Stories in Stone, Luna's Royal Guard.

by TDR

Cold Hearth, Warm Heart Part 3 [20] [E]

Stories in Stone
Luna's Royal Guard
By TDR

Cold Hearth, Warm Heart
Part 3

The jingle of keys cut off Scarlet's gloating, her attention drawn from the gasps of pain coming from the twitching pony on the floor. The crimson mare shifts her self ready to end the life of the Dragonling the moment it stepped through the door.

Jer'rahd glanced up , noting a brace of blades hidden in her tail though the pain had spread to his lungs and despite his attempts to warn Bleu he couldn't even make anything above a low wheeze.

The door is pushed open showing Bleu standing there in the door holding her key, though the tiny dragon had swung the front door wide to also admit Princess Luna and the two Guards Biggs and Wedge.

Scarlet's eyes widen at the sight of them all just as the ones at the doors eyes widen seeing Jer'rahd twitching on the floor and this strange mare standing over him.

“Shit” Scarlet cursed leaping back with a whip of her tail sending a trio of blades flying at the group.

Bleu yelped as Luna's magic slammed the door closed suddenly the blades thudding into the wood. Scarlet took off running back deeper into the house as the door exploded inward. Luna charged in after the mare, an expression that easily read as 'murder' on her face. Scarlet flung a few more blades back at the alicorn, forcing her to doge as the earth pony mare dove through a window.

Luna moved to follow when Bleu's cry halted her, she looked back seeing the dragonling cradling Jer'rahd's head, blood oozing from his muzzle. A small scratch on his side seemed to be festering, black swirls slowly spreading out from the wound in his skin and and killing the hair follicles along the way turning them a sickly black as well. She could see the poison spread away from the wound and spiral from the cut like clouds forming.

“GUARDS FIND THAT MARE, AND GET A DOCTOR!” Luna bellowed.

“Yes Princess” Biggs and Wedge shouted both rushing off without any hesitation.

“Luna, boss..” Bleu lifted her head from where she had lowered it to the stricken pony's muzzle. “.... he said to get Rhede!”

The pieces clicked into place for Luna. The mare that was here was Scarlet. Rhede did know her. She too worked for The Order. Clearly the mare had been here to kill Jer'rahd.

Luna's horn flared, the dark energies swirling around it taking a few seconds to find the proper necklace , once she had it she yanked on it, hard.

There was a flash of magic and a loud pop followed by a yelp as a red robed form appeared in the air of the main room dropping down with a crash to the floor. Rhede leapt to his hooves looking around in a panic, his robes a bit fancier than usual and marked with a large five pointed blue star with a red eye in the center of it emblazoned with golden thread was on his left breast.

Rhede's eyes widened as he spotted Luna, though his gaze took in the rest of the room as he started to shout.

“No no nonononononono!!!NO! DAMNIT LUNA!! What the buck did you do !??! I will never get another chance to talk to them all like that again!!!, Do you no how hard it is to get the floor in order to talk to them and you just ruined it!!!” Rhede growled at the alicorn Princess.

Luna said nothing though her magic gripped the large stallion by the robes swinging him around suddenly and smashing him into a wall, knocking a few paintings from it and making something fall with a crash in the other room.

“Are you crazy!?” Rhede yelled

“You spoke with her at the party Pelt. You knew who Scarlet was Pelt and you said nothing. Now she's stabbed the General and he is dying of something. You willingly let an assassin from your precious Order get close to your friend without warning him. So yes right now we are a little crazy!” Luna snarled.

“She what!!!?? BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! BUCK! Who the buck upped the time table!! Dammit!! GET VELKORN AND HER BAGS HERE NOW OR HE WILL DIE!!” Rhede screamed.

“What!? HE KNEW, PELT, WHAT THE HELL!??!” Bleu shouted.

Luna does not move or let Rhede go from where she pinned him to the wall. Another flash of magic lights up the room as her horn grows brighter and another pop of teleportation fills the room along with the thud of some rather heavy saddle bags landing on the couch. There was also a loud yelp of panic and the sound of a great deal of hot water bursting out over the carpet in the living room, leaving a sudsy, wet, and very angry looking zebra sprawled out in the middle of the floor.

“Some pony will now face my wrath, no one interrupts my bath.!!” Velkorn growled getting to her hooves and shaking her mane free of the soapy water as she looked around the room, her angry expression turning quickly to surprise then worry.

“Velkorn Jer'rahd's been poisoned. It's got to be the bitches signature one Wind Snake. Did you make the antidotes I told you to ?” Rhede shouted quickly.

[“ Rhede wah? What is going on here Luna?”] Velkorn's eyes widen seeing the Princess holding Rhede against a shattered wall..

“Do you have them?” Rhede demanded.

[“ No, it is a difficult recipe and it needs to be mixed right before it is used to even work. I have all the materials I need to make it on hoof however. I still am not sure where you expected us to encounter a wind snake however. They are supposed to be extinct.”] Velkorn stated.

