry mob, and at a range where neither Celestia nor I could've noticed. Whatever that has happened, it can't be good.

Remedy also must've actually witnessed this first, otherwise his dreams wouldn't conjure this scene. But, could I really assume that when shadow magic is involved?

Looking at the general direction the mob had headed, I flew faster as I overtook them. Silently traveling through the shadows, I eventually arrive in a small clearing surrounded by a forest.

Constant sounds of strikes and bangs rang out. A pure blast of star magic was shot out every now and then. The ground was carved with countless scars. A massive collection of magic was being collected in a single spot. It doesn't exactly feel like magic, but I've seen enough pegasi and earth pony dreams to know how one could feel magic without feeling them.

There was a missing friend of mine. Canis Major, the constellation of the dog. He fiercely swiped his paws, along with bites and magic blast, he seemed both desperate and wrathful.

Then there was her enemy. Remedy, wielding a dagger that shone coldly in the night, the same one that hung on his door. He wore a large robe that hid him completely as a sharp glare and an intense bloodlust came from him.

Turning to look at the gathering magic, I looked closer. It was a bell. A familiar one that was thought to have been lost to time.

"Grogar's Bell, where did he get it?" I mumbled and looked back at the fight.

Remedy was on the losing side with several injuries. Blood seemed to pour out of him like a fountain as his face was morphed in complete anger.

Canis suddenly roared to the sky. Grogar's Bell activated as the concentrated magic shot straight at her. Yet, it never hit her as Remedy appeared in front of her.

A dust cloud rose and I couldn't see it. Before it could settle, a sudden line of magic sliced through. Like a whip, it tore through almost everything as the dust cloud was interrupted.

I hitched a breath as I stared at the outcome. Remedy stood tall with a dead face. His dagger was shining brightly as the blood staining it slowly disintegrated.

I didn't know how to react to this. This was, unprecedented. I had long accepted that Canis had died, but to witness exactly how it happened. It's a different feeling.

Without a hint of emotion on his face, Remedy walked away from Canis, who laid cleaved in half on the ground. He grabbed the bell and started to walk away. At least, until he heard the angry mob.

"Aiqtalhu! Aliantiqam li'iilahina!"

There wasn't even a reaction as Remedy simply looked at them. As if they were just another obstacle for him. He effortlessly dodged the pitchforks thrown at him as he waited for the town folk to approach. Right as the first villager reached him, smoke blew up from inside his robe. Actually remembering to react this time, I pulled magic to my eyes and stared through.

That's, quite impressive in truth.

Inside the thick smoke, Remedy weaved through the hundreds of villagers managing to go through without touching a single one of them. He slowly walked through the smoke as he almost reached the trees. Then suddenly, he disappeared.

Huh?

I couldn't see him anymore, as if he just stopped existing.

"Mihla! ead 'iilaa huna!" A rather young voice shouted loudly, shortly followed by a pained scream from the same pony.

Quickly changing positions, I followed the sound and went over. Reaching the location as fast as I could, I landed on a tree branch as I looked over what had happened.

"Oh no." I mumbled the words as a scowl was placed on me.

A colt, hardly above eighteen years of age, lay dead with a massive gap in his throat as Remedy stood over him. An emotion was finally shown as he just stood there.

Fear and shock.

But, more importantly, guilt.

His hoof holding his dagger was trembling. His eyes were widened in terror. His body weak as if he was about to collapse. His breathing seemed to get harder.

Noticing his condition, I was about to finally intervene.

"DULA!" The pony that had rallied the mob at the start yelled out.

The ponies all calmed down as they all looked to where the chief was looking. Anger flared up amongst the mob as they started to give chase. I turned to look at Remedy, only to see him already gone.

"Al'ama!" The chief shouted out as he held the colt.

Following the general direction where mob went, I practically joined the search. Spreading out my magic, I searched through the forest with. As swiftly as I can, I scouted out the entire place in an efficient manner, until I finally found something.

It's a temple. What kind though?

In the time I've lived, I have not seen or heard of a temple such as this. Which god has this one been built for?

It had a long staircase that lead to an entrance. Flying into it, I turned my disguise into that of a cat. With much nimbler movements, I swiftly made my way in through the hallway of stone and moss.

Cleary somepony hasn't been cleaning this place.

Making my way through, I noticed myself going deeper and deeper into the ground. Having checked every door on the way, I finally arrived on the bottom floor. Spreading my magic around, I checked out the place. A pretty large area, hundreds and hundreds of chairs all lined up in front of a stand. A single podium on the stand with an extremely fancy looking stage. All kinds of different ornaments and such were decorating it. Countless offering were laid out in front of it. Looking at all these, I could only say one thing.

"Fuck"

No matter how I saw it, how many ways I could try to twist it, those are all things related to the moon. I still could've convinced myself it wasn't a cult of me, but the giant portrait of Nightmare Moon hanging above it all crushed that hope.

So, that's what it was. Remedy is from a thousand years ago, this I already knew. But his experience in killing, his ruthless efficiency and downright chill inducing demeanor was from this. He was fighting an army on his own. An army that was created because of me.

Looking at the shrine once more, I noticed something odd.

"There's a piece missing? Two pieces actually." I mumbled and walked closer.

A small pedestal, and a stand for a weapon.

Ok, so that's obvi-now just wait one second. Their plan was obviously simple. Use the bell to gather magic, and the knife was supposed to be ceremonial, I think. Then Remedy stole both of it, resulting in him fighting against Canis, who was also apparently part of this.

Then, who was in the cult? Who ran this place? Canis is intelligent, but she still can't speak with anypony.

A sudden scream of pain sounded behind me.

Quickly turning around, I spotted the village chief with a dagger through his chest. Oddly enough, there were countless dark lines running through his body, all starting from his heart.

Oh, no way. These cultists actually managed to obtain shadow magic? It's a wonder how they're able to survive, considering that shadow magic is forbidden, mainly because it killed the user. Still, questions won't be answered since Remedy seems to be hunting them down.

"Al'ama! You monster, you killed all those innocents! All those worshippers, who didn't even do anything! You're no more than a beast, an animal! You hear me! You're a chelb! A dog of the sun! Justice will fall upon you some day!" The chief kept yelling with more and more strength as the magic slowly climbed back inside, eventually disappearing altogether.

Seeing the end, I finally decided to make my move. A gentle appearance, and a calm explanation. That's all I need to do.

"Remedy?" I spoke up.

Although he didn't react, his ears rose and pointed at me. I took a step closer, hoping to diffuse the situation calmly. Then he ran off.

"Wha-Remedy! Wait! Come back!" I yelled and ran after him.

He turned several corridors and I followed after.

Getting annoyed with the chase, I finally used my dream magic as the corridors shortened in my view. Every turn was gone as only a straight hallway remained.

"What?" I spoke in confusion.

He wasn't there. Just, gone. No trace of him anywhere.

Activating my magic, I took a few steps forward as I tried to get a sense of the area. Until, I got pulled back.

Suddenly getting slammed into the wall, I still felt the pain as something metallic pressed onto my neck.

"You." Remedy spoke softly. "You're not, but, what? When did you even?" He was confused as he stepped back.

Getting released from his hold, I took a deep breath as my beating heart calmed down. Where even was he? It's a completely straight hallway with torches lighting up the entire way.

"Remedy, art thou in good condition?" I softly asked.

He took a long and hard look at me, lasting several long seconds. Eventually getting awkward, I was about to speak up.

"What sort of illusion is this?" He suddenly asked.

"Remedy, I assure thee, this is no illusion. It is simply thine dream, or rather, thine nightmare." I replied easily.

It's a response many have given before, mistaking a dream for an illusion before coming to their senses.

"That's a grand fucking lie, how are you here, if the ritual was never completed? You're not supposed to come back before your damn punishment ends! You're not supposed to be my problem anymore! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN MY LIFE, ANY LONGER!" He started screaming.

In response, I didn't say anything. It's the reason why I still have faith in him, despite seeing these sins being committed. He had already gone through many hardships by the time the fusion happened. And that, just, made it far worse for the stallion. It is in fact a positive outcome, considering he has not started a revolution against Equestria for my own mistake.

"I am sorry, Remedy." I could only give that as a response.

My voice was weak, my vision was blurry as I simply stood against his rage. A wrath of pure undiluted anger.

"No, no, if you're here. That means I failed, but I can't, I know I didn't. The bell is buried away. The cult is already purged. The fucking dagger, is in my hooves. Fucking Canis, a constellation that's as strong as other gods, I fucking cleaved in half! So, how the fuck are you here?!"

I couldn't reply, it wouldn't have done anything. This is a dream, and he is currently his younger self.

"Sorry." Was all I could say.

What else could I reply with?

As I, thought, a bit, a sudden burst of magic shattered the dream. We were transported to a realm of pure darkness.

Lighting up the area with my magic, I took a hold of Renedy as we began falling down.

"Remedy!" I yelled to get his attention.

He returned with a scowl.

"That's not my fucking name!" He replied with annoyance.

What?

"Then what is it?" I asked as we slowed down our descent.

He stayed silent for a few seconds as he stared around. He still hasn't regained his senses yet? He is pondering something.

"Green. Just, Green, that'll do." He finally replied, albeit begrudgingly.

A rather common name.

"Alright, Green. Does thou happen to know, what has happened here?"

"Why the hell would I know?"

"Well, at least thou art no longer attacking me." I mumbled as I stared at him.

He's so, aggressive. Like he's about to jump on me the moment I turn my back.

Realizing that I probably wouldn't gain an answer from him, I spread my magic around and try to control the dream. It's a, much harder process than usual.

The dream itself seems to have disappeared completely, leaving nothing but a shell of pure darkness. With that, I seeped my own into the innermost layer and try to change it.

Though, dropping me out of concentration, Remedy suddenly screamed and fell down.

"Remedy!" I shouted in worry and ran over.

"What the fuck did you do?" He asked through gritted teeth.

I didn't know what was happening. This was something I've never experienced before.

I need to take him out. The darkness, it's all shadow magic. He's practically drowning in it.

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I thought up a plan. A ridiculous one at that. Something I haven't done before.

Focusing on the Dreamscape, the door finally appears with a single line connecting me to it. I grabbed Remedy, who tried to resist, and flew over to the door before slamming into it and leaving the dream.

Being randomly pulled back, I turned around as I saw several tendrils of shadows holding onto Remedy.

"Agh, no chance." I muttered as I struggled to pull him free.

"What the fuck?" Remedy seemed to wake up.

Though, physically, I couldn't see a single difference than his younger self.

"Oh, forget this." I finally said and let out magic.

The sky brightened up as I took over. Lightning started to crackle as it all gathered in one area. With a simple swing of my horn, the thunder stroke down, burning away the tentacles.

"Oof." I grunted as I felt Remedy ramming into me.

Shouldn't have pulled so hard I suppose.

"Luna? What's happening? Where are we?" He asked as he stood up.

Grabbing the hoof he extended, I stood up with a groan. "We're in the Dreamscape, a place nopony should be able to come." I explained to buy time.

"The Dreamscape? Oh shit, what happened? Why does this place look, infected?" He asked as I caught my breath.

Taking control of the entire Dreamscape to cast that lightning magic took quite a toll on me.

Looking around for a bit, I noticed the doors still being infected by the shadow magic.

"It's shadow magic, specifically from thine dream. Thou hadst been plagued by a nightmare, and it had somehow leaked to this realm." I explained as I looked around.

This is starting to worry. Although I went in with the purpose of stopping Remedy, even he may not know what the source of this all is."

"I see, I think got the gist of it." He calmly said as he took a step forward.

Standing completely still, his face was one of concentration as the area darkened. Shadow magic, he's using right now.

With a single tug of his hoof, the shadows were all pulled back as they all got absorbed into the door.

"Wow." I was simply amazed.

He had such great control over it.

"Well, I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll try to not let it happen again." He apologized before walking back into his door, the area becoming much greener as his camp became visible. "It's, Floral Green, by the way." He said as the door closed.

Looking at the door, I finally sat down on the ground with a sigh of relief. I guess he didn't mind it after all.

Before I could fully relax though, a spike in magic grabbed my attention. The doors that were infected, their owners are having nightmares now.

"Ugh." I physically groaned as I stood up once again.

I'm sleeping late tonight it seems.

Sneakiest fucker to ever exist. Hell yes.

I was talking to myselfas I managed to sneak out of Floral's grip. Having turned myself into a shadow to do that, I traveled up the giant ass tree and reached the top. Looking over the area, I scanned around as I saw towns and cities, plenty of different landmarks. A pretty beautiful sight actually.

"Won't be as good as the other one." I mumbled and started to gather the shadows.

Doing this during the day is basically impossible, but with the Moon's weaker light, it's pretty damn doable.

A pillar emerged from under me as I felt myself being lifted. Fuck yeah, it's working. Getting a bit faster, I was ascending without using my wings.

"Let's see, there's gotta be at least one." I mumbled as I searched the skies. "There you are." I said out loud and started a spell.

The cloud walking spell that the, uh, Prench mare taught me. I think her name was, Fleur, something, dis. Maybe.

Anyways, I imagined the spell, only changing certain aspects of it to fit my use of Nocturnal magic. A very thin coating of shadow covers my body. With slight nervousness, I place a hoof on the cloud.

"Huh, soft." I don't know what I was expecting, but I simply stepped harder.

Confirming that I can walk on it, I jumped on and jumped a few times.

"Yep, this'll work." I mumbled and jumped back onto the pillar before going down.

Softly landing down, I stop for a second to admire the roof. Pretty damn solid, but we'll finish the treehouse soon enough. Likely tomorrow.

Walking while masking the sound with magic, I climbed down from the roof and stepped on a log.

*Crack*

"Uph." I froze as I hung from the roof as the simple fence tilted to the side.

Glancing at Floral, I waited for a few seconds for him to move. Yet, he didn't.

Good.

Mission success.

Happily walking over, I stared down at Floral, who was tightly holding onto shadow me. Slithering into position, I took the spot of the clone before closing my eyes.

"Aaaaaand, done." Floral said as he put one last nail on.

"Fucking finally." I said, a bit excited as I stared at the finished product.

"Yeah, that took a lot longer than it should've." He replied with a proud smile.

He had the right. Fuck, even I'm pretty happy about this.

The big tree was still in the middle, but the floor goes all the way around. A total of forty eight support beams holding the structure from the ground. Connected to most of those, twenty four beams holding the roof up. A decently big hole on the roof leading up to the attic. A ladder wasn't needed since we both could easily jump up there. Inside the attic, there's eight pillars holding the top part up. A fence made with two logs circled around the entire floor, just for a little safety of sorts.

"Yep, fence is sturdy. This treehouse is probably one of the safest ones out there." Floral commented right under me as he pushed and pulled the fence.

"Agreed." I easily climbed on a pillar and hung upside down as I looked around.

We've slowly moved most of our stuff up here as time went on.

After the wooden ponies, we finally managed a week of silence to ourselves. Celestia still came every now and then, so had some other ponies. I'm kinda sad that Flutters doesn't come as often.

Then again, I really don't want her to go into the Everfree. What if she gets attacked on the way?

Weirdly enough though, purple hasn't come in a while. She was always annoying Floral about all kinds of stuff, even asking me about magic or whatever.

"So, should we celebrate?" I finally asked Floral as I let go and landed on the fence with my hooves.

"I suppose that's the right course of action, yeah." He answered and took on an expression of planning. "Was there any chicken in the supplies?"

"I think so?" I answered and stepped down to the floor.

"Alright, I think I got a plan then. Bring that and the whiskey." He commanded before jumping over the fence.

"Fuck yes!" I yelled in excitement and ran off for the whiskey.

Author's Note

Yo!

I can't believe this chapter actually reached 4000 words. :rainbowhuh: I didn't think the first part would actually be that long. I guess rhat just happens if I keep on writing without really looking at it. :trollestia:

Anyways, I know I said I'd probably post these a lot slower, but right now, nothing's really happening. I only have a single assignment and that one is pretty much finished. :unsuresweetie:

Well, it's a good thing I suppose. :eeyup:

And as always, thank thou for gazing upon these simple words! :heart:

Warm

"I can't believe you're actually doing last minute shopping." I commented as I looked around the antique store.

The sleeping store owner, and a random mare looking through the objects.

"It's only last minute because I didn't know what to get. I've only known her for about a week by now." Bluey replied as he placed a postcard back. "Besides, it's not last minute, it's the last day."

"She's still your Aunt no?" I asked and held up a weird, wooden, figure thingy.

He shook his head at the item. "She is, but she's basically that distant family member you occasionally see on Family Appreciation Day" He replied and picked out a silver trinket.

"Or Heart's Warming." I said as I finally found a good one.

No way. I can't believe these ones are still around.

"Or, Heart's Warming, yes." He replied and started inspecting some ancient artifact. "Would she want anything that's old though?"

"Well, probably not, but, she would want something that isn't old by her standards." I said as I proudly displayed what I had found.

Bluey took a few moments to look as he was deciding. I think.

"What is this?" He finally asked.

"What?!" I asked out loud, making the snoring store owner flinch. "How could you not know about this? It's like a key memory in every single pony that was born in the last forty years." I sang poetically as I fiddled with the buttons.

Having to take the old cover off, I magicked all the dust away and charged the magic crystal with my own.

"It can't be that good." He was a foolish stallion.

"Oh, what a sad pony you are." I said dramatically, earning an annoyed glare from him. "This gem right here, is one of the absolute best experiences that have been made ever since magic crystals began to be used." I explained as the screen finally lit up.

"Legend of The Hero." Bluey read slowly. "Tacky."

"It was a different time Bluey." I casually rebuked. "Anyways, this one I'm holding is one of exactly one thousand of this particular version. It's super hard, like, you literally have to memorize all eight thousand combinations of each puzzle and fighting strategies to win." I kept explaining as I remembered the times I used to sit on the couch and absolutely rage at this game. "Sadly, because it was too hard, it was eventually made easier, and these original versions started to disappear one by one."

"Cool story, but is she really gonna like something like this?"

"Trust me, my little antisocial Bluey. She's gonna love it." I said confidently and headed for the counter. "Hello sir."

The owner shivered slightly, but didn't wake up.

"Eh, I was gonna send the money after anyway." Bluey said and we left the store without trouble. "Anyways, let's go eat something. I'm sure a restaurant or something is still open anyway."

"You're a little apathetic lately huh?" I commented and put the gamecolt into my saddlebag.

"Do I?" He asked.

Really taking a look at him, he just looks exhausted. He disguised himself with magic, but he just feels tired.

"Sorta. You feeling all right? You don't seem like your usual confident attitude."

"I don't know, I guess I'm just, tired, or something."

"Well." I tried to say something, but couldn't think of it. "Oh. There's a café over there, why don't we take a seat?" I suggested and we went on.

With simple orders of a chestnut latté and a cheese cake, I took a seat at the table. Bluey had a single cup of black coffee.

"You're really not gonna order anything else?" I asked.

"No, I just need a pick me up is all." He replied and took a sip.

Hmm.

"Hey, if you need to talk, I can listen." I offered as I ignored the dessert.

Not really a mood to be eating.

He took a few moments to consider, uncertainty flashing across his eyes. With a single sigh, he put his cup down.

"It's just, Heart's Warming, isn't really something I look forward to all that much." He finally said.

"What!?" I accidentally shouted.

Luckily, there aren't any other customers here, on account of being Heart's Warming. Just the employees sulking around a bit. Even then, we were on a balcony on the second floor.

"You shock me. Why don't you like it?"

Oops, that was a bit intrusive.

"I just have a, memory, I don't like. Promise not to tell." He said with an emotion in his eyes I haven't seen before.

"I won't, you can trust me." I said and leaned closer.

"Okay, so, we both know Twilight is a powerful spellcaster."

"Yeah?"

"Well, she wasn't all that different as a filly."

Oh dear Celestia, I can already see where this is going.

"A talented filly, completely obsessed with learning magic spells and impressing an alicorn. I think you can imagine how that went." He said as he took a single glance towards the entrance.

I was about to ask, but stopped. Weighing the weight of my words, I stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking up.

"Are you okay after that?"

"I'm, fine, mostly. It's just Twilight. I don't exactly feel comfortable around her when she gets emotional." He said nervously.

I didn't know what to say after that. It's just, not appropriate to ask anything right now. I just shouldn't.

"Does she know?" I ended up asking.

"No, she doesn't. Nopony does." He replied hastily. "Don't tell her. I'm scared what she would try to do if she realizes what happened."

"I won't. I promise." I said the only thing I could.

A few somber moments passed. A still air as silence was heard. The employees just had a small conversation without noticing us.

"Thank you." He finally spoke up. "And, sorry for ruining the mood."

"Hey hey, it's fine. I'm just glad you're comfortable enough to tell me something like this." I gave him a smile.

He responded in kind. Within a few seconds, we both let out a chuckle as he took a sip of his coffee. With a slightly disgusted look, he pushed the cup away.

"Come on, let's go get ice cream or something. I don't even know why I ordered it black." He said as he stood up.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a coffee drinker anyway." I added and followed suit.

"Tia! Help me! What does our nephew like!?" Luna barged into my room with a distressed shout.

"Lulu!" I yelled in panic and threw away a report. "Why didn't you knock?"

"I don't have time for that! What kind of present shall I bring to our nephew?! Would he enjoy a snow globe?!" She frantically yelled and held up an orb.

It was one that had me, covering a group of foals from the snow.

"I, wait, where did you even get that? That model is like, a few centuries old." I added and walked over.

"A shop, but that does not matter! Would he enjoy this!?" She asked with a fully distressed look.

I laughed softly before hugging her.

"As long as it comes from the heart, any gift is perfect."

The sound of deeply inhaling was heard. Shortly after, an exhale as fog became visible. The air was cold as the sky was shining. The moon laid above quite nicely.

It was, in every sense, a peaceful evening.

"So, what the fuck?" Moon asked confusedly, though not unhappy.

"I'm as confused as you are." Floral replied with an equally confused expression as he jumped lightly.

Simply landing back on the soft surface, he took a guess and laid down.

"This is, incredibly soft." He commented and took a stretch.

"I guess you're just not going to question it huh?" She asked with a chuckle and laid down next to him.

"Nope, this entire thing is confusing anyway." He replied and looked over the clouds.

As content as one could be, he leisurely watched the stars and the sky. The chilling air being nullified by their shared cuddles.

"You know, I was gonna do this tomorrow, but then I thought about how I could only do this at night. And you're supposed to give your gifts before that anyway. So, early gift was the only way." Moon said with a smile.

Floral chuckled as he looked on. "I love it, thank you." He calmly said and pulled her closer.

Moon didn't reply as she grew a wide smile without knowing. She was just content with this.

"You know, I used to hate heights." Floral commented.

"Why?" Moon asked curiously.

"You know, Silent Gust. Anything from a height used to remind me of that day."

"Then, why did you wanna fly?"

"My mother. After about a month of suggesting, I finally gave in and accepted her offer to take me with her on a flight. It was, one of the best experiences in my life." He calmly explained with a soft smile.

"Sounds nice. I guess I thought of the best gift for you huh?" She replied with a smirk.

"That you did." He chuckled once more.

The atmosphere was as calm as it could be. Moon took a stretch and leaned on Floral. With a long yawn, she closed her eyes.

"The spell should go on for twenty four hours, so I'll take a nap."

"Good night." Floral whispered as Moon wrapped her wings around Floral.

"G'Night." She replied and dozed off, leaving Floral to enjoy the night sky.

I silently stared at my 'dinner'. Honestly couldn't complain much. Least I had something to eat anyway.

Though, the thoughts of that fish still haunted me.

Heart's Warming is coming up, and I'm spending it alone again. It's the exact same as every year, so why does it bother me so much.

I feel, alone, somehow.

"Ugh. Forget this!" I ended up yelling in anger and threw away the steak.

Throwing the door open, I stepped after grabbing a bag of essential needs, then took off, evading a few other griffons on the way.

"Wow." Light said in slight surprise. "And you hid this from everypony?" She asked softly as they sat on a couch.

"It's fine, you don't have to like it." Blueblood told her with an ashamed look.

"No, no, it's fine. It's a nasty scar, but you don't have to feel embarrassed about it. Especially not from me." She said and carefully outlined the scar.

Blueblood flinched slightly as Light touched the area around his face, dangerously close to his eye.

"How did you hide it?" Light asked, a bit worried.

"My magic surge, it happened because of Twilight."

"How?"

"It was an explosion, and a piece of the wall came hurdling over. I ended up using one of the only spells I knew, and hid it."

"Why?"

"I was a foal back then. I was just, scared, and, wasn't really close to Aunty."

Light gave a small sigh as she stopped inspecting it. "Well, you don't have to hide it from me." She said with a small smile.

"Thanks, I appreciate that."

"Good Bluey." Light said cheerfully.

Blueblood was about to put his disguise back on, but decided to leave it be. For once in a long time, he felt completely at ease.

"Well, does that mean you've accepted?" He asked.

Light leaned in close, a playful smirk on her face.

Without giving Blueblood a chance to react, she gave him a single peck on his lips and laid down against him. A completely satisfied expression on her face all the while.

Blueblood froze. With practically zero experience in actually dating, he was completely unprepared for what just happened.

"You're cute, you know that?" Light said.

"I, was uh, unaware. Ponies only called me handsome or, successful. Other than Aunty of course." He replied as his brain went into overdrive.

"Eh, they're all correct anyway." Light commented.

*Knock, knock*

"Oh! Our dinner is here!" Light sprung up excitedly as she ran for the door.

Blueblood took the chance as his mind was made clear.

He had finally found who he was, and he loved this version of him.

Author's Note

Hey guys.

I managed this short chapter during all my assignments. Pretty much just written while on the bus lmao. :coolphoto:

Can you believe that my assignment was to literally build an algorithm? I knew unis were crazy, but I at least expected to learn how to code before actually coding. :pinkiecrazy:

What do you guys think about this relationship? I've been thinking about it ever since I first introduced Light. :scootangel:

And as always, thank thou for thine time. :heart:

Heart's Warming

"So, hi." Luna said nervously.

"Hey." Moon replied with anger that was barely hidden.

"I, wanted to apologize. For real this time. I have understood my wrongs and have seen why you became upset when I first apologized." She was practically dying of nervousness, unable to stop shaking.

"Have you now?" The reply was harsh.

"Yes. So, truly, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for ruining your life. I'm sorry for blaming you for all this. And, I'm sorry for taking advantage of you." She kept going on.

Floral was on the side, watching on as he sipped on tea. Although he completely understood what was happening, he was still worried about something.

"Uh, why is Moon made out of cardboard?" He asked.

"I, I don't know! I'm nervous. I'm not sure I could even stand in front of her after, you know, everything." Luna replied.

"Well, if you really want to apologize, I'd suggest you actually steel your nerves." He spoke calmly as he stepped forward, his cup of tea turning into butterflies and flying away. "Because, honestly, this is kind of sad." He said and tapped the carboard cutout, allowing it to drop to the ground.

"I'm trying my best okay? I just don't know how she would act. Since, during our, banishment, we didn't really talk to each other." She said with a sad look.

"Look, Luna, I'm glad that you're trying to save your friendship with Moon, but take this slowly. As you know, you hurt her, badly. She'll need a lot of time to think before she could speak to you again." He said with a calming smile as he placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"I, suppose. Thank you. You don't know how much these visits have helped me." She thanked him kindly.

"It's fine. Though, if you really want to get to know her better, you should probably come to the camp. You know, actually talk to her?" He suggested as he laid backwards on top of a cloud.

"Hmm, but, what if, no, she will hate it. I don't want to ruin her Heart's Warming." She refused.

Floral could only sigh at the scene. He was trying to help, but he also knew what she said was true.

"Tell you what. Just get her a gift." He said. "You don't exactly have to interact with her, but you could still show that you care." He said calmly as Moon manifested right next to him.

She was uncharacteristically normal, despite looking the exact same. Instead of the usually lethal feeling she gave to others, this version somehow gave off the vibe of an annoyed teenager.

"Whatevs Luna, thanks for the gift or whatever." Moon said in the voice of an exhausted teen who just finished ten college assignments in a single day.

Luna stared for a few seconds with a blank face.

"That is not her." She stated.

Floral took a glance at Moon before waving a hoof at her, blowing the fake Moon into the air as she turned to dust.

"Okay, maybe spending that much time with her sort of ruined my vision of her. But my point still stands." He replied.

"Alright, Remedy. I'll try, but what am I supposed to give her?" Luna asked.

"Well, why don't you try to find something that could be important to her. Maybe, some kind of relic or whatever that's connected to her kingdom."

"Oh, yes. That is the perfect gift." She mumbled to herself. "Thank you, your ideas are sufficient!" She excitedly said before disappearing.

Floral could only sigh. He was making quite a decent progress with Luna, but she could be stopped at any moment if something goes wrong.

"Now, should I try and speak to Moon about this?" He muttered those thoughts to himself as the world changed.

Instead of the starry plane they had been speaking in, it became a bright day. There was a soft breeze and an earthly smell.

Satisfied with the change, he took a stretch as a cauldron appeared in front of him. A book flew over from the sky and landed on his hoof. The title was 'Gustavo's Griffin Grubs'.

"Thank you, Luna." He said to the air as he flipped to a page.

"So, where's my gift?" Moon asked impatiently.

Getting up with a groan, Floral chuckled as he walked to the campfire.

"Well, I cut it pretty close, but I managed it." He said as he came back with the dagger.

"What?" Moon was a bit confused.

"Couldn't find a safe place to hide it." He said and reached behind Moon.

She felt a tug on her mane as Floral brought out a necklace.

"What the fuck?" She asked and started to inspect her mane.

"Don't you worry, I put it there last night." He reassured her.

Holding the necklace, he angled the dagger and cut straight through one of the gems, turning it into the shape of a cut diamond.

"Woah." Moon was pretty impressed.

The necklace itself was was made of silver chains and blue diamonds were encrusted into it. With one gem bigger than the others visible right in the middle, it was pretty fancy looking.

"Holy shit, you made this? With the big diamond?" She incredulously asked.

"Took me three weeks, but yeah." He replied and carefully draped it over Moon, concealing her wooden choker. "You said you liked the ring, but it didn't suit you. So, I eventually came to this."

Moon took a few moments to inspect the necklace. "I love it." She finally said with a smile.

"Good. Took me a lot of work to make those gemholders." Floral said with a chuckle as they walked towards their campfire.

"Hey, I didn't ask for it." Moon replied as her shadows extended out.

The tendrils brought out a few sticks and logs along with a match.

Floral only gave another chuckle in response as he dug through their supplies. "Welp, happy Heart's Warming right? Let's make a good meal." He told her as the fire was started.

"Fuck yeah!"

Ugh. What the fuck happened? Shit, my head.

"-et....we have to....it's comi..again!"

There was distant yelling. Groaning from movement, I barely opened my eyes. Fire was spreading.

What the?

*Creak*

Hearing the sound from above, I forced myself to spin. Taking considerable force out of, I looked upwards.

What is that? What's falling? Wait, something is falling.

Is that, the treehouse?

Unable to move, I could stare as the structure fell down. Not even able to scream, I helplessly watched as it finally reached me.

"Moon?"

What the fuck are you doing here?

"Careful, careful. It's really hot." Floral warned as I slowly took the wrapping off of the pan.

"Dude, I know. Besides, I'm using shadows. I can't feel it." I replied as I carefully rolled the wrapping away.

We've already spent thres hours making the damn pastry, I am not failing when we're this close.

With the relief of succeeding, I took it away as the glorious meal shone in brightness.

"Holy fuck, the smell." I gave a comment as I stared at its beauty. "The beef, uh, something-ton."

"Yeah, I can't believe we actually managed to make it." He added on.

Took us too much effort.

"Making that without an oven. What a challenge huh?" Floral said from the side as he brought out two plates. "Welp, time to eat."

Slicing it open, I poked the slightly pink insides with a fork. Soft.

"I, think it's ready." I took a guess.

"It should be. We baked it for two hours." He said and started to slice it.

Taking a piece on my plate, I sat down on a log as I used magic to bring the barrel of whiskey over.

"Here." I took the knife Floral gave me and sliced a piece off. "Damn." Was all I could say.

"I'll admit. This does taste quite good compared to others." Floral said as took another bite. "I think the mashed potatoes are better though."

"Bullshit." I replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah. You grew up appreciating meat, while potatoes were a stable in every house where I lived."

We shared a few jokes and stories as time passed.

Suddenly, Floral stopped as he stared at a random direction. His face was fully concentrated as he tensed in preparation.

I wasn't much different as I prepared to act. Though, I still couldn't sense what Floral found out.

"Yo!" The rather rough voice called out from behind the bushes.

"Gilda! Good to see you!" I was pleasantly surprised by the visitor.

"Good afternoon, Gilda." Floral was pretty happy as well.

"Yeah, yeah. I was passing by, thought I should see if you guys were still alive." She said casually as he took a seat.

"Come on, take a seat. We made beef wellington." Floral told her as she sat down without issues.

"So, where you headed?" I asked the question as I saw her luggage.

A bindle, barely holding onto a bunch of bits.

"Oh, you know. Just, traveling around." She replied rather weirdly.

"On Heart's Warming?" Floral interrupted.

"Yeah, thought I could visit some friends across the country." She explained as she received a plate from Floral.

Weird. She seems strangely, nervous? I mean, she was nervous when Floral attacked her, but she was pretty chill after that. Wonder what's bugging her.

"Well, if you need a place to stay a while. You're welcome to crash here whenever you want." I think that's for the best.

"You sure? You guys feel like you're struggling just by yourselves."

"Nah, it's cool. The asshole won't mind it either, would you?" I asked Floral jokingly.

"As long as you don't fuss about sharing your meals." He said back.

"Wha? Fuck you. I don't eat that much."

"Whatever you say." He said with a chuckle.

"Pssht, whatevs." I dropped the matter and took a bite. "Hey Gilda, you drink?"

"Uh, sure. What you got?"

"Whiskey, take it or leave it."

"Yeah, that'll do."

With that, I started to pour some in a cup. Right as I turned around, I was instantly pushed down.

"Really? Right now?" I heard Floral complain.

"What the buck was that!?"

Getting up with a groan, I pushed Floral's hoof away and stared forward.

"Seriously?" I asked out loud as I stared at the enemy, another wooden pony. "Can you guess what this one has?" I asked Floral.

This one looked a bit weird. It had the same features as the others, but it was also kitted with an axe.

"Everything." He answered shortly as he pulled a stone axe off of the whiskey barrel. "Gilda, hide." He commanded.

"Yeah, sure." Gilda replied and sprinted away.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked the question as I stared forward.

"I'll take charge, you suppor-" He was cut off as the pony suddenly appeared in front of us.

Having my magic ready, I was about to phase back, but Floral jumped in front of me and grabbed the axe from the middle. Following it up, I redirected my magic as spikes emerged from below the pony.

It dodge with a simply jump as it let go of the axe and tried to punch Floral. He retaliated by tanking the punch and struck it from below with the stone axe. A hit.

Taking the chance, I followed it up with a leap and got on top of it. Right as I landed, I brought the knife down and dug straight into its head, lodging the knife there. Knowing exactly what these things were capable of, I jumped away and landed on the ground as I gathered more magic, dodging the vines that tried to rush me.

"Move!" I yelled and slammed into the ground with my hooves as ripples of spikes traveled to it through the ground.

Floral heard me and bit into its hoof as he dragged it downwards and slammed it into the ground. Working as a counterforce, my spikes dug into it entirely, lifting it up to the air and impaling it in several areas.

Right as vines started to come out, I sent another burst of magic as the spikes exploded into others, destroying the pony from the inside. Taking a few seconds as I stared at the motionless puppet, Floral jumped next to me as he brandished the stone axe and throwing a few torn pieces of vines away.

"That it?" I asked out loud.

"Seems you destroyed its core. Stay vigilant though, we don't know what'll happen." Hearing those words, I let my guard back up as I gathered more magic.

I'm starting to run out a bit, and forcing myself to use more will damage my core. If I keep doing that, I'll keep losing strength.

"How much more can you do?" Floral asked.

"About twice, maybe?" I answered as I leaked my shadow.

Connecting it to the shadows of the forest should charge me.

"Shit." Floral cursed.

"What?" I asked and looked at where he turned to. "Fuck."

"Gah, let, go. Freaking tree pony." Gilda was struggling.

She was captured in vines. Another wooden pony was walking next to her as she was shut down by a metal edge on her throat. Where did it even get that axe.

Taking a glance at Floral, I looked back at the pony again.

"No fucking way." I cussed as I stared at their postures.

The exact way they held a stance with an axe.

"We probably should've figured that out with the others." Floral commented as he stopped his charge. "Got any attacks from you I should worry about?" He whispered the question.

"It can't imitate Nocturnal magic, except for the spikes maybe. I don't have anything too complicated other than that." I whispered back and took my shadow back.

Taking another good look at the pony, I realized something. Those vines, they're not connected to the pony. It means there's another enemy.

It pressed a bit harder on Gilda's neck, causing blood to start streaming.

"Alright, alright, we get it." I spoke annoyedly as I let go of my fighting stance.

"Annoying." Floral commented as he dropped his axe and kicked it away. "We don't have weapons, what do you want?!" He yelled.

The pony tilted its head creepily as a smile appeared again.

"You." It actually, spoke.

What the fuck?

Is he the one who trapped us here?

"Kill her." Its voice was creepy as all hell.

Like a scratched vinyl mixed with a broken door. Only made more eerie with its slow way of speaking.

"Why do you want us to kill her?" Floral asked.

"Not, the griffin. The Nocturnal."

Huh?

Shit.

I glanced at Floral, asking him what to do. He was tense. So was I. I know the asshole wouldn't hurt me, but we also need to make sure it doesn't hurt Gilda.

"Take me instead." Floral said.

"Oi, what the fuck are talking about?" I quickly asked him.

"Unacceptable." The pony responded. "You are, my champion, to kill, the others."

"No, we can come to an understanding. We can kill those, others, you're talking about. None of us has to die." Floral was talking back.

What the fuck do we do?

"It is, non-negotiable." It denied as it drew its axe forward. "That one, must die."

Floral thumped the ground once.

Wait, fuck. What am I supposed to do?

I don't know what to do.

"Surely, if you think about it. We could come to a middle ground." Floral kept distracting him as he thumped once more.

Ah screw it.

I started to discreetly gather magic for a single spell. A cutting spell that could set Gilda loose.

"Not possible, you have, grown too, attached, to her."

"Alright then, fine." Floral said as he thumped floor one last time.

Instantly throwing my spell forward, a pure dark blade rushed forward in an instant, cutting through the ground and raising a dust cloud. Having had ample time to aim it, the blade instantly cut through the vines, just barely missing Gilda as she fell to the ground.

"YOU!" That prick shouted out loud as Gilda took the chance and instantly started to fly away.

Right as the pony tried to give chase, Floral was already in front of it and swung down. With a loud bang, the pony was instantly knocked down to the ground.

"Gilda! Get my weapon from the fire wood!" I shouted the command as I had already reached the pony.

Seeping more magic, I swiped upwards as more spikes pierced through the pony.

"Ugh." Before I could explode it like the other one, my concentration was ruined by a vine suddenly grabbing me.

Forcing my legs to the ground, I pulled back as a vine connected to the pony tried to pull me in. Floral was also being pulled.

Though, unlike me, he grabbed the vine using both hooves and yanked it towards himself.

Seeing the opportunity, I gathered magic into my hoof as I prepared to land a blow.

"Here!" Finally, Gilda yelled loud as she threw the knife over.

Changing plans in an instant, I threw a tendril and caught the knife. Right as the bastard came flying over, I poured in immense amounts of magic into the knife.

With one swing, I flipped the knife and stabbed down, right into its heart. Pouring everything else, I made sure to cover this bastard's entire body before I blasted downwards.

A gaping hole appeared in its body as everything except its limbs and head were obliterated.

Stumbling back with a heavy breath, I fell down as my magic reserves were emptied.

"Well, shit. I'm impressed." Floral commented with a chuckle as he stood next to me. "You killed the bastard in one shot."

"Wow." Gilda was amazed as she walked over.

"Fuck yeah, I'm pretty damn impressive." I said smuggly as I laid down on my back.

Ugh. That took way too much out of me. I gotta recharge.

Leaking my shadow out again, I connected it to the shadows of the forest as I started to regain more magic.

"Good timing there though, Gilda. That throw came at the perfect time." I spoke up as I raised the knife to the sky.

Its edges were pitch black, an eerie sense invading just by looking at it.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you about this thing." I spoke to Floral.

"What about it?" He responded.

"What's this thing made out of? Is it like enchanted or something? Magic goes in way too smoothly."

"Well, if you must know, it's from-"

*BOOM*

Yes. This will be perfect. Blueblood liked the snow globe, so I don't see a reason why Moon wouldn't like it.

Although I gave the staff quite a scare, I managed to have them make this in time. I even stood over to watch the process myself.

I have made sure to have it include a shadowy area, under a pale moon with a single castle. The same castle she said she used to love in.

Suddenly being broken out of my thoughts, the area shook heavily as I almost dropped the globe on the ground, managing to catch it with my magic.

"That, could have been disasterous." I mumbled as I stood steadily. "What was that?"

Staring to the sky, I saw smoke rising up. Knowing it was trouble, I instantly teleported over.

Appearing with a flash of light, I looked over the area. A light green colored fire everywhere, dirt was blasted through the camp. A nearby tree almost fell over on me.

Simply stepping away, I took a few steps forwards.

"What happened here?" I mumbled the question and looked around.

Staring at the only landmark around here, I saw that a treehouse was falling off the giant tree.

"Moon!" I yelled and flashed over before putting a protective barrier above me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She asked in an annoyed tone, a new necklace I didn't know about hanging from her neck.

"That does not matter. Art-I mean, are you okay?" I corrected myself as I asked.

"I'm fucking fine." She refused my help as she struggled to stand.

Seeing her about to fall down again, I quickly grabbed her with a hoof.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled and slapped my hoof away, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Please, I'm only trying to help." I pleaded as softly as I could as I extended a hoof.

She glared distrustfully as she stared at my hoof. With moments of nerve breaking silence passing, she gave a single groan before accepting it.

"I better not fucking regret this." She said loudly as she stood up with another groan.

"You won't, I promise. I won't break it this time." I said hopefully.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now help me find Flo-Remedy. Help me find Remedy, and Gilda, a griffin cuck." She said that last part with a slight chuckle.

"Uh, yes. What happened here?"

"I don't fucking know. One second we won, then another I got blasted to Tartarus and back." She complained as she took a few steps forwards, almost falling as she did so.

I worriedly went to hold her, but she held me back before starting to walk on her own.

"If you find an eerie looking knife, bring it. It's a good weapon." She said before walking away.

"Alright, I guess I'll, go that way." I sulked slightly as Moon walked away without hearing my words.

I gave a sigh before walking the other way. I couldn't have chosen a worse time to arrive.

"FUCKING!" I was distracted by Moon suddenly yelling.

Quickly flying over to her, I saw her trapped in some vines.

"YOU! YOU SHOULD, HAVE DIED!" A voice I didn't know was shouting.

Before I could take action, a creature made of wood, looking eerily similar to a pony rose from the ground. Slowly healing itself, it shook with anger as it pointed an axe towards Moon.

How could it be though? There's two different cores that I could see as it regained shape. And it has so much emotion. Much more than the ice cold puppets I've seen before.

Thinking to move before it could do anything, I blasted it with magic and landed next to Moon. I tore away the vines and held Moon steady.

"Move!" She yelled and pushed me away.

Getting up hastily, I saw a big vine headed towards me. Erecting a barrier, I blocked it and teleported above and threw lightning with my magic.

Scorching the vines away, I stared at the wooden pony and blasted it again with a much stronger strike if thunder.

Landing next to Moon again, I shielded ourselves as I stood vigilantly.

"WHO ART THOU!?" I demanded the question.

This thing is definitely sentient.

"You are, not needed, Princess." It said as it brandished its axe.

"Oh this insolent little." I muttered and readied myself to fight.

"Careful. That prick might be talking out of his ass, but he definitely has the skills to talk shit. Just hiding it." Moon said from the side as we prepared to attack.

"Now!" Suddenly, a rough voice suddenly yelled out.

Glancing at where it came from, I saw a griffin.

"Agh!" I heard the wooden pony let out a sound and turned to see.

Remedy was there, and he stomped its head before taking its axe and split it right open.

"Fucking hell." I heard Moon cuss.

"TWO CORES! IT HAS TWO CORES!" I hurriedly yelled as I remembered the detail.

Suddenly, vines burst out from the wooden pony, knocking Remedy away. In an instant, I tried to teleport him over to me, only for him to be pulled away. Without pause, it sent extra vines as they all rushed at the griffin, destroying the surrounding area.

Flashing a bunch of air to myself, I stepped out of the barrier and threw another lightning blast. It sacrificed another vine to protect itself before slamming Remedy into the ground.

Hearing the repeated slams coming in again and again, Moon tried to run in, but she stopped almost instantly as she struggled to stand.

Flying over, I started to rain magic as a dust cloud slowly arose. With my magic spread around, I could easily sense where Remedy was.

Though, it just kept and kept bringing out more vines. The ones I destroyed quickly regenerating back. During that dust cloud, Moon suddenly ran in. Quickly stopping my barrage, I put a barrier on and dropped to the ground.

"Come on!" I heard Moon yell.

Using my magic sense, I found the two. I teleported over and shielded them. Through the dust, plenty of vines, enough to fill vision, all cut through as I felt some of them banging my barrier.

Wait, some?

Frantically turning my head, everything seemed to slow down. Most of those vines went straight for the two.

Moon, who was dragging the injured Remedy, turned back slowly as her eyes started to widen. They were about to reach her. It was too close.

Quickly! What spell do I know? What can help right now? How fast can my magic reach them?

All those questions, yet only a resounding nothing came from my mind.

Right as the vines were about to hit Moon, she was suddenly pushed away as Remedy suddenly replaced her image.

Looking at the scene, I only gasped in horror as Moon fell to the ground. A sudden feeling of loss filled me as I stared at the scene.

Remedy, managed to hit one away with his axe and dodged others, but one still managed to go through, subsequently him as well. Hanging from the air, Remedy had a fierce look as he stared forward, barely fighting to stay awake.

"REMEDY!" I shouted as I flashed over.

With a strike of lightning, I burned the vine away as I put a protective barrier around all three of us. I made sure that the barrier was a full sphere that went into the ground as I dropped down next to him.

Quickly bringing out the best spell I knew, I started to apply it to him. As my blue colored magic started to seep in, I was deep in concentration. Though, the constant banging of vines on the barrier was making this difficult.

"Moon." I said through gritted teeth.

"What do I need to do?" She asked in a rather cold voice.

"Distract him. I can't concentrate with him hitting the barrier." I gave the instruction.

A few hoofsteps were heard, and Moon walked out of the barrier, dragging Remedy's axe behind her as she went.

"Hey." I heard Remedy say with a small cough.

"Not right now, Remedy. I need to concentrate." I tried to shut him up, but my vision started to become a bit blurry and my eyes started to sting.

"Listen." He said as he barely touched my snout. "Moon, she's gonna go berserk. If that happens-"

"You're not dying, Remedy. You won't if you let me concentrate." I warned him.

"Just, listen!" He said through his teeth as he coughed up a bit of blood. "If, if I die, tell her what you know."

"You won't-"

"Tell her. Give me your word that you'll her." I wanted to refute, but his gaze was focused.

Faltering under that look, I almost collapsed as I nodded.

"Good."

Moon, with a completely expressionless face, simply stared forward as her magic seemed to just dominate the area. She gave off a dangerous vibe that made the plants shrivel and any living creature flee. Except for one of course.

"Nightmare. You, must die." The wooden pony said with its slow voice.

Moon didn't reply as she just stood there. Her gaze was cold, empty. As if she wasn't even alive anymore.

In a single second, dozens of vines rose from the ground as they all swung towards her. With small movements, Moon jumped or stepped lightly to dodge the attacks. Only swinging the axe when one she couldn't dodge appeared.

"Grown, stronger?" It asked.

Without replying, Moon rushed in. Sending several attacks her way, the wooden pony leaped back to get some distance as it sensed that something was wrong.

Seeing those attacks, Moon simply ran faster as her body started to turn pitch black. Then, right as the attacks hit, she still didn't stop.

The wooden pony tilted its head, creating knocking noises. It was confused.

But that confusion was soon replaced with panic as Moon suddenly leaped up from right in front of him. It hastily grew vines all around him as a defense mechanism as the area suddenly turned darker. The vines seemed to pierce Moon, but she didn't give a single reaction before disappearing mid air.

The wooden pony looked around. It couldn't see anything. In an area of pitch black, it lit up magic as a bit of light brightened the area. With green lights, it kept looking around for Moon. It knew that she couldn't keep this up for long.

Sensing something, it instantly looked back as vines were ready to strike. Nothing.

It sensed another attack and turned to attack. Nothing again.

Realizing what was happening, it lit up more lights as it spread it around. It was confident it could win. In its mind, Floral was simply stronger, and it beat him easy enough.

Looking around, it saw Moon's figure lighting up and instantly threw an attack. It connected, or, it should have. It didn't feel anything. Turning around again, it launched vines at another figure, only for it to disappear.

Now the wooden pony was confused. It couldn't find Moon.

Feeling another attack, it launched an attack without looking, only to fall down as it realized its leg was cut off.

It was now, scared. A feeling it hadn't felt in a long time was resurfacing.

"You forget." Moon's emotionless voice echoed through the area. "I may have a different name, but I was Puer Umbrae Laito Nocturn, the god of the Nocturnals. You have made a mistake, thinking I was so weak, that you could hurt an important one to me, and LIVE!" She said the last part, finally showing emotion as countless eyes appeared in the void.

Every single one of those pupils stared with full intent to kill, filling the area with heavy pressure as it started to feel truly threatened. It knew it wouldn't die, yet it feared for its life.

"I know this is a puppet." Moon's voice whispered in its ear in a taunting tone. "I'll find you."

Having had enough, the wooden pony let out every last part of its magic as the entire area was filled with growth. Trees and vines grew high as it reached the edge of the void. Cracking it slightly, it regained a bit of hope as it forced its body to use more strength. Breaking through, it finally had good enough vision.

Immediately pulling up more vines, it stood on defense.

