Angels of Darkness

Chapters

(1) Of Stars and Sorrows
(2) Call of a Midnight Breeze
(3) Moonlight Reunion
(4) Shootings Stars and Falling Angels
(5) Midnight Falls
(6) Crash Landing

(1) Of Stars and Sorrows

My name is Midnight Breeze and I am an Angel of Darkness. How do I know? The Moon told me. I know, crazy right? Now at first, I didn't believe it either. The Moon, talking to me. I thought I was either crazy or dreaming. I only wish it had been that simple. Looking back now, at all the things I did, the things we did, it certainly felt like a dream. But then again, I've still got the scars to prove it wasn't. And I have her. I wouldn't have even met her if wasn't for the Moon that night. Even so, I could have definitely done without the 1000 year long 'vacation' and the occasional magic bitch-slap. Those things hurt!

But would I change any of it if I could? After everything that's happened and everything we accomplished? All the battles we fought and won, and the ones we lost too? After all the suffering, pain, and heartache we struggled through? After all the friends I made and lost, would I change any of it? No, I don't think I would. It was a long and hard fight to get here but I'm glad that I did. And I've never been happier in my entire life.

It all started one night after the moon had just risen to its place above the horizon. It was another beautiful night in Equestria and Princess Luna had outdone herself yet again. And yet, something still wasn't quite right. Her sister couldn't quite put her hoof on it and no matter how many nights passed since Luna's return, something was still off about the night sky. She could never create the night as well as her sister could but it was different than from the way she remembered. The moon wasn't as bright, the stars didn't twinkle, and dark shadows seemed to appear in places where they shouldn't. It was still nice but if one were to really look they could feel the sadness in the cool night air. Celestia had felt this sadness before and she now knew what it meant. Luna was unhappy and lonely.

It had been only a few months since her return and while Luna was still more than overjoyed at reuniting with her sister, she was still unhappy. Celestia knew she could only do so much to help her sister and Luna very much appreciated her kindness and her willingness to forgive her for what she did. But no matter what she did, Luna still felt like there was something missing from her life and told her sister as much. Celestia had thought long and hard on this and instantly berated herself when she figured out the solution for not finding it sooner. She knew what Luna needed; she needed a friend. As soon as she knew what she had to do she ran to find her sister. It didn't take her long. On nights like these she knew exactly where she would be, the observatory at the very top of the castle.

As she approached the door she heard something she hoped she wouldn't, tears of sadness. She quietly knocked on the door, letting Luna know she was there. “Luna dear, are you alright? May I come in?” She heard light shuffling around as her sister quickly and quietly composed herself. “Yes Tia, I'm fine, you may enter.” Celestia heard her sniffling as she came in and knew that she was anything but. She sat down by her sister as they both gazed at the wonderful night Luna had created. They both sat there quietly for a few minutes before Luna spoke up.

“I don't mean to be rude Tia, but why are you here? It is late and you are normally asleep by now. Is something wrong?”

'Here she is crying to herself in a fit of sadness and she asks if I'm okay?', Celestia thought. 'You care to much for others and never enough about yourself dear Sister.' Celestia just smiled at her.

“Of course I am Luna. I'm just concerned with how you are faring.”, she asked, knowing full well the response she would get.

Luna simply huffed, ruffling her feathers a bit in frustration. “I told you I'm fine Tia, the same as when you asked last night, and the night before that, and every other night as well.” She tried her best to glare at her sister, but she couldn't be mad at her for asking, she was only trying to help.

“Yes, the same as every night, that's what worries me dear. Every night since you came back has been like this, some better than others. Every night you sit up here gazing at the wonderful night sky you create and I can't help but wonder, am I truly doing all I can to help you, dear sister.”

Luna merely sat there in silence, on the verge of tears yet again. “Do you remember when you told me that you felt that there was something missing from your life, but you didn't quite know what?” Luna just nodded slowly, choosing to remain silent and let her sister try and comfort her. What she heard next however, gave her more than comfort. “Well I think I might have figured out exactly what that something is. It was so simple that I'm ashamed of myself that I didn't figure it out sooner.” It gave her something she hadn't felt since the Elements of Harmony had left her cleansed of her inner darkness. It gave her hope, hope for a great happiness in her future.

Luna didn't hear anything after 'figured out what that something is' though. She was too excited. She hoped that she would finally be able to fill this painful hole in her heart that she felt for so long. “Well go on Tia, tell me. What did you find out.” She just stared at her sister with a joyful smile on her face.

“What you have been missing, Luna, is a friend.”, Celestia beamed at her sister, knowing that this would help her. Instead, all she got was a look of extreme confusion from her. 'Odd, she was happy a second ago.' “What's wrong dear, aren't you happy?”

“I am..., confused dear sister. I thought I already had a friend, you.”, Luna wondered.

Celestia simply smiled. “You do dear, but I am also your sister. What I meant was you need a friend outside of me. Somepony who doesn't know you, somepony who won't be so formal around you and talk to you like you're a Princess, but as an equal, as a friend. Do you understand?”

Luna thought about that for a moment before she said, “You mean like Twilight Sparkle is to you?”

“Close, but Twilight also sees me as her mentor and teacher. But even though I am we are still equals, something she still has to learn.” 'That reminds me, I still need to break her of using those formalities around me. That girl worry’s to much about disappointing me.'

“A true friend will like you for who you are, not for the fact that you're royalty. They will treat you as any other pony. Do you see what I mean Luna?” Celestia hoped that she did because she didn't know of anything else that could help her.

Luna thought about what her sister had said. Eventually she said, “Are you sure about that Tia, most ponies are still afraid of me from before...” She almost gave up after that but Celestia wouldn't have any of that.

“Well then you'll just have to find somepony who isn't, I'm sure there's plenty out there.”, Celestia said in her usual cheery voice, she knew this would work. “You'll just have to go out and find them.” She then stood and made her way to the door.

As she did Luna asked, “What do you mean 'I'll have to find them?'” She was still slightly confused. “You want me to go out and walk amongst our subjects as if I was one of them?”

Celestia turned back to her sister and just continued to smile. “Yes, Luna dear, that's exactly what I want you to do. In fact, starting tomorrow, I want you to start mingling amongst the ponies of Equestria. Let them get to know you a little more, its the only way they will lose their fear of you. And you never know, you might find a friend sooner than you think.” With that she left Luna with her thoughts and went off to bed.

Luna didn't know what to think, she didn't know how to 'mingle' amongst other ponies as her sister had put it. She may have gotten better at her speech but that was only with her sister. She was truly lost. But she knew she had to do this. 'But, how...', she thought as she continued to stare into the night sky.

She was about to leave when she saw something in the sky out of the corner of her eye. A small twinkling blue star just below the moon. It was hardly noticeable, but to one such as Luna, who painted this sky every night, she saw it almost immediately. "That's odd, I know of every single star and speck of dust in the sky, but you, I have never seen you before. Hmm... Where did you come from?" As she spoke the star just shined a little brighter. "Interesting... Hmm, I wonder." A thought began to form in her mind, one that she considered quite funny. 'Well, I've never wished upon my own stars before, but you...' She considered this a moment more before she finally gave in. 'Why not, I mean after all, what could possibly happen.'

So she knelt down in front of the star and spoke the rhyme, the rhyme ponies have spoken when wishing upon a star since a time only she and her sister could remember.

“Star Light Star bright,
To this Star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.”

“I wish for a friend.” No sooner had she finished did the star shine ever brighter, though Luna didn't think much of it for she had already turned and left. Had she stayed back just a few seconds longer she would have seen that same star grow much brighter than before, before moving closer the Equus, splitting in two, and streaking across the night sky, only to come to a stop as it crash landed in a field a few miles from a small village comfortably nestled in the shadow of the mountaintop castle.

Author's Note

And so it begins, but is Equestria ready? But more importantly is Luna?

First fic ever so comments, critiques, and advise is welcome.

(2) Call of a Midnight Breeze

A Few Hours Earlier

“Well look who decided ta finally git out a bed. It's about time ya got up, ya lazy bum.”, my loud-mouthed roommate called over to me. I rolled over to check the clock and saw that it read 7:30 P.M. Just after sunset, my usual wake up time. I ignored him as I yawned and got up and stretched.

“What's your problem, you know I'm nocturnal. I always get up after the sun goes down.”, I sleepily replied to him. I walked over to the nearby window and looked out at the rising moon. 'Won't be long now...', I thought.

“Hey, it's no problem a mine mon. I just don't see how ya can sleep all de daylight hours away and still manage ta somehow keep a job. What do ya do out der at night anyway.”

“I've already told you before, it's just how I am. I train at night. I roam the dark streets, ducking in and out of every shadow, never seen nor heard by anyone. I do this to keep my mind sharp and my body primed for the day when-”

“When ya called back ta once again serve and protect ya Princess. I know I know, I've heard it all before Zeke.”, Reggie rudely interrupted. “I still don't believe half a what ya say, but I've seen ya in action, so I know der be some truth to it.”

“If you only knew...” I simply sighed and went about my business of getting dressed and cleaning up my half of the room. What Reggie said was true enough, he had seen me in action. In fact, if hadn't of been for me, the guy would probably be six feet under right now.

You see, Reggie's not exactly the brightest bulb in the box, if you catch my drift. He's a 5' 8” average looking Jamaican guy with a very bad habit of mouthing off to the wrong people and sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. And it's because of this habit that's caused him to get into very sticky, and sometimes awkward, situations. He was in one of these particular situations when I happened to be out on my nightly walk through the streets of Brooklyn NY. It was odd though, nobody else was out at that hour; this wasn't exactly the safest neighborhood after all. I heard a light scuffling noise coming from a nearby alleyway between two of the buildings. Normally I just right it off as the usual night time violence of the city and go on my merry way. But for some reason curiosity and instinct got the better of me that night and I decided to investigate.

