//------------------------------//
// Making Headway 
// Story: To Fill a Void 
// by Erebus 
//------------------------------//


Light and Darkness.



Two primal elements, precursing all others.



While they unknowingly support each other, these forces have waged a struggle older than time itself.



The reason behind this endless war is far beyond the scope of anyone's comprehension.



Understandable or not, it is ever clear that these two are rarely found in peaceful coexistence.



Therefore, it stands to reason that Erebus was about to have a rather unpleasant day.









	"That was . . . rather painful, to say the very least." Erebus gazed down at his singed skin, a look of vague disappointment on his face.



	"It's safe to say that I haven't received a wound like this in quite some time." His frown slowly grew in intensity. "I shouldn't have received the wound at all, though. These little mistakes are really starting to get on my nerves."



	He glanced up at the brilliant glow that stood before him. "Maybe it's about time I got to rectifying that issue."



	Keeping himself on his knee, Erebus quickly ran over a few possible scenarios, trying to determine the best way the situation could play out. He had already had the misfortune of feeling some of his assailant's wrath, and while he was confident that he had been struck by worse things in the past, he was still uncertain as to the full extent of her power. His only other option was to attempt to talk his way out of the current circumstances . . . something he was less than adept at doing.



	Not wanting to deal with unknown variables however, he soon found himself pushed towards the latter option. "Undoubtedly, my fist is far more powerful than my words, but all the same, I suppose I can at least try to let diplomacy win this one out.



	Firming his resolve, Erebus slowly began raising himself off the grass, making sure to keep his eyes forward. "Hey, Ms. Shiny! I'd just like to say that I'm sorry for whatever I might have done to deserve this second degree burn. However, I'd also like to say that I'm a little bit pressed for time at the moment. So if you could go off somewhere and blind someone else, that would be greatly appre-"



	"Be silent!" The pony's voice was sharp as a blade, effortlessly cutting the human off. "I do not appreciate being spoken to in such a blatantly dismissive tone!"



	"Yeesh!" Erebus cringed ever so slightly. "I don't exactly appreciate having my eardrums blown out. At this rate, her voice is worse than anything else she'll throw at me."



	"You have terrified our young, assaulted our guards, and yet you would have the nerve to simply walk into this town and act as if you've done absolutely nothing?" The expression she gave bordered on disgust. "You are sorely mistaken if you believe that I will simply allow you to continue on your way."



	"Actually I'm just a little sore," Erebus whispered, his patience starting to dwindle. "So then, it would appear that we've come to an impasse. Tell you what: since I'm still in a somewhat sociable mood, how about I let you name off what you'd like me to do in this situation?"



	The equine's glare never faltered as she answered him. "I will only ask this one thing of you: I want you to leave this place immediately, never enter the town, and return to wherever you may have come from. Comply with this, and I promise that I shall harm you no further."



	"Hmmm, I get the feeling that might conflict with my interests." Erebus took an educated guess as to the answer for his next question. "So, mind telling me what happens if I simply refuse and walk right past you?"



	Shaking her head slowly, the pony quickly confirmed his guess. "If you are foolish enough to attempt such an action, than I will have no choice but to forcibly remove you . . . myself."



	"Well then, it would seem that diplomacy has failed . . . or maybe I just failed at diplomacy." Erebus began silently contemplating what the pony might be capable of. "Either way, I'm afraid that I will be making my way past you, with or without your consent."



	His face scrunched up in contemplation. "Damn . . . if it was only a little darker out, I could probably bypass this situation entirely. However, even without the ability to shadowstep, I can still bolster my potential speed to the point where she would never be able to run me down. "



	Taking a step forward, he had just resolved to speed his way past her . . . when the ground before him violently exploded.



	"That was merely a warning, and the only one that I will issue." The pony's horn was still lit brightly, volatile energies barely repressing themselves. "Should you lack common sense, you will find that I can easily teach you some."



	Beneath his cloak, Erebus slowly clenched a fist, his frustration slowly beginning to boil over. “Dammit! She's not even going to let me move, much less work myself into a running start!"



	"Fine then. I suppose that's how it is." Smoothing out his composure, he gave his answer. "You know, you should already be aware that you went past the point of warning when you decided to fry my skin." He defiantly took a step forward. "Therefore, it's common sense that anything goes."



	He had only a moment to glimpse his adversary's glare intensify, before she lowered her head and let loose a brilliant beam of sunlight towards him. As he gazed at the blinding attack, a moment of doubt went through his mind, nagging at him as he wondered how differently the situation could have gone. It dissipated as quickly as it had come though, being replaced with a reluctant resolve. Despite the failure he had just suffered, he wasn't about to let another so easily overtake him.



	"What's done is done. If this is how things have turned out, then I'm not about to start crying over it." He traced the beam as it began closing towards him. "All that aside though...I really hate to have to do this."



	Bringing his foot back into a more stable stance, Erebus whipped his hand out of his cloak, placing it directly in the beam's path. A pained growl escaped his throat as the attack impacted against his palm, beginning it's work of burning away his flesh. Apprehension almost overcame him as he noticed the pure intensity of the beam, the output threatening to break him before he could react. Biting back the searing pain, his body began setting up it's most basic, yet powerful, defense. The attack almost instantly became null as he rapidly acclimated to the boiling energy, the stream of particles starting to break and dissipate against his palm.



	Throughout the many years he had lived, Erebus had rarely ever considered his inborn abilities to work for anything more than a destructive nature. While he was quick to realize that the void had many different applications, he had immediately resolved to pin it to its true purpose. So when he had discovered that his body was capable of incorporating darkness into an adaptive shielding, he was initially hesitant to keep the ability active. However, upon finding that the the defense's degree could simply be reduced to a benign level, he had decided to keep it running at all times.



	A fact he was currently more than gracious for.



	Despite his defense being in place, Erebus knew he had only equalized the situation. "She'll almost immediately notice that I'm negating the attack. If I plan to gain any control over this, then I'm going to have to incapacitate her as best I can."



