//------------------------------//
// Complicated Relationships 
// Story: Fallen Equestria 
// by Kickass222urmom 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 9
Nine days later



"Wake up, Wyntir!" Honey Pie yelled as she jumped up onto Wyntir's bed and began to bounce all around him. "Loric and Nails needs you!"

Wyntir groaned as he sat up and threw the covers off of himself, "Is something wrong?" He climbed out of his makeshift bed and began to pull on his pants and shirt.

"I dunno, but they woke me up and told me to come and get ya!" she replied, still bouncing up and down on his bed.

With a sigh, Wyntir put on his belt with his longsword attached to it and walked for the doorway to his room. Upon moving the fabric that acted as a door aside, he stepped out and looked around.

Rooms of various sizes were scattered around the inside of the building, a few small ones and a few larger ones. Each one served a specific purpose. Most of the small ones were just bedrooms for everyone who lived in the building, just nine ponies and three humans. The larger rooms had been built mainly for storage, but the largest room, which took up the entire north end of the building, was the common area where everyone usually spent all of their free time.

Wyntir had to admit, he was impressed what they could do with some wood and a few thousand nails. His original plan had just been to find a place for Kara to hide so he could go deal with this Sombra guy, but after the other ponies began to show up he's had to rethink his actions. In the span of nine days they had turned the large building into a mini community. Sure, it was just the twelve of them, but there was always something going on that needed his attention.

He looked around, but noticed it was still rather dark with just the faintest of light coming in through the windows. He couldn't see anyone else moving around though.

"They went outside," Honey Pie said from behind him, now laying down on the bed.

"Thanks," he turned and began to walk for the front door.

On his way there, he stopped to check on Kara, who was in the room closest to his. But upon peeking into her room, he couldn't see her. Her bed appeared to be made up, so he wasn't too worried. 

Things had fallen into sort of a routine for him, with his mornings being filled with his normal work out and training, which now included both Honey Pie and every one of the ex-soldiers. While his afternoons were spent either building new additions to their 'home' or fixing anything that required it. Followed by more training and preparing everyone's dinners. Luckily, he had help when it came to preparing food in the form of Ink Slinger, who apparently had no problem helping prepare meat. Granted, she gagged every time, but she still powered through it.

As he neared the front door, which now had a large wooden gate built into it, he saw that it was halfway open. He frowned, as he had told everyone multiple times to keep it shut at all times. He gripped the gate and opened it further so he could step outside and came face to face with Loric.

"We have a problem," he immediately said as he turned away from Wyntir and walked further outside, heading for Nails, who was standing a few yards away and staring into the forest.

Wyntir narrowed his eyes and followed after him, looking around cautiously. "What do you mean 'problem'?" It was hard to see anything, as the sun was just barely up and the forest beyond was still covered in darkness in most places.

"The pony on night duty last night kept hearing someone talking further out in the forest, and just recently Nails here says she saw another human walking around the side of the building," Loric informed him, still looking out into the darkness.

"Another human?" Wyntir asked, his surprise clear in his voice. He then glanced down at Nails, "Are you sure?"

"That I am," she confirmed as she tore her eyes away from the forest and looked up at him. "I relieved Royal Riff two hours ago and began to hear the same thing he had been hearing. During my last patrol around the building I know I saw a human figure step around the opposite corner of the building, but they were gone before I could catch up and round the building. I thought it was either you or Loric at first, but after heading inside and talking to Loric, I was able to confirm that it was neither him nor you. So that just leaves the question..."

"Who was it..." Loric finished, turning to face Wyntir as well. "What should we do?"

Wyntir began to rub the stubble on his chin, thinking. "Well, I don't like the idea of anyone sneaking around here that's not one of us. I'd say we perform a search of the area, but I'm pretty sure who ever it was is probably long gone by now. If they were here and didn't contact us, then they were here for a reason..." His eyes widened as a thought entered his mind. "Where's Kara?"