“Just help Jer!” Rhede orders

[“What?! Jer'rahd?”] Velkorn questioned, glancing down at the pony on the ground as if seeing him for the first time. Her eyes widen as she darted over checking on him before rushing to grab her bags from the couch dragging them over to the fallen pony shoving Bleu aside. Her eyes widen seeing the black marks spreading across his body, spreading out from the shallow wound. Jer'rahd thrashed suddenly, shuddering on the floor, every exhalation of breath bringing with it flecks of blood that splatter against the floor.

[“This is bad, the poison is far enough into his system it is already eating at his lungs. If this is Wind Snake venom he should be dead already. This does not make any sense to me.”] Velkorn ranted as she dug through her bags.[” Wind serpent venom is nearly instantaneous versus unicorns and barely takes a minute to kill a pegasus. He should be dead by now.”]

“Jer's father was an earth pony. Bitch didn't know that and used something that he might be saved from.” Rhede stated. “Earth ponies can live for hours afterward, Jer might have half that amount of time.”

[“Yes That would explain why he yet lives,we might save him. Bleu get me a bowl and fill it half full of hot water now! I need to mix this fast and you are now my help.”]

“Right.” Bleu darted off.

The little dragon hurried off gathering what Velkorn ordered as Velkorn simply dumped most of her bags out on the floor picking through what she needed leaving Luna and the still suspended Rhede.

“Where are they Rhede? Where is she going?” Luna demanded.

“Don't I even get a please?” Rhede smirked

Luna's magic yanked Rhede from the wall smashing him into another wall on the other side of the room as she stormed up putting her muzzle right near Rhede's as she growled.“I have no patience right now for games Pelt.”

“And here's the side of you ponies fear. Luckily for me, I know you want the same thing I do right now. If you want them though you'll need to go now. My disaperence will put them on alert, Scarlet's report will send them scattering in a panic. The entire Order is at the manor house on the corner of Hackney and Anadolu. While not the whole collection of them, all the bigwigs are there, including the one who ordered Jer's death I'm sure.“

“If he dies, I will kill you Rhede.” Luna stated.

“If Jer dies, I'll let you Princess. But you gotta tell Maw some one else did it. No sense making her mad at you.” Rhede sighed.

Luna dropped the stallion to the floor letting her magic flare again. Black and blue armor formed around her body as she mutters more than a few spells, boosting her abilities. At best they would last an hour, but that should be more than enough time. With a last glance at Jer'rahd and Velkorn , Luna vanished with a pop.

The snow exploded under her hooves , blasting out away from the point she appeared making a large circle of clear road as Luna arrived in the middle of the street before the manor house. Several ponies yelp and dive away at the sudden appearance of the Goddess of war in full gear before them.

Luna ignored them, her gaze focused on the the manor house. eyes narrowing as she caught sight of a black tail slipping into one of the upper windows before it closed. A pair of patrolling Guards rush over to her offering a bow.

“Princess Luna, whats going on, what are you doing here?” the first asked.

“Gather up all the Guards you can and surround this house. Make sure you have some one check for underground tunnels as well and seal them off too.” Luna ordered.

“Yes Princess, Are we keeping everyone in or out?” the second Guard asked.

“If any pony other than me comes out of this house, kill them. They are all traitors to Equestria and that would be their fate regardless. Pass that onto all the Guards you summon. My sister has let these foals get away with far to much for far too long. That will end here.” Luna stated.

“Princess, are you sure about that?” The second Guard questioned back peddling as the mare whirled on him glaring down at him her eyes seeming to burn in anger.

“WE COMMAND YOU, DO AS YOU ARE ORDERED SERGENT. DO NOT QUESTION US!” Luna's roar shook the snow off a number of houses with the sheer volume of it.

“Yes Princess. Right away.”Both Guards stammer rushing away to sound an alarm.

Luna lept up into the air, gliding over the fence to the house before landing heavily before the front steps and striding up them. Her horn glows brightly as the wooden doors and most of the wall before her simply melts from the touch of her magic, the toxic pile of wooden slag catching fire as she strode into the hole she made.

[“Pinions of a bird of prey, Eye of a hunting cat, charred hide of common vermin.”] Velkorn listed

“Got it, got it, got it.” Bleu shouted in a panic tossing the items into the bowl Velkorn was grinding the material's into. The hot water it seemed was to douse herself and get the rest of the soap out of her hair before she started to work in mixing up the milled ingredients in a pestle and mortar she had.

[“Claw of a Ursa, eight flax seeds, Lunar moths wing.”] Velkorn continued.

“Got it, wow that’s big, and got it.” Bleu tossed them into the mix breaking apart the claw into more sizable chunks.

[“Grind them together with the last ingredient. Fresh dragon's blood.”]

Bleu dumped the whole lot into Velkorn's mixing bowl, not even hesitating to chomp down hard on her own arm letting her blood fall into the mix as Velkorn crushed everything together.

[This makes a paste to put on the wound to draw the poison out. That is enough Bleu, bandage your arm.] Velkorn ordered.

“This had better work.” Bleu growled.

“It worked on me when I was poisoned with it. It should work for Jer.” Rhede stated, the earth pony had yet to move from the spot he had fallen when Luna dropped him. Though he had done little more than stare at the pair of them and Jer'rahd since.