From all directions, dozens of Moons appeared under the light, all ready to strike with an axe.

Acting on reflex, it spun it's hooves as the vines spun around him, landing an attack on all of them. Until he was suddenly struck from the side.

Moon, using both back legs, performed a devastating jump kick. As the wooden pony was knocked back, a shadow tendril connected them as it was pushed back greatly. Going and going, breaking through several different trees on the way until it finally stopped with one final impact, becoming pinned to the giant tree.

Moon, using the tendril, pulled herself as she was launched at neck breaking speeds.

"GILDA!" She yelled while she was in the air.

The wooden pony raised its right hoof as vines came out of it, intending to counter attack.

*BANG*

It was stopped as two bolts of lightning suddenly traveled from behind Moon, blowing its entire leg off.

Seeing Moon coming ever closer, it was about to self destruct. Simply activate both cores, and produce and explosion.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" It suddenly felt an impact on its head as something sharp dug through.

Sending out more vines, it still had hope to win. Gilda, in response, pushed the knife sideways, splitting its head right open. She swiped sideways with her free claw, completely shredding its head before jumping away.

With the opportunity coming on a silver plate, Moon disconnected the tendril. Having already reached the pony, she had spun from the force. Using the rotating force, she locked on her target as its chest appeared. Having been caved in and destroyed from her previous attack, she could clearly see a shining marble.

*Thuk*

That single sound announced the victor. The wooden pony slumped down as one single axe had split it in half, as well as its remaining core. Using every last of its strength, it slowly raised it head towards Moon.

Leaning in, Moon whispered. "You copy others, right? Then this is how he died the first time." She said before pulling the axe away, allowing the pony to fully die.

Ignoring Gilda, she slowly tried to turn around. She saw the lightning attack. If Luna had the time to cast an attack spell, then she feared the worst.

Yet, before she could gather enough strength to do so, she felt a touch on her shoulder.

"Hey." Her eyes widened at that voice.

Turning around with enough force to crack one's neck, she was shocked as she stared at who had touched her.

"Floral!" She yelled in relief and instantly went for a hug.

Her body started to turn normal once again as tears started to stream down.

"Hey, hey. I'm alright. I promised didn't I?" He said softly as he ran his hoof slowly through Moon's mane.

Moon swiftly let go as she inspected the injured area. Blood was everywhere, but the wound itself was seemingly closed.

"What? How? I know Luna is shit at healing magic." She asked and stared back at his eyes.

"Wow, priorities." Luna commented tiredly.

She had obviously exhausted herself by using too much, well, everything.

"But yeah, the healing process should've been slower, but something else aided my magic." She explained slowly.

Gilda was just struggling to stay awake at the moment.

"Wait, you can't die anymore?" Moon asked Floral.

"Not exactly, but I'm pretty sure this, is now under my control." Floral said as he raised a hoof, a bright green color emanating from it.

"Cool." Moon replied as silence came shortly after.

In the awkward situation, Floral took a glance at Luna, giving her a signal.

"Oh! Right." Luna spoke up as she turned to the place she came from.

Cutting through the air, a single orb came flying through. Carefully holding the snow globe, Luna presented it to Moon after wiping a bit of dirt away with her hoof.

"Here, and, I'm sorry. Really, this time, I realized my mistakes." She said as Moon grabbed without much thought.

Giving it a single shake, Moon stared at the little flakes of fake snow falling down slowly.

"Whatever, Luna. Thanks, for the gift, or whatever." She said as she held the snow globe.

"Hey, Moon?" Gilda spoke up as she leaned on Moon. "Think I'll take you up on that offer." She said and passed out right on top of her.

"Just where is she? She said she'd be back around an hour ago." Celestia was pacing in her room. "She raised the moon, so I know she's alright, but she wouldn't be spending that much time at Remedy's camp. Remedy himself would tell her it was time to leave." She kept talking to herself as thoughts of different plans started to pop up.

*Bam*

Crashing through her balcony, Luna rolled in as she stood up with a shaky stance.

"Luna!" Celestia was alarmed as she quickly used her magic to inspect her injuries.

"Hey, Celly." She said with a bright smile. "I was in a fight." She said it so casually before collapsing on Celestia's bed, pulling Celestia as well with a hug before passing out shortly after.

Still shocked, Celestia didn't know what to do as she just laid in the bed with Luna's hooves tightly wrapped around her.

"You're a riot, Luna." She said with a sigh before returning the hug using her hooves and wings.

Even though her evening plans with Luna had been ruined, she was just relieved that Luna was alright.

Still, she couldn't figure out why Luna smelled like ash and soot.

Author's Note

Heya!

I know these last few chapters may have felt a bit slow, but the pace will go back to it's usual speed now. :scootangel: I just, really couldn't have skipped the Heart's Warming episode, and a way to ruin it somehow. :duck:

Anyways, as always thanks for reading! :heart:

Repercussions

"Ugh, this thing is so damn itchy." Moon complained and scratched the outside of her bandage.

"You probably shouldn't scratch it." Gilda told her and took a bite of a grilled fish. "What's up with that new necklace though."

"It's a gift I got from Heart's Warming."

They were calmly sat at the camp as a fire was lit. A plate of boneless fish was laid out on a plate between them. Gilda had a bandage wrapped around her head. Moon was off a lot worse with bandages covering her entire chest and back. All the courtesy of Luna, who magicked a few rolls over before leaving.

"What would you know about injuries?" Moon asked and begrudgingly stopped scratching.

"I've had my share of crashes during training, and believe me, healthcare, is not a real thing in Griffonia." She replied and continued to eat.

"Seriously? I thought Griffonia was some big empire that rivaled Equestria."

"Nah, might've been in the past, but nowadays it's a struggle to even eat lunch without thinking somepony is gonna rob it." She said as if it was no problem at all. "I'm more surprised that Remedy is still working on that thing." She glanced at Floral, who came out of the forest holding several trees at once.

"Gilda, screw him. He's an anomaly anyway. You had to grow up in that kind of environment?" Moon ignored the stallion who drank some water before getting to work.

"What do you mean, that kind of environment?"

"You said food was scarce, is there a fucking famine in Griffonia right now?"

"Uh, I guess? I mean, we still eat. It's just, nopony actually cooks anything. Without taking bits anyway."

Moon looked on with a pitying look before suddenly hugging Gilda tightly, earning a pained groan from both of them.

"I know how horrible something like that is. I've had to deal with it firsthoof before. If you ever need to talk about it, I'm always available." She said comfortingly.

"I, guh, uhh, I'll uh, keep it in mind." Gilda replied as she struggled a bit to breathe under her unrealistically strong grip.

"Girls? Did one of you manage to shit out spherical poop?" Floral asked as he came closer with the metal axe he took from the wooden pony.

"What?"

"Yeah, what?"

The two were justly confused.

"I found a bundle of ball shaped poop in the woods." Floral simple explained. "If neither of you did it, then a wild animal might've came in. Most likely a prey animal." He kept speaking as he tried to look away.

He knew just what was happening as he stared at Moon. Gilda was slightly worried as Moon's face slowly morphed into extreme excitement.

"Really?" Floral asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"Please?" Moon said with a giant smile.

As a few seconds pass with Floral being slightly amazed at her brazenness, he finally gave a sigh. "Fine." He said and turned around to leave.

"Uh, what just happened?" Gilda asked from the side.

"I sent him on a hunt." Moon replied proudly.

"For what?"

"For dinner, and maybe tomorrow's breakfast if it's big enough." She said happily as she kept staring at Floral for him to leave.

Getting up with a small jump, flinching from pain, she skipped over to a seemingly random tree.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Gilda asked with a chuckle at the weird scene.

"Just a small hobby." She replied and came back with a piece of wood.

"What is it?"

"It's supposed to be a, uh, what'cha call it, a doll of some sorts." She explained as she sat down with her dagger.

"That, is a doll?"

"Hey, this is my first time trying this shit."

"Then, what's it supposed to be?"

"Uhhh, I, didn't really have a lot of references." She said and turned it over.

Although not much could be told, the details were obviously hinting at an equine.

"Is it Remedy?" Gild asked as a sudden thought came to her.

Even though she didn't have much experience in this kind of relationship, even she could see it.

"You can tell just from this?" Moon asked with a confused expression.

"Uh, yeah, you've shown plenty already." She commented with an amused grin before returning to her fish.

"I, what? The fuck are you talking about?" The Nocturnal was just getting more confused.

"You wouldn't happen to have a fridge do you? Or, like, some kind of shelf?"

"No?"

"Shame." Gilda finally ended the conversation, leaving Moon alone with her ever profound confusion.

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it."

"I am so, wait a damn second." Moon's demeanor suddenly changed as she stood up.

Seeing the serious expression she was making, Gilda followed suit as she stood up, ready for a fight.

"What's happening?" She asked Moon.

"Shush, I hear something." She said carefully and focused on the sound.

Rotating several times to determine the location, she finally stopped at a direction before opening her eyes.

"Gilda, I'm too injured to properly move my body, as well as use magic. So, be ready to run if something dangerous comes out." Moon sternly told her as she lightly pushed her out of the camp and towards Floral.

"What the hay are you talking about!? Let's just go to Remedy, he seemed to be pretty dang fine." Gilda retaliated as she was hurried along.

"That's a great option, but usually, there's at least another bastard to go after me. And I'm not so sure we can just run away from it."

"NIGHTMARE MOON! COME OUT!" The yelling of a stallion rang through the area.

"What in the fuck?" Moon cussed as she turned to look at the source.

"I thought you got away scot free from the law." Gilda commented as she took a protective stance.

"Uh, yeah." Moon replied and pulled Gilda behind herself. "Ass of the Sun herself told me all officially and shit."

"You sure?"

"Positve. Unless I was drinking at that time, but I think I wasn't."

"You think?"

"There she is!" A random mare yelled out.

"She has that griffin as her servant!"

"Oh you gotta be fucking with me." Moon said out loud as she took a step back.

"Why the buck, is the whole town of Ponyville here?" Gilda asked as she took a step also.

"I don't fucki-wait, a damn second. That fucking brat told on me."

"Get her!"

"Run!" Moon yelled as they ran back.

"Why are we running?" Gilda asked as she dodged a rock.

"I can't fight a whole fucking town with these injuries." She said back and ducked under a branch before sidestepping a full on cake.

"Fucking hell. That's what you say right?" Gilda joked slightly as they ran through the woods.

"Perfect, fucking, usage." Moon said back as she thought of a plan. "Now, where the fuck is Floral?"

Grunting under strain, I managed to stop a boar completely. Lifting it slightly from the ground by its tusks, I smashed its head to the ground, creating a small crater. Grabbing the axe that I had stabbed into its side, I brought it down on its neck and smashed a green rock in the process.

Without much time to rest, I jumped over another one and immediately took a defensive stance against the third one. Straining my body, I grit my teeth and continued to attack.

Why the fuck did I agree to go on a hunt again?

Immediately getting hit with an image of Moon looking at me with pleading eyes, I banished the thought and focused back on the fight.

"Alright boys, Moon wants something other than fish for dinner so, I'll just say sorry in advance." I said my piece before turning the boar on its side. "I think I saw a bacon recipe in Gustavo's book."

Fucking morons. Illi fatui. Featherbrains! Wait, Rich is an earth pony.

Gah! It doesn't matter. Those fools are gonna get themselves killed trying to go after Moon like that.

"Sister! What are we to do if Remedy has already slain a few?!" Luna asked as she flew right beside me.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there!" I yelled back and focused on my magic. "We should be reaching teleport distance soon. How fast can the guards catch up to us?!"

"They'll take at least a few minutes! I didn't get the chance to train their marching speed!"

"Woah!" I let out a surprised sound as I maneuvered through the air.

"Blasted things!" Luna yelled as we took combat stances.

Looking at the hundreds of vines coming out of the forest, and very obviously coming for us, I could let out only a single sentence.

"Why did it have to be tentacles?"

"Sister, what are you talking about?"

"Don't worry about it, Luna. Just don't read Neighpanese literature."

*Rumble*

"Where is she?!"

"They couldn't have gone far!"

"We have to capture her before she can get powerful again!"

Patiently waiting for the ponies to pass, I breathed a sigh of relief before standing up slowly.

"Alright, coast is clear. Maybe we can hide in the leftover parts of the treehouse. They wouldn't expect us to be hiding in a ruined building right?" I suggested as we threw away our bush disguise.

"Yeah, I think that could work." Gilda replied and we started to run away.

Halfway through our secret escape, we stopped to rest a bit. Having sprinted at full speed while heavily injured, just walking was starting to become a pain.

"So, why're these guys going after you anyway?" Gilda asked.

"Why do you think?" I replied.

"Cuz you're freaking Nightmare Moon or whatever, yeah, I got that part. I'm asking how they found out about you and why they're attacking you."

"Ugh, it's cuz some random ass kid wandered in here, turns out she was the kid of that slick looking mother fucker that was leading the mob."

"Well, buck." She said as we eased down.

"You gotta learn some real cusses kid."

"Oh yeah? What would you say then?"

"I'd have said shit. Cuz this is a shitty situation."

"Alright, then what does shit mean?"

"Poop. Why the fuck do I have to explain this?"

"There's no poop involved!"

"It just means horrible! You ass!"

"Then what the buck does that mean?!"

"It means-!" In an instant, I pushed her down and ducked myself.

*Bam*

"Who the fu-shit." I interrupted myself as I stared at an ape.

Well, apes, plural.

"You wouldn't happen to have a way to beat all of them, would you?" Gilda asked as we both prepared to run.

"Hell no!" I yelled and we both sprinted away.

Barely dodging a rain of rocks and hard fruits, we ran through the woods with an evasive maneuver. Though, against the monkey army, we couldn't get much speed.

I stumbled slightly before picking myself up and continuing to run. These fucking injuries are so damn annoying.

"Alright, screw this." I mumbled and gathered what little magic I could.

Using it all for one spell, I punched to the biggest tree I could see. It instantly broke from the punch, making loud banging noises behind us as we ran away. With the strategy thought of, I randomly kept punching until the rain of rocks stopped coming.

"Where are we even going?!" Gilda asked from beside me.

"Away!" I gave an answer and jumped over an overgrown root.

I don't think I've actually been to this part of the barrier before.

Almost coming out of the treeline, I recognized the big one right in front of us. Signaling for her to take the lead, we ran over and looked up to see the hidden half of the treehouse remaining.

"Here." Gilda floated up and offered me her claw.

Taking it, she lifted us both and we stayed quiet.

With heavy breaths, we hid under the shadows and a few broken tiles that fell from the ceiling.

"Seriously, where the fuck is Floral?" I muttered the question.

"Just who is Floral?" Gilda asked.

"He's Remedy. Don't ask, it's a whole backstory thing. Now shush." I explained and stayed quiet as the monkeys started to come closer.

"Look! Monkeys!" A stallions voice rang out.

And now the angry mob is here.

Great.

Just where in the everloving fuck is Floral!?

With a slap, I rotated another monkey in the air and instantly threw a punch at another one.

Leap to dodge two more and then slam them together.

Keep fighting whilst dodging all the projectiles.

"Seriously, what the fuck? I just wanna bring this hog to the camp." I mumbled and swung my axe to split another one in half.

"Ugh, finally." I said with a tired voice as me and Luna landed on the ground.

"Well that was certainly annoying." Luna commented and threw away a broken vine.

"I agree." I said and looked around the camp. "Now, just what is happening here?"

Ponies and monkeys were fighting against each other in a rather comical way. Things such as cupcakes and carrots were being thrown around. Some were even yelling out war cries.

Somehow, someway, sombrero, Filthy Rich was standing at the front of it all.

Oh and Moon, along with a griffin for some reason, was hiding behind the giant tree, on a treehouse? It looks rather impressive, but still, it's broken.

"Well this is certainly the least lethal combat I've witnessed." Luna commented as we stepped forward.

Deflecting a stray cookie and the occasional origami weapon with magic, we made our way through the outskirts and towards the duo hiding in the tree.

"Hi." I gave a simple greeting.

"Yeah, yeah, I saw you two coming." She said in her usual grumpy tone. "Hey as well." Surprisingly, she also greeted Luna in a completely normal way, pleasantly surprising us both. "So, control your fucking crowd." She just demanded.

"Fine, fine, you have the right." I almost gave in. "But, could you tell us exactly what went down? I didn't get the full details from my report."

"Who is Filthy Rich, that he could rally an entire town to raid the Everfree Forest?" Luna asked the obvious question. "Nice necklace by the way."

"He's rich, Luna, he's just rich. Sadly, being rich comes with the added bullshit called pride, which apparently got broken when his daughter came over." Moon explained sarcastically. "And thanks, the old asshole got it for me."

"Oh."

Both me and Luna instantly understood the problem.

"Well, I suppose we should start with calming the monkeys down before anypony gets hurt." I suggested before staring upwards. "Though, could we meet your griffin friend, Moon?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, Gilda, yeah, sure, whatever. Gilda!" Moon called her friend over.

"Gah! Freaking!" A female voice yelled out and, Gilda, jumped out of the treehouse.

Sharing a glance with Luna, I grabbed her in my magic and slowly lowered her to my level. Though, there was a monkey strapped to her face.

"Are you alright?" I asked calmly after taking the monkey away.

She looked around for a second before finally looking at me. Eyes slowly becoming too wide, she silently kept staring before speaking up.

"Moon, what do I say in this situation?" She suddenly asked.

"Eh, I say you tell her to fuck off." Moon replied with a grin.

"Yeah, no. You still haven't told me what that means." She Gilda replied.

"Well, I'm certainly flattered." I interrupted and put Gilda down.

Luna used her magic to grab a random pony in the midst of the fight.

"Good afternoon." She gave a simple greeting.

"P-princess Luna?!" The brown coated stallion shouted in surprise.

"Yes, you are blessed or whatever, have you seen Fluttershy?"

"Uh, I apologize, but I haven't seen her all day."

"Oh, shame." She said and placed the stallion back in the midst of three monkeys, shortly before blasting all three monkeys away.

"Why the fuck woul-AGH! What the fuck!" Moon was interrupted by a random plate hitting her.

"Moon! Are you alright?"

"Moon!"

"By the stars."

"Fucking hell, I'm fine. Ugh, just, it fucking hit the horn." Moon refused help as she held the base of her horn.

"I should still check." I said and tried to take a closer look.

"I'm fine, dumbass." She refused my help.

"Please, Moon, damage to the horn is a serious issue for ponies. If your magic circuits get damaged, that could travel throughout your entire body and make it so that you can't use magic, ever." I explained and waited for her.

She stayed silent for a few seconds before letting out a tired groan. "Fine, whatever."

"I'm glad that you can trust me." I said and started to inspect.

"Don't push it, Sunny, you're the one bringing supplies anyway." She replied rather coldly.

I only chuckled at her words.

"Hmm, it's cracked." I said out loud.

"It was only a plate, wasn't it?" Gilda added from the side.

"It matters not what managed to deal damage, but the fact of the matter is that horns are both resilient, yet fragile. Although, the weaknesses are hard to notice since they're all only formed by how much magic one has used." Luna explained as she took a closer took. "Though, this is rather extensive."

"I agree, a few more hits before this heals and it might come right off. You were unlucky." I added in.

"Doesn't fucking matter, i don't use your bullshit Equestrian magic anyway." Moon said and pulled her head back. "Fuck that hurts though."

I gave a sigh at that. "Well, the horn is basically a bone connected to the skull, so it's rather sensitive."

"I don't need a fucking lesson right now." She said.

"As alright as you are with it, Remedy will not be happy with the residents of Ponyville." Luna interjected.

"Well, I should be, hopefully, able to stop him from hurting them." I said as I thought of the plans I could do.

"I feel like I'm dreaming." Gilda commented from the side. "Can't one of you just tell him to stand down?" She asked.

"I'm afraid he doesn't exactly follow our commands." I spoke up.

She took a few moments to take it in. "Fucking hell." She finally said, much to the joy of Moon.

Turning to the ongoing battle, I was observing if I should actually go in. Then the guards finally appeared.

"Hmm, they're still too slow." Luna mumbled to herself.

"They were sufficient, Luna." I said and started to go in. "You two can rest now, me and Luna will take care of monkeys." I said and walked away with Luna.

"Make sure that stick inside the motherfucker's ass comes out!" Moon yelled from behind us.

"Can't guarantee that!" I yelled back.

Slowly suppressing the monkeys with the help of the guards, we made our way through and stood in front of the mob.

"Good afternoon to you all." I spoke calmly.

Murmurs were carried throughout the crowd as the chaos started to die down. Mainly guesses on why I was here and why I didn't come earlier.

Though, they were all about me specifically. Still, Luna, seemed to be fine.

"Alright, as simply as this had ended, I'll still have to ask. What were you all thinking?! You all could've gotten seriously injured, or worse!" As I admonished them, something started to feel wrong.

Like everything is about to go horribly right now.

With a sudden wave of pressure washing over me, I realize exactly what was about to happen.

"Yo, dude. Really, I'm fine!" I heard Moon's nervous voice.

"WHO DARES TO ATTACK THIS PLACE?!" And there he was.

"As always, like I'm facing a spawn of Tartarus." Luna said from the side.

"Yeah, this is becoming troublesome." I said and started to walk on over.

"Halt!" One of our guards raised his spear, and got knocked out with one punch before I could say anything.

"Remedy!" I called out.

Flinching slightly from his sudden glare, I took a breath as me and Luna walked over.

"If you're going to protect whoever that did this, then I will attack you." He said in a threateningly low voice.

"For goodness sake, Remedy. I'm here to stop this mess." I said with a sigh.

"I'm also here." Luna said from behind me.

"Should probably calm down, old timer." Gilda said in a forced joking tone.

"Really, dude, I'm fine. It's just another injury on my old ones." Moon added on top as she slung a hoof over him.

Glancing forward with a questioning glare, he scanned the area for a few seconds before closing his eyes, letting the pressure wash away. Then, he was back to his usual self.

The old stallion. One that is slowly proving to be more of a headache than I first thought.

"For what reason did they attack?" He calmly asked.

"Funny, that's what I want to ask." I replied and turned back to look at the crowd.

Most of them were knocked out with only a few barely standing. At least the guards managed to stay awake, just barely though.

Luna magicked over Filthy Rich before giving him a good slap, successfully waking him up.

"Please I did my taxes!" He yelled as he jumped up.

"Who are you?" Remedy asked with a glare.

"Why should I-"

I stopped his question with a glare.

"Filthy Rich, sir." He quickly added at the end.

"Why did you attack, Filthy?" Remedy asked.

"Nightmare Moon was, uh, was." It seems he finally noticed Moon and Luna looking over him.

"Is your daughter the one with the tiara?" Remedy asked again.

"Yes?" Filthy was now officially broken.

"You're an irresponsible father." He said and turned to leave. "Come on you two, help me drain the blood of those pigs." He told Moon and Gilda.

"Fuck yes! Let's grill that shit!" Moon was certainly excited.

"Are pigs that good?" Gilda just asked as she was forced along by Moon.

Looking at the trio completely ignoring the disaster on their camp, I sighed one last time before looking at the guards. At least their recovery seem good.

"Guards! Wake the civilians up and escort them back to their place of residence!" I shouted the command. "So, think we should join them?" I turned to ask Luna.

She gave a stretch as a few audible pops rang out. "Yeah, we missed lunch to get here anyway. You'll probably get in trouble with Raven Inkwell though." She said with a giggle before walking away.

Looking at her back, and taking a glance at the moving guards, I could come to a single conclusion.

"I should really retire." I mumbled and teleported over to take a seat.

At least these visits are usually peaceful.

*ROAR*

A giant ape suddenly came in breaking through the woods.

"Ugh, I'll take care of it." Remedy spoke up and went towards it with a sharp looking dagger.

"Could really go for a drink right about now." Moon commented.

"Too bad that barrel got destroyed." Gilda added.

"Oh, right, you asked me to bring you a bottle last time." Luna spoke up and brought out a bottle from her mane.

"It's barely an hour past noon!" Why am I the only sensible one?

Author's Note

New chapter out! :yay:

I dare you guys to count how many times 'fuck' was written in this chapter. Don't know why, but I think my cuss battery was running out of juice and only pumping out the most basic ones. :rainbowderp:

Anyways, thanks for reading! :heart:

Path Ahead

*Thud, Thud*

"Ah reckon that's about it." Applejack spoke up as she put a hammer down.

"Yep, that'll do." Floral replied and picked up the finished pillar before planting it in a hole. "Need dirt!"

"I got it." Rainbow picked up a pack of dirt and packed it into the hole, stabilizing the pillar.

"Yeah, I think that's right!" Moon yelled from up high as she hanged upside down.

Striking a few nails in, she gave the pillar a few nudges before nodding to Floral and falling down.

Floral caught her before placing her on the ground.

"Let's take a rest, we're done for the day." He spoke up.

"Alright, lunch!" Rainbow celebrated before flying down.

"Now, you made sure to spread the seasonings, right?" Rarity asked calmly.

"Yeah, I got it." Gilda replied and took her pan off of the fire. "We got stir fry!" She announced and grabbed a few plates that Fluttershy gave her.

"What're we having?" Moon asked and wrapped her around Gilda.

"Uh, Pork? Floral wrapped it around something and threw it in the fire." She replied and started to plate the rest.

"Whoowee! Now that, was a day's work." Applejack spoke as she rolled a barrel over. "I'm sure you're all itching for a glass of cider." She announced and rolled it upright.

"Heck yeah!" Rainbow celebrated.

"It does sound nice." Floral was passive about it.

"I agree, a refreshment in this weather is quite the treat." Rarity was positive.

"You, apple pony, are now listed in my favorites." Moon said ecstatically as she came over with a cup.

"You probably shouldn't drink too much." Fluttershy commented casually.

Floral watched on with slight interest. He knew Applejack wouldn't have actually brought alcohol, and he also knew that Moon was too excited about to hard cider to realize that truth.

"Apple family's famous cider. What'd ya think?" Applejack asked Moon who drank an entire cup in one go.

"Mhmm, sweet." Moon said and licked her lips. "Wait, this doesn't have alcohol."

"Of course it doesn't, the Apple family hasn't made hard cider once, ever." She said pridefully.

"You will pay greatly for betraying me like this, Freckles." The reply was added with a stare that failed to be threatening.

Though, the interaction ended with a round of laughter from the party.

"Hup!" I let out a small shout and landed on the floor.

"HAA!" Princess Luna let out a battle cry and blasted a cragadile away. "Forward!"

"Already on it!" With one final stretch, I flipped a switch and rolled on the ground to avoid dozens of poisoned darts.

*Clink*

Feathers!!

With one more leap, I barely dodged a glaive as my fur got a new cut. Then the floor suddenly collapsed. Instantly extending my wings, I stayed afloat, only for several tens of arrows to shout out.

Ah.

I can't move in time.

Right as I felt those whishing in, I was pulled back and my vision became blocked with blue.

*Thuk, thuk, thuk*

"Are you well, Daring Do?" Princess Luna asked with a slight pant.

Landing on the ground whilst heavily breathing, I took a seat. "Thanks, Princess, I owe you one."

"Do not fret, I have asked you on this search because I was told you were the most experienced. I am just glad I had not sent you alone, for I fear what may would have happened." She explained and threw away the corpse of a tiger full of arrows.

"I suppose, yeah." I gave a half hearted answer.

Having spent the whole day running around with her eradicated most of the usual awkwardness that comes with dealing with a royal.

"Seriously though, Princess, what's with this place?" I asked as I looked around. "It's a thousand years old, yet every trap is in perfect condition. Even the poison, I can just tell it hasn't expired yet." I gave a small complaint as I looked at the poison darts, just casually melting the wall they got stuck on. "All these other traps too, these are already beyond the 'above average' on the danger scale. Not even creative, just fatal."

"Hmm, as willing as I am to give you more information, I can not say much more. These ruins are all connected to my time as Nightmare Moon, though, after my banishment." She said as if it wasn't much trouble before turning away. "Come, I believe we are reaching the end of this one."

Slightly bewildered at the scene, I sat there a few seconds, dumbfounded. I've heard it all, about her true story, and her regret that came from it. Yet, she seems like she barely even acknowledges her banishment.

"Uh, yeah, coming." I said and got up with a groan before running after her.

At least I'll be getting good material, and a hefty pay.

*Thud, Thud*

“Hmmgh.”

*Thud, Thud*

“Ugh. Bluey, get the door.” Light grumbled in her sleep.

All she got was silent snoring as a reply.

*Thud, Thud*

“Ugh. Come on, just leave it at the door.” She groaned once again.

*Thud, Thud*

“Ugh, seriously?” She finally woke up with a heavy.

Getting up, she removed Blueblood’s hoof. Slightly shivering from the morning cold, she dragged herself to the door with annoyed steps.

*Thud, Thud*

“Coming!” She yelled at the door. “Who in their right mind is knocking at this unholy hour. Actually, what time is it?” She mumbled to herself and finally got to the door. “Too early.” She answered her own question and pulled it open. “Alright, what kind of-uhh.”

“Oh! Lucky, I was going to stop if you hadn’t opened the door.” Celestia said brightly. “Do you mind if I come in?” She said softly.

“I-uhh. Yeah, I mean, no. Come in, take a seat.” She answered half-heartedly whilst completely confused.

“Thank you, and good morning.” She greeted and happily walked into the living room.

“Right, yeah. Good morning.” Light was very confused. “Um, Princess. What are you doing here? Ah! Not that you’re not welcome here, you’re totally welcome here!” She quickly corrected herself.

Celestia only gave a few chuckles at her attitude. “Worry not, my student. I have simply came here to check on your progress.” She said calmly and glanced at the bedroom. “As well as check up on my nephew, who seems to have completely forgotten about me. Thanks to his new marefriend.” She said with a small pout.

“Ah.” Light froze for a few seconds.

“Pfft.” Celestia ended up laughing at her reaction. “Not to worry, I do not mind that much.” She reassured her and sat down on the couch. “Cute onesie by the way. I like the rabbit ears.”

“Oh.” Light let out a relieved sigh. “Um, I got this one custom made at Pins & Threads. I liked the material.”

“Hmm, I see.” She said with a thoughtful look. “Well, what about the research? I would have traveled down to Ponyville to ask Twilight as to not disturb you two, but, I fear she may have a stroke from my sudden visit.”

“I se-huh?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Celestia interrupted her. “Anyways, the research?”

“Uh, right. It’s, not exactly going at all. After the last attempt, we decided to stop for a bit. Examine our options.” Light instantly turned professional as she took a seat beside Celestia, though her onesie kind of ruined the image.

“I see, may I know the methods you have used?”

“Well, it’s pretty simple on paper, but the basics are that we tried every component and runes that a spell needs to activate. After trying all options, we tried to add more or less of certain aspects to see what could work.” She explained with a sigh. “Of course, most of them ended up exploding, some imploding.”

“Hmm, that’s troublesome. This could mean that the magic used to make the barrier isn’t even Equestrian.” Celestia commented and a pondering look came out. “I apologize, I may have pulled you into something much bigger than I first anticipated.” She said with a regretful look.

“No, no, it’s fine, Princess, really. I enjoyed my time working on this. You don’t have to apologize for anything.” Light said quickly.

“Please, Light. Then, can you promise that you’re saying this from your own heart, for your own self, and, not from a sense of duty to appease me?” Celestia was adamant as she asked the question.

After a brief period of silence, Light only gave a small grin. “Yes, Princess, I promise.” She said without a hint of nervousness or fear.

Looking at the display, Celestia only gave a single sigh with a smile. “Thank you, my student.”

“No problem, Princess.” Light was exceedingly happy with the conversation.

“Ugh, Light?” Blueblood groaned as he walked into the living room.

“Good morning, Bluey!” Light greeted happily as she instantly realized something.

“Morning.” He said groggily and walked into the bathroom, a bag of cosmetics floating behind him.

“Huh?” Light was confused and turned to stare at Celestia, who was gone, only to reappear a seconds later.

“Invisibility spell.” Celestia said as if it was the simplest thing.

“Okay, one, that one is incredibly superior to the one I know. Two, why?”

“You’re not at a level to make light itself go through you. And, well, I believe you know why.” Celestia said the last part with a sad tone.

Knowing what she was hinting at, Light gave a small sigh. Taking a glance at the bathroom, Light steeled herself.

“If you knew, why didn’t do anything?” Light asked softly.

“Blueblood didn’t want to tell me, so I didn’t ask.” Celestia’s response was simple.

“But, he was a kid back then. He shouldn’t have been burdened with that choice.” She retaliated.

At those words, Celestia remained silent. With the air silently becoming more aggressive, the two remained seated. Until, Light finally spoke.

“You chose Twilight over him.” She said with a darker tone.

Spending several more seconds to gather her thoughts, Celestia stared at the ceiling.

“Perhaps.” She finally replied.

Waiting just to be sure, Light gave a single nod. “So, that’s all you’re going to say.”

“Yes, but when the time comes for him to tell me, I’ll have more words.” Celestia was now in a somber mood as she reflected on the past.

“Then you better prepare.” Light spoke up. “You bringing your favorite student into the team, it’s really going to pull the deadline closer.” She said with an impassive tone.

“I suppose.” Celestia accepted her fault. “You know, the choice seemed so clear back then.” She spoke calmly. “One could bring a joyous occasion, a new hope that the ponies could look up upon. The other, only sadness, and guilt.”

“A false hope isn’t something to look up to.” Light simply commented as she glanced at the bathroom.

At those words, Celestia tried to respond, but her mouth couldn’t think of the words. “I see.” So she only accepted. “I’ll heed your words, and look back. Maybe I could find a solution where everypony is happy.” She said with a somber smile before getting up. “Well, Blueblood’s routine care should be ending soon. I shall be visiting next week to check on the progress.” She said and walked towards the door.

“Yeah, got it.” Light gave a weak reply as she watched Celestia’s image disappear.

Right as the door closed entirely, Blueblood came out of the bathroom with a mask on his face.

“Hey, woah, you look like you went to Tartarus and back.” He commented and walked into the kitchen.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Light was barely stopping herself from collapsing. “Wait, did you do your skincare routing inside that?” She asked as she looked at the blue rabbit onesie Blueblood had on.

“As you said, it was comfy.” He said after checking for any messes he might have made.

“I, see.” She was slightly unsure.

With a small shrug, Blueblood drank a glass of water as he looked into the fridge.

“So, what should we get for breakfast?” He asked and closed the fridge filled with ice cream.

“Hmm.” Light was thinking, although she already knew what she wanted. “Burgers.” She decided.

“What?” Blueblood didn’t know.

“Burgers. And hay fries, with a side of onion rings and a banana smoothie.” She was adamant.

“That sounds really unhealthy.” He replied as a healthier choice of breakfast ran through his mind.

Taking the position of great pondering, Light beckoned Blueblood to come closer. Deciding to play along with an amused smile, Blueblood stood right in front of Light.

“Shush.” She said and put a hoof on his muzzle. “We’re going to Hay Burgers.” She said with too much conviction for Blueblood to refuse.

He gave a tired sigh. “Fine, but we should at least get a salad to go.” He tried to convince her.

“Hash browns, and a burrito.” She gave her final decree.

"No! You were with Nightmare Moon! I'm not giving you these vegetables!"

This ridiculous mare.

"How are vegetables supposed to even help?! Feed Celestia carrots so she has too good of an eyesight?!" I asked back.

"See! That's another reason!"

"HOW THE BUCK DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE?! ARE YOU MISSING A PIECE OF YOUR BRAIN OR SOMETHING?!" I ended up snapping.

"HUH?! WHAT'D YOU SAY TO ME?!"

"And that's how I ended up in fifteen different fights." I said tiredly as Remedy? Floral? He applied some blue thing and wrapped a bandage over a cut I got.

It really stung.

"BWHAAHHAHAH!" Of course, Moon was laughing her butt off.

"Shut up! If you went there, you'd be lucky to even talk to somepony!" I called her out, flinching in the process as my medic forced me to sit back down.

"Did you manage to at least get the barbecue sauce?" Floral asked calmly.

Still snickering, Moon spoke up. "Did you win?"

"I had to break a leg a few times." I replied without thinking.

"Huh?" She froze.

"Oh." Floral also seemed surprised.

"What?" I asked, fully knowing I didn't have a broken bone.

"I suppose I'll take care of the local law that'll come after you." Floral said.

"There's gangs here?" I asked.

I really thought this place was a lot more peaceful or something.

"Gangs?"

"Not what I meant. You'll be chased by guards since brawls are against the law." Floral explained and ripped the bandage to finish it. "They won't be much trouble though."

"I, uh, thanks, I guess." I replied.

"No problem." He said and stood up. "Now, did you manage to buy the sauce?"

"Oh, yeah, I did. These things are pretty expensive though. Eighty bits for a single bottle." I complained slightly and brought out the bottle.

"Heh, you got scammed." Floral said calmly and took the bottle before attending to lunch.

"Huh?"

"Highest quality goes for ten bits, kid." Moon said teasingly before giving me another pat. "Come on, let's go play some chess while Floral is cooking." She said and brought out a golden chessboard from one of their bags.

Seeing that I wasn't responding, she came closer and rubbed the top of my head.

"You know, shouting to the sky really loud helps." She advised.

Barely holding myself back, I inhaled deeply.

With a few seconds, I started to breathe deeply as I thought back on the merchant.

I ended up using my own bits to buy that thing.

I could feel my veins pulse from holding back.

"Fuck is a really good word." Moon said from the side.

"FUUUUUUU-!!!"

Author's Note

So, while checking the stats of this story, I found out about the referrals thing. Can someone tell me how that works, and how I have fifty one of them from Facebook of all things? :rainbowhuh: Oh and, I found out I can find my story if I just search the name lol. That was a pretty fun find. :trollestia:

Anyways, I'm at a point where I actually have a few different ways to go forward with this story. Basically how and where the characters could go and move the story forward. :moustache:

So, if you have any preferences, why don't you comment which character you want to see more of. :duck:

And as always, thanks for reading! :heart:

Edit:
I changed the entire Celestia and Light scene. XBlaster was right, that scene was creepy as all hell when I re-read it. :pinkiesick:

Starting To Uncover

"We've been brainstorming non-stop and we still can't think of anything!" Twilight complained as she slumped on the couch.

Blueblood was knocked out cold on the coffee table, having pushed himself for the experiments. He was just sleeping.

"I have an idea!" Light randomly burst through the door with a frazzled mane.

"Oh! Finally!" Twilight was a bit ecstatic.

Blueblood stumbled and fell to the floor as he tried to get up. "You have diarrhea?" He asked in a groggy tone.

"What? No. I just said I have an idea." Light corrected him before hopping over. "Okay, so basically, we've been going at this so wrong." She said and magicked over twenty journals. "This is every combinations we've tried, and we've already went past the limit on how much more we could try." She explained and magicked them away. "Which is why, we should the opposite." She proposed with a smile.

Twilight had a look of realization as the facts hit her at once. Blueblood was a bit confused.

"What?" He asked.

"It's so simple, even a pony who doesn't study magic would know!" Twilight said gleefully.

"Again, what?" He asked.

The two mares started to converse, sharing plausible theories as our stallion was left with a sense of idiocy.

"So!" The two mares finally came to a conclusion after finishing their incoherent rambling. "Bluey! Can you take us to one of the Princesses?" Light suddenly asked.

"Huh? What?" Blueblood was slightly startled as he was reading a comic book.

"Blueblood, focus! Can you take us to a Princess?!" Twilight yelled the question.

"Uhh, yeah, sure." He finally answered. "But, Aunty Celestia has Day Court. Aunty Luna went off somewhere, and Princess Cadenza is away for a meeting to Yakyakistan." He explained as he felt a sweat drop.

"BUCK!" Light shouted.

"Ugh, we are so close to a scientific breakthrough in the magic field, and we're stopped by a timetable?!" Twilight groaned in annoyance.

"Eh, sorry?" Blueblood said, but he didn't know why he should've said it. "Why do we need the Princesses again?"

"Well, here's what we're thinking." Light started off. "If we've been adding components and different rules and runes to the spells, what if we take it out? If we kept taking it out, we'd reverse through the history of magic."

"And?" He asked.

"Simple, because spells and our magic have been developing for thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of years, it's not actually the original magic." Twilight continued. "Because of this, we have to go back the first time magic was used."

"I see, so, invent time travel?" Blueblood asked confusedly.

"Wha-no. Blueblood, I'm aware you're an idiot, but you can't possibly be this stupid." Twilight rebuked with an incredulous expression.

"I'm joking." He replied and got up with a groan. "Basically, we have to see how magic without other stuff in it works." He mumbled. "The purest form of magic currently, A.K.A, Alicorn magic. I'll see if we can get Aunty Celestia to use her Alicorn magic, though, I'd say we'll have to wait until sundown." He informed the two as he left, after giving Light a quick peck of course.

"Ugh, this somehow feels worse than Hearts and Hooves day." Twilight groaned.

"I thank you for this, Daring Do. And I'm sure our adventures will make a fine addition for your books." Luna said happily as she threw a bear away.

"Ancient hideouts of a cult, yeah, these'll do wisely." Daring Do replied happily as she wrote some words in her journal. "Anyways, what's the actual purpose of these visits?"

"It is to find out what these cults have done, and more importantly, how?" She replied and stopped in front of a puzzle wall.

"Hmm, astrology?" Daring Do commented as the puzzle was already being solved in her mind.

Then Luna punched the wall.

*Crack*

"Hm? Quite durable." She mumbled and punched again.

"Uh, right, I should've known this is how you do things by now." Daring Do said with slight disbelief and went in first. "Well, quite a lot of the same thing as every other hideout." She said and started to poke around.

"Hmm, this is becoming a bit repetitive." Luna said as she floated a few books over.

Most journals held their experiences in the cult, daily lives and such. Others were mentions of a great return, and how that would result in the rising of the folk who have been forsaken by the sun.

"Well, no matter how I see it, this all just repeats the same thing. Rich get richer, and the poor get poorer." Daring Do commented and threw away a journal.

"Hmm, although it's honorable, it does lose it's shine when it's apparently the same in every city." Luna replied and placed the last journal down. "It means they were delusional about inequality."

"Um, ain't it kinda right though?" Daring asked. "I mean, the nobles and stuff are all living in a big city on a mountain. Anywhere outside that would be kind of poor, no?" She asked.

"Hmm, well. As right as you are, I do not believe sacrifices and raids suffice as a good method." Luna replied as she spread her magic around.

"Well, true." Daring had to admit. "Anyways, this is the last place according to your tip. Pretty sure it's the biggest too. And we still haven't answered that question."

"That is correct." Luna replied as she kept looking around.

"Then, I guess your tipper missed a few? Or the cultists took all the important info and left." She said as she sat on a random desk.

"Well, I doubt that." Luna said as she looked straight down. "Prepare for flight." She announced and slammed down with lightning.

"Whoah!" Daring was slightly startled as the floor collapsed. "What the?" She muttered as she floated in the middle of a gigantic room.

"So, this was the reason it was the furthest from Equestria." Luna commented as she flew down. "Quite secretive, you'd have to pretty sensitive when it comes to magic if you want to find this place."

"Yeah, I think this is everything, right?" Daring replied as she looked upon rows and rows of books. "Hmm, yeah, these are different."

"Records of plans, and entries from high level personnel." Luna mumbled as she searched through. "As good as these are, they're useless now. We need to find the method to their power."

"I guess so, can I use these for my series?" Daring asked and threw another book away.

"I don't see why not. These are all things forgotten by time." She replied and went to the lower levels, finally landing on the ground.

"So, I never asked but, who is your tipper?" Daring asked and landed beside Luna. "These places aren't one would find just by walking around. Since, at least half of these hideout are outside of Equestria."

"That, is a question you should be asking the stallion himself. And, with a rather recent event, I don't believe his location would remain hidden." Luna answered and pulled another journal.

*Rumble*

"Hmm." Luna readied herself for a fight.

"Oh, you found another secret passage." Daring spoke up. "It's pretty rusty though." She mumbled and pushed a bookcase all the way.

"Oh, quite an easy-"

"Shush, never say that, you'll jinx it." Daring cut her off and walked in.

"I see." Luna acknowledged and followed behind.

"I'll say though, I didn't see anything that could be used for light. Did these cultists have something that allowed them to see in the dark? Kinda like Bat Ponies." Daring commented as she looked around in the dark.

"Well, either that, or Unicorns made up most of their forces." Luna said as her horn lighted up. "It does go against a fact though."

"Which one?"

"Unicorns, were rarely a commoner. Because of magic being so versatile, trained casters dominated the battlefield, making most of them honorary nobles due to their achievements in wars. That kept continuing until all but a few Unicorn families became nobles." Luna explained as they continued to walk. "So it doesn't make much sense for Unicorns to talk of being poor."

"Huh, guess I should've paid more attention in History class."

"I doubt these topics were taught nowadays, let alone the bad side of it."

"Right, racial discrimination. It's not really possible to forget about that one."

"As it were. Especially since nobles are still mostly Unicorns." Luna ended the talk as they reached a wall.

"Alright, this one's the creepiest of them all." Daring said out loud as she stared on.

"It is quite disturbing, even if we knew beforehoof from the journals." Luna added on as she stepped forward carefully.

"You really don't care about the blood huh?"

"I've bathed in the blood of my enemies, dried ones are rarely a reason for disgust."

"Yeah, sure, I'll just, be in the air."

"Of course. I won't mind." Luna replied and stepped over a skull.

"Dang, how long you think these have been sitting here?"

"Although dried up blood turns gray, or even a darker color after a few weeks. These stayed red, most likely due to them being hidden from sunlight, and the weather. Though, I'll guess, about fifty years over nine hundred." Luna answered and finally came upon her answer. "This, should be the answer." She muttered and opened a book, only to get zapped by lightning.

Though, it didn't affect her.

"Lightning magic, quite impressive. It's a hard element to control." She commented and fully opened the book.

"So, what're you seeing in there?" Daring asked as she didn't want to come closer.

"Hmm, poems?" She said in a confused tone. "As time travels, we must go backwards. As the wars end, we must regain our values. As society progresses, we must reverse it to meet the standards. Back, to the time we were all equals."

"Well, that's the biggest mound of idiocy I've heard."

"Hmm, these all mention going back. To regain what they've lost. Exactly what would that be, is the question."

Daring sighed. "Well, it doesn't exactly matter what they valued is it? Since, you're trying to make sure this stays hidden. As long as you have the method that is."

"You are correct, let us leave." Luna said as she turned back, a small spark turning to a great flame behind her. "This piece of history, it teaches no values and has no purpose, so they shall stay hidden for the rest of time."

*Slurp*

It was a peaceful day in the camp. Gilda was snoring as she laid upon a nest. Built upon a platform held up to the treehouse by a few ropes. Moon was taking a bath at the nearby river. Floral, he was drinking a steaming cup of tea as he waited for a pot of soup to boil.

A single beige colored pony was leading a strike team of six. With motions to move forward, they made no sounds as they carefully approached the camp.

Circling around, the beige pony pointed at two. Pointing at the river, she turned to the other three. Motioning one of them towards Gilda, she lead the other two as they climbed the giant tree. With a shared look, they nodded and split up.

Using the thick branches, the beige pony carefully looked down. Then, she was shocked to no longer see Floral.

"So, what's your name?" Floral asked calmly as the other two were knocked out cold.

Dumbfounded on what just happened, the beige pony stood in a fighting stance as Floral stared with an amused gaze.

"Yo, Floral! You got guests!" Gilda yelled at him.

She was leaning on one part of her bow, pointing one of her claws dangerously close to a stallion's eye. The stallion, had a scared glint as he was biting one the other part of Gilda's bow, praying to his gods to not let it break as he felt the height that he would fall down from.

"Hey! Who the fuck are these assholes!?" Moon yelled annoyedly as she was drying herself up with a towel, two ponies being dragged behind her by shadows.

"Well, you two. These, will be our new apprentices." Floral replied and instantly leaped at the beige pony.

"!" The beige pony couldn't react as she was pushed off the giant tree.

Only to be caught by Floral as he used shadows to slow his descent. The two knocked out ponies following behind them. Gilda didn't react much as she rolled over the edge and fell down, catching the stallion and her bow in the process as she glided down. Moon was just annoyed at having her bath time interrupted.

"Celestia and Luna told me you'd be coming here." Floral said as he sat back down at the fire. "Though, I'm sure they said there's supposed to be seven of you."

"Hey! I'm here! I'm not late am I?!" Iron Shield shouted anxiously as he stopped himself from falling. "Sorry, this guy couldn't fit in the train, and he decided to run all the way here." He explained and got off the Timberwolf.

Moon gasped in delight as she instantly ran for it. Floral gave a chuckle and walked over.

"For fuck's sake, Harkon! Where were you?!" Moon asked as she was hugging him tightly.

Harkon was wagging his tail in response, blowing up a dust cloud. Gilda flew over as she found a spot on Harkon, shortly before going to sleep.

Giving him small scratches, Floral turned around as Iron walked over to the others.

"Welcome. You are all proud members of the Secret Monster Intelligence League of Equestria." He announced and stood infront as a small amount of bloodlust was released. "For exactly one month, you'll all be under my guidance." He said and slammed a hoof down, creating a small shockwave. "Training starts now."

Author's Note

Hey! Another chapter is out! :yay:

And I'm gonna slowly start to make progress. Things could get big, or maybe small if I'm overestimating it. :applejackunsure: But anyways, thanks for reading! And I'll see you next time! :heart:

Some Progress

"Nah." Gilda taunted as she flipped over an attack.

"I see, they're at about that level." Floral mumbled as he shredded the training regime he had in mind.

"You sure it's fine for it to be a six verse one?" Moon asked lazily as she messed around with a piece of wood.

"Eh, she'll be fine." He replied and added a leaf into the boiling pot next to him.

"The fuck, of course she's gonna be fine. She just never fought against anything weaker than her. I'm more worried she'll end up killing one of them by accidents." She said and took a big stretch, earning quite a few pops.

"She's fought the guards plenty of times before hasn't she?"

"Well, yeah, but those ones had armor."

Despite the six ponies trying their absolute best, going in at the moments they've noticed, something just wasn't adding up. They hadn't even touched Gilda yet.

"Slippery." Heavy Hitter commented with a cold voice.

"Oof, I'm out." Chain Link announced as she collapsed trying to get up.