	Deciding a straightforward approach, Erebus quickly shifted his tactics, hoping to catch the pony off guard. Grasping outward, the shield began to intertwine with the attack, latching onto the stream of plasma and slowly began to absorb the immense output of violent particles. After he was sure that he was capable of sustaining the crude link, he locked the energy in place, using his own essence like a vacuum to keep the attack rooted.



	Looking up, he saw that his attacker had just noticed the sudden shift in balance, her eyes twisting in a look of confusion. The confusion was soon replaced by surprise as she attempted to cut off her attack, only to find that the energy could not be stymied. Taking advantage of her sudden confusion, the human slowly moved his foot forward, almost slipping backwards in the process.



	“Hmmm, she certainly isn't going to run out of power any time soon." Despite the fact that the energy was currently feeding him, Erebus found that the force behind it was too immense to simply outright erase. Grinding his teeth, he began to force himself forward, his mind set on making his way towards the equine.



	Foot by foot, he began to inch his way forward, each step gaining him more ground than the next. Gazing up, he redoubled his efforts as he noticed the pony trying desperately to escape his grasp. Moving within a few feet of his target, he reached his hand towards her horn, determined to cut off her power at what he believed was its source.



	"Alright then, I think it's time to bring hostilities to an end." His fingers moved within a foot of the pony, ready to render her offenses null. At that moment, a sudden ripple went through the beam, causing Erebus to slip over the particles as they began to coalesce and pulse.



	The human's eyes widened as he noticed the effect this was having on the energy. "There is no way that she just . . ." He had no time to finish his thoughts before the attack burst and erupted outwards, creating a small nova between the two combatants.



	"You are not going to get away from me that easily!" Erebus pushed himself forward with all his strength, lunging through the small explosion. However, his heart quickly sank when his hand grasped nothing but empty air, his target nowhere to be seen.



	He tensed up as he noticed a bright flash of light appear directly behind him. Spinning around, he raised his hand up in expectation of another energy attack . . . only to catch two golden horseshoes to his chest. Before he could go falling head over heels, Erebus slammed his foot into soft ground, determined to not lose his balance.



	Stumbling back a few paces, he took a second to assess the damage before regaining his composure. While his natural shielding had to be manually adjusted to stop heavier blows, his chestplate had no such limitation. He sighed in relief as he noticed that the durable armor been more than capable of defending him, with no visible damage to itself. The blow had been far more powerful than he'd expected, and, had it not been for the light garment, he could have easily suffered a serious injury.



	Gazing up, Erebus saw the bright equine standing where he had just been a few moments ago. Her breath was shaky and her horn was giving off a few small sparks. It was obvious that whatever maneuver she had pulled at the last minute had been somewhat taxing on her.



	“It's highly doubtful that she's at her limit, considering the level of exertion that a stunt like that would require. If I can limit the amount of fighting that we have to do, I think that would benefit the both of us."



	Taking into account his adversary's level of power, he decided to give diplomacy one more go. "Hey, that was pretty impressive you know. It's pretty rare for me to use that technique, considering the potential damage that it can cause. Even with that in mind, I didn't think that anyone was capable of escaping a pure vacuum, much less being capable of instant teleportation on a moment's notice."



	The pony stood her ground, her guard never faltering as she responded. "So then you used a void to tether me to my own spell? I'll admit that I was quite confused as to the nature of your attack. I wasn't suspecting you to use such an obscure manner of defense, much less the ability to employ it so efficiently."



	A smirk crossed Erebus' face. "Well don't go giving me all the credit here. I certainly wasn't expecting you to send a feedback pulse off your attack's own particles. That was very creative thinking, considering the stress you were just under." He brought the more urgent matter back to the front of his mind. "However, none of this changes the fact that you're still impeding my progress on something highly important."



	Lifting her head ever so slightly, the pony raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you would be so kind as to explain what that matter might be?"



	Erebus pointed out towards the Everfree. "Well you see, if you don't allow me to pass, I'm afraid there's going to be rather lengthy consequences for a certain blue princess out there."



	The pony's eyes immediately went wide, and her horn began to glow bright hot. "You . . . what have you done with my sister?”



	Erebus flinched at her sudden shift in demeanor . . . then did a double take upon hearing her final word. "She's Luna's sister?! I mean, the Princess told me about a Princess Celestia, but goodness, I expected that the two would look a little more alike!" He then took a moment to consider the crown upon her head. "Oh . . . I suppose that should've been a dead giveaway."



	"Right then. I uh . . . probably could've worded that last bit a little better."



	Shaking his head and waving his hands vigorously, he quickly attempted to defuse the situation. "Now just hold on a damn second, there's no need to go and blow a fuse! Rest assured that she's just fine, absolutely no harm done to her. In fact, she was so kind as to tell me a bit about you Princess Celestia."



	The Princess continued to glare at him. "Then I hope she told you just how protective of her I am! You say that she's not been harmed, and yet you were just going on about consequences."



	Erebus grimaced at his own bit of stupidity. "Not by me, I promise you that much. I would have absolutely no reason to harm your sister, I swear on my life!"



	"Then perhaps you'd be willing to share why you're currently covered in blood?" Celestia was quick to fire back.


	Erebus raised an eyebrow at that, taking a moment to think over exactly what she meant. "What in the world is she talking about? I'm quite sure that I'm not covered in . . . oh." Gazing at the arm he had been using to defend himself this whole time, he noticed that it was coated in a thick layer of drying blood, no doubt from tending to Luna's wound.



	Well, once again Erebus, you've utterly failed at visual cues."



	"Well, you see . . . I . . . uh." Erebus began to slip over his words as he tried desperately to convince the enraged princess. In his anxiousness, his eyes drifted ever so slightly, Celestia disappearing from his view for merely a second.



	"Shit!" His eyes snapped back forward as he realized his mistake all too late. He was only capable of catching the fading glimpse of a bright flash, the princess now nowhere in sight.