Sticking to the shadows I saw three large men, one bigger than the other two, huddled around a smaller man that was leaning against the wall for support. From the expensive looking suits they wore I could tell they weren't your usual street thugs. These guys meant business. At any rate, this guy definitely looked like he could use some help.

Now say what you will about Reggie but the guy could definitely take a hit. I was surprised to see that he was still standing because from what I saw he looked like he had been through hell. He had a large cut over one eye causing his face to be half covered in blood, making it look worse than it probably was. He also had a busted lip, both of his eyes were black, and his left arm was bent at a very odd angle. He might of even had some some internal bleeding but I couldn't be sure.

When I got there the biggest of the three, who I assumed was the leader, spoke up. “Reggie, Reggie, Reggie, how many times have I told yous this. You borrow from Donny, you pay him back, and if you don't then things like this tend to happen. It's simple. Now, because I'm feeling generous tonight, I'm gonna give yous one more chance to pay up and be on your way. So, what do ya say.” The man had a very thick Brooklyn accent, not surprising considering where we were, and was very annoyed. Apparently, they had been here a while and were tired of dealing with this man.

The other two just stood there looking menacing while the big guy talked and Reggie tried his hardest to stand up straight. Reggie stared him straight in the eye, spat in his face and said with a defiant tone, “You tell Donny dat if he cares so much 'bout gitting his money back, den he can come here and git it himself, 'stead of sending his mutts out to fetch it.” The other two goons just stared at their leader, wondering how he would react. The big guy just wiped his face off and smiled an evil grin at Reggie and said, “Wrong answer.”, and then he pulled his fist back for what I knew would be an ending blow.

Now, normally I keep to myself and don't meddle in the affairs of others, but damn my protective instinct was just to strong to ignore. So right before his fist impacted Reggie's chest I shouted out, “HEY!”, my voice reverberating of the walls so they couldn't tell where I was. It startled him enough that his fist veered of course and hit the brick wall of the building, causing him to yelp in pain. I simply laughed at his pain, the acoustics causing my voice to echo in such a way that it made it sound quite threatening. At hearing this his buddy’s pulled out a couple of silenced pistols and aimed them into the dark, searching about for the source of my hollow laughter.

“Who's there?”, the big guy called out. More laughter. “Whoever you are, this is none of your business so why don't you just leave or-”

“Or what?”, I cut him off. In a dark tone of voice I said, “You'll shoot me?” I just continued to laugh at them, all the while the surrounding shadows began to grow and move towards them. “Now, the way I see it, you made it my business when you attacked this innocent man. You could have simply talked out your issues like civilized people but oh no, you just had to go and hurt him. And that just doesn't sit right with me.” The big guy then pulled out his own pistol and fired off a few shots towards me.“What was that? You think you can shoot the darkness?”, I said, laughing some more. I was having way to much fun, especially with what happened next. Ceasing the laughter I said very seriously, “Why don't you try that again?”

At a signal from their boss the other two guys fired a few shots down the alley as well. Little did they know that none of their shots ever hit me, for they were lost in the shadows. I just kept on laughing. “Ha, you see?” Then I adopted a much more serious and sinister voice. “You cannot kill the shadows!” As soon as I said, right on cue the temperature dropped several degrees as the shadows moved in and fully blinded all three of them. Once that was done I approached them slowly, drawing the blade that I kept hidden at my side.

The big guy actually had the courage to shout back and said, “You think your a big man hiding in the dark, you think you're scary, HA! Why don't you come out and face us coward?!”

“Gladly.” I smirked. All that was heard before I had my blade at his throat, was the sound of his two buddies choking on their own blood as I stabbed them in their hearts. I'll never forget the look he had in his eyes. I just smiled and ask him, “Any last words before I end your miserable existence as I did theirs?”

“What are you?”, he asked. He was shaking down to his very core; he knew what was going to happen next.

And he was utterly terrified.

“Isn't it obvious? I'm an Angel.” I then leaned in and whispered the last two words he would ever hear, “A Dark Angel.”

Then, with a quick flick of my wrist, the deed was done. The last thing he heard was the sound of sharp steel cutting its way through flesh as I cleaved my sword through his neck. As I watched his head roll away and his body fall to the ground I heard a muffled cough off to the side. I felt the shadows recede as I looked down at Reggie, the fear clear in his eyes.

“Please, don't kill me...” was all I heard before he passed into unconsciousness. I reached out to catch him before he fell and as gently as I could I picked him up and held him in my arms.

“Let's get you to a hospital friend.”, I said before I trudged back off into the night.

One hospital bill and a few visits later and the next thing you know, were roommates. You see, after talking with him I found out he was in way over his head with all kinds of wrong people. So I suggested to him that if he wanted these guys off his back and to get his life back in order that he stick with me. When he asked why I would do something like this for a guy like him I simply said, “I don't know. But anyone who can take that much of a beating and still have the gall to spit in their attackers face is okay in my book.” He just shrugged it off and laughed. People still came around to try and hassle him but a quick shadow-step here and there was all it took for them to learn their place.

That was over four months ago. Reggie's still trying to get his life together but is doing much better than before and he is quite happy. We still get the occasional mobster or what have you that comes around looking for payment of some kind or just to hassle him, but it's nothing that I can't handle.

“Ey mon, take a look at dis.”, Reggie called over, snapping me out of my reverie.

“What's up Reg.” I looked over at him to see that he had turned on the local news.

“It looks like ders gonna be a total Lunar Eclipse at midnight tonight. You're always watchin de night sky, what da you tink about dis?”

My mind barely registered a word he said after 'Lunar Eclipse'. I was too busy staring at the screen and trying to comprehend the astronomical odds of this event. Reggie was right, I watched the sky every night so I knew for a fact that this particular event should not be happening for at least another few months. Just to be sure though, I quickly ran over to a window and looked up at the sky. Sure enough, I could already see the tell-tale signs of an eclipse.

'It can't be...', I thought. 'Can it?' I dug deep into my mind looking for answers and I instantly berated myself when I found them in the form of a quiet noise, one that I had hoped to never hear again. The sound of tears being shed. My Princess was crying.

As soon as I heard that, I reawakened a part of my mind that had long since been dormant and called out with my thoughts. 'Fire Crescent, Sebastian, can you hear me?' Silence. 'For Luna's sake Fire, Sebastian, answer me!' Finally, after a good minute or so, I heard another voice in my mind, one that I was all to glad to hear.

'Breeze, is that you?', said an elderly sounding British gentleman. 'Well its about time I hear from you boy!'

'Same to you old timer.', I replied back, equally as happy to hear from him as he was from me. 'Now where is Fire at?'

'Probably lazing about as usual, but I can easily rectify that. One moment please.' I felt a current of energy being sent through the link and straight into its unwary recipient.

'OUCH!! SONOFABITCH THAT HURT!', screamed a voice that carried the accent of an Australian beach bum.

'Thank you Sebastian.'

'Of course Sir, I was only too happy to oblige.' I could feel him smirking to himself, he enjoyed doing that way to much.

'And Fire, I thought I told you to mind your language.', I said, regaining the authority in my voice.

'Nice to hear from you guys too.', said Fire, clearly annoyed at being so rudely awoken. We didn't have time for the whole reunion thing so I cut right to the chase.

'As nice as it hear to hear you guys again, there is a reason I reactivated the link.' I couldn't believe it was finally time. 'Gentlemen, the time has come for the Stars to Fall.' I could almost see the looks of surprise on their faces. 'Now, before either of you say anything, I want you to meet me at my current location. I'll explain everything when you get here. Night Protect You and Moon Guide You.' And with that, I cut the link.

“Yo Zeke, you okay mon?”, I heard Reggie calling me, pulling me back from my mind.

With a quick shake of my head I replied, “Yeah, I'm fine.”

“Ya sure? Ya kinda zoned out on me for a few minutes der .”

“Yes Reg, I'm sure. But you might want to help me clean up this place, we'll be having guests soon.

Author's Note

And enter our main character Zeke, a.k.a. Midnight Breeze. He's been waiting a long time for this moment and now that it's finally here, what will he do? What does the Lunar Eclipse have to do with anything? And what will Reggie think about all this? We shall soon see...

Ok, so, 2nd chap. was done a lot sooner than expected. How'd I do on the Jamaican accent? Does anyone think this warrants the Dark tag? Comments, criticism, and advise are welcome.

(3) Moonlight Reunion

“Guests?”, asked a very confused Reggie.

“Yes, guests. A couple of friends of mine who I haven't seen for quite a while will be here soon and I'd like to make this place look at least presentable.”, I said looking around our small, dingy apartment. It was a small 1 bedroom apartment with a decently sized living area and a tiny bathroom. Reggie had his space in the bedroom, while I had my cot set off to one side of the living room. Nothing fancy but it suited us just fine. “In fact, they'll be here within the hour so I suggest we hurry.”

As we set about cleaning up the place I noticed Reggie was being unusually quiet. I could tell by the look on his face that he was deep in thought and that was never a good thing. Nothing against him, but usually his deep thinking involved some convoluted 'get-rich-quick' scheme that landed one or both of us in hot water nearly every time. What was odd about this time though, was that he was never usually at it for this long. I decided to ask him about it, if only to break the silence.

“What's on your mind Reg?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing.”, he mumbled out.

“Come on Reggie, I know that look. What are you thinking about?”, I asked, slightly concerned for him.

“You. I mean, first ya flip out when ya hear bout da eclipse tonight, den, ya zone out on meh while mutterin who knows what under yer breath. Now you say der be friends a yours coming ta visit, who, by da way, you neva mentioned before. What's goin on mon?”