"Come on, have none of you guys been in a real fight before?" Gilda taunted as she sidestepped, took a short leap before giving a hard right.

"Ow. Was the sky always red?" Silent Step muttered before passing out.

"We have been in a fight before!" Eagle Eye answered the question and threw a punch.

Gilda weaved the punch before hooking with her right, throwing Eagle to the ground. "Then why the fuck aren't any of you guarding your faces?" She asked as she stayed light on her legs.

"It's not like you're guarding!" Stargazer said back as he tried to hit a combo of attacks, only for none of them to connect.

With one last dodge, Gilda rotated as she threw a kick, knocking Stargazer to the ground. "That's cuz none of you have managed to hit me yet." She added and looked forward. "So? Why are you hesitating? You're not gonna die, if that's what you're afraid of."

Looking carefully, Sweetie Drops had a sweat drop as she tried to think of a plan.

"You can stop now." Floral spoke up, stopping the fight as most of them laid there tired.

"But, instructor." Sweetie Drops tried to refute.

"I've seen enough. I can tell what each one of you are lacking currently." He said as he took the pot off of the fire. "Well, for now, it's lunchtime."

"Yes! Finally!"

"Dear Celestia, I'm starving."

"Yo, Stargazer, wake up."

"Ugh, my jaw hurts."

"Guess you should've guarded the face."

With the five engaging in simple talk, Sweetie Drops was slightly unsatisfied as she sat down with her meal. A surprisingly fancy plate of an earthy scented broth.

"It was a good workout." Gilda commented as she wiped her sweat away. "You guys get really tunnel-visioned when you're fighting though." She added on as she took her bowl of soup, along with a grilled fish on a stick. "It's a common problem fliers face when they get an adrenaline rush." She explained before digging into her meal.

Glancing at her, Floral gave a smile before turning to the agents. "She's right, I saw no communication, stopping you all from committing to an attack in fear of hitting your teammates. Only way to fight without communicating is to know exactly how you and your team fight. Well, at least the leader." He mumbled the last part. "For now though, I'll be advancing your combat skills, along with your team skills at the same time. It'll be a hard time, for you I mean." He said ominously as he added two grilled fish Moon's bows of soup.

"Uh, what about me? I don't think I have those skills." Iron Shield asked as he struggled to even hold his head up.

"Yeah, what about that one? He's pretty durable, but he ain't no fighter." Moon asked as she picked Iron up with her shadow and placed him next to the fire.

"He'll do fine." Floral said back and finally poured himself a bowl. "Now, I want you to temporarily forget your experiences of fighting beasts." He said as he took a sip of his soup.

"What? Why?" Sweetie Drops asked for them.

"Simple, you're so used to fighting beasts, you've forgotten to fight like ponies." He simply told them. "I'm not exactly sure at which range your operations take place, but I'll tell you. Just fighting animals all the time, it's not going let you develop more skills than that of a hunter." He warned them as a bloody aura started to leak out. "And, Celestia asked me to fix that. So, five minutes for rest, and you've used up four of them." He told them as he took another sip from his bowl.

Hearing it, the seven agents sat shocked for a few seconds. In an instant, they started to scarf their food down.

"You'll be joining too, Gilda." Floral said with a small smirk as the griffin realized he wasn't joking.

"Fuck you!" She yelled and proceeded to gulp the soup down as if it were a mug of booze.

"Hah!" Moon found it hilarious as she enjoyed her meal.

"You're letting Iron catch up with the others, you realize that?" He asked calmly as he put his empty bowl down.

"Wha? Fuck you, Floral." Moon cussed as she sped up her eating.

"Guess being the favorite didn't save you." Gilda joked as she threw the empty fishbone away. "I'm taking the east side!" She said and went over with her bow.

"Hey! That's the good field!" Moon shouted after her as she gulped and ran after her, a shadow was dragging her dagger behind her.

"We're so bucked, aren't we?" Stargazer asked in a tired tone as he placed his empty bowl down.

"This is gonna be a long month."

"We'll be lucky if we're alive by the end of it."

"Doesn't matter, move out agents! We got a training to go through!" Sweetie Drops announced and ran off.

"Dang, Captain Drops is excited for this huh?" Eagle Eye asked in an interested tone.

"Nah, she's just anxious cuz she's away from her marefriend." Silent Steps replied and wiped his mouth.

"Steps, why in Celestia's name do you know about her personal life?" Eagle Eye asked incredulously.

"I have connections." He replied and turned towards Iron. "Just like how I know this one is being transferred from the thirty third infantry line of the Royal Guards."

"Steps, you know you're not allowed to reveal the team's info without permission." Chain Link admonished Steps with a sharp glare.

"Jeez, fine, ma'am." He replied in a playful tone. "Anyways, we should probably head on over. That Floral dude doesn't seem the type to take these things easy." He commented and stood up.

"Yeah, by the way, Steps." Stargazer asked.

"Yeah?"

"The last time I saw, the sky was blue." He teased and ran off.

"I was disoriented right then!" Steps yelled and chased after.

"Ugh, children." Chain Link mumbled and stood up. "Welcome to the team, Iron Shield. You'll both love and hate it here." She said and walked off.

"Yeah, we should go." Eagle Eye commented and got up with a tap on Iron's shoulder. "You are part of this team, if that's what you're worrying about. We see character more than skill in this job, it's a necessity." He reassured him with a grin. "Ain't that right, Heavy?"

"Skills are easier to acquire than character." He coldly replied and walked off.

"That means he agrees. You'll get used to it." Eagle Eye said cheerfully and hopped off. "Come on! I'm afraid what that guy's gonna give as punishment!"

"Uh, yeah! Coming!" Iron yelled and ran after.

"So, that should work, yes?" Luna asked as she stepped into Celestia's room the balcony.

"Hmm, yes, it's definitely different. We just didn't have the technology before, but it's different." Light mumbled as an excited grin slowly grew on her face.

"So, I can take this as you having found a solution right?" Celestia asked hopefully.

"Absolutely, Princess!" Twilight almost yelled as she read the reports. "This is incredible. It's only been theorized before, but we could never confirm it because nopony had ever made a thaumatic reader accurate enough."

"Um, then where did you get this one?" Luna asked confusedly as she shared a glance with Celestia.

"We built it of course. It was only a matter of studying Gear Head and Tesla Coil's twelve series books on thaumaturgy and technology. Then acquiring the different parts through Blueblood before building it. It was simple really." Light replied and read the last report. "Yes! As we theorized, look!" She said and held up a piece of paper.

"Sister, what am I looking at?" Luna asked with a confused expression.

"It's a thaumaturgy report, Luna. Which rune is this from?" Celestia asked Light.

"It's, not exactly a full rune. More like a component to a rune." Light said as she read through more reports. "Looking on the last readings of your unique magics, they always made no sense. If anything, it's things we've already tried and it always resulted in an explosive failure. It's exactly why we made our own thaumatic reader." She explained as if it was the simplest thing.

"And, what exactly should I be understanding from this?" Luna asked one more time.

"It's really simple, Princess, we checked for each rune and component that your own alicorn magics used and exactly how much influence they have on your spells." Twilight explained and continued to read more reports. "So, with this, we've basically seen what makes up your magic. It's honestly no wonder nopony has found out about this before. They'd have to somehow get an appointment with one of you, attach every single one of these receivers to you, get you to use your alicorn magic. All without somehow getting captured by either you or the guards." She casually suggested treason as she turned to Light. "How's that one coming along?"

"Princess Luna mostly has the lightning element, there's the ice element too. But the obvious thing, is the runes. It's completely out of the ordinary, it's basically an entirely different set of runes than the normal ones ponies use." Light replied and gathered the results.

"Hmm, we'll have to get back to you, Princesses. Please give us time to compile the results and make a proper result." Twilight said and left along with Light, a giant machine with several dozens of different sensors rattling through it following the two behind.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting to spend my afternoon like that." Luna commented as she finally touched the lukewarm tea.

"Yes, they seemed to be quite excited by the tests." Celestia said as she took a sip before enveloping both of their cups in her magic.

"Thank you." Luna said and took a sip. "I'm not sure how comfortable I am to have found out so much about my magic from somepony else." She muttered as she used her magic, if only to see it one more time.

"Times have changed, Luna. You no longer need to worry that another would use this knowledge against you." Celestia assured her with a warm smile.

Glancing for a moment, Luna let out a soft chuckle before returning the smile. "Yes, Celly. It's nice to be back." She muttered and looked out the balcony.

A beautiful sunset greeted the two as a nice breeze traveled through the balcony doors.

"I'm glad." Celestia spoke warmly as she turned to Luna.

"As am I."

"In shadows you lurk, with tricks up your sleeve. But my loyalty's strong, and I won't be deceived." One zebra yelled with contempt as she pulled herself back. "Try to strike me down if you wish, but heed this decree. Forgiveness you'll find is a treasure not free." She yelled and threw a vile of red liquid.

Shielding herself from the burst of flames, she slammed a vile of brown liquid to the ground. With a slight sense of vertigo, she rolled on the ground as she stared at her house. Knowing she didn't have much more time, she pulled out her last vile and threw it at the house before running away, an explosion sounding out soon after.

"You won by cheating, escaping death's breath. But face your equal, and you'll cower in dread." She said grimly as she turned around and fled into the woods, several snake like vines following after her.

"Aw, that's unfortunate." One mint coated mare mumbled as she read a small note. "I wonder what kind of business managed to tie her up in a small place like Ponyville?" She questioned.

Author's Note

A shorter chapter this time. Sorry, but I'm actually on the road right now, a bit more than 300km out of the city. So, I just decided to put these basics down first. I'm lucky I can even post chapters while in college anyway. :duck:

Anyways, see you later! :heart:

Hard At Training

"Almost late, Captain Drops." Floral said as he glanced at Sweetie Drops.

"Yes, sorry, instructor." She apologized with a slight pant.

Looking for a few seconds, Floral nodded and signaled her to join the others.

"You're going easy on her?" Moon asked whilst she focused on training Iron, who was screaming for help as he ran away from several tentacles.

"She hasn't made a mistake yet."

"Yet?"

"She'll learn when she does." He said as he glanced at the gathered agents. "Come on, we'll do stealth this time." He told her and walked off.

"Alright." She agreed and caught Iron with her tentacles before walking after Floral.

"He~y! I'm back with the stuff!" Gilda announced and flew over.

"Good, start a fire and boil a bucket of water in the pot. I'll be over when it's done." He instructed and Gilda walked off with a bag.

"Hey assholes! Why aren't you warming up?!" Moon started it off with a yell as the group instantly went to their positions.

"Move it! Move it!" Floral yelled as they sprinted off. "Come on! Eighty laps! If you're late, I'll add another ten! It's a small field!" He shouted as he moved off. "You keep watch, I need to do something." He told Moon and walked off.

"Got it." She accepted and continued to watch. "Where's Harkon, by the way?"

"He went off to find himself some breakfast."

"Aight."

Leaving the agents, Floral went over to Gilda. A fire was already lit and the water was starting to boil.

"I got the fire going, what're you making though?" She asked and threw a bag at him.

"Remember those smoke bombs I gave you?" He countered and opened it up to reveal a few items.

"Oh yeah, you're making them again? I'm pretty sure the stuff was different though."

"It's simple, I'm going to fill the smoke with a very weak numbing poison. It needs different binders and such." He explained and threw some crushed fruits into the pot.

"You know how to make potions?" Gilda asked incredulously.

"I only remember a few items from a, uh, a group of ponies, very enthusiastic about a certain pony." He left out a major detail and proceeded.

"What? Something like a fan club?"

"Uh, yeah. Basically the same thing." He continued to add a few ingredients.

"Damn, what kind of fan club makes smoke bombs and poison?"

"A very enthusiastic fan club." He gave a reply and continued.

"I see. Will Moon give me a straighter answer if I ask her?" She was unimpressed.

"Yes. Her answer would be as straight as it could be." He replied and started to stir the pot.

Back to the agents, a few were having a hard time breathing as they continued to sprint at full speed.

"Stop running so fast! We need to last another thirty laps!" Stargazer shouted as he almost stumbled.

"Shut up! You don't see the newbie complaining, do you?!" Chain Link admonished them as she struggled to keep up with Sweetie Drops.

"Whatever! Why is Captain Drops running so fast?!" Steps asked loudly.

"Stop talking! Spend that energy to run!" Moon shouted over the agents as they mostly shut up.

Despite yelling the command, Moon was also curious. Sweetie Drops, a weirdly silent mare that always pushed herself. What was she trying to prove? What's the reason she's pushing too excessively? Sweetie Drops was equally, if not even more exhausted than the others.

"Does she want to leave earlier or something?" Moon mumbled to herself.

"She's in love?" Floral suggested and stood next to Moon.

"Who's in love?" Gilda asked and gave a bag of balls to Floral.

"Captain Sweetie Drops, according to her file, she's spent quite a few years in Ponyville. She might've deviated from her objective." Floral commented and brought out only a few of them.

"Ain't exactly a bad thing, right?" Gilda asked.

"Absolutely." Moon answered for Floral.

"Alright, they should be almost done by now." Floral muttered and sat down on the ground as the agents came running over.

"Holy." Stargazer could only say a word before falling down. "My legs hurt." He said and laid down.

"Ugh, I gather intel, not run a marathon." Steps complained and collapsed next to Stargazer.

"I guess being a recon helped me." Eagle said with slightly less exhaustion, at least he hasn't collapsed.

"Yeah, yeah, and I get Heavy, he's a rock, but how the buck are you standing like that?!" Steps instantly asked Iron.

"Hmm? Oh, this is honestly only slightly harder than Princess Luna's training regime. Then again, we're developing skills rather than strength here, no?" Iron said without much trouble as his only issue was being sweaty.

"Correct." Heavy commented and turned towards Floral.

"We've ran all eighty laps, sir." Sweetie Drops spoke up as she wiped some drool and sweat away from her mouth.

"Good on ya." He said as Gilda stepped forward with a bucket of water and a few cups. "For today's training, I'll be placing you all in a dark area with walls, doors and windows. I'll also spread a field of smoke that has numbing lroperties, that you'll be in contact with at all times." He announced as some of the agents were fighting over who gets the cup first.

Moon shrugged and spread her magic out, grabbing pre built walls and doors, all made of wood as she randomly placed them around the area.

"What's the objective?" Sweetie Drops asked first.

"Drink some water first, Captain." Floral told her sternly.

Chain Link glanced at the small exchange.

"Yes sir." Sweetie Drops accepted the order.

"Damn, girl's got no patience." Moon commented as she leaned on Floral with a hoof.

"It's fine to not have it sometimes." Floral said.

"Um?" Moon wasn't sure.

"Yes, it is too much." Floral answered. "Alright!" He yelled to get their attention. "Today's objective! Tag the others! There should be a green colored smush that you could use!" He yelled as Moon placed them all in different spots around the field with her magic.

"Sir?! How are you gonna get the area to be dark?!" Stargazer asked loudly.

"I won't!" He answered and the place slowly became darker.

Their vision started to lessen as they could barely see in front of themselves.

"The one who got tagged the most will get a punishment." Floral's voice echoed through the area.

*Bam*

*Psshht*

Smoke started to spread around as one could easily see it on the ground.

"Start." Floral said as he turned to the campfire. "Tell me when they're done, I need to greet a friend."

"Got it, sir." Gilda replied jokingly.

"I want some stir fry for this!" Moon gave her order as she focused on the dome of shadow enveloping the area.

"Why isn't he using his own magic?" Gilda questioned.

"Dude had vines growing through him the last time he used magic." Moon answered with a bored expression.

"What?"

"Oh yeah, you weren't there. But basically, magic wasn't as safe as a bet we thought it'd be." Moon casually explained.

"Well, damn." She could only say such.

"Yeah, pretty fucking annoying. Killing yourself to live." She agreed. "How'd you learn how to fight by the way?"

"Eh, well, so, at some point I finished flight academy, and I obviously had to go home."

*Bam*

*Creak*

"Who's there?!" Stargazer yelled and searched for me.

I threw rock to distract him, plan successful. In correct distance, I ran forward to tag him and disappeared back into the dark.

"AHHH!" Stargazer screamed like a little girl.

It was hilarious.

Although I am still suspicious of instructor, he teach valuable skills. Training already show results. In one long day I have known him, he has proven his capabilities to teach, and to fight. Anypony who fight bear hoof to hoof is worthy.

I wipe the green smudge on the ground to hide tracks. There are plenty of smudge to go around. Yet, he no tell us when we are out. Then, one can be tagged many times. This is a hunt. Just like Kobychatka, when we hunt bear using only traps and intelligence.

With no noise, I travel to the next target. It take time, but patience is skill all learn when hunting bear with papochka.

"Ugh, this stuff is seriously disgusting." I hear comrade Eagle talking.

I approach with minimal sound. Quickly there, I stuff hoof into the smudge and tag Eagle. In one such move, I leave again. Comrade Eagle was yelling at the surroundings.

This is most exciting game of tag.

"Well, I can't say I never expected this." Floral commented as he gave a fresh cup of tea to Zecora.

"In a disaster, I had to be brave. I burned my way out, escaping the wave." She replied and took a shaky sip from the tea. "All I had, even relics from home, turned to ash, now I’m forced to roam. So I come to you, with a humble plea, may I take refuge, a safe place for me?"

"Of course, Zecora. You can stay as long as you'd like. I'm already housing another guest anyway. What's one more friend joining in?" He was completely fine with the idea. "The girls probably won't bother you much, just, don't ask them too much. They hide it, but they didn't exactly have the best lives either." He asked for one request.

"Of course, I won’t be thankless or crude. To those who saved me, I’ll show gratitude." She said proudly as she finished her cup. "One more cup, perhaps, to make the day complete? Your tea is always such a lovely treat."

"Sure, no problems, Zecora. If anything, you've saved me countless times with your gifts. I've no problems with paying those back." He was fine with the idea.

"I see, I'm glad I've helped you through. It brings me joy to be of help to you." She was quite content right now.

*Boom*

"What the fuck?"

"What a rude surprise to face, caught off guard in such a space."

"HOLY SHIT! FLORAL!!" Gilda came screaming through the bushes with a giant bull on her trail.

"Ah, right. You should also get used to recent monster attacks." Floral commented as he grabbed a small orb made of leaves.

Zecora only nodded as she stared at the beast.

Immediately throwing the orb, a burst of smoke shrouded the bull as Gilda came running over.

"I only wanted to use it!" She complained and ran to the campfire.

"Slowly, slowly." Light repeated as Blueblood was carefully painting on a piece of paper.

"I am going slowly." He replied and recalibrated the scope on his one eye.

"We don't know what it could do, so we need to be really careful with this." Twilight said from the side as he made the tiniest stroke possible with a pen. "One wrong move and it could burst into acid, or pull everything into Limbo."

"Can't we just do with the magic nullifier on?" He asked as Light wiped away some sweat.

"This spell is as sensitive as they come. Doing this without any magic could result in a completely different outcome." Twilight answered as he added one more stroke.

"It's basically ancient magic, we don't know how it fully interacts with ambient magic, nor do we know what will happen if it's activated incorrectly." Light added from the side.

"Gee, thanks for the confidence support." Blueblood remarked as he added one final stroke. "Done, looks like a damn painting."

"Blueblood! Princess Celestia told you not to use that word!" Twilight admonished him.

"Fine, sorry." He said sarcastically.

"It doesn't matter, let's use it!" Light was pretty excited.

"I got it, I got it. Stop shaking me." Blueblood said and carefully brought the piece of paper with him.

Getting out of the control room, they traveled to the middle of the testing area and Blueblood, very carefully placed the paper on the ground. "Alright, who wants to do it this time?" He asked after crossing the worn out yellow line on the ground.

When two hooves shot out, he gave a sigh.

"I have more experience than you!" Light immediately argued.

"I have more magic than you!" Twilight argued back.

"I've spent about a month on this longer than you have!"

"Well, I'm more magically adept!"

"And I'm your senior!"

"And I'm higher ranked than you!"

"Girls, you know this spell would never actually go public, right? Since, it's a secret." Blueblood interrupted calmly.

Glaring at each other, Blueblood knew they wouldn't stop so easily.

"Uh, I have more friends than you!" Twilight made a stupid argument, and she knew it.

"Not enough to get you a coltfriend!" Light immediately responded.

Blueblood flinched at the line.

Glaring at each other for a few more seconds, they silently came to the decision that neither of them could do it. Then they turned to Blueblood.

He sighed wearily as he took aim. Somehow, he's been the only one actually starting the experiments.

"Ready!" He yelled to the control room.

"Ready!" The two mares yelled back as Blueblood shot a weak burst of magic at the paper.

"How far do you think they've gone with the experiments?" Luna asked a bit tiredly as she walked next to Celestia.

"Well, they might've had a breakthrough. Considering they invited us, I'd say they've made some significant progress." She replied happily as they turned a hallway.

"I see, the faster we could get Floral and Moon out of the Everfree, the safer they'd be." Luna replied.

"Yes, also, why do you call him Floral? I thought for sure he'd hate that name since, well, you know."

"Well, he didn't seem to mind it. And it just, felt right somehow."

"Hmm, I suppose it's because it is his birth name. Well, as long as he isn't bothered by it." Celestia was fine with it.

"Yes, oh! Right! Sister, do you remember that guard, that broke the last core?"

"Iron Shield, correct?" Luna gave a small nod. "What about him?"

"It seems he has successfully transferred to S.M.I.L.E, and he's getting training along with your best agents."

"Oh, that is delightful to hear. I feared he may not like changing positions, he only joined the guards because of that old law after all."

"You mean the, uh, nobles having to defend the country?"

"Yes, that one. All nobles must gain some military experience. Although it doesn't fit the peaceful times Equestria is going through, I still deemed it to be correct."

"Peaceful, Celly?" Luna asked jokingly.

"Well, maybe not so." She replied as they shared a laugh. "Well, let's go in shall we?" She said as they stopped in front of a door.

*Bam*

They stopped in their tracks as a small bang came from the door.

"It's too big!" A mare's voice shouted from the door.

"Ah." Celestia somehow became a lighter color.

"Are you sure we're at the right door?" Luna asked with a small blush.

"It's too slippery, I can't get a grip!" Blueblood's voice clearly came out.

"Maybe they're talking about something else?" Celestia suggested carefully.

"You sure?"

"Gragh!" Blueblood grunted and let out a sound as another bang was heard.

"It's too sticky!" Twilight's voice said loudly.

"What?! I thought Blueblood had already chosen his mare!" Luna was shocked.

Celestia slowly wobbled as she couldn't fully comprehend the situation.

"Hey, this is kinda fun!" Light shouted cheerfully with a slightly bated breath.

"I thought you said polyamorous relationships were banned among nobles!" Luna said to Celestia, who almost fainted from shock. "Celly!"

"Hey! Get outta there!" Twilight yelled.

"It's too tight! I can't pull it out!" Blueblood yelled back.

"Here! Let me help!" Light shouted and soon, sounds of grunting came from the door.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable from just hearing all this, Luna put Celestia on her back as she slowly turned.

"Wait, I think I got it! I just need to, push it! A bit, harder!" Blueblood was seriously struggling as Luna thought of a few memory erasing spells that could help Celestia.

*Clank*

*BAM*

Bursting through the door, a few gigantic vines pushed out with Blueblood at the end.

"I got it." Blueblood said with much trouble as he was slammed into the wall.

"Good job, Bluey!" Light shouted tiredly.

"How hard was it for you to use magic?!" Twilight asked as she climbed out of the vines dizzily.

"Oh, you weren't fornicating." Luna commented to herself.

"We weren't what?" Light asked groggily.

"Oh, nothing." Luna hid it as she started to shake Celestia. "I see you've made progress."

"Yeah, we figured out what kind of magic it was." Twilight replied as she stepped forward. "It was just the magic itself though. Without actual spells to guide it, it made this mess." She explained as she a bit of tree sap away from her face. "Didn't know tree sap was this sticky." She said as she tried a spell to remove it. "Why is Princess Celestia knocked out?"

"Help! It's too tight, I can't get out!" Light pleaded as she struggled to leave the vines.

"I'll, I'll help you when I can move." Blueblood replied and went unconscious.

"You don't need to worry about that." Luna replied to Twilight as she started to zap the vines away. "Well, I wish you success on your endeavors. I need to open Night Court by now anyway." She said and teleported away.

"Seriously, that could have been disastrous." Light commented as she slapped Blueblood awake.

"Yeah, it was very close. Why couldn't you just use magic to open the door, Blueblood?" Twilight asked the stallion.

"I don't know!? Who turned on the magic nullifier?!" He asked angrily.

"Um, I did. I kinda panicked when the vines started to shoot out everywhere." Light replied nervously.

"Oh." He instantly calmed down. "Good job, Light. It was a good decision anyway." His stance changed immediately.

"Seriously?" Twilight could only ask.

"What is it?" Blueblood asked with a straight face.

Twilight was not impressed.

Author's Note

Whadupp! :yay:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Just a question, should I explore the S.M.I.L.E agents more? If you guys wanna see that, comment down below! Because, for now, I basically have a vague idea on their characteristics. Best one is definitely Heavy Hitter though. :duck:

Born and raised in Kobychatka, Roassia. He grew up hunting bears and such for food with his father. With six siblings and one mother at home, he took the job as the pay was very high, and there was a life insurance that would be enough to help his family live for another generation. He is a stone faced stallion with a focused mind. :coolphoto: It takes a lot to break this stallion. :moustache:

Kobychatka=Kamchatka(a russian place)+kobyla(mare in russian) Just in case you wanted to know.

Anyways, thanks for reading! :heart:

Small Discussions

"So, the punishment is tea with you?" Sweetie Drops asked incredulously as she sat down.

"Well, it's more of a talk. Don't tell the others, true negligence never comes intentionally." Floral responded as he gave a steaming cup of tea to her. "A personal one. I sent Moon and Gilda to go and make some stuff for the treehouse. And Zecora, the zebra, she went to Ponyville to gather a few supplies for herself." He explained and sat down himself.

"I see, the treehouse looks pretty good by the way. Definitely better than the ones I've seen before. Like, it has a lot more feelings?" She said and took a sip. "Mhmm, really good tea."

"Thank you, but that's not why I wanted to speak with you." He said and took his sip.

"Right, I, still lost." She said, a bit down.

"There's a reason for that, isn't there?"

"It's, because I wasn't enough. I'm sorry."

"No, that's not it. You weren't participating at full capacity." He got straight to the point.

"Uh, yeah. I apologize."

"It's fine, I'm not gonna eat you." He joked slightly. "I already knew Steps was going to win. He may be a bit low on stamina compared to the others, but he knows his way around the dark, as well as how to still work with fatigue. Though, he could still try to learn how to use those wings outside of sneaking his way around." He calmly explained as the fire started to grow bigger. "Heavy was a small surprise. It wasn't in his file that he grew up hunting bears. It naturally gave him an advantage."

"Yes, he said nopony ever asked him, so he just didn't mention it." She added on as she anxiously stared forward.

"Yes, I suppose he's the type to do that." He mumbled. "But, what I didn't expect was your performance." He said as he got up and started to climb the treehouse. "I know you're not the stealth type, preferring a more direct approach to most fights with your earth pony strength. But, I already had a solid grasp on your skills from your file." He still talked to her from up there before jumping down. "I'm aware you took a vacation in Ponyville, and your skills could be rusty. But you're not even using them." He said and gave a folder to her.

"Oh." She didn't say a word as she opened it. "I guess you really got everything, your clearance has to be at least on the level of Princess Celestia to view these." She commented as she gave them back.

"I don't care much for your personal lives, my job is to train and hone your skills. You have quite the incredible track record." He said and sat down again. "A cragadile, a small wyvern, a group of spies from Saddle Arabia, letting Equestria have quite an edge over peace negotiations. And most impressively, a bugbear, lethal poison, sixth fastest creature in the wild, strength enough to rival a total of ten earth ponies." He let all the details out clearly.

"I didn't do it alone. And the spies were ridiculously suspicious, coming from just the South."

"I see, the files clearly show you've went through lots of battles and skirmishes with your team. Yet, you never stayed." He told her with a small chuckle. "It was weird. When I first saw your files, I expected a closely bonded team, with the captain acting as more of a friend rather than a boss. But it wasn't that. From day one, you come here from a different direction than everypony else, you haven't stayed for even a minute longer whilst some of your members have already stayed for more than an hour. Just yesterday, Heavy and Eagle stayed for dinner and a drink. Even Iron stayed longer for advice. At this rate, your entire team will be having parties without you." He warned and refilled his cup. "Though, Chain seems to be quite the fan of you. Not even using her horn. Well, you don't fix what's not broken."

"Yes, she's dedicated. She would've passed Royal Guard training with one of the highest scores, but the Princess noticed her early."

"Two Princesses, Captain Drops. Ignoring Luna in her entirety would be close to treason, and it's just mean." He admonished her calmly.

"Yes, sir, sorry."

"Right, but that's beside the point. You're distracted."

Sweetie Drops couldn't reply to that.

"Why is that?" He simply asked as he went for his tea.

Hesitation. Sweetie Drops waited a few seconds for her answer. "It's, something a bit personal."

"Hmm. Well, I'm not entitled to force it out of you. But you'll have to tell them eventually."

"Huh?"

Floral gave a small chuckle as he continued to drink his second cup.

"The tea, what do you think I put in it?" He asked.

"I, well, it's tea. So, leaves?"

"What you're drinking is a type of tea from my homeland. It's a milk tea. Basically, it's just black tea with milk in it." He explained it simply.

"Alright? But what's important about that?" She asked as she was starting to feel confused.

"Listen closely. To make this milk tea, I first boil a batch of black tea, then pour in milk with a bit of salt. But, what you're doing is drinking the black tea first, then drinking the milk. And eventually, you'll be left with nothing but salt." He took another sip. "Salt is, bitter. It's something you don't usually use on it's own. You always mix it with something else. Without something to mix it with, you're just left with a bitter taste that won't satisfy at all."

"Oh, so you knew." She was a bit sad.

"Not entirely. If you're worried about me forcing you to move away, I won't. But, if you really want to keep this job, and your life, you'll have to stop being so distracted."

"Then, what am I supposed to do?"

"Isn't it simple? You'll have to break a code."

"What?! But, that could expose the entire organization! One slip and the S.M.I.L.E agency will have to come to the light! It'll put others in danger! It'll put her in danger!" She was obviously against it.

"That's why it's secret, isn't it?"

The question stopped her. It was absurd. She would be putting not just her team in danger, but the entire agency. And of course, the one who found out would also be placed in danger.

"I get what you're worried of, but because of that, you're not operating as your best self. I will tell you this as simply as I could, you will die because of that carelessness. So, you'll have to either forget about your mask of 'Bon Bon', or you'll have to expose your secret. I'm sure you know which one you won't do." He stated.

Taking a moment to think, Sweetie Drops was conflicted. She's given her life for the job, but she felt something she's never have before. Something that couldn't be replaced.

"Then, what'll happen after that?" She asked.

"That's something only time will tell." He replied. "She could just go on without caring about it much, maybe she'll try to join the agency. Well, it all depends on how much you trust her."

"I trust her, with my life."

"Then, the answer is simple isn't it?" He asked the final question.

"I, I'll have to think about it." She said as she finished her lukewarm tea and left. "Good night, sir."

"Good night." He replied as he stared at her walking off. "I didn't take her for the romantic type." He mumbled to himself as he went for another cup of tea.

"Yo! Floral! What rhymes with orange?!" Moon loudly asked as she came over with a bunch of small wooden trinkets.

"What?" He asked.

"What rhymes with orange?" Gilda asked and placed a thick wooden circle down.

"Yeah, we tried to think of a bunch of stuff, all we came up with was door hinge." Moon said and started to align them. "I need nails, by the way. I'm gonna make a mirror table."

"Yeah, sure, I'll help you make them in the morning." He replied and picked up a piece as a blueprint immediately came to mind. "I guess, things like ridge, bridge, singe, would rhyme with orange." He listed the few words.

"Cool, where's, uh, Zecora, yeah, where is she?" Gilda asked and poured herself a cup of tea.

"Back again, and all I need is bought. Every item found, just like I thought!" Zecora happily exclaimed as she came through a bush with a cart behind her. "I can't thank you enough for your hospitality. I'll pay you back with potions full of vitality!" She said happily as she disconnected herself from the cart.

"It's fine, Zecora. Though, those potions would really help." Floral said.

"Ooh! Zecora!" Gilda raised a claw. "Think you can make me something that'll help me in close quarter fights? I always end up with no arrows in fights." She requested.

"That's as simple as it could get. A fair trade, no need to fret!" Zecora accepted without hesitation.

"Then I want something that'll explode!" Moon demanded suddenly.

"Explode?" Floral asked amused.

"What, explosions are fun." That was her reply.

"As long as the ingredients are there to find, I'll help you out with all my mind." Zecora said as she brought out a few white boxes from her cart. "I passed by Sugarcube Corner today, and grabbed some baked goods along the way." She explained and opened the first box to reveal donuts.

"Fuck yes!" Moon immediately took one.

"Hey, donuts!" Gilda was happy as well.

"These treats are made with bananas and berries, a combo that's sweet and a little bit merry." Zecora happily explained the treats as she took one for herself

Staring at the three enjoying themselves, Floral couldn't help but smile. For him, this was exactly what he wished for. A family of sorts, no matter what they went through, still remain happy and cheerful. It was these small moments of peace that Floral truly missed.

"Dude, grab one! These are actually amazing!" Moon told Floral.

He chuckled. "Sure, is there anything with blueberries in it?"

Coming through the door, Moon walked a bit and saw Gilda coming over the fence on the treehouse. With slight flair, she placed a cloth over it.

"Is it good?" Moon asked.

"Table's looking good." Gilda said as she pushed it bit to check its stability.

"I guess it's about time we made an actual table huh?" Moon commented and sat at it on a log. "Should probably make chairs too."

"We can do it later." Floral told them as he took a seat. "So, we'll be starting with weapon training soon enough. We'll have to fit basically decades of experience into about twenty days." He said as he slapped a bunch of files on the table.

"Sounds impossible." Gilda said as she leaned on the fence.

"It is, that's why we can only improve their basics. We'll give them a start, and they'll have to figure out their fighting styles on their own." He replied and brought out the first file. "Eagle Eye. Brown coat, gold mane. Pegasus. Skills include scouting, long range archery, camouflage in sandy areas, and great at fleeing through the skies. This one's obvious." He finished and put it aside.

"Long or short bow though?" Moon asked.

"There's a difference?" Gilda asked as she thought of her way of shooting.

"You have a long bow. It's a bit slower, but has greater power and range than the short bow. Although you can't use it in close combat, you also have claws, plus there's Moon and me in front of you." He explained and brought out the next. "Stargazer. Indigo coat, gray mane. Unicorn. Skills are fast spell casting, multitasking, good magic sensitivity. He should get a short sword or such in case of emergencies."

"Yeah, it's probably the best option." Gilda was fine with it.

"Ah, the guy who's scared of the dark. Ain't got a problem there." Moon agreed.

"You're never afraid of the dark. You're only scared of what could be in it." Floral said softly. "Then here's Silent Steps." He brought out the next one. "Dark coat, dark mane."

"Kind of guy that's born for stealth." Moon said jokingly.

"Then knives it is, no?" Gilda suggested.

"Agreed." Floral said. "Heavy Hitter. White coat, light yellow mane. Earth Pony. Fast, efficient, and quiet. I thought warhammer at first, but gauntlets might suit better." He said and looked at the two.

"I guess?" Gilda said.

"I really wanna say warhammer." Moon was a bit hesitant.

"Do you have an idea, Gilda?" Floral asked.

"Well, I was thinking the uh, big sword?" She suggested.

"You mean, Greatsword?" Floral asked.

"Is it the really big ones? With the, uh, a really wide blade?" Gilda asked back.

"I suppose that could work." He said.

"It'll have to be custom made though, not many ponies that could use something like that." Moon mumbled to the idea.

"Well, that's not our problem." Floral said as he pulled out the next one. "Second in command, Chain Link. Unicorn. Silver coat, red mane. Skills include incredible flexibility, fast decision making, quite fast, high mental strength. Though, she's already chosen her weapon."

"Less work for us, I guess." Moon mumbled.

"What's she using? Gilda asked.

"Kusarigama. A Neighpanese weapon. It's a scythe connected to a spiked ball with a long chain." Floral explained.

"How the hell are we supposed to teach something like that?" Moon asked.

Floral simply stared back at her.

"Oh, fuck off. Why'd you learn something like that?" She asked.

"You know how to use that thing?" Gilda asked.

"I learnt it, so I could infiltrate a group of Neighpanese ponies. It worked." He said before moving on.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me, hey Moon, what kinda fan club makes smoke bombs and poison?" Gilda asked.

"I don't fucking know? An obsessed group of teenagers?" Moon replied.

"Huh." Gilda was slightly shocked.

"Told you it would be a straight answer." Floral said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah." Gilda said annoyed.

"The fuck are you guys-ah. You bitch, you didn't tell me there was a cult." Moon immediately asked Floral.

"Well, there isn't. I made sure." He said calmly before pulling out the next file.

"Dude, damn." Was all Moon could say.

"I guess it's a fan club." Gilda commented.

"Sure it is." Floral gave a chuckle. "Captain Sweetie Drops. Beige coat, blue and pink mane. Earth Pony. Skills include stealth, leadership, hooh-to-hoof combat, acrobatics, acting, hang-gliding, boating, blimp licensed, short sword usage, information gathering, athleticism, spear usage, long sword usage, shield usage, ball usage, cannon usage, bow usage, knife usage, wire usage, pencil usage." He listed it all off with a casual tone.

"Holy shit!" Moon exclaimed rightfully.

"How the fuck are you so calm about this?! I mean, pencil usage?" Gilda asked befuddled.

"Pencils are sharp, and can dig into vulnerable spots just fine." Floral said calmly. "I've already read these before they came here. I can only guess the agency is the reason Equestria's military force has fallen so low. The agency would take care of anything extra that happened. I'm not sure if she's killed anything before though, there's only mentions of captures here." He muttered to himself.

"I, fucking hell." Gilda muttered.

"So, what the hell's her weapon?" Moon asked.

"Gauntlets, extra knives." He simply answered.

"Damn, seriously. And here I was thinking ponies were soft." Gilda said with shock. "Except for you two, you guys are just enigmas."

"Jee, I'm glad." Moon said sarcastically.

"Then there's the new recruit, Iron Shield." Floral said and pulled out the last file. "Pegasus. White coat, silver mane. Trained in sword usage." He said and put it away.

"That's, um." Gilda didn't know what to say.

"Yeah. It is a bit disappointing after Captain Drops. But he's a new recruit, so he'll have to catch up." Floral told them.

"I'll say, the asshole's got a good survival instinct. He's dodging pretty much everything I'm throwing at him." Moon interjected. "Of course, I'm holding back. But my point still stands."

"Yes, it seems the main thing that's been holding him back was the fear of getting hurt." Floral said calmly. "He gets over that, he'll be an incredible fighter."

"Alright, so, we just gotta train him in shielding right?" Gilda asked.

"He'll learn from experience. To learn a shield, you only need to remember a few rules." Floral explained.

"Yeah, so, shield it is, right?" Moon asked.

"Yes, let's go with the stereotype on this one." Floral said and gathered the files into a folder.

"Wait, so if Drops is that good, why the hell is she so terrible in training?" Moon asked.

"That's a personal problem for her. I took care of it, but, we'll see how well it went tomorrow." Floral closed the discussion.

"Alright!" Moon cheered and took a big stretch. "My back was aching from all this work." She complained.

"We talked for like ten minutes at most." Gilda said from the side as she started to inspect her arrows.

"So? I'm still fucking tired. I'm going to eat some of those cupcakes Zecora brought." Moon said and jumped over the fence.

"Hey! Don't you dare eat them all!" Gilda yelled and jumped after her.

Floral only laughed at their antics. Though, that feeling quickly faded away as he opened a file again.

"A group of spies from Saddle Arabia." He mumbled. "Yet they came from just the South. Not the East. If the spies wanted to go come from someplace else, they could've easily chosen East. Even the West if it was that important." He mumbled more as something started to form in his mind. "Fuck, something big is gonna happen soon."

With that thought, his next action was already decided.

"I wonder if there's anything with blueberries left?"

He would wait until either night, or until Celestia visited.

Author's Note

More counseling time! I thought I could slowly branch his influence out like this. :moustache:

And as for training, don't you think the two girls are actually enjoying this? :pinkiesmile: It feels like a pretty good break from being bored all day. :duck:

Anyways, as always. Thanks for reading! :heart:

Focus

*Whoosh*

The air had a gentle breeze. The smell of faint grass filled my nose as a vast expanse was open before my eyes. The stars shined beautifully above as a full moon lit up the dark night. It was pleasant.

"Well, I am rather glad you are having such nice dreams without my assistance." Luna suddenly came in as she was laying on a cloud next to me. "Though, I am surprised Moon is not with you."

"I'm not supposed to fully control my dreams after all." I gave a short reply as I stared forward.

"Even with your unpredictability, I suppose one can not change their dreams on a whim. Though, you have shown enough miracles for me to truly doubt that." She said with a small grin.

"I'll take that as a compliment." I replied briefly as I finally turned to her. "So, what brings you here?"

"I'm just here for a visit. I'm afraid neither me, nor my sister can visit for a while. A rather important talk with the surrounding nations is approaching, and we wish to cover all our bases before negotiating." She explained in a bored tone. "I hoped that you would have more interesting news."

"Well, it's interesting alright." I said. "The agents files, they took down Saddle Arabia's spies."

"Yes, I read about it. It gave my sister an advantage to use."

"Well, it seems they came from purely the South."

"What about it?"

"It's just a theory, but it's better to be safe than sorry." I warned as I willed a cup of tea to me.

"Hmm, I suppose you are correct. The Badlands are quite unpredictable after all." She murmured to herself. "Also, you are controlling your dreams." She said with a small glare.

I gave a chuckle at that. "You're right. I just like the scenery." I admitted as she left with an amuse smile.

"Alright, so." Floral said as he sat, looking over the field. "We've judged that those weapons suit you the best, but, until you actually use it, we won't know if it's the right one for you." He explained as he patted Harkon, whom he was sitting on. "So, get moving!"

"YES SIR!" The agents replied loudly as they looked over their weapons.

"Eagle, you're with me!" Gilda told him as Eagle ran over.

"This one's with me." Moon said as a tentacle grabbed Stargazer.

"Iron, head over to Moon. The rest of you, I'll be overlooking your training." Floral commanded as they split up.

With the agents and their weapons, they stood a bit apart as they waited for Floral.

"First things first, when you swing these weapons, I want you all to have the intention to kill!" He shouted as he stared at them. "None of you, and I repeat, none of you have the luxury to hold back. Now start training!"

"YES SIR!"

With their positions clear, the four agents separated to gain their own space. Floral went to each of them with a stern gaze that followed their every move.

"You're too stiff. Allow the chain to flow freely, you'll want that chain to wrap around anything your opponent might use." Floral instructed calmly. "Faster. Your attacks, no matter how strong you are, are useless if they don't hit anything."

*Bang*

"That was too strong. Now your sword is stuck." He told Heavy, who now had to pull his greatsword out of the ground. "Remember! You may overwhelm opponent with any skills or strengths you possess, but get too cocky and you'll only have a crutch to lean on!"

"How about something like this?" Steps asked as he slashed thrice in the air.

"An enemy initiates a stab attack before you land, what do you do?" Floral asked immediately.

"Uhh, I'd-"

"And you're dead." He cut him off.

"Aww."

"Don't get complacent. Don't be rash. Never fully commit to an attack unless you're absolutely sure your attacks will land. Even then, you'll still die if you're attacked by another in that split second." Floral kept telling them as he walked around them, checking to see each and every movement they made.

*Swish, swish*

Sweetie Drops, launching several different attacks in a short time, was making the air whistle with her attacks. Observing her, Floral gave a small smile as she seemed to be more focused.

*Twack*

"So, you can shoot." Gilda commented lazily as she was laying on the ground.

"Of course I can shoot!" Eagle said back, the bow positioned perfectly.

"Yeah, yeah, then, reload." She said without caring.

Grabbing an arrow from his back, Eagle Eye knocked it on the bow as he pulled back.

"Fire." Gilda commanded.

*Twack*

"Exactly what are you checking with this?" Eagle asked.

"Hmm." Gilda was thinking as she seemed to be dissatisfied with something. "Load again, fire without my command."

"Yes ma'am." He complied and knocked another arrow.

Without aiming, he released the arrow as it struck bullseye. Quite happy with this, he turned to Gilda, but she was still mad about something.

"You, fire without posting the bow on the ground." She said as she glared at the target.

"Alright." He said as he picked it up.

Knocking another arrow, he balanced on his back hooves as he aimed at the target. Holding the bow with one hoof, he used his other to pull the string back. With a sharp breath, he released as the arrow whistled through the air.

*Twack*

"Hmm, bad." Gilda commented as she stared at the arrow, stuck in the ground in front of the target.

"I'm not a unicorn. It's not exactly ideal for me to aim without setting up first." Eagle said, a little annoyed.

"Alright, let's say, you got attacked by more than one dude. And, maybe you take the first one, but, what about the others? You think you can win in a two v one?" She asked as she finally stood up. "Hell, you can't even win one on one. You're supposed to be the archer. You fight from long range."

"Then, that's just my fault isn't it? I wasn't good enough, so I lose." Eagle replied a bit nervously.

"Losing, is not an option." She said with a small sigh. "Look, I grew up getting in fights all the time. Physical ones. And let me tell you, losing doesn't just mean you lost a fight. It'd mean you lost your life." She explained with a firm tone. "In a fight, a real one. It's not about winning or losing, it's about living. Every punch, every kick, every small cut, all of those matter when it's about life and death. Only when you yourself have lived, you get to either show mercy, or none."

"I, I see." He relented as he thought on her words. "Aren't you younger than me? What kind of fights have you been having?"

"I grew up in Griffonstone. Every day, you steal, you cheat, steal again, get caught, fight your way out, then go on to steal again." She said it with a dismissive tone before laying back on her spot. "Now shoot. You're wasting your training time."

"I, yes ma'am." He wanted to say more.

"So, what am I learning?" Stargazer asked as he was dragged through the air by Moon.

With a small yawn, Moon finally stopped as she reached her destination. "You're learning the sword from me." She said as she put the two ponies down. "Iron, physical training. Start with legs."

"Understood." Iron gave a salute as he took his own space.

"The sword?"

"Yes, you're not exactly agile, mage." Moon responded as she dragged a random log over. "Although magic is very versatile, it still has a few problems. You know any of them?" She asked and brought out a coin from her mane before popping it in her mouth.

"Hmm." Stargazer gathered his words for a second as he ignored Moon's actions. "Well, magic can't be cast in an instant without focus. It's also heavily held back by how many spells the user knows. Then, there's the range which can only be determined with inherent talent and ridiculously high amounts of effort. Well, cutie marks also play a pretty big role too."

"And, it runs out. Quite a lot, if you don't have a proper way of preserving it." Moon added with a small smirk as she took a stretch before sitting down on the log.

"But, how? I'm constantly casting spell after spell in a fight. I can't really preserve it."

"That's the kind of shit you learn from somepony else. I can alter a few spells, but I can't really use pony magic." Moon dismissed it with a hoof. "What I'm getting at is, you need to learn to fight in close combat. Although a knife seems like a better choice, it's entirely different than a short sword. It has a much shorter range, so you'd need to get in, up close and confrontational." She said with a slightly joking tone. "The guy with the bow doesn't get one cuz he's a pegasus, he's fast. You can use teleportation and shit to avoid melee, but it's better to save that magic for another attack spell." She lazily explained, yet her eyes focused on Iron like a hawk.

"Yeah, I get what you're saying." Stargazer nodded.

"Good, all that magic shit means you're a scholar or something, right?" She was nonchalant.

"Um, yes." He answered. "Though, I don't understand. I thought instructor Floral would be teaching weapon arts?"

"Mainly, but you'd be surprised. He doesn't use a sword." She said as she decided to throw the log away and lie down. "Says he only learned other weapons cuz of disguises or something." She was distracted for a moment by something. "Anyways, I learned the sword growing up. So, I'd be better suited teaching you the short sword."

Stargazer frowned slightly as he had a question.

"It's a royal thing." Moon answered. "Doesn't matter. Let's start your shit." She grumbled and tossed him a short sword.

"Woah, heavy." He commented as he picked it up with his magic.

"Nah, no magic." Moon told him.

"Right." Stargazer admitted and picked it up with his mouth uncomfortably.

"What the fuck?" Moon was already disappointed.

"Wha-what is it?" He didn't know.

"No, I just don't understand. What's with you and all those Royal Guards doing that?" She said a bit annoyed.

"Um."

"The sword." She sighed. "Why do you all grab your weapons with your mouths? Sure, it's more convenient, but do you really think your hooves are weaker than your mouth and neck?"

"No?"

"Then why the fuck would you use your mouth?!"

"I-uhh." He didn't really know how to respond to that.

"Look, just, use your hooves. It's just, better in all aspects."

"Understood." He replied and gingerly grabbed it in his hooves.

With a long sigh, Moon tried to get another piece of chocolate from her mane, but couldn't find one.

"This, is gonna be long day." She muttered as she stared at Stargazer, whose form was that of a timid rabbit.

*Crackle*

A fire burned hot, giving warmth as five creatures surrounded it.

"No fucking way." Moon cursed as she held a bunch of letters.

"Sho-*gulp* ponies aren't scared of Moon anymore?" Gilda asked between bites of her meal.

"Not exactly." Floral replied, indescribably obvious that he was mad.

*Growl* Harkon let out a small sound as he snuggled to Floral, who seemed to be getting increasingly pissed off.

"Moon shines bright, with a smile so wide. Bringing joy to hearts, like the stars as guide." Zecora teased with an amused smile.

"Shut up, Z." Moon replied as she ripped one open.

Zecora simply gave a few chuckles at her attitude.

"What's it say?" Gilda asked curiously, also with a teasing smirk.

"It's, a fucking essay. I'm not reading all this." Moon said as she tossed it to Harkon, who blew a small burst of flames at it, burning it to ashes.

"Come on, I wanna see." Gilda disregarded her meal as she snatched one from Moon.