	A visible scowl settled onto his face as he scanned desperately for Celestia. This whole ordeal was wasting precious time, and his own ineptitude was to blame for bringing about the situation in question. He knew that if he didn't end this madness now, the only creature that had bothered to offer him aid . . . was going to suffer.



	Adrenaline spiked through his system as he an audible pop issue from behind him. His mind screamed at him to forgo defense as he whipped himself around. "This has gone on for far longer than it needed to! I'm putting a stop to this, now!"



	Erebus’s arm shot forward in a blur as he anticipated Celestia's next course of action. As if on cue, the white alicorn flashed into sight directly in front of him. What he didn't expect however, was the fact that she was set ram him at full speed. Celestia's eyes went wide as the human immediately secured a grip on her neck. However, this did nothing to stop her full on charge directly into his torso.



	Using his grip on the princess, Erebus swiftly shifted himself out of reach from Celestia's horn, but was unable to keep his feet from being swept out from under him. Despite currently having a hold of the alicorn, he knew that this advantage would be moot so long as she was carrying him backwards.



	Gazing backwards, Erebus was quick to notice the large oak tree that the two of them were heading towards, the distance closing rapidly. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the princess was planning to do, and with that in mind, Erebus wasn't about to let it happen. Slamming his feet into the ground, he found that Celestia wasn't intent on giving him any ground. His boots slid over the grass, and were quickly torn out of any divots that they dug, easily cementing the alicorn's determination.



	Dull rage began to blossom in the human's mind as his feet scrabbled wildly over the ground. Thinking back to Princess Luna, still currently abandoned in the Everfree, the anger grew to a steady boiling point. Tightening his grip on Celestia's neck, he let all of his building rage explode outward in one single moment.



	His eyes narrowed as his hand suddenly turned jet black, all of the darkness that he could gather coalescing into a single point. He once more slammed his boots into the ground, simultaneously pouring all of the gathered darkness into Celestia.



	The reaction was immediate.



	Celestia's eyes shrunk down to pinpricks as the cold void coursed through her body's systems. Although not potent enough to completely destroy her nervous system or cause any permanent damage, Erebus knew that it would still be more than enough to wreak havoc on her motor functions. This was confirmed as the alicorn's body went limp, quickly losing any momentum that it had been carrying. Using his literal foothold on the ground to bring himself to a halt, the human breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed that the tree was a few mere feet away.



	He was about look back at the princess, so as to assess any damage that he might have inflicted upon her, when a sudden sensation caused him to freeze. Gazing at his grip on the alicorn's neck, he saw something that he wouldn't have thought physically possible.



	"There is no possible way that she's capable of moving." Erebus stared, awestruck, at Celestia's tensing neck muscles. "What I just did should have kept her numb for ten minutes at the very least!"



	He continued to gaze on in surprise, when a flash of movement tore him from his stupor. Looking down at Celestia's face, he noticed the bright glow on her horn, burning brighter with each passing second.



	"Oh no, I have had it up to here with you!"  He physically shouted. "If this is what you're going to bring me to . . . then fine!"


	Before she had a chance to charge her attack any further, Erebus grabbed the princess with his free hand, and wrenched her off the ground. Spinning himself around, he was just about to slam the alicorn into the side of the oak, when a frantic scream tore him from his anger induced state and stopped him cold.



	He had only a fraction of a second to catch a glimpse of a blue alicorn before Celestia released her spell point-blank into his face.









	Princess Luna gently tapped her hoof on the soft ground, a look of pure complacency written on her face.



	Erebus had been gone for less than a half hour as it currently stood. All the same, the princess was finding that the lack of anyone to speak to was quickly becoming disconcerting.



	"We can only hope that Erebus finds no trouble with the local ponies," she began to muse. "We can only imagine the kind of situations that he might find himself in, especially with how little he knows of the current world."



	A small chuckle escaped her throat as she realized how mixed up her priorities currently were. "Here we are, slowly bleeding out in the middle of the Everfree Forest, and we spend our time contemplating our partner’s possible predicaments."



	Glancing back at her leg, she could easily see the small stream of blood that had long since bled through the bandage. "To be honest though, it is slightly more difficult to be concerned when we can't even feel the pain of the wound."



	Despite the lack of feeling in her leg, she was not completely detached from the sense of urgency. She might not be able to move or feel her leg, but she knew that the steady loss of blood was going to begin affecting her soon enough. Without knowledge of the full extent of the injury, she was not sure how long she would be able to remain conscious.



	Luna suddenly raised an eyebrow in thought. "The chance is slim, but perhaps we might be able to gather enough magic to stem the flow of blood."



	At the same time, the thought occurred to her that a failed attempt might simply weaken her further. "The risk is certainly present, but with the near certainty that spell will fail anyway, there's no real harm in at least trying."



	After debating both sides for a few minutes, Luna decided that it would be more fruitful to at least give the plan a shot. Erebus would most likely be back soon enough, so either way wouldn't matter much. However, with how much he had already helped her, the princess felt that she hadn't been pulling much of her own weight.



	She couldn't help but frown at her own lack of contribution. "To leave this all up to Erebus seems somewhat selfish on our part. If there is anyway that we can help the situation, then we would foolish to not at least attempt it."



	Gazing back at her leg, Luna slowly began to tap into her magical reserves, simultaneously searching her memory for the most simple healing spell that she could find. It wasn't often that she found herself using medical spells so she wasn’t very well-versed in them, but she was still capable of using them, should the need arise.



	"Alright then, time to see just how difficult this is going to be." Concentrating on the wound, she released a miniscule amount of energy, preparing herself for the drain that she knew would follow behind it.



	A drain which never came.



	Luna almost broke her concentration as she noticed how little effect the spell had on her. Up until this point, even the most basic of spells had easily left her almost completely exhausted. Her face twisted in confusion as she began the spell again, this time putting slightly more energy behind it.



	The outcome was exactly the same.