"Relax," Loric said with a roll of his eyes. "She's in the common room with Ink Slinger, doing what? I have no idea."

"Good," Wyntir said, his fear instantly dissolving. "So they were here for another reason then..."

Loric nodded as he began to adjust the straps on his chest and arms. "Yep, and I think I'll just head out and check the area real fast. Alone."

"I can wake up the others to help," Nails offered, starting to head for the front door.

"Nah," Loric said with a wide grin as he pulled up his bandana. "I got this. If I'm not back by time the sun is at its highest, then assume the worst." Before they could say another word, he took off for the forest, disappearing into the darkness.

"He's going to get himself killed one day." Wyntir sighed and turned to head back inside.

Nails watched after him till she couldn't see him anymore and shook her head. Without a word she followed Wyntir inside as well.



ooo000<^>000ooo



"Is that so?" Kara asked with a smile as she leaned towards where Ink Slinger sat, which was right across from her. 

"Mm-hmm, but that was the last time they allowed me to study Diamond Dogs," Ink giggled as she finished up a story about her days as a student. "But, that's enough about me, lets hear about you."

"There's not much to tell," Kara replied as she sat back in her chair. "What do you want to know?"

Ink Slinger tapped her quill against her chin as she thought of a question to ask. "Hm, well you can tell me about your childhood. That's always a great place to start."

"My childhood?" Kara asked, a frown suddenly appearing on her face. "If you mean childhood in the normal sense, then I never had a childhood. I've been forced to be a woman for as long as I can remember."

"What?" Ink Slinger asked, clearly not understanding what she means. "I have no idea what you mean, Kara."

"To start, I'm only twenty two." Kara folded her hands in front of herself and sighed, "From the moment I was born the church has dictated every aspect of my life. In our culture, being born blind and female is a sign of great importance, because it means we were 'chosen'."

"Chosen for what?" Ink Slinger asked, writing down what was said into her notebook.

"Before I say that, I have to make sure you understand our religion and Carim as a whole. To put it bluntly, our society breeds saints. The Church raises up maidens while the nobles raise the knights to serve the maidens in the hopes of that maiden ascending to godliness."

"So what you're saying is your culture is based around making gods?" Ink asked, scratching her head with her quill as she tried to contemplate the idea of gods being created.

"That's the basic idea, yes," Kara said as she stared off into nothingness. "It's rather hard to explain, but it works off of belief and faith. Every maiden can become a saint, but only a rare few out of every generation can become a god."

"So you can become a god?" Ink asked as she stared at Kara in disbelief.

A sad smile graced Kara's face as she shook her head, "Me? Oh no, I'm a failure. The church lost all faith in me after I failed to uphold their standards; The knight who had served me since the age of two even lost faith in me. He even tried to kill me so he didn't have to face the shame of serving a failure."

"That's awful!" Ink Slinger exclaimed, holding a hoof to her face.

"It's just how things are back home," Kara said with a shake of her head. 

Ink Slinger composed herself and put a hoof on Kara's leg, "Well, you're not a failure, I mean look at you! I've heard you say on many occasions that you and Wyntir were on a mission to help you become a Firekeeper before you were brought here. I may not know what that is, but it sounds very important to me!"

"It's not, actually," Kara deadpanned, a frown on her face. "A Firekeeper is actually one of the lowest forms a maiden can become. Granted, they are very important, but no maiden would choose to become one on her own free will. To be a Firekeeper, one must give up everything, even their lives. It's usually the last stop for a failing maiden, and some can't even do that..." A single tear rolled down her face, but she didn't acknowledge it. "I don't want to do it... but I have to."

"Why?" Ink asked, tears in her eyes as well after seeing how sad Kara had become. 

"Because it is my duty as a maiden of Carim, and to Wyntir, to do something important with my life! It may be a foolish reason, but I will not let him down!" she all but screamed, her emotions finally coming out after years of being bottled up. "I may not be able to become a saint or a god, but the least I can do is be somewhat useful for someone else!"