The Orders hireling guards were left as little more than smoldering bones behind her. A good two dozen of them had rushed her the moment an alarm sounded. Griffons, ponies and even a Minotaur had come to screaming ends the moment she saw them. They might have had no say in what happened, but Luna was far too pissed off to let any one go from this place. She saw no innocents here today.

One of the first friends she had made in a long time lay dying because of the plans and plots of this pathetic society. Her sister would do nothing due to politics and her own promise. Luna made no such promise and couldn't give two shits about being political right now.

She smashed through another closed door, her magic igniting the shards of wood from the door's remains, flinging them away from her and impaling and shredding all that were in the room waiting for her. She paused briefly to make sure the guards and a few of the braver nobles in the room were all dead before moving to the next room.

“You cannot do this!! The Order has protection from Princess Celestiahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!” a unicorn with blue hair screamed as he tried to hold her too something her sister had promised.

“We are not Celestia....” she stated. “We are not beholden to her rules and beliefs. We are her equal with our own rules and beliefs. Rules and beliefs that you fools have broken and ignored. This is on your own heads.” Luna snarled at the few remaining in the room.

The scream of another pony was cut off to a pained gurgle as his lungs were seared from his chest, the robes of the order clung to the burning skeleton that was the older stallions only remains. She no longer even looked at them now, she simply destroyed anything that moved around her. Her magic was singing, her horn grown hot, but she was not even slightly fatigued. The armor she wore boosted her powers and came with a reserve of magic she had stored in it to tap. She hadn't needed to use the reserve yet, but she would feel the pain from all the casting she was doing now. Most of these spells came from the Gray Grimiore, they were brutal, painful and completely deadly.

Still she had half the manor to go through and she had yet to find Scarlet any one on the Council

Luna's eyes blazed with the purple energy at her command as she stalked through the house.

“FIRST YOU STEAL FROM US, THEN YOU HIDE THAT WHICH COULD HAVE BROUGHT SALVATION FOR EQUESTRIA FOR YOUR OWN SELFISHNESS!? YOU HAVE ALL BEEN JUDGED AND FOUND GUILTY AND YOU WILL BE PUNISHED, THIS WE COMMAND!”

Rhede had yet to move from where Luna had dropped him. This was the worst case scenario for him. It had all been going so well too. No pony knew anything about what he was doing except The Order itself and Princess Celestia. Jer'rahd never questioned Rhede about where he trained or who he worked for, simply assuming he was an Ambassador like he claimed. The was partially true, but because Jer'rahd never asked, the rest of the small group never seemed to think to either.

And now because of one pony in the order, Jer'rahd was dying and everything he had put together was lost.

“I want answers Pelt.” Bleu demanded.

“I will tell every one when we are all together, with Celestia so she can back up what I tell you.” Rhede sighed.

“That is not going to happen if Boss dies.” Bleu stated flatly with an air of menace that he didn't think the dragonling had.

Rhede sighed looking up at the dragonling, noting she had changed her size and was now at least as large as he was and right now she was towering over him.

“Then all the information will die with me, unless the Princess of the Sun see's fit to tell you.” Rhede commented lowering his gaze.

“DAMN IT RHEDE!” Bleu growled grabbing his mane and yanking his head back up with her claw.

“Bleu let it go, I can see he suffers too, you know.” Velkorn called.

“Thank you Velkorn.” Rhede muttered as Bleu dropped his head.

[“Do not thank me yet. If it turns out you are not really the stallion you led me to believe you were, I shall do my best to make sure you live through whatever Luna and Bleu will be doing to you so they can keep doing it.”] Velkorn stated coldly.

Rhede blinked lifting his head a little to look over at her. She stared at him with more worry than anger, but he could tell she was honest about what she said. Still that she would allow this sort of thing was a step towards her rejecting him outright like he wanted. So maybe some good might come from this.

“Trust me, I probably will deserve it either way. This has been one of those sort of weeks.” Rhede grumbled his thoughts racing as he started to plan.

The final door explodes inward showering the ponies huddled on the other side with wood and debris.
A long Guard leaps at her , his wing blades slashing at the armored alicorn's neck. The pegasus was reduced to ash before he could bring his weapons to bare, the Princess of the Night barely blinking as the ashen remains of the pony flutter around her caught up in the swirl of energy and heat radiating from her.

This chamber was large and bore striking similarities to the royal throne room. Oil lanterns lit the room , throwing dancing shadows across walls hung with photo's of past members and awards. A motto was emblazoned on the wall in ancient Equestrian. Luna sneered at it as well as the images of five of the ponies in the pictures.

The words translated to 'protect and serve'.

The paintings were of five ponies Luna never had wanted to see again. Former friends. The last bearers of the Elements of Harmony. The ones that had helped her take down Discord. The ones who founded the The Order after stealing the Element's away so that neither she nor Celestia could use their power on their own.

A tan furred earth pony with a dark blue mane and jet black eyes that seemed to be filled with stars dominated the middle image. Despite the fact it was a painting her hair seemed to flow in the still image.

Imbrium, her Generosity.