	"This doesn't seem to make any sense." Luna's mind raced furiously in an attempt to piece all of it together. "How is it that a simple illumination spell can leave us gasping for breath, yet something as intricate as healing magic has no effect on us whatsoever?"



	Deciding to push her luck, Luna's mind became more and more flustered as she continued to pour energy into the wound, the flow of blood slowly beginning to taper off. Within moments, the blood had completely stopped, disbelief racing through the alicorn's mind. Reaching back towards her leg, she was able to remove the makeshift bandage, now coated a dark shade of crimson. Though the fur around the wound was stained the same as the cloth, she could still clearly see that there was no trace of the once visible gash.



	Despite the major questions that were plaguing her, Luna did her best to remind herself what a positive thing it was. "While it's true that this is certainly confusing, perhaps what happened to us was merely a temporary effect? Surely we didn't expect that we would lose our magical abilities forever. Besides, if we are capable of using our magic now, than we should be able to simply move to Ponyville on our own, without Erebus having to worry any longer."



	Thinking about how long he had been gone, a moment of indecision went through her mind. "If he were to come back looking for us though and we weren't here, that might just make the situation worse than it was. Still, it feels like a large waste to simply laze about on the grass, not when we have the chance to do something."



	Luna brought back to mind that Celestia was still unaware of her whereabouts. "It certainly wouldn't do any harm to contact our sister. No doubt that she's beginning to worry over us."



	Apprehensively, she reached her mind out towards Celestia, still unsure whether her link had been restored or not. Her doubts were soon alleviated though, as within seconds she felt the familiar touch of her sister's consciousness brushing against her.


	A small smile tugged at her lips. "It's good to see that some things are starting to look up again."



	Before she had time to even attempt communication though, she found herself pushing up against a mental barrier, completely unable to make contact. Her smile fell as she once again attempted to talk with her sister, thinking that perhaps the first attempt had simply been a fluke. When this failed as well, though, a brand new wave of questions quickly began to prod at her mind.



	"That does not make sense; Celestia has never shut us out before." Luna raised an eyebrow in confusion. "In fact, the only time that she's ever put up a mental shield at all is when she's actively engaged in combat. That being said, there hasn't been an adversary with enough raw ability to warrant such defensive measures, not for some time now."



	"So then, what could possibly be causing her to act in such a . . ." Luna's eyes slowly widened as sudden realization dawned on her.



	"No . . . by the the stars no. There's no actual way that she could possibly be . . ." A feeling of dread began to set in as she shook her head in disbelief. Despite knowing the low chances of her sister actually meeting with Erebus, there was little other cause for Celestia to be worked up into such a defensive state.



	Quickly raising herself off the ground, Luna found that she couldn't fully support herself, and stumbled back down into a sitting position. Looking back, she groaned as she remembered her leg. Despite having healed the wound herself, the numbing effect that Erebus had placed to seal off the pain was still there, effectively keeping her leg from being used in any form.



	"Damn it! This is not the time for setbacks such as this!" She began gathering energy into her horn. "If what we believe is true, then Erebus may have just gotten himself into an irreversible situation."



	Using the small amount of the link with Celestia that she could access, she locked herself onto wherever her sister was located. The link itself was quickly formed, but lacked full cohesion, cutting her chances of actually coming up next to Celestia. Completely disregarding whether or not her abilities were fully restored, Luna brought the last bit of needed energy into her horn  and vanished from sight.



	Without warning, the princess was violently flung out of her teleportation spell, her body nearly flying into a nearby tree as her new location instantly came into view. Her breath caught in her throat as she furiously flapped her wings, trying desperately to gain control over her momentum. With some amount of difficulty, Luna managed to bring herself to a stop before quickly glancing around in an attempt to catch sight of Erebus or her sister, neither of which she could find.



	"Something is not right here; we know that we performed the spell hastily, but it still should have brought us at least within sight of her." The princess couldn't help but feel that the spell had been abruptly halted.



	Forcing the question from her mind, she had just resolved to try the spell once again when she was interrupted by the sound of shouting. Perking her ears up, she quickly noticed that the noise was coming from directly in front of her, just beyond the treeline. Doing her best to support her rear leg, Luna slowly limped her way through the thick brush, keeping her face low to prevent branches from hitting her eyes.



	As she pushed her way past a final patch of bushes, Luna hastily looked up and was greeted by a disturbing sight.



	The ground around her hooves was littered with small holes, the grass charred to the point of death. Glancing to her right, she was able to make out the outlines of two of her guards, who despite seeming to be fine, were currently sprawled out in the middle of a large bush. By far the most shocking part of the scene was what was happening to her left. Luna’s eyes widened as she attempted to process exactly what she was looking at.



	Standing beside a large oak tree was her sister and Erebus, the both of them locked in a furious struggle with each other. Luna could see that Erebus currently had Celestia in a tight grip, and was attempting to keep her horn away from his torso. Celestia, on the other hoof, was attempting to wrench herself free, all the while charging a spell on her horn. A spell which, by the looks of it, seemed to be quite powerful.



	Luna was in sheer disbelief that Erebus was still standing, much less capable of keeping Celestia at bay for as long as he had. It went without saying that her sister was an extremely adept wielder of magic, as well as a powerful opponent in physical competition. When she had reason to be truly angered, however, Luna had known her to be capable of deterring adversaries through her presence alone.



	Amidst all of the chaos going on around her, Luna did the only thing that she could currently think of to do.



	She screamed. Loudly.



	"Stop this, all of you!!!" Luna just barely restrained herself from using the full Royal Canterlot Voice.



	In that exact moment, Celestia released the spell that she had been preparing, and the two were absorbed by a blinding flash of light.



	The attack lasted less than a few seconds, but Luna was still forced to shield her eyes from view, lest she be temporarily blinded. Her mind raced as she blinked the brightness from her eyes, desperately hoping that she had not come too late to prevent the worst from happening. As her vision began to clear though, she saw something far more shocking than what she had imagined.



	The both of them were completely unscathed . . . for the most part.