"Ugh, I bet it's all corny shit." Moon commented.

"I did wonder if you’d find a lover. With all the tales you tell, none could discover." Zecora commented as she joyfully bit into a steaming potato.

"How the fuck do you know about my story?" Moon just asked, though without malice or anger.

"I know lots of things, it's plain to see. With skills I've honed, I've become quite free." Zecora replied with a mysterious smile.

"You're proper creepy, you know that?" Moon just shot back.

Zecora chuckled once again.

"I always wonder if you're a magician. Because when I look at you, everypone else, disappears!" Gilda read the letter dramatically whilst suppressing her laughter.

"Oh, what the fuck!?" Moon yelled as she read it herself, complete disbelief in her eyes. "What kinda cringy ass line is this? At least make it bearable if you wanna seduce me!" She complained angrily.

"You must be a magnet, because you're attracting me!" Gilda read another line as she wheezed at the letters.

"Do you like raisins? How about a date?" Moon read another one with a confused face. "This one's worse, there isn't even a cringy pun!"

"A date is a rather sweet fruit, and you should be grateful these lines aren't rather crude." Zecora added in as she grabbed another letter out of interest. "Though I’m sure one that’s quite inappropriate will soon appear. It’ll bring a laugh, or maybe even a cheer." She said with a small chuckle as she read the details. "What I’m concerned of, though, is the nobles’ intention. To swarm this place, seeking your attention." She said as she inspected the fancy envelope.

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm thinking of just asking either Celestia or Luna to just ban them from entering here." Moon said without thinking much.

Floral suddenly seemed to get an idea.

"Just let 'em come, if what I know about nobles are right, they'll be too scared to even come here again." Gilda suggested with a small smirk as she continued to read the letter. "Even I know what these guys are after." She said as she threw the letter into the fire.

"Yeah, I didn't think I'd actually get so popular. Some asshole from Celestia's and Luna's guards spilled the beans." Moon guessed as she threw the rest of the letters into the fire.

"Don’t bother them, my dear friend, it’s plain to see. Those nobles chase dreams that will never be." Zecora simply told Floral, who already had made plans.

Taking a glance at Zecora, Floral pondered for a moment before sighing. "Fine, I guess you're right. They're already troubled with something else anyway." He mumbled without much thought.

*Whine*

"How are you holding up?" Floral asked without much thought as he petted Harkon.

Harkon gave a small whine at that.

"So, I was right." He commented calmly.

Harkon made no movements, yet he simply stared forward with a sad gaze.

"They all leave at some point, we just have to accept it, and decide what to do from there." He spoke with a comforting tone.

With a questioning look, Harkon turned to Floral.

"No, never go where I went. It's a lonely path, and it'll eat you alive before you know it." He denied softly as he gave a small hug to the oversized puppy. "I'm sorry you had to grow up so early." He mumbled as he continued to comfort him.

Harkon wept.

"Come on, there's some beef left. I can make you your favorite steak." Floral said with a small smile.

Laying for a few seconds, Harkon got up. Slightly more upbeat as he followed Floral slowly.

Author's Note

You know, to make this chapter, I basically learned the basics on how to use short swords. It's fascinating how one would randomly decide to spend more time on something they enjoy. :trollestia:

Anyways, thanks for reading! :heart:

Griffins

It was a quite day. The morning sun had risen, and the creatures of Equestria were peacefully going about their days. Well, mostly.

*Bang*

*Clatter*

"Get back here!" A griffin yelled in anger as he ran into a pile of empty boxes.

"Buck off!" A young griffin flipped him off as they continued to run.

"Oh why you!" He was enraged as he spread his wings and took off after the young one.

Glancing back, the young one took a sharp turn into an alleyway of sorts. A few hops and a boost from her wings, they easily maneuvered through different heaps of useless trash and discarded materials.

"On your left!" She yelled and overtook another griffin, who was walking. "Hah, sucker." She muttered and tied a bag of bits around her neck. "Today just keeps getting better."

"Get back here!" The griffin who checked her wings to see her bag gone yelled and sprinted after her.

The young one intentionally cut a rope as she fled, making a a tent collapse behind her.

"HEY!" Two griffins, who were playing with cards yelled out in anger as they tore through the fabric to get out.

"Easy!" The young one celebrated, only to run into another griffin.

"Wha-hey! It's you! You stole my apples!" That one admonished her furiously as he tried to grab her.

"Buck you!" She yelled and swiped with her claws, shallowly cutting into the limb.

Getting stunned for a second, the griffin held his limb. With the chance, the young one instantly fled with a grimace.

"Get her!"

"She ran that way!"

"Catch the little brat!"

Hearing them all coming after her, the young griffin had to figure something out. "Oh, that works."

"Where is she!?"

"She took my bits!"

"My bits as well!"

"Liar, I know you only have dried bread in your place!"

"What would you know?!"

Hearing them fighting, the young one sighed to herself as she relaxed her body. She'd have to stay there until they all left. Shifting to a slightly more comfortable position, she was careful no to make any noise as she peered through a hole in a newspaper. Luckily, she'd found just enough to hide herself by propping it against a wall.

Minutes passed as a brawl eventually happened. With others joining in, in hopes of gaining something. Still, it finally calmed down as griffins were hurt, and they refused to fight anymore.

"Alright, coast is clear." She mumbled to herself as she finally started to move.

There were a few unconscious griffins lying on the ground. Not worth looting since everything they had will already be gone.

"Ugh, this one. Just why'd you have to be not blind?" She grumbled in an annoyed voice as she looked down on the griffin.

"Gotcha!" He yelled and tried to grab her.

"Nope." She dodged him easily and spread her wings. "See ya!" And she took off.

"Oh no you don't!" He yelled and flew after her.

It wasn't exactly a smart move as the young griffin turned sharply and went out of sight. Quickly following, he turned sharply as well, only to slam into a wall. "Agh."

"Sucker!" The young griffin, revealed to be floating above, mocked him with a grin as she bit into a piece of bread. "Should've learned to fly better!" She yelled and flew off.

"I'll get you, you little thief!" He yelled after her as he struggled to use his wings.

"Shut the buck up!" A random passerby shouted in annoyance.

"What'd you say, punk?!" He instantly shouted back as they proceeded to fight.

"Ugh, that was lucky. Good thing I flew higher." The young griffin mumbled to herself as she carried a single piece of bread with her.

Tucking it close to her chest, she was happy as she eventually reached a shabby shed made out of wood. Pushing away the wooden board acting as a door, she let light into the dark house as she happily skipped over to a bed of feathers on the ground.

"Finally, I was starving." She mumbled cheerfully and laid down, earning a small groan as her back let out a few satisfying cracks.

*Crack*

She bit into the bread, making cracking sounds at the dryness of it. With a distracted gaze, she daydreamed about her earlier chase, acting as some entertainment as she savored the bread. Once she was done, she got up and moved to the middle of the house.

*Clack*

She removed a piece of wood to reveal a secret stash.

"And, that makes it, uhh, enough." She was a bit unsure as she opened a green bag to reveal a pile of bits. "Let's see. August, August, fifteenth? I think it hasn't passed yet." She mumbled as she dug through the bits to pull out a poster and read it, though she couldn't. "Speedsters Flight Camp, I think. I'll finally be able to get out of this garbage dump."

"YOU!" Suddenly, another griffin shouted angrily as she stepped into the house.

"What the!?" The young one was surprised as she roughly hid the stash as she turned around. "Who are you!"

"Me!? I'm Gilda! The only dang fisher in this dump! The one you'vebeen stealing from for five whole years!" She was furious as she pounced on the young griffin.

"Gah!" She was caught off guard and struggled to break free. "Let go!"

"Not until you pay me back!" Gilda yelled as she looked around. "Ooh, what do we have here?" She said greedily as she spotted the pile of bits. "That's gotta be enough for me to go Las Pegasus. I can strike rich with that!"

"Hey! That's mine!" The young one kept struggling.

"Ugh, enough." She said and grabbed her by the throat. "I don't know about you, but I've lived in poverty long enough. No creature should care about a little kid like you."

"L-Let, go." She lost her breath as her vision started to darken.

"Hey, I'll at least thank you for this windfall. You were a wonderful surprise." She kept talking as she drew her face closer. "So, really, thank you."

With their beaks practically touching, the little one could barely even think. When the eyes see dark spots and lungs are shriveling, head punding as the ears become muffled. And when death was nearby, consciousness faded, instincts took over.

*Slice*

*Splat*

"Ahg." Gilda was left stunned as her strength slowly left her.

*Thud*

The young griffin fell to the floor weakly.

*Cough*

She was coughing heavily as she slowly caught her breath. Finally being enough to think, she slowly lifted her claw in front of her face.

*Drip*

Her claw was stained with fresh blood as horror almost took over. A heavy metallic scent overtook her senses as she closed her eyes, focusing on not puking. Finally, with minutes passing, she barely calmed herself down.

"Did I?" She muttered.

With her heart beating heavily, adrenaline was an all time high as she forced herself on her legs.

"Gilda?" She asked, weirdly expecting an answer.

When silence was all that returned, she got closer.

"You, are you dead?" She asked carefully.

Finally understanding, she took a small step back. Unable to think fully, she felt herself stepping on paper.

"Ah, I think I'll leave early." She eventually came to that decision.

Swiftly closing the zipper on the ends, she put it on her shoulder with a slight struggle and turned to the door.

"Alright. It's simple. I just need to get there, and ask to join." She mumbled to herself and carefully stepped around the cold body. "Born in Griffonstone. I'm ten, I think? And, uh, name." She stopped as she reached that question.

Turning her head, she glanced one more time at the dead griffin.

"Gilda." She muttered and flew off.

"Gilda." Moon called her with a bored gaze.

Gilda didn't respond from her nest hanging from the treehouse.

"Gilda!" She called again.

Still silence.

"Ugh, she's prolly sleeping." Moon muttered and started to ascend via a dark column that rose underneath her. "Gilda!" She yelled once she reached her.

"Wha!" Gilda was surprised as she swiftly turned to Moon.

"What the fuck, you were awake?" Moon asked with a small frown.

"I, yeah, whatever. What do you want?" Gilda asked with a slightly harsh tone.

"Well rude." Moon grumbled playfully as she gave a chuckle.

Though not seeing Gilda react, she dropped her grin.

"You good?" Moon asked.

"I'm fine, just. I'm thinking about my life." She replied.

"Life huh? Eesh kid, don't. It looks fucking depressing from the outside. I should know, I spent more than three months with Floral." Moon said as she climbed up. "So, what's the matter?" She asked and laid down next to Gilda.

"I, really don't want to talk about it."

"Seriously, you're talking like you committed some big crime. Well, I guess you did. Not many others can say they've fought squads of Royal Guards, and then trained agents from a secret organization."

"Yeah, big crime." Gilda mumbled and looked away slightly.

Noticing that it wasn't working, Moon thought of something else. "Hey, I'm thinking of asking Floral to build us wardrobes or something. I'll probably be getting a bunch of dresses or whatever as gifts soon enough." She said in almost bragging tone.

"A fucking wardrobe?" Gilda said in small disbelief.

"Yeah, no matter how much they annoy me. Clothes are clothes. Shit, we can even store weapons in there if we feel like it."

"Weapons? In a wardrobe?"

"Yeah, then it'll be a real wardrobe wouldn't it?"

Gilda cracked a chuckle at that. "That was fucking horrible." She commented.

"Yeah, yeah." Moon dismissed it. "So, feeling better?"

Taking a few moments, Gilda gave a small sigh. "Yeah, I guess." She said without much energy. "You ever kill?" She suddenly asked.

"I kill almost every other week here, Gilda."

"No, I meant." She sighed again. "Have you ever killed, a conscious, sentient being."

"Oh." Moon was shocked to say the least. "Well, no. Not really. I've only ever killed wild beasts before. When I had a clear mind that is." She answered.

"Heh, I guess I have something over you then." Gilda joked with a dark tone.

Though, Moon couldn't quite grow a smile at it.

"It's, honestly a bit weird. I never forgot, but I stopped thinking about it after, like a week." She said as she lost her smile. "When I first got admitted into the Junior Speedster's Flight Camp, I had to fill out a bunch of forms. Even then, just like I how collected the admission fee, I stole everything."

"Kid." Moon said softly.

"Even my birthday, I just copied it off of a random colt. There was supposed to be parent signature, I roughly forged a signature of the oldest griffin I knew. Grampa Gruff, he didn't even know I went to flight camp." She laid it all out as she thought back on that day. "Nervous, in a completely new place. Nothing to call my own except some old bag. I stole that off some sick griffin that was dying."

"Hey, you don't have to. Nothing's forcing you." Moon comforted her.

"It's just, i-it's, just, confusing, Moon. Even my name, I stole that from a fisher, who I kept stealing fish from for over five years." She complained as a few tears started to leak out. "In flight camp, I thought my life had changed. But, the day that I graduated, I just went back to stealing. I thought it was okay back then, just a fish or two, but I also knew I was letting others die because of it! And now I'm just, just, here? Peaceful? Not fighting for my life. Not a fugitive. Just, living?"

"Why didn't you talk about it earlier?" She asked carefully as she placed her hoof around Gilda's shoulder.

"I don't know." Gilda answered weakly. "I was just, confused. I thought it was over when the guards came for me that day. Then it just, blew over? No, downsides? No drawbacks to it all? No consequences to literally everything?"

"Hey, life's just like that sometimes. It sucks at times, then it doesn't at other times. It's something I learned from Floral's ramblings."

"I guess. I just, don't really understand it. I always thought it'd come back to bite me in the flank, and it did. Then it kinda just, blew over?"

"It's fine, Gilda. Sometimes life just, gives a freebie. You can only accept it and move on." Moon said as she thought back on herself.

"But, it just keeps coming back. That one single moment. Ever since things started to calm down around here, I just keep remembering that."

Moon gathered her words for a second. "You know, it's not that different from what I do." She said with a weak smile.

"What do you mean?"

"I've had my share of accidents. And I don't forget them, but I try to not let it bother me." She explained and looked at Gilda in the eyes. "The past is the past. You can't change it. But, you can learn from it, then you can forgive yourself."

Gilda stared blankly, countless thoughts hidden in her eyes. Then she gave a single chuckle. "That was from Floral, wasn't it?"

"Eh, more or less." Moon gave a shrug. "Z is thinking of going back to Ponyville to gather some materials for potions. Says she needs something with cap-er-something, to make that self defence thing you were talking about. She wants to know if we want anything while she's out."

"Some soda, or something." Gilda said, in a slightly better mood.

"Aight. You can talk to me if you want to, alright?"

"Alright, thanks."

"It's fine. We're basically family here." She said as a single thought appeared.

"Yeah, sure. And Floral's probably the dad." She gave a chuckle.

"Hah. Yeah. Bastard's basically a parent at this point." Moon joked and stood up. "Take a nap. It usually helps me."

"Got it."

"Good." She said and hopped off.

"Past is the past." Gilda muttered as she laid her head on her claws. "I guess it's as straightforward as it could get."

With different thoughts, she laid on her back and looked upwards. Noticing the ropes being rather tight, she came to a single conclusion as she decided to get up.

"Should probably ask Floral to help with that."

Author's Note

I know I was thinking of something to write here, but I forgot. :facehoof: So, thanks for reading. :heart:

Answers

"Hmm." Floral let out a sound as his eyes opened. Sensing something was wrong, he got up. "Moon." He mumbled and looked around.

Gilda climber over the fence with a muddled look. "It's raining." She said in a tired voice.

"Sleep over here." He said and gave a small guidance as Gilda nodded and passed out in Floral's place.

With that, he scanned the treehouse again. The usual tranquility in the treehouse. Zecora was sleeping in a bag. The table had two cups, missing the one with a flower on it. Harkon was looking upwards with a worried gaze. One of the two barrels of whiskey were missing.

Without thinking more, he climbed over and stepped on top of the house.

"Hey." Moon replied unexcitedly.

"You alright?" Floral asked and sat down next to her.

"Pretty much, the whiskey's numbed it." She said and gulped whatever remained in her cup.

"What's got you up?" He asked and extended a hoof.

"Nothing much." She answered and gave him the cup.

"Come on, you've trusted me for three months now." He gave a small joke and refilled the cup before taking his own sip.

"Yeah, yeah." She gave half-hearted answer and tried to take the cup back.

"You reek. You've had too much." He said and finished it in one go.

"Whatever." She said and laid down, gazing up at the trees.

"So, what is it?" He asked and laid down next to her.

"Eh, just, something Gilda asked me."

"And it bothers you this much?"

"That weird?"

"You're not somepony to miss out on sleep." He said and placed the cup down.

"Fuck off, I sleep a healthy amount. You sleep for about six hours." She said with a small glare.

"It's a habit."

"Sure."

In silence, the two calmly let the rain hit them. The small pitter patter was comforting as vapor was visible in the air.

"What was it like?" Moon suddenly asked.

"What?" Floral responded calmly.

"To kill, with a clear mind. No, corruption or, just, you, with nothing like that making you do it. To just, kill to survive, with no curse or whatever making you do it."

"Hmm." He gathered his words. "My first one was, horrifying. Guilt, and fear filled me as I could barely focus on anything else. Then, after that, I went on a killing spree for revenge. It was, satisfying, at first. I was getting my revenge, one way or another, then as days went by, turning to months, to years. It was just, empty. Only after demolishing villages and towns that numbered in the hundreds, did I wake up with guilt once again. That was my last fight, until I woke up here." He explained solemnly.

"How many countries did you travel to?"

"At first, I trailed a group of cultists to the West. So I started my journey there. I went to Neighpan, Roassia, Germane, Prance, Ponygal, and finally circled back to Saddle Arabia, where I ended it."

"How long did it take?"

"Fifteen years."

"Fifteen, then you went after."

"I left about a month after Bright left. Eventually, I settled down in a rural town. Doing farming for my daily necessities."

"So, you just stopped?"

"Basically, yes."

"Then, how did you deal with the guilt?"

Floral finally turned to Moon, who was looking at him with a desperate gaze. He sat back up, Moon following suit.

"I didn't. I let time deal with that." He answered calmly as he stared back.

"It's, more than I can bear." She said and closed her eyes. "I thought back to the Nightmare thing, I kept telling myself it was just because I couldn't think straight, but it's. bad. It's just bad." She said and hunched over.

"Then, you can share that burden with me." He said and pulled her in.

"Thanks." Moon said tiredly as she accepted the hug. "You do a lot for me."

"I don't mind doing more." He said and started to run her hoof down her head. "You never had a childhood, did you?"

"No, I can't really call it one." She answered and stared forwards.

Floral lifted one hoof to give her space.

"You remember how I told you, that it rained in Nocturnus?"

"Yes?"

"It was a disaster." She said as she brought her hooves to her face, tiny shadows dancing to form a shape on it. "It always rained in Nocturnus, but, my dad stopped it. He held a giant barrier over it all, protecting our one city from falling. Then he disappeared, I was eight at the time, still naive, and couldn't rule over a nation."

"Did you evacuate?"

"No, it was fine at the time. I just took over, and got lessons from the advisors. Yet, without dad's barrier stopping the sun and the rain from getting in, Nocturnals slowly lost their powers. The once rich in inclusion and vast in populace Nocturnus, slowly fell apart as Nocturnals lost hope and determination, leading to the population crumbling down. Pure Nocturnals faded away, those that were also a part of other species became less and less until, well, until Nocturnus disappeared off the map. I think that was pretty close to the time Celestia and Luna became rulers."

"How long did it go for?"

"About a thousand years. All that time, I just, spent it trying to keep the nation alive whilst training my powers. Then, I raised the barrier again. All the crop we lost started to grow back, buildings were beginning to get properly built and all seemed to be getting fine. Then it happened. In the end, I couldn't compare to dad." She had a lost look as she thought back on the day.

"Then, what did you do?"

"I did the only thing I could, get to higher ground. I commanded every soldier to either guide the citizens, or to gather any and everything we could eat. It was hasty, it was, too fast. We couldn't anything except hold out as the city slowly filled with water. The damn city walls became a box as everything drowned in water. Then, we were just holed up on top of the castle. It was disastrous, like, every rain that was stopped by dad came pouring down at once. We sent everycreature that could fly to get help, but, when we didn't receive anything for over two months, I eventually went out myself. Then, you can guess what happened."

"I see." He commented as he kept his hoof on Moon's back.

"What do you think I should've done?" She asked.

Floral took a moment to visualize it in his mind. Yet, he could only come to one answer. "I would've done exactly what you did." He answered softly.

"Mhm." She gave a quiet reply.

As they stayed there for a while, Floral eventually noticed the vapors from their breaths.

"Come on, we should go in. Could catch a cold."

"No let me just, stay like this for a while." Moon said and leaned on Floral. "Why did you help me?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's just, the only thing I ever did was bring you pain, and then I was just an asshole. So, why?"

"I, don't know. Maybe I just, related to you, is all."

"Heh, we both had a shitty past, is what you're saying right?"

"Maybe. I found you broken, and I related to that."

Moon gave a chuckle as she kept staring at the shadow on her hooves. She gave a grunt as she couldn't focus on what she was making. In the end, she sighed.

"I think the whiskey's finally getting to me."

"Take a rest, I'll carry you inside."

"Thanks." She said as she stopped her shadow and leaned in closer.

"No problem." He said and wrapped himself around her. "Good night."

"Uph." Iron took a deep breath as he forcefully held a large shield in front of him.

*Bang*

"Hah!" He shouted and tilted it slightly, letting an attack slide off the shield.

"Hmm." Heavy grunted as he easily retrieved his sword and took a step back.

"Hiya!" Steps yelled as he seemingly appeared from thin air behind Heavy.

"Not so fast!" Stargazer yelled as he froze Steps in place.

With quick thinking, Heavy kicked Iron, who blocked gain, before turning to Steps and swinging his sword. As the hunk of metal came down, Steps shut his eyes as he prepared to get hit.

*Bam*

Chain came out of nowhere and rammed into the blade, causing it to miss. With one swing, a chain danced through the air. And one more swing, a small scythe flew, aimed straight at Heavy.

*Cling*

An arrow threw it off course.

"Gotcha." Eagle celebrated slightly and drew another arrow.

Chain grabbed Steps and jumped back, avoiding Heavy as his sword came down on the ground again, making a small crater.

*Boom*

*Bam*

"Come on!" Iron complained as he was caught in the air by a magic blast.

With a sword in his hooves, he took a step back to buy him some time as he glanced at a shield bigger than him on the ground.

"Alright, remember the plan!" Chain commanded as she prepared to rush in.

"Got'cha!" Steps replied as he lowered his stance, hiding his next move.

"Yes ma'am!" Iron said and sheathed his sword.

"Triangle formation." Heavy called out and stood in the front with an offensive stance.

"Yep." Stargazer nodded and a spell was ready to be cast.

"Got it." Eagle replied and picked his target.

With the two teams standing off, a tense atmosphere was lead as they stared down at each other.

"Let's go!" Chain shouted.

"Prepare!" Heavy commanded.

With all of them ready, Steps suddenly took in the air as a single orb was visible in his hoof.

*Pshht*

Smoke filled the area in an instant as sounds of battle soon followed.

"Well, would you look at that." Moon commented, slightly surprised.

"Yeah, these guys got pretty good." Gilda agreed as she drank soda from a cup.

They were observing the fight calmly from the side.

"Still, that girl is pretty far ahead." Moon said and turned to Floral.

"Faster." He guided and blocked an attack on his left before throwing a punch.

Weaving through, Sweetie Drops threw a punch, metal gauntlets one her hooves. Floral stepped back and avoided it.

"Be more decisive." He instructed.

Following Floral, Sweetie Drops stood on her back hooves and threw a low kick. Then she followed it without a breath's chance and threw two more kicks, each going higher than the one before. Successfully pulling off a triple kick.

Floral blocked them all, including the one going for his head as he wrapped his hooves around her leg. Sweetie Drops responded by twisting herself and throwing a kick from below. He let go of her legs and leaned to the right to dodge it. With that chance, he tried to stomp her.

Supporting herself with her front legs, Sweetie Drops spun on the ground to dodge it, before using her momentum and swiping under Floral.

A small leap to avoid the sweep, Floral punched downwards and parried a punch. Losing instantly, Sweetie Drops was lead downwards as she realized her mistake.

In the end, Floral initiated an uppercut from down below, stopping right before Sweetie Drops's jaw.

Stopping for a second, Sweetie Drops sighed as she collapsed backwards.

"You did good." Floral commented.

"You held back." She said with a small glare.

"You'd have been two limbs less if I didn't." He said and took a step forward.

"LET HER GO!" A new voice joined the fray.

Without much reaction, Floral simply turned to the voice as he watched a stick hit him in the head. The stick broke.

"Ah." The newcomer was shocked.

"Lyra!?" Sweetie Drops asked in surprise.

"Ow?" Floral said with an impassive face.

Then he stuck hoof out as a giant tentacle stopped right before it.

"Oi! Who the fuck are you?!" Moon asked angrily as she landed from the air next to Floral.

"Do I shoot this fucker?!" Gilda yelled from the air as her bow was ready to fire.

"No." Floral calmly said. "Lyra, was it? I'm Floral Green, Captain Drops's current instructor." He introduced himself as Sweetie Drops pushed herself upwards.

"Lyra, what are you doing here?!" She worriedly asked Lyra, who was nervously looking around.

"Me?! What are you doing in the Everfree forest?!" Lyra asked back as she took a protective stance in front of Sweetie Drops.

"So you haven't told her." Floral said without much surprise.

"Why isn't this bitch dead yet?" Moon asked as her dagger came to her with another tentacle.

"Give me the go, I'll plant an arrow in her head." Gilda said and landed next to Floral.

"No." Floral said and lightly held a hoof in front of her.

"Lyra, calm down. We're not fighting. Well, we are, but, it's just training." Sweetie Drops explained as she glanced at Floral. "I had a plan, to tell her." She told Floral with a small sigh.

"Ah, the date." Lyra suddenly realized.

"What?" Moon stood down as she realized that she was misunderstanding something.

"So, she's not an enemy?" Gilda asked and lowered her bow.

"No, she's not." Sweetie Drops said unenthusiastically, already used to Moon and Gilda. "Everypony, meet Lyra Heartstrings, my marefriend."

"Hi?" Lyra waved a bit confused.

"Hi." Gilda gave a small wave.

"Oh for fuck's sake, this was supposed to be some secret shit, no?" Moon asked a bit annoyed.

"Yes, it is." Floral replied for them.

"WE GIVE! WE GIVE! Jeez, Chain, calm down." Eagle shouted, earning the attention of the group.

Chain was on top of him, having him tied down with her chains and holding a scythe over his neck.

"Damn, guess Vice-Captain is pretty good." Gilda commented.

"Captain Drops, join the others and start your exercises." Floral commanded.

"Yes, sir." She answered a bit dispirited as she turned to Lyra. "Lyra, just take a seat at the fire. I'll be back." She said and gave a quick kiss before walking off.

"You two overlook their training." Floral told the girls before turning to Lyra. "Miss Lyra, this way, if you would."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Lyra replied and followed a bit nervously.

"Get your healing here, for your injuries could fester!" Zecora was happily involved as a medic in the background.

"Is that Zecora?" Lyra asked surprised.

"Yes, you're from Ponyville, right?" Floral calmly answered as they made their way to the campfire.

"Yeah, I am. But, what's this all about? Is Bon Bon some secret spy? And why do you call her Captain Drops?" She was very curious.

"Those, are something you should ask her yourself." He answered with a light chuckle. "Take a seat, would you like some tea?" He asked and sat down.

"Y-yes please." She answered and accepted a cup of hot tea and sat down.

"Well, I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but, I'm not a pony with power in the military. You'll have to get your answers from Captain Drops yourself." He said and filled his own cup.

"I, I see." Lyra answered disheartened.

"Would you want to talk about it?"

"I don't understand, why didn't she tell me?! I'm a good secret keeper!" Lyra instantly complained with a small frown.

"She was about to, no?"

"Why not sooner though?! We've been together for like, three years by now!"

Floral chuckled at her attitude.

"I'm surprised. Most ponies usually ask about Moon when they first come here, not their relationships." He commented as he took a sip. "Have a taste, it should calm you down."

Looking annoyed, Lyra still took a sip. Although surprised by the taste, she was still mad about the whole thing.

"What else am I supposed to do!? I just found out that my marefriend has been hiding her whole life from me!"

"Not her whole life." He rebuked calmly as he stared at Lyra. "You should know, she loves you quite a bit."

"Then why hasn't she-AH!" She got surprised as Harkon lazily walked around her to lay down next to Floral.

Floral accidentally let out a laugh.

"Sorry about Harkon, he doesn't pay much attention to anypony except those he knows." He gave a simple apology as he patter Harkon.

Looking at the sleeping wolf, Lyra could only say one thing. "Giant puppy." She murmured as stars appeared in her eyes. "Wait, no!" She said and shook her head. "The giant cute puppy is distracting me!" She complained and forced her eyes to Floral.

Floral simply chuckled at her attitude. "Well, if it helps you understand, this whole thing is known only by a hooffull of others. Even Blueblood doesn't know."

"Even Prince Blueblood?" Lyra mumbled in shock.

"Yes, per normal procedure, you should've already been either dead, or on your way to some cell in the capital." He said casually as he drank from his cup. "Well, of course, I'm not really a part of it."

Lyra was staring in slight fear as a sweat drop traveled down.

"And, considering Captain Drops's status as, well, captain. None of those agents would really dare to try anything." He added on. "Celestia and Luna shouldn't be a problem too."

"Huh?" Lyra was confused as she stared at him.

"Eh, you don't really have anything to worry about." He dismissed it with a wave. Suddenly noticing something, Floral turned towards the training agents. "Hey! Why am I not hearing anything?!" He asked loudly.

"AAAAHHHH!"

*Bam*

"Ow." Iron landed heavily next to them. "Monkey. Strong." He said dizzily before passing out.

"Oh." Floral turned to Lyra. "Excuse me, I need to deal with that." He said and stood up. Taking his axe that was lying against the tree, he cracked his neck. "Zecora! Look after Iron!" He commanded and took off, leaving Lyra in a daze.

Author's Note

Another chapter! Finally rounding up Moon's backstory. From now on, I'll be stopping the filler-ish chapters and moving the story on. :coolphoto:

Anyways, thanks for reading! :heart:

Casual

"Ugh, I'm dying." Moon complained with a sore throat and a headache.

"Fucking hell, Moon. Did you drink during the night? I can practically get drunk just smelling it off of you." Gilda said and got up with a groan.

"Fuck off, get me a water." Moon replied.

"I must say, I believe you've had too much. That hangover's rough, it’s hard to clutch." Zecora added from the side as she searched through her mind for ingrediets.

"For fuck's sake, just get me some water." Moon said harshly as she held her head.

"I got'cha." Floral came around with a cup of water in on his head. "You should be grateful, just imagine how bad that hangover would've been if I had let you keep drinking." He said with an amused grin and gave her the water.

Gulping it all in one go, Moon gave a small sigh. "Thanks." She gave a simple gratitude as she covered her face with her wings. "I think I'm gonna lie here for a while." She said with a groan.

"Well, I'll prepare a hangover potion true, but I hope you won't abuse this brew." Zecora said with a small chuckle before heading towards the door.

"How'd you not learn your lesson after that drinking contest with Princess Celestia?" Gilda said with an amused grin as she took a stretch.

"Fuck off." Moon groaned again.

"Well, we're running a bit low on firewood. So you'll have to help me." Floral said calmly as he tapped Gilda on the shoulder. "Just drink plenty of water while Zecora makes the potion." He said before jumping over the fence.

"Oh, come on." Gilda gave a small complaint before ultimately following him over the fence.

"Got it." Moon complied with another groan.

"It has exactly been twenty nine days." Floral announced as he stood in front of the agents. "We have trained you as much as possible, improved your skills and taught you the basics on how to utilize your equipment. So, as for today, I will teach you something that could determine whether you live, or die." He explained.

"This was, pretty intense." Lyra, sipping on a cup of tea commented.

"Eh, it was good enough. Too bad they couldn't get enough real experience." Moon said as she snacked on some beef jerky with a slight daze.

"At least they'll get to experience it today." Gilda added whilst she was testing the string on her bow. "I'll have to get a new one soon." She muttered.

"It's impressive, yet worrying, I must confess. That you two already know of that mess." Zecora said.

"Times were different, Z. I had to get used to the blood lust. Killing intent though, I couldn't quite grasp that one." Moon spoke lazily.

"I believe that would be good indeed, a simple thought we all could heed." Zecora replied.

"What're you talking about?" Lyra interjected.

"Bloodlust and killing intent." Moon gave a simple reply. "It's basically the same, but if you can feel the difference if you're sensitive enough."

"What's the difference?" Lyra asked again.

"Bloodlust is your capacity to shed blood. It shows just how far you have the ability to go. Killing intent, on the other hoof, is just that. If bloodlust is a mountain that weighs down on you, killing intent is sharp, like a knife, and you can just feel where you're gonna get hit." Moon explained calmly with a bored expression.

"And, you felt it before?" Lyra asked nervously.

"Where do you think all that fear comes from when you're fighting?" She asked sarcastically.

"I don't know, I've neve-" Lyra was interrupted as she suddenly felt a heavy pressure on her.

Almost fainting from it, she barely tilted her eyes towards Floral. In her eyes, he had suddenly turned to a pure dark creature with glowing red eyes. She could certainly feel a dangerous aura from him, something that felt like it was crushing her. Completely incapacitated, she felt true fear for the first time.

"That fucking idiot." Moon said with a small frown and tapped Lyra, waking her up.

"Huh?" Lyra was confused, the pressure gone like it was never there.

"So, that's what you meant." Gilda said with a heavy expression.

"It's already a fucking miracle he hasn't lost it yet." Moon said annoyedly.

"It's quite sad to know my friend went through so much. The pain they've endured, beyond any crutch." Zecora commented, shaken up.

"You don't know the half of it." Moon said with a heavy tone. "Well, not like we could do much." She said frustrated. "We can only sit back and watch until he either loses his shit or gets over it."

"That's, harsh." Lyra spoke up.

"There's plenty of things you don't know." Moon turned to Lyra with a small frown. "I'll tell you this, don't blame him." She warned before getting up. "I'm gonna take a piss." She said and walked off.

"It is certainly dangerous, no doubt at all. One wrong step, and he could easily fall." Zecora said wisely before sighing. "As Moon has said, we can only pray, that he'll get through it, come what may."

"Damn it, that's so annoying." Gilda said with an annoyed expression.

"Hmm." Lyra was worried, but she couldn't say much as she didn't know enough.

"Okay, so, this is really annoying." Twilight said as she placed a notebook down.

"It was never that easy." Blueblood commented and poked a vine.

"Think we'll get in trouble for this?" Light asked and placed a scroll on the notebook.

"Eh, at least we didn't do it inside." Blueblood shrugged and picked up the vine. "Got any suggestions on how to autopsy this? The last one disappeared as soon as it was cut open, right?"

"Not really. And running its' magic through the thaumatic reader, it's just the new magic. So, we were right. The amount of magic doesn't make that big of a difference, rather, the level of control is the most important aspect." Twilight said as she opened and read the scroll again. "But."

"But, we'll have to make an entirely new system of runes and spells to use it." Light finished for her with a small sigh. "Well at least we're making progress."

"Ah, what the!?" A pony dressed in a butler outfit exclaimed in shock.

"Steady Hooves, tell Hedge Trim to skip work for the day." Blueblood told him casually before turning back to the experiment.

The butler gave a short bow before leaving.

"So basically, we'll be rewriting the history of magic itself." Blueblood said with a small grimace.

"Yep, isn't that exciting?" Twilight asked as quite a few different theories went through her head.

"I guess it is!" Light exclaimed.

"Well, we should probably deal with somehow first though." Blueblood suggested and pointed at the cluster of vines sitting in the middle of his garden.

"And that's basically the full report." Blueblood finished and laid down a folder on Celestia's coffee table.

"That's excellent!" Celestia was more than happy. "Is there anything you're lacking in your research? I'd be more than happy to help if I could."

"Well, we don't entirely know how this new magic works. And our current running theory, is that it's a type of magic that's, primordial, to say the least." He explained calmly.

"Primordial, huh. It could be old enough that ponies haven't existed yet." She theorized. "Since, this is a new type of magic we're dealing, and nopony has ascended yet." Her words trailed off.

Blueblood gave a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I couldn't believe it at first either."

*Creak*

"Celly, you should really get that door looked at." Luna said before walking in, a book floating behind her. "Anyways, I had been looking through-oh, hello nephew Blueblood. Am I interrupting something important?" She asked innocently.

"Hello, Aunt Luna." Blueblood greeted.

"It's a theory, but, you may be pretty shocked to find out what it is." Celestia spoke with a serious tone.

"Oh, are you talking about Floral being an alicorn?" Luna simply asked.

"Huh?" Celestia instantly shut down.

Blueblood couldn't even let out a sound as he froze in place.

In pure silence, the three ponies stared at each other.

*Bam*

"Your highness!" Fancy Pants suddenly appeared, slamming the door open hastily. "Oh, highness-es." He corrected himself. "I have found evidence that may suggest that a fourth-er fifth alicorn is alive and well!" He suddenly remembered Moon before presenting a folder.

A few seconds passed.

"What?" He finally asked as everypony was staring at him.

Celestia took a deep breath before giving a big sigh. "Just how am I the last to realize this?" She asked herself.

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, Floral himself probably doesn't know." Luna said with a simple shrug.

"Why is Lord Floral coming into the conversation?" Fancy Pants interjected.

"Aunty Luna believes he's an alicorn." Blueblood answered for the rest.

"Ah, I see." Fancy replied and looked over his folder. "It would make sense."

The rest were in agreement.

"Welp, we can't really coronate him, might as well deliver the news." Luna said with a small shrug and magicked a scroll to her before leaving early.

"This lines up with what I was thinking about anyway." Celestia spoke tiredly and pulled out a stack of files.

Blueblood gave a small sigh. "We are so bucked." He said annoyedly as he listened to distant clacking coming from outside the door.

"So, was any of us supposed to stop them?" Fancy asked curiously as he peeked out the balcony, the distant image of a pegasus disappearing.

"Technically, yes. But, I've now been awake for one hundred and thirty two hours straight and no longer have the capacity to care." Celestia replied whilst suppressing a yawn.

"Eighty two hours for me." Blueblood stated before turning to the door. "Good night." He said and walked off.

"Well, um, I hope you have a good rest?" Fancy said before walking off.

"Close the door on your way out." Celestia said without looking away.

"Yes, your highness."

Author's Note

This one's short, but I'm gonna compensate it.

If you thought of your private parts, get your mind outta the gutter. :coolphoto:

I couldn't actually find a good way to transition towards the next part, so, read the next one, I guess. :applejackunsure:

Thanks! :heart:

Responsibility

"Hmm." Floral sat with a focused expression.

"Well, shit." Moon was shocked.

"So, are you a prince or something now?" Gilda asked and read the scroll once again.

"More like a king, no?" Moon rebuked and looked over the scroll again. "By technicality, Floral owns the biggest country in Equus now."

"Who knew building a treehouse could bring a result like this." Gilda commented.

"Land size is immeasurable. Population is four residents and one pet. Also tax free because, well, Floral fully owns the land." Luna explained with a dazed expression. "Because the Everfree hasn't been occupied for more than the required two hundred years, it's basically up for grabs. And whoever manages to make, well, anything, instantly gets recognized as the owner. It was abandoned land and because Floral is currently the highest ruling power here, he gets recognized as sole ruler. So, congrats, King Floral Green." She said with a playful bow before laying down next to the roaring fire.

"Is it possible for my folks to immigrate here? Will they find a better life and live without fear?" Zecora suddenly asked after staying quite through the exchange.

"Eh, as long as you prove you exist, you can go through the border." Luna lazily replied and gave a big stretch.

"Interesting, quite intriguing." Zecora said as she brought a hoof to her chin.

"Z, I'm not gonna live with a whole village crammed into the camp." Moon denied it immediately.

"I'm pretty sure a whole town here would turn into a disaster very quickly." Gilda added on.

"Alas, it was a vain hope. A fleeting dream on which we’d cope." Zecora said with mock sadness.

"It's not like we can do shit anyway. Too busy with monster attacks and making sure the treehouse doesn't collapse." Moon said while rubbing her neck.

"Are you planning to announce this?" Floral finally asked.

"News are probably spreading through Equestria like a plague by now." Luna replied. "It was inevitable, some reporters got a hold of the news." She explained before dozing off.

"Wait, what?" Floral became slightly nervous.

Then he instantly put his guard up after hearing a sound.

Moon and Gilda followed suit as they raised their weapons and prepared to fight. Zecora took a moment before bringing out a potion, almost dropping it in the process.

"Where?" Moon asked, her tone completely serious.

"Up front." Floral gave a short reply.

Seconds slowly passed as they became increasingly nervous. Their expressions intense as they waited for something to come out.

*Bam*

"WHA-!"

"FUCK!"

"WOAH!"

"WHAT THE?!"

"Shit." Floral gave a cuss as he was launched into the air.

Frantically looking around, he took a head count. Luna was surprised, but was descending down. Moon shot tentacles towards the ground to lower herself. Zecora seemed to throw something towards the ground. Gilda spread her wings and looked around.

"Just me left." He muttered and looked downwards. "No choice." With that thought, he looked at his left hoof before coming to a decision. "Leg for a life." He said and waited patiently.

Right as he touched the treetops, he swung his left hoof to grab something, anything.

*Crack*

He frowned and kept his mouth shut. He brazed himself as he broke through multiple layers of branches before finally coming to a stop on the ground. Slightly wobbling, he glanced at his left hoof.

"Hmm." He was dissatisfied and sat down.

Giving it a few nudges, he confirmed it with a sigh. "Broken." He stated and looked around carefully.

Weaponless and one leg less, he wasn't entirely sure if he could survive. Well, he would, but. "This is gonna be so ass if I don't use magic." He mumbled and looked around. "Not too far." With that, he started to walk.

Only to be stopped in his tracks. He gave an annoyed glance at an axe that implanted itself into the ground right in front of him.

"Really?" He asked and grabbed the axe in his one good hoof.

In response, an arrow was thrown at him. Deflecting it easily, he rushed forward.

A wooden pony jumped towards him from the air. Rotating, it swung downwards at Floral with a dagger in its hooves.

Floral swerved to the side and countered with a down swing. It blocked it as they stood in power struggle.

"It didn't break." He mumbled and leaped backwards as an arrow whistled by.

Glancing between where the arrow came from and the one with the dagger, Floral stood back on three legs and held the axe in his mouth. With that stance, he prepared to rush in.

A few seconds passed in silence, at a standstill as they waited for something to happen.

Floral was on full alert as he focused on the area. Even the tiniest of sounds became possible to hear as he took a deep breath.

A breeze blew by as leaves fell from the tree. Seemingly immobile, nothing happened for a few more seconds. Until, Floral's eyes got covered by a leaf for a single moment.

Right in that instant, the puppet rushed in at full speed. Although late, Floral responded in kind.

*Thwack*

"!" Right as that sound appeared, Floral immediately changed directions and started sprinting to where the arrow came from.

Dodging it with a simple duck, he dodged a dagger throw from behind him as he slammed into the bushed and found another puppet holding a bow.

It instantly grew wooden claws and swung at Floral. He jumped up and grabbed his axe. With that, he swung downwards as it blocked below the axe head with its bow.

Slowly making it go lower, Floral glanced behind him to see the other puppet coming.

Intuition suddenly kicking in, Floral turned to the bow wielding one before rolling away. A dozen wooden spikes shot out from its mouth, grazing Floral's cheek.

Rolling on the ground, he pushed with his hind legs and leaped back up. With his momentum, he continued to push off of trees and disappeared amidst the leaves. Still, even that was countered as he was forced to land back on the ground.

Rolling once again to lower the damage build up, he leaned backwards as a stone sword brushed past him. He somehow leaned even lower, almost lying down as another swing went over. Then he rolled out of the way as the sword slammed into the ground.

Without a chance to rest, he slammed his legs into the ground and jumped away as another arrow missed him by a breath's distance.

Bumping into a tree, he swung his axe sideways and parried a dagger strike. Kicking it to make distance, he leaned to the side and dodged another slam from the sword. He counterattacked by swinging wide, but the axe stopped in its path as it created a small scratch on the one wielding a sword.

"Tch." He clicked his tongue and leaped up slightly, a large vine swiping right under him.

He kicked the one with the sword with both of his hind legs as he was launched backwards and landed with a flip.

Standing his ground, he took a few heavy breaths as he glanced backwards. Another puppet, but with vines dancing around it.

"Never that easy." Floral mumbled and tried to channel magic. "Damn it." He cussed as he felt the shadow magic forcing itself to be used.

With that, he called it back in, a green glow that surrounded his broken leg disappearing with it. "Hope Zecora can do something." He muttered and prepared himself as another arrow whistled through the air.

"Fuck you." Moon cussed as two tentacles pulled a puppet apart. "Shit, I gotta get to either Z or Gilda. And Floral, well, he'll be fine, somehow." She calmed herself down and glared at her back.

A spear was caught in a tentacle in front of her face. She broke it in half before sending out more spikes made of shadows. Without waiting to see results, she raised herself, dozens upon dozens of tentacles under her, acting as both a defense system and a pillar.

"I don't have time to deal with you." She said angrily before being carried away by the tentacles.

With a swing of her hoof, her shadows followed her rule and swiped away an elephant.

"Oh for fuck's sake." She said as a shadow was cast over her.

Gritting her teeth, she brought her dagger out as her shadow extended it. With the single edged blade, she glared at the four heads that appeared before her. "Guess you didn't learn your lesson eh?"

A wall of shadow came behind her, blocking a volley of arrows before she launched herself to the air.

With her body darkening, she drew in a sharp breath before releasing it. A wave of fire washed over her. Yet she disappeared as a circle made of shadow extended in the air. From it, several dozens of spikes shot out towards the hydra.

Some missed, while most hit the target.

Still, the hydra didn't seem to give up so easily as all four heads aimed at the circle. And a giant wall of fire burst out.

The circle was swallowed, but the spikes turned to hooks. Being pulled, Moon formed herself back as she shielded herself from the fire.

Being catapulted, she drew her sword as the blade turned thicker. Tensing her body, Moon drew a big slash. As an arc of shadow made itself through the fire, it easily passed by the fire. Without a chance, all four heads had either their throats or mouths cut open.

Moon was merciless as she slammed into the chest. Pulling her sword back, she pushed out more magic before stabbing it back in. Her magic traveled through the hydra's body, revealing every secret before bursting out. Blood rained down as a tower of spikes planted itself in the hydra's body.

With that, Moon took a deep breath before sprinting towards the camp.

"Ugh." Zecora was dizzy as she found herself on the ground.

The dirt was still a bit bouncy, courtesy of one of her emergency spells.

"Hmm." She was anxious. "To think I'd use these, it does not bring much ease." She muttered and started to fiddle with one of her earrings.

Now in her hooves, three small vials. One red, one brown and one white.

Tasking a calming breath, she made a dash towards the camp. Her path seemed to be undeterred, alas, she was eventually forced to stop as something came in sight. Instantly hiding, she killed the sound of her breathing as she crawled on the ground. Slowly, but surely making progress, she held the three potions in her mouth, prepared to use if anything happens.

*BOOM*

She flinched and glanced at her opponent. Now that she observed closely, it was made out of leaves. She was slightly confused, but she kept moving, keeping an idea in her mind for later.

*Crash*

Zecora let out a small shriek as a red smoke suddenly filled her surroundings. Immediately noticing what it was, she ran away as her eyes started to sting. Wiping away the tears that was forming, she threw all three vials behind her.

*Bam*

A small explosion was formed as the three liquids came in contact with each other.

Zecora gasped a bit of air as she continued to run. Constantly wiping her stinging eyes, she gave a huff. "My potions were meant for good, not for actions so crude." She muttered angrily as she continued to run. "Bringing such a knockoff to me, thinking it would be a breeze. I will show you true potionry, not your own mockery." She muttered and bit into the ring on her right hoof.

The puppet was chasing right after her, vines constantly launching it as it almost caught up.

Without hesitation, Zecora immediately jumped and turned around. Time seemed to slow down as she used her rotating force to throw the ring. The ring fell apart as a deep green colored liquid sprayed itself onto the puppet.

It was immediately stopped in its tracks as the leaves started to melt away, yet it couldn't move. Its wooden body was revealed, but the body was stuck to the ground. Zecora didn't waste the chance as she took off her other ring and lightly tossed it at the puppet.

This time, a yellow substance doused the puppet. Right as it came in contact with the green stuff, fire instantly burst out. With the flames reaching for the sky, several vines climbed out of the puppet to grab Zecora.

But she was one step ahead as she slammed the end of a staff into the puppet. The vines shook and fell down as Zecora took a few seconds to calm down.

With her chance to rest, she rubbed her now naked neck. Then, she pulled the staff apart and bent it back into shape as she wore her golden rings on her neck again.

She glanced at her empty front legs.

"Such a pity, alas, it was an emergency." She muttered before stepping closer to the burning puppet. "These will have to do, for I do not have time to brew." She spoke while collecting a few vials that weren't entirely consumed by the fire. "At a level worse than an apprentice, I can not believe it thought to mock these." She was a bit spiteful as she inspected the vials.

With that, she started to sprint towards the camp once more.

"Fuck! ANYPONY HERE?!" Moon shouted as she arrived at the camp first.

*Bam*

A rather big mole covered in burn marks flew by.

"Rah!" Luna gave a battle cry before splitting the big mole in half with an ethereal sword. "Moon? Where's the others?" Luna turned to Moon, smoke still rising from her horn.

"I don't fucking know! I just got here!" She replied aggressively. "By the way, have you been using big explosions?"

"No. I've tried to my best to reserve my magic." Luna replied. "Too many of those beasts and wooden ponies."

"Agh, fuck!" Moon was annoyed. "We gotta find Gilda and Z! They're fucking done for if the bastard upstairs is bringing in monsters in this!" She informed.

"Yes, I'll head east." Luna agreed with a nod.

"Ah! You two are here! It is a relief that you are safe and near!" Zecora announced herself happily as she came running over.

"Z! You're alive!" Moon was shocked.

"Then it's just Floral and Gilda." Luna spoke up.