'Ah, so that's what this is about.' I trusted Reggie, but this had been a well kept secret of mine for the past year, ever since I woke up. But if I was going to tell him, I needed to know if he trusted me. After all, anything I said would be completely life altering to him. I had to know if he could handle that.

“Reggie, do you trust me?” He looked at me like I had gone crazy.

“What? A course I trust ya Zeke. You've saved my ass more times dan I can count. Hell, afta everting we been through togeta, who wouldn't trust ya?”

“You have to be sure Reggie. Because what I could tell you would change everything you ever thought you knew about the world and I'm sorry but I'm not sure if you can handle that. Now I'll ask again, do you trust me?”

“Okay, now I know ya like bein all mystical and mysterious, but I'm pretty sure der ain't nating dat ya could say dat I could't handle. So yeah mon, I trust ya.”

“All right then, I'll tell you everything. But first, I'd like you to meet my friends.”, I said, motioning toward the far living room wall. When Reggie turned to look I swear his eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise. On the other side of the room dark wisps of energy were were spreading out from the very shadows, coalescing into two human figures. One was a tall, old, pale looking gentleman with deep blue eyes and silvery gray hair who wore an expensive looking dark blue suit and carried an air of refinement about him. The other was a much younger looking man, probably in his late teens, with crimson red eyes, dark black hair with streaks of red in it, and was wearing brown cargo pants and a faded blue T-shirt, making him look a lot more relaxed than the other guy. As the two stepped out of the shadows, they took to one knee and bowed to me.

“We have arrived, Captain Breeze.”, said the older man in a heavy British accent.

“At ease guys, this isn't exactly the best time for formalities.”, I replied, motioning for them to stand up.

As they did, the older gentleman took notice that I wasn't the only one in the room with them. “Sir, why is there another person here? I thought we Stars were known for our secrecy, not for advertising ourselves to the public.”, he asked.

Ignoring him I said, “Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to my roommate Reggie. Reggie, meet my friends Sebastian and Fire Crescent.”, I said, pointing to each as I said their names.

“A pleasure to meet you sir.”, Sebastian said with a slight bow. A quick 'Hey' was all Fire said though.

Reggie didn't say anything for a minute or two and I could tell that he was very confused about all this. I was about to ask if he was all right when he turned to me and finally spoke up. “Eh, Zeke mon, can ya explain what just happened, 'cus it looked like two people just walked out of de living room wall.”

“Of course I can Reg, I did say that I would explain everything to you. Everyone please take a seat, there's a lot to be said and very little time to do so.”

Once everyone was seated I began my long explanation. “Now, time is of the essence here so I will have to leave out a few details so just bear with me. Reggie, I'm giving you one last chance to back out now, to go on about your life and forget you ever saw us.”

With his eyes deadlocked on me he gave his final reply. “Hell nah, I'm stayin brudda.”

“All right then, you asked for it. First off, my name's not Zeke, it's Midnight Breeze. I merely chose to go by that name while here because it means 'star' in one of your world's languages. Second, I, as well as my companions here, are not from your world. We come from a world hundreds of light years and galaxies away called Equis, a land of wondrous beauty and pure magic. We fell to your world a thousand years ago after we lost a great battle and were banished from our home, along with our Princess of the Night. While she was imprisoned on the moon of our world, we weren't so lucky and were launched into deep space. Luckily, our magic guided our unconscious forms to a nearby world filled with intelligent life, yours. When we landed, our magic shadowed us and protected us from being discovered by any of this worlds inhabitants. For a thousand years we slept, completely unaware of the ever changing world around us. It wasn't until two years ago that we awoke from our slumber.”

I paused to collect my thoughts and let what I had said so far sink in. But before he could interrupt me I continued. “You see, when each of us chose to stand at her side, the Princess made each of us a part of her and thus she became a part of us as well. This link we have with her is what allowed us to stay by her side, even in our imprisoned states and everyday since then we have been unconsciously storing up power and giving it to her through the link. Two years ago we Stars aided in her escape and she was finally able to return to reclaim her rightful place upon the throne. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough power and our fourth star sacrificed herself to the freedom of our Princess. We miss her terribly.” At the mention of our missing member the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees as shadows were cast upon my bothers faces. I decided to move away from what I knew was a sensitive topic with us.

“After that, what little magic we had left disguised us so we would blend in with this world's inhabitants. Since then we've simply waited for enough of our power to be restored so we can return to our world and to the cool embrace of the Night. Reggie, this is who I am and I need to know, can you handle that.” I waited patiently as he absorbed everything that I had said. I knew it was a lot to take in. But the answer he gave wasn't one I'd expected. He laughed. I figured he wouldn't believe me but laughter, that's a little much, even for him.

“Hahahaha! Ya gotta be kiddin me mon. I may have seen ya do all kinds a strange impossible tings, but if ya expect me to believe dat yas is from anoder world, den yous really are crazy.”

“Perhaps he requires some form of proof that what you say is true.” Ah Sebastian, always the logical one.

“What would you suggest?”

“Well if our entrance wasn't enough to convince him, than perhaps something more physical, like your wings.”

“Well it's about time.”, Fire cut in. “I been aching to stretch these gals since I was forced into this wingless body.”

At that the light in the room seemed to fall away from us as the surrounding shadows gathered themselves to my and Fire's backs. I could feel the magic in me swell and burst outward as my wings began to form. It felt great to have them back and I couldn't wait to feel the cool air on my face as I soared through the night sky once more. I knew Fire felt the same, except that he was probably thinking about being able to show off his acrobatic skills again. Once our wings were fully formed and the shadows had receded, Fire and I extended them outward to their full length and let Reggie get a good long look at them. We both had a pair of large leathery looking wings, but with one major difference. Fire's wings were as black as a starless night while mine were a silvery white, identical to the pale moonlight from a full moon.

After giving them a few flaps to work out any stiffness, I turned back to Reggie and asked, “Do you believe me now?” He didn't respond. Instead he just stared at my new appendages as I continued to adjust them. They a little bigger on my human body, though not by much, and it I knew it would take time for me to get used to it.

The Reggie suddenly spoke up. “Do ya mind if I touch 'em? 'Cause dis be too good ta be true and I just want ta make sure I'm not dreamin.” I was a bit apprehensive at first but all things considered it wasn't an unreasonable request.

“I suppose, but just for a minute. And please be careful, they may be tough but they're also quite sensitive.”, I said as I extended a wing toward him.

He reached out his hand and placed it, thankfully, on the topside of the wing, near the extending bone at the top where the joints connect. As he moved his hand along the top of it he said, “Okay, dis ahs got ta be da coolest ting I've eva seen. But why does it feel so scaly?”, he asked after he had removed his hand.

“That my friend, is because that despite what they may look like, they are, in fact, not bat wings. They're actually draconic.”, I said with a hint of pride in my voice. Reggie just looked completely amazed, unsure of what to make of me and my friends. “Now, I know you must have many more questions but I'm afraid that they'll have to wait. Time is of the essence and I still need to explain a few things to my companions.”

Turning my attention back to Sebastian and Fire I began to outline my plan for them. “Now I know we may not yet have the power we need, especially without her here, but there is hope. The Lunar Eclipse. I've watched the sky every night since I woke up and I know for a fact that this eclipse shouldn't be happening this soon, especially with this much energy behind it, but it is.” From the look of realization that flashed across their faces I knew they understood what I meant.

“I don't know about you guys but I miss our world and, more importantly, I miss Princess Luna and I can't bear to be away from her any longer. We're going home, TONIGHT!”

“You sure about this mate?”, Fire asked. “Don't get me wrong, I'm all for getting back to Princess as soon as possible, but I'd rather not crash and burn on the re-entry."

“Or worse, not even making it halfway there and suffocating to death as we float aimlessly through the cold darkness of deep space.”

“Stop being such a pessimist Sebastian, there's no need to worry. I'm almost positive that the eclipse will give us more than enough power to return home safely.”

Fire didn't look convinced and said as much. “Almost? That's not exactly reassuring mate.”

“We there is the little matter of timing it right, which, based on my calculations, means that we would have to leave exactly at midnight.”

“But Sir,” Sebastian said, “That would mean we have only 1 hour left!”

“Well then we need to move, now!”

“But there's too much artificial light around here that could interfere with our magic! How are we going to find a dark enough place with only 1 hour until our window closes?”

“Calm down Fire. I've roamed these streets for the past year so I've already found the perfect place, Prospect Park. I've made my way through there on my nightly walks dozens of times and I discovered a small field a little ways behind the Maryland Monument that is completely secluded and it's far enough away from the city lights so magic won't be affected.”

“Then what are we waiting for, let's get the hell off this god forsaken rock! No offense Reggie.”

“None taken me alien brudda. I know it's probably noting compared ta your world.”

“It's not that bad Reg.”, I said as we all got up to leave. “I mean sure our people are a lot nicer and there's absolutely no pollution so the water and air are as pure as can be. Add the fact that we have real magic and wow this world really can't compare. I'm so sorry Reg.”

“No worries mon. Earth may not be perfect but we make do, most of de time.”

“But what if you didn't have to just make do.”, I said, a brilliant idea forming in my mind. “What if you could start over, do something completely different with your life?”

“Well, I have always liked ta cook, especially sweets, so I guess I'd try ta become one a dem fancy professional pastry chefs. But why ya asking me dis now?”

“Come with us. You can have that life, do what you've always wanted. No more settling and just making do and especially no more mobsters hunting you down.”

“Ya serious!? Wow, I don't know what ta say. It's very temptin but I don't know...”

“Did I mention that the male to female ratio is 1 guy to every 30 women?”

“I'm in!”

“Well all right then. Equis, here we come!”

“Are you sure about this Sir, taking him I mean?”, Sebastian quietly whispered to me.

“Of course, what could happen?”