	The two were now standing about seven feet apart, each with a slightly dazed expression on their faces. On one hoof, Celestia had no noticeable wounds on her, but was obviously fighting hard due to the fact that she was visibly exhausted. On the other hoof, Erebus did seem to have a few burns covering his body and cloak, but otherwise seemed no more fatigued than Celestia currently was. In fact, the only thing that seemed to have suffered any real damage was the large tree they had been near, now charred completely black.



	"Luna?"



	The princess was torn from her musings by the sound of Celestia's voice. Shifting her gaze, she could easily see the confusion and frustration that was written on her sister's face.



	"Luna . . . are you alright? I was almost certain that something terrible had happened after I lost contact with you." She paused to catch her breath. "Why didn't you just let me know where you were going last night?"



	Luna did her best to fight off a pang of guilt. "Sister we . . . we know that we should have informed you about last night, but we simply didn't want you to worry unnecessarily. We simply had no way of knowing that we would have been delayed for so long, otherwise we would have told you immediately."



	Celestia shook her head solemnly. "How can you simply call all of this a delay? Do you even realize how many ponies were worried for your safety, myself included? After what happened here with this . . .creature . . . I could only fear the worst."



	Luna knew all too well that her decisions were her own, and not even Celestia should be able to question them. With the atmosphere of the current situation however, she also knew it would also be better to not make tensions any higher. She was about to offer her sister an apology, when a familiar voice cut her off.



	"Hold on now . . . I may not be one to enjoy intruding on a personal conversation, but you should know that any blame here shouldn't fall on Princess Luna. I mean, if anyone is at fault here it would probably be me." Erebus tried his best to keep his tone calm.



	"You have no right to even speak of my sister!" Celestia's frustration quickly began to boil over. "I still have no reason to even begin trusting you in any way!"



	Luna's temper immediately flared at her sister's outburst. Erebus had done nothing but help her up to this point, and she wasn't about to let Celestia treat him like some common criminal.



	"Celestia! Did you ever stop to think that maybe you have no right to speak to him in such an obviously belittling tone?!" She slammed her hoof into the ground for added emphasis.



	The Solar Princess stiffened at the force of Luna's reprimand. "Do you have any idea what actions this creature has taken against the ponies here, as well as myself? I have no understanding of how you can just stand up and defend what he has done."



	"That 'creature's' name is Erebus, and it would do you well to remember that." Luna pointed over at the human. "We'll have you know that he has done nothing but help us for the time that we were missing, and were it not for his aid, we would not be here now. Perhaps, if you had taken the time to simply talk with him, you might have reached a different conclusion about him."



	Erebus cleared his throat to catch the two alicorn's attention. "Princess Luna, while I appreciate you standing up for me in this matter, I'm going to have to say that I'm not without blame. Looking back at my actions, I'll admit that my impatience probably clouded my better judgment here."



	He exhaled deeply before looking at the both of them with an apologetic expression. "It's definitely true that Princess Celestia can be quite stubborn in some regards. However, I can also tell that she was only doing what she deemed was the best way to deal with a potentially hostile situation. She's obviously very protective, and well, I wasn't very thorough in my attempts to negotiate with her."



	A long moment of silence hung in the air as the three stared at each other with uneasy expressions, each of them not completely certain what course of action to take in this odd situation. After a few moments of shooting awkward glances at each other, Erebus finally decided to speak up and break the growing tension.



	"So . . . uh . . . maybe it would best for all of us if Luna and I began to explain exactly what happened on our end. Princess Celestia, I have no doubt that you'll understand everything by the time we get to the end of our little story."



	Upon hearing this, Luna's eyes immediately lit up. She was just about agree with the suggestion that Erebus had put out, when she was stopped short by a distinct sound meeting her ears. Gazing towards the origin of the noise, she was horrified to see exactly what it was.



	About a foot from where Celestia currently stood, the large oak tree that she had inadvertently damaged was creaking and groaning. The unmistakable sound of splintering wood was soon accompanied by visible shards of charcoal beginning to break off and fly away from the center of the tree. Luna didn't even have time to shout a warning to her sister before the oak split down the middle with an audible crack.



	Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the large trunk come crashing towards Celestia, time seeming to slow all the while. By this point, the white alicorn had turned to notice the object and was just starting to scramble out of the way . . . all too late. Off to the right, Luna saw that Erebus had noticed the danger as well and was already moving to intervene. However even with his early reaction, she knew that he was too far back to aid her sister in time.



	That is, until he appeared directly in front of her.



	In the course of that one lingering moment, the human was just barely able to slam into Celestia's side, effectively knocking her out of harm's way. In doing so however, his own ability to cast himself away from danger was rendered completely ineffective.



	A moment later, the full force of the falling tree crushed him flat to the ground.



	"Erebus!" Luna cried out to her companion, desperately hoping for any kind of response.



	The alicorn stood completely dumbfounded, her mind an utter mess of jumbled thoughts and questions. In the short span that everything had happened, she had little time to begin processing it all. Despite her confusion however, she knew that she had to help her friend before anything else happened to him. Kicking her mind into gear, she began limping her way over to where her sister currently lay.



	"Get up Celestia, you have to help us move this!" Luna prodded her sister with as much urgency as she could muster.



	Celestia, who was just now picking herself off the ground, was apparently just as confused as Luna had been. An expression of astonishment was written plainly on her face, and she seemed to be having difficulty finding her words.



	"Luna . . . I . . . what just happened?" She slowly shifted her gaze between her sister and the human.



	"What just happened?" Luna shook her head in disbelief as she repeated her sister's question. "While you were caught up in your own defensive beliefs, this 'creature' just so happened to save you from being crushed! That is what just happened!"



	The Sun Princess couldn't seem to find much sense in her sister's words. "Why would he do that? What good reason would he have to save me?"



	Luna let out an annoyed groan before pushing her way past the white alicorn. "We don't have time to satisfy your own self-centered questions, Tia. The only thing that you should see is that someone was kind enough to help you when you were in danger. That alone should enough for you to do the same!"