Ink crawled forward and embraced the crying woman in a hug. She didn't say anything at first, just letting Kara cry into her shoulder. As soon as she began to calm down, she pulled back and looked into her milky eyes. "You don't have to do something like that to be useful." Kara began to protest, but she stopped her with a hoof to the mouth. "You may have been raised to think this way, but you know what I said is true. You do not have to sacrifice yourself to be useful."

Kara wiped her face with her sleeve and smiled a bit. "Thank you, Ink Slinger. That's something I've needed to hear aloud for a long time."

The door to the common room slowly opened and Wyntir peeked his head in and looked at them. "Ah, sorry ladies, I was just making sure you were alright. Do you need anything?"

Kara smiled in the direction of the door and shook her head, "No, we're fine. But thank you, Wyntir."

"Of course," he said with a slight bow as he pulled back through the door and closed it.

"So," Ink Slinger began as Kara looked back to her. "Is it alright if I ask about how you and Wyntir met? I know you said he's your loyal Knight and all, but how did that come to be? If you don't mind telling me that is..."

A troubled look fell upon her face as she began to chew her lip. "I don't know... I don't like talking behind Wyntir's back, it's disloyal and rude."

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," Ink said as she sat back and began to write in her notebook again.

After a moment Kara reached forward and put her hand on Ink's notebook. "I'll tell you a little bit, but you have to promise not to write any of it down."

Ink Slinger smiled and slowly closed her book and put it aside. "Of course, I promise I will not write down anything you say about him."

Kara still looked troubled as she sat back in her chair. "I won't tell you anything personal about him, because its not my place, but I will tell you about how we met." She turned her face away from Ink and stared off into space again. "I already told you about the first knight who served me trying to kill me, but I left out a few things."

Ink Slinger scooted closer to her as she listened intently.

"I had just turned thirteen when the Church told me I was a helpless cause, and my Knight, Sir Cole Alberdan, became very angry with me. He was a very violent man, but he had never once said or done a foul thing to me in his eleven years serving me. I trusted him completely, as he had kept me safe and happy the entire time. However, the moment he received the news of the Church deeming me hopeless, he began to scream at me. He screamed and cried for what could have been hours before he stormed off and left me alone in our home. From what I have been told, he went straight to the slums where all of the disgraced and lost Knights lived and began to cause trouble. He ranted about how his maiden had failed him and that he had wasted his life on her; even going as far to say that he wished she were dead. He then stormed off and returned to our shared home, where he immediately began to let out his anger on me."

Ink put a hoof on Kara's leg as she spoke, tears in both of their eyes.

"Luckily, one of the Knights had followed him home and intervened before he could do any real damage. The two of them fought, unarmed, and destroyed the house in the process. But the knight who had come to my rescue was victorious and my former Knight was left in a bloody, lifeless heap on the floor. It's as horrifying as it sounds, yes."

"It was Wyntir, the one who came to your aid, wasn't it?" Ink asked, already knowing the obvious answer.

"Yeah, it was," she replied, a faint smile on her face as she remembered that specific part of that day. "He'd only been twenty three, and he was able to overpower a Elite Knight who had had a much better up bringing than him. He's been by my side ever since that day, even after all of the hardships we've had to face; It didn't even faze him when I was told I had to become a Firekeeper. He's ferociously loyal, and has never said a single harsh word to me. He's like a father, both protective and caring."

"So, there's no romance between the two of you?" Ink Slinger asked, it was an answer she just had to have after seeing how he acted towards her.

"Romance?" A giggle escaped her lips at this. "Wyntir doesn't see me in a romantic light, I can assure you of that. Romance and Wyntir just do not match, and if you knew him you'd understand what I mean. Too me, Wyntir is my friend and my Knight. And to him, I am his maiden, the one who he both loves and cares for."