Author's Note

They're finally going home and it looks like Reggie's tagging along for the ride. But will be able to deal with this new world?

That took much longer than I hoped it would. Writing is hard, but I'm not giving up. There will be more! I'm just not sure when exactly. After this, it'll probably be once a week unless life happens. But on the bright side the chaps are slowly growing in size. I just hope I can keep it up though. Comment and criticize please!

(4) Shootings Stars and Falling Angels

While Fire and Sebastian were busy preparing for our departure I pulled Reggie aside to explain exactly how we would be returning to Equis, as well as a few important details about it. I had seen enough of Earth to know that it was far more advanced in terms of technology than Equis, but where it lacked in tech, it more than made up for it in magic and I just wanted Reggie to be prepared for the culture shock.

“So Zeke, eh I mean, Midnight, dis is all interesting, it really is, but ya still neva answered me first question.”

“Oh, and what would that be?”

“How did ya friends walk through de living room wall?!”

“Ah, that. Well the answer to that is simple. They used their magic to become one with the shadows and travel from wherever they were to here instantaneously.”

“Magic?! Ya mean like dem shows in Vegas?”

“No, Reg, not like that. I mean real magic. I thought I already told you that the world we come from is full of it.”

“Yeah I must not a heard ya. I tink I was more focused on ya being from anoder world!”

“Ah, right, one revelation at a time then. I'll put it simply then. You know all those mystical things people read about in fairy tales and mythology? Well it's true, most of it anyway.”

“Ya gotta be kiddin me, I mean der's no way magic's real.”

“Oh really, then how do you explain that.” I pointed behind him. What he saw was a hole in the wall that led only into pure darkness. Reggie was simply shocked silent. I placed a hand on his shoulder to snap him out of it and said, “Normally we'd just shadow-step our way there, but since your coming, we're going to have to use the Dark Corridor.”

“Ya not saying we gotta go through dat ting, are ya?” I could tell he was getting nervous, what with all this magic suddenly happening. It was definitely going to take some time for him to get used to it.

“Unfortunately for you, yes. Word of warning beforehand though, you might want to hold your breath.”

“Why would I need ta-”, was all he managed to say before Fire pushed him through to the other side.

I gave Fire a cold stare and said, “Was that really necessary?”

“What? We're in a rush, aren't we?”, he said as he followed Reggie through.

'This is going to be a long trip.', I mentally sighed as Sebastian and I walked through the Corridor after them.

When we came through the other side I saw Reggie huddled under a tree and shivering and breathing hard like it was the middle of winter. Not surprising, after all, the darkness of a shadows embrace can be quite chilling for those who are not accustomed to it. Knowing that it might take a few minutes to snap him out of it, I told Fire and Sebastian to start setting up our launch point while I helped him out.

“You all right there Reg?”, I asked as I knelt down next to him.

“Not cool mon. Next time gimme a little warnin' when ya gonna do someting like dat.”, he said, clearly upset at being forced through like that.

“Hey, I told you to hold your breath.” He gave me a deadpan expression before we both started to laugh. If there was one one thing I could on Reggie for it was that he could never stay mad at me for long. “So, are we cool?”, I asked.

“Yeah, mon, we cool.”, he said with a fist bump added for emphasis.

“All right then, back to what I was saying. Magic, it is real Reggie; it's one of the biggest differences between our worlds and I just want you to be prepared for that.”

“Afta what I just went tru, I believe ya. Der ain't no other explanation for dat.”

“Good, I'm glad to see that you're coming around. But there's a few other things you should know. One is that our level of technology is far less than yours. Granted, we've been gone a thousand years and that might have changed since then, but I doubt it would that much.”

“How much less are talkin here?”

“Comparatively, we were about at the level of the Renaissance era of your world. But as I said, it's probably a little more than that by now.”

“Huh, well dat will definitely take some getting used to. But if dat's true, den how do ya plan on getting back widout a spaceship? Cause if your tech is dat low, den I'm guessin ya don't have much in da way of electronics.”

I nearly burst out laughing when he said this, I thought he would have figured it out by now. “You still don't get it do you Reg? Even though we're from another world, we're not some great scientifically advanced race like you see in those scifi shows you watch. Our world is one of fantasy, where nothing is impossible. Example, instead of the planet moving around the sun, the sun and moon move around the planet. And they don't even move on their own; the Princesses move them with magic.”

When I said this his jaw nearly unhinged itself in shock. “Now dat I would have ta see ta believe cause der's no way dat's possible.”

“Reggie, on Equis, everything is possible and all forms of what you would consider myths walk the world everyday. Go on, ask me about anything you consider fantasy or mythological and I'll tell you if it's real or not.”

“Your on.”, he said as he began to think. While was trying to come up with his first questions I looked up to the moon to see that it was almost in position. From what I could tell, we had about 30 minutes left. Soon we would be reunited with our Princess.

“All right I tink I got a few. First, do dragons exist?”

“Yes, in fact, they've got their own country, though quite a few roam all over.”

“Is dat safe?” I saw a look of worry cross his face.

“Don't worry to much about them. Their very intelligent and won't bother you unless you enter their territory.”

“All right den, dragons are real. What about tings like vampires and werewolves?”

I did burst out laughing at that. “Hahaha!!! Ok now that's a little too fantastical, even for Equis, so no, your not going to find anything like that there.”

“Well dat's a bit of a relief. Well what about pegasi and unicorns?”

“Yes and yes.”

“Griffons?”

“Yep, got their own kingdom too.”

“Minotaurs?”

“Same as the Griff's.”

“Cockatrice and basilisk?”

“Yep, both deadly and very annoying, though at least the cockatrice isn't poisonous like it's cousin.”

“Manticores?”

“Yes, so watch out for the tail, their poison works fast.”

“Hydras?”

“Unfortunately; make sure to avoid the swamps.”

“Seriously, okay Equis is actually starting ta sound pretty dangerous if it has all dose tings in it.” Well that was a first, he actually looked genuinely scared. Normally he's not afraid of anything, but by look in his eyes I could tell he was completely terrified; so I did what I could to reassure him.

“Only if you travel to far out into the wild lands. The rest of the world is quite safe though, I assure you. Hell, the average life expectancy is around 100, as long as you don't do anything stupid like purposely enter a dragons cave.”

“...Anyting else I should know about, like for instance, mermaids and sea serpents?”

“Yes on the sea serpents and maybe on the mermaids. They're as much legend to us as they are to you. Other than that, there's nomadic Naga that inhabit the desert regions, wolves made of magical wood in some forests, and a gem loving species of canine called Diamond Dogs that share the mountains with the griffons. Of course those are just the most populace ones. There's untold amounts of magic on Equis in many shapes and forms so there's no telling what you could come across.”

“Uh huh... What about humans, ya neva mentioned dem.”

And there's the question I'd hoped he wouldn't ask. I did not want to be the one to tell him this. “No, I didn't. That's because the only thing close to human or humanoid in form are the monkeys of the tropical jungles. So if you came with us, you'd be the only one.”

At this point one would expected a bit of sadness from him, but instead, he asked about me and my friends. “But if dat's true, den what are you, what are dey? Minus da wings ya look pretty human ta me.”

“As I said earlier, we look this way because our magic disguised us so we would blend in. Our true forms are much different.”

I looked to the moon once more saw we only had 15 minutes left before our window of opportunity closes, so I stood up and motioned for Reggie to follow me. “Any more talk of our world will have to wait till we've fell. There's not much time left and I still need to add my part to the spell.” I turned to Reggie and with a deadly serious tone that he never saw and said, “If your coming with us then we have to make sure you're stabilized within the spell with us. So, I need you to stand by my side and do exactly as I say, no questions asked, understood?”

For a moment, it appeared that he had changed his mind and would turn and leave us. But that moment was short lived as he steeled his gazed toward me and nodded in affirmation.

“Good.”, I smiled at him. “Let's go home.”

Reggie and I walked up to join Sebastian and Fire around the spell diagram they had constructed and I began to add my own power to it. True to his word, Reggie stayed silent, even when the circle began to glow with an eerie black light. The plan was simple, but risky, especially without our main magic user to help focus the spell, but it was our only way back home so we had to at least try. I could only hope that the Lunar Eclipse would provide us with the boost we needed.

First, Sebastian formed the shadows and the surrounding darkness into the diagram. Then, all three of us poured all of the magical energy we'd been storing up for the past year into the spell. After that, all we could do was wait for the darkness of the eclipse to reach its fullest and with less then 5 minutes left, it wouldn't be a long one.

At this time, I decided to give Reggie one last chance to back out, though already knowing what his answer would be. “Last chance Reg, you can leave right now and forget ever meeting us, or stay your course and follow us to a whole new world. Your choice.”

He looked me right in the eye and stated with a confidence I didn't know he had, “I've made me peace wid me past, and I'm ready ta leave it all behind. No more getting chased and hassled by mobsters and thugs. From here on out, it's goodbye street life and hello sweet life!”

“In that case,” I smirked and held out a hand to him. “Hold on tight, it's going to be a bumpy ride.”

We all took hold of each other's hands and looked toward the moon as the eclipse peaked and the magic of the heavenly body poured down on us. The wind began to blow, softly at first, but slowly gaining in force. I saw the shadows swirling around us, swallowing up every bit of light that dared to pierce the darkness until everything around us was pitch black. I could hear the hum of energy in the air and feel the magic flowing through me. I knew the others were feeling this too, but I was worried with how Reggie would react to all this.

I chanced a quick glance toward him and saw, to my surprise, that he wasn't panicking. Instead, he looked like he was enjoying himself. I couldn't help smile at this, he was taking to all of this much better than I thought he would.

The wind started to pick up as we were slowly lifted into the air. It was time. “All right Angels,” I shouted over the howling wind. “Let's fly!" And within the blink of an eye, we shot off into the night sky.