	Taking a quick glance at the human's inert body, Luna was able to gather that he had been knocked unconscious from the impact. At the current moment however, she was more concerned with removing the trunk itself and tending to him afterwards. Attempting to pull the tree off him with magic, she quickly became frustrated as her magic once again slipped out of her reach as it had before.



	"Damn it all, why should this happen now?!" Failing to even perform a simple levitation spell, Luna searched desperately for a safe way to physically remove the trunk. Despite her analyzing though, the only way that she could see would be to roll it off, which could potentially injure him far more.



	Luna gazed around frantically, looking for any possible alternatives, each passing second tearing at her mind. She was just about to slam her hoof into the ground in frustration when a soft yellow glow caught her attention. Gazing up, she was surprised to see the trunk gently being levitated off of Erebus' body.



	"Celestia?" She whirled around just in time to see her sister finish moving the tree away from the human, a troubled look on her face.



	"Don't even start right now Luna." Celestia raised a hoof to stop whatever her sister was going to say. "It's obvious that asking questions right now isn't going to do any good for anypony. With that in mind, I won't question you right now either."



	She sighed in an exhausted manner and looked Luna dead in the eyes. "Listen . . . this is what's going to happen here. I am going to summon my guards, they are going to tend to your wounded guards, and then we are going to transport . . . Erebus . . . back to Canterlot. Nopony is going to hear of this incident, is that perfectly clear?"



	Luna knew that Celestia was being overly cautious about the whole situation, and while she wasn't particularly fond of taking orders from her sister, she still knew that it was the best course of action for Erebus at the moment.



	"Yes sister, it's quite clear."



	"Oh, and one more thing sister," Celestia had taken only a few steps before she turned back towards Luna once again. "When we get back to Canterlot . . . you will have a lot of explaining to do."









	Harsh sunlight shone down over Equestria, slowly waging a small war against the many grey clouds that had appeared to dot the sky. The resulting shadows that had formed over Canterlot's streets had brought about an uneasy feeling of calmness for the city and its citizens. This feeling served as a stark contrast to the heated events transpiring elsewhere within the city walls.



	"Stop avoiding the question, Luna! We could start to sort all of this out if you would just tell me why you ran off to begin with."



	Princess Celestia sighed in mild frustration. Since she had returned to the city with her sister and their "guest", she had begun to question Luna in an attempt to figure out exactly what had happened. Much to her dismay, however, her little sister's stubborn nature was making it increasingly difficult to sort anything out.



	"Why should we have to explain our nightly activities to you?" Luna retorted in annoyance. "We are more than old enough to justify doing as we please during our time of responsibility."



	"That is enough, Luna!" Celestia stamped her hoof to help solidify her point. "If you're going to make such claims then you should know enough to be responsible in this matter."



	"Why is it that you think I'm attacking you here?" She began to pace around slightly as she continued. "I have all the faith in the world in you Luna, so it's not as if I need you to justify your actions, but I need you to understand the position I'm in currently. What with your sudden disappearance, fillies running around terrified, and our own royal guards being tossed aside like ragdolls . . . I'm truly at a complete loss here."



	Celestia paused for just a moment to regain her composure before she walked back over to her sister. "Please, Luna. I trust you more than anypony else I know, but please just tell me what is going on here."



	Luna bit her lip, clearly struggling with the fact that Celestia was making complete sense in everything she said. "You . . . you promise that you won't judge us for any of our decisions?"



	Celestia reached and placed her hoof on Luna's side. "Not in the slightest; you have my word."



	Luna refrained from eye contact but nodded lightly. "You are right. We suppose you do have a right to know, after all. We're not quite sure what to say though; the whole story would be rather lengthy."



	Celestia smiled encouragingly. "Why not just keep it simple, then? Start from the beginning, and simply leave out anything that you believe to be extraneous. We can leave any of the smaller details for a later time."



	"Alright then; from the start." Luna's eyes shifted nervously back and forth. "Do you remember earlier that day we had seemed distracted, as if something was on our mind at the time?"



	"Yes, I remember." Celestia nodded. "I had hoped that some rest would do you some good and help to clear your mind. What of it though?"



	"At the time, there had been a voice that called out to us. Though we were unsure as to who it was, its message was too direct to simply ignore." Luna continued. "Admittedly, resting only served to pique our interest even further, as we found that we could follow the voice through our dreams."



	"And it lead you towards the Everfree Forest?" Celestia questioned.



	Luna nodded in affirmation. "Directly towards our old castle. With everything being placed as it was, we could only assume that Nightmare Moon had somehow returned."



	She cringed slightly, dreading her sister's response, but became somewhat confused when nothing came.



	Celestia raised an eyebrow. "Yes? Then what?"



	Luna gave her a confused look. "You mean you're not angry with us?"



	The white alicorn simply shook her head. "I already promised you that I wouldn't be the one to judge your decisions, didn't I? If anything, I'm slightly disappointed that you didn't at least let me know where you were going, in case something like this happened. At the end of the day though, you're more than old enough to make your own choices. If you believed that this matter was your's to deal with alone, then I have no right nor privilege to pass judgment upon it."



	Luna's confusion lingered for a few moments longer, but soon subsided. "We are . . . glad that those are your thoughts. We suppose we should continue then?"



	Celestia merely smiled and waved her hoof for her sister to go on.



	"Very well then. After we had managed to make our way to the source of the voice itself, we found that it was . . . well . . . we found nothing." Luna sighed, recalling the pain that she had felt in that moment. "There was an accident, and we managed to get ourselves stuck in a situation that might have been the end of us."



	"What kind of accident, exactly?" Celestia cocked her head.



	Luna, not wanting to worry her sister too much, decided to leave out some of the finer details. "We happened to . . . fall into a rather large underground cavern. At the time, our wing had been injured so that we could not fly back to the surface."



	"So then why not simply use your magic to teleport back to safety?" Celestia questioned.



	"We are not exactly sure ourselves." Luna thought back to her own confusion on the matter. "It was as if something was hindering our magical ability. As it was, we were hardly capable of casting an illumination spell."



	The Sun Princess sat motionless for a moment, deep in thought. "I . . . see. That is quite concerning. How then did you manage to make your way back to the surface?"



	Luna's response came faster than expected. "We're sure that you already know the answer to that particular question, don't you Tia?"



	Celestia nodded lightly. "Yes, your - ahem - unusual new friend. Luna, I'm still not sure what to make of him as it stands. He did save me from that tree, I will not deny. When I stood against him though, the power he employed was unlike anything I'd encountered before. The only word I can use to describe it is . . . nauseating."



	"Surely, Tia, you cannot see him as an enemy!" Luna pleaded. "That whole affair was a misunderstanding! If you simply were to speak with him calmly, then he could easily show you his good intentions."



	"Luna, you know that I trust you completely, it's just that . . ." Celestia sighed in exasperation. "Let me ask you this . . . do you trust him enough?"



	"He's saved both of our lives and done nothing but prove his good intentions as far as we have seen." Luna nodded. "Please sister, as you would any other, just give him a chance."



	Celestia remained silent for a time, weighing everything to this point. "Sister, I can only hope that you understand my caution on this matter. However, I know that you're right, he deserves a fair chance to explain himself to me under a more peaceful scenario."



	"Don't count on it happening right away though." She continued. "From what the medical staff has told me, the injury wasn't serious but he showed no sign of regaining consciousness anytime soon. We'll go and visit him, but he might still be recovering."



	Almost immediately, Luna drew her sister into a tight hug, a wide smile on her face. "Thank you Tia! We sincerely thank you! We can most certainly assure you that your trust is not misplaced."



	While slightly surprised by her sister's sudden display of gratitude, Celestia was quick to gently return the hug. "My trust is in you Luna, where it is never misplaced. With that in mind though, I'll never be able to make my own judgement if I can't even walk out the door."



	"Yes, of course!" Luna lightly stepped back, realizing that she had been somewhat overbearing.


	"No need to worry yourself sister." Celestia laughed softly as she walked across the room and pushed open the double doors, Luna following closely behind. She paused for a moment to regard the two sentries that had been posted outside, before beginning to make her way down the castle's corridors.



	As the two slowly passed down the halls, the Sun Princess couldn't help but inwardly frown. It wasn't like her to not take Luna's judgement seriously, and she had faith that her sister had not been lying to her. All the same, a small tinge of doubt began to worm through her thoughts as she continued forward.



	"So Luna, do you think you could tell me something?" She gently prodded at her sister. "From the moment I first laid eyes upon our guest, I haven't been able to figure out what species he belongs to. Since you have had the time to travel with and learn about him, do you believe that you could elaborate on that fine detail for me?"



Luna kept her head forward when she answered, but Celestia could see she was having trouble finding the exact words to put her answer together. "Well, that is a fine question indeed, and one we assumed you might ask eventually. On that matter however, it might be more . . . informative . . . if you were to ask him that yourself."



	"Ah yes. I see then." Celestia's calm answer never betrayed the pang of doubt that followed Luna's statement.



	"It's painfully obvious that Luna already knows the answer to that question, so then why would she knowingly keep it to herself?" She silently began to worry as to what details the answer might entail.



	"Well then, is there any information about our guest that you would be willing to enlighten me with?" She tried again, careful not to cross any lines. "If only so that I might not offend him by mistake. It will be somewhat touch and go to hold a conversation with someone that I know so very little about after all."



	Luna's expression turned decidedly sullen as she shook her head. "We're afraid that we know very little in comparison. Even during the time we spent with him, he can be extremely difficult to glean information from, especially concerning his past."



	She quickly shifted her expression to a small smile. "Even with that being said, we can say that he himself is very new to our world. So as a warning, you might find that you're the one that is going to be questioned."



	Celestia became somewhat flustered at Luna's statement. "What exactly does she even mean by saying that he's new to our world?"



	Though she knew that pressing her sister would only give her negative results, Celestia was also perfectly aware that her questions were being purposely evaded. This thought began to pull at her strings, serving only to heighten her ever growing doubts.



	"It's not as if he could possibly be any true threat in his current condition, though." She did her best to reassure herself. "He could easily be subdued if he turns out to be aggressive in any manner."



	She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath to calm herself. "Yes, there should no reason to worry at all. Everything is going to be just fine . . . I'm sure of it."



	A tap on her side roused Celestia from her contemplations. "Are you alright sister?"



	She smiled down at Luna and replied, "Why of course; nothing wrong in the slightest. Is there a reason that you asked?"



	"You seemed to be a bit dazed for a moment there," Luna answered, pointing forward. "To be exact, the door to the medical wing is directly ahead of us. You were . . . about to walk head first right into it."



	Celestia's eyes widened as she looked ahead of her at the large wooden door, quickly confirming what her sister had said. A solitary guard stood to her left, his eyes glued to the wall in front of him, despite no doubt witnessing the Princess of the Sun nearly smack her face into a closed door.



	"Ah yes, thank you for alerting me Luna. My mind must have truly wandered for me to not notice that." She made sure to hold her smile as she spoke. "I'm really quite fine though, I can assure you."



	Taking a step back, she took a moment to compose herself before addressing the guard. "We've stopped by to check on the progress of our new guest. I take it there have been no incidents involving him?"



	"Of course Princess, there have been no incidents to speak of." The stallion's answer was plain and simple. "My companion went in a few minutes ago to check up. He should be able to give you a more detailed report of how things are currently going."



	Celestia gave a short nod before opening the door. "Thank you very much. That will be all."



"Of course, Princess," the guard replied, giving a short bow before returning to his post.



	Celestia gently ushered Luna in beside her before making sure the door was securely shut behind them both. She knew that it would offer little in the way of actual security, but the simple act of doing it served to calm her nerves in the smallest sense. Looking ahead, she noticed another royal guard waiting patiently to speak with her. Walking up to him, she gently waved a hoof to allow him to speak.



	"Good afternoon, Princess Celestia, and you as well, Princess Luna. I wasn't under the impression you would be personally coming to check in so soon." His demeanor was calm, but his voice held back a small hint of anxiety.



	Celestia smiled in response. "Good afternoon to you as well. My sister and I just stopped by to make sure our newest patient was in good condition. I have already been informed that there have been no incidents regarding him, is this correct?"



	The stallion stiffened marginally upon hearing this. "Yes of course, Princess. No incidents that we have taken notice of. However, there did happen to be a . . . development."



	Celestia's surprise managed to curb the words she had ready, giving Luna the chance to answer. "What exactly is it you mean when you say that?"



	The guard was quick to voice his answer, obviously taking note of the response he had elicited. "There's nothing wrong, I can assure you both! What happened just . . . well . . . it took us a bit by surprise is all."



	Celestia swallowed the lump in her throat and calmly approached the guard. Leaning down slightly, she locked eyes with him before asking. "What kind of development are you trying to say has happened?"



	The stallion's breath caught as Celestia stared down at him, but he knew better than to choke up at a moment like this. "Well you see Princess, it's just that the patient is . . . conscious."



	The thoughts that had been swirling through Celestia's mind all seemed to stop simultaneously, trying to piece themselves together. She had been so caught up in her own troubles, wondering how she would deal with this new element, she had never even put thought into what might happen were he actually awake when she visited.



	"That can't be right though . . . not right at all." She frantically began to think. "It's only been a few short hours since that accident with the tree. From what the medical staff told me, he should still be knocked out cold."



	She quickly masked her surprise with confusion, raising an eyebrow at the guard. "Nopony could possibly recover from a wound that severe so quickly. Are you completely certain that this is the truth?"



	Luna in turn raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Do you truly have reason to believe that this stallion would be lying to our faces?"



	The guard nervously led them to a corner that connected to the infirmary and motioned for them to take a look. Walking over to him, the sisters gently poked their faces around the wall.  A few different nurses were making their way up and down the room, with a royal guard posted at each individual corner. A line of white beds stood on parallel sides of the room, at total of six for each wall, each with a retractable curtain for dividers. Two beds down from the left side, flanked by a doctor and nurse, and sitting quietly and calmly . . . was Erebus. Speaking with the two ponies beside him. As if nothing were wrong.



	Quickly pulling her head back, Celestia sucked in a deep breath before addressing the stallion. "Exactly how long has he been awake now?"



	"Only for about ten minutes now, as far as I know." The guard's eyes nervously shifted. "That's the reason why you weren't informed earlier. We had to make sure that there weren't going to be any incidents that we might have to deal with first."



	"We take it then that there weren't any?" Luna casually asked him.



	The stallion shook his head. "None at all, as I already explained. When he woke up, he nearly gave the poor nurse a heart attack, but that's the extent of any injuries. He just asked if Princess Celestia and yourself were unharmed and when he might be able to speak with you both. Other than that, he's just sat there answering the doctor's questions and looking around the room."



	Luna smiled gently and took a few steps forward. "Well then sister, that settles that. Now then why don't you come and formally introduce yourself with us. If you would prefer to stay here and just let us go instead, then that's just fine, we're sure that would have no effect on your image."



	Celestia groaned internally, knowing that Luna wasn't going to let her get away from this. "Very well then, Luna. If you're so anxious to go greet him, then I should know better than to try and go against you."



	She reluctantly stepped up beside Luna and the two of them made their way out from behind the wall, the guard following close behind them. They had all barely walked more than a few steps before they were noticed by Erebus. His hood was currently down and Celestia could easily see a warm smile had graced his face.



	"Princess Luna and Princess Celestia! I have to say, it's quite the relief to see you both in such good health, especially after everything that happened." His voice was amazingly calm as he spoke.



	Luna was quick to return the smile. "Erebus, it is quite nice to see that you recovered so quickly, and are in such high spirits, no less."



	Though somewhat confused by how genuinely happy he was to see them both, Celestia urged herself to give a polite greeting. "Erebus . . . good to see that you in such good condition. My sister and I had hoped that we might be able to hold a more peaceful conversation with you at some point after all."



	Erebus's smile remained constant and he was quick to nod in response. "Yes! Exactly what I had going through my mind as well! First however, I'm afraid that there is a rather important question that I must ask you."



	"What exactly is so important about this question of yours?" Celestia was slightly taken aback by how forward his demeanor currently was.



	"Oh, I promise that it is extremely important." Erebus' voice held an almost childlike plead to it.



	Celestia mentally shrugged, figuring she may as well here him out quickly. "Um . . . very well then; what is it that you need to ask so badly then?"



	"Ah, thank you very much!" Erebus happily replied. "Now you see, the good staff here have essentially checked me out as completely healthy. With how I'm basically a guest here, they've told me that I had to stay here until I received a green-light from you two. Now that you're here, I desperately need to get this off my chest."



	He coughed nervously before continuing. "This might seem a bit silly, but . . . do you happen to have a washroom that I could use to clean up?"



        . . . 



	Celestia's jaw dropped ever so slightly, almost not quite knowing how to process the request. She gazed over at Luna, only to see her sister holding a hoof to her mouth, seemingly trying not to laugh. She glanced back over at Erebus, his eyes never seeming to betray any hint of humor.



	"That was your important question?" She managed to ask hesitantly.



	"Yes. Believe me, I realize that it probably seems a little silly." Erebus was quick to explain. "Trust me on this though, a couple million years in an underground tunnel is never good for personal hygiene."



	Celestia's head immediately began to spin. Looking back at Luna, she could now see that she was trying extremely hard not to giggle, to no avail. "D-did you just say . . . a couple . . . million . . . years?"



	Erebus developed a somewhat confused look on his face, as if trying to remember something. After a few moments of silence, the confusion dropped away into sudden realization.



	"Hehe. Yeah, I'm gonna have to fill you in on that, aren't I?"