A bright pink unicorn stallion with a long flowing mane of countless colors that seemed to shimmer with sparkles and glitter, something the painter some how managed to catch in this image, oddly the stallion seemed to have his eyes closed in this painting, though Luna could still recall his strange eyes that seemed to match his wild mane and tail.

Shadow Puppet, her Laughter.

A jet black pegasus stallion. His image seemed darker than the others , the shades of black and charcoal that made up his face, mane tail and the back ground making the image appear as a solid black canvas at first, though a pair of gold eyes stared out at any one who looked to the painting.

Nightshade, her Honesty.

A dark blue pegasus with a white mane and tail and piercing green eyes looked on from the last painting, his expression was one of sadness.

Duskshine, her Compassion.

Together with Tia bearing Loyalty this was the group of ponies that defeated Discord. These were the ponies that stole away all but the Element of Magic, hiding them away before vanishing themselves without so much as a word to their supposed friend. The first Order grew from those events and today she would see it end.

If Luna had not been mad before, the sight of these traitors being held in places of honor in this foul place would have set her off like a volcano.

The only door out of the chamber was behind her, and no one would pass through it again save for her. Her gaze swept the room taking note of the gathered ponies huddled in their robes behind the large table surrounded with ornate chairs. The huddled ponies seemed to be trying to push behind one another as if to save them selves by sacrificing the others.

Luna snarled catching a glimmer of torch light reflecting off something in a shadow to her right, something trying to slip out the door. Her magic grabbed one of the oil lanterns , yanking it from the wall and smashing it in the rafters showering the shadows with burning oil.

Scarlet screamed as her mane and coat caught fire. The scent of burning flesh and the mares screams filling the room as Luna took note that the glint of light was caused by the Ruby earrings Jer'rahd had given the mare. Luna wasn't sure why Scarlet still wore them, though the irony of her being caught with Jer'rahd's help was not missed by Luna.

Scarlet falls thrashing about, trying to put the fire out , but only managing to roll in the oil more. As her flesh began to blister and bubble and crack and the mare seemed ready to pass out from the pain, or simply die Luna blasted her with magic again freezing her burning form in stone. Locked in the throws of agony for as long as she was trapped, which Luna expected would be a very long time.

With assassin dealt, Luna's attention was free to focus on the Council huddling together before her the smell of urine and fresh manure hung heavily, overpowering even the scent of burning flesh causing her nose to wrinkle in disgust.

“DO YOU FOALS KNOW HOW LONG WE HAVE BEEN ALONE? CAN YOU EVEN THINK OF HOW HARD IT IS FOR A GODDESS TO EVEN MAKE ONE FRIEND WITHOUT WORRY THEY ONLY SEEK TO USE HER POWER FOR THEIR OWN ENDS. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW PRECIOUS WE CONSIDER THESE RARE PONIES WE DO BEFRIEND? WE WERE UNABLE TO SEEK VENGENCE FOR THE LAST FRIENDS WE LOST.AND WE WERE STRICKEN BY THE BETRAYAL OF THOSE WHO WERE FRIENDS BUT THEN FOUNDED THIS CESSPIT.”

Luna's voice lowered as she advanced on the group,the Royal Canterlot voice fading to a harsh threatening whisper.

“Do you have any idea what we are going to do to you for trying to force us back to how miserable we were before we met them? Do you have any clue what is going to happen to you for sending some one to kill one of the few ponies I care about?”

Luna's horn glows brightly.

“You will soon enough.”

=========================================

The Guards ponies and spectators surrounding the house shudder, backing away from the building as the screams started, echoing out of the top floor of the house, the sounds continuing for what seemed like hours.

Velkorn sat back with a sigh watching as Jer'rahd's breathing came a little easier now. The wound was smeared with the crimson tinged paste, the black cloud forming on his side was not shrinking, but it was no longer expanding either.

[“I think... I think he might yet live. Thankfully he is stubborn.”]Velkorn breathed out.

Rhede still had yet to move from where Luna had dropped him. Starfall had come by being alerted by Wedge as he sounded an alarm. Rhede had asked Starfall to inform Princess Celestia directly and very quickly before Luna did something she would regret.

Starfall was not sure what was going on, but Velkorn insisted that Rhede's suggestion was the proper idea and shood the pegasus off as well, remaining to watch Rhede and Jer'rahd until she felt it was safe to move him.

A number of other Guards showed up right after Starfall and had gathered around the house to investigate. Some were watching Rhede while others were were trying to keep the Dragonling from attacking the earth pony stallion. A number of other medics had gathered around Velkorn and were discussing the best options for treatment and taking notes on the poison.

At some point during all this Rhede vanished. No one had seen him move, he was simply there one moment and gone the next. There was no trace of any magic being used, though the large pony had left a small note.

The scrap of parchment simply stated that he' went to take care of a few things'.

With no one left to focus her anger at and nothing to do, Bleu simply seemed to collapse on herself,sinking into a state of shock with how close she had come to losing some one else she cared about. If she hadn't have insisted Luna swing by with Jer'rahd's give before they went to Ponyville Jer'rahd might have been dead. And the only reason she had even suggested it was to try an embarrass boss in the middle of something with his mare friend. A stupid prank idea may have saved his life. Bleu had no idea what to do with that information.