"One has been found, Floral, but he does not seem to be normal." Zecora suddenly spoke up with a somber tone.

"The fuck are you-oh. Shit." Moon braced herself.

"Is that, what I think it is?" Luna asked and readied a spell.

"Hasn't he explained it to you?" Moon asked and watched carefully.

"No, and I haven't dared to ask." Luna gave a reply and readied a sword.

"Don't let your guard down. I think we all know how much of an asshole he is." Moon said as her shadows rose up.

Floral appeared, and he was walking towards the camp. Though, he was entirely coated by shadows. His eyes were no longer visible, yet they could feel him glaring at them.

Then he suddenly rushed forward. Madly dashing in, he jumped high in the air.

"Guess he really lost himself." Moon muttered. "Scatter!" She commanded.

Luna grabbed Zecora before teleporting away.

*Bam*

Floral slammed into Moon, creating a small crater. Yet, Moon didn't receive any damage as she started to melt.

"Idiot." Moon said as she suddenly appeared behind Floral.

She swung her hoof, punching straight forward. Yet, her hoof just went through him. With it, Floral slammed Moon.

Yet she was scattered into twenty. Some in the air, others on the ground, they all sent out their own tentacles.

Floral calmly stepped forward, leaning slightly to dodge the attacks. As the last one finally landed, Floral dragged his hoof forward through the ground, before swiping up. A wave of dark spikes shot through the ground.

Every Moon was impaled through, seeming to be in favor of Floral.

"Gotcha." Moon spoke up as she suddenly wrapped her hooves around Floral's neck. "Come on." She said through gritted teeth.

The shadows coating over Floral started to turn thicker. Almost liquifying as it almost reached its limit.

"Is it finished?!" Luna asked from afar, a corpse of a boar laying behind her.

"Nope!" Moon yelled back.

*BAM*

A large burst of shadow, exploded out of Floral. Dying the world black for a moment, he was knocked out as small whisps floated out of his body.

Moon had been pushed back, but held herself to the ground as she groaned. "Fucking hell." She muttered and a dark liquid spilled out of her mouth. "That's too damn dense, you fucking asshole." She said with a bit of difficulty.

Still, the liquid dried up as Moon took deep breaths. She had gotten a big boost.

"Moon! Are you alright?" Luna teleported over as she held Moon up.

"I'm fine, you dingus. I just suddenly absorb a large amount of magic is all." She said with a small tone of sarcasm. "Check on Floral."

"Right." Luna said and turned to Floral.

But, Floral was already standing. With a shaky breath and wide eyes, he examined his surroundings with caution. He drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly as his mind seemed to clear up.

"Moon!" He shouted and turned to the mentioned mare.

"I'm here you prick." Moon answered with an annoyed face.

"You alrig-" He was interrupted as Moon suddenly punched him in the face.

"YOU FUCKING MORON! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOUR NOCTURNAL MAGIC WAS BUILDING UP! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO RELEASE THAT SHIT EVERY NOW AND THEN SO THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN!!" She said with a pissed off face.

Floral rubbed his snot for a moment before sighing. "Fine, yes, that was my fault. I should've told you." He admitted. "Wait, where's Gilda?"

*CAW*

A distant cry was heard.

"Oh shit." Moon cussed.

Fire had spread. The ground was torn up and the blood of dozens upon dozens of different animals painted the area.

And upon a mountain of corpses, one single being was refusing to die so easily.

She was also laughing like a crazed lunatic.

"Yes! Who wants some more?!" She yelled to the sky as she held the head of a poor tiger. She was entirely covered in blood. Fresher blood was seemingly pouring from the top of her head. Several different kinds of injuries visible on her body. She was also holding a turtle as a shield.

"What are the chances that she hit her head?" Luna asked with a very concerned expression.

"I'd say about, ninety nine percent?" Moon said back, equally concerned.

"So, I'd say we definitely affected her to some point." Floral commented and threw away a dismembered claw.

"I don't believe she has gone loonies, but may I suggest zoomies?" Zecora suggested with a nervous smile.

"Zoomies!?" Moon incredulously asked. "That is fucking zoomies?!"

"Is, is that really zoomies?!" Luna asked with an equally shocked face. "Is that really what this is?!"

"Gilda!" Floral gave a shout.

She didn't respond and continued to laugh maniacally.

"Gilda!?" He called louder.

She still didn't do anything.

Floral gave a small shrug before stepping forward.

"Nah, wait." Moon stopped him. "Hey! Birdbrain!"

"Ah! What the fuck did you just call me!?" Gilda suddenly awoke from her dream.

"Get your ass down here! You're crazy!" Moon shouted back.

"Fuck you!" Gilda yelled back, but still flew down. "So what is it? What do you want? Is there more targets to kill?" She rapid fired them as she seemingly got more excited.

The four were staring concerningly at her newborn thirst for blood.

"Let's get lunch?" Moon asked softly.

"Uhhh." Gilda froze for a second. "Yeah, sure!" She replied and took the lead.

"Is there like, something I missed? Did something happen for her to get that way?" Luna whispered the question to Floral.

"Not that I know of." He whispered back. "Ugh, this dizziness is killing me." He gave a small complaint.

"Yeah yeah, you're fucking lucky I figured out a correct way to dispel the build up." Moon admonished him with a frown. "Now come on, you owe me a fucking steak for this shit." She dismissed it all with a wave of her hoof as they started to walk back.

With the party back at the camp, things resumed as normal. Luna was talking to Floral about dreams whilst Moon was recounting the day to Celestia. Harkon was back, with a freshly dead pair of pigs whilst being consoled by Zecora for not being there while a fight was happening.

"Wait, so you are stronger than Floral?" Celestia asked as she sipped on tea.

"Fucking hell, you miss everything and that's the first thing you ask?" Moon asked back whilst taking a bite from a whole steak.

"Well, I'm sorry. I was signing documents to make sure you guys weren't in quite literally, an infinite amount of debt." Celestia replied.

"Ugh, whatever." Moon gave up. "Also, yes. I've been stronger than Floral for a while now."

"That, seems unlikely." She couldn't quite believe it.

"Khagk! Food!" Gilda awoke from her slumber after coughing on her own saliva, basically a mummy from the amount of bandages covering her. "Where!?"

"Here." Floral held up a plate with a seared stake on it.

"Thanks!" She said whilst she flew past him with incredible speed.

"Well, anyways." Moon continued her conversation after turning back to Celestia. "Have you seen the way this fucking anomaly fights? Virtually impossible to make him feel physical pain. Enough flexibility to make contortionists jealous. He puts a minotaur's strength to shame and then there's the whole fucking weapon mastery bullshit along with magic, even though he can't use it for now. Any more and you'd think he was made to fight by some higher being." She explained it all with an annoyed face. "Well, there's still a limit to how much skill can go against power." She muttered the last part.

"Hmm. I suppose that's true." Celestia thought back on Floral's file.

"His greatest strength, I truly find, is the power that lives within his mind." Zecora cut into the conversation. "Could you find me rare materials, dear? The kind that few can source or steer?" She asked Celestia.

"Well, I haven't been called a dear in about fifteen hundred years." Celestia was slightly taken aback. "Though, I'll have to check in with a few others before sending out a search. I can't really get you anything from the Everfree, or anything that's outside of Equestria." She accepted with a few limitations.

"Those materials are more westward bound, still within the borders they should be found." Zecora informed her with a smile before attending to Gilda. "You shouldn’t move, just rest and feel. Those wounds aren’t something quick to heal."

"Agh, whatever. I don't mind a few scars." She dismissed it and continued to wolf down on her food. "More!"

Floral gave a chuckle and gave her a grilled fish on a stick he had prepared beforehoof.

"Well, if there's one thing I've learned today. I can always just come here if I'm craving for a fight. Since, that always seems to happen whenever I visit." Luna commented with a bright smile.

Celestia sighed at her attitude. "Well, you do that while I go to sleep." She said and suppressed a yawn.

"Why don't you sleep at your own place?" Moon asked.

"It just feels calmer here." She replied.

"We're planning to drink after this. Sure you wanna miss out?" Floral asked with a small shrug as he finally sat down with his plate of fried vegetables.

Celestia was about to reply, then she stopped as se thought about it. "Okay, maybe I'll go for a shot or two."

Floral chuckled at the response whilst Moon gave a cheer. Zecora just sighed with a small grin.

"I can make some ice if we need it." Luna added her two bits with a laugh.

"Alright!" Moon exclaimed and shot out a tentacle to the treehouse. "I still have a score to settle with you, Celestia!" She stated as a few barrels were brought down. "I asked Fleur to bring a few more barrels just for this occasion!"

"Yes, yes, your desire for alcohol still manages to surprise me." Celestia replied and received a mug.

"Huzzah! For another successful victory!" Luna celebrated as she raised her mug up high.

"You really didn't learn anything huh?" Floral commented. "Hey! Who are you!" He suddenly shouted towards the woods.

*Click*

The single sound of a camera shutter rang out.

Staying frozen in their positions, everypony instantly figured out the aftereffects of what would happen.

"GET EM!" Moon shouted the command.

Several different magics shot out, all capture types. Then a wall of tentacles blocked the shots. Harkon was stopped in his tracks as he stood in front of the wall. Floral quickly assisting him.

"GET BACK HERE!" Celestia shouted and got up to run after them.

*Thud*

Then she instantly face planted into the ground after slipping on loose dirt before even fully standing up.

Taking the wall down with a burst of flames from Harkon, they were ready to capture.

"Ah." Sounds of shock filled the area as they could no longer see the pony.

"Seriously? With this fucking lineup we couldn't capture one pony?" Gilda asked exasperated.

Celestia was groaning as she refused to show her face. Luna was also groaning as she stared at the sky, hoping for a change. "Just why~."

"So, what are you gonna do now?" Floral asked.

"Screw this! I was gonna retire anyway!" Celestia suddenly shouted. "Moon! Let's do this!"

"Fuck yeah!"

Author's Note

Alright! Next arc, thing, I think? Anyways, as I promised, the story will now move on from the fully emotional side of the characters backstories. :eeyup:

So, see you next time! :heart:

Journal

My last journal has ran out of space.

Year 35. May 17th. Sunday.

A shipment of outside supplies that was supposed to arrive never came. It was supposed to be Germanian resources. Currency, rare items, anything that could help to gather more members for our church. Those imbeciles are likely drinking away, Germane is like that after all.

May 20th. Wednesday.

When we tried to contact the Germane branch through our crystals, no response came. After several attempts such as draconic fire, we still received no replies. I'm afraid they have joined the stars after being discovered. Other methods are to be tried soon. We will have to slow down the recruiting process due to lack of supplies.

July 19th. Thursday

It's confirmed. After a meeting with the bishops, I personally went on to check with a group of thirty. The Germanian branch is gone. Burnt down to nothing but ashes. A scout figured it was an ordinary fire, no oils and such, but that doesn't make much sense. Archbishop Tidal Wave is a genius of the water element, it's why he was able to ascend to such a high rank. So him not being able to put out a simple fire is simply preposterous.

After finding no bodies, we forced ourselves into the underground bunker. Although it was against the rules to barge into the bunkers of other churches, I feel that there is more than enough reason to do so. The bunker itself was ransacked. All the emergency food and water were gone, as well as a few medical items that were recorded. The artifacts were destroyed and the arsenal was crushed to bits. Theories suggest it was blown up with the missing barrels of alcohol.

Will report back to the main church as soon as possible.

July 20th. Friday.

After a thorough investigation after a day's rest, we secured the locked journal of Archbishop Tidal Wave. It seems the Germanian branch went through the same problems as us. All contact from the Neighpanese and Roassian branches were cut off. The writing is frantic, and hard to read as if the writer was trembling whilst recording it. It seems the Archbishop was conserving as much magic as possible if he wrote with either his mouth or hoof.

The contents are strange though. It says that they sent out distress signals and messengers after a week of no replies from the aforementioned branches. Yet, we never got anything. I will copy the next passage in his journal.

"We've had no contact. Our food is running out and we were forced to start foraging as a result. With no farms due to fear of being discovered, we could only rely on outside supplies. And without the repellant from Roassia, we've been attacked nonstop by wild beasts. We've already sent out messengers and letters to the other branches, but there's no replies and those went to personally deliver the news never returned. And the situation has been weird lately.

Somepony left the door to the chicken coop open last night, now our source of eggs are gone. Just the day before that, the pig coops were also left open. It's been going like this for five whole months. Random occurrences, accidents were happening all around the place. The roof of several houses collapsed, our hunting wolves were missing, and chickens were found in some of our wells, having drowned in there, making the water undrinkable. It's a mess. Although our herbivore forces could continue to survive by fruits and even the grass if it came to it, our carnivorous recruits no longer have anything to eat, weakening our forces. I've already replaced and reprimanded those who were responsible for them, but they all denied, saying that nothing was wrong. They may be lying, but if these things keep happening without stop, I suspect that there's a traitor in the branch."

It was confirmed, and the evidence of those events were found easily enough. We will be heading back to Ponygal today.

August 3rd. Friday.

As our group headed back, we decided to rest at the Prench branch for a few days. Tensions were at an all time high. The Prench branch wasn't doing too well, as they welcomed us with relief and hope in their faces. But that was quickly crushed.

When we delivered the news, they were shocked to find out. They had also been sending messengers and such for about a month now. The carnivorous forces were famished, forcing themselves to continue eating fruits and berries to stay alive whilst their tamed beasts were already served as food.

Without even a minute of rest, another attack happened. It was ridiculous, four different packs of beasts attacked from four sides. Rock lions, iron tigers, timberwolves and lightning dogs. They were all starved, and injured. Still, it ended up being a fierce fight, thankfully no casualties. But, we are fatigued, and our tools are close to breaking. At this rate, the Prench branch will fall soon enough.

Another incident has happened. A barrel of mead from the stock was reported as missing. Not even a minute after hearing it, one of the farm houses burnt down. Four dead. The last one came running out with an intoxicated face, blabbering about something going wrong. Half his organs were already burnt by the time we doused him. Imbeciles. They were judged to be drunk whilst cooking.

August 15th.

It's bad. Much worse than we first assumed. Following the fire, several different incidents occurred. I can no longer deny it. This secret that had been hidden for 35 years has finally been discovered. Yet, the Sun ruler seems to not be the cause. Considering her past ways of warfare, she likes a more direct approach of attacking with a full scale army and making the opponent either surrender, or dethrone them from their life.

The food storage was burned down, but there were no more signs of an accident. Nothing to pin the blame on somepony. The aggressor has realized that we've found out. Still, they keep this relentless attack. Our members aren't in any condition to make a move, and we can only increase our defenses to make sure we don't lose any more resources. Considering a plan to form an elite squad and have them deliver the news to the main church in Saddle Arabia. No matter how strong or intelligent our opponent is, a squad of our best units should still be able to deliver it to one of the many small branches across Saddle Arabia, and then send the news via contact crystals or dragon fire to the main church.

aug August 17th.

A crop field has burned down. Seventeen casualties from the fire.

Nine found dead under one of the unused storage houses. Three of them held the key to the inner parts of the church.

Discussions are over, we're leaving in thirty minutes after packing up.

September 1st.

We've arrived in the Ponygal branch.

Our opponent chased us until we crossed over a bridge. Right then, a priest of our group blew it up, allowing us to flee without worry. Emerald Light, I've heavily thought about him. Quite a decent strength, and a quick mind. NOTE: Consider promotion to Bishop

Still, despite our efforts, we managed to lose four more priests from the chase. Our opponent, there's definitely more than one. Our best guess is eight. During the chase, arrows and spears were shot from the shadows. Traps were planted like seeds in a land. They used the tress as cover as they remained undetected. Without even being able to see them, we could only flee without a fight.

Archbishop Grahm lost a wing in the process. She says she still has talons, so she could fight if need be. Though, her condition still cost us six more days than needed.

The situation at our branch was slightly better than the others. There were no attacks, but the already low resources were being quickly depleted. It was no surprise. The low resources were exactly the reason we set up a branch in Ponygal. To help those who starved.

Still, it's disheartening. The slight hope that we'd be greeted by a feast and a party was crushed without mercy. If anything, it just brought despair to both those who stayed behind, and those who just came here. At least the contact crystals finally went through. We still have no idea how they managed to intercept our messages.

September 26th.

It's finally happened here. An incident.

None of us could've truly predicted this. We had already stationed members to protect our wells and farms, not a single member was spared from guard duty. It was useless. Random locations were attacked, houses and even storage shacks.

Where the hell is the reinforcement from the main church?!!

27th

We caught him! We couldn't believe it! Crimson Glade, that bastard. We gave him everything he could ever need. We took care of him when he first came here. We gave him warm food for the cold. Medicine for his sickness. A roof over his head for his heart. All that kindness, all those memories. Yet he used us. That fucking stallion. I raised him. He was basically my own blood, yet he still betrayed us. The fool was caught stealing flint and steel without permission, as well as enough oil to cover the whole damn church. I'm more than shocked that one that is as idiotic as he is, managed to cause so much trouble alone.

I will personally watch his punishment, and the Pope has messaged that he will observe as well.

Archbishop Grahm has fallen from poison.

She was a great friend. We had joined the religion on the same day. After spending twelve loyal years, we both rose to Archbishop position. I can still vividly remember the days we spent as two simple friends. Both having lost everything except our names, we were as close as a pair of pony and griffin could be. I will make sure that Crimson Glade receives the proper punishment for this.

October 25th. Thursday.

It's time. After imprisoning Crimson Glade, we've started to recover our damages. He had burned enough food to feed the Ponygal branch for two whole years if we rationed correctly.

On another note, Emerald Light. I've been spending quite a decent amount of time with him. Although some may perceive him as a moron, it couldn't be farther from the truth. He was simply uneducated. He frequently requested books and research materials. He already made great success in brewing the smoke bombs, and he now suggests letting it have some kind of small paralyzing effect. It's impressive. He also suggests having the members get used to the paralyzing effect after he finishes his research, so they wouldn't be affected as much as the others.

I've assigned him together with our smartest members to work with him. I'm sure he'll achieve great success.

October 29th. Monday.

As promised, the Pope has traveled from Saddle Arabia to Ponygal. Today is the day that Crimson Glade will answer for his treachery against our great belief. His punishment will be heavy. I'm truly sorry that I had taken him in. But, I'm even more sorry that he could not see the brightness of our belief.

It is done.

Crimson Glade has denied everything, yet the evidence was clear.

After a talk with the Pope, I've decided. Emerald Light will ascend to not just Bishop, but an Archbishop as well. The Pope has given his permission, and his ceremony will start at the 7th of November. I'm honestly feeling quite proud. After having spent most of my days after the incidents, I can comfortably call myself his friend. Emerald is a kind soul. Empathetic to others, always understanding their pain. Along with his ambitious and brilliant mind, he will make a great companion.

The east field has been fully restored. Thankfully, we were able to prepare enough for a feast for the Pope's visit.

November 1st. Thursday.

The Pope has invited us to the main church. The last time I was there was eight years ago. I will be going there first to help prepare for Emerald's promotion. Even without my presence, the Ponygal branch should be able to lead themselves with no issue. Even if they couldn't, Emerald is there to lead. I believe that he could do it easily enough. He has already shown himself to be quite capable.

November 6th. Tuesday.

Time has passed by in the blink of an eye. Although the preparations themselves didn't take much time, I was ordered to give a full report to both the Pope and the Cardinals. After recounting the details, I was informed that the other branches were cut off from contact as well. The Archbishops were likely dead.

The Neighpanese branch, I could understand. Neighpan is a relatively small country, not able to house many branches. But, the Roassian branch. It can't exactly be called just a branch. It's a big country after all. It's basically an army, dozens of small branches connect themselves with one big church acting as the main base. Yet, they were all cut off. It could only mean that they're destroyed.

The Cardinals were furious, demanding Crimson Glade to be executed. But the Pope judged that he will be forced to live in the dungeons for the rest of his life aa thorough questioning. It's a worse punishment, but one that was deserved. Still, we all already realized by then. It wasn't just Crimson Glade, there were others. I was foolish to think it was over.

Alas, I can't let this affect my mood. Emerald is one of the very few beings I could depend on, and he's going to be my partner towmorrow, and with his brilliance, I'm sure that we will come out victorious.

November 7th Wednesday.

I seemed to be in a particularly good mood today. A few members have noticed my joy. Emerald has arrived exactly as I instructed him to come, except for one thing. Although he came with the glamour and positivity I had expected, he came alone. Friend of mine, he truly made me worry. What if he had been ambushed on the way?

The celebration was grand. His ascension was taken positively by all the members. His thoughtfulness and kindness was greatly appreciated by the Cardinals and the Pope. With gifts pouring in, I gave him something I had thought about for almost a month by now. For one as scholarly as him, a quill made from the tail feather of an adult Phoenix. It was the perfect gift, and he loved it.

Right after the event, a great feast followed. Promoting to an Archbishop is quite a grand feat. To be so dedicated to the role, and to be so helpful to our members. This was truly, only a matter of time before he got the position. I believe, that he will be promoted to a Cardinal soon enough.

November 28th. Wednesday.

Time has passed by quickly. I am now heading back towards the Ponygal branch. Emerald has been placed in one of the bigger branches in Saddle Arabia. Although our distance is great, we will still be able to stay in contact through the crystals, as well as meetings that we could call negotiations. The Pope already knows, but being somepony as merciful as he is, he sees this as a good thing. To raise our morale, and build a good friendship amongst the ranks. I agree with him.

Though this is joyful, a thought has been nagging me. We have not heard anything from the Ponygal branch. Although none of the members have access to either the dragon fire or the contact crystals, I at least expected a messenger to send a report. Well, maybe they were too busy tending to the land.

After a night camping, I will reach the church, along with a group of forty. These many members should suffice. Of course, that would be a vain hope, had Cardinal Breeze not come along. She wanted to see the branch himself, and would interfere if anything serious were to happen.

29th.

It's happened again. When we arrived at the church, it was gone. The bodies were burnt to crisp. The buildings were basically flattened to ash. The church, the main body of a branch. It was covered in blood and scorches. This is a sin. It was as if the place had been pillaged, but I already knew that nothing of true value was taken. Only destroyed.

The contact crystal was missing. The Cardinal has ordered us to return back to Saddle Arabia. We'll sacrifice some sleep, and get over to the main church as fast as possible.

December 5th.

Our group has arrived in one of the small branches in Saddle Arabia. The members, they were poisoned. What was it? It was one of the many branches that couldn't either produce or acquire supplies without the help of the main church.

The Cardinal is furious.

December 14th.

Something has gone very wrong. On our way to the main church, we passed by a dozen branches. They were all poisoned. Like some sickness that traveled through the air, every member we found had died to some kind of it.

Tension has reached an all time high as we double timed it to the main church. Although the Pope is very powerful, if our opponents manage to tire him out as they did me, he may eventually fall. We can NOT, under any circumstances, let harm reach the Pope. He is the hope. Our saviour. The one who had extended a helping hoof when our lives were at rock bottom.

December 20th.

The situation looks grim. We've safely arrived at the main church. After delivering the news of the branches in our way, we settled down. Our food was no longer safe to eat, with having only the emergency food from the Pope's personal supply keeping the higher ups conscious. Despite it's lack of taste, at the very least, it's filling. Physically.

Although I couldn't voice my concerns over the shouting of the Cardinals, I was suspicious of the water. We sampled and even sent a few ponies down to check, we couldn't find anything that would've tampered with it.

And, no. It's not certain. I'm not willing to fully finish this thought. I might finally break if I do.

25th.

Despite investigations and severe questioning, Crimson Glade hasn't broken. And no witnesses were found. And despi

Another incident has occurred. An explosion erupted at one of our farms. Emerald and I rushed over to oversee the investigation, and found nothing to note. A spontaneous combustion, with nothing to actually cause it. Though, the lack of evidence suggests it might have been done with either oil or alcohol.

Though, I'm suspicious of one of the Cardinals. They're the only ones capable of obtaining both without permissions or witnesses.

January.

Cardinal Somber Field has been caught with barrels of missing oil and mead. It's ridiculous. I accepted that Crimson Glade was a traitor, only because he was. No, I don't know why I accepted it.

It doesn't matter now. Crimson Glade has died to poison. Nopony knows who gave him the food, nor the water.

The Pope has decided to launch a full investigation. Only the most trusted members are in on the plan. Cardinal Ashen Falls, and Cardinal Fever Dreams. Of course, I'm also in on account of being a direct victim of these attacks. The Pope seems to trust my words more than the Cardinals, as he has easily allowed Emerald to be part of the plan.

After a thorough investigation, a total of nineteen members had stolen items, hidden away in their loving quarters. We snuck in during the night, searched through their houses silently. We no longer asked for permission during a time like this.

5 Cardinals, 7 Bishops and 7 Priests. It was wise to only trust a few.

Those traitors have been apprehended. And with the Pope supporting us in battle, the Cardinals were defeated easy enough.

Emerald was a great fighter I found. Although he was a bit sloppy, he definitely has the talent to become a knight of sorts. I do wonder what happened for him to come to our religion. With his talent, he could've gone to any knight school he pleased, and joined the Royal Guards.

Alas, I may never know. I would never wish to force an answer out of him. His circumstances are his to share.

January, 15?

Keeping track of time has been hard. After imprisoning the traitors, only a few high rangers have remained. The Pope, Cardinal Winter Breeze, Cardinal Heavy Heart, me, and Emerald. Apart from just us, no more high ranking members of the church is alive.

Severely lacking in leaders, we're now forced to work more than we eved did. At the very least, a silver lining, the tiniest of lines, of having our branches destroyed. We could just focus on developing and curing the main church.

Feb.

Tired. Just, tired. Nothing else could truly be said. Nothing of noteworthy has commenced during the time I couldn't write.

Late Feb.

Month's almost over. And I've just gotten news that I will be promoted to a Cardinal. Evidence says Emerald will likely be promoted alongside me. Despite it being, not exactly good to promote to such a high rank with another at the same time, I'm fine with it. In fact, I couldn't be happier to ascend with my friend.

Year 36. After Banishment. Or was Equestria using CE? It's March. 15th. Friday.

Ha. I was a fool. A failure.

Four times, Emerald has saved my life. Once, when we first met. Once, from a stray arrow. Once during an attack from a lion. And once more when we captured the Cardinals.

And exactly four cuts, he gave me. I don't know what he values anymore. Emerald, was my friend. Sadly, he was not a pony that existed.

This is my final entry. I'm bleeding out in the dungeons, sitting against the wall, next to Glade.

The situation fitted me perfectly. For the last, nine months, I believe, I've been grasping onto a string made of light from a fire. As soon as that blaze gets doused, my only hope disappears. And that fire was Emerald. Emerald Light. I've always suspected him, deep in my heart I just knew he was the traitor. Yet, I ignored it, hoping I was wrong. Because, if I wasn't, then I'm not sure I would have been alive until now.

I'm seeing dark spots in my vision.

Right now, I'm surprisingly not scared. I feel, empty. With the same quill I had gotten him, I'm using my blood to write this. I suppose I should be happy he has spared me my last moment to leave a mark, evidence that I existed.

I just have one last question left. What was I to do? Even before I joined, what was my purpose? Answer me, dear Harmony, Nightmare Moon, OR EVEN THAT DAMNED CELESTIA. JUST WHY WAS I BORN? WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ME? JUST TO HOPE THEN DIE? HAS THAT TRULY BEEN PROPHECISED FROM MY BIRTH?!

Ah, well. I'm losing feelings in my body. I hope to join the stars, but I fear even that is an unachievable dream.

-Vain Hope

March 17th.

I see, this was the journal of the deceased Vain Hope. I had been thinking of promoting him to Cardinal for quite some time by now. Well, it doesn't matter.

A monster has appeared. Not a mimicry, ruling over wild and idiotic beasts. But a TRUE monster. He wears a green fur, with eyes that seemed to pierce straight through your soul. With a ghostly white mane and tail, he's managed to topple this elusive Empire that Canis Major has built. I should be ashamed that I had let this happen, by a single, mere mortal without magic no less. But, there's nothing mere about that one.

I had a vision. A merciless beast, something that became hard to even call sentient. A being of pure anger and spite. With it, a twisted horn, deeply embedded on his head. A pair of wings made from leaves, impossible to function. Yet it simply makes him deadlier. He comes for me, but for now, I'm safe. The place that I store this journal will be my own storage. A place that a magicless being can't enter.

I pray to the Moon that I will live to see the end of this day, but I have not received a reply. Not once.

I had lost everything when Canis first came to me, so I will leave the only thing I've gained in life. Goodbye.

-The Pope of the Church of The Night.

"Luna."

*Zap*

Luna jolted slightly as she felt a small tinge of pain on her back. "Ah, right. We are to order a black coffee." She said from reflex.

"What?" Lord Torch asked with a perplexed face from inside a magic mirror.

"I must ask. Iz your head, up in zhe clouds?!" The Prench dignitary asked in slight anger.

"Uh, maybe we should take five." Cadence suggested with an apologetic smile.

"Yak agree! Five hour for meeting! Yaks require lunch!" Prince Rutherford was positive on the idea.

With sounds of agreement from the table, they got up one by one and started to leave the room. Lord Torch having just turned the mirror the other way.

"Are you alright, Luna?" Celestia asked softly.

"I'm fine, dear sister. I'm just reading something I found quite enjoyable." She replied and went ahead, leaving a confused Celestia behind her.

Author's Note

And there you have it. A, somewhat detailed explanation of how Floral managed to destroy the cult. :coolphoto:

Thought I should write this at some point. So, what better time to do it if not now. The journal was just mentioned two chapters ago. :raritystarry:

Anyways. Thanks for reading! :heart:

Double

"Augh." Twilight was groaning as she refused to remove her face from the pillow. "You knew this would happen, didn't you." She said with slight contempt.

"Don't fucking talk to me until I've had my tea." Moon grumbled back as she was massaging the top of her head. "And it's not like I forced you to drink three cups. That's pretty much twelve shots."

"Twelve!?"

"Stop screaming." Moon groaned again. "Probably higher, since everything after your third cup is a bit blurry."

"Good morning, you two." Floral greeted calmly as he climbed up onto the treehouse.

"Floral?" Moon asked with a dry voice. "I want some tea."

"Ugh, why is my everything sore?" Twilight couldn't even move a muscle.

"I had to chase after you through the woods for about three hours. You were surprisingly nimble after that fifth cup, don't know how you managed to even pull off that many spells." He calmly explained as he put a pot of water over the fire. "Oh and, the guards that came with you had to be taken to the hospital after most of them got shot."

"Huh?" Twilight had to take a moment to process it.

"Pffthahaha-ugh, ow." Moon regretted laughing.

"Zecora dragged Gilda with her to buy some bagels. Harkon went out to get himself some breakfast. Shining Armor is outside, trying to start a fire. Blueblood and Light decided to check out Ponyville, and haven't come back since last night." He informed them.

"There's the Golden Horseshoe hotel in Ponyville. Considering Blueblood, he probably brought a bag of bits with him." Twilight mumbled as her thoughts slowly started to come in order. "OH NO!" She suddenly yelled and tried to get up. "Gah! My eyes!" She shouted and covered her eyes whilst laying down again.

"Fucking hell, I told you to stop screaming, Purple." Moon cussed with an annoyed grimace. "Seriously, how the hell can you even think of yelling with a hangover."

"In a small town like Ponyville, I'm sure you don't have to worry. The worst thing that could happen would be for Blueblood to get a bit of dirt on him." Floral assured her calmly. "Besides, Gilda and Zecora went there also. I'm sure they'll be just fine."

"I, I guess?" Twilight barely accepted as she buried her head deeper into the pillow.

"Where the fuck is my morning tea, Floral?" Moon asked with a grimace.

Floral chuckled in response. "Come outside. Stop sleeping in every single day." He said with a smile as he placed Moon on his back.

"Ugh, fine. I need lemon tea." Moon grumbled in response.

"You should come outside too. Fresh air should help with the headache." Floral suggested before grabbing the groggy Twilight as well.

"Um, I'm still worried about Blueblood being in Ponyville. Did I ever tell you guys about the Gala?" Twilight asked tiredly as she allowed herself to be carried.

"Hmm. I should have been able to guess this would happen. It's my fault." Blueblood was wearing a tired and sinful expression as he was sulking on a bed.

"Come on, it's not your fault. It's not like it was really a secret." Light tried to cheer him up with a nervous smile.

"Still, I'm sorry. I thought my spell could last long enough."

"Eh, I've seen your daily work. It's mostly talks with other nobles and stuff. It's impressive enough that your spell can last that long without time to practice."

*Thud, Thud*

"Open the damn window!" A muffled yell came from outside.

"Huh?" Light was a bit confused, but unlocked it.

*Bam*

The windows flew open from the middle as three pegasi and one griffin crashed in.

"Gah!" Gilda shouted as she crashed into the floor. "Fuck!"

"It's him!"

"We're in!"

"It really is him!"

The three pegasi, all revealed to be mares jumped up in excitement.

"Wha!?" Light exclaimed in shock.

"Get behind me." Blueblood stood in front of Light in a protective manner.

"OI!" Gilda yelled in anger as she stood up whilst heavily grimacing, a slight, yet dangerous feeling exuding off of her. "What the fuck was that about!?" She shouted the question at the mares.

"Gilda!?" Light piped up from behind Blueblood. "Help!"

Without waiting, Gilda took a small flight and positioned herself in front of Blueblood and Light.

"Buzz off!" One of the mares shouted.

"Move out of the way griffin! He's mine!"

With every word, Gilda seemed to become more pissed as veins started to become visible at the top of her head.

"Buck off birdbrain! I need to talk with the Prince!"

"Fucking hell." Gilda cussed once and threw the first punch.

"Woah!" Light was shocked as the mare was lifted off he ground.

"What are you doing?!" Blueblood also didn't expect such a move.

"Dealing with the problem." Gilda said lowly.

With the knocked out pegasi flying out the window, the two others looked at each other before running headfirst at Gilda.

*Bam*

The door was suddenly kicked open as a lasso flew in, capturing the two mares in an instant.

"Gotcha!" Applejack appeared with a grin.

"Hey!" One of the two mares shouted.

"Clear Skies?" Applejack said with a questioning tone.

"Well, that's one less charge for me." Gilda quickly processed the situation before throwing the two girls out of the room.

"Now, what in the hay’s goin’ on here?!" Applejack asked as she looked around. "Hmm, you're one of them fancy ones, ain'tcha?" She asked as she looked at Blueblood.

"Uh, thank you." Blueblood replied as he observed for a moment. "Around twenty five, you must be Applejack, yes?" He asked and suppressed his small annoyance.

"You know her?" Light popped out behind him.

"Well howdy, and you'd be right as rain mister. I am Applejack, but how do you know who I am?"

"Hate to interrupt this nice meeting, but I'm pretty sure I saw about fifty carts pulling into Ponyville. Pretty damn sure carriages were flying in too." Gilda interrupted as she finally placed a wardrobe in front of the door. "You seen Zecora anywhere, Apple?"

"Right, right. Uhh, no, what the hay is this all about anyway?" Applejack asked out loud.

"Last night, Bluey glanced through the window without his disguise magic. Apparently somepony saw him, and the rumor made its rounds through the town, and outside of the town by the morning." Light calmly explained. "I'm Light by the way. I don't think we've met."

"Hmm, I see. Wait, 'Bluey'?" Applejack suddenly realized.

"Really not the fucking time for this!" Gilda shouted to get their attention as she was seen throwing another pony out of the window. "YOU'RE AN EARTH PONY, HOW THE FUCK DID YOU CLIMB TO THE THIRD FLOOR?!" She shouted angrily before shutting the window again. "We need a plan, fast. Or else we're gonna get stuck here, and Princey over might lose his V-card in ten minutes."

*Bam, Thud*

The door was almost pushed open, but was closed back as Gilda shoved it back.

"Oh! I have never!" A feminine voice complained from outside.

"Doesn't sound too obsessed." Gilda muttered before opening the door slightly. "Yeah, it's you, marshmallow. Get in, quick." She commanded before pulling her in through the door.

"Woah! Hey! I just got my hooves done, I only wanted to know what was going on here. Not to be treated so brutishly." She complained before taking a look around. "You." Her voice lowered to a dangerous tone.

"Me." Blueblood replied as he glanced at Light questioningly. "What about me?"

"Rare, why don’t ya take a breath ‘fore ya go doin’ somethin’ you’ll be sorry for later." Applejack tried to intervene with a nervous smile.

"Wait, Twilight's friend?" Light muttered.

"Who?" Blueblood whispered the question as he kept an eye on Rarity.

"Bluey, seriously." Light was slightly exasperated as she weakly punched him in the shoulder.

"Concentrate. Stop thinking about food." Floral said calmly as he sat in a lotus position in the river.

The water crashed against him as he stayed unmoving, his chest fluctuating ever so slightly being the only indication of life. His eyes closed in pure focus.

"I'm not." Moon grumbled back, half dozing off in the same position.

"I never mentioned you." He replied back.

"Fuck." She cussed.

"U-um. Wh-hy do I-I ha-ve t-to do thi-s?" Twilight asked as she shivered from the cold whilst trying to replicate the position.

"To calm your mind, and free it from the fear of pain. You must first know it, and learn to control it." Floral spoke strictly, yet softly.

"Doesn't a-answer my ques-tion." Twilight stated.

"You asked to come."

"R-right."

"What does meditating have to do with anything?" Shining finally spoke up as he focused on his breathing.

"To practice your focus, and train your mind. Without a clear head, you'll waver." Floral told them with a blank face.

Time slowly passed as the four stayed in the same position, sitting against the crashing waves. Fish swam by as wild animals dared not to approach.

Slowly, yet surely, a change was to come.

"Ugh, I t-think, I ne-eed t-to lea-ve." Twilight was stuttering as she teleported out of the water.

"Come on pretty boy, you're gonna freeze to death." Moon said sarcastically as she dragged Shining out, who was delirious.

"I can still hold on, for a bit longer." He protested whilst shivering.

Moon lightly smacked his leg. "You feel that?"

"No?"

"Exactly."

Twilight sat on a patch of sunlight before lighting a fire off the ground right in front of her. "Wait, what's happening with Floral?" She asked curiously.

"What?" Shining asked back and looked at him.

"Fuck are you-oh. Wow." Moon was flabbergasted.

Floral was, glowing. A certain light radiated off of him, lighting up the surrounding areas. The flora seemed greener, livelier as the water felt clearer. The air was fresher as a fragrant nature scent could be smelled.

"Doesn't that look a bit like, he's sleeping?" Twilight asked with a tilt of her head.

"Now that you mention it, yeah." Moon murmured back.

"Definitely feels like he's sleeping." Shining commented.

"Hmm, I don't feel too good about this." Moon mumbled as she stared around, checking the vicinity.

"What are you looking for?" Shining asked as he stood on guard, horn lit as a thick bubble surrounded the three.

"I can cast anything you need me to." Twilight informed the two with a tense expression.

"Something's about to happen, be ready to move." Moon took command as she kept looking around.

"Just what are you looked around for?" Shining ended up asking.

"It's a feeling, like an instinct. I know something is about to happen." Moon replied.

Suddenly, her ears shot up as her body moved before her mind. A tendril made of shadow pushed Shining away as Moon jumped backwards whilst pulling Twilight with her.

*Crash*

"Gakh!" Shining grunted in pain as the pink barrier was completely destroyed.

"Holy shit!" Moon cussed out loud. "You alive, Twinkle Shield!?" She yelled the question.

"Ugh, yeah! I'm alive!" Shining didn't feel like arguing. "What happened?!" He asked and looked up. "A vine? Or is that a tree?"

*Slash*

The vine was cut away as Moon appeared with Twilight on her back. She gave him a hoof and pulled him up before turning to Floral.

"Well, ain't this a new level of bullshittery." Moon commented with annoyance. "Don't even have my knife with me."

Floral was still seated in a lotus position. Only problem is, he's currently floating. Rampant magic flared out of him in an electric manner, making sizzling sounds as the surroundings started to become distorted. His eyes were closed as the surrounding plants became overgrown.

"Is this a normal occurrence?" Twilight asked and got off of Moon.

"I don't think ascending to a higher dimension is a normal occurrence for anypony." Shining retorted as he debated which spells to use.

"Don't hold back. If you think you can fight him half heartedly, then you're really out of your mind." Moon told them sternly as her hooves extended to blades. "Should be fine long as he's not dead."

In one chaotic day, a swarm of ponies. Reaching a number that was thrice the amount of residents in Ponyville. They were all chasing what they thought was one handsome Prince.

On the other hoof. Gilda, Applejack, Blueblood, Light and Rarity. These five were staying as still as possible as the swarm ran by, getting covered in plenty of dust. Rarity flinched, as one single pony stopped by.

"Hmm, are these supposed to be statues of the first Hearth's Warming?" She muttered with a confused face as she looked closer. "Even if they are, why's it not closer to the center of town? Where are the pegasi? And why is there a griffin? Is this supposed to be something else?" She kept asking questions.

She stepped closer as she inspected Gilda, who was wearing the brightest smile she could whilst wearing a jester costume.

"Weirdly realistic though." The mare mumbled and turned towards the others. "This one." Just as she started to suspect Blueblood of being real, a shadow covered her from behind her.

Swiftly turning around, she spotted Gilda, holding a large bat. She couldn't let out a scream before the bat came right for her head. She shut her eyes and prepared for pain.

*Pop*

The bat popped into rubber pieces, slowly falling to the ground.

The mare opened her eyes and stared at Gilda.

Gilda was staring back as buckets of sweat started to pour down her face. Seconds passed by, just like this until the mare suddenly dropped to the ground.

"I, what?" Gilda muttered.

"I think you made her pass out from adrenaline shock." Light suggested calmly.

"What? I'm not that scary, right?" Gilda asked.

The others couldn't respond.

"You ain't too bad, but you don't look so friendly either." Applejack said with a hopeful smile. "Besides, I'm sure the surprise attack had some kind of effect." She assured Gilda.

"It's the scar." Blueblood stated as a matter of fact.

"Bluey!" Light admonished him with another smack.

"Right, I forgot about this thing." Gilda muttered and rubber her beak.

"Erm, now that things have calmed down, could anypony please tell me just what is going on?" Rarity finally asked the big question. "And just why is this undeserving of the title Prince, is in a ,quote unquote, shabby town like Ponyville?"

"Dude, what's your problem?! We're being chased by half the country and you're worried about a personal grudge!" Gilda cut in forcefully.

"Well, Gilda, I'm not your dude. And it's none of your business." Rarity replied rather harshly.

"Fine then! Keep it! I don't give a shit anyway! I only care that we need to somehow get out of town and stay quiet until things die down!" Gilda still held herself back.

"Okay, okay. Let's calm down y'all. We should get someplace safe before doing all the talking." Applejack interrupted the two.

"Yes, right. Why the hell am I arguing with you." Gilda muttered as she looked around. "And can't you disguise yourself?" She suddenly asked Blueblood.

"No, I used up my magic last night. I'll need more time to recharge to use another disguise spell." Blueblood.

"Fucking hell, you had a whole night to recharge. You use it all playing in bed last night?" She said sarcastically before dismissing it with a wave.

"Gilda!" Light bashfully yelled out.

"Ehh." Applejack wasn't sure if she was supposed to hear that.

"Alright, which one of you knows your way around this place?" Gilda asked as she shed her costume whilst looking for anything she could use. "I could try." She mumbled and pulled out a long stick from the cart they pulled out the costumes from.

"Hmm, I say we go through the market. Ain't many folks ‘round this time o' day, and we can mosey on over to Sugarcube Corner and see if Pinkie’s got a hoof to lend. We'll still be makin' our way toward the Everfree goin' this route." Applejack made the plan as the others listened in.

Except for Rarity, who just couldn't figure out exactly what was happening.

"It's, probably similar to the real thing." Gilda mumbled as she took out a bow from the cart and turned to the others. "Aight, you guys ready?" She asked before freezing for a moment. "What the fuck? Get weapons! Or anything that we could use! I get Apples and Marshmallow not having experience, but you two assholes have already been in at least two real fights!"

"Alright, alright. Jeez, sorry. I never really imagined something like this happening." Blueblood was the first to respond with a nervous smile.

"Dang, you're kinda like a drill instructor." Light commented as she followed Blueblood to look through the cart.

"I am an instructor, now get your asses moving!" Gilda yelled annoyedly as she took out arrows from the cart. "One of you can use the stick, I'll stick with the bow."

"Ya sure you ain't fixin' to hurt nopony with that thing?" Applejack asked as she refrained. "And I don’t need no weapons; I got my trusty rope right here." She said as she proudly presented an old rope.

"Uh, yeah, whatever, and these aren't pointy. What about you Marshmallow?"

"Huh, what?" Rarity was suddenly woken from her distracted mind.

"Okay, like, actually what is wrong with you. If you don't want to help, why are you sticking with us?" Gilda was having a rough time holding her annoyance in.

"PRINCE BLUEBLOOD!"

One sharp, excited yell cut through everything.

"Shit. RUN!" Gilda gave the command.

The others ran at full sprint, leaving behind Gilda who shot an arrow before flying off.

"Ugh." Shining groaned as a tree crashed against his barrier. "Not sure I can last much longer!" He informed the other two as he felt a deep headache forming.

"I thought you two were pretty close in strength!" Twilight complained to Moon and teleported away as a vine passed right by her, creating a shockwave.

"Fuck off!" Moon yelled back as she was giving her full focus on the oncoming attacks. "Aren't you the magic genius?! Can't you come up with a good theory?!"

Several dozens of dark blades were lashing out, cutting through every vine that came over. Still, it wasn't enough as no progress was being made.

"I don't know what that is! It's why we brought a whole bucking thaumatic reader!" Twilight replied stressfully as she teleported next to Moon. "Don't you have more experience with this?" She stumbled as she stood behind Moon.

"Fuck no! Floral's the one who has it, not me!" Moon responded.

"GAH!" Shining grunted as he went through the barrage of vines to get to the two of them. "Seriously, why am I being ignored?"

"Say something useful then." Moon said back with a tense expression. "Think you can block those?"

"I can try, but I'm pretty low on magic right now." Shining replied.

"I'm more than half, I can add mine in." Twilight told the two.

"Alright, I just need twenty, no, fifteen steps forward. Then I can get to him." Moon spoke as calmly as she could. "On three, I'll drop my magic."

"Wait! What're you gonna do when you get to him?" Twilight asked.

"I'm gonna fucking punch him." Moon fully focused forward as she ignored everything else. "One!"

Shining and Twilight shared a look as their magic gathered.

"Two!"

A barrier was constructed. Dimensions upon dimensions were added, until it became as thick as an entire hoof.

"Three!" Moon yelled and pulled her magic back as the barrier enveloped her.

*Bang, Bang*

Several hits came in an instant, shaking the area. Still, the bubble stood strong as the three decided to make their way forward.

With Moon watching pensively, Shining and Twilight pushed forward. The ground was breaking as their ears rang from the impacts. Cracks formed as the outermost layer shattered, leading to groans of pain from the two.

*Boom*

*Crash*

Another was broken, making Twilight stumble down. The barrier lost it's purple glow and Moon caught Twilight, but she wasn't able to function further. Moon carried her as she stepped forward.

*Bang*

The third layer broke. Shining Armor took a moment for himself as he took deep breaths, a small trail of blood fell from his nose. His eyes were bloodshot as he was pushing past his boundaries. His horn was electrified as sparks of magic fizzled out.

Whilst they pushed on, Moon was gathering and condensing her magic. A dark and thick liquid poured out from her eyes and flowed down to her chest, only to be absorbed back in as it became more refined.

"That close enough?" Shining asked under strain and wiped away his nosebleed that was replaced not a second later.

"I'll make it work. Good job." Moon said minimally as she prepared to go in.

With one deep breath, she shot him a glance. In that moment, the barrier dropped as Moon shot forward. Like a cannon ball, she was a blur.

*Bang*

She was stopped instantly as she smashed against a green barrier.

The thought of missing went away instantly as Moon stared straight at Floral, whose eyes were shut forcefully by tough vines stitching through the eyelids. Hundreds of different plants and flora grew wildly, aiming to remove Moon somehow.

She responded by releasing her magic. The area became sticky as movements were restricted. The pure darkness the magic brought dissolved the plants. Life withered away as death replaced it.

Floral's body twitched as he went from the lotus position to standing straight. The light green barrier around him slowly started to dissolve as he became completely visible. His mouth was sewed shut as his body moved like a puppet.

"Sorry." Moon uttered an unapologetic apology as she pulled a hoof back.

A pure and dark energy oozed off of her hoof. Rising to the air as the surroundings became thick.

Floral responded by a faster punch. Moon leaned slightly to dodge it before punching forward.

"You ain't shit compared to the real him." Moon said with a cold voice.

As the punch connected, a shockwave spread out. The liquified shadows seemed to disappear entirely as the plants were pushed away. In a perfect circle, shadows shot out from underneath them. The excess from the amount used.

Moon exhaled slowly as she stared down at Floral. Despite their disastrous surroundings, the two remained standing. Locked in that exchange, Moon's brain went into overdrive as she tried to figure something out.

But Floral didn't give her that chance. With both hooves, Floral grabbed Moon from the neck.

"Agh." She was caught by surprise.

"Moon!" Shining was heard shouting from behind her.

Head pounding as the vision became darker, Moon grimaced heavily as she grit her teeth. A few small spikes and tentacles tried to ram into Floral's hooves, yet it didn't work. A few blasts of magic hit Floral straight on the head, but he didn't even flinch. Staring through the smoke it produced, Floral's eyes slowly opened up through the vines.

"If you, are gone, then he, will do, what is right." The voice that came out was distorted, like two different voices were layered together.

As Moon stared at his, its eyes, she could only come to a single conclusion.

She seemed to suddenly give up. Her hooves fell down as her body stopped struggling. Dozens of seconds passed by as Shining was staring with a bit of despair. That is, until a single orb floated out of her chest.

Floral's eyes darted to it, panic clearly visible. Unlike his normal self, he was scared. Surprised, shocked. It didn't know what that orb could do.

And it was right to fear that orb.

Without a single warning, the orb cracked. Hundreds of thousands of tiny cracks ran through it. Pure black liquids poured out, yet never fell to the ground.

Floral's eyes darted between Moon and the orb. Eventually, Moon stayed in the air as the orb was left untouched. It was a mistake.