To anyone on the planet below watching the sky that night, it would seem as if a comet had decided that that was the perfect time to fly by the moon on its way through space. To us, once we broke the atmosphere and were surrounded by the ever expansive dark of space, our shadow magic got the biggest boost it ever had and we hurtled through space faster than light. The only thought on all our minds at the time, however, was her. Soon we would be home and soon we would be reunited with her. 'Hold on Luna, I'm on my way.'

As we got closer to Equis the spell slowed us down so we wouldn't miss our target. Flying faster than the speed of light through space on magic that's powered by darkness, it's no wonder we got there within an hour. We were approaching orbit when we heard it, Luna's cry’s. Even Reggie heard it, not surprising, considering he was connected to our magic.

“What was dat?”, he thought out loud.

“That my oddly accented friend, would be the sound of our Princess in tears.”, Sebastian replied.

“What da hell?!”

“Calm down Reggie. There's no time to explain but yes, we can hear your thoughts and you ours and yes, that is indeed the Princess crying. Fire, Sebastian, I'm sorry I'm going to have to do this but I need you two to look after Reggie.”

“What do you think you're doing Breeze?!”, Fire shouted as I removed myself from the group and pushed Reggie between them.

“Quelling our Princess's cry's.” With that, I broke away from them, gave a forceful flap of my wings, and sped toward home, toward Luna. Had I been thinking straight at the time, I would have realized that this was not a good idea as it didn't leave me any room for course correction. Something Sebastian realized all to soon.

“That idiot, he's going to get himself killed for her one of these days.”

“What just happened?”, Reggie asked.

“Our leader let his emotions get the better of him, again, and he took off without thinking to change his course first. He'll be lucky if he crashes within a hundred miles of Luna, much less the right country.”

“Wait, crashes?! Ya mean he's not gonna be able ta even land right?”, asked a very worried Reggie. “We gotta go afta him!”

“Oh we will, but first we have to land ourselves.”

“How, de same way we took off?"

“Not exactly.”, Sebastian smirked. “Tell me Reggie, do you know another name for an angel of darkness?”

Reggie thought about that as they slowed their decent and altered their course. “Hmm... A fallen angel?”, he asked. Sebastian and Fire pointed down and when Reggie looked his eyes nearly bulged right out of his head. “Ya can't be serious!”, he freaked.

“Oh, but we are.”, Sebastian simply stated.

“Hold onto yours butts,” Fire cackled. “It's gonna be rough landing!”

Reggie didn't even have time to scream before the trio followed me and plummeted straight toward Equis. However, unbeknownst to them, they would not meet me upon their landing, because when they did, I would already be long gone.

You see, I had accidentally flown faster than intended and ended up crashing sooner than expected. After I picked myself up from the crater I formed on impact, I checked myself over to make sure I didn't injure anything vital. 'Thank Luna for magical protection, that would've definitely hurt otherwise.', I thought to myself.

Seeing that the landing didn't do anything more than a few scrapes and bruises I started examining my surroundings and opened up my mind to try and find Princess Luna. I had landed in a field that ran between a large forest and a small town. Unfortunately I was a bit too close to the town as it appeared that my landing had awoken some of its residents.

“Not good. I need to get out a here before anypony sees me.” *DING* It was at that moment my senses finally kicked back in and I discovered Luna's whereabouts. “Huh, perfect timing. Now let me see, hmm...”, I thought out loud. “It looks I'll be flying there.” With that I unfurled my wings and took off toward a tall mountain in the distance with a large castle protruding from the side. “Don't worry Princess, your Angels have returned.”

Author's Note

They finally made it. But how will the ponies react to them? How will Reggie cope with being the only human in a magical world full of things he though were mere myth? But most importantly, what will happen to Luna now that they have returned? All I'm going to say is that next time, there will be confusion, laughter, and explanations aplenty.

Whew! Finally done. After that horrid first chap of my 2nd story, I didn't think I would ever get this one done. But here it is and it's the longest one yet! Now that I've gotten this far things should speed up a bit story wise and I'll try to update more often as well. Comments and criticism is always welcome!

(5) Midnight Falls

You know, in hindsight, flying off without them probably wasn't the smartest thing to do at the time. At least then I'd have had some backup. But as it was I was too focused on one thing to think clearly and tactically, reuniting with my Princess. I had been away from her side for far to long and my heart ached to be near her once more, even if she was a Nightmare...

So, needless to say, I had my worries about her and seeing the sun coming up over the horizon did not help to alleviate them. If the sun was rising then that meant only one thing, that she had failed and Celestia was still in control. My mind raced with the possibilities of what could have happened to her when she returned. She had plenty of power, she should have succeeded; so why was dawn approaching?

In the back of my mind there was still the small spark of hope that they had reconciled their differences and things had gone back to the way they were before. But after what happened during their last fight, the one where we were banished, I knew there would be no compromising. I had to find her; I had to make sure she was okay. It was my job to protect her and I wouldn't fail her again.

Lost in my thoughts as I was I arrived at the castle sooner than expected. Luck was on my side this morning as the sun was only about halfway risen and Celestia was to distracted with her magic to notice my descent into the city that was built around the castle. Also lucky for me was the fact that there weren't many ponies out and about this early and there was just enough shadow left for me to sneak through the whole city undetected. I would have flown straight to the castle but I would have spotted by the many guards she had patrolling the area. I may have been in a rush, but I wasn't stupid.

When I reached the castle gates I was just in time for the guard rotations as the night shift left and made way for the morning shift. As I stealthily made my way through the gates and on to the castle grounds I thought I saw something odd about those night guards. There armor appeared to be a lot darker in color than those that came for the morning shift. I just pushed that thought away as a trick of the light or some such and moved on, I couldn't let anything distract me; I had to remain focused on the task at hand.

I carefully made my way around the castle looking for a side entrance and found myself in the Royal Gardens. Many bright and beautiful flowers of all colors and sizes dotted the area and a large hedge maze could be seen over on one side. There was also quite a few different statues placed here and there as well that added to the overall beauty of the garden, though I knew better.

Still, it was a fine garden, one that Celestia obviously took great care in maintaining. Any lesser being might have taken the time to release a bit of the rage they held for her by destroying this beauty, but I wasn't any lesser being. I was a highly trained member of Princess Luna's Elite Royal Guard and acted as such. Besides, Celestia would get what was coming to her soon enough.

After making sure that I hadn't been spotted during my musings I made my way to a nearby window and peered inside. I spotted a few more guards as well as a pony in a chefs hat leave what I assumed was the kitchen, no doubt finished with this mornings breakfast. Based on what I knew about the old castle layout and what I had seen of this one, I figured Celestia had built this one in a similar manner.

“Okay, if the kitchen is there then the dining area would be one room over and that means the throne room should be right about... There!”, I thought out loud as I noticed a large oaken double door set into the wall further down the hall. “Hah, nice job Cely, this will make things much easier.”

Once I had determined the location of the throne room I looked toward the sky. The sun was well over the horizon now and no doubt Celestia was just about to start morning court. “Perfect.”, I whispered to myself. “And with no pegasi guards around for the moment, this will be a piece of cake.” I quietly unfurled my wings and flew to the roof, right above the throne room. When I landed I looked around for right spot to make my entrance. The time for stealth was over; I had to show her I meant business and if that meant destroying a bit of her precious castle then so be it.

When I found the spot I was looking for, a small and hardly noticeable cinch in the roofing, I withdrew my sword. Our trip back had drained us of most of our energy but I had enough left for one last thing. I summoned all the willpower, magic, and strength I had left and raised my sword high above me. “FOR LUNA!”, I cried out as my blade was caught afire and shone in a bluish, pale white light. I knew I had called attention to myself as I heard the screams of dozens of guards, but I didn't give them a chance as I plunged my sword straight down into the roof.

Celestia meanwhile, was in the middle of holding morning court and was currently arguing with a few nobles about taxes or some such. It was the same thing everyday. The nobles come to complain, she argues against them, they yell, she shows them where they're wrong, and they leave. That went on for hours until lunch, then she would hear everypony else's problems till dinner. For once she wished that something would happen to interrupt her boring morning.

She got her wish when she heard the shouts of her guards form outside and saw the ceiling of her throne room explode and collapse a few feet from her. The nobles standing underneath the explosion barely had time react as a few guards managed to pull them out of the way before the rubble fell on them. Once the dust had cleared Celestia looked out on her destroyed throne room and saw what had caused the destruction.

In the center of the debris I stood knelt over my sword as a circle of ghostly blue flame surrounded me and cover my blade. After she got over her shock she screamed, “Who are you?! Who dares to attack Canterlot Castle?!” I simply laughed at her as I slowly rose to my full height and raised my sword. All the nearby guards had overcome their own shock and had quickly drawn their weapons and surrounded me, but when they heard me laugh, I saw a small glint of fear in their eyes.

'Hah, how pathetic. They don't even know the meaning of the word Fear, but they will soon.' I stretched out my remaining magic and slowly pulled in all the surrounding shadows as I began to speak with Celestia.

“Good morning Cely, been awhile hasn't it.”, I spoke with as sickly sweet a voice as I could muster. I wanted her to feel the venom in my words.

“Who are you stranger? What are you? Why have done this?”, she asked, clearly confused as to how I knew her.

“Oh my apologies Cely. I know you don't recognize me like this, but I recognize you. You've hardly changed a bit since I last saw you, though the new mane colors are a nice touch.”

“How is it you know me? I've never seen you before in my entire life.”

“Oh come now Cely, this is really getting old. Think back about a thousand years to a certain night. You remember, don't you? The night your sister decided she had had enough of your ignorance. The night when she refused to lower her Moon. The night when you banished you own sister to a thousand years of loneliness and solitude!”