"Sounds like a bit of a romance to me," Ink Slinger commented, but at Kara's raised eyebrow, she added. "But if you say there is no romance there, then I believe you. But knowing that, then the way you two act together is very strange... if this was a book then you two would be like the two main romance interest, being brought up not knowing you each love each other, only to have it revealed near the end that you two are a perfect match."

"It sounds more like you have read to many books," Kara teased, a smile on her face. She then became serious as she leaned forward, closer to Ink's face. "If I tell you something, you have to promise you will never tell anyone else."

"I've already made that promise," Ink said, but at seeing a frown start to form on Kara's face, she sighed. "But I promise, again, to not tell anyone anything you are about to tell me."

"Thank you," Kara said with a pleasant smile as she put a hand on one of Ink's hooves. "Wyntir has been by my side for the last nine years, and he is a wonderful and kind person once you get to know him. But," she paused for a moment. "He has done things, most of which are too horrible for me to repeat. I am not his first maiden, nor am I his second, and the stories revolving around those two are horrific and scaring. I will not recount them, that is up to him to decide to tell or not, but I bring them up for a good reason. No matter what you see him do, or hear about what he has done, you have to remember that he is a good person. He only does what he has to do, and while it might seem bad, it usually has to be done. If you are going to try and talk to him, like I know you will, you have to know this. Wyntir is a frightening being to behold, and is a outcast among the other Knights of Carim."

Ink gulped as she listened. "Ah.. um, I don't know how to feel about that..."

"You can take it anyway you want, but do not judge him till you know him, that is all I ask," Kara said as seriously as she could. "Please."

Ink looked around the large room, gathering her thoughts. "I can try, that's all I can promise, Kara."

"That's all I ask of you, thank you." Kara sat back in her chair and put her hands over her face. "Wow, I have never said any of this aloud to anyone before..."

"I'm sorry for making you speak about your past," Ink apologized, her ears flat against her head.

"Don't be, I feel a lot better inside now that I've told someone else. Thank you, Ink Slinger." She reached out with one of her hands and began to scratch Ink behind the ear.

Ink Slinger just smiled as she turned her head to the closest window and stared out at the forest, barely lit by the raising sun. It was going to take her some time to process all of the information she'd been told, especially regarding Wyntir, as Kara's final statement had left many things to speculation. Which is not always a good thing.



ooo000<^>000ooo



Nails let out a sigh as she stood out side of the building, watching the path that Loric had run down seven hours prior. Above her the sun hung at its highest, signaling that it was midday. 

"Damn fool indeed..." she murmured as she began to head inside to inform the others that he hadn't returned yet. The sound of a twig breaking caught her attention and she turned back to the forest, but no one was there.

"Loric?" She called out as she took a few cautious steps towards the forest. Just as she was halfway between the building and the bushes, a figure leaned out of the bushes.

"Oh shit!" she yelled as she started to react, but it was too late. A unseen force lifted her off of the ground and flung her backwards, sending her through the open door and into the building, causing her to crash into one of the wooden walls.

"What's going on?!" Wyntir bellowed as he came sprinting towards her as she slowly drug herself to her hooves.

Panting, she looked up as he and her friends came to her aid. "Unicorns, in the forest."

"Crap," Wyntir exclaimed as he changed course and darted into his room.

"Are they soldiers?" Valiant Heart asked as they reached her and began to help her stand up fully.

"I'd wager they are," Nails said as she hissed in pain as she put pressure on her left foreleg. 

"What's happening?" Ink Slinger called out as she ran their way. 

Nails looked at her and pointed her hoof at her. "You! Go back to where ever you came from and watch over Kara. We may be under attack."

"Under attack?!" Ink screamed, but she listened to the older mare and turned around and ran back the way she had come.

Wyntir emerged from his room wearing most of his still damage armor, save for the helmet and leg guards, and sprinted for the door. The ex-soldiers quickly followed him, with Nails trying to ignore the pain in her hoof.

"Who's out here?!" Wyntir called out as soon as he was outside, looking ever which way.