The orb fell apart, having turned into millions of little tiny pieces, it expanded out as fragments were still connected to each other through the black substance. Like a spider web, it created a cage of sorts.

Trapped in the cage, Floral's body looked everywhere it could. Wanting to know what it was, and hot it could escape. Yet, it was all interrupted as Moon raised a hoof. It was haphazardly thrown on the hooves that held her up.

"My gambit, asshole." Moon gave a grin that permeated bloodlust.

Having still managed to curse in that situation, Moon had a wide grin as the cage closed, letting nothing else enter.

Blueblood kicked a door open as he was heavily panting. There was a grimace on his face as he made sure that there wasn't anypony else in his surroundings. After letting Rarity in, he shut the door and slid against it as he listened to the sounds of hundreds of hooves running by.

Ten seconds pass by.

Blueblood sighs in relief as his body tension releases. Holding his head lightly on his hooves, he takes deep breaths to calm himself down as he leans against the wall, facing away from Rarity. Rarity is also relaxed as she decides to sit down on the floor, though she does feel a slight disgust at the dust on her flank.

"Damn it." Blueblood muttered as he looked upwards.

"What?" Rarity was confused at a word she didn't know of.

"Forget it, it's a cuss." He answered dismissively as he closed his eyes, dark circles under them being proof of tiredness.

Rarity stared in a small shock for a moment at his confession of cussing, but decided not to put it past him. "Wow, you actually get dark circles under your eyes?" She asked in a mocking, yet lighthearted tone.

Rather than annoyed or an indifferent response Rarity was expecting, Blueblood's eyes became wide as his breathing stopped. Before Rarity could understand what that was, the dark circles disappeared as the perfect stallion sat there again. Seeing this, Rarity was pretty mad.

"You've been using magic, this whole time!?" She ended up asking.

"Don't shout." Blueblood tried to change the topic.

"No, no, no mister. I've only been helping because my dear friend Applejack asked me to, but you've been wasting all our efforts! You could've just endured not being flawless for a bit, then you could've used a real disguise, but you've been doing, this. This, useless, tactic of using magic to cover yourself up. This flimsy disguise of perfecting yourself to the world, and hiding your true ugliness!!" Her shout echoed through the house they had hid themselves in.

Blueblood was glaring back without a word. His face cold as his eyes held a certain anger in them. In truth, she had hit the nail on the head. Blueblood himself knew that.

His ugly side, his imperfections. He feared the consequences of revealing them, so he hid them behind a perfect face. The beautiful and downright gorgeous Prince was simply a mask. His true self, he knew that he was flawed in many different ways. But, his mask was his best weapon, so he lived behind his mask.

"Well?! Aren't you gonna say something?! I thought you were hanging out with that poor little girl, Light! Just so you can hurt her like you hurt me! I'm right! Aren't I?! Answer me!!"

Blueblood had the smallest of realizations as he kept glaring at Rarity, though his stare slowly became indifferent as he had a question.

Why was he trying so hard to have a good relationship with this pony?

By now, he had realized that she was most likely one of her partners in one of the previous Galas. He can't remember which, all the Galas always mix in and jumble together, always ending up as the exact same routing and ending. To Blueblood, the Gala was no different than his yearly lottery at seeing if he would get a win, and find somepony that he truly desired. So, now that he had Light, he didn't know why he was even trying to keep up this facade.

"Huh." He let out that small sound as Rarity stared at him in confusion.

"Have you finally lost your mind?" She asked as she took a step back.

"No, well, it's really none of your business." He spoke calmly, not a hint of nervousness or anxiety in his voice as he stood up. After dusting himself off, somewhat fixing his ruffled suit, he turned to Rarity. "I'll say, thanks for that. I need to be going now, I'm still on a date after all." He muttered as he walked out the front door, the swarm of ponies long gone.

Rarity was stunned as she stood there. A horrified expression on her face as several thoughts went through her mind. But those thoughts couldn't find an end as she shook her head to wake up from her stupor. The arrogant and haughty Prince, she already knew he had flaws. But one more shocking detail had been added in.

"Wait, no, no, what?" Rarity muttered in full on confusion. "The Prince is scarred?" She mumbled softly.

Without anything else she could do, she ran out of the door as she went to find Blueblood.

Now that she was in a thinking mood, she looked around for any signs. The cheerful town of Ponyville felt, lonely. Almost every single pony had gathered to chase after Blueblood. Walking through the streets, Rarity was having an internal struggle about the Prince.

It was no help. She couldn't chase down an entire horde, and if she did, all she would end up doing is missing where the others had hidden. A long enough time having already been spent, she became slightly dispirited as she came to a decision.

"Mister Remedy, or, did she call her Floral Green?" She mumbled to herself as she took a shaky sigh.

She had heard from her friends, he can be a great help if you're ever stuck in a moral dilemma.

*Bam*

"RAAHHH!" Shining Armor yelled loudly.

Shining Armor, he was the captain of the Royal Guards. The absolute highest honor a pony could receive in the empire, and he held it righteously. To get to this position, he had fought bias against his roots. Endured what is called the harshest five years in Equestria. All the whilst never forgetting to be good.

"COME ON!" He shouted as he used only a part of his barrier.

Graduating his knighting school with the highest scores, he was a rookie in the Guards. Yet, his soul never wavered and his resolution shined as he was one of the very few ponies outside of nobility that joined the Royal Guards. Of course, his sister being the personal disciple of Princess Celestia may have helped out a bit, but he still had his on fair share of troubles from the higher class.

"YOU CALL THIS A FIGHT!?" He taunted loudly as his barrier failed to form, his horn letting out only a few sparks in response.

Having earned the envy of his peers, he just could not help but earn more. A personal friendship with the Prince of Equestria. His already elevated position gained another support as his easy and outgoing nature happily attracted Blueblood, who was in dire need of a friend before he collapsed down.

"THIS ISN'T EVEN A WORKOUT!!" He kept screaming his heart out as blood poured down from his body.

Even after achieving this much in just his twenties, he had already shown promise of another surprise. Princess Cadenza Mi Amore, his marefriend. Many thought, or hoped even, that Cadenza only took a small liking to Shining Armor. Hoping that she thought of him as just a slightly more interesting stallion. Oh how wrong they were. Rumors of their marriage had already spread, and with the sources coming straight from the Royal Castle, none could deny it any more. He had done something incredible once again. He may look and feel incompetent compared to his younger sister, but there is no denying it. He was a monster of his own, one that flipped the whole social structure of Equestria on its head.

"COME ON THEN! HUNDREDS OF YOU, AND ONLY ONE OF ME! LET'S SEE WHO WINS!!" He was fighting.

Stamina and energy had ran out, so he fought using his will as fuel. His magic had dried up, but it was of no issue. He was the captain of the entire Royal Guards. He did not need to use his magic to solve this issue. Blood poured down his body as pain enveloped every last corner of his body, but it was alright. The pain meant that he was still alive, and he could fight just fine as long as he was breathing.

"HAHAHAHHA!!" He let out a manic laughter as he tossed away something that was four times his size.

His struggle was desperate, no. It was nothing of trouble to the captain. He was the captain, the shoulders that the safety of Equestria fell on. Or, well, it should be like that anyway. Lately, he had felt like he hadn't been able to do his job in maintaining security. But now, fighting to protect, his soul was on fire as his heart refused to let the body die down. Pure determination. The will of a true warrior who knew no fears. It was something that could be burned for eternity, and still shine brighter than any star.

"Ugh, what?" Twilight slowly woke up with a headache.

She entertained the thought of having drank alcohol again, but she also she knew she never wanted to experience the hangover ever again. There was constant ringing in her ears as the surrounding sound was muffled. Staying awake for a few more seconds, things started to clear up as she heard desperate yells. No, taunting yells as she heard things being thrown to the ground, slammed away or simply being torn open. Her foggy memories all rushed back as her body refused to cooperate. She slowly and carefully got up and looked around.

It didn't take her long to notice Shining Armor. He was standing in front of her, barely a hint of sentience in his eyes as his battered and broken body remained unmoving. There was a constant stream of sparks of magic coming from his horn, evidence of his desperate attempt to use one more spell.

Determination and desperation. Two opposites, yet both had similar signs. The will to do something, anything one could to continue. Mixing them, along with a desire to protect, brought out a twisted, yet righteous version of heroism.

"Shining?" Twilight was almost silent as she called out for him.

The hundreds of different creatures attacking the camp was reminiscent of the attacks Twilight had endured whenever she visited Floral. But, those had good outcomes. Sure, there were injuries, but nothing had been major. So, she had been tricked. She thought that, despite this one being even more challenging than before, she would come out just fine. That her friends and family, would come out just fine. A few small injuries that they could joke over, that was the furthest she had thought. But seeing the bloody appearance of Shining Armor, she was having a hard time breathing as her brain tried to comprehend the situation.

She was lucky, so she had severely underestimated the aftereffects of the battles that take place. And she was just realizing, exactly how dangerous this all was. So, her mind froze. Questions arose, but the answers never came.

Would one of us just die like that?

What do we after?

Can't something help us?

How does Moon stay so energetic after these things?

Do I somehow get used to these as well?

The possibilities of dying, or just death in general. Do I just get used to that?

Twilight slowly turned to a black orb. Rather big and revolting as it acted like it was alive. She was desperate, so she hoped for a saving grace. And she was right.

*Boom*

The sphere was cracked open as Moon and Floral were strongly separated. Both rolled to the ground, visibly in pain.

Even the strong willed Floral Green, who barely even winced under the worst of pains. His face had a horrible frown as tear stains were visible. He had a shaky breath as he forced himself up and looked around with a murderous gaze. His kind and patient self felt like it was completely gone.

Moon coughed painfully as she twitched on the ground. A sticky and dark substance had drenched her as she looked up with unparalleled anger.

Silence enveloped the area for a few seconds as Floral came to a decision. Walking over to Shining, he tapped on the back of his neck as Shining Armor collapsed to the ground. With his glare taking in everything, he uttered a single word as his presence grew increasingly hostile.

"Duck." As soon as he said that word, Twilight ducked down as she felt something go over her.

Fearing that she may see something she didn't want to, she shut her eyes as she waited. And wait she did as she heard countless trees falling down. The hundreds of beasts, they all died down as their howls and growls disappeared. Twilight felt the sun shining down on her, something that shouldn't be happening as she was under the shade of a tree.

"Gah! Fuck!!" Moon's yell was filled with frustration.

Anger, just full on anger as her voice echoed through the world.

Author's Note

Hello!

So, sorry for the late upload. I, don't really have an excuse. It might've been something like burnout, since I kinda had a whole week to just, sit there. I couldn't focus on anything as my time just passed on without purpose. :rainbowderp:

I mean, I did do one thing. I finally checked out character ai. Fun thing. Also, really horny for some reason. Especially the Celestia ai's. After checking out a few characters, I tried out a few Celestia's, and oh boy, am I now scarred for life. :pinkiesmile: They were, either really submissive and slutty, or have extreme dominitrix tendencies and often leaved my character in positions and apparently a completely broken state of mind. Being called a toy was a common occurrence. :pinkiesick:

Anyways, see you next time! :heart:

Thought Provoking

Prince Blueblood Platinum. The Most Eligible Bachelor of Equestria. The face of Equestria, with a silver tongue not many has met before, he is one of, if not, the best negotiators in Equestria. An extremely distant nephew to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, making him a relative to his adoptive older cousin Princess Cadenza Mi Amore.

To call him a successful pony would be an understatement. Despite having a rough foalhood that not many know of, he has risen from the position of an orphan wandering the streets of Canterlot without a direction, to one of the biggest influences in the empire of ponies.

From this position, he's in control of most things. Due to the lack of influential stallions, his daily choices affect trends all over the empire. A snack that he seemed to enjoy would become a luxury desert priced at the highest bid possible. A wine that he drank a full glass of would be praised as the most delicious one to exist. A store that he bought a single perfume from would quickly ascend to the most luxurious store in all of Canterlot. Any brand that he's seen wearing would become the epitome of fashion. Although this was partly due to the three Princesses not having a particular interest in these fields, Blueblood's ever beautiful face, and the charming smile would be his biggest asset. For this exact reason, he must never allow for his true face to show, or else everything he had accomplished in his life would crumble.

"Is that still true though?" He asked himself that simple question.

After having gone through his foalhood without much joy in his life, he was a timid and defensive colt. Despite all that, the allure of delicious food had fooled him as he somehow managed to infiltrate what should be, the most secure place in all of Equestria. Despite having a much rougher start to his education, he quickly caught up to his peers and became a businesspony capable of controlling what succeeds, and what fails. Despite having to start training his magic later than most, his knowledge and mastery grew enough to play around with the most magically adept unicorns in Equestria. In all fairness, it was enough to call him not just talented, but a pony that comes once in a billion.

This much effort, this much skill and talent. Yet, he was contemplating on whether he should throw it away or not. Because, despite all his success, he felt something he wouldn't have from continuing on with his life.

He's had fun before. Although not much, he still had a few friends he considered somewhat close. But despite that, he was still missing something. Something fundamental that stopped him from enjoying life. So, he continued to lead a life he considered empty. Then he found it. Like seeing a small spark, and with just enough reason and insistence to follow it, he took an interest. Eventually, he found himself intrigued with the spark, unable to get enough of it. And before he realized, the spark had already grown to a huge flame that engulfed him. And he couldn't be happier with it.

Love.

An emotion strong enough to drive the most calm minded ponies insane, to the point of sacrificing their very being, just to spend even a single more moment with their loved ones. There comes many variations of love, but Blueblood could only focus on one. And that was what had been taking up his mind for the last month or so.

"She's not here." He mumbled as he came to a stop.

The fresh natures scent cleared his hazy mind just a slight bit, but he had realized something. It has barely been two hours since he's become separated from Light, and he was worrying too much. His previous worries that always threatened his position in life suddenly became unimportant.

"What to do."

His choices were laid out. Either go back to Ponyville to try and find Light, or stay here and wait for her to come. Either way, he didn't like that he would be separated for longer.

*Rustle*

"Oh." He didn't care too much.

He was just tired, and he wanted to spend his time with Light.

Instead of standing there in shock, he took a look around the camp. A bow with a bunch of somewhat recognizable runes on it. He couldn't use it. A great sword thrice his size, out of the question. He leaned more on fencing technique and skill rather than brute strength. A rather short looking dagger. Longer than a kitchen knife, but shorter than a weapon.

It'll have to do.

It was magicked over as Blueblood caught it in the air in his hooves. It was something he had learned when the guards recently began to be trained in weaponry by his Aunt Luna. Besides, he wasn't comfortable holding a dirty handle in his mouth.

Without waiting, he turned around, the dagger swinging through the air with a swishing noise. He had planned to temporary stun whatever the beast may be, but he was surprised upon realizing that the dagger had gone through multiple layers of stone. Glancing at the dagger, he gave a sigh as it started to float around him.

"I don't know about being as versatile and skillful as Moon, but you shouldn't be much of a problem." He stated as the dagger's speed picked up, slicing through the air. "I'm a bit busy. So, you'll have to make an appointment for a meeting."

Floral stood wordlessly as he looked around the field slowly. Almost every tree in the vicinity had been cut down, as well as the hundreds of animals through the forest. His face was tense with expression, showing a thousand different sides he hasn't shown before.

"Floral?" Twilight's word echoed out, snapping Floral out of his thoughts.

"You can rest now." His voice was deep, as if he had forcefully shut his emotions down just to answer.

Twilight stared for a few moments, an unexplainable expression. "Alright." She gave an answer as her body went limp.

A single vine caught her falling figure as several more tended to Shining Armor. Floral was staring with an emotionless face, he had become as cold as he possible could, or he might break down. A dim light green glowed from the vines, slowly closing Shining Armor's injuries. Having made sure he wouldn't die, Floral turned to Moon, who was gritting her teeth as she refused to open her eyes.

"Upff." She held herself back from puking.

Floral glanced at her, his eyes were filled with almost every emotion possible. An overconcentration of different feelings had affected him. Still, he forced himself to move as he stopped near Moon.

"Moon." He called out, a hint of guilt in his voice.

"Ngh, fuck. No, just, give me a moment." Her reply was nervous, her breath being labored as there was a distressed look on her face.

Floral took in her words for a few seconds. "Yes." He replied and sat down next to her.

A semblance of silence returned as the two remained on the ground. Moon had shut her eyes hard as saliva seemed to drip through her shut teeth. Her breathing slowly became more controlled, but her roaring mind was still giving unease.

Surprisingly, Floral made no attempts to comfort her. He acted as if even hearing his voice would worsen her condition. Only after she stopped shaking with every second did her finally speak up.

"Sorry, you shouldn't have had to experience that." He gave a simple apology, his guilt slipping through his mask.

"Fucking hell." Moon cussed and held her head. "I wasn't the one that had to, do those things." She tried to speak brazenly, but her words shook without her input.

"I felt those things, over the years of my life. You went through all of it in a matter of minutes." He shut her argument down. "Even if it wasn't real, it's not something I hoped you would ever get to know."

Moon didn't reply to that. Whatever she had seen had deeply disturbed her.

After a few seconds of Moon gathering herself, she eventually gave a sigh.

"Come on, I still need that bagel Z and Gil were supposed to bring." Moon tried to play it off as she took the lead.

Floral stared at her back, few thoughts popped up before he sadly closed his eyes. With a slightly somber aura around him, he picked up both Twilight and Shining before heading towards the camp.

During their walk, Moon kept faltering. Her mind was elsewhere as she shook every now and then. Floral couldn't help but notice. Yet, he didn't make a move except silently follow behind. He couldn't see her face from his position, but he could take an easy guess as to what it must've looked like.

After a silent ten minutes, the two finally reached the camp.

"Well. Shit." Moon stopped in her tracks and stared forward with a frown.

Floral simply glanced around the corpses of monsters. Most were random rocks and parts made of wood. Blueblood was standing in the middle with a cold expression, a long scar that hovered under his eye was shamelessly displayed, but his gaze was slightly cloudy. Like he was thinking about something else.

"The dagger." Floral pointed out, getting a look of recognition from Moon.

The two walked closer as the dagger suddenly turned to them. Going at incredible speeds, Floral was more than ready to knock it away, had it not stopped in front of them.

"Oh, you're here." Blueblood said indifferently.

"Uh, yeah." Moon was a bit creeped out by him. "What the hell is wrong with, you?" Her words fell weak at the end as her eyes couldn't help but glance at a deer.

Its guts were cut open, air could freely pass through its insides. Blood flowed as easily as water, tainting the ground in a reddish hue. The bones were visibly cut off, exposing it, leaving its organs free to fall out.

Moon gulped dry air as she started to feel bile rise from her throat. Her body tensed up as her breathing started to quicken once again. She tried to distract herself and look at Blueblood once again. Yet, the knife floating in front of her with blood dripping from it, it only managed to make her condition worse. In a desperate attempt, before she lost control, she glanced at Floral.

Instantly, in her vision, his strong image was replaced by a colt. Scared and defenseless as he was covered in blood in an attempt to hide himself. The bright daytime forest was replaced by a dungeon. A seemingly infinite amount of corpses seemed to fill the place, all splattered across the stone floor. There was a deep metallic scent filling her nostrils as she started to hear the cries of hundreds of foals. Slowly, the colt reached out a hoof. She started to feel an ache around her body, her hearing was muffled as her heartbeat was the only thing she could hear. Right as the hoof touched her, her hallucination disappeared.

"Moon." Floral whispered to her as she realized her situation.

Blueblood was staring at her with a confused, and a slightly concerned look. The knife had long been discarded as her vision of the dead deer was blocked. Just thinking about the deer made her sick, as it was only added to the memories of the full on slaughters she held in the forest.

"Don't. Stop thinking about it." Floral whispered to her once again.

She slowly regained her senses as she found herself covered by a hug. Two strong hooves held her protectively as she felt warmth taking over. Her senses fully came back to her as she looked around once again. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly as she shut her eyes.

"I feel like I'm gonna puke." She managed to let out.

"It'll pass, with time." Floral told her as he hugged her just a bit tighter.

*Rustle*

*Bang*

A burst of fire rose to the skies inside the barrier, being blocked at the very top.

"What the fuck?" Moon asked and peeled herself off of Floral.

"It's, from a potion." Floral said softly.

"Zecora." Moon instantly realized.

"You two stay here and take care of these two." Floral commanded and pointed at Twilight and Shining on the ground.

"Understood." Blueblood had no issues with it.

"What?! No, you bastard. I'll go too!" Moon was declining the order.

"Moon." Floral said strictly as he held her from her shoulders, his gaze was firm, but caring. "Please, you've done more than enough today. So, take a rest." He practically pleaded as his eyes held infinite guilt in them.

Moon was about to talk back, but her eyes caught a glimpse of darkness flickering over Floral's chest. His breath felt a bit colder than usual as his eyes seemed to be slightly unstable. He was having a hard time controlling his emotions, ergo, the magic inside him from bursting open. And for a pony like Floral Green, he would be calmer fighting an entire army by himself than worrying over somepony he loved.

"Fine." She let out as her ears dropped down, an instinctual response.

It only ate away at Floral's heart, but her grit through it as he gave a nod. "Thank you." He muttered and let go. "I'll be back soon." He spoke calmly, but it was clear he was unstable as even those who couldn't feel magic could see traces of green and dark magic sparking out of his body.

"Ms.Moon, you should rest. You look rough." Blueblood's voice called out to her.

"Uh, yeah, sure. Whatever." She replied absentmindedly as she tore her gaze away from Floral.

Without talking much, she took a seat at the cold campfire. Her eyes were distant as she was sitting still. Blueblood decided not to intrude as he got a fire going before searching around the camp.

"What do you think you should do after you've bitten into a still beating heart of a pony that was still alive, so you could drink their blood?" Moon suddenly asked a bizarre question.

Blueblood froze as the pan he held in his magic fell to the ground. "What?" He was more than disgusted by her question.

"No, just, forget about it. It's nothing important." Moon dismissed it, but her face clearly betrayed her words.

Blueblood didn't know how to answer that. Something was clearly bothering her, and he had no idea how to approach it. Her question was an obvious clue, but he himself couldn't make heads or tails about it.

"Why did you hide that scar?" She asked to change the subject.

Blueblood took a moment. "Politics." That answer was enough. "What happened here?"

"Meditation." Moon gave back an answer.

"I see. I trust Armor is still alive?"

"He's breathing, no?"

"That should be enough then. Though, you'll likely have to explain to my older cousin as to why her fiancé is injured so much."

"I'll leave that shit to Floral. He's a better talker anyway."

"Yes, he definitely is good." Blueblood kept talking as he noticed her mood slowly getting better, being distracted from something he didn't quite know what.

*Rustle*

Blueblood's eyes widened in hope and anticipation as two ponies walked, his eyes instantly cooled down to just recognition. The two ponies pulled a small carriage of items behind them.

"Oh, you two." Moon said calmly as she put on an act.

"Good afternoon, Moon." Fleur greeted happily first.

"Eesh, did we come at a bad time?" Fancy asked nervously as he looked at the chaos all around the camp.

"You two are just in time." Blueblood spoke up, catching their attention.

"Oh! Prince Blue-" Fancy Pants suddenly stopped speaking as he looked at Blueblood in the face.

"Oh dear." Fleur was equally shocked at the gigantic scar.

It truly did ruin his handsome face, making him look like somepony cruel, and merciless. It somewhat fit him, but he didn't need to be like that for now.

"Um, I-uh. I didn't notice, your presence, your highness. There appears to be quite a lot of, um, dirt on you." Fancy couldn't quite bring himself to mention both the scar and the blood.

Blueblood glanced at himself. "I suppose."

"Stop fucking around." Moon cut in. "You two, try to help him make something edible." She commanded briskly as she warmed herself by the fire.

"Cooking." Fleur whispered to herself. "I guess I could try it, it's been a few decades since I last cooked though." She happily accepted the change in subject.

"I haven't really tried cooking before, so, I'm not sure how much help I'd be." Fancy said with a small cough as he forced his eyes away from Blueblood's face.

"Whatever." Moon dismissed with a wave of her hoof.

"Floral! Moon! We're back! And we're missing a Prince!" Gilda shouted with annoyance clear in her voice. "Oh, he's here." She mumbled and looked around before shrugging and flying up to her nest.

Blueblood's scar was immediately hidden with a flash of light, though, only Moon noticed the light.

"Bluey!?" Light asked excitedly as she ran to him.

"Light?!" Blueblood's mood was lifted by several times as he immediately grew a bright smile and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, wow." Fancy muttered as he watched the scene.

"Aww, that's cute." Fleur commented.

"He was a simp?" Moon talked as if she couldn't believe it.

"Hi Moony!" Pinkie Pie practically broke through the fabric of reality to appear next to Moon.

"What the fuck?!" Moon was, understandably, more than surprised as she jumped in her seat. "You! Pink eldritch beast! I'll find you secret someday!" She declared with a frown.

"Now now, settle down y'all. I can see that we all had a long day, so, let’s keep our noses clean and steer clear o’ any scuffles." Applejack acted as the responsible one. "And what in tarnation happened with these two? They didn’t get banged up too bad, did they?" She asked as she stood over the unconscious siblings.

"They're alive, aren't they?" Moon's answer to it was simple.

The camp immediately became lively with so many ponies. It always ended up being some kind of party whenever ponies gathered at the camp. So, following the tradition, barrels of whiskey that Fleur and Fancy brought were opened up. Of course, with no alicorns running a contest, the party wasn't just full on drinking. It was more calm, just enough to get tipsy to deal with the stress of the day.

Rarity was present. But she was a bit out of it. She just kept silently staring at Blueblood, wondering what she should say. Her thoughts had become too conflicted when he showed her his scar. Should she take pity, or should she continue to hate him for the way he treated her at the Gala?

And Moon was holding a cup. She was just staring at it as her thoughts were at war with each other. She just couldn't tear her eyes away, but she couldn't bring herself to drink it. Her face was blank canvas of emotions, but her eyes told the truth.

Screams. She hid it from the others well, but all she heard were screams of pain and despair. A barrel of alcohol. Fire spread to the surroundings as explosions rang in her ears. Eventually, she started to shake as she became disconnected from the world. Her heart started to beat wildly as blood and ash started to appear in her eyes.

"Hey." Gilda's claw covered Moon's cup. "You alright?" She asked, putting her own cup down.

Moon took a few moments to gather her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just, thinking about stuff."

"Well, don't. You're the one who told me it looked fucking depressing." Gilda replied and sat down next to her. "You looked like your parents were being stabbed in front of you."

"Was it that obvious?"

"The others haven't spent as much time as I have with you. Where's Floral by the way?"

"There was an explosion, and Floral went to check it out. We guessed it was Z."

"Well, shit." Gilda cussed as she slumped down. "I'm too tired to help." Her eyes were bloodshot as she scanned the party.

"The hell happened in Ponyville?"

"It was a mess. News got out that Princely was in town, and then we had to outrun them. We tried to gather trustable ponies as we went, but there was a teleportation accident or something in the middle because Pinkie Pie fired her cannon." Gilda recounted with an annoyed face. "Eventually, we ended up having to fend off that damn swarm from us, cuz they thought we were hiding Prince Charming with a disguise."

"Fucking hell, that sounds so damn tiring." Moon was slightly astonished.

"Oh, right. Fuck, there were also ponies coming in from other cities and shit."

"Damn. I guess Celly and Luna's got their work cut out for them. Since Blue over here is, well, here."

"True." Gilda chuckled at the small joke as the party went on.

Moon had a small smile as she talked. Her hoof reflexively raised the cup up as her nostrils were greeted by the smell of alcohol. The smell, it caught her off guard as she instantly froze over.

"Hey, don't force yourself to drink. You should know that just fucks you over." Gilda pointed out before taking a swig of her own.

Her words rang through Moon's head for a bit. Though, she was still experiencing that same feeling from earlier. As her head hurt, she slowly set the cup down as she cupped her face and took deep breaths.

"Hey, you alright?" Gilda asked worriedly.

Moon didn't respond as she lurched sideways and puked. Nothing but stomach acid fell out, but the nausea she felt kept making her vomit more. Gilda acted out of reflex as she stood up to pat her back, her one wing extended to completely block the view of Moon.

Once she was done, Moon was left shivering as she stood with shaky legs. Her breathing was labored as Gilda was silently comforting her with a worried face.

"Gil." She suddenly called out.

"Yeah?" She asked back.

"How badly do burnt corpses smell again?" She asked another bizarre question.

"It's." Gilda didn't understand the purpose of the question. "It was just, bad, wasn't it? I think it was just disgusting if it was being burnt with all the fur and the blood."

"Right." Moon acknowledged that answer. "Fuck." She uttered a curse and stood there for a while.

*BOOM!*

A giant explosion of magic took them all by surprise. Coming form the direction it had come before, shadows rose dangerously as it gave off a light green colored glow.

Gilda turned to Moon with a questioning look, but Moon just sighed. "Later, I don't want to ruin the party."

"Hmm, fine." Gilda accepted.

Slowly, Floral came walking out of the forest. His complexion looked a lot better than when he went in, but there was still some silent fury hidden in his eyes. On his back, was Zecora knocked out. Once he reached the camp, he took in all the surprised faces of the guests.

"We'll talk tomorrow morning." With that single sentence, he had pushed everything to a time he would be more in control of himself.

Moon was just looking at him pensively, with Gilda taking plenty enough notice.

Author's Note

So, if you guys do remember the previous chapters. Floral has talked about drinking blood before, and, well, that should be enough hint for you guys to realize that the whole story hadn't been revealed.

I even remember leaving a pretty large hint in the chapter where Luna invaded Floral's dreams without permission. :duck:

So, well, see ya next time. :heart:

Zebras

"Once I come back from my journey, I will tell you many stories." I excitedly told father as I jumped around.

He gave a hearty laugh as he roughly patted my head, ruffling my mane.

"Then, we will be waiting for your return. And when, you come ba-"

"She's not going anywhere until she passes her potions class! Or, you can forget about traveling around Equus, little lass!" Mother suddenly cut off father as she came out of the house with a mock frown.

"I've been putting much more practice in! The potions I am more than close to mastering!" I protested as father chuckled at the situation.

"Rest easy, my beautiful flower. We'll see, in the face of danger she will not cower." Father spoke happily.

Mother tried to keep a serious face, but she didn't last long as her expression cracked as father hugged her. "Alright, alright, I understand. Now, before it becomes night, get to the well before they disband." She eventually gave the command as I nodded and ran off.

Though, I turned around and grabbed a bucket I forgot beforehoof.

"Hmm." I slowed down a bit.

From a trot to a simple walk, I looked around the village. Something didn't feel right. I started to feel extreme unease as my pace slowed down even further. I physically lowered myself as my ears pinned themselves to my head. It wasn't just a fleeting feeling. It was more of a scream, a soul shattering shout to get my attention.

Feeling like I was being hunted down, I kept looking around the village. Familiar faces and familiar buildings. It's the same, isn't it? Or am I wrong? Is there some kind of monster coming? Is this how Remedy...

Remedy?

No, it's Floral.

It's absolutely Floral.

Right, it's Floral Green. My friend.

"You are being controlled, Zecora. Get out of this hold, and talk to Floral." I told myself as my mind started to clear.

Like a fog had been lifted, my thoughts quickly came back in order. The memories of my life rushed in as I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I could feel the world around me warp, further proving to me that it was not real. Only when I had fully calmed down, did I dare to open my eyes.

I couldn't move.

My eyes were blurry, and I only saw glimpses of the ceiling of the treehouse through my eyelashes. Sounds were muffled and my sense of touch was almost completely absent.

"No, seriously. How the hell is that a plan a twelve year old should be coming up with?" Moon, I believe, was saying something, though she sounded upset.

I wonder what she is talking about.

"You saw, felt, what happened." I could only guess, Floral, spoke softly.

I feel a hint of guilt in his tone.

"Fucking hell." Moon gave a sigh. "I did think it was a bit weird since Luna and Celestia worried about Sombra for at least five years."

"But, you never asked?" Floral was a bit surprised.

"I didn't think I should press you, okay? It's your tragic story." Moon was definitely upset. "Did you really have to lie about the ass tattoo too?"

Hmm. I'm starting to faint again. How did this happen? What led me to become bedridden?

"I'm ....y I, .id it, ..om you. I didn't .ant ... to ..nd out." Floral said something, but his words were too muffled to hear properly.

"Zecora?" Moon suddenly asked.

Weird. Her voice is so, clear.

How am I-?

"Z!" Her shout interrupted my thinking. "Wake up!"

I'm injured, Moon. I should not get up so soon.

Wait, that didn't come out of my mouth.

"Wake up!"

Okay, I'm trying. Really, Moon. I really thought you were learning much from Floral. Don't be so impatient.

"Wake up!" She started to shake me.

Woah! Stop it! Seriously! Stop! I'm hurt!

"Zecora! Wake up!" I jumped from the sudden rise in volume. "Zecora! Are you okay? Just what, is your problem today?"

"I-wha?" I wasn't able to form a full sentence as I quickly looked around.

The wooden pony! Where is it?!

"Zecora, are you alright? Do you require air to set your mind right?"

Huh? Mister Dhangaa? What is he doing, here?

Here? It's, not the Everfree? This is, is this, Zebrat?

"Dear, do you need to take a break? A fatal mistake, I would not want you to make." Mr. Dhangaa spoke worriedly.

But. No, he. He didn't.

He taught potions, and, and he was. He wasn't. He isn't.

What? Just what is? Just what in Equestria!?

Why!? How is he!?

"Zecora, why don't you go to the garden for some fresh air? In fact, let us be completely fair." He announced and looked at all my classmates. "Have a free period today. Just don't cause any trouble, okay?"

Cheers erupted through the class as the others were more than ready to run out of the classroom.

"Ah! I will have to give homework! And make sure it's your own work! I can tell who made it. And who paid for it." He warned all of us and turned to the blackboard behind him.

I could almost feel the disappointment of the other foals.

Whilst all this was happening, I was slowly losing my mind as I recognized everything about this place. All the worn out furniture, including the blackboard that used to fall off at least twice a day and was eventually just placed on the ground. The leaves that had to act as windows due to all the bugs that kept flying into the room. the creaky floor that used to annoy any foal who wanted to cheat.

I, may be hallucinating.

"Zecora, great job with the acting. Really convinced him to be understanding." One of the foals came up to me.

"Uhh-" Before I could figure out how to reply, I turned to face the foal.

What?

He? She? I couldn't, actually tell. They? They were more like, a base design, of sorts. There wasn't a single thing that could distinguish them from any other zebra.

I took a look around again. Instead of searching for something, I was just taking in the details.

The foals, they're the exact same. It's, of course. I don't remember my classmates from my first grade, I was too focused on my studies to form friendships.

"Think you can help me with the potion? Just the part about erosion." This foal was still speaking to me.

"What was that about? I was a bit, out." I barely understood his question as my mind was just reeling.

"The, "Fury of the flames". To make that one, it takes brains."

Fury of the flames?

Hah?

That one?

For a class that seems to be elementary, why is the homework such high difficulty?

Fury of the flames. A potion notorious for its extremely difficult brewing process, and also its highly dangerous effects. Upon contact with air, a single vial will raise a mountain of fire, swallowing all that comes in contact. For all intents and purposes, it's something that's not allowed so easily. So, why?

"Ah, she's over there. But, she needs a little air." I heard Mr. Dhangaa speak.

Looking at who he was talking to, I froze over completely. Mother and Father.

Oh.

So, that's what it was.

That's the reason I'm under this hallucination.

To bring out anger? Or did you wish for despair.

Well, whatever your plan was, it will not work.

I am, not, one to fall to an illusion so easily.

"If you understand, let me be. Or, your end will not be so easy." I spoke as calmly as I could as I turned around to the foal that spoke to me.

I could barely contain myself as I rose from my seat and looked at them, no, it in the eyes. A puppet, a doll with a good mask, that's all it was.

Is this what my friend has been going through? Bearing such pain and emotion with a stoic face that almost none could see through? With his silent, yet strong facade. Always helping others despite being in so much pain himself.

Just, thinking about it makes my blood boil in anger. To make a friend of mine suffer so much, I will make sure to stop this monster.

"What are you speaking of? Haven't you acted enough?" The foal asked me, as it looked a bit afraid.

I stayed silent as I glared at it. Despite the million thoughts trying to distract me, I could only focus on one.

How do I kill it?

Well, that's no real question. I'll just do it as quickly as possible and wake up first. It's simply a puppet, and it will feel no pain. So, a slow death is nothing but a waste of time.

"To this, I'm not so new. I'm going to kill you." I finally lost control, barely being conscious enough for my actions.

If I don't let off any steam, I'm more than sure I would lose my temper and act without thinking. Well, not like I would call this thinking.

"Eh?"

It barely reacted before I grabbed its head and bashed it into the corner of my desk. Blood spattered as the world instantly became distorted. All color drained out, except for the green that came from its eyes.

Without waiting, I pulled its head back and smashed it into the corner once again.

*Crack*

I heard its skull crack open as the world shook.

I felt the blood splash onto my face, yet I stared without any emotion except anger as I smashed it once again.

"Do you not wish, to see your family?" It finally spoke with its real voice.

Its voice was layered, like several different voices spoke at the same time.

I became even more infuriated at the question. If it can see through my memories, it should know exactly what it did wrong. So, without answering, I bashed it again.

*Plat*

I finally let go as the head was busted open. I could see its brain had turned to mush as parts of it fell out. I almost barfed, feeling disgusted as I felt something starting to rise from my stomach. Maybe my anger helped, but I barely held myself back from vomiting everything.

Looking through the distorted world, I eventually turned to my parents. Looking at them standing there, so peaceful. So calmly as they stared at me with such affection. I was only made more wrathful as this being dared to smudge my image of them. It dares to taint my memories of them with such disgusting behavior. And all for what? A moment's satisfaction perhaps? Whatever it may be, it shall not walk away at the end of all this, I will make sure of it.

"So, angry. Yet, you're the cause of the accident. Or, was it even an accident in the first place?" Its voice echoed through the space.

I didn't listen to its words and carried on. Walking out of the classroom, I was met with a simple work station. Plenty of different materials were laid out, as well as simple equipment to craft a potion. Then, that glass vial. That single vial, that had the tiniest of cracks at the very top. Or at least, that's what I believed. No matter how many times I thought about it, I never made a mistake. I may have been wrong, but it is impossible to prove anything at this point.

"Go on then. You know what to make, don't you? Everything that's laid out should be, exactly, as you remember it."

I wordlessly reached for a stalk of grass. I had only made that potion because I was curious. It was a simple act, just a thought on how well I could do it.

"Just make it one more time. You've seen my powers, and what I could do. So, just one favor, and I'll bring them back."

The process was familiar to me. I had repeated this process hundreds, thousands of times. I gave the excuse, that I was trying to perfect it, but it's a lie. I was only confirming my doubts. I wanted to make sure, I wanted to be absolutely certain that it was because of a faulty equipment, and not, because of my lack of skills. Only then could I sleep at night.

"You're doing good. Soon enough, you'll see them to be just fine."

I stopped for a moment as I felt two presences behind me. Their gazes seemed to be burning a hole in the back of my head as I kept my emotions in check. It was hard, my tears were forming as they dripped down without any control.

Truly, it's truly disgusting behavior.

I've learned a few things whilst making this potion over and over. It was around the time I started to make my own recipes. It was a bit difficult to believe at first. A brew that could bring such devastation, was only a single plants different than a healing potion. The process was so similar, so ridiculously familiar that I had to recheck again and again. To think that a brew that brings destruction is so close to another that protects life. The line was thinner that I ever thought.

"Be happy, you are helping a great cause. To stop great evils from harming others. Soon, you will se-"

"You don't actually read minds, only able to blind. Using such atrocities for your own benefit, for a good being, you're not a good fit." I cut if off calmly as I approached the last step.

Exactly nine point seven six grams of volcanic ash, only added after you've poured the rest of the concoction into the vial. Of course, I didn't reach for it. Rather, I bit my tongue. Opening my mouth as the metallic taste filled my mouth, I let a single drop fall into the beaker that held the rest of the brew.

"What!?" The voice asked as the world began to shake. "You are making a mistake! You're being fo-

It was an illusion, and I felt nothing as I focused.

"As a friend of mine would say. Fuck off." I stated before proceeding to drink the potion.

My mind felt clearer than ever as the world seemed to dissipate. I took the beaker away from my mouth, finding out that it was a wooden bowl. The equipment I used, they were all roughly made, barely able to make the standard. How did I even make the potion with this?

Hmm, I definitely made too much of it. There's at least half of it left.

Well, it's still a healing potion.

Ugh, my body. Really, what happened?

"AAHHHHH!" I suddenly heard a guttural scream.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE! HOLD IT HARDER! BLOOD'S SPILLING OUT OF IT!" Was that, Moon?

Almost stumbling down, I moved my creaking body to check out the situation.

"IF I HOLD IT ANY HARDER, I'LL BREAK HIS RIBS!" That's, I don't quite recognize that voice.

"HOLY SHIT! FOUR OF THE BEST SPELLCASTER MY ASS! WHY DON'T NONE OF YOU KNOW ANY HEALING SPELLS!" Moon was yelling again.

"THE WOUNDS ARE TOO DEEP! OUR SPELLS AREN'T WORKING!" Looks like panic is at an all time high if even the Prince is yelling like that.

"WASN'T HE JUST FINE AN HOUR AGO!? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Gilda, seems to have joined in.

"WILL YOU ALL JUST SHUT YOUR TRAPS AND PUT MORE PRESSURE ON THE WOUNDS!?" Floral silenced the crowd and took control, like he always does.

"Augh."

I groaned and barely stopped myself from falling down. My body, it's too injured still. I'm not sure what happened, but I'm very certain I have internal injuries. Keeping the potion at a position I wouldn't spill by accident, I slowly went around the treehouse. If only I could've gone through the tree itself to get to the other side.

"Hey?" The word came out more like a croak as I barely held myself from falling down by propping myself against the tree.

All eyes turned to me.

"Zecora?" Floral spoke first.

I looked through the gaps and saw Shining Armor on the floor with several dozens of different cloths beings pushed to stop his bleeding.

Knowing my consciousness was about to fade soon, I simply held up the bowl. Well, as much as I could anyway. It was barely raised by about a hoof before I lost strength. Thankfully, Floral is not an idiot like the rest, and caught me quickly.

"Thanks, Z. Now, take a rest." I heard his muffled voice before I finally fell asleep.

Author's Note

Sorry this one took a bit longer. I was watching Arcane, and got a bit too sad. Either I was much more emotional than I thought, or that show really was just that heartbreaking. :raritycry:

Anyways. I hope you like the Zecora chapter. Also, ain't no way in hell I would've ever written the whole thing in rhymes. That would've mentally killed me, and it would've taken me about a whole month to connect it together. :pinkiecrazy:

So, see you next time! :heart:

First Response

Ugh.

My head.

Is it a hangover?

I don't remember drinking anything.

Not like I even had anything alcoholic to begin with.

And I don't remember being sick either.

Oh, it stopped.

Also, was my bed always this uncomfortable?

It's wet too.

Shit, did I wet the bed or something?

I'm way too old for that.

And not old enough.

With that last thought, I try to get up.

"Fuck!" I yell with a dry voice as my entire body creaks from the motions of getting up.

Taking heavy breaths, I calm down as my body feels like it hasn't moved for a full century.

It is, WAY too stiff.

I tried to open my eyes to assess my situation.

That, does not help.

Something was blocking my field of vision.

I hadn't noticed it, but something was wrapped around my head, more specifically around my eyes, like a blindfold.

Ok.

Slowly does it.

I slowly start moving parts of my body, trying to get my blood rushing.

After a few minutes of small movement exercises, I could finally move my body without problems.

With that, I move my hoof and touch around my eyes, feeling for what was blocking my vision.

Lightly pulling from all sides, I see if it's drilled into my head or something.

With the confirmation that it's just tied around my head, I give a tight pull and break it off.

I immediately regret the move as I block the light from my eyes with my right hoof.

Taking a few seconds to get my eyes used to the light, I stand up, albeit a bit shakily.

"What the fuck?" Asking the question I probably should've asked earlier, I look around the unfamiliar surroundings.

Plant life as far as the eye could see.

The intense plant growth and trees only separated by about a step's distance.

Giving a good, long, hard look around my area, I come to a single conclusion.

"I have, no fucking idea where I am"

Unluckily, I didn't have a biology teacher, or a teacher at all in fact, learned mostly from mom and dad.

Sure, I'm a farmer so I know a thing or two about plants, but I'm not an expert in forestry.

I don't even know what kind of forest I'm in.

Great, I'm already talking to myself.

Well, not like I haven't been doing that since Bright Idea left.

Wonder how he's doing actually.

Haven't heard from him in a while.

Damn it, I'm getting off track.

Stepping over the broken vines that had leaves attached to it, I try to explore the area.

Try, being the keyword as I very quickly realize that there is something blocking my path.

I know it's a spell of some kind.

I'm no scholar when it comes to magic, but I'm pretty sure this is a barrier.

It's invisible, but it pulsates light green wherever I touch it.

I tried to go around it, following it until I reached a corner about a ten minute walking distance away.

Fearing slightly at the implication, I follow the other wall and reach another corner about twenty minutes later.

No fucking way.

You gotta be joking with me.

In the end, after sprinting and leaving several marks by knocking down thin trees and jumping over the same river twice, I come to the conclusion that I'm trapped.

"FUCK!" I yell towards the sky, scaring away a few birds as my shout echoes back, annoying me slightly.

I sit down on a tree root that grew out of the ground, holding my hooves in front of my face as I try to calm down.

Ok, calm it.

You're stuck here.

But you're surrounded by flora, so you won't die unless you act stupid.

So, make a plan, then act on it.

First things first, securing food and water.

I look around me, noting the plant life as I look at the ground.

Although reluctantly, I take a bite out of the grass.

Blegh, I'll need to wash off the dirt first.

But the grass itself, seems fine.

I also saw some berries somewhere, I can eat those if needed.

Letting out a tired sigh, I move to the river I previously jumped over.

I dip my hoof and give it a taste.

I, think it's fine.

Alright, tools next then.

Trees, I should be able to make it work.

As an earth pony, my hooves are more than enough to knock down the thinner trees.

Find two rocks on the ground, preferably a solid rock with no visible flaws, then shape that rock with the other one.

Use the sharpened rock to make a handle out of the thin trees.

This one's too short.

This one is way too thin.

Ah, this could work.

After five attempts, I finally break a tree into a long and thick handle.

By softly pressing the sharpened stone into one end of the handle, I slowly and painfully carve a spot where I would put the stone in.

Now I need something to tie it around.

I look around.

Plenty of low hanging vines.

Breaking off one, I use it to tie it around the stone and wooden handle.

There we go, makeshift axe.

I, don't know what I'm going to do with this.

I facehoof, realizing that I just made an axe without needing it.

*Sigh*

"Well, at least it's impossible for me to waste time" I say as I take a gulp of the river water.

I grab another usable stone, shaping with the previous stone to get a knife.

With a simple stone knife and axe, I take down a few trees and pluck their leaves.

Break off all the branches, then take off the bark.

An extremely tedious task I've found out, only made harder by the crappy tools I have.

Taking off another splinter from my hoof, I finally put away the 4th tree as the moon hailed high into the sky, showing off the mare in the moon.

Eating some berries I found in a bush, I calmly look at the moon.

Good thing it's close to Summer, so the night will be bearable for now at least.

Piling the leaves I pulled off, I lay down softly, almost immediately blacking out from tiredness.

*Celestia POV*

The sun hung high in the sky, lighting the land of Equestria.

I, as the ruler, should be in day court, but have chosen to take a walk to clear my head.

I silently tread through my old playground, reliving old memories of my sister.

It's close.

Only a week from now on, and she will be back.

I have beared through the pain and guilt for close to a thousand years.

I slightly wince at the thought, knowing that who comes back will not, only be my sister.

I smile at the sight of a familiar tree.

We used to have such a good time here, completely ignoring the problems around us.

I give a slight chuckle at the irony.

Ostracized by all three races, yet now I'm their ruler.

Silently continuing my outing, I come across a peculiar sight.

A barrier?

I put my hoof on it, testing the strength.

It's, pointless?

I can easily pass through, without any resistance at all.

I look at the barrier itself, seeing its complexities.

Is it just an alarm spell?

There's no force behind it, more specifically, there's nothing that the spell would do.

Just what, is the point of this barrier?

Passing through the barrier, my ears perk up as I hear the sound of something colliding against wood.

A dull axe maybe?

After a few teleports through the rather dense tress, I finally arrive at a clearing.

This place is a lot denser than I remember.

I look around the clearing, noting the amount of fallen trees.

Or rather, what's left of them.

There were quite a large amount of tree barks scattered on the ground.

The technique seems rather crude, but what do I know about woodwork?

Following the sound once more, I find a green pony repeatedly chopping a tree lengthwise with a stone axe.

His coat started a deep green at his hooves, but got lighter as it traveled up.

His mane was a full white with light green stripes barely visible on it.

He had a single flower as a cutie mark, one that had more colors than I could name.

I take on a disguise, not wanting to be treated like a gem right now.

A simple light grey unicorn with a full white mane and a bouquet of flowers in a fancy pot for a cutie mark.

Purposefully stepping on a branch, I alert him as he turns to me with a bored expression.

"How did you?" he asked with furrowed brows as he dropped his axe.

"Hello?" I greet casually.

"Hi, mind telling me how you got past that barrier?" he quickly asked.

"I, walked through?" I answer, a bit confused on why he himself is so confused.

He just intently looks at me as his eyebrows furrow even more, clearly not understanding the situation.

"Are you, able to leave through it then?" he asked me with widening eyes.

Am I?

"I haven't checked"

"Check it now then" he said as he kept pushing me towards where I came from.

Though rather rude of him, I complied as we quickly approached the barrier.

There was a fallen tree right in front of it that I hadn't noticed before.

Huh, pretty sure that wasn't there before.

I reached the barrier and put a hoof on it.

The same as before.

I simply walked through it and turned to look at him.

Huh.

He's gone.

I furrow my brows and walk back in.

There he is.

"What the fuck?" he said as rubbed his nose.

I slightly flinch at his curse.