As my emotions ran high the shadows stared to close in around us, even blocking out the light from the hole in the ceiling. The fires died down and a chilly breeze stared to blow as I started slowly walking toward her. The guards tried to stop me but with a quick wave of my hand the shadows covered their eyes and blinded them. While they stumbled around screaming in confusion and fear I stood before Celestia at equal height and stared her down.

“Surely you remember me now, or are the shadows and the cold wind not enough to remind you of that night?”

She stared right into my eyes with nary a hint of emotion, she knew who I was. “You know, at first I thought you to be someone entirely different, but then I remembered that no one could cause a breeze as chilling as yours. That, and the fact that no one ever dares to call me 'Cely' except for you.” She spoke with a calm and clear voice, one perfectly fitted to her role as ruler, but I could tell she was trying her hardest not to simply blast me right there. “Welcome back, Midnight Breeze. I wondered what became of you after that night.”

“Well give the girl a prize, she finally got it. Took you long enough though didn't it?” I spoke in a mocking tone and gave a slow clap of my hands as I took a step back before I continued. “As for where I've been these past thousand years, well let's just say that you didn't just banish her. As we stood loyal by her side until the very end, so too were we banished. She in her Moon and us to the stars. We landed on a small planet much like Equis galaxies away and fell into a deep sleep until the time came for us aid our Princess in her escape.”

Celestia looked shocked as I said this. I merely laughed at her as I watched her guards continue to stumble around in the darkness. What they were seeing only they knew; most likely a nightmarish construct of some sort. The Dark can create fears of many kinds after all. When she finally spoke she asked, “How could you have done anything if you were so far away?”

“Oh my dear small minded Cely, did you think the 'stars' that were mentioned in the prophecy of her return were merely metaphor? Well, they weren't. They were us, The Angels of Darkness. And We have returned to rejoin our glorious Princess in her wondrous night.” I took a stance a few feet from her and raised my sword. “So, I'll only ask this once and you had better tell me what I want to hear or else. Where is she?”

The flames reignited in my blade as held it high in preparation to fight. We both knew that I would fight tooth and nail for my Princess's safety and if she said something I didn't want to hear, then she would have one hell of a fight on her hooves. After another minute or two of staring each other down I saw a glint of smugness in her eyes as she smiled and said, “Well I'm sorry to disappoint you Midnight, but the Nightmare is no more.”

Her words were confusing to say the least, but before I could comprehend them I heard a shout from across the room. “Sister, is everything all right?! I heard an explosion and-” Luna cut herself off with a gasp when she saw the current state of the throne room. “What happened in here? Why is there a hole in the ceiling? What's wrong with the guards?” Then she saw me, and I her. “YOU!”, she screamed, her eyes narrowed down on me. “Who are you? Is this your doing?”

I couldn't move, couldn't breath, I couldn't even think. It was her, my Princess Luna. It was then that Celestia's words made perfect sense. She was no longer a Nightmare, instead she was the beautiful and powerful Princess of the Night that I knew her to be.

She was just as I remembered her. Her mane, dark blue and flowing, cascaded over her shoulders like a conflagration of black and blue fire being blown to the side. Her hooves were long and slender, just like her body. Her regalia was as black as the night sky she ruled over. Her gorgeous aqua blue eyes could calm even the most violent of beasts and at the same time stare a hydra into submission. She had large vibrant blue wings and a perfectly sculpted slender horn to match. A crescent moon on a patch of black sky as her cutie mark and the sparkling stardust in her mane and tail left no doubt in my mind that this was indeed the real Princess Luna.

“I asked you a question and I expect an answer. WHO ARE YOU AND IS THIS YOUR DOING?”, she asked again, this time using her Royal voice. That was enough to snap me out of my trance as I cast aside my no longer burning sword, relinquished my hold on the shadows, allowing the guards to see again, and fell to my knees at her hooves. This thoroughly confused her and I can see why. I pointed my sword at her sister yet I bow to her, anyone would see that as bizarre.

I was overjoyed at seeing her for the first time in a millennium and I could barely hold back my tears from it, but I held strong as I addressed her. “Milady Luna, you have no idea how wonderful it is to see you again. Please have my most humble apologies for the mess. I was merely trying to find you and when I returned to see the sunrise I feared the worst had befallen you after your escape from the Moon so I might have over reacted a bit.”

Luna looked at me like I was crazy. “I'm confused. You raise your sword at my sister yet bow to me and you talk as if we know each other. I have never seen you before in my life. Explain yourself at once!”

She was starting to get very angry and that was never a good thing. “Of course Milady. Your sister said much the same when she saw me and I know you don't recognize me in this form, but it's me, Midnight Breeze; your most loyal servant and leader of your Elite Guard. Milady, the Angels have returned, just as we said we would.”

She looked toward Celestia for conformation on what I said, but I couldn't tell if she gave it for I was still facing Luna. When she looked beck to me all the anger and confusion had left her face. In their place was guilt and sorrow, but before I could ask about it Luna said, “I'm sorry sir, but I know not who you are.”

I could feel my heart sink when she said those words. How could she not remember me, remember us. This did not bode well for the Angels. She snapped me out of my thoughts as she continued to speak. “My memory of my time as a Nightmare is quite fuzzy and though you seem familiar, I can not place why. You say you are the leader of my Elite Guard, but you do not look like anything we have ever seen in Equestria before, or even anywhere on Equis.”

'Memory loss? Well that would explain it. But what could have caused it? And while I'm thinking about it, what brought her back from the Nightmare in the first place?' I decided that now would be a good time to explain things to both princesses. But before I could, Celestia spoke up. “Perhaps it would be better to have this conversation somewhere more private. Guards, have a repair team clean up this rubble and fix that hole. Luna, Midnight, follow me.” With that we all left the throne and made our way toward what I assumed was Celestia's private study. It definitely looked it, the colors all bright and warm like her sun.

Celestia and Luna took a seat on a couch set to one side of the room and I on one directly across from them. “Now,” Luna began. “You were about to explain to us who and what exactly you are. And who are these angels you speak of as well?”

“Of course Milady. You see this body, known as a 'human', is merely an illusion my shadow magic wrapped me in to allow me to blend in on the planet the Angels landed on after our banishment. I normally look like a normal pony, with a few exceptions. As for the Angels, that is the name you gave to the most talented and elite of your guard, The Angels of Darkness.”

“Hmm, that does sound like a name I would use. But you mentioned that you were banished, correct? Whatever did you do to incur such a punishment?”, Luna asked.

'It seems she really doesn't remember. I guess I'll have to fix that.' And so I began my lengthy explanation to try and jog her memory. “I stood loyal by your side Princess, as did the rest of the Angels. On the night the Moon stood still, when all others left you in favor of your sister, we remained loyal to you and the Night.”

“Why? I was an awful, horrible creature who tried to make the night last forever. Had I succeeded the whole of Equestria would have suffered. Why would you stand by me only to be banished as well?” She was clearly shocked that we would do such a thing, even if it meant being banished to the stars. So I decided to remind her off the Angels origin, if a bit forcefully.

“Because we swore an oath to you!” Okay so I was more than a bit forceful. I couldn't help it, I finally snapped. Here I was after a thousand years of being away from her and she doesn't remember me?! I tried my best to restrain myself but my emotions just got the better of me. “We swore to serve you and the Night for as long as we lived. Please Princess, you've got to remember. That night all those years ago, when I swore my life to you at night's darkest hour, under the light of the full moon, you told me that as long as I follow the Moon, I shall always find sanctuary in the night.” I calmed down as best I could and chanced a look toward the two of them. Celestia was as calm and quiet as ever while Luna's face was a mixture of confusion and sorrow.

Once I had taken a few calming breaths I continued. “On that night you imparted some of your knowledge and magic on me, the same as you did with all the other Angels. In doing so you created a magical link between us that strengthened our already powerful bond. See for yourself, the magic that ties us together is still strong as is the power you gave me.”

With a little nudging from Celestia Luna ignited her horn in her soft magical glow and pointed it at my chest. I felt the tingling sensation of magic run over me as she felt for the link and a gentle tugging on my heart when she found it. I heard her gasp as she stopped her magic and the tears I saw in her eyes told me that she finally remembered.

I stood from my seat and knelt before her. “My Princess Luna, I swore my life and loyalty to you and only you as a member of the Angels of Darkness. To this day I stand by that oath and I will continue to stand by your side until you see fit to dismiss me, though I hope I never give you reason to do so.” With these last words I remained silent, awaiting her response.

It wasn't long before I got it either. “My Midnight Breeze, could it really be you?”

I looked up to see her struggling to hold back her tears and that Celestia was smiling, clearly happy for her sister. “Yes Luna, you know it is.”, I replied, starting to get equally emotional. “I'm finally back at your side where I belong.”

“Breezy!”, she cried as she swept me up in a massive hug, her tears flowing freely now. That was something I really didn't expect considering she hadn't called me that since I was a foal. “My young Breezy, oh how I've missed you so.”

“I've missed you to my Princess.”, I said, eagerly returning the hug.

“I'm glad your back; I've been so lonely as of late.”, she said as she released me from her embrace.

“I know, we heard your cries last night and came together to try and get back home.”, I said while wiping away her remaining tears. “It wasn't easy but we managed somehow. Unfortunately be used up nearly all of our power to get hear and I wasted the rest of mine on my entrance so we're going to be a bit drained for a while.”

“You always were one for the dramatic.”, she giggled. Oh how good it felt to hear her laugh again. “But wait, you said last night, correct?” I nodded. “Then that unusual star I saw last night was you?”

“Most likely.” Though I didn't know then what exactly she meant.

She quietly muttered something to herself before addressing me again. “Well I'm just glad to have you back, but now that you are, why aren't you back in your normal body.”

“Yeah about that, you see it would appear that that particular spell has a lock on it that prevents me from returning to my real body. My guess is that it's a safety measure that was put in place to prevent anyone back on Earth, the planet where we landed, from discovering what we looked like.”

“Why would that be needed?”

“Because that planet had no natural magic and beings like unicorns and pegasi were mere myth. Seeing one walking down the street would have caused quite the uproar. But I wouldn't worry to much about it. I'm no unicorn but I think it'll wear off on it's own eventually.”

Just then Celestia decided to speak up. “Hmm, a planet entirely without magic, how interesting.”

“Oh Sister I'm so sorry, I nearly forgot you were here as well.”

“It's quite all right Luna dear.”, Celestia laughed. “I was perfectly content to wait while you two got reacquainted, though I would love to know more about this 'Earth'.”

“I think I'll let Reggie handle that one Cely.” And that's when it finally hit me. “Oh no, Reggie! How could I forget about him?!”, I screamed, mentally berating myself just leaving him.

Celestia and Luna just stared at me. “Uh, Midnight, who is this 'Reggie'?”, Celestia asked.

“Reggie's... complicated, to say the least. He was someone whom I had the pleasure of meeting during my last year on Earth.” So I told them all about Reggie and how we met, how I had saved his life and he offered me a place to stay as thanks, and all about our little misadventures up till now.

“Normally I wouldn't have bothered but something told me to go ahead and we've been friends ever since. And after what happened last night and I explained who I was to him, I offered him the choice to come with us. He eagerly accepted, more than happy to leave his old life behind and start fresh. I'm sure you can see why.”

“Indeed and from what you have said about him he definitely seems to want to turn his life around.”, Celestia commented. “I'm sure he'll fit right in here in Equestria.”

“You did mention to him about our world beforehoof and that he would be the only human on the planet.”, Luna added.

“Yes I did. We had a long talk about what he should expect, though he might still be a bit shocked.”

“Where is he now?”, Luna asked. “We need to find him before ponies start panicking over an alien visitor?”

“I told the others to look after him when I split off from them. They shouldn't have landed to far from where I did either.”

“When and where was that exactly?”

“Early this morning, before sunrise, just outside of a small town a few miles from the base of this mountain, why?”

Both their of eyes went wide as they simultaneously face-hoofed. “Oh dear, in that case we had better hurry. I'll write Twilight a letter to let her know we're on our way.” Celestia said as she stood up and walked over behind her desk.

“Good idea Sister, I'll take Midnight and go prepare a carriage. Let's go.”

Now it was my turned to be the confused one. “Did I miss something? Because you two seem unusually worried.”, I asked as I followed Luna out the door.

Luna gave me a very worried look and said, “Let's just say that you picked a very bad spot to crash land.” With that she broke into a trot down the hall to where I assumed the chariot hanger was. I simply resigned to trust her and that I would find out what she meant soon enough. I just hoped that Reggie wasn't getting himself into any trouble.

Author's Note

So the Angels make back home and Midnight is finally reunited with Luna. But what is their relationship with each other exactly? What became of Reggie and the others Angels? Will Reggie be able to handle these women? More importantly, will he be able to deal with Pinkie? Probably not.

My apologies for the lateness but at over 4 thousand words I do hope I can make up for it. Next time we see what took place in Ponyville while Midnight was with the Sisters. Enjoy yourselves friends, don't be afraid to comment and criticize.

(6) Crash Landing

“We are so screwed right now.”

Yeah, I should have known better than to assume that. I mean Reggie isn't exactly known for keeping his nose clean. Credit to him though, this time it wasn't his fault. He was stuck with Sebastian and Fire after all so it's not like he had much of a choice but to follow when they crash landed after me. From what he told me though, it wasn't so much the landing itself that was the trouble, but rather where they landed.

Now normally landing in a grove of trees and displacing a few of them in the process would be a good thing, considering it helps to cushion the landing. But in this case this particular grove was part of a much larger orchard, one that happened to belong to a certain mare who is, shall we say, quite protective of her property. To say that they were screwed was a bit of an understatement.

But perhaps I should back up to where I left them. I believe the last they heard before I took off was 'Look out for Reggie.' Heh, easier said than done...

“AAHHHHHHH!!!!!”, Reggie screamed as he, Fire, and Sebastian fell through the atmosphere. While he clearly wasn't enjoying himself, Sebastian was as calm as ever and Fire was clearly very happy to be back in the sky again, though he would be happier if it wasn't for poor Reggie.

“Oi, quick ya screaming would ya, I'm trying to enjoy myself here.

“WHAT? How are you not freakin' out?! 'Cause in case ya didn't notice, we're fallin' ta our deaths here!”, shouted Reggie.

Sebastian chose that moment to speak up and try and calm Reggie down. “Please try and relax. I assure you that you're safe and in very capable hands. There is no need to worry about falling to your death as we've done this many times before; it's how we make our entrances. Now if you would please calm yourself and cease your shouting, your starting to give me a migraine.”

“Yah both completely nuts! How is falling through de sky like dis safe?!”

“Because magic ya bleedin' idiot, now stuff it!”

“Fire, there's no reason for that kind of language. And to answer your question, yes Reggie, the magic barrier around us will protect us from the fall and the impact with the ground.

Reggie thought about this for a minute as they rapidly approached the ground. “So yah sure we'll be perfectly safe?"

Trust me, the only problems you'll possibly have are some slight nausea and a bit of disorientation after landing." Reggie's sigh of relief was quickly cut off. “Well not unless we crash into a mountain side or land in the ocean, but other than that we should be just fine.”

“...That's not really all dat comforting...”

“Good.”, Sebastian smiled. “Now brace yourself, were about to land and its looks like it might be a bit bumpy.”

And by a 'bit bumpy' he meant 'extremely rough'. Though all things considered it could have been a lot worse. At first they skimmed the tops of a few trees and when it looked like they would clear the whole orchard, they curved straight down. They ended up crashing straight through an entire line of them at the end of the orchard before coming to a complete stop at the end of the 30 foot long trench they'd dug.

Once the dust had cleared they were able to stand up and checked themselves over. Seeing that none of them had suffered any injuries Sebastian spoke up first.

“Well, I think that went quite well don't you?”, he asked toward Reggie.

“Yeah no, ow...”, he wearily replied as he stretched himself out. “Ok, new rule. Neva fly again! Ow, damn it Sebastian I thought you said dat wouldn't hurt.”

“Yes it appears that I might have slightly exaggerated the safety of the barrier, sorry.”, he smiled sheepishly.

“Ah quit your whining, at least you can walk away. And in my book, any landing you can walk away from is a good landing, no matter how big the crater is.”

“Speaking of de landing, where did we crash anyway?”, Reggie asked to them both.

“Well if all of these apples around here are any indicator then I'd say we landed on an apple farm.”, Sebastian replied, motioning to the apples that lay scattered among the fallen trees.

“Sweet! I'm so hungry, I could eat the arse end out of a low flying duck.”, cried Fire as he began to eat his fill of the red fruit. Reggie and Sebastian however just stared at him. “What?”, he asked with a mouthful of apple.

“Fire... Just where have you been these past two years that you pick up such... colorful mannerisms...?”

Fire took a few more bites of his apple.“Australia.”, small bits shooting from his mouth as he answered.

“...That makes almost too much sense. Still, at least that answers the question of the new accent. Though nothing else seems to have changed.”, he said while brushing a piece of apple off his suit.

“What about you? Besides from your accent, you don't seem to have changed much from that prim 'n' proper way you were before either. Where have you been hiding out?”, Fire asked.

Sebastian smiled smugly and replied, “Well while you've been lazing about on the beach these past years, I've been working for a nice, wealthy gentleman and his family in London.”

“Um guys, you might want ta save dis chat for later.”

“Whys that?”, they both asked.

“What in the name of Celestia happened ta mah apple trees!?!”

“Dat's why...”

The trio looked off in the direction they heard the scream from and saw two figures rapidly approaching them, though they were still too far away to make out who or what they were.

Which brings us right back to, “We are so screwed right now.”

“How ya figure Reggie?”, Fire asked, apparently done with his impromptu meal.

“Well first off, it's very early in di morning and if Sebastian is right and we crashed landed on some kind of farm, then dem people heading our way is likely da farmers. And if farmers on dis world are anything like di ones back on Earth, den de be very protective of deir land. Now, seeing as how we just destroyed some of deir trees, it be my conclusion dat they're gonna be mighty pissed bout it.”

“Humph, impressive deduction. How did you figure this out so quickly?”, Sebastian asked, now quite curious about Reggie.

“I been in an' around enough trouble to know when it's near, an by da looks of things, there's eh shit storm of trouble brewing an we're stuck right in de middle of it.”

“Not if we run while we still can!”, Fire shouted as he prepared to fly off.

“And make things worse for ourselves, I don't think so.”, Sebastian said as he pulled Fire back to the ground. “I'm sure that once we explain what happened and that our landing here was an accident and out of our control everything will be fine.”

“Yeah right, I'm so sure. You know how stubborn Earth ponies can be, especially when it comes to their farmland. Besides, in case you haven't noticed, the sun's up, 'n' personally I find that to be a very bad sign.”, Fire replied, clearly eager to start running away.

Sebastian was about to reply with some witty retort but found the he couldn't find fault in Fire's logic. If the moon wasn't in the sky that could mean great trouble for them. So instead he simply sighed and said, “As much as it pains me to admit it, you're right. We have to get out of here and find someplace to hide while we wait for the Captain.”

“Hide, why would we have ta do that? Since when is de sun being up a bad ting? What are you guys talkin' about?”, Reggie asked.

“There isn't enough time to explain. We have to leave, now!”

“What happened to explainin' ourselves? Ya can't just run off like dat.”