He didn't have to wait long for his answer as a single Unicorn stepped out of the bushes, clad in purple and blue armor, a sword levitating next to itself.

"You are all under arrest for murder and treason against Princess Celestia and all of Equestria!" the Unicorn yelled. It then looked at the seven ponies and glared, "And for desertion and the betrayal of all of Equestria!"

"Oh jeez," Wyntir said as he facepalmed. "More of you toy soldiers?"

"That's not just a 'toy soldier', Wyntir," Star Trailer warned as she and the others dropped into fighting poses, only armed with short swords and knives. "That's Commander Shining Armor, one of Equestria's Elite Four."

"So?" Wyntir asked, raising his large sword into a ready stance. "I can handle him."

Shining Armor held a hoof to his mouth and let out a ear piercing whistle. Almost immediately armed Unicorns began to step out of the bushes all around them, completely surrounding them and trapping them against the building.

"Well, that's just lovely," Wyntir said with a frown as he widened his stance a bit.

"I ask that you put down your weapons and surrender peacefully," Shining Armor yelled. He then gestured to all of the Unicorns around him, "We have been searching these woods for the last week, and we are not keen on taking you by force. So I ask again, please come peacefully."

To answer him, Wyntir suddenly threw his hand forward, his tailsmen held firmly in said hand, and sent a lighting spear flying straight at Shining.

Shining Armor reacted faster than one would have expected as he jumped to the side, letting the bolt fly past him and hit the pony behind him. The pony let out a dreadful scream as he fell forward, smoke curling up off of its twitching and charred body.

"You..." Shining began as he looked back to Wyntir with hate filled eyes. "Take them!"

All of the Unicorns let out a battle cry as they raised their spears and swords and charged forward, using their magic to shield their fronts as they did so.

"Retreat into the house, now!" Wyntir commanded as he held his ground. The ponies around him didn't need any more prompting as they quickly dashed back to the building.

As the horde of Unicorns closed in on him, he slammed his sword into the ground next to himself and held his tailsmen in both hands. Just as they were within reach of him, a huge shock wave burst outward, sending all who were caught in it flying backwards with broken bones and horns.

Too followed up, he slammed his tailsmen into the ground, sending lighting along the ground and into any within reach. This caused any who were still standing to back up, as the devastating attack had really done a number on their forces. 

Wyntir quickly stood up and began to back up towards the door way as the Unicorns around him very carefully moved towards him. A faint aura surrounded him and froze him in place, but he was able to easily struggle out of its grasp and keep moving backwards. But just as he reached the door a rose colored aura surrounded him and began to drag him back towards the Unicorns. 

This aura was much stronger than the other one, and Wyntir was unable to fight against it in his current state.

"Hey, magic is unfair!" Honey Pie yelled from the door way as she held Loric's pistol, which he apparently left behind, and fumbled with the trigger as she pointed it in Shining Armor's general direction.

"Little filly!" he called out, not knowing the danger of the little device she held clumsily in her hooves. "Step away from them! They are dangerous and will hurt you if you-"

A loud bang rang out as she finally managed to fire the pistol, sending a bullet flying straight for Shining Armor. The bullet blew right through his tail, cutting away a large chunk of it right near the base. His focused wavered and Wyntir was able to break free of the aura, and he immediately struck out with his large sword, cleaving the heads off of two Unicorns who had began to try and restrain him. 

He hopped backwards and picked up Honey Pie as she squirmed and laughed at the pony she had shot at. He ducked around the corner of the door and slammed the gate closed, he then collapsed in exhaustion, the Miracles he had performed had taken to much out of him.

"Are you okay?" Nails asked as she placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"Yeah, someone give me some meat and water, fast," he let out a heavy breath. "I pushed myself to much in a short amount of time, I almost burnt myself out..."

"Here you go!" Honey Pie said as she held up some fried rabbit meat and a waterskin filled with lukewarm water.

He looked at her, wondering how she got them so fast, but he waved the thought off as he grabbed the items and devoured them.

"That was the Miracles you've told us about, wasn't it?" Valiant asked, fully intrigued after the display of magic. "That's far more effective than any combat spells I or any other Unicorn knows."

"Yeah, they're pretty useful..." Wyntir replied, more interested in the food than in talking. "Those are just the pure Miracles, the dark ones are far more devastating."

"You'll have to show us a few of these dark Miracles then," Valiant said with a smile.

"Never," Wyntir skimpily stated, giving him a hard glare. "I will not show you any form of dark magic, so do not ask again."

With bulging and surprised eyes, Valiant nodded his agreement.

"What are we going to do about them?" Nails asked as the sounds of crying and yelling could be heard just outside the door.

"We'll figure that out as soon as I finish here," Wyntir said as he stuffed the last of the meat into his mouth and finished off the water.

"That was quick thinking out there kid," Howling Wind praised as he ruffled up Honey Pie's mane. Break smiled and pounded his chest in agreement.

"Thank you!" Honey Pie said with a huge grin as she hugged Howling Wind. "And thank you, Break," she gave the buff mute a hug, causing him to roll his eyes and his face to turn red.

Wyntir finally stood up, letting out a grunt as he did so. He stood there for a moment, deep in thought before he turned to Valiant and Quartz. "Is there a way to cancel out your magic?"

They looked at each other and shook their heads, but Valiant was the one to answer, "Not a convenient one, we'd have to get our hooves on a Magic Inhibitor spell, and those aren't easy to come by."

"Hm," Wyntir looked at his tailsmen and smirked. He held it up and spoke a few words, causing a light golden glow to encase his body. "Here, try to lift me if you can."

Valiant gave a nod as he reached out with his magic and tried to grab Wyntir, but the moment his magic came into contact with the golden aura around Wyntir a sharp pop rang out and he grabbed his horn. "Oh wow! That hurt... that really truly hurt..."

"Are you alright?" Wyntir asked, looking a bit worried as he had not expected it to hurt Valiant.

"Yep, I'm fine.... just felt like I channeled lighting down my horn is all... I'm just going to lay down for a moment and recover..." he slumped forward, already unconscious.

Everyone was silent for a moment until Nails let out a snort of laughter, "Damn, now that's a bit to useful!"

Wyntir chuckled as he picked up his larger sword and grabbed the door, the golden aura still around him. "I think I'll go show our guest my little trick then."

The moment Wyntir stepped outside, he was met with a sight he had never expected to see. Four men were currently engaged with the Unicorns, each one sporting a different type of weapon and armor.

"Hey, bud!" one of them called out to Wyntir in a hoarse as he dodged the attacks of three Unicorns, two revolvers in his hands. "We'll be with you in just one moment!"

Wyntir watched as the man ducked a poke of one of the spears and fired off both of his pistols in quick succession, dropping all three of his attackers at once.

"Feel free to join in, there's plenty to go around," another one yelled in a deep, raspy voice as they deflected the sword of a Unicorn and suddenly disappeared form sight only to reappear right behind the Unicorn. The man plunged his sword into the neck of the pony and threw it to the side, giving a slight bow as he disappeared again and reappeared next to another pony.

The sounds of a strange pistol being shot drew his attention next as he watched a man, clad in the strangest armor he'd ever seen before, fire a pistol that shot out what appeared to be beams of light at the Unicorns as he agily weaved around the little battlefield, a short sword in his left hand. "Well? You going to help or gawk at us?" His voice sounded like it was being amplified by some kind of device built into his helmet.

"It's alright, Wyntir!" Loric called out as he ran past him, already engaged in the fighting. "They're cool, they work for this King Sombra guy." He weaved around a few ponies and cut them down with ease. "And so far, I'm liking him a lot more than Celestia!"

The entire situation confused Wyntir to no end, but he just shook his head and raised his sword. There would be time for talking as soon as they dealt with the Unicorns.

With a roar of his own, Wyntir entered the fray.