I haven't heard somepony actually cuss in the last 800 years.

He put his hoof on the barrier, not able to pass through it.

Is he a prisoner here then?

He suddenly punches the barrier, eliciting a burst of magic from the barrier that pushed him back.

"Are you alright!" I run up to him as he rubbed his head.

"I'm fine, it didn't hurt that much" he said and got up before I could help him.

I release a relieved sigh.

"Who are you again?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm Ce-enter Piece" I catch myself.

"Ce-enter Piece?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "What an unfortunate name"

"No, just Center Piece"

"Oh, not that bad then, I'm Natural Remedy" he said and sat down on a random tree trunk.

"It's great to meet you"

"Likewise"

I took a seat on a fallen tree as comfortable silence enveloped the area.

"So, what's a mare like you doing here?"

"Oh, just taking a normal walk, why do you ask?"

"I just thought somepony like you would be having guards or something" he said without looking at me.

He shouldn't know right?

What gave it away?

The barrier?

No, I don't think that was his doing.

As ten different thoughts go through my head, he suddenly looks at me.

"If you wanted to hide your status, you probably shouldn't be wearing a crown" he said with a blank face.

Ah.

I put my hoof on my head, taking the crown off.

I mentally kick myself for forgetting to hide the crown as I put it back on.

"I, guess I should have"

He chuckled, earning a sheepish smile for me.

Then he started to full on laugh as a giant smile took his face.

I gave my own chuckles as he started to loudly laugh, bellowing to the sky as tears rolled down his face.

Soon enough, I just awkwardly stared at him.

The sight sort of resembled my sister, whenever she got me with a good prank.

He started to calm down as he wiped his tears away.

"Ah, sorry, sorry, I've been alone for about 20 years now, with not much to do, even the most simple jokes become hilarious" he finished with a contented sigh.

What?

"You've been here for 20 years?"

"Ah, no, I've been here for 3 days, I lived in a farm with my older brother until he left, he always talked about having this grand business idea, and that he would be back after hitting it big, though from his letters, it seemed like he just gained a stable living, though those letters stopped coming in almost 2 months ago" he said as a reminiscing look grew on his face.

"I see"

That's, a better situation then, isn't it?

Though I can't help but wonder, does his brother truly care about him?

Well, at least his brother stayed in touch.

I should have done the same.

I get rather sad with that thought.

"Hey, you good?" he suddenly asked.

"I'm fine, why?"

"You seem sad, wanna talk about it?"

Should I?

I just look at him as I ponder the question over and over.

"You know, I'm stuck here, so whatever you say won't get out" he urged me on.

"Won't get out huh?"

"Exactly, so won't you share your troubles with this humble stranger?" He said with a smug smile.

I give a few chuckles as I think it over.

Well, it couldn't hurt to hear some advice no?

"My sister, she's finally, visiting, after not being able to for, 10 years" I tell him as I alter the truth.

"Sounds nice"

"It is nice, what's not is what she's bringing with her"

"Oh, why does it bother you?"

"It transformed her"

"So you don't like the new her"

"It's not her, it's that thing that made my sister, not so lovable anymore"

"An addiction?"

"You could say that"

"Then the solution is pretty simple isn't it?"

I look him in the eyes as he stared right back.

"If she's truly addicted to something, you, as her family, should try to save her when the chance comes" he finished with a smile. "The answer is often more simpler than one makes it to be"

I just silently stare at him as his words ring out in my head.

Can it truly be that simple?

"How" my voice involuntarily quivers.

"Guide her, show her what's outside the little world she's put herself in"

"What if she won't follow me?"

"If you truly love each other, she'll follow you"

...

Silence.

I could think of nothing as his words rang out again and again.

If we truly love each other.

"Thank you" I simply say as we just sit inside the forest.

As a comfortable silence had enveloped the area, he finally moved after about ten minutes.

With a stretch, he groans as he turns towards his previous location.

"Well, I still have a house to build, and somepony is probably worried about you no?"

I chuckle as I imagine a scene about Raven having a meltdown over my disappearance.

Ah, she's gonna give me an earful once I've returned.

"Yeah, thank you for the impromptu therapy session" I say with a small smile.

"It's fine, I can tell you needed a pony to talk to, don't be afraid to talk to your sister too, sounds like you two have some things to figure out" he said as he turned to me.

"Yeah, I'll do that"

He simply nodded, approving of my decision.

Heh, it feels a bit weird being on the receiving end of it.

"Well, it's certainly time for me to leave, but I'll visit you as soon as possible with extra supplies and such"

"I'll be grateful, and it's been nice meeting you Ms. Center Piece"

"Likewise Mr. Natural Remedy" I smile and walk back through the barrier.

His advice, I'll listen to it.

And I'll have some of the scholars to look into what sort of barrier that is.

*Natural Remedy POV*

Hmm.

I wonder how a pony of, a seemingly high status, get such a complicated life.

She hasn't told me everything, that's for sure, but how can I blame her, I'm just a stranger after all.

Taking a large gulp of the spring water, I go back to tree chopping.

I should really figure out how to boil the river water before I get sick or something.

Author's Note

OK so, I know I said a bunch of stuff about how I'll take a break.

About how it would probably be taking a month or something, I don't fully remember and didn't bother to check. :coolphoto:

But anyways, I still ended going back to writing.

The reason is pretty simple, I suddenly found myself with immense amounts of free time, and not doing anything that's even a bit productive just didn't sit well with me. :twilightoops:

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for relaxing and spending your free time sleeping or something, but I couldn't do it for 14 hours straight, since I'm having winter vacation right now. :trollestia:

So, after barely two days, I just automatically started going back to thinking about writing.

This idea was formed by literally 3 days of just staring at the screen while Jake Daniels played through my speakers.

So, enjoy the first chapter, this story is going to be, probably, more chill than A blaze rekindled.

Probably.

I just make crap up as I go. :pinkiehappy:

By the way, FYI I am on my phone since I'm babysitting for my Aunt, so new chapters will take a bit of time. :raritycry:

It'll last for about, 3-4 days, so don't worry too much :heart:

Back To Normal

*Natural Remedy POV*

"Finally." I say to myself as I finish carving a set of wooden planks.

Taking large gulps out of a pot of boiled water, I watch with content at the tree that reached the skies.

After the Timberwolves attacked, I decided to build my next house a bit higher.

"Thanks bud." I say before biting into a pineapple given to me.

Though, I'm not sure if it's needed since said Timberwolves are currently acting like house dogs whilst wagging their tails and playing around with each other. At least they kept their hunting abilities.

I grimace slightly at the scent of blood as some of them start tearing into a bear corpse.

A bear that's four times their size.

It seems that these guys have been dominating this forest for a long time. Long enough for them to not care who comes in, since they'll all be their meal.

But they aren't killing me.

Several theories and looking back on the circumstances, the best conclusion I reached was that I am currently their leader. A duel is usually how a leader was depicted back then, so why would it be different now?

Well, the fight was exciting at least.

But now I'm bored. Then, as if on cue, continues thumping on grass and branches rang out, prompting my and the wolves' ears to point to the source.

"Hello." Center said cheerfully as she approached from behind the bushed.

The wolves seemed like they were going to rip her apart.

"Hello Center," I said with a small smile, prompting them to go back to their normal schedule, which was sleeping.

Author's Note

OK, I'll be honest. I can't actually write this right now.

After contemplating the next chapters and thw continuation, I realized that, I don't actually have a story. :applejackunsure:

Yeah, as dumb as that sounds, I started this story with nothing but ideas for character interactions and an OK amount of back story for Natural Remedy. :facehoof:

So, for now, I'm putting the story in hiatus until I form an actual plot and moving on to different things.

I apologize if you wanted more from this story, but I currently just don't have an idea on what to write. :ajsleepy:

One More Visit

"Get back here!" A guard shouted as he struggled to stand after running into a stack of barrels.

A hooded figure kept running while breathing heavily. With impressive athletic skills, they weaved through countless ponies, bumping into a few of them in the process.

"Hey!" A mare yelled angrily as she was shoved away.

The figure purposefully rammed into a market stand to collapse it as they continued to sprint. Visibly searching the vicinity, they made a sharp turn to run into an alley.

"Halt!" Another guard suddenly came out the other end.

With a sigh, the figure leaped and kicked off the walls as they jumped over the guard. Landing with a roll, they instantly started to run away again.

"What the? How did he do that?" The guard was both awed and confused.

"Snap out of it soldier!" Another guard slid out of the alley as he smacked the other as they ran off.

Sprinting at full speed, the figure tried to make a sharp turn as they brought out a claw and slammed it into the ground, scratching the surface. Sufficiently slowed down, they took off, only to be met with a hoof to the face.

"Ugh!" They grunted and held a claw to their face.

"Criminal Gilda! You're under arrest for assault! Please make this easier!" He declared loudly.

She replied by lowering her body, in a fighting stance. A small, but noticeable pressure came from her stare.

Taking the sign of aggression, the guard raised a spear as others started to pour in.

"You are severely outnumbered! Do not resist!" He shouted the command they slowly started to push her.

Trying to run back, she stopped as several more guards, along with two panting guards came out. Looking around, she couldn't find an exit. With an exhausted sigh, she started to dig around her robe.

"Stand down, Miss!" The main guard shouted again.

"Oh, fuck off!" She replied angrily and raised her claw, showing only the middle talon.

In an instant, the guards tried to rush in, only to be met with a cloud of smoke.

"Where is she?!"

"Get her!"

"I got her!"

"It's me you moron!"

Using the chaos, Gilda started to run away again. Punching another guard in the face, she pushed them away and ran off. Right as she got out of the smoke, she rolled to the side as an arrow whished by.

"OW! Who the buck just shot me?!" A voice called out.

"Ah! Sorry!" The one who shot the arrow focused on apologizing.

Only for him to get punched so hard he rotated in the air. Grabbing the bow, she rolled away to dodge another arrow and held it up as a spear came down on her. Grunting slightly under the pressure, she laid further down and rotated, swiping the guard on his hooves. Picking up the unconscious archer, she held him in front of herself.

"Don't shoot! I repeat! Stand down! Don't shoot!" Another of the guards shouted out loud.

With the smoke starting to disappear, one by one, the guards started to emerge. Several dozens of eyes all stared at Gilda as she carefully took steps back. The bow still tightly held in her grip as a tense look appeared on her face.

"Fucking hell. What am I supposed to do here?" She mumbled to herself as dozens of different actions appeared.

Yet, she couldn't find an escape.

"That was the last one he gave to me." She grumbled and looked around.

With the guard starting to close in, she chose the barbaric way and took an arrow from the archer. With the tip close to his neck, every other guards stopped as they stared.

"Alright! We understand! Just don't hurt her!" One of the guards shouted.

Gilda raised an eyebrow as she glanced at the clearly male archer.

Smacking the one who shouted in the back of the head, a more experienced looking guard stepped forward.

"Weapons down!" He yelled as the guards reluctantly lowered their weapons to the ground. "Gilda! I'm First Lieutenant Heavy Hooves ! We are no longer holding weapons! Please let go of him!" He shouted from a distance.

Nervously looking around, she couldn't make up a plan.

"Don't come closer!" She shouted back and took another step back.

With a quick glance, she noticed a wall that was slightly taller than her.

"Alright, yeah, that works." She mumbled and took another step back.

"Gilda! We need to capture you! But, we also need our archer alive! So! Maybe we can come to a middle ground!" The lieutenant yelled and tried to take a step, only to stop once he saw Gilda glaring at him.

For him, she was absolutely ready to kill the archer.

"It's simple, I'm going to leave! And, I'll let this one live!" She yelled a fake threat as a bead of sweat ran down her side.

"Gilda! You're currently a wanted criminal in the eyes of the law! If you come with us, we can talk this out!" He still tried to get something.

"What do you want?!" She yelled and almost reached the wall.

Suddenly hearing flapping behind her, her already heightened senses took over. With a grunt, she rotated and threw the archer at a pegasus guard and took flight. Using the bow, she smacked another pegasus and with a burst of speed, went over the wall.

Nocking the arrow on the bow, she took a random shot. And as luck would have it, it hit the third and last pegasus on the leg as she went below the wall.

With a few seconds for the guards to climb over the wall, some looked down as the rest started to tend to the injured. With a dissatisfied sound, the lieutenant sighed as he jumped back down.

"Too late, she's gone over. Move it guards! Two will carry one injured! Now move!" He started to shout orders.

"Sir!" Another guard ran up whilst panting.

"Sergeant Copper? Report." Hooves stated.

"We got a message from the Crown." He said and took off his helmet. "Gilda was cleared of all crimes." Copper, now revealed to be mare, spoke.

"What?" Hooves was confused.

Gilda, despite not exactly being overwhelming, was the slippery sort. She had the athletics to back her up, along with tools and items that an assassin would usually have. If the history books are to be believed.

"She had over a thousand bits on her! What do you mean she's cleared?!" He couldn't believe it.

"I don't know Lt. I only just got the letter." Copper replied and held up a letter.

"This is unbelievable." He muttered as he read the letter a few more times.

Whilst this conversation was going on, Gilda had her claws dug into the dirt and stone as she caught her breath. With a shake of her head, she threw the hood off and took a deeper breath.

"Seriously, all this for some fucking plant. Wait, when did I even start saying fuck instead of buck?" She grumbled to herself. "I guess, I'll actually visit Ponyville if he asks next time." She said and sighed as she started to plan her flight path.

*Whish*

"Uph." Instantly pulling her body back, she stuck to the cliffside under the wall, successfully hiding in the shadows as a few pegasi flew by. "Phew, close." She said and held up the bow. "Huh, this feels kinda right." She muttered and finally let go, gliding through the air.

In the royal castle, Celestia's private chambers. Two alicorns were having a conversation. The tea was letting out a fragrant scent as the air sent a nice breeze through the opened balcony.

"Cadence, could you repeat that?" Celestia said with a slight nervousness to her tone.

"Yes?" Cadence replied. "Shining said he sent quite a few teams to capture her." She explained as she felt that something was wrong.

*Bang*

"SISTER!" Luna yelled as she slammed the door open. "Why are there wanted posters of Gilda around town?" She asked as she slammed a wanted poster on the table.

"Eleven hundred bits. That's quite worrisome. What's the charge?" Celestia asked.

"Assault, I believe. I think she broke the legs of quite a few residents in Ponyville. Also theft, though, that's under investigation." Cadence replied as she thought back on the report her coltfriend told her about.

"Oh, for fuck sake." Luna groaned loudly as she dragged a hoof over her face.

"Princess!" One Shining Armor ran in through the door. "Princess! -es?" He added on as he saw Luna. "Hi Cady." He gave a short greeting as he stepped closer. "Why is the criminal Gilda cleared of all charges? My guards were about to capture her." He stated.

"Well, Captain, you see, we've already talked this over with the one responsible for Gilda currently. Though, if you want to talk to him yourself, I won't stop you." Celestia said calmly.

"Celly? Is this really wise?" Luna asked.

"I don't see why not. It's not like Remedy would kill over a conversation." She simply stated.

"Kill?" Cadence asked form the side.

"Fine, I'll gather my forces and head over. Where does he live?" Shining was adamant as an attack force plan was already etched out.

"Captain, your forces aren't trained enough to have a fight with him. As reliable as you are, Remedy is on an entirely different level when it comes to combat skills." Luna interfered on the side.

"Wait, I don't get it. Who's Remedy? And is he so strong that he can scare you two?" Cadence asked again.

"Well, when it comes to it, I'm not entirely sure I could take him in a one against one." Celestia murmured as she imagined how the fight could go. "He's certainly strong enough to escape my magic, I'll tell you that."

"What?"

"Unbelievable."

"Believe what you want, he's not one to be defeated as easily as you may assume. Not to mention the help he would get from both Moon and Gilda. He's experienced enough to make the two move exactly where and when they need to be." Luna gave her thoughts and gave a sigh. "If you really intend to go, ask either Twilight, or one of her friends in Ponyville. But I'll warn you. Don't, under any circumstances, go on the offensive against him. You will be dead before you even know it." She warned and left.

"Princess?" Shining turned to Celestia for confirmation.

"Luna is correct." She gave the verdict. "Remedy far outscales your guards in both strength and skill. Although I'm not entirely sure whether he could take the entirety of the royal guard, he will make sure to take at least ninety percent of your forces to the grave before falling. Then, as Luna had said, he has help, on a level enough to rival him." She warned.

Cadence took a nervous glance between the two as an interest started to rise.

"May I visit?" She innocently asked.

"Cady!" Shining was instantly against the idea.

With them going into a potential fight with an incredibly strong opponent, he was worried.

"I don't see why not." Celestia was happy on the other hoof. "As long as you don't create conflict, you'll find him good company."

"Princess!" Shining was shocked a bit.

"You'll see Shining Armor, he's a good stallion. Though, for his backstory, that's something you'll have to hear from himself." She said calmly as she took a sip from the now lukewarm tea. "Hmm, it's still not as good as the one he makes." She mumbled to herself. "Well, off you go. You wouldn't want to travel in the night, would you?"

"But-"

"It's fine dear, you heard what they said. Just don't start a fight." Cadence said with a peck on his cheek before walking out.

Still hesitant, Shining Armor reluctantly accepted the proposition. If what Celestia and Luna said are true, he shouldn't have to worry over much.

With that thought over his mind, he gave a small bow to Celestia before leaving.

"Wait, am I talking to somepony's parent or something?" He muttered the question to himself as he left.

"Eugh." Light groaned after cracking her neck.

Hearing the painful pops, Blueblood turned to her with a worried look. "Are you sure that's healthy? Those sounded painful." He asked slowly.

"Eh, it's fine. I've been cracking my bones since I was a filly." She replied casually.

"That's not the part I'm worried about." He stated.

"I'm more worried about you." She said and leaned closer. "You were sorta freaking out about visiting last night. Are you anticipating a test or something?" She asked with a teasing voice.

"It's, uhh, how do I explain it. He gave me an, assignment of sorts. One talk, and he pointed out almost every single one of my problems." Blueblood was, admittedly, nervous about talking to Floral once again. "Well, what he said allowed me to actually talk with you." He said with a smile.

Light gave a chuckle in response. "I'm sure whatever happens, you'll come out just fine." She reassured him with a kiss.

Watching the two talk, Twilight was getting increasingly annoyed as she sunk further into her seat. Even the softness of the carriage the crown gave them couldn't help her awkward situation.

"Is this really my life now? Watching you two flirt with each other?" She asked with an annoyed expression.

"Ah, sorry Twilight." Light replied bashfully.

"If you're so jealous, why don't you get a date of your own?" Blueblood asked genuinely.

Although he would never admit it, Blueblood truly didn't see a reason. Twilight was, strictly speaking, attractive. Already confirmed to be quite successful in life, quite a positive attitude for most things, does actually have a cute side. There isn't exactly anything that would deem her undesirable to the average pony, let alone those of a higher standing. Though, Blueblood figured that she probably wouldn't find most of them to be a romantical interest whatsoever.

"I just don't get why she'd go for a jerk like you." Twilight was rather blunt with her words. "No offence to you, Light. Full offence to Blueblood." She added calmly.

"Wow, I'm so glad." Blueblood was not amused.

"Come on you two, cheer up. We can't go to Remedy's place with all these angry faces, can we?" Light intervened. "Besides, this is a job visit. We must appear professional." She added with a determined face.

"Heh, you're really cute when you're like that." Blueblood didn't hide his feelings at all as he squished Light's face gently with a big smile.

"Ugh." Twilight groaned for the nth time.

She'd been watching this go on for quite some time by now.

"Bluey!" Light complained with fake annoyance.

Seeing how Twilight was acting, Blueblood decided to hit a sore spot. Leaning in, he went in for a deep kiss as pure silence filled the carriage. After an excruciatingly annoying eight seconds for Twilight as she looked away with a frown, Blueblood finally let Light go.

"I, uh, um, uhh." Light couldn't form a sentence as her face slowly started to turn tomato.

Taking another look at Twilight, Blueblood gave a smirk. "Jealous?"

"Of you? Never." Twilight wasn't willing to admit so easily.

"We'll see." Blueblood gave an ominous sounding reply with a bright smile as he looked out the window.

Twilight just wished to leave the carriage as quickly as possible, or die on the spot. Either one worked for her.

"Whoo." One Derpy let out a deep breath as she tried to hype herself up. "Come on, Derpy. You got this. Just, go in and apologize. It's nothing too hard." She muttered to herself and looked into the forest.

Immediately becoming scared, she instantly started to reconsider her decision.

"Yeah, maybe tomorrow?" She talked to the air.

"Derps?" A rough voice called out.

"Eep!" Startled, Derpy instantly turned to the voice. "Rainbow?"

"Yeah, it's me. What're you doing outside of the Everfree?" She asked as Fluttershy emerged from behind her.

"Hi, Derpy." Fluttershy greeted softly.

"Hey, Fluttershy." She greeted back. "Um, I need to go in and apologize, but." She couldn't quite finish her words as she glance at the forest.

"Oh! You must be talking about Remedy." Rainbow realized. "Well come on then, we know where they live." She declared and practically dragged Derpy in.

"Um, not to be rude but, the entrance is more to the right." Fluttershy spoke up.

"Psht, I knew that." Rainbow was quick to reply as she quickly changed directions.

Author's Note

Aight, I know this one is a bit shorter than usual, but I have a reason if you read further. :yay:

Come on, you can see it right?

Uploading that image took me way longer than it should have. About an hour of struggle. :pinkiecrazy: Anyways, that's supposed to our protagonist, if you couldn't tell. Which I don't blame you for. :trollestia: It was about halfway in that I realized, maybe I should've went for a bigger body. But, what's done is done. You could just take it as him in his teenage years. Lmao. :duck:

Anyways, thanks for reading! :heart:

What Is To Come

"And, as you requested, Young Lady. Five barrels of the finest whiskey money and power could buy." Fleur said chipperly as she stood in front of the excited Nocturnal. "Did you really require five barrels though?"

"Fuck yeah!" Moon was certainly happy. "Wait, 'Young Lady'? I'm not royalty anymore." She replied.

"Oh, I was under the impression you were related to Lord Floral in some way." She said confusedly.

"Huh? Nah, no, we're not related. Where'd you get that idea?" Moon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uhh." Fleur couldn't reply as she realized that she may have made a mistake. "It must've been my imagination." She said with a bright smile.

"Yeah." Moon was a bit suspicious. "What's your name?" She suddenly asked.

"Fleur De Lis, Ma'am. I've said it before." She nervously said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. You, you're now under my protection understood? Any bullshit that comes your way, you can ask me for help, alright?"

"Alright, Ma'am. Thank you." Fleur was relieved.

"No probs, you're in my list of favorite ponies now." Moon explained as seriously as she could.

"Um, I'm glad?" Fleur was a bit confused, but accepted nonetheless.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by the sound of a bush rustling.

"Ugh, I feel like I just flew fifty laps." Gilda complained as she walked through.

"Yo, Gilda!" Moon greeted happily. "What took ya so long? Ponyville should be like a twenty minute walk at best." She asked and closed the gap.

"Don't mention it. Just what in Grover's name is this freaking thing, and why did I have to fight through twenty guards to get five of them?" She asked annoyedly as she brought out a bag from from inside her cloak.

"What? Why would you fight guards?" Moon asked and looked inside the bag. "Well, you got the truffles at least." She mumbled.

"So, who's this?" Gilda asked and turned to Fleur.

"Hello." Fleur just waved in response.

"She's Fleur De Lis. She's our whiskey supplier from now on." Moon introduced her as such.

"Oh, you actually remembered her name." Gilda said with slight shock.

"Wha?" Fleur was in surprise as her new position now was a whiskey supplier.

"At least your nickname isn't 'the gay one'." Gilda said with a small chuckle before walking past them. "Where's Floral?"

"He's talking to his descendant." Moon said it too casually.

Stopping in her tracks, Gilda looked back at Moon. "What?"

"Oh, right, you don't know yet. Floral is from a thousand years ago by the way." Moon simply told her before turning back to Fleur.

Taking in several seconds as she processed the information, Gilda gave a single sigh before starting to walk again. "Of course he is, why wouldn't he be?" She mumbled to herself.

With a slightly tired mind, Gilda trudged through the camp and got to the blazing fire.

"So, why don't you have guards with you this time?" Floral asked as he sipped on a cup of tea.

"Oh, that's exactly why I came here for actually." Fancy Pants said with a nervous laughter. "I was hoping to ask you not to hurt them."

"What? What do you mean?" Floral asked back.

"Yo, Floral, I got the tru-whazits." Gilda called out and took her robe off. "Oh, and I also stole a bow from the guards." She casually explained before collapsing on a sleeping bag. "G'night." She muttered and dozed off.

Fancy Pants stared with his most 'what the fuck' face as Floral gave a blank stare before nodding. "Good night." Floral replied in spite of the fact that the sun was still high in the sky.

"You were saying?" Floral asked Fancy.

"Oh, yes, um, it seems quite a big force from the Royal Guards are coming. At the very least, five hundred strong. Supposedly, they're coming to get an explanation as to why your friend Gilda here, committed acts of assault on the residents of Ponyville." Fancy explained as he drank some of Floral's tea. "Although we intended to travel normally, we decided to use the mages of the family to teleport us here so we could inform you beforehoof. The distance is quite formidable as you could imagine."

"Hmm, if it's that big, I could guess that a Lieutenant Colonel is coming, yes? Maybe even a Colone.l" Floral asked.

"Umm, actually." Fancy became hesitant.

If Floral is from a thousand years ago, then the military itself would've also been different.

"Oh, right. A time of peace, was it? How weak has the military of Equestria become?" Floral made the guess.

Fancy gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, you see. Because there wasn't a single war for a thousand years, soldiers eventually became pointless, and were more or less replaced by the Royal Guards. Since, they were the elite of the elites when it came to combat." He explained calmly.

"Don't beat around the bush." Floral simply told him.

Fancy gave a sigh. "Yes, sorry sir. The current strongest position in the military force of Equestria, is a captain." He had hoped that Floral didn't hear the last part.

Completely shocked by the fact, Floral simply stared forward. "What?"

"A captain, sir. The highest commanding officer in Equestria, is a captain. Excluding the princesses of course." Fancy quickly explained.

"A captain? What am I expecting here? A battalion or a company?" He asked as a few different thoughts went by.

Though, his thoughts were altered by the difference in time gap. A captain usually wouldn't have the experience or skill a Colonel would have. Scratch that, not a single one of them would have experience, because there hasn't been a war. And as far as skills go, Floral couldn't quite convince himself that the guards have any of it.

"A what?" Fancy asked.

"A bat- you know what? Never mind." Floral stopped himself. "Well, when are they supposed to get here?" He asked.

"Well, judging by how much time has passed and what their method of traveling would be. I'd say, about any moment now?" He said the last part slightly sheepishly as a single shout came out.

"IF YOU DON'T SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH, I'MMA GIVE YOU A NEW HOLE TO SHIT OUT OF!" Moon gave a threat.

With a tired sigh, Floral drank the last of his tea as he stood up with a groan.

"You're coming with us! Whether you like it or not!" One Shining Armor yelled at the top of his lungs as spears were pointed out from behind him.

"Dear? I really don't think you should be doing this." Cadence spoke up as a bad feeling started to creep up.

"The fuck you going to do about it?!" Moon yelled back as shadows started to rise from behind her.

"Uh, Ms. Moon, maybe we can talk this out?" Fleur tried to calm her down.

"Nah, fuck that. These assholes come to me, threaten my friend, then fucking command me to surrender!" Moon was beyond just pissed.

"If you don't stand down, we will-!"

"You'll what?" Floral asked a simple question as a heavy pressure fell upon the area.

With his green eyes dominating the camp, he slowly stepped forward as most began to have trouble breathing. Gilda was awoken instantly. Fancy froze in his place. Fleur almost fainted from being too close. Cadence had a nervous face as she stared forward. Shining Armor, he placed a bubble as he stared straight back at Floral.

With the heavy bloodlust, a metallic scent started to permeate through the area, giving the illusion of blood being spilled. Some guards fainted as they imagined themselves dying in an instant.

"Hmm, stronger than before." Floral commented as he stood right in front of Shining. "Speak." He gave a single word as the pressure seemed to become heavier.

"Grhk." Shining was struggling to even stand as his barrier slowly dissolved.

"Did I not ask you? Speak." His tone cold as ice as the bloodlust seemed to disappear from the area.

Yet, Shining was still struggling.

"Remedy! Please, stop this." Cadence finally snapped out of it and stood in front of Shining.

Glaring at her, Floral stood for a few seconds before closing his eyes. Almost fainting from the pressure, Shining caught his breath and stood there without focus.

"Thank you." Cadence said before gulping saliva. "We came here to speak with you, mostly about the actions of one 'Gilda', a griffin who has committed acts of violence against civilians and the Royal Guards." She explained the situation.

Floral took a few moments to think. As enraged as he is, the facts are there. Gilda partook in several different fights according to her. Gilda was involved in a crime, and no matter how much anger he had could change that.

"The fuck you talking about?! Those assholes are the ones who attacked first!" Moon yelled from behind her, a slightly fearful look.

Fearful? Floral glanced at Moon, and a change was in his mind was made in an instant. Gilda, was a good friend of them.

"I'll warn you. Anypony, any creature that stays here, is under my protection." Floral immediately cemented his position. "I don't care who comes, if they're a threat, then they will have to face me, understood?" He warned Cadence.

"Yes, sir. I'll be sure to properly warn them." Cadence said as she took a step back.

Lifting his hoof slightly, Floral slammed it into the ground as a shockwave spread through the camp, waking up most of the guards who fainted.

"Leave." He gave that simple command as he kept a still glare.

"Yes, yes, we understand." Cadence replied and picked up Shining.

"Ugh, wait. We can't just-." Shining tried to retaliate.

"Shining, don't. We can't beat him like this." She stopped him.

With a defeated glare, he slowly directed his eyes to Floral, who raised a brow ever so slightly.

"I'll commend you on your mental resilience, but my word still stands." He told Shining and turned back to his campfire.

Though, right as everypony started to think that the situation was over, a single voice cut through everything.

"Just what is going on here!?"

All head turned to the newcomer.

"Twily?" Shining still found the strength to question.

"Purple?" Moon spoke up.

"That dork unicorn?" Gilda murmured.

"Uhh, did we come at a wrong time?" Light asked nervously.

Blueblood had a confused expression as he scanned the area. "Captain Shining Armor, what is the purpose of your visi-"

*BOOM*

Immediately taking action, Floral moved behind Moon and Gilda. Raising a hoof, he stopped a tree in its tracks as a roar filled the sky.

"What in the?!"

"Dear Celestia."

"Holy shit."

"What is that?"

"Well, I suppose it's a good thing a lot of you gathered here." Floral said loudly as he grabbed his axe.

"That's gotta be outside the barrier." Moon guessed.

"It's an enemy, so we kill it." Floral replied and took a small stretch. "Let's go." He announced and took off.

"This is bullshit." Moon cussed and ran after him.

"Fucking hell, can I even help?" Gilda asked herself as she stared at the bow. With only a few seconds to decide, she grabbed a quiver of arrows from one of the guards and took off, grabbing the bow on the process. "Guess today's the day I die."

"We need to head over there!" Twilight woke up from her stupor and yelled out.

"Go there!? Are you crazy!?" Blueblood was absolutely against the idea.

"It's a deathwish!" Light agreed.

"If we don't deal with it now, it could potentially go off and hurt so many other innocents!" Twilight argued back.

"Ugh, now you think of others." Blueblood grumbled to himself. "How do you suppose we help? I don't know why or how Nightmare Moon is helping Remedy, but as sure as I am that Aunty's Sun rises from the east, I'm sure that we can't help with that!"

"That's just what you think! Because you didn't focus on improving your magic enough!" She replied.

"Oh, I guess I was supposed to become a lifeless loner in case of something unbelievable like that happening?" He was blunt.

"What did you-?!"

"Twilight? Do you know what that thing is?" Cadence asked as she ran over.

"Cady, tell Blueblood that we need to head over to that thing now." Twilight was adamant.

"GET OVER THERE! WE MUST PROTECT EQUESTRIA!" A guard screamed out loud.

"HOORAAHHH!!!" The hundreds of soldiers screamed out loud as they charged forward

"Shining! Wake up!" Cadence started to shake Shining, who had fainted.

"What the buck are they doing?!" Blueblood shouted in shock and anger.

"Seriously, can we even put up a fight with something like that?" Light questioned as she looked over.

"By the stars." Luna said softly as she stood on her balcony.

Having been awoken by a roar, she quickly looked on over.

"Sister!" She yelled towards another balcony.

Celestia wiped some spilled tea from her neck as she threw the napkin away. Giving Luna a determined look, she looked over the city.

"CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! EVACUATE THE CITY IMMEDIATELY! HEAD TOWARDS THE EMERGENCY BUNKERS IN THE MOUNTAIN! STAY THERE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!!" She gave the command before nodding to Luna, who nodded back.

With that, they flew off. A few hundred guards all followed behind as only about fifty or so stayed behind to instruct the civilians. As they flew, Celestia sent a letter to Spike.

"What?!" He stopped in his tracks as he looked over the letter. "Gosh darn it!" He yelled out loud as he took off where he came from.

He had to complete the task as quickly as possible, then head towards the bunkers.

"How the fuck are we even supposed to fight this thing?!" Moon asked as she kept running.

"I'm not sure I'd actually be able to help in this!" Gilda said as she flew over them.

"It doesn't matter! We have to try! If this thing gets out, then Equestria, no, the entirety of Equus is done for!" Floral replied as he jumped over a fallen tree.

"You gotta be shitting me." Moon cussed and followed suit. "Aren't we already outside the barrier?!" She asked out.

"We are!" Floral simply replied.

"But we didn't pass it!" She said.

"It means it's extended! It's probably just bigger now!"

"Alright! What's our plan?!"

"Attack." Floral said and jumped up.

Kicking off of trees, he dodged icicles before reaching a deer. Splitting it in an instant, he sidestepped as a needle went by before stomping on the deer to destroy the core.

Phasing through the needle, Moon charged forward as a shadow. With only a second to react, a hedgehog found itself in four parts before its core was destroyed.

Right as a tiger tried to pounce on Moon, Gilda came down from the sky and slammed into it. Slicing it open with her claws, she jumped back as Floral replaced her and punched with a dark hoof. Three blades shot out from the tiger as it fell down.

"Can you use the bow?" Floral asked and retracted the blades.

In response, Gilda drew an arrow and shot it as a bull ran over. Piercing through the eye perfectly, she gave a chuckle and pulled it out after it came sliding over.

"I'm not too shabby." She said confidently

"Griffin of many talents." Moon said with a small smack on her back.

"Good, let's move." Floral commanded.

With Gilda on the air, they made fast progress, leaving behind a slaughtered mess.

"So, that's definitely a dog right?!" Gilda asked from the air.

"Maybe, I don't fucking know!" Moon replied.

"It is." Floral calmly replied before throwing his axe forward. "But that doesn't matter."

Coughing from shortness of breath, a guard ran at full speed.

"Keep moving, Iron!" He wanted to shout obscenities at the other, but kept it in.

"We do this for Equestria!" Another guard shouted to the sky.

Though, as much as he was pushing himself, he was actively looking for a way out. Surrounded by others who were fully committed to die, he was regretting his decision to wait as long as possible before taking his mandatory training.

"That darned rule." He complained only to himself. "If only, I had gotten it earlier." He hoped for a saving grace.

"Monsters at the front!" One of the ones who took charge yelled out.

"Charge!"

With a heavy heart, he brought out his sword as he looked back on Luna's training regime. Having spent hundreds, possibly thousands of hours training in the last month alone, he held a more refined stance. Still, he was absolutely terrified of fighting. He remembered just how scary a real fight was. How he felt so close to death just by staring at his enemy. How his enemy wasn't even focused on him, but his captain.

"AAAHAHHH!" He steeled himself and swung his sword at a giant mantis.

Right as he missed, the mantis started to attack. Fearing for death, his body moved on its own and barely blocked the strike. Collecting himself, he stood high and stared at his opponent.

"Huh?" He was confused.

There was pressure coming from his opponent, but, it couldn't possibly be compared. If anything, this was like putting a pack of ice on your head after walking the frozen north for months.

With slightly more confidence, he took the mantis on.

*Bam*

Raising a cloud of dust, two alicorns stood up. Their armors clanking for each movement, whilst reflecting the light of the sun.

"Ugh, did we guess right this time?" Luna asked and looked around.

"I'd say yeah." Celestia replied as a cloud of smoke faded from her horn.

"Good, it's been quite a bit since I've held this." Luna said with a smirk as she raised a sword.

"So have I." Celestia replied and raised a glaive.

"PRINCESSES!" A random guard shouted.

"We're saved!" One of the shouted.

"GUARDS! CHARGE THE ENEMY!" Celestia commanded and instantly let out a beam of light.

Luna immediately followed it up as several dozens of ethereal swords appeared alongside her.

"HOOORAAAHH!" With a war fry from the guards, the battle shifted.

"I can't believe you taught them a millennia old principle." Celestia said as countless balls of magic floated out, only to shoot themselves at the monsters.

"There's a reason why it worked." Luna replied and flew up to gather thunder.

"I think they went in!" Light yelled as she skidded to a stop.

"This is troublesome." Blueblood commented as he stared at a wall.

Slightly panting from exertion, the two took a second to gather their breaths as they decided on a plan. The wall was completely opened with leftovers of shadows coating the edges. Any vines or organic material that tried to close the gap was instantly skewered.

"I," *inhale* "am here," *exhale*. Twilight came running over.

"Good. Since we don't understand enough, we'll go together as a team and follow the path of destruction." Blueblood gave the plan.

"Yeah, that works. I think." Light was positive. "Can you move right now, Twilight?"

"I, heugh, yeah, just, give me a sec."

Blueblood carefully stuck a hoof in the gap as the shadows slowly came forward. Sensing their slow movements, Blueblood took a gamble as he waited for it to coat his hoof.

"Bluey! What're you doing!?" Light asked worriedly.

"Possibly letting Nightmare Moon know we're here." He replied with a nervous expression.

"She's not, uh, Nightmare Moon. She's Moonshine, different pony." Twilight added on as she observed what would happen.

After a few seconds, a single eye started to grow in the shadow. Slowly looking over them, the three were grossed out by the action.

"Oh, you three." The eye suddenly spoke.

"Moon?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, it's me. Look, we can't come back for you guys. It's too busy here. This thing has five cores in total. We went for the one in its heart. Tell whoever that can fly to go to the one in its brain. The three others are likely in the gut area, maybe the legs. You'll have to figure it out. There's monsters inside here also. No cores, but be on alert. You never what could happen. Good luck!" With that, the eye disappeared as the shadows retreated to open a path.

"Well, let's go." Blueblood said after wiping his hoof on Twilight.

"Eugh! Gross!" Twilight immediately pushed him away and entered first.

*Bam*

*Crack*

"Bear's down." Floral spoke up after crushing the neck of a stone bear.

Ripping a monkey in half, Moon flicked the blood on her dagger away.

"Yo, Floral! Purple bitch and two others are here!" Moon told him.

"Alright!" Floral acknowledged it and continued.

Getting into position for charging, he sprinted as soon as he heard a whooshing sound. Right as he reached a gorilla, an arrow appeared from behind him as it hit the gorilla in the head.

With the perfect chance, Floral leaped up on its head as his hooves turned black. With one twist, the gorilla was beheaded as Floral cleaved it in three piece as he fell down. Getting up with a roll he grabbed his axe, which had been stuck inside of a pink fox.

"Good shooting Gilda." He gave a compliment as he cleaned the blood on his axe before moving.

"Yeah." Gilda replied and followed suit, grabbing her arrow in the process. "These are slowly breaking though. I'm not sure it'll last until the end of this!" She informed.

"Got it!" Floral replied.

"Hey, you got this! Don't worry." Moon reassured her as she went ahead.

With Floral at the lead, Moon right behind him and Gilda adding support, the three were almost a dream team as they pushed through the hordes of monsters.

"Dead end." Floral said out loud as the stared forward.

"Bullshit! This entire thing is a body and we're moving through the veins. Why the fuck would it end?" Moon asked as she took a look.

"Wait, that's what it was?" Gilda asked out confused as she counted he arrows.

"Yes, those monsters are basically the antibodies." Floral replied.

"Yo, Floral, punch this wall." Moon gave the command.

"How deep?" He asked, knowing it had stuff behind it.

"About, ten trees?" She said as shadows crawled out of the wall and came back to her.

"Got it." He said and got in position.

Gathering magic, his hoof became darkened as tendrils visibly lashed out. With it almost bursting, he punched forward. As the hoof broke the wall, the tendrils pushed forward as it was fully opened. Then, without pause, the tendrils pushed forward as a wooden pony was caught.

Instantly pulling, Floral shot at neck-breaking speeds at the pony. Instantly crushing it, he pushed out more magic as blades shot out from underneath him.

Landing behind him, Moon pushed a wolf away as she readied herself. An eagle fell from top with arrows in both of its eyes and an open throat.

"Should at least fucking tell us, no?" Moon joked as she entirely surrounded by darkness.

"That's the thing right?!" Gilda asked and stared forward from her height.

"It's bigger, but yes!" Floral replied and slammed his axe on the ground.

Five blades shot out from the impact, slicing open most of the monsters in front.

"Don't fuck up!" He yelled out and swung his axe.

"Hmm." Celestia pondered as she read the words written on the ground. "Alright." She decided. "Captain, take the guards and head for the organs. Me, Luna and Cadence will go for the brain." She commanded and took flight, Luna and Cadence quickly following after.

"YOU HEARD HER! MOVE! MOVE! FORMATION C31!" Shining commanded with a forceful voice as the soldiers rushed in with him at the lead.

"I am so going to marry him when we're done with this!" Cadence complained loudly.

"Hah! I'll be sure to get you the best treat all the way from Yakyakistan then!" Luna joked and readied her sword.

"Sure! I'll give my blessing." Celestia was happy about the idea as she charged a spell.

"Alright." Cadence was happy. "But, I'm not sure how much I could help." She said but still readied her magic.

"Hey, you know the basics. That means you're already stronger than the guards." Celestia assured her as she prepared to charge in.

"Yeah, yeah, thanks." She said bashfully, but lost it as she stared. "How big do you think this thing is?"

"Well, because of the irregularity of the Everfree, we can't know. But, we do know it's big enough that we need to deal with it as soon as possible." She explained. "Though, I'd say it's about six times the size of the castle." She added on.

"I, wow. I feel like I should know a swear just for this occasion." She said, getting a snicker from Celestia.

"Fuck is always a good start!" Luna said with a joking tone as she stretched her body. "Alright! Let's head in!" She shouted as her body was coated by a layer of blue electricity.

"Got it!" The two replied and shot a blast of magic, making an opening in its head.

Quickly following Luna, the two instantly shout out more spells as Luna cleaved several different monsters in halves.

"RAHHH!!!!" Luna shouted loudly as she moved faster. "COME ON!!!"

"Ugh, that died eight hundred years ago!" Celestia told her and swung her glaive.

"I kinda like it!" Cadence said with a chuckle as she teleported back before shooting a spell.

"Here!" Luna shouted and threw a sword at Cadence.

"Got it! Thanks Aunty!" She shouted and ran in.

"I'm fighting with children." Celestia groaned as she impaled an ape.

"Wow." Light was amazed by the sight.

"Yeah, this is crazy." Twilight replied as they moved as a unit.

"Good thing the invisibility spell works. Uses too much magic though." Light commented.

"How'd you do this spell anyway? I couldn't figure it out." She said.

"You don't use a single rune from every other camouflage spell. Only use light and space runes."

"I see, what's the rune count?"

"Four-thousand three-hundred thirty two."

Blueblood simply followed along as he heard the number that only alicorns use in their spells. Most the average mage from the Royal Guard was one thousand and eighty.

"So, that's the thing we need to destroy." He commented as he stared upwards.

A single glowing rock the size of a pony. Connected by hundreds of tiny strands.

"I guess so, how do we do this?" Light replied.

"Well, let's actually get up there first. Maybe we can set off an explosion spell from the inside. It's probably safer." Twilight theorized as the other two agreed. "Alright, get closer." She told the two and put her hooves on their shoulders.

*Flash*

Appearing with a flash of light, the three stumbled slightly as they stood on the uneven core.

"Alright, let's get to it." Blueblood spoke up as he started to gather magic.

*Rumble*

Taking the three out of their concentration, the whole area started to shake. Blueblood took a hold of Light as the three felt themselves moving.

"Which way are we moving?!" Twilight yelled the question.

"South! We're moving to the heart!" Blueblood yelled back.

"Ugh, I'm getting dizzy." Light commented as she held back from letting out her insides.

"I'm losing the spell!" Light yelled as the magic emitting from her horn disappeared.

Suddenly becoming visible again, Twilight and Blueblood glanced at each other for a single second.

*Bam, Bam, Bam*

In an instant, a multicolored barrier was set up around them. Quite a few different projectiles all slammed into it, almost cracking it in the process.

"Ugh, not sure I can last much longer." Twilight groaned in pain.

"You're supposed to be better than me at magic, right?" Blueblood asked as he pushed himself.

"Not like you're doing much better!" She replied and continued to hold on in pain.

"Sure! Whatever you say!" He yelled back as he started to breathe heavily.

"Agh! Fuck me!" Moon yelled angrily as the movement finally stopped.

"Where are we?!" Cadence asked out loud.

"Cady! Is that you!? Is Twi with you?!" Shining asked all the way from the bottom.

"I'm over here Shining!" Twilight shouted to the ground.

"I'm out of arrows!" Gilda shouted and swiped her claws.

"What's happening?!"

"FOCUS!" Floral shouted, reaching everypony.

With that reminder, they all started to move. Including the hundreds of soldiers.

"Push through!!"

"We've made it!!"

"Keep fighting!!"

"HOORAHH!!"

Breaking through the wall with repeated blasts, the small army easily created a hole. Pouring in, they instantly went into combat. Hundreds of monsters greeted them, some flying, some throwing magic, others using pure physical strength.

No matter what came, none could compare to what manifested.

"Oy! Floral! That bastard is back!" Moon called out as she threw a phoenix off of her.

"Just give me some ti-!" Floral was interrupted.

"Floral!" Both Moon and Gilda shouted as the stallion flew through the air.

Waking up, Moon leaped in front of Gilda. With a significant amount of magic, she swiped to the side, lashing out a giant claw that shred through several huge vines.

"Hey, kid." Moon called out and held her hoof out. "Take these, they deal damage in an area." She explained as exactly ten pure dark arrows manifested.

"Aight." Gilda grabbed them as she stood guard.

With only ten shots, she'll now have to choose carefully.

Flying through the air, Floral was calm as he observed his surroundings. In a split second, he had already been removed from the vicinity of the core.

"Cores." He corrected himself as he stuck his axe into a bugbear. "So, the thing's moved all of it here." He mumbled and dug into the bugbear with his shadow.

Killing it in an instant, he jumped down as his hooves started to glow green. With correct timing, he slammed into a diamond bull, shattering it into pieces. Taking a deep breath, he slowly let it out as he interacted with his magic.

His light, the green part. The part that wanted to work together, but was painfully different than the others.

"I need to collect more." He deemed it useless for now as he took off.

"Woah!"

"What happened?"

"Hey!"

"What just happened to my monster?"

Guards were becoming confused as their opponents died before their eyes. Severed and mutilated, the guards were taken aback by the sudden slaughter.

"Remedy!" Celestia yelled as she landed next to him, blasting a few beasts on the way. "This thing is moving!"

"Yeah, I felt that!" He replied.

"Northwest! It's trying to exit the Everfree!" Luna landed and informed the two.

"Shit." Floral cussed as plans went through his mind. "We don't have a choice, we have to destroy those cores before it leaves the forest!"`

"Sounds easy enough!" Luna said she started to gather magic.

"Yes, we'll take two of them out." Celestia added as she readied her own magic.

"Alright, let's do this then." Floral said and killed any monsters that got too close.

In one shot, the two blasted the cores as two of them exploded.

"Bullseye!" Luna laughed.

"Not yet." Floral said grimly as the cores slowly rebuilt themselves.

"Wall, that's troublesome. We'll have to destroy them at the same time." Celestia mumbled as she readied her glaive.

"Alright, I'll leave one for your guards, that should work right?" Floral suggested as he swung his axe.

"Absolutely." Celestia replied and flew off.

"See you around, Remedy, or Floral. Whichever you prefer." Luna said before flying off after Celestia.

"My name is slowly getting more popular." Floral mumbled as he ran off.

"OY! Where the buck is Iron Shield!?" A random lieutenant shouted over the battlefield.

Ahhhhhhh.

Please don't notice me!

Please!

Finally calming down after hearing the thudding disappearing, I got out of my place of hiding as I ran the other way.

Somehow getting separated from the rest by accident, I made my through this thing whilst hiding. My sword was long broken, the armor on my body being the only thing I have in my possession. I'm supposed to have a shield as well, but I didn't pass the training for it.

Although I was slightly more confident after somehow defeating that mantis monster, I'm still terrified of battle. Especially when I'm alone, and without a weapon.

"Eep!" I shrieked in slight fear as I now faced a giant beast.

Although not as big as the one I'm currently in, it was still enough to tower over me. Slowly walking around it, I tiphoofed as I tried to not breathe as much as possible.

*Thud*

"Uph!" I instantly silenced myself.

Noticing that the beast hadn't awoken yet, I looked down at what made the sound. A, chain? It was made of wood, and was insanely chunky.

Glancing between the beast and the chain, a certain train of thought was bound to happen.

"Hey, you awake?" I carefully asked the beast.

Dear Celestia, what am I doing?

"I don't know." Somehow, I heard Princess Celestia replying. This place must be playing illusions on me.

Stepping closer, I carefully placed a hoof on it. Its fur was, weirdly soft. Looking closer, I squinted through the darkness and realized it was wood. Wood, wood that was starting to glow!

Turning as fast as I could, I stared at its face. Its razor sharp fangs. Wooden jaws that just promised a painful death. And its eyes. Dear, Celestia. It was almost entrancing. Instead of the usual green glow Timberwolves gave, this one was orange.

It's so, so-

*Shlliirp*

I was frozen in place as I stared at the tongue made of fire hanging from its mouth.

"Did you just?" I couldn't help but ask.