=============================================

Luna glared down at the last pony alive in the room. If you could call it alive. He was quickly bleeding out onto the floor, all four of his legs having been pulled off of his body like a cruel foal might pull the wings off a parasprite.

She had recognized the single gold bit marking his flank, there was a reason she had saved him for last. A few of the inner circle had been begging for their lives blaming him for the order to kill the General. Some blamed Rhede for the order as well. She had not spared any of them, but she held onto the information.

“GOLDEN COIN. WE ARE NOT AMUSED THAT YOU SEEM TO BE THE CAUSE OF THIS. WERE YOU SO BITTER AT YOUR LOSS YOU SOUGHT THE GENERAL'S DEATH IN ANOTHER WAY? WE SUPPOSE IT MATTERS LITTLE EITHER WAY AS IT HAS LED TO YOUR END.”

She turned to leave as the pony bled out and the light faded from his eyes. Moving to the door, her armored hooves crunched down on something. Luna paused glancing down at the ground noticing the gathered pool of blood that had run to what she assumed was a low spot in the room.

What she had stepped on however were a grouping of slowly forming crystals that grew from where the blood had all pooled together. She snapped off a piece in her magic lifting it up to look at curiously. The crystal itself was rough and jagged, a dark red coloration that matched the warm life's blood that had pooled in the floor.

The Gray Grimiore had explained this phenomenon, still with all her battles she never witnessed it.

“The Blood of the Corrupt.” Luna muttered.

She had found no indication how to collect this material in the book and that had stopped her from bothering with the other parts of the greater spell of power written in the Gray Grimiore. Now here it was, the first piece of a puzzle that would increase her power easily tenfold or more. Something that could empower her to the point that nothing would ever dare attack Equestria again.

She gathered up several of the larger crystals as they formed, tucking them into her armors saddle bags. She glanced about the room ignoring the bodies and sparing a glance to the paintings of her former friends before a quick spell set them ablaze. She turned away glancing to the stone mare for a moment before picking up the statue and carrying it out with her.

A fitting punishment for trying to kill a pony she thought of as a friend. An eternity in anguish, that was if Jer'rahd did not see fit to destroy the statue when he recovered.

If he recovered....

No he will recover, Luna snarled in her own mind.

She headed back out the door carrying the statue, her magic lashing out to yank free pillars and supports as she walked , collapsing the structure behind her and causing more fires in the manor as the oil lanterns broke and set everything ablaze,

She stepped out into the sunny afternoon looking down at three ponies that had evidently run from the house and were currently dead, filled with arrows. She flung the bodies into the collapsing house as the place fully caught fire behind her burning brightly and melting the snow on the surrounding streets.

“Orders Princess?” questioned a Guard standing by the main gaze with several unicorns armed with crossbows around him.

“LET IT BURN.” Luna commanded.

[ Three weeks later]

Jer'rahd's red eye was casting a light that could have illuminated the room if it was darker, but Velkorn would not let him move and had been forced to strike him with several paralysis nerve strikes before the angry unicorn would stop trying to get up. That had made him even angrier, but removed his ability to move or even speak so it was win win in Velkorn's opinion. She was however curious at the glow from his eye.

“Don't tell me there's something else wrong with Boss. Its bad enough he was poisoned.” Bleu muttered having not left Jer'rahd's side since he was brought to the hospital.

“hard to say. What gets me is Celestia has put Luna under house arrest for taking out The Order, though she hasn't said a damn thing about Rhede aside from saying she doubted he had a part in this.” Starfall muttered glancing between the dragon and the zebra.

[“If Celestia is defending Rhede, then there must be more going on than we know. It also means that Rhede is likely innocent of this, or at least not as guilty as we think he is. Which is a great relief to me.”] Velkorn admitted giving a small pause to let Bleu translate what Starfall didn't grasp of the language yet. At least the pegasus mare was trying unlike the lout in bed.

“So whats with boss's eye any way, I've seen it glowing like that before.” Bleu questioned.

“As have I.” Starfall admitted.

[“It is the eye he nearly lost in my homeland. My skill treating optical wounds has never been my best one. I used a herbal remedy my mother taught me and his green eye became red, but he had no trouble seeing. I think that adjusted his magic slightly as well, perhaps that is why the glow is red. I have seen Unicorns whose eyes glow when they cast spells. Jer'rahd's normal eye does that when he uses his shields at higher power or lifts something heavy. I have no idea why the red one is glowing now however.”]

Bleu ponders as she translated for Starfall.

“ Is it because he's pissed off?” Starfall pondered aloud.

“That makes sense Starfall it always does that when hes about to just cut loose into rage fueled violence.” Bleu admitted.

[“How his emotion is giving a sign of magic as it builds is beyond my knowledge.”] Velkorn sighed.

“At least we know he is gonna live now. Took him near a week to get into the clear.” Starfall nodded.

[“He will be fine now so long as he listens to what I tell him.”] Velkorn sighed.

“He still does not speak Zebra.” Bleu commented.

“Stay in bed , or you will be dead, is that now stuck in your head?” Velkorn growled leaning over the prone unicorn noting both his eyes were closed.

“No, cause now he's passed out again.” Starfall chuckled.

[“GAAAAAAAAAA! You are impossible to doctor.] Velkorn ranted.

[Two weeks later. Guard training courtyard]

“Here you are General Mustang, a full shipment of our toughest training dummies. The Titan Three Hundred. You are quite the clever pony for deciding on such a fine model. If you would just sign here.” A smiling pegasus stated as he offered Mustang a clip board and a ink quill.

“Nice of you to set them up for us in the yard too. We've been having a bit of issue lately with the durability of our targets. Your ad pony said this model is indestructible? Better be for the price you want for them.” Mustang snorted trying to talk around the feather in his mouth.

The General winced suddenly, setting down the quill before signing and looking around the Guard base. Everything was quiet though the old earth pony kept glancing at a wind of the nearby military hospital as if he expected something to burst out of nowhere.

The delivery sales pony didn't pay attention to the look and simply continued with his scripted statements hoping the General would sign so he could leave.

“Oh yes sir, we hoof tested every model we make and this line is from the strongest we have, nothing short of some powerful magic's can break these or your bits back. Though if you are satisfied with these we have several other fine products in our catalog as well if you are interested.”

“SOME PONY STOP HIM!!” shouted a voice.

“Right on cue.” General Mustang sighed tossing the unsigned clipboard back to the delivery pony.

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!” something bellowed.

The door out of the Guard medical wing leading to the training area exploded outwards as Jer'rahd burst out of the hole, a swath of bandages wrapped around his midsection and a hospital blanket draped around his neck like a cape flowing out behind him as he barreled through the doors. A little blue dragonling clung tenaciously to the end of the blanket trying to slow the pony down by fanning her wings wildly..

“BOSS, YOU IDIOT! GET BACK IN BED, SOME PONY GET VELKORN!!” Bleu shouted at the top of her lungs.

Jer'rahd tore across the yard, smashing into, and completely through the line of training dummies, practically disintegrating them all in a single pass like a one pony stampede of rage and fury.

The rampaging unicorn eventually reached the outer doors of the Guard post crashing through the outer gate, the little dragon still clinging to the blanket screaming for some one named Jane to stop this crazy thing.

Mustang and the sales pony look out over the field as body parts of the training dummies lay scattered every where across the field a few of them embedded in the keeps walls or thrown high enough into the air to still be raining down around them.

“So... Money back guarantee huh? “ General Mustang questioned.

The delivery pony simply whimpered.

Jer'rahd finally stopped his gallop spreading his hooves out to keep himself upright as he panted heavily coughing and tasting blood. His lungs had likely not fully healed yet and Velkorn would be super pissed at him.

He had spent the month bedridden, and thanks to Velkorn, usually in a drugged sleep state of some kind. Starfall had made the mistake of mentioning to Bleu what had happened to Scarlet when she thought he was asleep this morning. His anger had quickly burned through what ever Velkorn had given him last and his rage had launched him into a made charge to get here. He had not even know where in the garden this statue was and yet he some how found it.

He lifted his gaze to the statue. The figure of the mare looked as if it was on fire, even the flames had been turned to stone. She seemed to be in a great deal of pain as well, trapped in anguish.

Jer'rahd turned his head from Scarlet, his gaze sweeping this section of the garden. Another pedestal held the disfigured form of Colonel Claymore still wearing the chains he had been imprisoned in. Past him was a Zebra wearing a pony skull mask and a hooded cloak that looked to be in a state of indignant anger with all four of his hooves cuffed. Further into the garden he saw what looked to be an familiar alicorn among a selection of various statued beasts.

This must be the new prisoner wing. His attention quickly refocused on the frozen mare. He was betrayed by a lover once before, Silphy, his next love had died, Platinum. Now he had been betrayed again by one he loved, though with much greater impact this time. There was a pattern forming here that he did not like even if he counted his first filly friend who tried to kill him and his high school crush that moved away before he could even say anything to her, the pattern still some what fit.

He had come to the garden to destroy this mare, frozen as she was he had wanted to crush her with his own hooves, vent the anger at her betrayal, get revenge for her attempt on his life. She had threatened his friends, made them worry about him. She had made Luna go on a rampage that was currently the talk and fear of most of Equestria, a severe hindrance to her desire to be loved by her subjects. Worst of all she made him question the loyalty of his best friend. No pony had even seen Rhede since that day, Velkorn had said that Princess Celestia was not even sure where he had run off to, but she had told him about the note.

Some where along the way he had lost his impromptu cape and it's baby dragon attachment. Bleu was going to be pissed and he shuddered to think what Velkorn might do to him. But at the time he had a reason to come out here, a desire to seek vengeance. Now that he was here though, he felt nothing looking at the mare. He slowly sat down looking up at her. Despite the pain and anguish the end of their relationship had caused him. Despite the fact it was all a lie to her, it was all very real to him. He had been in love again, only for that love and loyalty to be thrown back in his face in an attempt to kill him. The thought of it just made him feel cold. He doubted he could ever go through this sort of thing again. Maw wouldn't be happy, but Jer'rahd had had enough issues with any mare he got close to that deciding never to let it happen again was sounding the best choice to him.

“You have better control than I do General. Sable's pedestal still bears the marks of my rage.” Jer'rahd jerked his head up his ears perking as he looked back at Luna as she approached before dropping his head again.

“She took more from you than this one took from me.” He stated, his voice still rough from the damage and disuse.

“Really? She took your trust and made you question friends you rely on. Tested your loyalty to everything She killed your beliefs at best. Broke your heart. Sable indirectly killed one stallion that was very important to me.” Luna sighed moving to take a seat next to the wounded pony.

“My beliefs are not dead, just wounded. Deeply.” Jer'rahd sighed.

“You are still a better pony than I am Jer'rahd.” Luna admitted.

“No, I am not Princess. I would not have left even one alive. I prefer tying up loose ends.” Jer'rahd growled before breaking into a coughing fit.

Luna waited until he had it under control before speaking again. “Death at times is a greater mercy. Keeping her alive and in stone is more a torture of it's own than a stay of execution.”

“But like this, there is always a chance of redemption in the future. Death would not grant her that.” Jer'rahd sighed.

Princess Luna floated a large box over to Jer'rahd setting it in the grass at his hooves.

“It is a little late for Hearths Warming now, but perhaps if you wish to tie up the loose ends, this will help.” Luna stated. “It is not as if you have been in the condition to receive this before now.”

He glanced down curiously at the bow on top of the polished oak box and pulls open the lid with his magic, the red bow simply falling off the top. A brass plaque on the underside of the lid caught his attention.

Gifted to Royal Guardian Jer'rahd Kaisur
from Her Royal Majesty Princess Luna.
“May it serve thee well in thine duty as well as thee have served us.”

Pulling back the blue silk covering with his magic Jer'rahd's eyes widened. A single handle wrapped in purplish blue silk, perhaps two apples across sat in the middle of the weapon. Twin curved blades of a dark blue metal flared out from the guard-less grip on either side before thinning out into slightly curved blades, each was perhaps six apples long and sharpened on both sides, the soft curve of the blades gave the weapon the impression of a sliver of the moon when it was just about to go dark. The weapon was unadorned, but highly polished. It was simple, yet beautiful in the simplicity, like it was designed to be art rather than to take lives. He recognized the metal that made up the weapon having seen something quite like it very personally before. This weapon was very dangerous.

“I cannot accept this Princess.” Jer'rahd stated.

“Why not?” Luna questioned.

“This … this is Star Metal. You are giving me something that could be used to kill you and your sister. Your giving it to me forged and sharpened, designed to kill rather than just a sharpened hunk of ore. This should be secured some where safe or destroyed, not given as a gift.”

“Think of it as a effort to restore the trust you have lost Jer'rahd. A reminder that even if you doubt those around you. They do not doubt you. There is not another pony I would trust with this. This blade was made for you General. It was also made from you, your shattered sword went into its construction as well.”

“What? How? I checked every where for some pony that could reforge that blade.....” Jer'rahd questioned looking at the weapon again.

“Yes, you did check all the smiths in Canterlot and I am aware you sent messages to several renowned smiths who do not live here. But you only checked pony smiths.” Luna smiled.

“I was unaware we were on good terms with the smiths of other races.” Jer'rahd raised an eyebrow. “Well maybe the Zebra, but they work mostly in bronze....”

“During the first Dragon war my sister and I allowed amnesty to a Dragon who was fleeing his homeland for some unspecified crime against the state. The first members of the 42nd and I found him injured and dying. Between my sister and I we were able to save him, though he was already a very old dragon, the orange and red of his scales had lost most of their luster and he was likely soon to head off to the Dragons Graveyard for his final rest. He said he name was Spike, but both of us knew that a lie, though he promised to pay us back for allowing him to hide in Equestria.”

Luna paused as Jer'rahd fought another coughing fit.

“My sister and I have never thought of anything he could do for us and simply left him be. However he has refused to go to his last rest until what he promised was repaid. He sleeps most of the time, saving what little life he has left for the time we would need something of him. With this the debt he placed on himself was completed for me. He was the same dragon who forged the Dragon Slayer Blades used in the war, he did not consider them a repayment as the ponies of my Guard he made them for died before their boons could be granted. So he made them for all the soldiers of the war to honor those first Guards memories. Although he benefited from their creation as well as it let him stay safe, he added his own magic in the spell so that when the owners of the blades died so too would the weapon they wielded. Of course with as many as he made, some of them were missed by his spell and lasted much longer than they should have. Yours was one such blade. Despite it's shattering, the blade still lived, it was something he himself took note of when I gave him the pieces. This blade is likely his last work before he goes to his final rest. “

Luna smiled looking at the weapon as Jer'rahd slowly lifts it with his magic.

“The bones of a superb blade that has fed on the blood of countless numbers of the lands enemies. Ore mined from the stars themselves. A blade forged in Dragon fire, tempered in the rebirth of a Phoenix and blessed by the Goddess of War and the Night. This is a weapon designed to kill gods and anything else you chose to wield it against General Jer'rahd Kaisur. A sword unlike any that have ever existed to my knowledge. The Waning Moon.”

“If I thought myself unworthy of this blade before Princess, that speech did not help matters.” Jer'rahd stated looking at the blade floating before him.

“Really? If you are to be a member of my personal Guard General, you will need a weapon that will be worthy of that position. There may come a time when you will need something that can kill a god in my service. Though on a more personal level I will be rather upset if you refuse my hearth's Warming gift to you.” Luna chuckled.

“I suppose I have no choice but to accept then. I am not feeling quite up to swimming today.” Jer'rahd smiled.

He rose to his hooves, his magic wrapping tighter around the blade as he lifted it higher in the air. The blade practically sang as it was raised before him. He slowly turned the weapon in the air, watching the glow of his magic dance along the blade. It was odd, even after all his training with it , the Bone Hound dagger had felt like a void in his magic. It fought him, made him use force to even hold it. This sword, this weapon didn't fight him at all, it practically seemed to shiver at the touch of his magic, yet he knew that no one else would be able to so much as lift it with perhaps the exception of Luna who had help craft it.

Luna turns her gaze skyward, Jer'rahd's eyes leave the blade watching her and the growing power she displayed. The sun cast its last light over the land and the moon rose slowly into the heavens. The Princess exhaled, softly as the night began, turning to look to the blade floating before him. He looked down from the risen moon to the blade as well, his eyes widening seeing the shadow it cast, a blue ripple formed around the edge of the blade where it was turned skyward. He leaned closer to it the weapon seeming to be on fire at first glance, though upon closer inspection it was not burning, but the blade it self was splitting the moon light as it hit, making the light ripple like water around it as it hit.

He slowly took the grip in his mouth, letting the magic drop. He blinked, barely feeling any weight from the weapon at first. That might be a problem for him being so used to dealing with a weightier blade. He jerked in surprise, nearly dropping the sword as it suddenly gained more weight, not much more, but noticeable enough that he knew he would need to adjust to it and train to understand this new blade. He turned his head a bit to the left and then the right, feeling the blade adjust itself to the movements. His gaze turned up to the frozen mare again. His eye flickering red, feeling his rage start to build. The blade responded to the anger, the blue glow of the moonlight growing brighter around the weapon, the blade reflecting the red light of his eye making the silvery metal seem to tinge itself red blood red matching his anger with it's own.

He leapt forward suddenly, slashing once, before taking the blade in his magic to whip it around with a second cut through the statue as he landed. The stone offered little resistance as the blade sliced though it like a hot knife through dandelion butter. Two thuds of stone striking the ground on either side of the statue were the only sounds as he stood back up panting bringing the weapon back to his side.

“You are the better pony General, by your own standards granting her he chance to be forgiven in the future.” Luna nodded.

He checked over the blade seeing nothing even close to any damage or even a scuff on it before the Waning Moon is floated back over to it's case, the blue silk re-wrapped about it and the cover closed. Jer'rahd's panting. Only got worse however, clearly he had far over exerted himself.

“No, just hoping she can still tell whats going on around her, to see how close I came to freeing her from her torment before leaving her in it. I am not better, if I was I would have simply walked away, never come here, or killed her outright. As it stands I can simply add 'being petty' to my list of faults.” Jer'rahd grumbled.

Luna lifted the box carrying it along seeing Jer'rahd stagger with the effort of even walking. The rage that had carried him this far was gone, and the pain had returned as well as sickness. The pair slowly walked out of the garden leaving behind a statue of a burning mare. At the base of it's pedestal two small bits of stone rested. A pair of petrified ruby earrings along with bits of the mares ears they were attached to lay in the grass.

An explosion flung Twilight out of the spell and knocked her onto the ground. She winced as she heard a scream. Jumping back to her hooves she rushed towards the kitchen flinging open the door.

Inside Pinkie was running around in a small circle. Her chefs hat was on fire, as was most of the stove. A less than impressed Spike was hosing the stove down with a fire extinguisher. Glaring daggers at the panicked pink pony.

“What happened in here!?” Twilight demanded.

“I think I rolled a one on my cooking skill.” Pinkie shouted.

“What?!?” Twilight stammered as Spike turned the extinguisher onto the pink pony putting out her hat and bowling her over.

“She some how managed to make a pot of vegetable soup catch fire and explode.” Spike corrected.

“Do I even want to know any more?” Twilight sighed as Pinkie Pie sat up enough to shake her head before Spike sprayed her with water again.

Author's Note:

And this ends this redone chapter.

Comments

[Edguy0009]

The door is pushed open showing Bleu standing there in the door holding her key, though the tiny dragon had swung the front door wide to also admit Princess Luna and the two Guards Biggs and Wedge.

I know where you got those names from.

[DarkPhoenixx]

Amazing chapters! I've been wondering when Jer was going to be getting the Waning Moon, and this ties up any loose ends when it comes to how Purple Smart was able to view from before he got the sword that she's viewing through.