“Like HELL we can't!”, Fire shouted as he flew up. “You can stay if you want but I am NOT gonna get thrown into some dungeon after I just got back. You with me Sebastian?”

“Reggie you have to come with us. The Captain told us to look out for you and that is exactly what we are going to do.”, Sebastian pleaded.

Reggie looked down and thought to himself for a moment before looking back at Sebastian and Fire and saying, “Nah mon, I be fine on mi own. You guys go on ahead, I'll hang back an take di heat fah dis one.”

“Fine by me, I'm out of here!”, Fire said as he took off toward a forest near the edge of the orchard.

“I'd rather not leave you here, but if that is your choice, then I will accept it.” Sebastian looked thoughtfully at him for a moment before saying, “I'm sorry.” He then turned and ran off into the woods after Fire leaving Reggie alone to greet the locals.

Reggie's POV

As I watched them take off I thought to myself, 'I know I shoulda probably went wid dem, but if I'm a gonna turn me life around, then I'd best start now. An dat means fessin' up an no more runnin' away.' “Sweet Celestia, it's worse than I thought!”, I heard that same voice from earlier say, now much closer than before. 'But dat don't mean I can't still have a little fun wid dem.' I thought with a small grin as I quickly laid down and pretended to be unconscious. 'If what Breeze said bout dis world is true then I should be completely safe as long as I get a chance to explain myself.' “Hey AJ, it looks like there's something down there!”, another voice shouted. 'Let's hope dis works.'

I kept as still as I could when I heard footsteps in the crater next to me, though they sounded off for some reason. Neither of the voices said anything at first but I felt one of them start poking me. “Uh AJ, I think it's dead.”, the second voice spoke.

“It ain't dead Rainbow Dash, I can see it still breathing. Whatever it is...” 'Ok so we have a country girl an a city chick, dis might be interesting...'

“Well it's definitely not like anything I've ever seen before. Lets wake it up and find out!” The second voice sounded excited and started to nudge me awake but was pulled back by the first.

“Now hold on a second there RD! We don't have a clue what this thing is, it could be dangerous for all we know!”

“Oh come on Applejack!” The second voice was sounding annoyed. “Me and you have charged head first at a snarling manticore and a horde of changelings and you're scared of this thing?”

“All I'm saying is that we should be careful seeing as how we don't know nothin' about-”

The second voice didn't seem to care and just kept on going. “And all I'M saying is we won't know anything about it until we ask. You can stand there scared if you want but I'm gonna try and wake it up.” 'Hm, I 'm beginning to like dis girl. She's nah afraid to jump straight inta di unknown.'

“Fine Dash, but don't blame me if it decides to attack.” At that I couldn't help but laugh a little which startled them both. 'Well looks like de jokes over, time to get mi first look at what dis world's got ta offer.'

I slowly pulled myself up into a sitting position and opened my eyes to be met with the unsure stares of two brightly colored horses. One was a bright orange mare with a cowboy hat on her head and the other was a cyan colored mare with a rainbow mane as well as a pair of wings. I figured that she had been the one who had tried to wake me up.

“Whoa, trippy.”, I whispered to myself. 'A'ight now Reg, rememba ta stay cool. Breeze said dis would be a fantasy world and that der would be all kinds of crazy shit ya ain't ever seen before. So just be cool an you'll be a'ight.' I took a deep breath and began to speak when the rainbow-haired one interrupted me.

“Dude, what in Equestria are you?”, she asked in a curious but somewhat rude tone.

At this point I decided to throw caution to the wind and just be myself. “Who me, well I'm just an ordinary city brewed voodoo mon. Name's Reggie.”, I said as I held my fist out. The rainbow-haired one looked at me kinda funny before smiling, bumping her hoof with my fist.

“Name's Rainbow Dash.” 'Huh, so de fist bump is universal, who knew?'

“So dat must make yah angry, orange friend der Applejack. Nice ta meet ya both.”

“I'm sure it would be, if it weren't fer this!”, she said pointing with a hoof at the fallen trees around us. She started glaring straight at me with a slight anger in her eyes. “I want a straight answer, none a yer fancy talk. What in the hay are you and what in sam heck did ya do ta mah apple trees?!” She was right in my face at this point which made her seem a little more intimidating, though I tried not to let her know that. 'I better start explainin' soon, odahwise dis won't end well for me.'

“Hey AJ, ease up would ya. Give him some time and he might tell ya.”

“It's a'ight, I understand why she's mad. Hell I would be too if somebody I ain't eva seen before came and busted up me property.” She back up a few steps at this and gave me a confused look. “But as I was sayin', me name's Reggie Higgins and about what happened ta ya trees, well... OK first off I would like ta say dat I am sorry, but dat it wasn't my fault. I was just along for da ride.”

She didn't look quite as angry now, only more confused. “...What in the hay is that supposed to mean?”

“It's ah bit complicated.” 'How do I explain dis? I don't know anything about magic!' I thought on that for a moment before it dawned on me. 'Wait a tic...'

“Did either of you happen ta see a shooting star dis morning?”

“Yeah we did, two of them actually.”, Dash spoke up. “Are you saying that one of them was you?”

“Well kinda... It wasn't no falling star though. More like a big ball of magic that surrounded us as we flew through space and crash landed.

Applejack's eyes grew wide when I said that. “Us? Space? Are ya trying ta say that you're some kinda alien and that there's more of you hanging around here somewhere?” 'Oops, I probably shouldn't have mentioned the others. Or about our space trip. Well too late now.'

“Yeah... did I forget to mention I'm not exactly from around here?” I tried to smile and laugh it off as nothing, but the intense and confused looks they were giving me just made it too awkward. “Uh, I come in peace?”, I tried, hand gesture included. They just kept staring. 'Nope, no such luck. Well I tried, all I can do now is wait and see what dey have ta say bout dis.'

The moment just kept getting more awkward until Rainbow Dash decided to break the silence. “Let me see if I got this straight. You, along with some others, are aliens from another world that crash landed here after flying through space like a shooting star inside a big ball of magic?”

“...Yeah dat pretty much sums it up.”, I replied with an awkward smile.

She looked intently at me for a few more seconds, like she was studying me, before she shouted, “That is so... AWSOME!!!” 'OK, didn't expect dat kinda reaction.' Any trace of skepticism or confusion on her face was long gone. In their place was a look a excitement and joy. Before I could say anything she started bombarding me with questions. “What 's your world like? What's its name? Does it have ponies like us there? What are-mmph.” She was abruptly cut off by Applejack shoving her hoof in her mouth.

“Sheesh Dash, give the guy a break. He's gonna get enough questions when Twilight gets a hold a him.”

“Uh, Twilight?”, I asked.

After removing Applejack's hoof from her mouth Rainbow said, “Yeah she's another of our friends, really smart, but kind of an egghead. Speaking of which, you think we should get the others over here AJ.”

“I was about to say the same thing. You think you can round 'em all up?”

“I'm on it! Be back in a minute.” With that said she took off to the skies faster than I could blink. The only thing I could see was a rainbow contrail behind her.

“Wow dat girl is fast.”, I said as I stared after her in amazement.

“Pfft, that ain't nothing. If you think that's fast, you should her when she's trying. Believe it or not I've actually seen her break the sound barrier.”

“Seriously?”, I asked. Applejack merely nodded. “Well dat's definitely something I'll have ta see for meself someday.” 'A rainbow-haired pony able ta break de sound barrier... Just what kinda crazy voodoo dey got goin' on around here.' “You mentioned something about de others. More friends a yours I take it?”

“Yeah actually. There's seven of us total, me and Dash being two. You'll meet the rest of 'em soon enough.”

“Well den in dat case I should probably stand up and make myself look presentable.”, I said as I hauled myself up and out of the crater and dusted myself off. Now that I was standing I could see that I was around a foot taller than AJ as she only came up to the middle of my chest.

“And here I thought you was just slouchin', but you sure are a tall one.”, she said after climbing out after me.

“ I ain't really all dat big, hell dis is actually about average for my people. But if you tink dis is big, ya should see my friend Zeke, he's at least a foot taller den me.” That got me thinking. “I sure hope he's OK.”

“One a yer friends ya left back on yer world?” AJ asked.

“Huh, ah nah. He's de one who brought me here actually. Him an his two buds.”

“Yeah ya mentioned there bein' more of you here. Where are they exactly?”

I decided to be open and honest with her, seeing as she had yet to give me a reason not to. “Well Zeke actually landed first, only a few minutes before de rest of us. He said someting bout stopping someone from crying or something den he broke away from us and crashed. I don't know, I could hardly hear much over me own screams of terror.” I laughed a bit to myself at dis. “As fer di other two, dey took off into de forest after one of 'em had a snack and said someting bout de sun bein' up was a bad ting.”

“Well that explains the apple core's everywhere.”, she said as she kicked aside a nearby core. “Do you know why they would think the sun bein' up was bad?”

“Not at all. I tried asking but dey just ran. Dey tried ta get me ta come with dem, but I said dat I'd hang back and try to explain everyting. Sorry bout your trees again.”, I said as apologetically as I could. 'I wonder if der's some way I can make it up to her.'

A sad looked crossed her face as she looked around at the destroyed trees. “Ah don't worry about.”, she said. “Could have been a lot worse, for both my trees and you. But you're not hurt and it was only a few trees, easily fixable.”

“Well if der's anyting I can do ta help, just lemme know.”, I said as I smiled at her.

“Will do partner.” She looked at me for a moment more before saying, “Ya know yer an alright fella, fer an alien anyway.”

“Heh thanks, I think...” 'Was dat a compliment? I can neva tell wid dese country people.' “I can only hope dat de rest of ya friends tink as much.”

“Well ya won't hafta wait long to find out, here they come now.”

Author's Note

And it continues...