Shushing me, it pointed its paw at its chain.

"Oh, right. Yeah, sure." I replied and tried to break it.

But it was no use. I was a pegasus, so I didn't have the necessary strength or versatility to break it. Trying several times, I was left exhausted.

"Sorry, big dude. I can't break it." I spoke with a defeated tone.

It looked straight at me.

"Hey, don't judge me! I'm only a pegasus, my gifts can't help here."

With an eyeroll and a groan, it lifted its paw and tapped my helmet.

"I am using my head! I just can't think of anything that'd help!" I replied angrily.

Flinching as I heard my voice echo through the area, I quickly looked back at the wolf.

With a paw on its face, it was somehow annoyed as it made a motion. With both of its paws on the sides of its head, it lifted it up.

"Ohhhh." I finally understood.

Taking my helmet off, I used the neck guard to slam down on the chain, taking away a tiny piece.

"Hey, it's working!" I celebrated slightly and slammed it down again.

Going as fast as I could, I slowly broke it, piece by piece. Though, I didn't need to do it much longer as I finally went through.

"Alright, one more time and the chain should break." I reassured the wolf and tried to slam down again.

Only to stop as green electricity shot out at random directions from the broken part. Oh right, that was magic. So, this chain was magical.

Glancing at the wolf again, I stared in amazement. With parts of its body glowing brightly, it slowly stood up with a stretch. There was molten, something, falling from its mouth. With one tug, it instantly broke the chain and jumped behind me.

"What the?!" I got confused and got slightly off the ground as I saw what was up.

Hundreds of monsters were coming again.

"Oh dear, we gotta run!" I yelled at the wolf and tried to drag it.

But it wouldn't budge. And before I knew it, it picked me up and placed me on its back.

"Hey, what're you doing?! You can't fight that many!" I tried to reason with it.

In response, it roared forward as a wave of fire was spewed forward.

"Wow." I could only give a single comment at that.

Then it suddenly started to sprint forward.

"Hey, the battle's isn't over there!" I yelled as it ignored me. "HEY!!!"

"We can't get a hit in." Luna complained as she was pushed back.

"The guards are a bit too busy with the monsters to help us." Celestia commented worriedly as she threw another spell.

"Ugh, that fucking barrier is such a cheat!" Moon said angrily as she shook her sore hooves.

"We're here!" Twilight yelled happily as she skidded to a stop.

"Twilight!" Celestia was happy to see her alright.

"Yeah, we're also here." Blueblood added as he looked like he rolled through dirt, then got blasted with tree sap and blood, only to roll in more dirt.

"Blueblood! You look, rough. What happened?" Celestia asked with worry in her voice as she cast a small healing spell.

"I had to tank for these two." He said as Light bumped into him after teleporting.

"Uph, ugh. This is ridiculous. There's no end to these guys." Light complained as she gathered more magic.

"If you have so much time, go do something!" Gilda suddenly yelled from the sky, making the group disperse.

"I got a hold of this bastard!" Floral shouted as he threw another punch.

With spikes shooting out from where he punched, a barrier was no longer useful as the wooden pony inside jumped back. Then it was instantly met with an arrow to its face.

"Bullseye!" Gilda celebrated.

Taking the chance, Floral immediately caught the pony. With shadows coating his hooves, he sunk his hooves inside its chest. Driving in magic, he remembered exactly what Moon taught him.

Several spikes instantly shot out, completely immobilizing it.

"It's our chance!" Moon's voice resounded through the crowd.

With sudden stairs made of shadows rising from the ground near the cores, nine ponies rose.

"We got this one!" Blueblood yelled as he helped Light climb on, Twilight teleporting next to them.

"This one's ours!" Shining yelled as he stood next to a tired Cadence.

"I have mine!" Celestia declared.

"I got mine as well!" Luna added on.

"Yeah, I got it here!" Moon yelled out as she emerged as a shadow before materializing. "Where the fuck is Floral?"

On the ground, Gilda pulled out her last arrow as she saw something headed after Floral, only to get knocked down as a tiger pounced on her. Holding it back with her back legs, she was struggling to push it back.

Her right claw, the one that held the arrow, was held down by the tiger's paw. She glanced, and saw the thing getting faster as it approached Floral.

"Alright, I think I can hold you off." She told the tiger.

With a flick of her claws, the arrow landed close to her face as she held it in her mouth. Prepping the bow, she pulled back with her mouth. Aimed straight at the tiger's eye, she was tense. Right in that instance, she aimed higher.

"Got'cha." She said with the arrow still in her mouth before releasing.

Whistling through the air, a single black arrow traveled quickly. Its body was made of pure shadows, yet it traveled like a normal arrow. It had no mass, yet it was somehow affected by gravity. Despite being nothing more than the absence of light, it still held lethality.

"AGH!" The wooden pony was hit.

Taking the chance, Floral immediately grabbed it in a hold. Not seeing another choice, he gathered magic as he pulled it apart. Take the front legs, then the chest, then the spine, and finally, he pulled the head apart as a single gem presented itself. "Bastard." He crushed the gem in a single move before rushing up the stairs.

Arriving with a leap, he pulled his hoof back as he pushed more magic in.

"NOW!" He yelled out.

Taking the signal, four spells were successfully finished. Each core was either blown to bits, except for one which Moon sliced into pieces.

And the last one, broken down to shards by a single punch.

Still keeping their guards up, they studied their surrounding. Creatures with wings dropped to the ground, some barely missing the group.

"Holy shit." Moon mumbled as she looked down. "WE FUCKING DID IT!!" She laughed mirthfully and loudly as celebrations were roaring through the area.

"Ugh, I feel like dying." Gilda complained and threw the lifeless tiger off of her.

"Well, that was certainly an adventure." Celestia commented cheerfully as she looked down.

"Indeed, Tia. It was definitely more exciting than Court, I'll tell you that much." Luna added on as she inspected her sword.

"So, now that this fight is over, could you two actually explain what's going on?" Cadence asked tiredly.

"Yo! Who the fuck is Pretty Pink Princess over here?" Moon asked with a smirk as she raised herself to their level.

"Well, I do think it's time you two had a proper introduction." Celestia spoke softly.

*BOOM*

Suddenly shaking, the body started to move.

"What the fuck?" Moon mumbled as she looked around.

"The cores!" Somepony yelled.

"Keep them separated!" Twilight shouted as she struggled to hold all of them back.

It eventually got easier as more and more unicorns started to help.

Looking at all this, Floral was apprehensive. He slowly looked around, trying to see what went wrong. Hundreds, thousands of vines started to grow out of the floor, the walls. And in that tiny moment, he saw just a glimmer of something.

"He's alive." He muttered and tensed his body.

Using whatever he had left, he aimed his own body. The force building up felt massive as the others noticed it.

"The fuck are you doing?!" Moon asked as she forcefully held pieces of the cores away from each other.

In response, Floral shot out from his position. Swiftly traveling, he carefully changed his trajectory.

"You!" The wooden pony suddenly turned around.

"Shit." Floral cussed as he felt himself crashing through the pony.

"You, ungrateful, traitor of a champion!" The voice was heard from everywhere. "Do you now wish to save this world!? Make sure that what happened to you doesn't happen again?!" The wooden pony he had crashed through dispersed and turned into branches.

As it kept talking, Floral found himself trapped in those branches. Trying to dig himself out, he couldn't. He was then dragged to a wall as he no longer could move.

"Begone!" The voice yelled loudly as a few vines were summoned and threw Moon away. "Your little bloodlust trick doesn't work on me, Floral Green."

Bound down, Floral could only glare as he tried whatever he could to get out.

As an entire passage was opened, a single pony amidst an army of beasts became visible.

"Is that Iron?!"

"What in Celestia's name is he doing there?!"

Questions arose from the guards as several more passageways were opened.

Floral tried to use his magic, yet no matter what he tried, his bounding wouldn't budge.

"We have more enemies!"

"Defensive positions!"

"Sarge! Out team is too tired!"

Hearing all this chaos, Floral struggled harder. There was a golden chance at winning, and he practically blew it. If he doesn't do something here, then they were going to lose.

"Keep fighting! Our evacuation path is closed!" Celestia ordered the guards as everypony else joined the fray.

"Where's Moon?! We need her help over here!" Luna yelled out.

"YOU!" The voice shouted as Moon was lifted off. Unconscious as she was now lost in the body.

Getting desperate now, Floral just tried everything. Physical strength, he didn't have enough. Nocturnal magic, also insufficient. His green colored magic, still a bit useless.

With no options left, he sat still as thousands of different plans went through his mind. None worked, still, he had to try something.

Right in that moment, he felt something foreign, yet familiar.

What changed? What just happened? What came in?

Answering those questions, he focused, and looked inside. Staring upon the multicolored ball of pure magic, Floral did something.

"What do you want?" He asked softly.

And like a demon's temptation, he felt something being pulled.

"Just, get me stronger." He muttered as he accepted the offer.

And in that instant, Floral was gone from the world for a bit.

Something just happened. I don't know what it is, but something happened. Something bad.

Having just waked up, I was completely restricted from all movements except my eyes. I tried to use magic, maybe slip through as a shadow, but my magic was blocked off.

I could feel it. Air wasn't exactly here.

Barely able to stay conscious, I was struggling.

Floral, where are you?

*Bam*

Startled at the sound, I woke up again as I started to breathe again.

"What the fuck?" I could only cuss as everything started to shake. "Just, what is-"

Silencing me, a single blade cut through the walls. Stopping right next to my neck, I was nervous as I stared.

It's, Nocturnal magic. At a crazy amount too. This, it's ridiculous. I haven't seen this much on a single creature except for dad. And he's literally a god.

"Moon." A voice called out.

It was two voices at once. Like, an echo.

Them, the entire wall was pulled off. To say I was stunned, would be an understatement. It's Floral, right?

I was staring at a pony, I think. He was pitch black, with eyes that glowed a dominating green. He didn't have eye whites, but he did have fangs that I could see.

Pulling me out, he stayed silent as he placed me on the floor. I took the chance to charge my own magic.

"Floral?" I called out.

Staring at me with still eyes, his glow slowly faded away. His color started to come back.

"You alright?" He softly asked.

And he fainted.

"Oy! What the fuck!" I panicked a bit and grabbed him.

Holding him as I stood up, I sighed as I stared at my surroundings.

"This, will be a pain in the ass." I muttered and started moving.

Tiredly walking through different tunnels, I followed a pattern. I only went through the places that were dried up.

I don't know why it's like this, but I have a feeling this monstrous guys is somehow involved. Considering his usual eccentricness, it sounds about right.

"Moon?" Luma asked as she appeared at the end of the tunnel.

"Yeah, it's me you old hag." I replied jokingly.

"I, fuck you, Moon." She seemed to have lost patience for my bullshit.

Can't blame her, I'm equally tired.

"So, did we win?" I asked as I got out.

"Look for yourself." She said and pointed.

It was the place we were fighting in before. And every guard in the place was celebrating.

"Iron Shield." Luna mumbled. "I might bring him over to you two for special training." She suggested.

"I expect payment in the form of alcohol." I instantly made the price.

She chuckled. "Yeah, I can do that. I'll bring vodka from Yakyakistan. Sound fair?"

"Hell yeah." I agreed and gave her a hoof bump.

"Anyways, what's he doing now?"

"Oh, I think he's just-" I stopped talking as I stared at Floral.

He was quite relaxed, snoring, something I haven't heard him do once. Also, there was hundreds of little vines growing through his skin.

"What the fuck!?" I yelled and tried to put him down.

"Stop fucking yelling." Floral moved to a more comfortable position.

Taking a moment, I observer Floral, who, by all accounts, should be writhing in pain.

"You two are so out of the ordinary." Luna commented with a chuckle. "Come on, fight's over. Gather your things and let's get out of here."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear ya." I replied and headed off.

This fight. It took a lot more time than I thought it would. Though, maybe it's the skepticism I learned from Floral, but I can't help but feel like this is a bad thing."

"What in the?" Rainbow was left flabbergasted as she stared at the entirety of the Royal Guards gathered in one place.

Barrels upon barrels of different drinks were being passed around the area.

"Oh, excuse me." Another guard walked around them with a wagon of barrels.

"Um, what's happening?" Fluttershy asked carefully.

Celestia was basically in the middle, drinking it straight from the barrel as she stood against Moon, who was also chugging straight from the barrel.

Cheering and laughter was spread throughout. Most had some kind of injury, yet it didn't stop any of them.

"Come on, Moon!! Show her what you got!" Gilda was yelling as she placed a bag of bits on another barrel. "I placed fifty on you!"

"Tia! Drink as if your life depends on it!" Luna was shouting equally as loud.

"Place your bets! Place your bets! It's still not closed yet! With these two alicorns, a barrel or two is nothing!!" Light was actively encouraging the drinking contest.

"Um, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be here." Derpy commented as she struggled to understand.

"Honestly, same here." Rainbow said as she looked around.

"Two hundred bits on Princess Celestia!" Twilight's voice suddenly cut through the crowd.

"Wh~at?!" Rainbow was shocked. "Okay, I gotta see this." She said and dragged the other two in.

"This fucking thing on Moon!" Floral yelled and placed a box of rubies.

Author's Note

Yo! I'm out with another chapter! This one's a lot longer than the others right?

Anyways, I thought that something like this would be a checkpoint of sorts. After this chapter, I'm thinking to skip ahead a bit, just to get the story rolling. :duck: You won't mind right? :scootangel:

Just in case you're curious, I don't think Iron Shield would become a main character or something. More like a recurring character that gets development off screen. Something like that. :coolphoto:

I'm on Pony Town now! I decided to make it cuz why not? I probably won't be spending much time there, but feel free to search around for me. :trollestia: I'll pretty much only be online on the global safe server.

Anyway, thanks for reading! And I'll see you, next time! :heart:

"Ain't that right?"

Starting Point

The Everfree forest was, a sanctuary, of sorts. Despite being undisputedly treated as the most dangerous place in Equestria, it still followed a few rules. Never travel too far from the forest. Not to dirty the only river that runs through the entire forest. Not to mess with the Ursa Major that had been living there for longer than they've been alive. And lastly, to never mess with the Timberwolves.

The last one was always weird, yet every creature followed it. Though, if you knew why, you wouldn't be so surprised. Timberwolves were, essentially immortal against most opponents. And because of their nature, just killing them wouldn't suffice. One had to completely destroy them, to make sure that not a single part of them remained alive. Else, they'll just get right back up. Of course, there are a few exceptions to this rule, such as the incredibly powerful fire breathing hydra. But, one thing always stopped the hydra from acting.

Timberwolves, were protectors of the Everfree forest. That was exactly why the Everfree is called a sanctuary. It is, and always will be, free from the control of others. It's a place where nature thrived, going by its own rules and never following others. And Timberwolves, they are always the ones at the forefront. They are the ones that hunt at the outer edges of the forest. They are the ones that chase away the ponies that dared to set hoof onto its precious grounds. By all means, they are the sole reason ponies haven't taken over the forest.

*Awooooooooo*

That one single howl rang through the skies. Despite it being nothing special to others, this one single howl spread throughout the entire forest. The forest, infinitely vast with its magical properties, that very forest heard that howl as loud as every other animal that lived there.

It shouldn't have been different, it wasn't different than any other howl that ponies have heard before. It was just a bit longer than normal. Yet, all the residents of the forest knew. That howl was, arrogant, prideful even. It was full of refusal to follow orders, its very existence called out to the forest that the one who cried that sound, would stand above all that lived in the forest, and would become Emperor among Kings.

This sound was an insult. Yet, not one dared to stop such nonsense because, if it came true, would it truly be considered nonsense?

And the scene that played. It certainly seemed possible.

It was a battlefield. It was chaotic enough that it could possibly make Discord proud. Fire was burning on ice as the ground flowed like water. Corpses of all kinds were littered throughout. Mud was mixed with blood as bodies of every material that could be were laid wasted. Surprisingly, amongst these bodies, one single being remained alive.

*Huff*

The breath was scarce as the injuries were severe. This wasn't a normal battle. This one creature was practically cursed at this moment. He had gone against the very rulers of the forest, proved himself to be worthy. This one single act, would already grant him the prestige of being one of the strongest. Well, if he hadn't cheated that is. Still, he himself doesn't know how he cheated, he still did. It's the only reason he's had to fight such an unfair battle.

Despite all of this, only one thing mattered. In this region, he is the undisputed king. And not a single other from this part of the forest can stand against him. Well, of course, there's always one.

"Hmm." Suddenly, a deep feminine voice echoed through the area. "I was wondering what creature would dare to declare something so dangerous to oneself. To think it would be a single Timberwolf, a king at that."

A Timberwolf King, not the. That didn't matter much to the wolf.

"Really interesting, how did you manage to deviate from your race's path so immensely?" The voice was curious, yet she also didn't seem to find the wolf troubling at all. "Well, you certainly have more potential than the arrogant ones that have declared a cry before. Though, you're still not strong enough for me. Feel free to seek me out again after you find yourself enough. But, since this is quite important, I'm willing to give you one chance, one. If you defeat me, I'll bow before you, but don't expect to come out alive if you're too weak. I do have a child after all." She added the last part with a small chuckle.

But she didn't just disappear without a gift.

*Bam*

Coming down from the skies, a single beam of light hit the wolf. With his wounds already severe and nothing around him for him to use to heal himself, he was about to die off just like that. Of course, he wouldn't have declared to be Emperor if he didn't have a few tricks in his bark.

It was nothing too special. To be able to absorb magic. It's not something you get to learn subconsciously. Still, he's known it since birth. With that knowledge, he shed his defenses. His outer shell fell down as his mane of leaves shed away, leaving a vulnerable yet complex system of connections. A few different colors ran through him, painting the body with colors. Now, a deep blue was slowly added in.

"Yes, truly. You're the only one that could actually accomplish your goals. Make sure not to travel to the other areas. I'm likely the only one to be this lenient with you." The voice came again, with that warning, the last of the beam faded out.

When silence descended, the wolf king stood shakily. Its body was seemingly vibrating, shaking the grounds. Until one last boom.

*Boom*

When that explosion happened, he had almost lost his consciousness. Yet, he bore through it while gritting its teeth. With all that he's done for the day, he simply wanted to relax. Still, one needed a proper place to rest if they wanted to relax.

*Awooo*

This time, a much weaker howl. Not one meant to declare much, only to call a few. A few, dozens, of dozens. Basically a small army.

If you've worked so hard, you've gotta reap the rewards after all. For now, Harkon didn't feel like moving by himself.

"I am being as straightforward, as possible right now. If you spread that news, I will personally destroy your entire business, and ban you from the press forever. Or, I could just label your business as nonsense, and have you thrown into a dungeon for both blasphemy and treason. It is as simple as it could get. Am I clear?" Blueblood was showing his full bravado as he threatened a a terrified stallion.

"C-crystal, your highness." The stallion nodded fervently as he truly feared for his life.

"Good. Don't mistake this. It's not a simple warning, but I am directly threatening you. You should properly understand the gravity of this. Right?" He asked in a terrifyingly low voice.

"Understood." He nodded one more time as he presented the papers he had already written up. "These are everything, I swear. If you do find more, I didn't know about them. I swear on my life." He said in hopes of being let go unscathed as he bowed deeply.

"Good." Blueblood vaporized the papers in an instant before getting up from the dusty couch. "And clean up, will ya? This place looks like it's been inhabited by nothing but foals." He left that remark before leaving.

"I will make sure, your highness." The stallion was still bowed down, unable to move due to fear until he heard the Prince leave through the front door.

"Shall we take you back to your residence, my lord?" A butler asked respectfully.

"No, take me to the castle." Blueblood gave a short command before stepping into the carriage.

"But sir! You've been working nonstop these last few weeks. You simply must take a proper rest. I insist." The butler was worried.

"Just take me to the castle, Heart. I'll rest when I'm there." He didn't accept any reasoning as he closed his eyes in the carriage, signs of exhaustion clearly noticeable despite not being visible.

Heart could only sigh as he sat down at the coach position. "You heard his highness."

With that, they sped off from the building towards the castle.

"Twily!"

"Shining!" Twilight happily greeted back as they hugged with their necks.

"Oh yeah, you two knew each other right?" Light suddenly remembered.

"They're siblings." Blueblood answered for her,

"Blueblood." Shining Armor suddenly dropped his smile as he glared straight at him

"Shining Armor." Blueblood wasn't exactly scared by him.

The two stepped closer to each other, the air was tense as something was about to go down.

"Shining, not here!" Twilight yelled.

"Bluey, let's just talk this out." Light said sternly.

Their words didn't seem to reach the boys as they were now directly face to face. With the tension growing higher, Twilight and Light shared a glance and were about to do something.

"Once an Empire tried to fall?" Blueblood suddenly asked.

"It's a duty to save them all." Shining replied, confusing the two mares.

Without explaining anything, the raised their hooves. Backhoof, then bump fetlocks before ending in a hoofbump.

"What?" Twilight just said incredulously.

"Oh, were you two in the same frat?" Light asked lightly.

"I played Ogres and Oubliettes with him during my free time." Blueblood explained without saying much.

"You played that stupid game?" Twilight asked bluntly.

"It's not that stupid." Shining gave a small complaint.

"It was the only place that wasn't gonna be flooded with mares once I entered, since, there weren't any mares." Blueblood said with a smirk.

Light laughed silently.

"Hey!" Shining protested. "You say that, but you were acting as dungeon master." He remembered the time.

"Good times." Blueblood's smirk suddenly turned malicious.

"I'll forever remember Sir Bearly. He was truly the best of us when he gave his life stopping that lich." Shining looked to the sky with a sad gaze. "We never figured out why the Kapsilo dignitary called him a bear."

"Oh yeah, so that's what he whined about all night that one time." Twilight remembered a harrowing night.

"We're all foals at heart, Twi." Light said calmly. "So, you're the guards that's supposed to go with us, right?" She asked Shining.

"Yes, ma'am. Me and my stallions will be escorting you all to the camp of one Natural Remedy." Shining replied with a salute.

"Could've sworn the Princesses were calling him Floral." Twilight mumbled to none in particular.

"Well, we should be heading out by now if we want to be back by sundown." Blueblood gave the order.

"Alright." Shining agreed. "Guards! Time to move! Load up the thaumatic reader into a carriage!" He started shouting orders.

"I really don't know what to tell you kid. I don't really have secrets." Moon said with slight annoyance.

"Come on, Ms.Moon. You gotta have something interesting about you." A light blue coated colt insisted.

"Isn't the fact that I'm basically Nightmare Moon enough? Who even are you anyway?!" Moon suddenly realized that question.

"I'm Shady Daze. Staff photographer of the Foal Free Press. My friend is also supposed to be here, but she didn't wanna come into the Everfree." The colt explained with a righteous face.

Moon was a small daze. "Yeah, and she's right. You're also not supposed to be here." Moon couldn't quite bring herself to get pissed at a foal.

"No, I can't just leave yet. This place is the most likely place to find the best news!" Shady was persistent.

"Look, kid. If I show you some magic or some shieerghh-something. Will you just go back?" She caught herself.

"But everypony knows about magic. It's not gonna be good enough to make it to the press, I need something more." He protested.

Moon silently lifted a hoof, a tentacle grew out. Having it dance in the air, Shady was in awe. Shaking himself out of his daze, he snapped a picture.

"Thank you, Ms.Moon!" He gave his gratitude before leaving with a skip in his steps.

Watching him leave just like that, Moon pondered something.

"Am I just not that threatening?" She mumbled in confusion.

"Who was the kid?" Gilda asked and landed down next to her.

"Uh, Shady, something. He apparently works for the news." She answered with confusion.

"But, he was a kid?"

"Yeah, I was confused about that part as well." She confessed. "How's that scar doing by the way?" She asked and touched a gash running through Gilda's beak.

"Eh, it's fine. It's only on the outside, doesn't affect anything." Gilda wasn't affected much.

"Scars, not sure they're something to be that proud about." Moon felt slightly bad about it.

"You can't say that when you have that giant ass one on your leg." She retorted.

"Couldn't help this one, Floral wrapped it with fucking leaves and whiskey after cauterizing it." She said with a chuckle.

"Sounds painful."

"It absolutely was." She spoke like it wasn't a problem. "By the way, do I not seem threatening anymore?"

"You definitely are when you're fighting. What about it?"

"Well, that colt was just not scared. I don't get it. Ponies usually were terrified of me, or wanted to fight me when we first meet. So I'm just confused now."

"Eh, the whole Ponyville knows you're here by now. They might've gotten used to you just, being around." Gilda theorized with a shrug. "But come on, who cares? I got the herbs and shit Floral asked for. Also, Fluttershy sent you a letter. She's apparently terrified of something." She said and gave Moon a letter.

"Oh, nice." Moon was more excited about the letter as they started to head back. "So, Gil, what do you think heading to high school?"

"What?" Gilda was taken back.

"It's just something Floral and me were talking about. He's off to get some trees from the outer edges of the barrier, says it's better to have these ones near us in case we needed it fast." She gave a normal explanation as she stored the letter in her mane.

"Why the fuck would I go to school now? Besides, it's expensive as all hell." She wasn't exactly keen on the idea.

"You're still young, Gilda. You'll probably want to do something other than just sitting here your entire life."

"No way. I was just planning to keep staying here until I die."

"An entire life is a pretty long time, kid. What's a griffin's age, it's like a thousand right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Floral's. Hmm." Moon wasn't too happy about it either. She gave a sigh. "Floral, is eventually gonna leave us. Whether we get to actually get to break this barrier or not, Floral is still just a pony. Considering him, at best he'll live to be a hundred and twenty. Considering his unusual traits, maybe a hundred and fifty. That is being extraordinarily generous. Even Z will leave much earlier than you."

"What about it then? It's still like fifty years away no?"

"Fifty years, it's both a long and a short time, Gil. Trust me, being an immortal, I had to get used to others dying of old age. Nocturnal magic can't make somepony immortal after all." She said with a slightly heavy expression. "Well, that convo went out of hoof real quick. Just, talk to him about it." She tried to forcefully brighten the talk.

"What about you? I'm not immortal."

"That's up to me to deal with, kid. Come on, I actually liked that soda thing you were talking about." She led the way.

Gilda followed, but her mind was heavy. Death wasn't something to think so lightly about after all, especially when it concerned one close to you. In the end, she could sigh in defeat before pushing the thought back.

"Just don't drink too much of it. It's pack to the brim with sugar." Gilda gave a warning.

"You really think I don't get enough exercise just by living here?" Moon retorted with a smirk.

"Wait, holy shit. I should be eating sweets as much as I want." Gilda suddenly realized just how much she moves around.

"I would not advise that, for the effects are quite bad." Zecora told them as they reached the camp.

"Why not? We do so much physical shit every day." Moon asked back.

"Your hydration level could fail, leaving you quite frail. Your liver would become vulnerable, which is easily avoidable." She gave enough reasons."

"Okay, you made your point. I won't eat too much." Gilda accepted it easily enough.

"I'm back, and I've brought guests." Floral announced himself as a group of ponies appeared behind him.

"Take point! Set a defensive position!" Shining immediately commanded the guards as they hurried to their assigned posts. "Glitter, Nova. Unload the thaumatic reader."

"Hey guys." Light gave a bright greeting at the three.

"Oh, the referee." Gilda recognized her.

"Hello." Moon was rather indifferent.

"I don't think I've met you, I'm Joyful Light." She introduced herself and held out a hoof to Zecora.

"I am Zecora, and I live amidst this flora." Zecora gave a short greeting as she accepted the hoof. "It is great to meet a pony as cheerful as you, and I hope you have a good reason for coming with such a crew."

"Ooh, the rhymes. I've heard it's in your culture to speak like that, but it's fun to hear it personally." Light was getting carried away by the conversation. "Those guys are just for protection. If anything happens, Bluey can scold them."

"Prince Bluey ey? Aren't you pretty good at flirting." Gilda commented from the side.

"Nah, I'm not that good." Light gave a shy reply. "Anyways, you're Gilda right? How did you end up getting into a fight with the Royal Guard?"

"Eh, this and that happened."

On the side, Blueblood finally got to speak with Floral.

"So, Remedy, or do you rather Floral now?" Blueblood asked with a simple smile.

"Whatever suits you, though, Floral seems to be the trend lately." Floral gave a shrug and cracked a grin.

"Alright, who am I to control that." Blueblood was fine with it. "I had wanted to talk to you again after, our first talk. But, the festive aura around last time didn't give much of a chance."

"Yeah, it definitely wasn't the time to talk so seriously." He responded as he glanced at Light. "So, Bluey, huh?" He asked with a questioning grin.

Blueblood chuckled at that. "I suppose nothing really gets past you huh?" He asked in a joking tone. "You were right. I tried a few different things I never tried before, found things I liked, some I didn't."

"Still, you found the most important one." Floral commented with a slightly proud smile.

"Yeah." He replied. "Don't smile at me like that, it makes you look like a proud parent." He gave a joking comment.

Floral let out a laugh at that. "Well, you certainly changed from your stiff attitude."

"So, Purple Bitch is finally back." Moon commented, grabbing the attention of the others.

"Seriously, you're still calling me that?" Twilight was exasperated.

"Yes, ever since you shot me with that spell. Purple Bitch is officially your name." She was adamant about it.

"I'm not even a dog, so why is bitch in my name?!"

"Because, why not?"

"Then, uh, then you're Goth Bitch." Twilight immediately thought of a comeback.

"Wha-I'm not goth you fucking prick!"

"Aren't you? With the whole shadow thing, apparent cusses and excessive drinking?"

"I can't help that shit! And the shadow thing is straight up a race thing! You're being racist!" Moon rebuked as well.

"That's not being racist! You're a pony as well!" Twilight wasn't willing to let up so easily.

"I'm a half pony! Half! The other half is Nocturnal you racist fuck!" They were straight up butting heads now.

"So what!? You can still fix your drinking! And stop cussing so much!" Twilight was somehow equal in strength. "If anything, I'm not racist! I'm, Moon-ist! Specifically against you!"

"That's not even a proper word you sorry excuse for a scholar!" Moon retorted without letting up.

After glaring at each other, Moon finally pulled back with a small smirk as Twilight fell straight forward to the ground.

"Uph."

"Hmm, fine. Make yourself at home." Moon said dismissively before throwing a tentacle to the treehouse and disappeared.

"What did I just witness?" Blueblood talked as if he doubted his own eyes.

"So she did want to check." Floral mumbled to himself.

"Twily!" Shining instantly ran over and helped her up.

"I'm fine Shining. I didn't fall that bad." Twilight stood up with no problems as she glanced at the treehouse with a weird feeling.

"Seriously, what's wrong with her?" Shining was muttering with a frown.

"I hope you're not bad mouthing her, Captain." Gilda said from the side, a small glare present on her face.

"I believe that it's fair, that she does not care." Zecora commented as she took a small sip from her cup.

"Hmm." Shining was still a bit apprehensive towards Gilda.

"Shining, I'm fine." Twilight interfered with a small smack behind his head. "I, think, I started something."

"Ow. Why'd you hit me?"

"Just because." Twilight shrugged in response.

"What did she want to check?" Blueblood asked Floral.

"I guess it's something like, courage?" Floral responded half heartedly.

Suddenly, his ears raised up as his eyes scanned the area.

"Prepare for a fight." He said as he tapped Blueblood on the back. "Try to stay in the backlines."

"Got it." Blueblood became serious as he remembered last time.

"Ah, shit." Gilda cussed and stood up with a small stretch before flying up.

"Uh, what is it?" Light asked.

"It is quite unfortunate that your visit, would be ruined by something so vicious." Zecora said with a small sigh as she took off the rings on her neck.

"Should I be worried?" Shining asked as he stared straight at Floral.

"Pull your stallions in for a more tight formation. We don't know if the enemy is coming in multiples or not." Floral gave a command.

"I see a bunch of dazzling stuff from that side, and there was also something moving from the opposite side." Gilda gave a report as she landed next to Floral. "It doesn't seem right though, don't we usually get attacked by a shit ton of them when there's a visit?"

"Hmm." Floral let out a dissatisfied sound as he was reminded of a concern he had. "We'll figure that out later. For now, prepare to fight."

"These are all the potions I have brewed. I would have made more if the timing hadn't been so rude." Zecora was slightly frustrated as she presented a bag of bottles. "The green ones are to erode, whilst the red ones do explode."

"I'll be fine, give more to the others." Floral spoke first.

"I need a weapon." Gilda frowned as she remembered her bow.

"The bow's broken, right?" Floral asked.

"Yeah, I think I lost it somewhere during the last fight." She replied annoyedly.

"If you need a weapon, take one of the guards' backup swords." Blueblood suggested.

"Have mine, I mainly use magic to fight anyway." Shining unsheathed a blade that gleamed in the light to Gilda.

"Yeah, thanks." She gave a word of gratitude.

"I'm a bit scared. Is this the usual for you guys?" Light asked and stood next to Blueblood.

"Yes. Take a potion, it might just save your life." Floral had already taken control. "Watch your backs, and make sure you know it's your teammate that's behind you."

With words of acknowledgement coming from the group, they were now prepared for a fight as Zecora stood next to Floral with a golden staff.

"I'd ask you about that if it wasn't for a fight." Gilda commented as she swung the sword a few times to get used to the feel.

"They're coming!" Floral shouted as the air was now tense. "Hold your positions!"

"Wait, isn't Moon coming down?" Twilight asked nervously as she prepared to fire off spells.

"She'll come." Floral assured her.

"They're close, we got ten guards! Are you sure we should just hold?" Shining asked as he was already done with a barrier.

"Hold it." Floral gave the command as he kept checking the positions.

"They're bulls!? Why are they attacking us!?" Twilight asked loudly.

"I don't think those shiny looking horns are supposed to be a bull thing." Gilda commented as she thought about her fighting strategy.

"Just a bit more." Floral stated as he lowered his body.

"Coming in awful close. They're gonna crash into us any second now." Blueblood spoke as his horn glowed brightly.

"I know a few terra forming spells. Maybe I should try to stop them." Light suggested as she nervously looked around.

"Just a few more seconds." He muttered before letting out a deep breath. "On your call!"

*BANG*

Suddenly, dozens of dark spikes shot out from the treehouse, creating a small dome as the charging bulls were crushed down.

"Fight as you please!" Floral shouted before running ahead, the shadows going away as Moon looked out of the treehouse.

With a leap, Floral focused on his own battle.

*Bam*

Landing on a bull, he broke its bones. Grabbing both its horns, he judged it a proper length before breaking both of them off. He took a deep breath as he cracked a few bones as he stared forward. A small army of various monsters he knew of had gathered as he started to hear several dozens of spells being used behind him.

"Alright, I guess I'll handle you folk." He muttered as he ran straight forward.

With two sharp horns made of precious gems in his hooves, he used it like daggers as he charged forward.

It was a slaughter as Floral danced through the beasts. Dodging everything as hundreds of projectiles missed him. He shouldn't have been able to stop so many, yet they all seemed to want to kill him specifically. Once his weapons broke, he would simply acquire new ones. The jaws of a wolf. Claws of a bear. Antlers of a deer. Anything that could be used, they were his to take.

Tearing the head off of a cragadile, Floral used it as a blunt weapon and broke a gorilla in half.

"These guys, they're weak." He mumbled as he looked around.

Observing a bit closer, it was kind of a ridiculous strategy. More like, there wasn't one at all. The beasts weren't exactly running in blindly, they were, waiting. Just going in, one at a time as the ones throwing projectiles didn't even do that much. They weren't stalling for time or anything. They weren't exactly aiming to only capture Floral either. So, they were just that weak.

"These guys are fucking weak!" Moon shouted over the battlefield. "They go down in like, one hit!" She said as several tendrils kept bashing monsters over and over again.

"Rah!" Gilda suddenly appeared next to Floral as she stabbed through a giant snake whilst landing. "Wait, really? I really thought it was gonna do something else." She mumbled and turned to Floral. "Something's going on here right? I didn't even have to use the potions Z gave us." She said and rested the sword on her shoulder.

"These monsters, they're not just weak. They are extremely weak." Floral mumbled as he put his hoof up.

*Thud*

A stone fist hit it, yet Floral didn't even budge. Without looking, he grabbed the fist and pulled it in before smashing the head of the gorilla. The head broke off, turning into fragments.

"Okay, I know they're just that weak, but how the hell do you actually break stone like that?" Gilda asked as the stone body fell to the ground.

"I'm an Earth Pony that trained himself to the fullest, crushing stone actually becomes, pretty easy at that point." He explained as he scanned the battlefield. "Have you seen or broken a core?"

"Uh, no. I don't think so. In fact, these guys have been dying pretty easily. As in, they die like how things are supposed to die." She confirmed as she around again. "Why the hell would that spirit of the forest or whatever fucker send weaklings? The asshole should know by now that we won't just get tired and lose."

"It's something else. In the midst of this fight, we might've missed something important." Floral theorized as he kept sweeping the battlefield.

His gut feeling seems to be just screaming at him as he tried to figure out what it was.

*Boom*

An explosion erupted in the midst of the monsters. Floral was about to dismiss it as one having used the potion, but he stopped himself. Looking through the smoke that rose, it was clear that it was different. Right as that thought went through his mind, another explosion erupted right behind him.

"DUCK!" Gilda screamed as the two jumped down.

*Whish*

Something flew past both of them, disturbing the air in the process.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Moon was shouting in the distance as she held an arrow in a tentacle.

Soon, more and more eruptions rang out through the camp.

"Gilda, go help the others." Floral commanded as he looked at his opponent, the wooden puppet.

"You sure? That thing doesn't look too easy." Gilda asked as she brandished the sword.

"Positive." He answered as he thought of his options. "And give me the sword."

"What?"

"I'll get you something better, give me the sword for now."

"Fine, it ain't mine anyway." She complied and tossed him the sword before taking off.

"Let's see. Metal bow with glowing parts, she'll like it right?" Floral muttered as he lightly swung the sword a few times.

In response, the enemy pulled back the string on the bow. An arrow made of fire materialized on it as it took aim.

"What makes you so different from the others?" Floral asked coldly as he rushed in with a burst of speed.

The ground broke beneath him as an arrow whistled straight at him. He leaned to dodge it as he reached the archer in an instant. Without waiting, he swung the sword straight through.

Floral had a questioning gaze as the wooden pony was split in half. Without waiting, he swung in multiple directions, cutting it up as he finally found the core.

"Why is it so weak?" He mumbled as he grabbed its bow. "Shiny." He commented before hanging it around his neck.

With that, he turned around to the others. It was a mess, a slightly controlled mess but a mess nonetheless. The guards were actually doing something, holding the monsters back without taking any casualties. Of course, there was something else.

*Bang*

"Fuck you!" Moon cussed as she slammed down with shadows coating her hooves.

A wave of spikes flew through the battle, killing several dozens before stopping at one more enemy. After several more spikes try to pierce through it, Moon stopped as she realized.

"The fuck are you supposed to be?" Moon asked as she stood before a giant.

With a big hammer, it stood as tall as four ponies with a metal shell. The hammer alone was at least twice the size of Moon herself, a low fire was burning around the edges. Flames were blazing from its chest like an open furnace, and smoke naturally covered it. It stood on two legs, and had a ball like body without a head.

"Alright, so, melt then blow shit up. Right?" Gilda asked and pulled out two small bottles.

"I'll deal with it! That Purple and others won't be able to hold them off." Moon was confident as she aimed her dagger. "I'll kill it quick, so just buy some time for now."

"Got it." Gilda nodded and was about to go away. "Ah, shit."

"What is it?" Moon didn't take her eyes off her enemy.

"There's a lot more of these things." She said nervously.

"Shit." Moon muttered. "Go help em."

"Aight, good luck." She said before taking off.

"Light! Help me lift the sword one!" Twilight shouted tiredly as her horn glowed even brighter.

"Crash it to the shield!" Light yelled back as she was breathing deeply.

With their combined magic, an armored giant was lifted above the ground, before being thrown at another one holding a shield.

*Bam*

*Boom*

Every movement let out a terrifying sound, shaking the ground.

*Creak*

The joints of the metal giant cried out as flames burst out of its body. And the shield was raised high up before being slammed down onto the defense line.

"IT'S COMING DOWN!"

"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!"

The guards screamed at each other as they scrambled to move during the chaotic fight. Their movements restricted by the normal beasts still running straight at them.

*BANG*

Right when hope seemed to be lost, one pink wall stopped it in its tracks.

"Gah, that's heavy." Shining clenched his teeth through the pain as cracks formed on his barrier. "Move!" He managed to let out a command.

"Drop it!" Blueblood shouted as he shot a large burst of magic forward.

Right as the barrier disappeared, the burst of magic shot at the shield, knocking it away.

*Awoooo*

Suddenly, a howl rang through the destroyed camp.

"What was that?"

"No way, don't tell me we have to fight Timberwolves too."

"Fucking hell. Ugh." Moon groaned slightly as her head rang painfully from using too much.

*BOOM*

An unexplainable pressure bore down, forcing everypony to the ground. Except for two.

"Not this time you fucker!" Moon shouted as she was forcing herself to stand with her magic.

"Hmm." Floral held a heavy grimace as he picked up his new weapon, a plate of metal twice his size with an edge on both sides, and used it to prop himself up.

Just as it had last time, two eyes opened in the sky. It cast a light as the camp had thousands of tiny little balls of magic. Without any explanation, the sky suddenly turned dark. Millions of glittering stars appeared one by one. And the pressure seemingly melted away.

"What?" Twilight muttered in confusion as she found herself standing.

"Ugh, my head. What happened?" Light asked as she looked around.

"That was quite the surprise, one that was not so nice." Zecora commented as usual as she rubber her head.

"How permanent were the effects of overexerting my magic again?" Blueblood asked as he lightly rubbed his burnt horn.

"Seriously, just how do you physically pressure somepony without touching them?" Shining asked as he got up with a tired face.

"You good?" Moon asked as she appeared next to Floral.

"I'm fine." He replied rather coldly.

Despite the relief, Floral was all but happy as he glared at the sky. The eyes, they hadn't left. They were fiercely glaring somewhere, maddened with anger.

Without an explanation, the metal giants stopped fighting. Instead, they started to walk away as the last of the beasts were killed off. Trees grew back, flooding the camp again as the scorched grass became lively again.

Seeing this, the guards were overjoyed as the fight was over. Floral wasn't having it.

"They're trying to save resources." Floral muttered. "Quick, try to destroy as much as you can! That bastard's plan or something must've gotten fucked over somehow!" He gave a command with an explanation.

"Got it." Moon responded as she focused on her magic.

Pulling out a large amount, she slammed it to the ground as several tentacles dug themselves out of the ground. Without warning, they instantly shot towards the fleeing giants.

*BOOM*

Most retaliated by self destructing, making a large explosions and such in hopes of inflicting damage.

"Ugh, those fuckers." Moon muttered as she flinched every time one of her tendrils took damage.

*Bang*

"Hell yeah!" Gilda shouted as she shielded herself from an explosion whilst playfully tossing and catching a red bottle of potion.

Looking around, Floral was looking for his next target.

"Go kill that one." Moon told him after noticing and pointed a hoof.

"Thanks." He said casually as he prepared to swing his new weapon.

*Crash*

The trees in range all fell down with one swing, crashing into the ground. Floral was emotionless as he evaluated his new weapon. "It'll work." He mumbled and prepared to go after his target.

*Growl*

Alas, he didn't get the chance as the metal giant was suddenly pushed away.

*Awoooo*

The howl was heard once again.

*Awoooooo*

*Awoooo*

*Awoooooooo*

Several different cries came from around the forest, making Floral let out a chuckle.

"The fuck is happening?" Moon asked as she nervously looked around.

"Looks like our Harkon went and found himself a pack." He replied with a chuckle as he looked around. "Looks like we'll have to chop and uproot some trees if we wanna have space." He stated as he started to chop away at the trees.

"I thought that was a new weapon, not a gardening tool." Moon commented tiredly as she stood up while cracking a few bones.

"It's both."

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!!" A terrified high pitched scream rang out.

"Right, we should probably deal with that too." Floral chuckled as he picked up Moon from her scruff.

"Shining, stop screaming." Twilight demanded with an exhausted tone, before smacking him to shut him up.

"Are you one of Floral's pets?" Blueblood asked curiously as he patted a Timberwolf twice as big as him.

"Oh my Celestia! He's like a big puppy!" Light was beyond excited as she buried her face in the deep and luscious mane Harkon had around his neck. "So soft."

"Where'd it even come from!?" Shining asked as he warily glanced at Harkon, who was wagging his tail whilst creating a dust cloud.

"Oh to have such high energy, it's something I only have in memory." Zecora was equally exhausted as she was leaning against a tree while breathing heavily.

*Crash*

The nearby trees were being felled as Floral arrived at the camp whilst chopping away.

"Should exercise more then, no?" Moon asked jokingly as she dangled from Floral's back.

"However that statement may be true, I do not want to hear it from one as lazy as you." Zecora shot back without hesitation.

"Whatever Z. Where's Gil?" Moon backed off in one sentence.

"Here!" Gilda shouted as she appeared from behind a tree, dragging something behind her. "I want whoever the fuck that knows how, to make that bow around Floral's neck do the same shit this one was doing." She said very excitedly as she revealed a hammer.

"Ugh, later." Twilight spoke for the rest of them as she was rubbing her head.

She'd exerted herself too much, and she had a few thoughts haunting her.

"If you're so damn full of energy, go get the whiskey." Moon told Gilda with a smile.

"Oh fuck you." Gilda cussed back, but still ended up going.

"I feel like I'm dying." Light seemed to be on the verge of collapsing as she heavily leaned on Blueblood.

Harkon seemed to decide that the matter was no longer worth losing sleep over.

"It's surprising. Those enemies we, fought. It took everything we had to fight them. But you guys seem like this is your average Tuesday." Twilight talked slowly. "I don't even remember the last time I completely ran out of magic like this, and still be conscious."

"If you've seen half the fuckery we had to deal with, you end up learning a thing or two." Moon rebuked as she got off of Floral.

"I'm not sure what you're learning should exactly be learned by, you know, the common ponies." Blueblood said with a small frown as he looked around. "Deaths, although I didn't see a casualty on our side, it's not something you should get used to."

"Hmm, come on! We just won another fight, let's brighten up!" Light tried to hold a cheerful air.

"We fight because we needed to survive, there shouldn't be anything sad about living after all." Floral gave a few words with a chuckle as he made a clearing.

"We only got one barrel left." Gilda informed as she landed softly on the ground, several cups along with a barrel in her grip.

"It'll be enough." Moon assured with a grin and opened it as he dunked two cups in. "Here, it'll take your mind off of it." She calmly spoke and directed one cup to Twilight.

"No! Absolutely not!" Shining instantly stepped in with a furious expression.

"Let her have it, Armor. How long you gonna hold her back for?" Blueblood asked lightly as he poured for himself and Light.

"No, under no circumstances, will she drink alcohol! Not before she turns at least thirty!" Shining was vehemently refusing for her.

At his outburst, the others were just staring. Floral had a mix of amusement and respect. Zecora found it pretty funny. Gilda was just confused. Light was having a fun time as Blueblood didn't seem to care that much.

Twilight was just exhausted. Moon looked at him with a blank stare for a few seconds.

"Who are you again?" Moon suddenly asked with an incredulous expression. "I know you're somehow related to Twinkles over here, but I don't know you."

"What?" Shining was dumbfounded. "Seriously? We've met, uh, actually. No, wait, I don't think I've actually introduced myself before." He slowly came to the realization.

"Great, tell me in the morning. Cuz I won't remember tonight." She dismissed it calmly and gave it the cup to Twilight. "Don't think too much on it, Purple." She gave a chuckle as Twilight received it.

"Wow, to think I'd see the ever pure and dorkish Twilight take a swig." Blueblood cracked a grin as Light smacked him in the back.

"Take it slow or you'll find yourself in a trashcan." Gilda said with a smirk.

"I'm not sure if this is a good thing, it just feels like one bad fling." Zecora voiced her concerns.

"She'll be fine, I'll stay sober." Floral assured her, but his voice seemed to be thinking of something more serious.

"Twily, absolutely not. Think of what Mom would say!" Shining was trying his best.

With this kind of environment, Twilight was having a very hard time concentrating. She was exhausted to a limit she didn't know she had, and her magic reserve was so empty she couldn't even hold a cup with her magic. In the end, both mental and physical exhaustion aided her decision.

"Oh, buck this." She let out a small statement before chugging the whole thing in one go. "Gah! Bitter!"

"Twily!"

"HAH!" Moon let out one loud laugh. "Gil! Bring the chocolate over!"

"I guess it's a party." Blueblood said without much thought.

"It's a good way to relax right?" Light asked casually as she took a small sip.

"I don't know why, but I half expected that pink creature to suddenly appear before us." Gilda muttered calmly as she took a stretch.

Floral gave a shrug as Gilda joined the others. Zecora easily noticed it.

"What seems to the problem? May I help to cull them?" She asked softly.

"I've been thinking about it. The difficulty of these monsters keep getting higher and higher. I just thought our enemy was getting increasingly stronger monsters, or some kind of circumstance was stopping them from using their full power. Then suddenly, the difficulty dropped." Floral explained as a hidden anger seemed to flash through his eyes. "It's, hmm, well." His emotions suddenly felt hollowed out. "Something extra happened today, changes may come sooner than we expect."

"I see, these surprises plague you, but I believe, you won't mind a few." Zecora answered as calmly as ever. "Well, as much as I call this a fling, I can not refuse the pleasant aura this brings." She said with a cheeky grin before walking for the whiskey.

Seeing them all enjoy the small party, Floral was busy thinking over his problems. With a hidden wrath, he clenched his hooves and grit his teeth. "Weak, was it?" He asked nopony in particular. "I guess I can't push you off any longer." He muttered as his hoof glowed with a green aura, the tiniest of a flower bloomed on top before withering away.

Author's Note

Yo! I know, I know, I was a bit late than my usual schedule. Honestly, it's hard to even call it that. But anyways, I'm writing way into the night because I might not be able to write for a while.

Test weeks here, and I got plenty of assignments. So, wish me luck. I probably won't be able to post for a week or two. I'll try to reply to comments though.

Anyways, was it just me, or did this chapter itself feel like it was dragging on a bit. I'm too tired to make a valid assessment, so, I'll just see it in the morning.

See ya! :heart: