> Child of the Night
>  by King Artermis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

One week before Nightmare Moon’s banishment…

Stone was what Discord was trapped in, and I always shook my head as I walked passed him in the castle courtyard.
“I don’t know why mother keeps this tacky thing here.” I mutter as I walk through the courtyards in my mother’s eternal night. Mother was the Princess of this land Equestria, and I was her son Osiris Eclipse. I wasn’t a pony like mother was, and I came from another world entirely.
Mother had found me in her star pond on one of her lonely nights. She told me that she had seen a bright light coming from her pond when she came to find me instead of something different. That was thirteen years ago before she became enraged at our subjects for sleeping through her beautiful nights.
Now Mother preferred to call herself Nightmare Moon, instead of Luna Eclipse. I being her son, and sharing her pain of the long and lonesome nights, understood.
Mother has a sister, and she is my aunt Celestia. She was the ruler of the day. She was the pony all of our subjects knew so well, but nopony knew very much about our mother.
“Prince Osiris.” One of Mother’s night guards calls to me.
“Yes?” I ask as I stop walking.
“Your mother wishes to see you.” He tells me.
“Thank you for giving me this information.” I reply as I turn to go to the throne room.
“What could Mother want?” I ask myself as I entered the Everfree Castle. I contemplated this thought as I made my way to the throne room.
“Osiris, it is good to see you my child.” Mother says as I enter the throne room. I walk up and give her a hug.
“It is always great to see you Mother.” I reply as I pull away.
“You always are so kind to me, and I would be so alone without you.” She tells me.
“I understand Mom, but may I know why you summoned me?” I ask her.
“Yes, it seems Celestia is trying to see us again, and I would like your opinion on the matter as to if we should allow this.” She tells me. I scowl at Celestia’s name, but then think of the possibility of me reuniting the two sisters, and giving our subjects the warmth that my Mother’s beautiful moon cannot give.
“We should let her come to us in a week so we can prepare if she brings anypony with her.” I say after I was done thinking of my plan. Mother brings a metal shod hoof up to her chin.
“Are you sure?” She asks. I think for a few more seconds before nodding.
“Yes, we could even get her to surrender if we do things right.” I reply. This got mother to smile.
“You’re planning something aren’t you my child?” Mother asks. I chuckle.
“Yes, I am, but we will see if it works. Should I prepare my armour just in case she brings her guards?” I ask. Mother nods.
“Yes dear child of mine. I don’t want you to be hurt.” Mother says as she wraps me in one of her black wings.
“Very well Mother. I am going to go prepare for the visitor before I get some rest. Good night Mother.” I say as I give her another hug.
“Sleep well my child of darkness.” She tells me before I pull away, and head out to do what I needed to do. After I had done that I hit the lunar emblem on my armour, and it turns back into its medallion necklace form, and I went to my chambers to sleep.

It was exactly one week later when Celestia was due to visit us. I was in my armour by my Mother’s side, waiting at the front gates for Celestia to arrive.
I spotted her chariot being pulled by two Pegasi guards in golden armour as it came to a halt in front of the castle. I looked Celestia over to see that she had new jewellery adorning her body. She was wearing a different tiara that had six different colored gems set in it, and as soon as she saw Mother they started to glow.
I pulled out my sword, and got into a fighting stance as a rainbow flew at mom. I swung my blade at the incoming beam of magical energy, and it went around my sword, and hit my Mother. Mother yelled in pain as she was shot skyward towards her moon. I could only watch in tears as my Mother was sealed on the moon.
“How could you?” I ask Celestia as I recovered from my shock, and now started to feel anger. My armor, sensing my rising anger, turned fully black as I started towards Celestia.
“How could you!?” I yell at her.
“It was my only choice.” She tells me as tears form in her eyes. This got my anger to turn into sorrow as I see that Celestia had done this as a last resort for our subjects.
“How long is she to be there?” I ask her as tears stream down both of our faces.
“One thousand years.” She answers as she starts to shake in sorrow. I drop to my knees, knowing I would never see my Mother again.
The stone spell of the elements, and those are what Celestia used on Mother. I thought.
“Please turn me to stone.” I whispered as I moved one of my legs into a kneeling position.
“What did you say?” Celestia asks me.
“I said please turn me to stone so I can see her again.” I say louder as sobs wrack my body. I had the tip of my sword on the stone ground and my head was bowed.
“I… okay Osiris, but only because I can’t bear to see you so sad.” Celestia says as the elements powered up again.
“For a united Equestria.” I say before the power of the elements of harmony hit me, and I am magically turned to stone, my mind hibernates until I am freed from my self-wanted prison.

> Chapter II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	That was over nine hundred and ninety nine years ago, and it was almost time for Mother to return.
Celestia had me moved to her newer Castle in the city of Canterlot, and that was where I slumbered.
Today was two days before the thousandth year of the summer sun festival that Celestia had made to count the days until Mother’s return. My body has hibernated, but my conscious was still at play. I heard, and saw everything that happened after I was turned to stone.
It was strange being in a stone prison, as you couldn’t move anything, and you could only think about what was in your head, or in the world around you.
Celestia had me placed right across from Discord, and I was able to speak with him somehow, but I never did unless I was extremely bored, and I never was as I was still waiting to be released from my stone body so I could help mother when she returns.
“Twilight, are you sure you can do it this time?” I hear Celestia ask from my right, which was in the direction of the observatory.
“Yes Princess and I have the magic to do it now.” replied Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s current student/protégé.
Finally, she will release me. I think to myself as Twilight, and Celestia come into my viewing range.
“Then go ahead and try to release my nephew from his prison for me.” Celestia tells her student. I see a purple aura envelope Twilight’s horn as she prepares to cast a spell, but something was different from all the other times she tried to free me. I could see something right in the spell forms for once.
Twilight’s horn grows brighter than Celestia’s mane as she fires a beam of white magic at me. It felt warm, and I felt stone starting to shift. There is a large crack over my chest, and it pulses with my hibernating heart in a bright blue colour. There is another crack, and this one was on my arms, and connected by crossing behind my shoulders. I felt my body turn back to normal under the stone shell that I was in.
Another crack and some stone falls away from my chest, and loosens the rest of the stone. I start to open my hands from holding my sword in my kneeling position that I have held for the last thousand years.
Twilight’s spell ends, and my stone stays cracked, and I stay un-hibernated.
My hands break free of the stone, and my sword clatters to the ground in front of them. I then break my arms’ shells by flexing my arms in to me chest, and then I start to break stone away from my body.
Once my body was free of stone, I stepped off of the small pedestal I was on, and fall to my knees. I’m breathing hard, and my armour feels like lead. I hit the insignia, and it turns to its medallion form.
“How long?” I ask as I slowly catch my breath.	
“Two days before the one thousand years are over Osiris.” Celestia tells me. I growl at this.
“When is it?” I ask the purple unicorn next to my aunt.
“It is one thousand ANMM.” She tells me. I growl again as I move to a sitting position. I turn my gaze to the sky, and growl loudly at the sunny day it was.
“I need to sleep if it is daytime Celestia.” I say as I pull myself to my feet, “You know I hate the light more than I hate what you did.” I say as I start to the castle.
“Princess, who is he?” Twilight asks Celestia. I turn around, and walk right up to her.
“We are the Prince Osiris, son of Princess Luna, and nephew to this solar pony. We were there when she banished our mother to the moon. Now I must rest, and then go to the location that my Mother will be returning to. Guard!” I shout for someone to take me to a room I can sleep in. Some of the words I said left Twilight gaping at me. I just growl again before I turn to one of Celestia’s guards that came to me.
“Take us to some chambers so that we may rest until tonight.” I tell him with my eyes closed. When I open them he is looking at me with a scowl. I narrow my eyes as I pick up my sword and sheathe it.
“Doth thou wish to face us in a duel for thine disobedience to us, Prince Osiris?” I ask him. This got him to look to Celestia, who pointed at my pedestal, where only chunks of stone were left.
“I apologize Prince, I did not know you had been awakened.” He tells me as he bows.
“Rise you solar whelp, and take me to some chambers to sleep in.” I tell him. He does so, and waves for me to follow him.
Now I may seem rude right now, but would you, who are listening to my tale, be very happy being able to move, after a thousand years? I didn’t think so. I was sore, and I wanted to see my Mother’s moon.
I followed the guard through corridors of the bright white castle. I grimaced at all the bright colours, and sighed in relief as we stopped at a room.
“Thank you guards pony, and we are sorry if we seem rude, but we are sore, and do not enjoy the day, so please excuse our behaviour until tonight please.” I tell the guard pony that escorted me here.
“It is not a problem Prince. A quick warning if I may?” He asks me. I nod to him.
“Be wary of Prince Blueblood as he is very high and mighty. He might not like you very much, and he has no manners unless it comes to himself.” The guard tells me. I smirk at this.
“We thank you for this information, and we ask for thy name.” I tell him.
“Claymore your highness.” He tells me.
“Claymore, we have an offer for you since you were kind to us. We offer thee a place in the Lunar Guard when Mother returns in a few nights. Thout do not have to answer right away, but we ask that thou think about it. That is all. Good… day Guard Claymore.” I grimaced at using the words good and day in the same sentence. He bows again, and walks off.
I open the doors to the room I would be sleeping in, and growl as it is brightly lit.
“Noctem en tro.” I say working what little magics I could as of now. The spell I cast makes the windows blacken, and block all light from outside unless it was night time, and the walls turned deep blue, similar to Mother’s room in the Everfree castle.
Basically the spell I cast made this room a lunar residence. I then turn to the center of the room, and see a casting circle.
I smile as I prepare my only summoning spell to summon my personal night wraith that Mother had made, with the help of Celestia, to keep me safe while I was younger. It now keeps me company now that I’m older.
I point my pinkie fingers at the casting circle.
“Summonos, et reh nos tume Silver Night.” I say in the ancient magic tongue. The casting circle lights up in a dark blue, and collects Silver’s essence inside of it before it solidifies her. Silver became my lover when I became thirteen, so I made her into a female when we became so. She didn’t have a gender to start with, and she always acted more female than male anyways, so it wasn’t an issue.
“Osiris?” Silver asks as she walks up to me. She was made to be shaped like me, so she was basically a female from my race, whatever I was. I looked similar to the elven, but they told me I wasn’t one of them.
“Silver.” I say as I embrace her with a passionate kiss. She embraces me in return, and kisses back. She moans into the kiss, and I pull her closer to me. She in turn embraces me tighter. Her tongue brushes my lips, and I allow her entrance.
Our tongues wrestled for dominance in our mouths, and we slowly made our way to the bed in the room. She pulls away for air as I bump into the bed.
“It has been so long Osi. Show me that you still love me please.” Silver tells me with her eyes half lidded, and her breathe warmed by her need. I smiled at her, and started to undo my clothing, but she starts to do so for me, so I start working on hers in return. After every other piece of clothing I would put up a muffle, barrier, or temporary blinding spell so that we would have our privacy.
Silver, and I were completely de-clothed, and we were now exploring each other. I ran my hands over her sides, and she shivers at my touch. She pulls me in for a kiss, and I easily dodge to nibble on her ear. This causes her to sigh with a slight waver to her breathe. She gently pushes me down onto the bed, and I go down willingly. My member was at attention, and standing at its full length of nine inches.
Silver lines her entrance up over me, and then in one swift motion, impales herself on my spire, moaning along with me as our pleasure starts to climb slowly. I let her ride me as fast as she wanted, and she didn’t like it when I thrust into her anyways, so I just laid back, and caressed her as she made us both climb to orgasm.
I could tell she was starting to feel her orgasm starting as she start moving faster, and she was getting louder. I was right with her as she had a subtle passive magic that made us feel each other’s emotions, and physical sensations.
After three more falls on my spire we both came hard. She coated my groin in her sweet nectar, and I filled her womb with my seed.
We stayed in our position with her straddling me, and I holding on to her hips for a few moments before she pulls up, and I am pulled out of her with a slight shlick. This last motion causes us both to moan again as we were both sensitive from our orgasms.
Silver lies down next to me, and I pull her closer, and we both fall asleep.


It was night when I woke up, as did Silver. I climb out of the bed we had slept in, and head to the bathroom that was connected to the room we were in. I entered, and cleaned myself of the sex smell, and sleep sweat that I received before returning to the room, and getting dressed as Silver does the same as I.
Once we were ready, we exited the room to see two guards at the side of the doors.
“Guards, please escort us to the throne room.” I tell them. They salute me, and start off in one direction. Silver and I follow them.
“Osiris, if I may know why are we going to the throne room?” Silver asks me.
“It is night time, and mother has yet to return, so I must take control of her royal duties until she does. It is our birth right, and duty to do so. I can’t raise and lower the moon, but I can run the kingdom in her absence.” I tell her. She nods a couple times, and the guard on the left snorts in amusement.
“Speak thine mind sir guard.” I tell him.
“Excuse me if I seem rude Prince, but Princess Celestia has taken over night court as well as her daily duties.” The guard tells me in a gruff voice. Hearing that Celestia is running both day and night court got me to growl in anger.
“Then we shall correct her mistake of holding night court as the Princess of the Solar Empire.” I say as I usher the guards to quicken their pace to a trot instead of walking.
“Your highness if I may?” The guard on the right asks, who I now recall as Claymore.
“Go ahead Guard Claymore.” I tell him.
“The Solar Empire and Lunar Republic have been in harmony ever since Nightmare Moon was banished.” He tells me. This got me to clench my fists.
“Celestia has ruined my Mother’s work?” I ask in a growl.
“Yes your majesty.” Claymore replies with a slight edge of fear in his voice.
“Do not fear us Guard Claymore, for we are angered at the solar pony, not you. Have you thought about our offer?” I ask him as I push my anger down.
“Yes, and I accept it.” He tells me. This got me to smile.
“Good, I will have your new armour made shortly then.” I tell him as I rub a finger along the edge of my armour medallion. Silver puts a hand on my shoulder, and I turn and give her a kiss. I pull away, and see that we are at the throne room.
“Thank you for escorting us. You are dismissed. Claymore, you need to tune your internal clock to the night time so that you can be awake to guard me. Do not worry about punishments, as I will get you out of trouble with the solar guards.” I tell the guard ponies. They both thank me with a bow, and walk away.
I turn with Silver, and enter the throne room, where Celestia is sleepily sitting atop the throne.
“Celestia, I have a few things to discuss with you.” I tell her. She looks up to me, and smiles.
“I’m listening Osiris.” She replies with a yawn at the end.
“First, the solar guard Claymore is now the first lunar guard for this era.” I tell her. She nods for me to continue.
“Second, why would you mix the two empires without my Mother’s word?” I ask her. She seemed to wake up a little at the mention of the empires.
“I couldn’t lead both the Solar Empire, and the Lunar Republic at the same time, so I had the councils of each decide on who will be the new council of the new order of harmony.” She tells me.
“Very well then, now on to the third reason why I am here. You need your strength for the day. Go and sleep, I will take over the nightly duties as it is my birth right to do so when Mother is absent.” I tell her. Celestia gives me a good long stern stare before she yawns.
“I see your point, but are you ready for such a responsibility?” She asks me. I give her a deadpanned look, and she stands up with a sigh.
“Very well Osiris, I will allow you to do night court until Luna returns. Good night Prince of Darkness.” She tells me as she exits the throne room.
Now I was smiling as I walked up to the throne, and sat down in it.
“Ahh, it is good to be in control again.” I say as I sit back in the throne. Silver walks up to me, and I get her to sit on my lap, similar to the way she did before I was turned to stone.


It was a few hours after lunch for me and Silver that a pony came into the throne room. It was a unicorn mare.
“Good evening our little pony, how may we help thee tonight?” We ask her.
“Excuse me, but where is Celestia?” The pony asks me.
“She has given me the responsibilities of night court so she can better control the day.” I tell her. She blinks a couple times.
“Oh, okay, then who are you?” She asks me.
“We are the Prince Osiris.” I tell her. She bows to me, and I smile a little.
“So tell me young one, what are you in need of?” I ask her.
“I am having difficulty with my husband recently, and needed to get away for a while. We are… in a small tiff if you will.” She tells me. I lost my smile.
“Is there a reason you came here for this?” I ask. I knew she had a reason, but if it wasn’t better than needing to get away for a while, then I couldn’t care less.
“Yes, you see my husband is rather… physical when he is angry, and well… just look for yourself.” With this said she turns, and shows me a rather nasty and large bruise along her side.
I stood up, and walked down to the red unicorn mare.
“What did he do this with?” I ask softly as I used silent magics to sooth her pain.
“It was a piece of lumber.” She tells me.
“He must have hit you multiple times then. Tell me, when did this happen.” I reply.
“This morning.” She answers.
“And you didn’t come to see Celestia then because?” I ask her.
“He would have beaten me more.” She says as tears well up in her eyes, “So I came to night court while he is asleep on the couch.” My eyes narrow at this.
“What do you think should happen?” I ask her, “Do you want a restraining order, or time in jail for his crime against you?”
“I would like a restraining order.” She tells me, “And a divorce.” I nod, and float a piece of parchment, a quill, and inkwell over to me. I quickly write up an order of restraint, and signed it. I then wrote up divorce documents, and signed them as well.
“I just need you to sign these, and you will have what you need to be safe.” I tell her.
“If it isn’t too much to ask Prince, may I stay at the castle tonight?” She asks me. I put a hand on my chin. I see a servant walking on the side of the throne room.
“Maid, please come here for a few moments.” I say to the servant pony.
“What do you need prince?” She asks me with a bow.
“Is there a free room in the lunar wing?” I ask her. The maid thinks on this for a few seconds.
“Yes, it is near your room.” She tells me.
“Good, please take this mare to that room, and see that she is comfortable tonight.” I tell her. She nods before waving for the unicorn mare to follow her. Said unicorn mare gives me her thanks and a bow before exiting the throne room.
I walk back up to the throne, and sit down, letting Silver back into my lap. Silver curls up, and nuzzles into my neck, and I put my left arm around her back to hold her there.
There wasn’t another pony that night, and Silver kept my company during said night.

> Chapter III
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was at the breakfast table with Celestia, a pink alicorn, the captain of the royal guard, Silver, Twilight, and Blueblood. We were having a simple breakfast of hash browns, eggs, and orange juice. I ate with my eyes closed as I had always done, for I didn’t want to see anyone else as I ate.
“Osiris, can I ask you to do something?” Celestia asks me. I gently put my fork down, and open my purple eyes.
“You may ask, but I will see about the answer.” I reply as I look to her.
“Will you go to Ponyville with my student today to oversee the preparations for the festival?” She asks me. I bring a hand to my chin, and think about the chances of finding my mother there when she returns. They were pretty high.
“Yes, but I will not be needing any guards, for I can protect myself.” I tell her as I return to eating. I then hear a gasp from a male unicorn that I already hated, and you can probably guess who I’m talking about.
“How dare you talk to aunty like that you commoner filth?” Blueblood says as he glares at me. I sigh as I put my fork down again, and turn my gaze to him. I was completely calm.
“Talk to me again in a high and mighty voice and you will be a princess when I’m through with you.” I say in a flat voice, “And show me some respect for I am Celestia’s true nephew you low orphan of a whelp.” That got him to shut up, and got the captain of the guard to laugh.
“Celestia, you should have let Twily release him sooner. I like him already.” The captain says. I smirk at that. I then turn to Twilight.
“Apprentice Twilight, we will be ready to leave when thou are.” I tell her. She nods to me with an ‘okay Prince.’
I finish my breakfast, thank the chef, and leave the room, heading to the castle library to catch up on history, and try to ‘update’ my speech skills. It shouldn’t be hard as I am very adaptable, and I never really used the royal we very often unless talking to a non-royal, which was hardly ever, but if I am going to a settlement that wasn’t very far from mother’s castle, I might as well start learning.
I spent four hours in the library before Twilight came to get me so we could leave. Before you knew it we were on a royal chariot heading to the settlement a few miles away from Canterlot Mountain.
“Prince, may I ask you a few things?” Twilight asks me.
“Yes, and please just call me Osiris.” I tell her.
“Okay. How old are you?” She asks me. I smile as this was her best attempt at making a new friend.
“Counting the years in my stoned state, I am one thousand and thirteen years old, and on the winter moon celebration I will be one year older.” I tell her. She nods and writes something down on a notebook that she was levitating next to her.
“Can you use magic?” She asks me.
“Some, but the number of spells I can do increase along with my power, at night.” I tell her.
“So what can you do?” She asks with a studious curiosity. I chuckle.
“Well, now the spells I use are ancient, and old magics, and even back before my stoned state they were olden, and legends at most.” I tell her.
“Are you able to use every day spells?” She asks me. I flinch at the word day, but nod my head.
“Yes, I am able to use most silent magics, but most of my higher powered spells have a vocal piece to them.” I tell her.
“What do you mean?” She asks.
“Well, for one of my spells, which darkens my surroundings to simulate night, takes a few ancient words to activate. Would you like to see?” I ask her. She nods her head with a big smile.
I close my eyes, and summon my magic energy, but get a slight pain since it was light out.
“Noctem en tro.” I say as I open my eyes with a small flash in them. My black coloured magic jumps from my body onto the chariot, and out into the sky, darkening everything it touches. The chariot turned dark blue, and black storm clouds formed in the sky where my magic stopped travelling.
My spells burns away in the sunlight though, so it only lasted a few moments.
“Wow, can you teach me the spells you know?” She asks me. I narrow my eyes.
“No, the magic I use is for a lunar magic user only. If you tried to use this magic, it would severally injure, or kill you.” I tell her. She looks to the floor of the chariot with a saddened ‘oh.’
“But don’t worry; there are some silent spells I could teach once we’re back in Canterlot, as I doubt you have many combat spells.” I tell her with a small smile. This got her to smile again before the guards started descending into Ponyville.
 
Once the chariot came to a full stop I got out.
“Great job you two; I didn’t feel a single bump during the entire ride.” I praise the two guard stallions. They smile at my praise, and take off after Twilight, and her little dragon Spike got off.
“So, where are we going first?” I ask them.
“Banquet preparations, Sweet Apple Acers.” Spike reads aloud from a check list Celestia had given him. Twilight starts walking, and I stay by her side. I didn’t listen to the conversation Twilight, and Spike were having, but jumped a little as a pink earth mare gasps over dramatically, then basically disappears from view as she darts away.
“A noctesque.” I say as I bring my hand up to my fore head, and start to massage it lightly.
“Pr-… Osiris, what does that mean?” Twilight asks me.
“It means ‘by the night’ in an ancient tongue.” I tell her. She tilts her head, but leaves the conversation at that. I pull the hood on my cloak up and over my head, and sigh as the shade of the hood covers my eyes.
“Something wrong Pri- Osiris?” Twilight asks me.
“No, it is just that my eyes are used to the darkness of night, so they are very sensitive to daylight.” I tell her. She gives me a worried look.
“Would you like something to protect your eyes?” Twilight asks me. I shake my head.
“No, my hood is sufficient, and it keeps my eyes from hurting. I also don’t want to use anything too new for I am still adjusting to this era.” I reply.
“Okay, just tell me if you need something. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” She tells me. I laugh at those words.
“Twilight, just the sun being up is making me uncomfortable. I was there when night time was eternal. I’m used to utter night time.” I tell her.
“How was it when the night didn’t end?” She asks me. I gave a big grin.
“For me it was great, for I could always do my most powerful spells, and I had greater strength, I could throw a boulder at a target three hundred meters away, and hit it every time. I was truly alive during my mother’s night. I lived then, and now I feel drained, I feel as though I could break at the first hit of my enemy. I feel dead.” I tell her.
“You keep saying mother, but you’ve never said her actual name.” Twilight points out.
“Her true name is Princess Luna, but after she made night endless she renamed herself as Nightmare Moon, so my mother is the mare in the moon.” I tell her. This got Twilight to look at me in fear, and I sigh with my head hung.
“I’m nothing like my mother Twilight, so don’t worry. I’m here to retrieve her when she returns.” I say as I slow my pace to a meandering speed.
“Prince, are you okay?” Twilight asks me as she notices my change in mood.
“I will be fine Twilight. I just remembered that I will never see my friends and teachers again.” I tell her as my eyes start to sting with tears. She walks up to me, and jumps up to hug me. I throw my arms around her, and let a tear fall. My eyes were closed, and I heard something I knew meant trouble.
I get a tighter grip on Twilight before I crouch, and jump into the air as a red stallion gallops under us. I land, and let Twilight go as I hit my medallion. My armour slides along my body, and my sword materializes in my right hand. The whole movement took three seconds.
“Earth stallion, stop your attack or I will be forced to subdue you.” I warn as the stallion recovers from his failed attempt. He shakes his head at me.
“Nnnope.” He yells as he charges again. I get into a stable stance, and hold my blade at the ready. Before the stallion got to me a rope goes around his neck, and he is pulled to a slower pace, but he was still moving at me. I stood up straight before I pointed my palm at him.
“Nocte crinem caterna.” I say in the ancient tongue. Black chains fly from my hands, and bind him to the ground. He growls as he pulls at the chains, but I start to close my hand, in turn making the chains tighten.
I could feel the sun draining my magic, so I lifted my right hand to the sky after I dropped my sword.
“Operimentum aream nox.” I say in the olden tongue. A large dome covers me, and the surrounding hundred feet in darkness that simulated the night. I smile as my power starts to return slowly, and I start to close my hand again.
“Stop!” Twilight yells. This broke me out of my warrior zone, and I see that I was starting to crush the stallion. I loosen my hand to a light grip that held the stallion in place, but allowed him to breathe easily.
I walk up to the stallion.
“I’m sorry for harming you, but will you please stop trying to harm me?” I ask him. He was breathing heavily, but nodded.
“Alright, I’m going to let you out of my spell, but I want your word that you will not jump to a conclusion, and harm me.” I tell him.
“Ya got it.” He tells me. I release both of my spells, and cringe at the sunlight. I press on the emblem on my armour, and it turns back into its medallion form. I help the stallion to his hooves, and he nods to me.
“Now, can you tell me why you rushed at me?” I ask him.
“Eeyup.” He tells me, and then points a hoof at Twilight. I understood him easily enough.
“Well, she was comforting me, and I was just accepting her hug. Are we on better terms now?” I ask him.
“Eeyup.” He tells me. I give a sigh of relief.
“Big Mac, what have I told you- whoa nelly, what in tarnation is that?” an orange earth mare asks as she gallops up to the red stallion’s side. I roll my eyes at her question before I notice that we were at Sweet Apple Acers.
“Oh good, Twilight, we’re here.” I say before I see that Twilight was looking at me in fear again. I walk up to her, and lay a hand on the back of her neck.
“Twilight, are you okay?” I ask her. She blinks a few times before she comes back to the land of the awake.
“Yeah, I wasn’t expecting you to have armour, or training.” She tells me.
“Twilight, I’m a Prince from when war was still a high possibility. I started training when I was eight.” I told her.
“Yeah okay, just promise me you won’t hurt anypony too badly?” She asks with those cute eyes of hers.
“That is a promise I can make, but if the pony is out to harm me, I will have to break that promise in self-defence.” I tell her. She nods with a smile. I then turn to look at the earth mare that was now just staring at me with her mouth agape.
“Is she okay?” I ask the red stallion.
“Eeyup.” He tells me before he waves his big hoof in front of the mare’s face. This got her to jump.
“Who are you, and why were you in armour when I was holding my brother back from ya?” The orange earth mare asks me.
“I am here with this young unicorn to oversee the preparations for Celestia’s festival this year. I am Prince Osiris, and to answer your question about my armor it came from my necklace.” I tell her. She looks at me for a few moments before bowing to me. I groan at this.
“Get up earth mare, for you do not need to bow to me. I hate it when my subjects do so.” I tell her. She stood up with a light blush on her face. I look to Twilight, and motion her forward.
“Do your job Twilight, so I may search for my mother tonight. I still need to rest today as it is.” I tell her as she walks past me. She nods her head to me with a smile before she introduces herself to the earth mare, who I find out to be Apple Jack, the owner of Sweet Apple Acers.
As Twilight took an unwanted tangent with Apple Jack I went, and leaned up against a tree. I looked up at the apples, and smiled. I loved apples, for they were rare back before I was turned to stone, and they were my favourite treat. I knock my fist on the tree a couple times, and catch the apple that fell from my soft hits.
I ate the apple as Twilight finished whatever it was she was doing before I slid down to a seated position against the tree. I closed my eyes, and waited for the sun to set, but it wouldn’t, not for five more hours at least. So I decided on the next best thing. I started to hum my mother’s lullaby she would put me to sleep with when I was very young. I got caught up in the melody, and started to sing.

“Veni filios parum, ego autem ducam ad te, et praestigiae in terra.
Veni parum liberi, in tempore ad ludere, hic in horto umbrarum comprehendi videtur.
Post dulcis liberos, et ego tibi ostendam tibi in via, per dolorem omnem ac doloribus malis.
Flere miseros in uita hac caede speciem passionum.
Que nunc filioli oportet sic deceptionibus et tædere.
Requiesce liberis Nam et nos in placidus quiete.
Veni filios parum, ego autem ducam ad te, et praestigiae in terra.
Veni parum liberi, in tempore ad ludere, hic in horto umbrarum comprehendi videtur.”

When I was finished I had a small audience of the apple family, Twilight, and Spike. They were all sitting around me, and all were now slightly sleepy.
“Osiris, what song was that?” Twilight asks me. I smiled a soft smile.
“That was my mother’s lullaby.” I tell her.
“What’s it called mister?” A young earth filly, who had a big bow in her red mane, asked. I give her a soft, and kind, smile.
“She called it Children of the Night.” I tell them all.
“Could you sing it again?” The filly asks me. My smile grew at this.
“Yes, but how about this time I sing it in a language you can understand?” I ask her. She smiles at me, and nods with a ‘please.’ I take in a deep breathe, and let it out. I then started to sing once more.

“Come little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment.
Come little children, the times come to play, here in my garden of shadows.
Follow sweet children, I'll show thee the way, through all the pain, and the sorrows.
Weep not poor children, for life is this way, murdering beauty, and passions.
Hush now dear children, it must be this way, to weary of life and deceptions.
Rest now my children, for soon we'll away, into the calm and the quiet.
Come little children, I'll take thee away, into a land of enchantment.
Come little children, the times come to play, here in my garden of shadows.”

The little filly was now resting against my lap, and half of the apple family had dozed off. I closed my eyes, and laid my head against the tree, and fell asleep myself.


“Osiris, you need to wake up.” Twilight’s voice tells me. I groan a bit as I wake up. During my nap my hood had fallen off, so I had immediately put my hands over my eyes, and growled in pain.
Suddenly my hood was on my head again, and I took my hands away from my eyes to see that Twilight’s horn dimmed from magic use.
“Thank you Twilight.” I tell her as I stand up from my position against the tree.
“Come on Osiris, we need to continue overseeing the preparations.” She tells me as she starts off back towards Ponyville. I just followed her back into town.


Twilight, Spike, and I were now back in town looking for a Pegasus mare named Rainbow Dash. I was curious as to why this pegasus was named as she was, but soon found out as she slammed into Twilight, and into a mud puddle. I saw this, and smiled lightly. She was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane.
“Heh heh, uh… s’cuse me.” The rainbow maned pegasus mare says as she gets off of Twilight. She then flies off, and gets a rain cloud before rinsing Twilight of her muddy mussed up mane. However the pegasus mare over did it, and drenched Twilight. I chuckle, and then watched as the pegasus made a mini tornado to dry Twilight off, but only succeeded in making her mane poof up in a ridiculous fashion.
The pegasus, and Spike burst into laughter, and I give a chortle of amusement as well.
“Let me guess, you’re Rainbow Dash?” Twilight asks the pegasus. Said mare stands up quickly, and puffs her chest out in a proud stance.
“The, one and only, why you heard of me?” Rainbow asks.
“Yes, but you are supposed to be keeping the sky over Ponyville clear, or have you forgotten?” I ask her.
“Yeah yeah, that’ll be a snap after I’m done training.” She nonchalantly waves my statement off with her hoof as she lies down on a cloud. I smirk as I get a small prank in my head.
“And did you also know that royalty is inside the village limits as we speak?” I ask her.
“That’s a lie, I aint seen Celestia here yet.” Rainbow says with another wave of her hoof.
“I was talking about me, but seeing as you’re doing a poor job at keeping up with your duties, I will just have to inform the weather manager in Cloudsdale of their lazy employee.” I say as I start towards to floating city.
“Is that a challenge?” Rainbow asks.
“I don’t know, but if you can clear this sky in less than one minute I’ll let your error slide.” I tell her.
“Hey, I can clear this sky, in ten seconds flat.” She boasts to me. I smirk, and then wave my hand for her to show me. She launches off of her cloud, turning it to vapour in the process, and then she does aerial maneuvers that destroyed clouds, and looked stylish. I couldn’t watch her destroy all of the clouds, but she landed exactly ten seconds after she started. I smirked.
“Well, I would say you’ve earned the rest of the day off, but don’t do this again.” I tell her as she lands without breathing hard. I looked to Twilight, and she had her mouth agape.
“Twilight?” Spike asks as he waves a hand in front of Twilight’s face. Rainbow Dash laughs.
“You’re a laugh Twilight Sparkle, I can’t wait to hang out some more.” Rainbow says and then flies off to somewhere that I didn’t care about.
Twilight pulled herself together, and we moved on to our next destination. The Town Hall; where a unicorn named Rarity should be decorating.
We made it there rather quickly as we were already near the center of Ponyville. Right as soon as we entered I saw that the interior of the building was neatly, and nicely, decorated. I then stop near the entrance as I sense that this is where mother would be returning.
“Twilight, there is something I need to tell to you. I will be staying here so that I may rest until night. I have a feeling that this will be where my mother will return, so I will need to be here to calm her as she will be angered for being locked away on the moon for so long.” I tell the lavender mare.
“If you say so, but will you be okay on your own?” She asks me.
“I will be fine I assure you.” I reply with a nod as I remove my hood, and sit down against a nearby wall. I easily, and quickly dozed off into my dreamless sleep.
> Chapter IV
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was the end of dusk, and the start of the night when I woke up. I smiled as I felt my magical strength increase, as well as my physical strength. I sigh as I stand up. My bones pop from being in one position for so long. I then walk around town hall to try to pinpoint where mother would return. I looked out a window to the moon to see that the stars were lined up for her escape from her prison.
I was on the balcony overlooking the inside of town hall when I felt where mother would be when she returns. Now that I knew where I made my way out of town hall, and started on my way to the town library where Twilight should be.
When the library was in my sight, I see that all of the lights are still on inside. I sigh as I pull up my hood again. I knock on the door to the library, and Spike answers it. He looks up to see my purple eyes now slightly glowing.
“Hey Osiris, if you’re looking for Twilight she is up in the bedroom.” Spike tells me as I enter the Library to see that the majority of the towns’ ponies are inside throwing a celebration. The ponies either didn’t notice I was here, or they didn’t care.
“Well howdy there Prince.” I thought to soon. I turn to see the earth mare Apple Jack.
“Hello Apple Jack.” I reply with a nod. I look up the stairs, and see a door at the end, and assume that is where Twilight would be.
“If you will excuse my Apple Jack, I need to speak with Twilight.” I say with a small smile.
“I’m not stopping ya, but when she went up there she was in tears.” She warns me. This makes me narrow my eyes, and start up the stairs after I thanked her for telling me that. I made it up to the door, and enter it without a second thought.
“Spike, I already told you I don’t want to play pin the tail on the pony.” Twilight says from her platform above the secluded library like area we were both in.
“I am a biped, but I’m not Spike.” I tell her as I remove my hood for her room was dark. She looks at me before going into a small panic attack.
“Oh, I’m so sorry Osiris. Please forgive me for calling you the wrong name.” She continues on from this about her apology. I roll my eyes, and with a dark flash of magic I am right next to her. I place a finger over her lips to get her to stop talking.
“It’s fine Twilight. You don’t have to worry about calling me the wrong name. It has happened before in my past.” I tell her. She nods her head so I remove my finger.
“So why are you here? I thought you were going to stay at the town hall until your mother appeared.” She asks me.
“Honestly Twilight, I hate being alone, so I came to seek your company if you don’t mind.” I tell her. She blushes at my comment, and I chuckle.
“I-I don’t mind you spending time with me.” She replies, obviously flustered. I smile softly as I levitate myself up next to her bed before I set myself back on the ground.
“How can you do that when I can’t with my magic?” She asks me. I chuckle at her question.
“It’s nighttime Twilight. I have enhanced power and strength now.” I tell her and sit down on the edge of her bed. She blushes, but doesn’t comment. I look her in the eye with my now slightly glowing purple eyes, and she calms down.
“How did you do that?” She asks me. I smile a sly smile at this.
“It is one of my subtle passive abilities that I have at night.” I tell her. She giggles at this.
“You have so many surprises about you Osiris.” She tells me. I caught a hint of passion in her voice, and something else, but I didn’t understand what. I just chuckle in a response to her statement as I shrug off the extra emotion I couldn’t understand.
“Osiris?” Twilight asks me. I look back to her with a tilt to my head.
“Can you um…” She whispers the last words so quietly it might as well have been a breeze in the air. I move closer to her so I could hear better.
“Ask again please.” I tell her. She blushes at my forwardness.
“Look into my eyes if you’re too nervous to tell me on your own.” I tell her softly. She did so, and immediately calms from my passive magic that my eyes use.
“Can you…” Her blush returned, but she kept looking into my eyes, grasping for their calming effect, “Can you hold me?” She asks quietly. I blinked a few times at the odd request. I was now searching from my memories on how she asked the question for emotions in her voice.
In her voice were want, passion, and the unreadable one that was the strongest of them all. I had to mull the thought of holding her around in my head before I came to a conclusion.
I bend down to my imitation leather boots, and unbuckle them before I slide them off. I then move farther onto the bed before leaning against the head board. My legs are crossed, and my clothing was smoothed over my legs.
“Come here.” I tell her. She blushes heavily to the point her ears turned a light shade of pink, but she stood up, and made her way to me. I roll my eyes at her slow pace, and picked her up much to her surprise for she yelps at my quick movement of her from the bed to my lap.
I was laid back enough that Twilight was able to somewhat lie on me as I wrapped an arm around her in an embrace. She squeaks at this, but soon snuggles into my chest with a contented sigh. From her sigh I read multiple emotions. Among them, which surprised me a lot, was…
Before I could finish my analysis on her emotions the door to the room opened, and in walked Fluttershy. She didn’t see us for it was dark where we were.
“Twilight um… it’s time to go see the Princess, if you want to that is.” Fluttershy says in her shy nature. I smiled silently at this.
“Okay, I’ll be down there soon.” Twilight replies quietly.
“Okay.” Fluttershy says before she leaves. Twilight hops off of me, and I raise my hood again.
“Um Osiris, can you not be seen by everypony, I don’t want to get embarrassed.” She tells me. I smirk as I ready my olden magic.
“Me nocte velamentum.” I say before darkness covers me in a cloak like embrace. This got Twilight to thank me before she went out of her room. I just used the cloak spell’s special ability, and melted into the shadow realm of this world before I phased into the town hall behind the curtains that would show Celestia when the time came.
I release my magic concentration, and my cloak dispels itself from me. I make my way down into the main hall of town hall, and waited for everypony to show up.
I was there when ponies started to fill the town hall, and I found Twilight easily as she was standing next to that pink earth mare. Spike was on her back, riding her, and I smirked with an amused snort as I made my way to her. I was suddenly stopped by a grey and blond pegasus mare as she fell down from the air in front of me. I pull her to her hooves out of kindness before I continue on my objective.
“Twilight, I want to warn you that Celestia is not going to be here. My mother is going to appear in her place.” I tell her as I stopped by her side. She nods to me.
“I was wondering where you went. How did you get here?” She asks me. I smile as I have always loved this answer.
“Magic.” I tell her with a big ole grin on my face. She rolls her eyes at me before I notice her glance up to my mother‘s moon. I just look at the mayor of Ponyville as she walks up to the podium under the overhead balcony behind her.
I tune her out as I feel the start of my mother’s return, and then look up to the balcony as everypony else did. Of course Celestia wasn’t there, and I was the only one besides Twilight that didn’t gasp. Twilight was antsy now, and looked nervous.
“Look at that.” Somepony says as a cloud of purple sparkling smoke forms on the balcony. It then condensed into my mother, to which I immediately bowed to, and stayed there.
“Ah, my beloved subjects.” My mother says as she looks over the crowd. She didn’t see me, so I stood up, and look right into her eyes.
“Mother, it is great that you returned.” I tell her as I make my way to the front of the crowd of ponies.
“Hmm?” She says as she looks at me. Her eyes narrow in what seems to be anger.
“You think you can fool me into thinking that you are my son?” She asks me as she tackles me to the floor with her metal shod hooves. I summon my magic. I place my hand on her chest with my fingers splayed.
“Grave pulsus industria!” I shout as my magic throw mother off of me. I use another pulse of magic to get myself to my feet.
“Mother, you know it is me. I am your son, and you know it.” I tell her.
“Prove that you are then.” She tells me.
“Amissa die noctuque regnas.” I say aloud to her, and her eyes widen before she turns into her vaporous form, and flees from me, and leaves the town. I was then bulled over as a rainbow maned pegasus tackles me. I quickly got to my feet, and put my hand up to the ceiling.
“Noctem en tro.” I say before my black magic covers everything in darkness.
“Me noctem velamentum.” I whisper into the dark before my cloaking spell covers me, and I move into the shadows of the building. I let my darkening spell fall, and then watch from the shadows.
I notice Twilight removes herself from the town hall as guards come and start searching for me. I roll my eyes, and slip out unnoticed, and follow Twilight to her temporary home.
I enter before she does so that I could get in without her noticing, and wait for her to enter. She does, and lights all of the magic candles, and the library is filled with light. My spell fails as the direct light hits me, and Twilight gasps at my company.
“Osiris, you scared me. How did you get here?” She asks me.
“I used a shadow cloaking spell, and followed you here, and I am sorry for scaring you.” I tell her. I look to the door of the library, and see somepony enter, and recognize her as Rainbow Dash.
My hands gain a blackish aura as I grab every single pony that was outside the building. I set the more friendly ones down, but kept Apple Jack, and Rainbow Dash in the air.
“Hey! Let me go!” Rainbow yells at me. I look her dead in the eyes, and she starts to calm down. Once she was no longer trying to harm me I put her down gently as I did Apple Jack.
“Will somepony please explain what’s going on?” Apple Jack asks to everyone. Twilight was looking through her books, so I nod.
“Yes I will, now will you all listen to me without questions so it will go by quickly?” I ask them all. I get a positive response from all of them, but Twilight as she looks for something.
“Okay, so here is what is happening. Nightmare moon, otherwise known as the mare in the moon, has returned, and is going to bring everlasting night as she had done a thousand years ago.” I tell them. This got the pink earth mare to gasp dramatically.
“But what about you calling her Mother?” Rainbow asks with an accusing hoof. I sigh as this was what I was afraid of.
“I know this may seem… strange, but she is my adoptive mother as she found me when I was a newborn. She took me in and raised me as her own, and I am what you see today, but know this, my Mother wasn’t always who she is today. She used to be known as Princess Luna, and she is Celestia’s sister.” I tell them.
“Let me get this straight then. Nightmare moon is your mother, and she found you one thousand plus years ago, and you are still alive.” Rarity says, “But how are you alive?” She then asks me. I close my eyes as the memory of that one night when Celestia came to me and my Mother resurfaces.
I felt the sting of tears in my eyes as I opened them again.
“I asked to be turned to stone so that I could see my Mother again someday.” I tell them as a tear falls from my eye, and rolls down my cheek.
“Celestia, seeing that mother would be all alone again after the thousand years, agreed, and used the elements of Harmony to preserve me in a stone state so that I could live to see her again.” I say as more tears fall before I wipe them away, and will them to stop.
“Twilight released me two days ago and I am here now.” This was followed by the pink mare hugging me in an unexpected embrace. Her mane was now straight, and flat against her head, and she had tears streaming down her face.
“You must be so lonely then, and you don’t have any more friends.” She says to me with a muffled voice. I slowly wrap my arms around her.
“I am lonely, and I have no friends, but I am also wanting my mother back so I need to go get the elements from the now olden castle, and return her to her pure state.” I say as I release her, and then push her away from me gently. I stood up, and went to the only bookcase Twilight hadn’t searched, and easily found the book she was looking for. I put it on a table before I walk to the door.
“If you read that, you’ll know where to find me.” I tell them as I exit the library, and start on my journey to my mother’s castle in the Everfree Forest.
My progress was halted by a purple aura encompassing me, and pulling me back to the library. I sigh as I am set down in the library, and Twilight looks at me.
“We’re coming with you Osiris, and you’re going to need our help." I narrow my eyes a tad.
“You don’t know how to get to my Mother’s castle, and I do. You will all stay here, and I will go to retrieve my mother on my own.” I tell her in my royal authority voice.
“No.” Says the pink mare. I look to her, and her main was still straight.
“Yes, you will.” I tell her.
“No we won’t.” Says Apple Jack. I glare at her. All the other ponies in the room ignored me, and told me the same thing, that they were coming with me. I then remembered a piece of advice from an old friend of mine.
You’ll never win an argument with a mare. Was what he always told me when the subject was brought up.


We were all now standing at the entrance to the Everfree forest, and I was looking at it with the comfort of home on my face.
“Well alright, let’s go.” Apple Jack says.
“Hold on girls.” Twilight says, “I think only Osiris, and I should go in.” I look to her with a smile of approval, but it is wiped from my face as the other five mares give disapproval.
“Okay everypony, I get it, shut up, and follow me.” I say as I start walking as I was getting annoyed at them all.
“Prince, how could you say such a thing?” Rarity asks in her drama queen way. I growl at her voice.
“Because you’re all just being a burden that I don’t want to carry.” I growl back at them. This got them all to hang their heads, and I turn back to the trail and continue walking.
I narrow my eyes as I sense magic use nearby, but couldn’t pinpoint its source.
“Careful girls, there is something different about this area.” I say as I slow my pace to a cautious walk. We were all walking along a cliff side.
I wasn’t watching the other’s progress behind me, but I knew one of them stepped in the wrong area as the ground beneath me gave way, and I started falling. I saw that I had at least two hundred feet before I hit the ground.
“Nocte gravitatis humilior!” I shout as I thrust my hands out to my side releasing a pulse of my magic. My spell got me to start to slow down as I landed with a soft thump. I look back up to the cliff edge to see that Twilight was hanging off of the edge.
I crouch as she starts to fall as I did, and jump with my lowered gravity. I caught Twilight in midair before I landed again with a louder thump than before. I let Twilight down as I release my spell.
“Are you okay Twilight?” I ask her. She nods to me. I look around to see that the other five were fine as well. I sigh in relief before we all continued on into my Mother’s forest although now we were walking towards a manticore that was angered.
I stop walking, and point at the manticore to show the others.
“That may be a problem.” I tell them as I look the manticore over. This got each of their attention, but I look on at their idiocy as they all, minus Fluttershy run and attack the manticore.
I then watch in horror as Rainbow Dash gets hit by the manticore’s tail, and slides to a stop in front of me. I run up to her, and start checking her over for a sting mark, and found one of her left side where she was hit. I curse as I can see the yellow under her skin and coat spread through her body.
“Adjuvabit eam noctem mihi salvum.” I say as I gather massive amounts of magic into Rainbow’s body. Her body starts to shake violently as my magic, and the poison inside of her started to fight. Rainbow is crying out in pain as I continue to push more of my magic into her.
I know my magic is going to change her into one of the nocturnal ponies, but it is the only option right now, so I continued with her cries echoing off of trees, and into the sky above me.
Her wings start to molt quickly, and then start to grow longer. Her mouth is now leaking blood like a fountain as her teeth change.
The poison was almost gone now, but it still fought with my magic.
Rainbow’s coat color darkened a bit, and her wings started to grow leathery as they transformed. Her mouth has stopped bleeding, but I could tell she was still in pain.
“What are you doing to her?!” Twilight asks me in worry.
“She was stung, and I know you don’t have enough magic to save her, so it is this or she dies.” I tell her. Tears of blood were flowing out of Dash’s eyes as they reformed as well. Her wings are now bat like, but still hold her coat color strongly. She is now a blue bat pony. Her mouth has visible fangs, and her eyes are still squeezed shut when the poison was finally gone.
I sit back from Rainbow as I rest what is left of my magic.
“A noctesque that was damn close.” I groan as Dash starts to stir. My eyes were most likely black now instead of their purple for my magic is now depleted for the time being.
Rainbow opens her eyes, and I see that they are still rose colored, but are now slit like a dragon’s.
“Ugh, what happened to me?” She asks as she rolls over to her stomach.
“I’m sorry, but you were poisoned by the manticore, and I had to use my magic to save you.” I say as I unsteadily got to my feet.
“Why are you sorry?” She asks me. I just hung my head in shame at what I turned her into.
“Uh guys, what is he talking about?” Rainbow asks the others.
“Take a look.” Twilight says as she summons a body mirror. I cringe as Rainbow Dash shrieks at what she was turned into. She then turns to me with anger in her eyes.
“How could you do this to me?!” She half asks half shouts at me.
“It was either this, or let you die from the manticore’s poison.” I reply with my head hung low. I was then caught off guard as I was embraced by someone. I look to the neck of the pony to see that it is Rainbow Dash who is hugging me.
She backs away after a few shorts seconds. She still looks angry, but it is lessened from before.
“I’m still angry for what you turned me into, but I’m happy that you saved me.” She huffs to me. I smile a bit as I stand up, and look for the manticore, and see that it had run off.
“Where is the manticore?” I ask aloud to nopony in particular.
“Oh, um it went away after I took the thorn out of its paw. He was just upset, and in pain.” Fluttershy says, and I notice her mane is in a ridiculous position, and looks as though it were licked into place.
“Then let’s keep moving.” I say as I look for my bearings on where we are, and then start on my way again with the girls following me.
“Osiris, can I ask you something?” Twilight asks me as she trots up next to me.
“You may.” I answer with a nod.
“How did your magic do that to Rainbow?” She asks me with concerned look in her eyes.
“It was because of the solar magic, and the venom inside of her. Manticore venom is a magic poison, not a vital one. It attacks the magic of the body it is injected into. Rainbow’s pegasus magic was being depleted by the venom, and if I hadn’t replaced her magic with my own she would have become magically sterile, and died. I saved her by replacing her magic with my own so that she can continue living, but because I’m a lunar magic user her body reacted to my magic, turning her into a lunar pony. This is how lunar royal guards are made. It is the final piece to the training, so she could now become a lunar guard if she wanted to, but she wouldn’t be able to protect Celestia, as she emits solar magic just by sleeping, and would be a major health hazard to a lunar pony. She would have to be my mother's, or my own guard.” I explain to her.
“But what about the fangs and the eye change?” She asks.
“Those are parts of lunar pony biology. The eyes are to enhance night vision, and the fangs are so that the pony can have an alternate food source in case they are out of provisions.” I tell her. She tilts her head at this before she connects two and two together.
“You mean she can now eat meat?!” She asks in shock. I face palm at her sentence as the others gasp. I groan as Rainbow drops to the ground at this.
“Yes, but you will still get sick, and now you won’t die if you do eat some. Your body can handle meat if it is cooked. However you can still eat everything you like without a problem.” I tell Rainbow. She relaxes a bit at this, but stays on the ground.
“What else can I do know?” Rainbow asks as she walks up to be next to me.
“You have slightly increased strength and dexterity, and can most likely fly faster now, but you will start to want to sleep during the day, and work during the night as you are a lunar pony now.” I tell her.
“So, basically you made me even more awesome than I was before?” She asks as she starts to get excited. I smile at this, and nod my head.
“In a sense yes.” I answer as I start moving faster as the forest started covering the moon, and darkening in turn.
I stop when I hear Fluttershy scream, and look to her to see her pointing at a tree. I look at the tree to see nothing, but I knew something wasn’t right, so I imagined the tree to be in a darker light, and noticed that the bark created a demented face.
I then hear the rest of them scream in unison at the illusions they thought they saw. I then look to the pink mare who I now know as Pinkie Pie to see her laughing at the trees.
“Pinkie, what are you doing run!” Twilight scolds the hyper mare.
“Oh Twilight, when I was a little filly and the sun was going dooowwwn…” Pinkie starts singing. I groan and face palm at this as it was the only trait that I truly hated about solar ponies. Their ability to burst into random song at the strangest of times.
“The darkness and the shadows they would always make me froooowwwn…” She continues. I walk up to one of the trees and start beating my head against it.
“I’d hide under my pillow from what I thought I saw, but granny told me that wasn’t the way to deal with fears at all.” I was now bleeding from my forehead as I increased my strength on my head beating.
“Then what is?” Rainbow asks.
I tuned the song out as it got on my nerves, and made me growl as I continuously beat my head against the tree. When the song was finished the tree I was using as a distraction had a large bloodstain on it, and I had a mild headache.
“A noctesque that was the worst torture that I have ever had to endure.” I say as my enhanced healing kicks in and heals my fore head rather quickly.
“Oh come on Prince, it wasn’t that bad.” Rainbow tells me. I wipe the blood off of my face before I look back at her.
“That is the number one thing I hate about solar ponies. I just hate that they burst into song at the most wrong times to do so. And that song alone was the tackiest one I have heard in my lifetime.” I say as I start moving onwards again.
“Um Osiris, why are you scowling?” Twilight asks me. I growl and keep moving ignoring her question. I didn’t listen to their talking as we neared a raging river. I could feel my anger radiate off of me and out into the air near me.
I could feel my dark side breaking through my inner defenses. That is until I saw the serpent that was causing the rapids to move as they were. My anger returned as I saw what was causing his distress.
“Your whining about your mustache like a foal for what reason now?” I ask him.
“Why darling can’t you see that his image is ruined without it?” Rarity asks me as she notices the serpent in distress. I give her a ‘are you bucking kidding me?’ look and she rolls her eyes as she steps up to the serpent. I smirk at her as she rips a scale off of the serpent, and then groan with a face palm as she fixes the mustache with her tail.
I was impressed with her generosity, but annoyed by her selflessness. I just charge my magic into my feet before I jumped over the ten foot wide river and landed on the other side with an audible breathe out of my mouth as my magic rests again.
The others, besides Rainbow Dash, were helped by the serpent, and I continued onward after they were all across.
It was an hour before we started coming close to the ruins of my mother’s fortress walls and buildings that her republic lived in.
“What is this place?” Fluttershy asks aloud.
“This is what is left of my home. This was where the lunar republic resided while the night lasted.” I answer as I become saddened at the sight of my old home.
I heard laughter coming from the ruins, so I hit my medallion and get into a readied stance for whatever was there. It was then that the creatures came out of the shadows. They had a body shaped like mine, but their ears were pointed, and longer. I could sense the magic that they could use.
“Great just what I needed to make this a regular day.” I say sarcastically as I lower my guard a bit and stand up straight again.
“Osiris, what are they, they look like you kind of?” Twilight asks me.
“They are the elven, or elves that still live in the forest. I’m surprised they survived this long.” I tell her.
An elderly elven man walks up to me with a wooden stave.
“Ya vanta mi i kerta i loome iluvitaar?” He asks me. I have to translate what he asked of me for a second.
“Excuse me for the pause, but it is I the child of the night goddess.” I reply as I hit my armor crest, and it turns back into its medallion form.
“You use the common tongue, yet you claim to be the Prince.” He replies.
“I am the Prince Osiris, son of Goddess Luna.” I tell him with a traditional royal glare.
“You carry yourself like him, but we saw the prince get turned to stone.” He replies to me.
“I was, but I was recently released by the sun Goddess’s apprentice.” I inform him. The elderly elf looks me over a few times with his olden and wise eyes.
“You speak of the truth, is this why the moon will not set again after all these seasons?” the elder asks me.
“I have no influence over the celestial bodies, but my mother has returned as well, and we are on our way to reform her.” I reply with a shake of my head.
“I will send a spell caster with you then.” The elder says as he waves a younger male elf forward to his side.
“Tinnuchon will assist you in your journey as it is his time to go on the great pilgrimage.” The elder tells me. I look to the young adult elf, and sense a powerful lunar magic inside him.
“Who is your great grandfather?” I ask him.
“Alfirinor my Prince.” He tells me with a bow.
“I was wondering why you looked like my old friend. You seem to have his magical prowess as well. I have a feeling we’ll get along well.” I say as I motion for him to rise.
“Please don’t bow to me Tinnuchon. It is unnecessary as I still don’t hold the crown of this land.” I tell him as I nod to the elder, silently thanking him once again.
“Very well Prince.” He says as he falls into step next to me as we all walk through the ruins.
“Prince, this is where we will have to part ways for now. My people wish you good luck.” The elder tells me.
“And I wish your people the same. I will return at a later date to see how your people are doing.” I tell him as we part. Him with his head bowed, and me with a nod of my head before my small group continues onward.
“So can I ask you questions about you and your race?” Twilight asks Tinnuchon.
“You are an outsider, so I will have to leave your questions unanswered.” He replies in kind.
“Oh, I’m sorry if I offended you.” Twilight tells him with a slightly saddened look.
“Twilight, I only know about the elven because I have the same bodily shape as them, and am able to use their magics. I was trained by then to keep myself alive as I am most similar to them. I can tell you this though. The elven people are a very secretive race that only show themselves to those that have earned the right to see them. You six traveling with me is a stroke of pure luck. You would never had seen one of them if you came without me.” I tell her.
“So will you tell me about them?” She asks hopefully.
“No as it is not my right. If you wish to learn about the elven people you need to earn the right to do so, and if you do, in the slight chance that you can, you will be sworn to keep their secrets. Failure keep their secrets will be your death.” I tell her. I can hear her swallow.
“Prince, may I know where we’re going?” Tinnuchon asks me.
“To my mother’s castle.” I reply as we come upon the rope bridge that crosses the cavern to my mother’s castle. We had to stop for the bridge was down, and was hanging from this side of the chasm.
“Are you sure I’m allowed there?” he asks me.
“As long as you’re with me or have my permission you can be there, or even visit. You will have to earn my permission though, but it is easily earned so just be yourself around me.” I tell him. He sighs.
“Rainbow, could you get the bridge back up?” I ask.
“Sure, be back in a jiff.” She replies before she dives off the edge of the cliff before I see her soar up to the other side of the chasm with the bridge in tow.
A fog rolled in blocking my view of Rainbow, and I tried to see through it. After a few minutes of silence Rainbow flies back across, clearing the fog out of the way.
“Great job Rainbow Dash.” I tell her. She smiles to me before we all cross the bridge to the castle
“Okay everyone. Be at the ready for anything.” I tell them as we enter the castle walls.
They all gave me a positive response before we entered the castle itself. Inside was a pedestal that held the elements of harmony in their stone form, but something was wrong. I hold up my hand for everyone to stop.
“Something isn’t right.” I say as I look around the room as I search for something that would give away my mother. I sigh as I can’t spot anything out of place besides all the missing decorations.
“See anything Tinnuchon?” I ask.
“No, nothing besides the stones.” He tells me. I relax a bit, but keep my guard up.
“Alright, do what you want girls, but be vigilant.” I tell them as I walk up to the pedestal holding the elements. I levitate the five white marble spheres down to the ground in front of Twilight.
“What do you want me to do with these?” She asks me.
“Give them the spark they need to be activated.” I tell her.
“Okay, but what will happen if it doesn’t work?” She asks as she lights her horn and starts concentrating. I don’t answer, but watch for my Mother.
“Prince, the elements!” Tinnuchon shouts. I look to the elements, expecting them to be active, but what I saw was my mother’s smoke form.
“Solidator.” I say as I point my hand at my mother. She solidifies into her bodily shape.
“How!?” She asks in slight shock before she teleports with the elements. I roll my eyes before I sense the end of the spell in a nearby room that was separate from the structure.
“Come on, before she hides the elements.” I say as I motion for them to gather around me. They do, and I use the silent version of teleportation to get us to the same room.
“Lunaris compedibus.” I say as soon as we arrive in the room, which causes my mother to be shackled to the ground with my magic.
“Twilight.” I say as I strain to keep Nightmare down. Twilight manages to fire a small lightning bolt at the elements before Nightmare Moon broke my spell with brute magical force.
Magic arcs between the elements as they activate.
“No!” Nightmare shouts, but then I watch in horror as the elements don’t activate, and just die in a sense.
“Ha Ha Ha Ha, you think you could defeat me like that?” Nightmare asks as she shatters the elements. I drop to my knees as I watch the elements turn into shards.
“But the spark…” I mumble. My mind tries to wrap itself around why the elements didn’t activate, but I only end up getting angry.
BU-DUM…
My magic starts to flare as my anger rises.
BU-DUM…
I feel my body change into its dark form. My eyes changed to slits, and my skin grew magic runes over itself. My long straight black hair turns ethereal, and waves in a none existent breeze.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” I scream as my transformation completes itself.
“Mother, you need to end this nonsense.” I say in a dual toned voice that resonates power.
“My night will last, and there is nothing you can do.” She replies. I growl, and throw my opened hand towards her, sending a large bolt of magic at her.
“How dare you try to harm me?” She asks after she deflects the bolt. She fires a beam of magic at me, and I do the same. Our attacks meet in the middle, and clash for dominance.
At first Nightmare’s magic was overpowering me, but my anger fueled my magic, and turned the tables. Nightmare grunts in effort as she strains to overpower me.
I take my other hand, and add its power to my beam, and force my mother to lose in this battle of power. Nightmare is knocked back, and she lands on the floor with her helmet falling off of her head, and onto the floor beyond her.
“Twilight…activate the elements if you can… I’m running low on magic.” I say as I fall to my knees again. My body transforms back into its original form. I’m breathing hard, and my eyes are clenched shut as the pain from magic overuse rears its head with a sharp pain in my stomach.
I clutch my stomach and double over in pain.
I look up to Nightmare when I hear her groan, and watch as she stands up before she levitates her helmet back on. I grimace as my pain flares for a second, and slowly make my way back to my feet, ready to defend my friends to the end.
I notice how the element fragments start to glow.
“I won’t let you hurt them.” I say as I move into a lowered stance before I hit my medallion, and grab my sword as it teleports to me from the castle armory in Canterlot.
“And what is going to keep me from doing so? You don’t have the strength left to continue protecting them.” Nightmare replies as she readies to charge me.
“I can still hold my blade. I can still fight.” I say as I take deep breathes to keep focused and conscious. Nightmare glares at me before she summons her own blade, and charges me. I get ready for the fight, and parry her stab with a slice to her blade to push it out of the way. I then counter with my own slice to her shoulder only to get it blocked.
I had to quickly block her next swing from my left, and then took a step backwards to maintain distance between us.
I was now only on the defensive as I blocked and parried left and right from Nightmare’s attacks. She started adding more strength to her swings, and on one of her swings she shattered my blade into three pieces. I then tried to take a step back only to trip on a fallen pillar, and get her blade pointed at my throat.
“Go ahead and try to end your only son’s life.” I tell her as I see that Twilight had finally gotten the elements to change into their regalia state, and was charging up their power with the other five ponies there.
“I will if you continue to oppose me Osiris.” She tells me.
“Is it really a bad thing to want my real mother back?” I ask her. This causes her to hesistate, but that was all I needed. I quickly used this small window to bring my foot up and kick the side of her horn, making her drop her sword. I then kick her again to get her a few feet away from me.
“NOW!” I shout to the girls. They fire the elements at my mother, and the power envelops her in a small tornado of rainbow magic.
Once the elements were done firing their power at my mother I sluggishly, and painfully, got to my feet, and walked over to my mother before I fell down and fell asleep.

> Chapter V
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I was walking with mom in the gardens of the castle grounds during one of my mom’s many nights. We were heading to my mom’s pond where she found me on the night of the Winter Moon Festival. I was carrying my stuffed wolf along with me as I walk along mom’s side.
“Osiris, how did thou sleep?” Mom asks me.
“I slept great mom, how did you sleep?” I ask with a smile.
“I slept well my son.” She tells me with a small smile of her own. We walked in relative silence for a few moments before we stopped at mom’s pond.
“Osiris?” Mom asks me.
“Yes mom?” I ask as I look to her before we sat down next to her pond.
“Art thou lonely during mine nights?” She asks me with a blank expression.
“A little, yes.” I say with a nod.
“Would thou liketh someone to play with while I am attending night court for our country?” She asks me. I look into mom’s bright teal eyes.
“Are you going to get me a foal sitter?” I ask her with my head tilted.
“If thou want one, but I think thou art too old for a foal sitter. I was thinking more along the lines of a friend your own age.” She tells me. I smiled big and wide at the thought of my own friend to play with while mom works. But it slowly disappeared when I thought about how lonely that would make mom during her work time.
“What about you mom, won’t you be lonely while I play with my friend?” I ask her. She giggles and hugs me.
“I’ll be fine my child. Besides, I’ll have the guards keep mine company if I do grow lonely. So, does that mean thou would liketh a friend?” She asks me. I close my eyes, smile, and nod with another hug to my mom.
“Yes please.” I tell her. She giggles again, and returns my hug with a nuzzle to the side of my head.
“Then I will tell my sister thy answer, and tomorrow night thou will have a new friend to play with.” She tells me with a smile.
I smile back before everything turns black again, and fades.





I wake up from my slumber with a stretch and a yawn, but cringe at the pain in my stomach before memories of the time before I fell asleep returned.
I slowly open my eyes to a small crack to see if it was bright where I was. It was dark enough that it wouldn’t hurt my eyes, but it was still annoyingly bright.
“Noctem en AH!” I growl as pain slashes its way through my abdomen. A nurse in white clothing bursts into the room.
“Prince, are you okay?!” She asks hurriedly.
“I will be.” I growl as my pain slowly subsides, “Where is the elf or Silver?” I ask her.
“They are in the visitor’s lounge. They were told to wait until you were awake to visit you. Would you like me to go get them?” She asks me.
“Bring me Silver first. Once she leaves bring me the elf.” I tell her. She nods before she exits the room, and I hear her hoofsteps fade away as she walks down the hall.
A minute later the door opens and Silver is let into the room. She thanks the nurse, and once the door closes behind her she quickly walks up to me, and embraces me in a strong hug. I chuckle as I return her affection. I felt liquid falling onto my chest, so I look down to my lover and see that she is silently crying into my chest.
“Hey, what is wrong my beautiful nightshade?” I ask as I slowly run the back of my hand down the side of her face.
“I thought I had lost you.” She says in a muffled voice as she squeezes stronger and lets out a few sobs. My heart swells from her words.
“Please look at me my love.” I tell her. She slowly looks up to me, and I pull her into a soft passionate kiss. She hums into the kiss, and ever so slowly her tears dry.
She pulls away after she had calmed down a bit, and lies down next to me. She snuggles up next to me, and I pull her into a hug.
“How long have I been under?” I ask her.
“Seven hours and twenty minutes.” She tells me.
“Time of night?” I ask her.
“Late afternoon, early evening.” She tells me.
“Reason why my room isn’t dark?” I ask.
“You’re in a hospital; they don’t have any dark rooms.” She replies. I smile at this and boop her nose with my finger.
“I know, I’m just playing with you.” I tell her. She giggles a little bit.
“How do you feel?” She asks me. I close my eyes and wince as my abdomen flares for a second.
“As long as I don’t use magic my pain is bearable.” I tell her with a small smile. She looks at me with concern. I roll my eyes.
“I know this isn’t the worst pain you’ve seen me in.” I tell her. She lightly punches my side.
“Just be happy I’m here.” She tells me. I smile and nod.
“Yes dearest.” I say quickly, and she snuggles back up to me. We stayed like this for a few minutes. I winced every now and then as my magic recovers from the overuse when I defended my friends.
…Friends… it’s been a long time since I could use that word. I think to myself as Silver gets up.
“I guess I should go and send your elf in to see you.” She tells me as she unwantedly walks out of the room. I sigh in my short lived loneliness before the door opens and in walks Tinnuchon.
His long silver hair falls down onto his back, and his dark blue eyes look into mine with slight worry, and amusement.
“How bad is it my Prince?” He asks as he sits in one of the visiting chairs nearby.
“Nothing a tad bit of rest won’t fix. How is my mother?” I ask him.
“She has yet to awaken. The elements and your spells did a number on her. I had offered to heal Luna since none of the doctors can, but they wouldn’t let me near her as the solar Princess was there, and requested privacy.” He tells me. I growl as I try to sit up, and end up falling back onto the bed in pain again.
“Fetch me a wheelchair, and we’ll go see my mother. I don’t care what Celestia thinks she has a right to do anymore. I want her healed, and you’re the only lunar magic user here, besides me, that can do it at this time.” I was growling unintentionally from my anger at my aunt. He nods, and walks out of my room, only to return with a nurse a few moments later with a wheelchair.
The nurse helps me into the wheelchair before Tinnuchon pushes me out into the hallway, and down to a different hallway altogether. We stopped in front of the door where two solar guards were standing watch.
“Halt your highness.” The guard on the right says as they both cross their wings in front of me.
“Celestia has requested that she and her sister have their privacy.” The other tells me.
“And what right does she have to separate me from my mother?” I ask them with my eyes slightly narrowed. The guard on the right blinks and the one on the left clears his throat.
“We are sorry Prince, but we have to follow orders.” They tell me. I look back to Tinnuchon.
“Do you know any medical spells?” I ask him.
“Yes my Prince.” He answers.
“Could you perform a quick surgery without being noticed?” I ask him. He nods his head. I smile evilly at my thoughts.
“Good, castrate the guards unless they get out of my way in the next ten seconds.” I say as I look into the guards’ eyes. I see them shift a little at my words.
“One… Two… Three…” Now they were starting to glance at each other.
“… Four… Five… Six… Seven…” I can see sweat starting to form on their brows, but they stood fast.
“…Eight…” Tinnuchon flairs his magic and readies the medical spell.
“…Nine…” The guards are now looking at me in fear.
“…Te-” I am interrupted.
“Fine, we’ll let you past, but he stays out here.” The guard on the left tells me as he lowers his wing. I look to the guard on the right, and he stares at me for a few more seconds before he lowers his wing as well.
“Good, now the both of you get a small bonus for obeying me, and Elf guardian please cast a sleeping spell on them.” I say as I sit back in my chair. Tinnuchon puts both guards to sleep with a wave of his hand. Tinnuchon then opens the door, and then pushes me inside.
“I told my guards to leave me be, so how did you get in here?” Celestia asks with her back to us.
“Well, I threatened them with the one thing every stallion never wishes to loose, and then cast a sleeping spell on them. You really need to train them better, but my other point to get across is that you cannot keep me from my mother Solar Princess. I have waited too damn long to see her again, and you know that what I say is true.” I tell her as Tinnuchon walks up to my mother and flairs his hands once more.
Celestia glares at him, but he just continues with his spells.
“What do you think you are doing to my sister without permission from me?” She asks him. He just glances at her before he finishes healing my mother, and then looks at me.
“She is fully healed correctly this time, and should speed her recovery from the battle thrice as fast then before.” He tells me. I smile at him.
“You have my eternal thanks elf; now please leave us to our privacy.” I tell him. He nods, and leaves the room. I wait a few seconds to make sure he left, and didn’t start eavesdropping on us.
“Why do you hate me?” Celestia asks as she looks back to Mother.
“I don’t hate you, I just get angered at your pour decisions that you make. Tell me, had the elf not been here to heal her, how long would she have had to take to recover? You of all ponies should know that a lunar pony can’t be healed properly by solar magic.” I tell her.
“I healed her with what little lunar magic I can use.” She tells me.
“Celestia, I have twice the amount of magic you have when you raise the moon. The only reason I can’t raise and lower the moon is because mother forbade me to do so. That and I don’t know the spell.” I tell her. She shakes her head, and hangs it in defeat.
“What would you have done?” She asks me.
“I would have let the elf heal her for he is a decent mage from what I can see.” I tell her. I wheel myself over to her side, and lay a hand on her back.
“You need to trust me Celestia. Otherwise something very bad will happen. That night you came to Mother’s castle I had a plan to reform her, but you took matters into your own hooves. Your plan worked, but my plan was sure to do the same job, just faster.” I tell her. She looks to me with tears in her eyes.
“What were you going to do?” She asks me. I shake my head.
“It doesn’t matter now. Are you going to be okay?” I ask her. She closes her eyes, and takes a shuddering breath.
“I will be.” She tells me.
“Come, let Luna rest. She will need it. You have all the time in the universe now to be with her. I will have my elf guard her tonight, and you have a sun and moon to take care of soon.” I tell her as I pat her back a couple times.
She takes a few moments to recompose herself, and then takes a tissue to clean up a bit before she stands, and nods. I turn and wheel myself to the door, and Celestia opens it with her magic before we walk out together. Tinnuchon was standing at the other side of the hall.
“Elf, I would like a name I can call you by in public, please choose an alias to go by.” I say to him.
“Hmm… Fifrath will do your majesty.” He tells me. I nod.
“Very well then, you are to guard Luna for the night. When morning comes I will return to check on her, as will Celestia I presume, so be prepared.” I tell him. He nods before he casts a barrier over Luna’s room. I nod, and Celestia and I remove ourselves from the Hospital we were in.
“Where are we?” I ask Celestia as we move about the town.
“We’re still in Ponyville as the doctors said it would be too hard on Luna to move her to Canterlot.” She tells me. I sigh as we head to a familiar treebrary that was a temporary home to one lavender unicorn.
“So Osiris, please tell me what you think of my student.” Celestia says as we near the home.
“I am unsure how to think of her, but from what I have noticed her social skills are lacking, and she is a very studious pony. She has a small OCD problem, and can worry about small things that don’t matter very much. She is similar to me in a way.” I tell her as we enter the library without knocking as it was a library.
“Yes she has her quirks, as do everypony.” She says when she sits on a large cushion. I roll my eyes.
“What about the pegasus Rainbow Dash? What has become of her?” I ask. Celestia looks to me with slight anger in her eyes.
“She is still getting use to her new… augmentations. Tell me why you changed her, and didn’t just heal her.” She tells me. I close my eyes, and bring a hand up to the bridge of my nose.
“A manticore had stung her, and I was the only one strong enough to save her, and you know what lunar magic does to a solar pony.” I tell her. She takes the information in before she sighs.
“I guess I can’t be angry with you then.” She tells me as the sound of hooves on wood comes from the stares. I nod as I then remember the guard Claymore.
“What of the guard Claymore?” I ask my aunt.
“He is waiting for his new armor as well as what you have in store for him.” She tells me. I nod a couple times slowly.
We both turn and look to see who is coming down the stairs to see Twilight there. I smile a little at the sight of the lavender bookworm.
“Osiris!” She says as she teleports right in front of me, and embraces me. I put the brakes on the wheelchair before I return the embrace with a hearty chuckle.
“Why, hello to you too Twilight.” I say as she releases me. She giggles a little before she sees Celestia, and starts to breathe harder. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she slowly calms down.
“Hello Princess.” Twilight says with a small bow. I roll myself over to a shaded part of the library. I sigh as my eyes slowly pull back into my comfort zone.
“How are you my faithful student?” Celestia asks Twilight. I roll my eyes already knowing the answer. She was most likely fine, but worried about Luna.
“I’m good, but I am wondering about how Luna is.” Twilight replies. I smirk to myself at my correct-ish guess.
“Luna is doing much better now.” Celestia replies with a small smile and nod.
“How so? The last time I asked you said that she needed time to recover.” Twilight asks.
“It is because of the elf we brought with us, and you are to only speak of him as elf, elven, or by his new alias Fifrath.” I tell her. Twilight looks to me.
“What did he do?” She asks me.
“He healed her with Lunar Magic, like everypony is supposed to, but since my mother’s exile the lunar magic users have since disappeared from Equestria as far as I know, when they should have been watched over since their princess was missing.” I openly glare at Celestia as I say this, and she hangs her head.
“Why would the type of magic make a difference?” Twilight asks me as she walks up to me.
“It has to do with the pony themselves. If the pony is a solar pony, like Celestia, and all of ‘her little ponies’ then they can only be healed correctly by solar magic for the magic has a different form than lunar magic, and the opposite is true for lunar ponies. If a Lunar pony is healed with solar magic the solar magic will change them into a solar pony and vice versa for a solar pony being healed by lunar magic, like loyalty when I saved her from the poison.” I teach Twilight.
“So what is the main difference between solar magic, and lunar magic?” Twilight asks me.
“Solar magic comes from the sun, while lunar magic comes from the moon. Tell me, have you ever noticed that it is harder for you to use magic at night?” I ask her. She nods her head.
“Yes, but I don’t see… Oh ok.” She realizes what that means.
“Yes, and my magic prowess increases at night.” I say as I start to wheel myself to another side of the room to find something to explain how Lunar magic is made, since I knew that is going to be one of her questions.
“So how is Lunar Magic made?” She asks me. I chuckle silently to myself at my insight.
“I would need a model to better explain it to you.” I tell her.
“Oh? What would you need?” she asks me.
“I need a prism, and a pouch of fine powdered glass.” I tell her.
“I might have those, so give me a second.” She replies before she heads down a stairwell to what I assume is the basement.
She returns after a few moments with a clear pouch of powdered glass, and a prism.
I take them from her before opening a window to let the dying sunlight in as a small beam.
“Okay, so you see how sunlight bends into the rainbow with a prism?” I ask her. She nods with a notebook and quill at her side.
“Good, well the moon reflects the sunlight, but it isn’t a perfect reflection. The moon changes the light waves slightly.” I say as I pour a small amount of the glass onto the table, making it reflect the sunlight off of it. I then hold the prism in front of the new light waves, and show her an inverted rainbow on the walls of her home.
“Moon light makes the magic invert itself. You see Moonlight is just an opposite power source for magic. Lunar ponies are able to take magic in from the moon to use instead of the sun. Now as solar ponies have three types, there are also three types of lunar ponies.” I tell her as I clean up the glass carefully before resealing the bag of powdered glass, and setting it on the table.
“What are the types?” She asks me. I chuckle a bit.
“There are bat ponies, like what loyalty became. There are necromancer ponies, lunar unicorns, and there are vamponies, the lunar earth ponies.” I tell her.
“Vamponies and Necromancers?” Twilight asks.
“Yes, as evil as they sound they are only aggressive if you earn their aggression.” I reply as I smile at the memory of the Republic that my Mother led.
“So Rainbow Dash is a Bat pony now?” Twilight asks as she writes quickly on a long scroll.
“Yes, the main difference, that is the most obvious of the six types of ponies, is the time that the ponies prefer. Lunar ponies prefer moonlight to sunlight because the sun is bright enough to harm their eyes. Solar ponies find it easier to see in bright environments, so they are tuned to the sunlight.” I tell her as I look up to the books lining the walls.
I spot a book that I hadn’t seen in the royal library, so I ignite my right hand with my recovering magic, and pull it off of the shelf before letting it drop to my hands. I am left breathing hard from using magic at such an early time, but I didn’t feel any pain.
“Osiris, you shouldn’t be using magic yet.” Celestia tells me.
“The doctors, and you too apparently, have forgotten how resilient lunar magic users are.” I reply before I reread the title on the cover.
‘Ancient Equestrian Myths and Legends’ was the title of the book. I open the book, and look up vamponies. I start reading through the text, but became furious at the stupid lies that were put in this book. I had to look away from the book before I incinerated it.
When I calmed I looked back down to the book, and look up necromancer ponies. I ended up having to close the book place it on a table, and then growling at it as though it had killed my mother.
“Celestia, please tell me why you allowed such filthy lies into the knowledge of your ponies.” I say as I glare at her because of the knowledge she allowed to exist.
“What book is it?” She asks me. I narrow my eyes as she reads the title. She sighs before looking to me.
“What has you so angered?” She asks as she returns the book to the shelf I pulled it from.
That was the last straw. My anger turned to rage, and my dark form took over. My skin lights up with the lunar runes, my eyes become slit like a dragon’s, and my hair regains its ethereal form.
“You allowed such lies into the knowledge of your kingdom!” I shout as her before my body reels from the surge of power I had gained.
“What have I done to make you turn into this?” She asks with a calm face. As my rage increases I feel my k-9s sharpen to a point.
“You allowed one of your ‘little ponies’ to write such lies about their lunar counterparts! You should be ashamed to call yourself a Princess for letting one of your subjects spread lies! You know what would have happened back before you banished Luna? That pony would have been taken to prison, given a trial, and then executed for demoting the lunar race!” My anger started to wear away.
Celestia now looked like someone had just killed her father, and had tears in her eyes.
“You don’t know the state I was left in when I lost both of you.” She says quietly. I reverted back to my regular form.
“Tartarus I don’t Celestia. I may have been trapped in stone, but I could still see and hear everything that went on around me. I am now an emotional hurricane, because I’m now completely alone, save for a few select people. I have three people I can turn to that understand my pain. You, Luna, and Silver. You three are all that I have left.” I say as sorrow replaces my anger.
I pull my hood up, casting a shadow over my face as tears stream down my cheeks.
I feel a set of hooves embrace me. I could see white fur on them, and knew that it was Celestia that was hugging me. I wrapped my arms around her as well, and returned her embrace as we shared our moment with each other.
“I’m so sorry Osiris. I’m so so sorry.” Celestia says as she lightly cries into my shoulder.
“I know… but it’s okay now. Our family is together again.” I say as I let my tears flow, but I hid the rest of my emotions as much as I could. We stayed like that for a few more minutes while Celestia recomposes herself. As Celestia pulls away I catch one of her hooves, and look her in the eyes.
“I… I forgive you.” I tell her quietly. She smiles, and gives me another quick hug before looking at Twilight, who had tears in her eyes from the scene she just watched. I place a soft smile on my lips, as does Celestia.
“How are you okay?” Twilight asks with a shaky voice. I close my eyes.
“Because I was raised to be strong, I was raised by the Princess of the night.” I reply before I wheel myself into a spare bedroom that Twilight had lent me for the night. She had also lent Celestia a bed, but she said she had to return to Canterlot tonight to take care of the morning duties.
I manage to get out of the wheel chair and into a chair Celestia had conjured for me, and sighed as I sat back into it. I then levitate a fictional book to me called Daring Do. I chuckle a little as I remember the Do family, and open the book. I read until it was four in the morning, and I had finished the book.
I decided to get some sleep so that I could see mother in the morning, so I slowly shambled my way into the bed, and fell asleep.

> Chapter VI
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I sit up quickly from the dream I had, and wipe a hand down my face.

“Just a dream…” I say before slowly testing my legs, and carefully standing up. I can stand on my own.

“You need to be careful Dark Prince.” Says a voice in an elven accent.

“How did you get in here so quietly?” I ask in the elvish tongue.

“You don’t wake when you sleep like you did.” The elf tells me.

“Who wants to see me?” I ask it.

“An ancestor of an old friend wishes to see you.” The elf tells me before using a lunar teleport to leave. Lunar teleports are silent, and smooth. Not bright, and as loud as a solar teleport. They make more of a swooshing sound.

I steadily make my way to my wheelchair, and sit in it before wheeling myself out of the room Twilight lent me.

“Good morning nephew.” Celestia says as I exit the room into the front room of the library.

“Good morning Aunty.” I reply as I rub the sleep out of my eyes, “How did you sleep?”

“I slept well, and what of you?” She asks with a smile that almost seemed to shine.

“I dreamt of that night.” I reply with a small frown. She gives me a sad smile before holding a hoof out to me for a hug. I wheel myself into her grasp, and embrace my aunt. We pull away from each other after a few moments.

“Shall we go see Luna?” She asks me. Right as I open my mouth to reply my stomach complains at me. Celestia giggles a little before she sees Twilight walk down the stairs from her room.

“Good morning Twilight.” Celestia say to her student, who falls flat on her face from seeing her mentor this early in the morning. I manage to suppress my laughter to quiet chortling.

“Princess, it so good to see you again so soon.” Twilight says as she stands back up while blushing.

“It lovely to see you as well Twilight, now how about we go get some breakfast?” Celestia asks. I smile at the idea of food, and Twilight smiles as well.

“That sounds like a great idea, just let me go get Spike.” Twilight says before walking upstairs. I had finally subdued my hidden laughter before thinking about my mother.

Getting curious about how she is doing, and prepare to cast a very simple telepathy spell to speak with Tinnuchon.

“Loquela tacita.” I whisper as I cast the spell. I then send my thoughts to Tinnuchon.

Tinnuchon, this is Osiris, and I am wondering how my mother is doing. I send to him.

She is still asleep my Prince. He replies.

Okay, go and freshen up, and eat or rest. You have been a great help. Let the solar guards do their job for now. Celestia, Twilight, Spike, and I will be there after an hour or so. I tell him.

I will await your arrival. He replies before the spell ends.

I am left breathing a little harder than usual from the use of my magic so early in my recovery.

“Osiris, are you okay?” Celestia asks me.

“Yeah, just a little tired from being up right now. I’ll be fine.” I tell her. She gives me a concerned look before Twilight and Spike come down the stairs.

“Alright, we’re ready to go.” Twilight says. Spike looks like about as awake as I feel.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Celestia asks me. Twilight looks at me with concern as well now.

“Is something wrong?” Twilight asks me. I open my mouth to tell her I am fine, but hesitate. I sigh before shaking my head.

“No, but I’m tired, so expect me to be a bit slower all round today.” I say after a little thought. I knew that Celestia saw through my lie. Twilight looks unsure of my answer, but exits the library, but not before Celestia manages to say, “We will catch up to you Twilight, I wish to speak to my nephew in private.”

“Okay, we’ll see you at Sugarcube Corner later this morning then.” Twilight says before closing the door behind her, and leaving. I sigh, knowing what Celestia is going to ask.

“What happened when you woke up this morning?” Celestia asks me. I sigh knowing I couldn’t lie now.

“I got a message from an ancestor of an old friend.” I tell her. She looks surprised.

“I didn’t hear, see, or sense anyone enter or leave the library.” She tells me. I shake my head.

“You weren’t looking for the right magic. All elven are lunar magic users Tia.” I tell her.

“That isn’t all is it?” she asks me. I shutter at what she was asking.

“Celestia… when mother turned into… that… I was terrified.” She gasps.

“You saw her when she…” She says with wide eyes. I nod before the memory returns to the front of my mind.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

“Osi? Where art thou going?” Silver asks me.

“We want to see mommy.” I say with a frown.

“But she said not to bother her.” Silver reminds me. I sigh before looking at her with my cute face. I pout my bottom lip, and widen my eyes, forcing them to make tears.

“Thou knoweth I can’t resist that devilish face.” She tells me with a groan, “Fine, go see thine mother, but don’t say I didn’t warn thee.” I smile to her before giving her a friendly hug, and leaving to go to see my mother.

“Guard Blade?” I ask for one of the guards outside my room’s doors.

“Yes young Prince?” She asks me.

“May we go see our mother?” I ask her. Blade smiles sweetly to me.

“Of course, let’s go.” She says to me. I return her smile before falling into step besides her. We were silent as we made our way to the throne room.

Once we were there I hear loud noises from the throne room, and rush ahead to see what was wrong. Guard Blade follows me silently, and we stop before the big oak doors. I open them a little to peak at what was happening, and see Mother, and aunty fighting again. I start to open the door more to run in and stop them but mother give a primal scream of rage before truly dark magic starts streaming towards her.

My eyes widen in fear as I watch mother’s coat turn black instead of her dark blue. Her wings grew longer, and stronger. I could see her height visibly increase. Her eyes start to glow a pure cyan blue, but before I could look away her magic lights in a deep demonic like magic before aunty was blown back. The pulse of dark power slams the throne room’s doors shut, and I fall back onto my rear from the door hitting me.

I was silently crying from the image of mother turning into… whatever that was. Before Blade could ask what was wrong I stood up, and bolted away as my sob became known to the halls of the castle. I ran as fast as I could go until I saw what I was heading for. A portal the elven people had hidden in the castle disguised as a wall. I ran right through it, and into the city of the elven people before running off to Rahchun’s home.

When I got there, his father let me in without hesitation before letting me stay for the night, and the next day before taking me home.

__**__**__**__**__**__**__**__**__

“And after that I kept what I saw to myself. I was seven at the time, a year after you and mother made Silver for me.” I finish telling Celestia about my memory as I try to suppress it back into my mind. My head was hanging, and I had tears streaming from my eyes. I feel Celestia embrace me in a full hug. Her wings are wrapped around me as well.

My emotions take over from there, and the stress breaks my hold on my control, and I throw my arms around Celestia before sobbing into her shoulder.

Needless to say, I was having a bad day this morning from the get go.
> Chapter VII
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After my telling of the past, Celestia and I set off to Sugarcube Corner for some breakfast. We both got there with more than a few surprised looks, but they weren’t the looks of fear I was used to from the ponies. Instead I was getting looks of joy, and friendliness.
This threw me for a loop as I was used to being scorned by the solar ponies. These new reactions caused another memory to float back to my attention.

*#*

I’m with mother as we visit one of the few settlements that the ponies have across the world, and watch in slight annoyance as solar ponies cower and hide from us.

Mother took notice, and drapes a wind around me. I give her a small smile to show that I appreciated her concern, but then growled as we watched an earth pony stallion stand in front of the carriage.

“Osiris, our son, please remove this foal from our presence.” Mother tells me. I nod before stepping off of the carriage, and walking to the stallion.

“We command thee to step aside for the princess.” I tell the pony. He snorts before spitting at my boots.

“We give thee one chance to apologize for that before we slaughter thee and have us a well-deserved meal.” I growl at him. I see fear cross his eyes for a brief moment, but then it was replaced by rage.

“I will not move for this false Princess.” He snarls at me. I sigh before unsheathing my blade.

“We were hoping not to do this, but thou left us no choice.” I say before teleporting to his side, and decapitating him in one swing of my sword. I then use my magic to push the corpse out of the way before heading back to the carriage.

*#*

“Osiris? Equestria to Osiris.” I blink a few times before seeing Spike in front of me trying to get my attention.

“Yes Spike?” I ask him as I come back from my past horrors.

“You’ve been asked for your order.” He tells me. It was then that I notice that I am at a table with my aunt, Twilight, and Spike. I quickly scanned the menu before looking to the waitress to see Pinkie Pie.

“I’ll have three Muffins. One blueberry, one raspberry, and one of your choosing.” I tell her, “For a drink I would like a tall glass of… come closer please.” I tell the pink mare. Pinkie steps up next to me, and I slide my secret bottle of liquid moonlight into her mane.

“That is what I would like, but don’t taste any of it, for it will knock you on your rear faster than any other drink on Equis.” I whisper to her. She giggles before nodding, and walking away.

“Osiris, what was in that bottle?” Twilight asks me.

“A special drink that will only affect solar ponies like a deadly alcohol would, but is like tasting pure joy to a lunar ponies, and will help in my recovery.” I tell her.

“Okaaay… Princess do you know what he is talking about?” She asks, clearly not knowing what it was that I gave Pinkie.

“Yes, and I thought I had put a ban on that drink.” Celestia tells me with a stern glare. I roll my eyes.

“Yes you did for all of your solar ponies, but if I remember right, mother never banned its consumption for the lunar ponies.” I tell her with a small smirk.

“When Luna took her extended vacation I rewrote all laws that she had over the land to equally cover all ponies, so the drink was marked as illegal, and was completely removed from history, or so I thought.

“You’re just angry because when you try to make a similar drink it ends up being inconsumable.” I tell her.

“If it’s not too much trouble, but what are you too talking about?” Twilight asks us both.

“Don’t tell her nephew.” Celestia warns me. I smirk.

“I would never tell her of your special drink.” I say with a sly smile. Celestia sighs in relief, “But that won’t stop me from telling her about mine.” I say before hitting my medallion, and preparing to be lashed out at by my aunt.

“That is fine, but do not tell her about my special liquid.” She tells me. I shrug before hitting the emblem on my armor, and sitting back into my wheelchair.

“So what is it?” Twilight asks.

“Before my mother was banished I figured out a way to turn moonlight into a drinkable liquid, and after experimentation, of all types of ponies I found that only the lunar ponies could consume it safely. The drink has various effects on all three types of lunar ponies. The necromancers gained enhance magic regeneration, the bat ponies got increased agility, and perception, and the vamponies gained incredible strength. However for me it acts like a healing potion, but a magical one.” I tell her.

“Wow, that’s what this does?” Pinkie asks before setting all of our food down in front of us, as well as joining us at the table. Pinkie hoofs me my bottle back, and I put it back into my hidden pocket.

“Yes, you won’t believe how long it took me to perfect.” I say before I grab my first muffin, or at least I thought I did before I am tackled by a grey, and gold blur.

“Ugh, what hit me?” I ask as I roll out from under my wheelchair, before tipping it back onto its wheels.

“Oops my bad.” I hear a soft, yet cute voice say. I look to the owner of said voice, and see a grey, and blonde pegasus mare. Her eyes are golden, but slightly crossed. I chuckle at her voice, as it had a certain quality to it that I had rarely heard.

“It’s okay, but could you possibly move off of me, so I can finish my breakfast?” I ask the mare.

“Sure!” She tells me with a big smile before moving off of me. I sit up before slowly pulling myself up back into my wheelchair, and retaking my seat.

“Are you okay?” The mare asks me. I nod before picking up my raspberry muffin, and pulling the top off. I hear the mare take a sniff. She then lets out a sigh.

“I take it you like muffins?” I ask the mare. She nods. I smile before looking over to Pinkie.

“Hey Laughter, I wish to order something.” I tell her. Pinkie perks up before saluting with a giggle.

“What do you want Osiris?” She asks me.

“I want one giant Muffin of this kind young mare’s favorite flavor.” I tell her.

“Gotcha, One giant Blueberry muffin comin’ right up.” Pinkie says before bouncing into the kitchen of Sugarcube corner.

“Prince, why did you order a giant muffin?” Twilight asks me.

“That would be telling Twilight.” I say with a sly smile. I hear my aunt Celestia giggle to herself.

A minute later Pinkie walks out with the biggest muffin I have ever seen. She sets it in front of me, and I pick it up, and hold it out to the wall eyed mare.

“Here you go.” I say to her.

“Are you sure?” She asks me. I smile even more before placing the muffin on her back.

“Yes, now go have a great day.” I tell her. Her eyes light up before she gives me a hug all the while repeating ‘thank you’ over and over again. I chuckle as the mare pulls away.

“You’re welcome now go have a great day.” I tell her with a big smile.

“I will, thanks mister.” She says before leaving the store. I chuckle when she’s gone before I resume my meal. Celestia has a smile on her lips as she resumes eating as well.

“Osiris, that was very kind of you.” Twilight says as she starts on her meal as well.

“I only did that because that mare reminds me of one of my friends. He had his eyes crossed like that at birth, and had a very similar attitude.” I say as I finish my raspberry muffin. I then lift my glass with the pure white liquid that slightly glows to my lips, and take a few sips.

I feel magic course through my body, and feel all of my soreness, and pain leave entirely. I sigh as I set my glass down again.

“Much better.” I say before I remove the top off of my next muffin. I was about to take a bite from my muffin when Tinnuchon bursts into the bakery.

“My Lord, Luna has awakened, and need you immediately!” He shouts with worry in his voice. I stand up from my wheel chair before very calmly saying, “It was nice to eat with you Twilight, but I must bid you farewell.” I then walk over to Tinnuchon before he teleports us both into my mother’s room.

What I see is horrifying. Dark magic was coursing into my Mother, and she was reverting back into Nightmare Moon.

“What, how?” I ask as I stand there in shock for a second before what I see processes fully.

“NO! WE WILL NOT LOOSE YOU A SECOND TIME!” I shout in the royal voice before I start syphoning the dark magic as fast as I could into myself.

“No m-lord, allow me to do this!” Tinnuchon shouts to me.

“NAY ELF FOR WE ARE ONE WITH THE NIGHT’S DARKEST SIDE!” I say in a magically amplified voice as the magic flowing into my mother now flows to me instead. My magic stores were now burning with the power I was obtaining from whatever was influencing Luna. This causes me to scream in pain at the top of my lungs. With the magic amplifying my voice the windows to the room all shattered, and the door to the room cracked.

Once my scream was done I whited out from magic over-storage.

> Chapter VIII
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I wake yet again in a hospital bed. I notice that I am on my stomach rather than my back, and could feel a weight on my shoulders, and something rubbing against my back.

I stay there for a few seconds contemplating whether I should move or not before my mind reminds me about my Mother.

I quickly push myself into a kneeling position before making my way to my feet. Well I got to my feet for a few seconds before the weights on my back cause me to loose balance and fall backwards onto the floor. Pain racks my back, and extra limbs…

I sit up and look over my left shoulder to see that I did in fact have another two limbs. I had a pair of dragon like wings on my back.

I then curse as I run my tongue over my teeth only to cut it on a pair of fangs.

Tinnuchon, come to me. I say through a telepathic link before trying to stand again. I have one hand on the bed as I balance myself again with the weight of my wings. This was what I was doing when Tinnuchon enters.

“You called milord?” he asks me. I nod.

“Yes, could you cast a feather weight spell on these?” I ask as I motion to my wings. He nods before lighting his hands, and I feel the weight almost disappear from my back.

“Thank you my friend. How is my mother doing?” I ask the elf.

“She is awake right now, and is free of any dark forces. Milord, if I may say this without offence, what you did was utterly foolish.” Tinnuchon says as I tear off the hospital gown they made for me, and put on my lower clothing.

I sigh as I pause in what I was doing.

“If you were me, would you have done the same?” I ask him.

“I…*sigh*…yes, I would have.” He says with a solemn nod.

“Then you know why I did it. Now let’s go see my mother. I wish to finally see her after all these years.” I say as I strap my boots on.

“Of course milord.” He says with a bow.

I pull my tunic over my head before I hear the sound of a lunar teleport. I hear a rustle of fabric falling back onto a body.

“Dark Prince, I have a gift from the friend that would like to see you.” Says a voice in the elvish tongue. Tinnuchon and I both look 
to the owner of the voice.

“You again?” I ask in surprise.

“Yes dark Prince” The elf says from under his hood’s dark veil, “me again.”

“Well what is it this time?” I ask as I stand up from my sitting position on the ground.

“A gift from your ancestor of an old friend, one that only that old friend could make.” He says before holding out a wrapped object. I slowly reach for it before Tinnuchon steps between us.

“Milord, who is this?” he asks me, “And why does he speak in old elvish only?”

“Relax Fifrath; this is a Lunar Republic Messenger.” I tell him now remembering the elven messengers that dressed exactly like the man before me. Tinnuchon looks over the man with a scrutinizing eye before slowly stepping back to where he was.

“Young Prince, please take your gift quickly before I am forced to leave.” The messenger says. I hesitate for one whole second before grabbing the wrapped item from the messenger’s hand.

“Have a fare day Young Prince.” The messenger says before teleporting away.

“His accent was off milord, and that was why I was suspicious.” Tinnuchon tells me.

“Of course it was off. Old elvish is different from this day’s elvish.” I tell him before unwrapping my ‘gift’ with a careful hand. I pull 
the cloth away to reveal a verrabrace with a note inside it.

I pull the note out before unfolding it to read it before setting the verrabrace down on the bed.

Dark Prince,

I know that you have awakened, because you are reading this. This is my final creation, and I have a feeling you will need it.

To use this device strap it to your dominant arm during combat, then put the ring onto your second finger before carefully flexing your hand back to extend the tool.

From your engineering friend,
Clockwork Smith

My eyes widen as I reread the note with surprise.

“Clockwork made this?” I ask in wonder before grabbing the new device that the world has never seen before, and putting it on. I slip the ring onto my middle finger before flexing my wrist back.

The device makes a soft click before a nine inch blade extend from the underside of the brace. I look at the blade to see that it is pure elven metal.

“Milord, is that…”

“Yes, the purest of elven metal, and the final creation of the great engineer Clockwork Smith.” I say as I slowly move my hand back into position, and watch as the blade retracts until another soft click locks it in place once more.

“You knew Grandmaster Clockwork?” Tinnuchon asks me.

“We were friends when he was but a child.” I say as I remove the ring and watch as it lifts from my hand with magic before sliding the slot I pulled it from.

“Let’s go see my mother now.” I say before grabbing the note. However, before I could move the note starts to glow in a spell that only I and Clockwork knew. A delayed message spell that I made for just the two of us for fun, but he seems to actually used it for a real purpose this time.

“My friend,” The glow on the letter pulses with Clockworks voice, “if you are hearing this it means you have finally received my last creation. The hidden blade, I had drawings for this in my work room ten years after you were imprisoned in stone. I made this device only once, and left the designs, and blueprints in my workshop that I will be sealing shut, with me in it, with a spell that only you know my young friend.”

It was at this point that a long drawn out coughing can be heard from my friend.

“I am not going to last much longer my friend. After you open my workshop you will hear from a much younger me. This spell has been a godsend Osiris. Find my workshop to learn more, and to please lay me rest in the way we promised each other.” Another long coughing is heard.

“If only I could hear your voice one last time my friend. Farewell Osiris, Prince of Darkness.” The note stops glowing and I have tears streaming from my eyes. I prepare my magic for a preservation spell.

“I will find you my friend, and I promise to give you the piece you deserve for you friendship.” I say as my spell preserves the note in its current state. Not even Discord himself would be able to harm it.

I broke into sobs when my spell finished preserving the only link to my long dead friend. Silver, most likely sensing my distress, bursts into the room before holding me close to her. I throw my arms around her as I sob as though I had just killed my friend.

> Chapter IX
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Shh, it’s okay.” Silver whispers to me as I mourn my old friend. I don’t reply as I continue my sobbing.

“Shh-sh-sh.” Silver says as she gently rubs my back.

It takes me a few minutes to calm down before I pull back and give Silver a kiss.

“Thank you my love.” I tell her before getting to my feet. She grabs my left hand with a soft smile.

“It’s what I was made for.” She tells me before giving me a kiss. I return it for only a few seconds before I pull away and look to Tinnuchon.

“Lead us to my mother please.” I say to him. He bows his head to me before opening the door for me and Silver. We all exit my room before I follow Tinnuchon down the halls of the hospital.

The three of us stop in front of two guards that are guarding my mother's room.

“She’s been waiting for you Prince.” The guard to the right says. I nod in an answer before making my way in, leaving Silver, and Tinnuchon outside of the room.

Mother was sitting up against the head board, reading a book. The door closing causes her to look up to see who entered her room.

When she sees me the book is dropped before tears form in her eyes. I take the step over to my mother’s bed before I embrace her for the first time in a millennium.

“I’m so sorry my dear son. Can't thou ever forgive me?” she asks me. Fresh tears fall from my eyes as I hold her close to me.

“Thou never even had to ask. I always felt thine anger for those that slept away thine nights.” I reply in a soft voice that cracked at the end. It was then that I felt the first tear of my mother’s fall onto my shoulder.

“I m-m-missed thou so mu-u-u-u-uch.” She cries into my shoulder.

“I missed thee just as much dear mother.” I tell her with a miserable tone before we just hold each other for what seemed like eternity. When we pulled away it was all but too soon. Before I could say something Mother pulls me into another hug as her crying comes to a slow halt.

“It’s going to be okay from now on my dear mother, for I will never let thou be alone ever again if that is thine wish.” I softly tell her before pulling away again.

“I was so worried that I wouldst never see thee again Osiris.” She says with pure happiness in her tone.

“Don’t be worried, for I wilt always find a way to be with thee, even after I’m gone.” I tell her with a smile. She smiles to me as well before seeing my new appearance.

“Osiris, what has happened to thee?” She asks me with confusion in her voice.

“While thou were recovering, dark magic tried to return thee to thine nightmare form, but I absorbed it all for thine safety. These,” I say pointing at my wings and fangs, “Are the result of mine actions.”

“Doth thou wish to keep these changes my son?” Luna asks.

“Not the fangs, but I would like to keep the wings if possible.” I say before the door to her room opens and in walks Celestia with worry drawn on her face, followed by Silver, and Tinnuchon. When Celestia sees us both she bursts into a happy smile and tears.

“Luna.” She whispers as she embraces my mother.

“Tia.” Luna says with the same tone.

“My family.” I whisper to myself as I watch my two other family members hug.

“It’s been far too long Luna.” Celestia says as they separate from each other.

“That it has sister… that it has.” My mother replies before looking to Tinnuchon. She tilts her head.

“Si no krii?” She asks in the elven tongue.

“Tinnuchon laas kro vahn.”  He replies with a bow. My mother smiles before looking to me.

“When did my son find thee?” My mother asks Tinnuchon.

“It was when he and the new bearers of elements of harmony were moving to find the elements.” He replies as he stands up again.

“I see. I thank thee elf for thine loyalty.” Luna says as Celestia moves back next to me.

“Milord, I wish to return home to tell my people of the great news.” Tinnuchon tells me. I look to him with a knowing smile.

“Very well my friend. Go spread the word that the Lunar princess has been restored, and returned home, and that I will be visiting soon.” I tell him. He returns my smile before teleporting back to the hidden elven city he came from.

“I guess a party is in order.” I hear Pinkie say as she pops into the room from out of nowhere. I am momentarily dumbfounded at this, as I had been to her bakery earlier this day. I shook my head before smiling at what she had suggested.

“Perhaps, but not now.” Celestia says before mother looks to the pink pony in mild confusion.

“How did thou get in here pink one?” Mother asks.

“That’s a secret.” Pinkie pie answers in a playful matter.

“Laughter, thou should spread the good news to thine friends. I’m sure my mother would like to rest some before her celebration.” I say, trying to get the pink enigma out of the room so I could spend time with my family.

“Oh good idea. When would you like your party Princess?” Pinkie asks my mother.

“I’ll send someone to tell thee when.” I reply, as I see my mother longing for sleep.

“Okay, see you soon Prince.” She says before bouncing into what I could swear was a closet of some kind before she is gone… for now.

“I don’t think I’ll ever understand that mare.” I say as I shake my head before turning back to my Aunt, and Mother.

“Osiris, wear is Silver?” Mom asks me. I blink a couple times before looking right at the girl in question.

“Silver?” Luna asks my friend.

“Mom?” She asks. Silver always considered my mother to be hers as well, and Celestia was her ‘mother’ as she helped in her creation.

“My dear Silver.” Mother says before the two embrace for the first time in one thousand years. Most of which Silver spent hibernating.

“I missed thou so much.” Silver says as they continue to hold each other. I glance at my aunt. She has a happy, but sad smile on her lips.

“We’re together again… aren’t we?” She asks me. My mind returns to the note Clockwork left for me.

“Almost.” I say as I adjust my hidden blade.

“What is wrong my nephew?” Celestia asks me. I sigh as I place the ring to my blade on my finger.

“Clockwork left me a note, along with a gift before he died.” I say as I pull my right sleeve up, and show her the device I was given.

“What is it?” she asks me.

“A hidden blade.” I say before flexing my hand back, causing the blade to extend with the high ring of metal on metal. This gets the attention of the other two, and all three gasp at the pure elven steel that the blade was made of. I carefully retract the blade before taking the ring off, and watch as it floats back into its slot on the verrabrace.

“That was pure elvish steel.” Silver says. I nod before I hold the note I was given out, and activate the dormant spell on it once more.

“My friend,” The glow on the letter pulses with Clockworks voice once more, “if you are hearing this it means you have finally received my last creation. The hidden blade, I had drawings for this in mine work room ten years after thou were imprisoned in stone. I made this device only once, and left the designs, and blueprints, in mine workshop that I will be sealing shut, with me in it, with a spell that only thou know my young friend.” Tears sting my eyes as I listen to my friend’s voice once more. His coughs like a canon firing at my chest.

“I am not going to last much longer my friend. After thou open my workshop thou will hear from a much younger me. This spell has been a godsend Osiris. Find my workshop to learn more, and to please lay me to rest in the way we promised each other.” Another long coughing is heard.

“If only I could hear thy voice one last time my friend. Farewell Osiris, Prince of Darkness.” I have tears streaming down my face once more, as does Luna, and Silver. Celestia seems confused more than anything.

“Who was that?” Celestia asks me.

“That was the greatest engineer of all time, and my closest friend. That was the elven grandmaster of the forge, Clockwork Smith. He created devices, and machines that others only dreamed of. This hidden blade is his last creation.” I say before I pocket the note once more.

“And the spell that is on it?” She asks me.

“It’s one of my own. Tis a delayed message spell that I created when I was five for my friends to use as a means of communication over time. It lets the caster create a voice message that only plays when its recipient gives it a small hint of magic.” I say as I dry my tears.

“My son… he sounded frail, and old.” Luna comments as she slowly stands out of her bed. I am immediately by her side to ensure that she doesn’t fall. She smiles to me as thanks, but stands without help.

“I suspect that these were his last words.” I say as I flex my wings a bit before looking out the window, and into the sky that was slowly turning crimson. I take a deep breath before letting it out a few seconds later.

“It is almost time to set the sun, and raise the moon.” I say with a somber tone as I notice the time of day. Mother looks outside and sighs. I hear this and turn to my mother.

“What is wrong my mother?” I ask her with concern laden in my voice. She shakes her head.

“I won’t do it tonight.” She says as tears pool in her eyes.

“Won’t what?” I ask her as I move to embrace her. She steps away from me.

“I won’t raise the moon… I won’t because of her. Because I’m ashamed of what I had become.” She whispers the last sentence. I growl at her words.

“That is not what your thousands of soldiers screamed as they protected your republic as they rushed into battle. The elves never believed that for a single second you would give up on them, and vice versa. The infant you found in your garden of shadows would never have survived had you not been the mare you were when you adopted him into your life.” I say to her.

“My republic is long dead, and my soldiers-“

“Are waiting for their Princess to return and guide them once more to victory, and honor.” Celestia says with a small smile, knowing what I was trying to do.

“That young man you took under your wing would never have received a lover had the night not been there to seal his love for the person he had in his eyes.” Silver says, with a small knowing smile.

“And my mother, the mare who guided me through the hidden cities to my mentor in magic, would never leave my side, would never feel ashamed of what she was born to do. The mother that kept me company on the nights that I woke from terrors in my mind, and that mare, who would never refuse to raise her pride into the sky for her dear subjects to see, protected me when I discovered my powers that had never been seen before.” I say to her. She had a determined look on her face, but when she saw the setting sun her face fell again.

“But that mare would have never abused her power like she did; never would she have tried to harm her subjects by freezing her kingdom in the moon’s pale glow. She never would have turned to her dark side, and be forced to leave her children, sister, and friends alone for a whole millennia.” Luna says before she lies back down on her bed. I growl at this.

“I will not allow the mare that has raised me this far to forget what she was born to do. You are the Princess of the night, and I am your son. If I raise the moon tonight when you are very much capable of doing so, then I will be ever so let down.” I say to my mother. My anger was starting to show, but I beat it back into submission before looking to my mother.

“Raise the moon to show the ponies that have never seen a true night, what its beauty is truly supposed to be. Show Equestria that the true princess of night has returned by giving them the most beautiful night sky they will see in the years to come. Give them a reason to celebrate your return.” I tell her as I look back out the window to see that the sun has paused over the horizon, waiting to be set.

“All of you are right, and you most of all my child of darkness.” Luna says with a smile before she stands out of her bed once more.

“Osiris, I think it is time that you came with me while I raise the moon, and realign the stars once more.” My mother says as her mane begins to flow like it used to. Her power flowing unimpeded of her emotions. I smile with my family members’ as we win this small battle, before I feel my power surge unexpectedly.

“AAAAHHH!” I shout as my magic flows into my body, causing even more changes to my enchanted form. My forehead feels as if someone had pushed a morning star through it, and my wings burn as my magic forces mutations into my genetics. I feel my fangs retract to a more manageable length. My eyes sting and I watch the shadows in the room retreat back to their sources. I feel my hair start to wave in a breeze that only it was affected by.

I am left panting after my magic calms. I look over my shoulders to see that pure pitch black feathers have grown over my wings silky membrane, and they seemed to absorb light, causing them to look even darker.

“My son, art thou okay?” My mother asks me. I nod as I try to stand. I manage to get to my feet without too much trouble. I extend my hidden blade to look at myself in the reflection to see that my hair had grown to about two feet long, and glitters similar to my mother’s, save for my hair having turned a pure black, with a few streaks of bright silver. I see that my purple eyes now softly glow, but now they are slit, like a snake, or serpent. I run my tongue gently across my teeth to find that they have returned to their normal length, and sharpness. The next thing I see makes me cut my hand on my hidden blade as it retracts.

“How did I gain a horn?!” I shout as I look at the sharp, spiraling bone protruding from my head to end in a point at a decent eight inches long. It was a fading dual color. The base started black, and slowly transition into a shining silver at the end.

“It seems you have absorbed enough alicorn magic, be it dark or light, that it has given you pony-like qualities, and since you absorbed your mother’s dark magic, you have gained traits similar to Nightmare Moon. Your wings and eyes are evidence of that. Your mane now flows, showing that you have an even larger pool of magic to pull from, as the excess made it grow out, and flow.” Celestia says as her horn glows with a spell she casted to see what it was to change in me. Her spell also heals my hand closed. I smile as thanks.

“So, does that mean that I’m now half alicorn?” I ask her with hope in my eyes.

“As it stands to be proven you might very well be.” She says with a small smile, all of us were happy that I had at least a lengthened lifespan.

“Back to the task at hand though.” I say, looking back to my mother.

“Yes, let us go bring relief to our land.” Luna says with a smile. I follow her out the door, and we continue out of the hospital.

“Do you remember the song?” She asks me. I smile, knowing that my mother sang as she brought in the night. She giggles at my smile.

“Good, can you fly?” She asks me. I smirk before stretching my wings, and launching into the air before using the momentum to fly just over a nearby cloud, and landing on it. I then jump, and destroy the cloud, and spread my wings to slow my descent before landing next to my mother.

“So you can, but enough talking. Shall we sing?” she asks me.

“You lead, and I’ll follow.” I answer before summoning my magic, and pulsing it outward in a silencing spell. My spell sweeps across Equestria, causing all sounds, but our voices, to be silenced. Mother looks to me before motioning for me to start our song.
“In my mind, there are dreams so real, nightmares rule my day…” I start as I take to the sky, “I’m a stranger towards others, and they cannot see my pain.” My mother joins me in the sky before her horn begins to glow, causing the sun that is hovering over the western horizon to begin to sink.

“Troubled thoughts on my chest, holding this façade.” She follows my verse, “Cast out to the rejects, we’ll curb the order that casts us out as odd.” She looks to me before we amplify our voices with our magic, causing music to flow from our power.

“We are free when your friends and kin believe in your true self, bearing hope, and health.” We sing together. Ponies in Ponyville are looking up to watch us, and the moon begins to peak over the eastern horizon.

“In the night we breathe, tucked away in dreams, where bodies can’t hold our souls.” I smile before amplifying our voices even more, causing the very air to dance along to our song.

“Sailing through the storm, the stars will lead us home. With this goal, our minds stay whole.” The moon is now halfway over the eastern horizon, and the sun is completely set.

“Patience has me dreading their feelings and thoughts…” Mother begins the next verse. I can see that we have the attention of the entire town below us.

“Yet I must keep seeking, my rightful place is not fixed like stars.” I conclude before we start the final verse together.

“We are free when your friends and kin believe, in your true self bearing hope and health.” I can hear other sounds starting to interfere with our song, so I send another pulse to hush them once more.

“In the night, we breathe tucked away, in dreams where bodies can’t hold our souls.” I see mother realign the stars without a thought.

“Sailing though the storm, the stars will lead us home.” Mother finishes her part.

“With this goal, our minds… stay… whole.” I conclude as we rest our magic, and look to each other with loving smiles. The night releases its sounds as my silencing spell fade with our voices.

“Let us return home for the night.” My mother says, before we turn towards Canterlot, and fly home together for the first time in forever. Celestia, and her guards following, and Silver on a chariot.
> X
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I toss and turn as I try my best to sleep, but my mind is awake, and thinking. I growl before throwing my half of the blanket onto Silver, who I thought was asleep by my side.
“What is wrong?” She asks me before we yawn in unison. I growl as my mane flows into my face for a few seconds. I sigh after it moved back into its previous position.
“I’m not entirely sure my dearest.” I reply before looking out of my window to the moon. The day before had been tiring enough that night court has been canceled for the night, and all of us elected to sleep for now, but my mind was alive with its thoughts of the past, and what I could have done.
“You can’t sleep with the moon out can you?” Silver asks me with a small smile. I close my eyes before looking back to my beautiful mate. Only it seems something is missing in the feelings I get from gazing at her.
“You know me too well.” I say with a chuckle before moving back to our bed. She smiles before I catch her in an embrace. She returns it without hesitation. I loosen my embrace for a few seconds to kiss her, and she moans into me. I sigh as I don’t become as aroused as I normally did when we start to make love.
“Osi?” Silver asks as I pull away, and stand up from the bed.
“My apologies Silver, but I’m not up to par tonight.” I say as I ruffle my feathers. She gives me a small smile in understanding.
“I know, you have eyes for another, but I will not be jealous. I understand if you wish to court another.” She says before I see a tear fall from her eyes.
“I still love you Silver, but I also have feelings for another.” I say before a plume of grey smoke coalesces into a scroll in front of me. I noticed that it used draconic magic to do so.
“A scroll?” Silver asks as I pick it up opening it to read the message within.
(Dear Prince Osiris,
My friend Rainbow Dash would like to speak with you as soon as you are free to come down to Ponyville, or if you would rather her fly up to Canterlot. She seems really troubled about something, but I can’t find any solid reasons in my library that would help her. Please respond as soon as you can,
Your Friend, and Princess Celestia’s faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.) I sigh again before igniting my hands, and conjuring a small desk, and chair before levitating my writing supplies over to me. Much to my annoyance, my horn did so as well.
“Twilight Sparkle has written to me about Loyalty having troubles it seems.” I say as I quickly write a return letter. I roll it up into a scroll before sending it through a cloud of black smoke.
“Are you’re going to go back to Ponyville?” She asks me. I shake my head before walking over to my closet as I dismiss the table and chair back into the world’s raw magic ley lines.
“No, Loyalty will be coming here as I need to be here for our mother.” I answer before a second plume of smoke coalesced in front of me. I grab it, and read it before nodding with a small smile.
“I will be doing some minor errands tonight that need to be done before dawn, so rest Silver. I feel the next night is going to be a long one.” I say as I pull my casual attire out of my closet.
“Of course Osiris.” She replies before pulling the covers back up, and quickly falling asleep. I quickly get dressed in my night colored tunic, and trousers, before looking into the full body mirror to the right of the closet. The new clothes fit perfectly on my altered form, and I sigh as I look at my horn again.
“Cursed horn…” I mutter under my breath. What happens next caused me to jump a little.
‘(Why are you cursing us?)’ I hear in my head. I am shocked at how familiar the voice sounded.
“Night?” I ask in a whisper. The voice giggles in my head.
‘(Very perceptive of you, child of the night. However I have reverted back into my less violent self, Dream Weaver)’ Her voice replies.
“How are you in my mind?” I ask, barely whispering the words aloud.
‘(It was when you absorbed me as I tried to retake Luna’s body.)’ She replies before sighing.
‘(I have changed however. My mind is no longer focused on total domination. I have reverted back into what I once was… your mother’s second personality.)’ Nigh- Dream tells me with a downtrodden tone.
“We have a hard time believing this, but as long as you don’t try anything rash, or in any way malevolent with me or anyone that you can affect, then you can stay hidden, for now.” I tell her with concern in my voice. I feel a relieving feeling flow from my horn, and I sigh aloud because of it.
‘(Thank you Prince Osiris. I feared communicating with you as I thought you hated me, and I will move myself if you do not wish to have a horn.)’ Dream tells me.
“I would very much so appreciate that, but where, or what would you turn into?” I ask the mare of darkness. We both ponder this for a moment.
‘(I can become a piece of jewelry or some manner of accessory for you to wear at all times, as I might not be able to be removed from your person fully.)’ She offers.
“That may just work. Could you turn into a verrabrace?” I ask her. In an answer I feel an odd sensation as I watch my horn shrink back into my head and feel something moving inside my body down to my left arm. I look to my arm in a mix of wonder, and curiosity as obsidian black liquid oozes out of my arm before solidifying into a verrabrace that had a single cyan jewel at its center.
‘(This is the best I can do for now Prince, as I am now exhausted from moving so much.)’ Dream tells me. I smile down at my new passenger.
“Then rest Dream, you don’t need to speak with me if you are still weak.” I say as I gently caress her physical form. She sighs at my touch.
‘(Then until I wake from my rest Prince of Darkness.)’ She replies before my mind falls silent of her voice. I then see the verrabrace that she turned herself into, melt into my skin to look as if she were a tattoo. I smirk at this before walking over to the mannequin that held my royal regalia. The regalia was a simple smattering of accessories made out of the crystal named jet, making it black. I had a simple silver circlet similar to a tiara, just a band of silver; Crystal plated dress shoes, a couple full finger rings of brushed steel, and finally my royal crest necklace.
I put the boots on first before grabbing the circlet, and placing it atop my head resting just at my hairline. After that was situated, I take the necklace off of the mannequin, and let it fall over my head to rest on my armor medallion. I sigh as my royal crest is just over where my heart is, atop my armor medallion. I decided when I was eight that my crest would be both my mother’s, and my aunt’s cutie marks on top of each other, symbolizing an eclipse.
I look to the hidden blade device Clockwork had made for me before putting it on my right hand again. A tear falls from my left eye as I strap it to my fore arm.
Now finished with my attire I walk quietly over to the door to my chambers and exit silently.
“Prince.” The two guards stationed at my doors say with a bow to me.
“Rise, and one of you please take me to the Guard Claymore.” I say to the two solar guards.
“You, please stay here, and guard my chambers as Lady Silver is still resting.” I tell the guard on my left. He nods before replying with, “Of course, prince.” I then wave for the other to escort me.
The guard starts walking, and I followed at his side.
We passed a few ponies as we walked through the corridors of the castle. I nodded to the ones that bowed as we passed by.
The guard escorting me finally stops at one of the staff rooms before coming to attention and saluting me. I chuckle at this, as his salute was wrong.
“Your salute is for that of the solar ponies, when addressing a lunar person you do not bring your hoof to your head, you place it over your heart.” I tell him before demonstrating a perfect lunar salute.
“My apologies Prince.” He says before dropping his solar salute, and placing his right hoof over his heart. I smile at the tradition.
“You are dismissed.” I say happily before returning the lunar salute. I drop mine, and he does the same before walking back to his post by my door. I return my focus to the door in front of me. I bring up my fist, and gently knock a few times, as mother had shown me to do.
A couple moments later the door opens to a tired looking grey earth pony. Claymore sees who is at his door before giving me a proper lunar salute. I smile wide at his show of loyalty to his lunar rulers.
“Good evening Prince.” He says before a yawn takes him by surprise. I chuckle before he waves me inside of his home away from home. I quickly move inside before taking in my new surroundings. It wasn’t a very big room, first of all. Maybe at the most four meters in, and two meters wide.
“So what may I do for you…*yawn*… prince?” Claymore asks me. I am shocked at the state of his room, not because of the size, but because of what was in it. There were many books opened, and closed about his room, and from what I could see, they were all about lunar traditions, and mannerisms.
“Guard Claymore, what was your rank in the solar division?” I ask him. He looks to me before shrugging off the question.
“Lieutenant First Class.” He tells me with indifference. I am shocked at his low officer rank, and look around at all of the books again. Some of them were fictional, but all had the same base theme of the night.
“How many of these have you read?” I ask him before picking up one of the books nearby. ‘Ancient Traditions of the Lunar Republic Guard’ was the title of the book I grabbed.
“All of them at least once, and a few of them twice. I like to know what I get myself into before doing anything of importance.” He tells me as he puts a coffee pot onto a small burner. I am shocked even more by this unexpected, but completely amazing turn of events.
“I see… are there any questions that you have from what you have read?” I ask him as I set the old text down where it was.
“Just a few.” He says as he takes out a small notebook. He opens it before flipping a few pages.
“Ah, here we are, how many guards did Princess Luna have before she was banished?” He asks me. I blink a few times before diving into my memory to find the answer. It was so long ago.
“I think around four to five thousand.” I answer. He nods before he uses his lips to write something in his notebook.
“Okay, how efficient was the guard before?” He asks as he turns to another page. I smirk.
“I’ll keep it simple. Anything ten solar guards could do, one lunar guard could do without breaking a sweat.” I say as I figure out what he was doing. Before he could answer the coffee pot makes a dinging sound, and the burner turns off.
“Would you care for a cup of coffee Prince?” He asks me.
“No thank you, I prefer tea over coffee.” I tell him. He shrugs before pouring himself a cup. He added nothing to his brewed beverage. I shudder as he takes a sip of the bitter liquid.
“Shall we get back to your questions?” I ask as a hint to return to the task he started. He nods before flipping the pages of his note book a few more times.
“Right, does the lunar guard require the gelding, or spaying of its recruits?” He asks me. I am shocked at this question before I tilt my head to look at his rear, only to find that he doesn’t have a pair of testicles. In their place was a scar from when they were removed. I blink-blinked before looking to him.
“No, in fact why in the underworld would that even be a tradition?!” I ask with slight shock in my voice.
“In the solar guard it is so that there can’t be any, AHEM, explicit actions between the guards, and the Princess, also so that the hormones can’t distract the guards from their duties.” He says with a slight tint of pink on his cheeks from my looking at his rear.
“That is the most unnecessary, and horrifying thing that I have heard. I’m not even going to think about how tyrannical that is. I will right this at once.” I say as I ready my magic for a regenerative spell.
“Prince.” Claymore says to me. I look to him to see him shake his head. I rest my magic.
“What?” I ask before seeing his answer in his eyes.
“It is an option for the recruits to take so that they are able to be on Celestia’s personal guard one day. I took that option because that was what I wanted to do. I wanted to guard the Princess with my entire being, but was never chosen to do so, that is why I asked.” He says as his voice shakes in slight anger.
“Do you want them back?” I ask him. He looks to me with confusion.
“I thought it was a permanent surgery, irreversible.” He says with his eyes wide.
“It is… for solar magic.” I say with a smug grin. He blinks a few times before looking to me, and falling into a deep bow.
“I would be eternally thankful milord.” He says with his head almost to the floor. My grin turned into a happy smile.
“Then come with me so I can make you into the first lunar guard in over one thousand years.” I say as I exit his room. He didn’t hesitate before he was right next to me.
“Of course milord.” He says as I guide him to the Lunar Wing of the castle. I enter the arcane chamber to make this the first official use of this room.
“Stand at the center while I gather the spell casters I am going to need.” I tell the guard. He cautiously steps into the center of the large casting circle. I nod before turning to the teleportation platforms that were in this chamber.
“Coget Nocturna.” I say in the ancient tongue, activating a summons to any mage that will help with the spell that I was about to use.
The first to appear was Tinnuchon. He sees me, and gives an elven bow. I return it, and he moves to one of the casting spots.
The second to appear was my mother, and shortly after three necromancer ponies.
“My son, are you the one who summons?” Mother asks me. I nod to her before she smiles and moves to the next casting spot. The three necromancers approach me.
“We have waited for both of your returns to the world of the living Prince of Darkness.” The center necromancer says to me. I smile and bow my head.
“We both welcome any that wish to return home.” I say to them. All three gave a deeper bow before moving to the next spots on the circle.
Before I stopped the summons spell, one more teleported in, and by the moon did the one to come through the teleport surprise me.
“We meet again Dark Prince.” The republic messenger says in the ancient elven tongue. I give him a small smile before a slow nod. He rose before standing on the second to last casting spot.
I end the summons and join the small group on the last casting spot.
“I would first like to show my gratitude to all of you for coming to assist me with this spell. So I thank all of you with this one gift that I can give… our first Captain of the Royal Lunar Guard.” I say with a motion to Claymore, who was looking over the two humanoid beings with curiosity before I said his new title. It was then that he stood completely straight in surprise. My mother looks the guard over before smirking to me, and I chuckle before lightning my hands in dark purple, causing the runes that were carved all over the room to flair to life.
“Let us begin.” I say in an amplified voice. The others that were casting with me nodded before, and lightning up their magic, causing the runes covering the room to glow even brighter, and I slowly begin to form the shape that our Captain would have in my mind.
“Claymore,” I say in a multilayered voice, and he looks over to me, “you must not move when the pain begins. If you do, I cannot guarantee your survival.” I finish. He looks frightened for all but two seconds before saluting me with his head bowed. I nod to signal the others to begin lending me their magic, and I looked to Claymore before saying, “I’m sorry.”
He had two seconds to look confused before I launched the power of the raw lunar magic I had in my command.
His natural solar magic started to fall from his body in bright flashes of golden liquid that dispersed back into the world. I knew this hurt, almost as much as getting hit with a magic missile.
I noticed that Claymore kept his ground, and stance that he had never changed. He still had his right hoof over his heart, and his head bowed. I then sighed as I started the spell that would rid him of any physical impurities that he had, “Stellarum exaudi preces et emissarius mederi errores alicuius eo usque acceperit.”
I watch as the magic I was sending over to the once solar stallion now arcs around, and absorbs into his body, and starts to reform his body back into its original form. Scars healed, and muscles bulged to their natural maximum size. I then add then next burst of magic into the spell, this one burst arcs straight to his groin, and infuses his genes with temporary regenerative abilities.
I watch as Claymore growls in pure pain before the magic starts to regrow his testicles in rapid regeneration. I watch as three staples fall to the ground, and cringe as blood spills down between his rear legs.
I growl as I see Dream Weaver wake up on my left arm before she releases my dark form. My power triples as the cyan jewel on Dream ignites in her magic, multiplying my power tenfold.
I feel my armor medallion fuse with my royal crest before activating, and sliding my armor over my body, but it felt different. My armor now also slid up my wings, and completely covered my head. I was left in darkness for less than half a second before the inside of my helmet lit up in a magic lit display of what I would have been seeing had 	I not been wearing it.
I return my sight to Claymore, as the restoration spell completes his body before the flow of magic starts to darken his coat.
“Haec est purus sed modo vacuum. Commodo repleo essentia illud de nocte.” I say in the olden tongue to continue the spell into the next phase.
The magic turns into two colors; midnight blue, and pure white. The two colors of the moon before the flow of magic screams directly into the body at the center of the arcane circle.
“Da ei virtutem. Da ei dixeritis. Reddite oculos tenebris. Da ei ius stellarum et lunae.” I say as the magic imbues him with these qualities. Even more strength, speed, improved sight in the dark, and some abilities that only show themselves under the moon, and stars.
“Claymore, repeat after me.” I say to the now dark stallion. I get a grunt in return.
“I state your full name…” I start.
“I Claymore Night Strike…” He echoes.
“Do solemnly swear…” I continue.
“Do solemnly swear…”
“By my soul, will, and life…”
“By my soul, will, and life…”
“To protect, and serve Equestria, and her citizens…”
“To protect, and serve Equestria, and her citizens…”
“While the moon and stars shine on them…”
“While the moon and stars shine on them…”
“I will watch for any threat, and stop it before it acts…”
“I will watch for any threat, and stop it before it acts…”
“And all those that oppose the Equestrian Crowns, or those who wear them…”
“And all those that oppose the Equestrian Crowns, or those who wear them…”
“Shall know the might and power of the Royal Lunar Guard…”
“Shall know the might and power of the Royal Lunar Guard…”
“With I, state your full name, as its Captain.”
“With I, Claymore Night Strike, as its Captain.” He finishes without moving as the magic finishes his augmentations and dies away.
[Princeps esto in tenebris.] A bodiless, genderless voice whispers as I return the leftover magic to the other casters. I look around for the owner of the voice before calming myself as I remember who it belonged to. The night herself. A literal god/goddess that guided in near silence.
The runes in the chamber slowly dim to darkness, and I move off of the casting spot to check on Captain Claymore’s health.
“You can move now Captain.” I say before seeing something wrong. His eyes were glossed over, and were darting all over the place. I then see a blue mist pluming from his open mouth. His entire body is shivering as magic settles back into his being.
“Fifrath, come here for a moment.” I say to the elven man.
“Yes milord?” He asks before I motion to Claymore. Tinnuchon immediately pushes me away from them before he lights his hands in what seems to be panic.
“Oss varrin op kraaz.” He says before pushing magic into Claymore’s head, causing the stallion to slump to the floor before standing up while rubbing his head with a hoof.
“Fifrath?” I ask the elf.
“A thousand apologies milord, but the Captain was still finishing his vows on his own, causing an unbalanced buildup of lunar and solar magic.” He reports before the magic that he put into Claymore returns to Tinnuchon’s outstretched arm as an orb of dense solar magic.
“Let me see that.” I say as I hold up my right hand. He tosses the ball of light at me, and I catch it before Dream’s cyan jewel flashes. This causes the ball of solar magic to turn straight into lunar power.
‘(When the restoration spell finished its work, his inner magic came back. Replace it now to complete the transformation.)’ Nightmare tells me. I nod slowly a couple times as I look over the orb of raw power before returning to Claymore’s side.
“This might hurt a little.” I say to him before pushing the orb back into his head. This causes him to growl before blood falls from his mouth, and eyes as his transformation finishes in whole.
“I am fine milord.” Claymore says in a deeper voice that now belonged to him.
“Yes, and now you need to rest. You will be at the throne room after you have gotten twenty five hours of rest. You will report to me when you do so.” I tell him.
“Yes milord.” He says before saluting me, and exiting the room.
“Prince Osiris?” I hear one of the necromancers ask. I turn to see all three of them.
“Yes my dark ponies?” I ask. They smiled at that.
“We wish to offer our services to you and you alone.” The eldest one says.
“I see…” I say before looking between the three of them.
“Fifrath, what do you think?” I ask the elven man at my side.
“Only that they are all sincere with their offer.” He tells me. I smile before waving for the three necromancer ponies to follow me.
“Have a good rest mother.” I call over my shoulder.
“You as well my child.” She says as well before I exit the arcane chamber with the three mages right behind me.
That was how we were before a cloaked pony ran straight past me, and I felt a sharp pain in my side. I look down to see a pure crystal dagger, with orange trim, stuck into the space between my armor’s plating.
“Great, just what I needed.” I say before tearing the dagger out of my side, almost crushing the hilt in my hand, knowing its owner.
“Prince… you’re bleeding.” The youngest of the necromancers says.
“I know,” I growl before my dark magic seals the wound shut, “And we have a very special person to find.” I say as my magic turns the blade that was in my hand pure black.
“And who may this be?” The prime aged one asks me. I sigh before releasing my magic inhibiters, causing my armor to revert to its medallion form. My ethereal hair turns into a flame like mass of pure black with a single line of silver that bisected my flaming locks perfectly. I feel my eyes sting a bit as they glow with my magic.
“My sister… Sunset Shimmer.” I say as my magic flairs in anger.

> XI
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Sunset Shimmer?” Asks the eldest of the three, “She was reported missing over seven hundred years ago. Surely she is dead now Dark Prince.” I growl as my anger surges forth.
“THIS BLADE TELLS US OTHERWISE!!!” We say with our magically amplified voice.
“A blade that could have been recreated as a copy milord.” The prime aged says.
“WE KNOW EVERY SINGLE CURVE, SCRATCH, AND SPARKLE THAT THIS BLADE HAS!!!” We refute with slightly narrowed eyes.
“And the three of us are saying that your sister is either dead or gone from Equis as our magic can’t find her.” The youngest reasons with us, causing us to pause.
“What doest thou mean thou can’t find her with magic?” We ask him as our anger begins to falter with their reason.
“When your sister went missing, the remaining necromancers tried to find her in any way possible. Nothing we did, none of the spells any of us knew, learned, or created would tell her location no matter how vague or precise we were. None of us could find one hair from her coat, or even one drop of her life fluids. It was as if she disappeared from the world all together.” The eldest tells me with calm wisdom in his serpentine eyes, causing me to think on this before calming down.
Hearing their words, my magic inhibiters activate, and my mane returns to its calm flowing black and silver locks. My eyes stop stinging, and my muscles relax as my emotions return to normal.
‘(There is something wrong with the dagger Osiris.)’ Dream whispers in my head. I look down to the dagger to see that it was indeed not my sister’s knife, but a fake. The crystal was glamored with a spell, and the grain in the hilt is off, it was also slightly heavy.
“Something is wrong.” I echo as my eyes scrutinize the fifteen centimeter long blade. The blade itself had turned black like it should have, but it was off. It wasn’t quite a pure pitch black.
“Find me a solar pony young one. Make sure they are a unicorn.” I say before waving one of the few nightshift maids over to me.
“How may I be of service Prince?” The maid asks me with a deep head bow, and small smile.
“Find three open lunar rooms for these three to stay in until further notice. They are guests of mine.” I tell the earth pony mare. She bows one more.
“As you say Prince.” She says before waving the other two necromancer ponies to follow her.
“Rest for a few hours my ponies, I’ll call for you when I confirm my thoughts, and move to deal with this issue.” I tell the two adult necromancers.
“Until then Dark Child.” They say in unison before bowing low, and following the young mare.
“Here is the unicorn you wanted milord.” The younger necromancer says as he returns with a solar unicorn guard in his wake.
“Ah thank you dark one. I trust you know where your elders are?” I ask him. He nods, and I dismiss him with a smile. He returns my smile before bowing, and leaving.
“You needed something Prince?” The guard asks before swallowing a yawn.
“I just need you to levitate this blade for a few seconds.” I say as I hold up the blade for him to see. The guard blinks before his horn lights in a grey aura before the dagger lifts from my hand.
I look over the blade as it slowly turns to silver before the illusion spell fails, and it returns to a natural steel grey for most metal weapons. The glamor on the dagger failed as well, showing that it was just enchanted to look like my sister’s dagger. I give a short laugh before grabbing the knife out of the air.  
“Thank you, fair guard. You are dismissed for the night, and don’t worry about finding a replacement. I will be watching over the palace tonight.” I tell the tired unicorn. He smiles before saluting me as all solar ponies do, and my smile falters slightly.
“Correct your salute.” I tell him. He looks confused for a couple seconds before he snaps back to attention. He then puts his right hoof over his heart, and bows his head.
“My apologies Prince.” He tells me. I nod with a small smile.
“Accepted, and forgiven. Now move along.” I say before walking away. I tighten my grip on the handle before shouting, and stabbing it into the solid stone wall to my right. The nearby ponies cringed at the terrible shriek the dagger made.
“Whoever dared to send me this knife is going to die.” I growl quietly.
‘(Calm yourself Osiris. You are gathering attention.)’ Dream tells me. I take notice of the frightened guards on the other side of the hall, guarding the doors to the arcane library.
I growl before using some magic to tear the dagger from the stone with another horrible shriek from the poorly made weapon. I then turn to calm my subjects.
“Worry not ponies, my anger is for something of unimportance.” I say before stalking off. My destination was the gardens. I heard the guards whisper to each other before I rounded a corner.
My pace ever so slowly accelerated as my anger returns, and soon I find myself blazing my way through the corridors. I burst out into the courtyard, and out past the statues near the labyrinth.
I skid to a stop at a balcony that overlooked the valley with Ponyville in its center, looking like a splatter of twinkling lights in a vast pool of darkness. It calmed me as my mind searched the vast expanse for answers.
I sigh as the cool summer air flows over me. The rustle of the labyrinth’s hedges sooth me as well, and I just stood there listening to the sounds of the night. I could hear one of the fountains faintly in the background, and the crickets were chirping. I close my eyes to listen even more intently.
“Are you okay my son?” I jump and see that my mother had landed next to me.
“No…someone gave me a message after the necromancers and I left the arcane chamber, only for me to find that it was a fake, an almost perfect one, but a fake none the less.” I say as I let the dagger in my hand fall to the ground. It made a small clatter that hushed the nearby crickets for a few seconds.
“A dagger as a message?” Mother says as she picks up the poorly made weapon up with her magic. Her magic gently tingling, adding a new sound to the music around us.
“It was how Sunset Shimmer said she wanted to see me when we were both nine.” I answer before she floats the dagger back to me. I slip it into my belt carefully.
“Tis a dagger, how is it a fake?” She asks me. I sigh as dredge up old memories.
“Mine sister’s dagger would change appearance depending on whether a solar or lunar mage held it. It would shine and shimmer pristine white when Sunset held it, and seemed to consume light as a pitch black whenever I did. This is how we knew it was authentic.” I say as my memory plays in my mind, causing me to smile lightly
“Son, thou said thine sister, how is that so?” Mother asks me. I chuckle a few times.
“Sunset Shimmer wasn’t any child of yours my dear mother, nor was she related to me in any way. It was just how close we were. She was like a sister to me, and I, a brother to her.” I answer. Luna nods a few times before draping one of her wings around my back.
“We have heard from Silver about thy feelings about her. Is there somepony that has thine eye?” Mother asks me. I sigh and hang my head.
“I do not know, but I suspect it is one of the element bearers.” I say before wrapping my right arm around her shoulders. We stayed this way for a small time, watching the stars twinkle, and the shadows dance. The music of the night played gently in our ears as we looked at the still beauty of the moonlit country below.
“Let us go inside, we can talk more, my child, where it is warm.” My mother says, before she starts to walk back to the castle. I stay for a few seconds longer, staring out into the dark cool night, before following her inside. I shudder as the heat from the palace washes over me.
I follow my mother to her chambers without much difficulty. I notice that she glances at Dream, who is on my forearm at the moment.
“When did thou obtain this new accessory?” She asks me.
“I received it from the messenger before we augmented Captain Claymore.” I tell her, lying without much worry. She seems to accept it before her magic grabs my arm, and attempts to take off Dream Weaver.
‘(Prince, I must hide!)’ Dream shouts in my head.
‘(Inside my head, then just rest there until mother is done looking at you.)’ I say to the mare of dreams.
“Why does it not come off Osiris?” Mother asks me as she looks over the verrabrace with interest.
“It does, I just need to do it with my hands.” I tell her, stalling for the entity inside of me. Luna rotates my wrist to look at the underside, and the cyan jewel melts into my arm before I feel a small chill travel through my body, and into my head.
“Show us then.” Mother says as she releases her hold on my arm.
‘(Push the recess I left on the brace where the jewel was.)’ Dream says in my mind as a whisper. I blink before doing as she said. I push the recess on the brace, and it gives a light whirl of moving parts before it expands outward from my wrist. I slide it off of my wrist, and hold it in my right hand.
“Ah, okay, now tell me where the gemstone went.” Luna has her eyes narrowed at me in suspicion.
‘(Put me back on your wrist.)’ Dream says before I feel her move down to my wrist, hiding behind my flesh from my mother.
“It acts like a key.” I say as I slide the brace back onto my arm. I watch as it slowly tightens until it just barely squeezes my skin, and after a few seconds Dream, as the cyan gem, slides back up into her place.
As soon as the verrabrace clicks with Dream back in her spot, without worry of being caught, I nod at the mechanical whirl my passenger gives off.
“See?” I ask mother with a blank expression as though Weaver were an actual piece of my armor.
“Tis the work of an elven smith I see.” She replies with her eyes returning to normal.
“Yes, the messenger gave this to me before I turned Captain Claymore into a vampony; I believe I have told you this already.” I say as we both sit on her long wrap-around couch; placed in front of her fireplace. She nods a couple times.
“So that was what the other elf was, I knew his clothing was familiar, but I was not sure.” Luna says as she removes her regalia hoof-shoes before lighting her horn, causing the fire crystals to ignite in the fireplace.
I smile with a sigh as we rest together, similar to what we did a thousand years ago. We stay this way, watching the purple and blue flames dance up into the enchanted chimney.
“I missed doing this.” I say as I relax a bit more. Luna sighs with a smile on her lips.
“So did I.” Mother says from her laying position. Before either of us could relax even further, there is a knock on the doors.
“I’ll get it.” I say as I stand back up grimacing at the bad timing of whoever was on the other side of the large black doors.
“Yes?” I ask as I open the right door. There was a highly ranked solar guard on the other side.
“Prince,” the guard says with a short bow, “There is somepony in the throne room that requests to see you.” The guard tells me.
“What race are they?” I ask him.
“She said she was a dryad.” He replies to me. My eyes widen in shock.
“Art thou absolutely sure?” I ask him. He nods to me before I bolt out of my mother’s chambers, and swiftly make my way to the throne room.
‘(Osiris, why are you so worked up over a dryad?)’ Dream asks me as I dash through the corridors of the palace.
‘(If what is in the throne room is an actual dryad, there is a very high possibility that she knows where she is.)’ I reply as I skid to a halt in front of the throne room doors.
‘(And if they are not?)’ She asks me. I shake my head to lose those words. I take a deep breathe, and open the door to the throne room.
“My apologies if you have been waiting long.” I say to the slender elven shaped being that was waiting for me in front of the throne. The clothing the nymph wore seemed to be made from spider silk, and seemed to flow similarly to an alicorn’s mane.
“So what the elves have said is true.” The tree nymph says before bowing her head to me, “My name is Egress.” She then places her right hand over her heart, and giving a small curtsey.
“Before we get any further along in this meeting, I must know if you are what you claim to be..” I say, giving a respectful nod to her.
How may I show evidence of my species?” She asks me. I think for a few seconds before remembering that Dryads will avoid physical contact unless approached with complete submissive actions.
“Please, take my hand.” I tell her as I hold my dominant hand open to her. I see her eyes twinge with a dryad’s natural defenses. This gives me some assurance that she is what she claims to be.
“I won’t harm you.” I say gently, taking a kneeling position, similar to when elven propose to one another. Her eyes widen at the traditional stance I took, showing complete surrender of my aggressive nature.
She ever so slowly reached her hand forward. It took a whole minute for her hand to ever so gently land on mine. I bow my head as thanks to her, and she whimpers almost silently. When I raise my head, I see that she is smiling gently at me with a slight fear in her eyes, which is natural to all dryads.
“You have shown me all the evidence I need to know that you are a true Sylvian.” I tell her as she removes her hand from mine with grace that only dryads have.
“I can understand your need to be sure.” She tells me with a smile, “But onto the actual reason why I am here.” She reaches up to one of the flowers in her hair, and pulls a closed flower bud from her emerald locks. I tilt my head slightly, knowing what the flower bud was, but confused on why I was receiving one.
“Who is this from?” I ask her. I watch as her smile slowly fades.
“A friend that heard you had awoken from your long slumber.” She says before she blows on the flower bud causing it to float to me.
I catch it in my right hand, and watch it open with nymph magic. The flower begins to glow with the delayed message that it contained.
“Osiris,” My old dryad friend sounded as young as ever, “I hope that you truthfully are awake once more, as we need your help. The dryads are starting to die off rapidly, and we need you to find out why. I have suspicion about the mother tree, and would like for you to check on it for me, as I am needed here to keep the few of us alive. Please be swift my friend.”
“But…” My eyes widened as the flower closes back up, and I look to Egress to see her worried eyes being covered by her happy mask. I notice that her skin seams slightly aged, a very negative site to behold of a wood nymph.
“You may want to cover your ears.” I warn her as my concern takes over my mind. She puts her hands over her long pointed ears before I took in a deep breathe.
“COGET NOCTURNAS!!!” I shout as loud as possible in the royal Canterlot voice. It was all but one second before my mother, Tinnuchon, Silver, and the three necromancers teleported into the throne room with a mixture of emotions. After a couple more seconds, Celestia and a few old wizened unicorns teleport in with bright snapping flashes.
Before I could say anything the throne room doors burst open, and ten solar guards, followed by Captain Claymore, rush into the room to see what was wrong.
“Osiris, what in the depths of Tartarus are you doing using the voice at this hour?” Celestia asks me.
“The dryads are in trouble, and are dying at an alarming rate. I need to find the tree of harmony NOW!” I say raising my voice as I said it.
My mother, Tinnuchon, and Silver all had wide eyes at what I said, and Celestia looked confused.
“What does the tree of harmony have to do with the dryads dying?” She asks me. I look to Egress with pleading, concerned eyes, and she sighs.
“The mother tree, or tree of harmony, is what my people were originally born from, and as the tree’s health withers, or flourishes, our people do as well, only on a larger scale.” She tells the others.
“But the last time we saw the tree was when we acquired the elements from it to defeat Discord.” Luna says in speculation.
“You violated the sacred tree?!” Egress shouts at my mother. Her anger only rivaled by my own when I have the largest thirsts for the blood of those who fought me.
“Egress, calm down, it was either they use the elements on Discord, or let him reign over Equis in eternal chaos.” I say to the slender nymph. Said nymph turns her gaze to me.
“It is forbidden for anyone to remove the seeds from the mother tree!” She counters.
“Unless it’s our only option for survival!” I finish in a shout. She shut her mouth at that, as she knew I was correct, and there was nothing she could say, else she go against the laws of magic that bound all dryads to the tree.
“Milord, we need to find the tree soon, or the dryads will perish from this world.” Tinnuchon tells me quickly. I look to him before looking back at Celestia. She was tired beyond what any of us feel at this moment.
“I need to know where it is.” I tell her in a flat tone, feigning anger.
“The tree is-*yawn*…in a cavern beneath the ancient castle. You will need Twilight and the others to heal the tree of harmony if it is dying; otherwise there is nothing any of us can do.” She says before yawning slightly into her hoof. I sigh in frustration before gathering my magic, and stretching it out towards Ponyville in search of the element bearers.
The first one I found is Rainbow Dash, as she was on her way here at a rather impressive speed. I then sense Twilight Sparkle in her treebrary, and the others were found rather quickly after that.
I growl as I draw even more power from myself, and then silently teleport the elements here into the throne room, causing Rainbow to fly straight into the walls, and the others to be set down in their sleeping positions. My mind calms slightly at the sight of my new friends.
“Ow.” I hear Rainbow groan out as she slides down the wall in pain. Before much else could be done all of the ponies wake up as I force neutral magic through their bodies.
“Mmmm, wha?” Twilight asks as she slowly stands up from her curled position on the chilling stone floor of the throne room.
“Wake up Twilight, I need all of your help.” I tell the tired unicorn as she stretches.
“Okay Osiris…” Twilight’s eyes slam open as she registers who told her to wake up. She looks around the room in slight shock before her eyes settled on mine for a few seconds.
“We need your help.” I say to the now very awake purple unicorn. The other elements look to me in shock, or anger.
“Beg yer’ pardon Prince, but, could it have waited until daylight?!” Applejack asks me with slight anger. I narrow my eyes in anger.
“Innocents are dying as we all waste our time talking.” I counter with venom, “Now listen, I need the elements of harmony to save those in danger, but since you six are the ones connected to them you will all be coming with me.” I say as I teleport the mannequin that is holding my armor to me.
“Alright, but where are we going?” Rainbow asks as she joins the group. I glance at my aunt.
“To the ancient castle.” Celestia says for me, “A relic that is older than me and my sister combined is causing these deaths. You all must accompany Osiris, and those he takes with him to see if you can repair it.” I nod in approval as I start to dress in my armor.
“Fifrath, you may go back to your home if you wish. You three will be coming with.” I say, the last sentence directed at the three necromancers.
“But of course milord.” The four I spoke to reply. I nod as Tinnuchon teleports back home, and the three necromancers step forward, and un-light their horns, assisting me with my armor.
“Guards!” I shout to get their attention, “return to your posts.” The solar guards bow before leaving the throne room.
“Prince, we must hurry.” Egress says as I finish equipping my armor. I look to her, to see her health has degraded even further. I nod firmly, before I begin gathering my magic.
“Then let us leave. Those that are going with, gather around me.” I say to the remaining ponies. Egress was already at my side in her withering state, and the necromancers were the first to come forward.
Rainbow Dash floated on her draconic wings over above the necromancers, and the rest of the elements hesitantly gathered near me.
“We will return within this night’s hours.” I say as I gather large amounts of arcane energy before surrounding my group with it, and teleporting back into the forest that has overtaken my original home.

> XII
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When my spell finished transporting all eleven of us, I hit the crest on my armor, making it fold back into the medallion around my neck.
“Come, we must be swift.” I say before hearing one of the ponies lose their dinner from the distance we traveled near instantaneously.
“Give us a few seconds… please.” Twilight says as she rubs Fluttershy’s back, trying to sooth her upset stomach.
“Twilight, I need you to summon the elements as soon as possible.” I say as I take a few deep breathes of my own to try and calm myself.
“Alright… here they… are.” She says before six loud pops, and flashes come from her horn, and surrounding area, as she teleports the elements of harmony to her.
Before she could do anything I levitate them to me, and place them on my person.
“Head home Twilight Sparkle.” I tell her as the elements flash onto my person. I hear Dream chuckle in the back of my head.
“What?! No, we won’t let you take the elements without taking us!” She shouts at me. I growl before looking to the three necromancers.
Before anyone could say anything else the elements make a shrieking sound, before pulsing with pure harmonic magic. My lunar magic was fine with this, but Dream’s was more aligned with chaos as dreams are rarely harmonic, and she was screaming in pain.
I screamed along with her, as she is a part of me now.
“GET THEM OFF ME!” I scream as I tear at the harmonic relics. Egress was the first to act, pulling the artifacts off of me without hesitation.
Once the last element was taken off I make a very heavy pulse with my magic to rid myself of the harmonic power that lingered.
“Never-*gasp*- let me… put those on… ever again.” I say breathing deeply as Dream Weaver, and I, recuperate from the torturous experience.
“Why did the elements hurt you?” Egress asks me with a silky, elderly voice before Twilight levitates the elements back to her, and her friends.
“The dark magic that I siphoned from my mother still resides inside me, and has become a part of me.” I say quietly. Her eyes widen before I lean against a nearby tree.
“Then, does that mean that… she is still alive?” She asks in a whisper, as to keep this from the others.
“Dream is still alive yes, but she is inside my head now, and she will be this way until I think of something better.” I say with my eyes narrowed before pushing off of the tree, and standing up right.
“We need to get going, I don’t care who goes, but let’s go.” I say before starting the long hike back to my now ancient home.
The necromancers stayed near me as I stepped over the shrubbery, and pushed through the vines that are in my path.
Egress was holding a quiet conversation with Kindness while Loyalty glides overhead looking for danger. Twilight and the rest of her friends followed me about three meters behind, have a fierce whispering conversation with each other.
I glanced into the forest every few minutes to spot any of the ruins that marked the ancient capitol city. I could see foundations, and sometimes a few withered buildings through the dense overgrowth.
“I should never have been turned to stone. I could have kept my home from falling into ruins like it is now.” I mutter quietly as we all exit into the clearing where my mother’s forgotten castle rests.
“Prince, I may be able to help the nymph live longer.” The elder necromancer tells me as I search for the way down the cliff that separated the forest from the castle grounds.
“Speak, as she doesn’t have long.” I tell him before spotting the stairs that led down into the ravine.
“I might be able to convert her into a Lunar Dryad if we don’t make it to the tree in time.” He tells me. I look over to the now elderly dryad before looking back to the elderly pony.
“You shall do that only as a last resort.” I tell him before looking over to the group that followed into this mess, “Let’s keep moving.” I called to them all before starting my way down the stairs that were carved from the Cliffside itself.
The ponies and nymph followed me down into the ravine before we all entered a cave. Right as we entered the natural sanctuary, Egress collapses. I run over to her, and pick her up.
“We are out of time, so we run, as it may be the only way to get to the tree soon enough!” I say slightly panicked before taking off with Egress now starting to age rapidly in my arms. The others caught up to me, and we started to run even harder.
After running for at least two hundred meters we came upon a dying crystalline tree.
“Dark unicorns, watch over her.” I tell my necromancers before gently laying Egress up against the smooth walls of the cave.
“Twilight, come with me.” I say to the lavender unicorn that was staring at Egress in worry. She and her five friends have to shake themselves from the dread they felt from looking at the elderly Sylvian.
As they neared me I looked over the tree, and see long black vines have wrapped around the tree’s trunk. When I looked closer I could see chaotic magic that only one being could have. One spirit of chaos that was locked away in stone.
“Twilight, I need you and your friends to hit the tree with the element’s power. This might be the only way to restore the tree’s health besides returning the elements to the tree.” I say as I back away from the six regalia wearing ponies.
“Alright, you heard him girls.” Twilight says as her friends gather together as the tree seems to pulse in pain. The elements seemed to reply with a similar pulse.
I watch as Twilight, and her friends started to power the elements, the necklaces glowing with the powers of harmony. The magic that was being summoned lifted the six ponies off of the ground as the elements glow brightens into a pure white.
Twilight’s eyes opened with white power flowing through them before the elements fired their magic at the tree. The beam of harmonic power was rainbow colored, and the tree absorbs it without any hesitation.
I hear what seems to be a large piece of glass shattering as the chaotic vines were burned away in the pure white power coursing through the tree.
‘(This is the power that hides inside the elements.)’ Dream says in awe. I didn’t reply, but instead just continued gazing at the massive amounts of magic being transferred into the Tree of Harmony.
The vines are completely gone, and the tree starts to shine when the elements stopped healing it. Twilight, and her friends are set back onto the ground before the elements flash, return to their white stone state, having used up the magic that was held inside.
The tree is shining a bright sky blue before it bears one fruit. The branch holding the piece of fruit stretches towards me before dropping the sparkling fruit next to me, and retreating back to its regular position.
“What in the wide world?” I ask as I look the crystalline fruit over.
The fruit was about the size of a dog house, and seemed to have a moving shape inside of it. The fruit also gleamed a deep purple, making me wonder the purpose of the offspring.
Before I could get distracted for much longer, Egress calls for me in her young angelic voice.
“Prince, come here.” I turned from the gleaming fruit.  Egress was standing behind me, with a sweet smile.  Her skin had returned to its soft and pristine condition.  Her hair was once again long, smooth, and dark.  The spark I’d seen in many dryads before had returned to her eyes.
“Egress, are you okay?” I ask her. Before I could ask anything more she does something unheard of for a dryad. She embraces me with both arms.
“Thank you Prince… I thank you.” She says to me, almost sounding on the verge of tears. I slowly return her embrace.
“If it wasn’t for you I would have perished.” She whispers in my ear before she pulls away. I let her go, as she would be furious at any contact she didn’t initiate.
“Ugh, I feel like I tried to make a star.” I hear Twilight say as she slowly comes to. The others follow in her wake. I chuckle at what Twilight had said before looking back at the large crystal fruit.
I attempted to wrap my magic around it, but my magic just slid right over the top of it, not being able to grasp it. I reach my hand out to it, and it brightens slightly.
(Be careful Prince, it is almost as if it is connected to you.) Dream whispers in my head. She seemed to be in shock at what had transpired just now.
I gently place my palm onto the fruit, and it glows a bright white. I tried to pull my hand away from the fruit, but it was stuck.
{Prince, leave your hand where it is. It feels warm, and happy.} Dreams sighs in my head. I blink a few times before closing my eyes, and placing my other hand onto the magic fruit.
Dream is right, it feels warm, happy, and like I was small again, and being held by mother.
I smile in bliss before I open my eyes, and look at my left wrist. Dream is missing.
[Dream?] I ask in my head. I was greeted with silence.
I look into the fruit, and see her inside of it at the center.
“Dream, why are you in there?” I ask in a whisper. A hand is placed on my shoulder, and I look to see who it is.
Egress was looking into the fruit as well with a gentle smile.
“Af̱tí̱ eínai xanagenniétai.” She says to me in her native tongue. I blink a few times before looking back to the fruit, and smiling. This is amazing, and rather welcome to me. It would have taken me years to find Dream a new physical body to live in, but this is even better.
“Póso kairó méchri na eínai ó̱rimo?” I ask the forest nymph. She shakes her head.
“Lift your hands when the fruit stops glowing.” She tells me in common speech. I nod before looking back into the fruit to see that Dream had taken the shape of a small foal curled into a ball.
“Elder necromancer, please come here.” I say as I gaze at Dream’s new form.
“What is it Prince?” The senior necrocorn asks.
“Can you, and your kin, teleport the others back to the palace before sending a large chariot to air lift me and this fruit to the palace?” I ask him. He blinks before nodding.
“Yes, but why just the others? Is there a reason?” He asks me.
“I can’t let go of this fruit until it stops glowing, and magic is redirected around it making it impossible to move by levitation or magic at all. I need a chariot to move it back to the palace.” I answer before the element bearers come near me.
“Prince, why did the tree bear a single fruit?” Twilight asks me.
“That is a good question, but it is one that I do not know the answer to.” I say before Fluttershy steps closer, and gazes into the fruit.
“Why is there somepony in there?” She asks me.
“Because they are in need of my help, and only I can give it. Do not worry for them, as they are safe, and healthy as long as I am here to keep them alive.” I say before I feel a pulse of magic from the fruit.
“Necromancers, please take the others back to the palace. I will be fine here until the chariot arrives.” I say as I look up from the fruit, and into the eyes of Egress.
“Tha milí̱soume metá na vrískomai sto paláti.” I say to her. She nods before moving next to the dark unicorns.
“I’ll see you all soon.” I say before the three necrocorns teleport back to the castle. I look back to my fruit, and smile as Dream Weaver twitches her new limbs.
“Soon we can speak again my Dream Weaver.” I say in a soft tone before laying my head on the fruit.
> XIII
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I open my eyes as I hear a large chariot, and a group of royal guards land outside of the cave that the tree of harmony resides in.
I look down at the now barely glowing fruit, and sigh as I stand and keep my left hand on the fruit. I stay there  with the fruit as a small group of guards enter the cave, and find me.
“Prince, are you ready to leave?” The lead guard asks me.
“Yes, however, I have to keep a hand on the fruit.” I tell him. He nods before two earth pony guards move, and flank the fruit to either side before they manually lift it from the ground. They didn’t even grunt in effort as we start moving outside of the cave to the wider than normal chariot.
I follow them onto the large chariot. The two guards slowly lower the fruit onto the floor, and then take seats on one side of the chariot.
“Are you ready Prince?” Asks one of the pulling pegasi.
“Yes, we shall return to Canterlot.” I tell him. He nods before making his wings give a snapping sound to get the other five pegasi to get ready.
“Flight, take off, march!” The leader commands. The pegasi start to pull the chariot at a walking pace while slowly speeding up. Once we were moving at a steady gallop, the pulling pegasi spread their wings, and began pulling us into the skies.
“Flight, travel speed, pull!” The leader commands.  The pegasi bank towards Canterlot, and then begin pulling at a rather quick pace. During this time the fruit slowly dimmed down to the point where even the new moon looked brighter, so I let my hand off of it.
“Wake me when we arrive.” I tell the earth ponies. They both bow their heads, so I pull my hood farther over my head, and close my eyes.

“Prince, we’re nearing the chariot pool.” I hear one of the guards tell me. I open my eyes, and see that we are over Canterlot.
“Thank you. Once we land I will need assistance taking the fruit to my chambers.” I say as the chariot team begins to descend onto a stone runway.
The landing is smooth, and only takes a few moments to come to a stop. I stand, and step off of the chariot, and wait for the two guards carrying the fruit to step down as well.
“Please take the fruit to my chambers, and set it in front of my mantle.” I tell the two.
“Yes Prince.” They answer. I smile slightly at this before moving towards the throne room to greet my friends.

Once I enter the throne room I see that the Elements have returned to their regalia states, but the gemstones are still greyscale colors.
“Good to see you made it back safely Prince Osiris.” The eldest necromancer says to me.
“It’s good to be back. I believe you three have earned a couple nights of rest.” I reply with a wide smile of my own before looking over to the Sylvian that was standing near my mother, and having a quiet conversation with her.
I shadow step near them, and hug my mother.
“I see you two are getting along well.” I say as mother returns my embrace for a few seconds.
“Yes, Princess Luna and I were speaking of times long past.” Egress says with a bow of her head.
“So I assume thine task was successful?” Mother asks me.
“Yes, the tree was being drained by vines that had chaotic magic flowing through them.” I answer with a couple nods. This catches my mother’s attention.
“Are you sure it was Chaos magic?” She asks me. I only nod a few times before I hear Loyalty call my name. I turn to greet the bat pony.
“Yes Loyalty?” I ask her.
“Can we go talk now?” She asks me. I chuckle at her impatience.
“We will speak in a few minutes, I still have to report to my Mother, and Celestia about what I found.” I answer the blue mare.
“Alright, but don’t forget that I need to talk with you.” She replies before going back to her friends.
“I will have to speak about this with my sister, and you still have ponies to take care of. We will speak on the overnight my child.” My mother tells me. I nod a few times before giving her a hug that she returns in full.
When we separated I see that Egress has a small smile, and the elements were giving looks that screamed ‘Awe.’
“Twilight, do you and the others wish to stay the night at the castle, or do you wish to return to your homes?” I ask the lavender unicorn before me.
“I would like to stay.” Twilight tells me.
“Ah should get home so mah family doesn’t worry.” Honesty answers.
“I would like to stay too… if it’s not too much trouble.” Fluttershy answers while hiding behind her mane. I gained a small smirk at this.
“Oh oh oh, can I throw Gressy a party for getting better?” Pinkie asks me while bouncing up and down in a seemingly impossible manner.
“Maybe another time Laughter.” I tell her. She smiles and nods.
“Oki-doki-loki. I would like to go home then.” She replies with that giant smile of hers.
“I think a night in the castle would be wonderful.” Generosity says in a very high class manner.
“And I’m not going anywhere until we talk.” Loyalty says as she hovers near the others.
“Very well then, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie, please step away from the others so I can teleport you home.” I say with a tone of finalism. The two mares walk a few steps away from the four ponies that are staying.
“I’ll let Spike and the crusaders know where ya’ll are at.” Applejack says to the four that wish to stay the night before I whisk them home on the winds of lunar magic.
“Now if you will all follow me I can show you to your rooms.” I tell the five remaining guests. They all move to follow me out of the throne room, and into the halls of the castle.
“Is there a specific wing you all wish to stay in?” I ask the five of them.
“I’m going to go to my tower for the night.” Twilight tells me before bidding goodnight to the others, and teleporting away with the flash and loud pop of solar magic.
“Well, that takes care of one of my guests.” I mutter under my breath.
“And the rest of you?” I ask.
“We would all like to stay in the same wing as you Prince.” Rarity answers for the remaining ponies and Sylvian. I nodded my head a few times before taking them all to the Lunar wing.
“Pick any room that is unoccupied, and that will be where you stay for the night.” I say to the four as I walk towards my doors to my chambers.
“Loyalty, after you have chosen a room, please come see me in my chambers.” I tell the thestral pony as I enter my chambers to see Silver is still fast asleep.
I move towards my mannequin to remove my royal attire. First to come off was my circlet. Then my tunic. I kept my pants on since I have a guest on their way. I remove my armor medallion that is still fused with my crest, and place it over the mannequin’s head to let it rest around its neck.
There is a gentle knocking at the main doors to my chambers, and I move to answer it. I open one of the double doors, and see Loyalty there. I open the door farther, and let her inside.
“Come in.” I say as I head for my personal study. She follows without a word, and I glance her way to see she is gazing around my room.
I grin slightly at this before sitting behind my desk, and watching her take a seat in front of me.
“So what’s with the empty cage?” She asks me before I could speak. I blink a few times before looking over to my pet’s resting space.
“That is for my pet, Koori.” I answer before looking back to Loyalty, and sitting back into my chair.
“Twilight mentioned you having a few questions for me?” I ask to get her attention back on why she was here. She blinks a few moments before a light seems to flick on above her head.
“Yeah, what’s up with my wings? They aren’t as sensitive as my old ones.” She answers with a shudder through her draconic limbs.
“A bat ponies wings are built for high speed control. Back before I was imprisoned the night guards’ wings had dulled sensitivity so that the friction of high speed flying didn’t hurt. A few guards that noticed this asked to have the sensitivity restored, but couldn’t fly nearly as fast as the others that kept the dulled senses.” I tell her as I dive into memories and explanation that I have heard over my few awakened years.
“I use that sensitivity to help me fly better.” She tells me. I shrug my shoulders.
“If you wish I can return your wings to a feathered state, but be warned, if I do this you won’t be able to turn as sharp as your bat wings can. So you choices are agility over sensitivity.” I tell her. She thinks about what I told her for a few moments before looking me in my eyes.
“Do it please.” She says with a nod. I return the nod before standing up, and walking over to her.
“I need you to fully extend your wings so that I can do this right. Be warned, this may feel amazingly pleasuring, or hurt worse than anything you’ve felt before.” I say as I near her right side.
Rainbow dash extended her right wing out to my hands.  I gently grasped the leathery wing in my hands, and ignite my magic to start the spell to change her wings back to their feathery state.
Rainbow immediately moans from the magic I was weaving into her wing. I place a small smile on my lips right before my spell fully activated. Rainbow screamed in pleasure as her deep cyan feathers rapidly grew into place, causing the speedster to feel orgasmic levels of pleasure until I reached the end of her right wing.
I wait a few moments to let her mind stop reeling in such pleasure before moving to her left side. As I moved I could smell a spicy musk in the air, and my smile grew a few millimeters before I gently grasp the thestral’s left wing, and start again.
I finished with her wing after a few moments, and sit back down in my chair before summoning a scroll. I write out a few simple instructions for Rainbow to follow should her wings cause her any discomfort. I place the scroll in front of the recovering prismatic mare, and exit my study.
I sit on my couch before using a spark of magic to light my mantle. I sigh as the warmth slowly replaces the cold in my room with a warm glow. I glance at the fruit that is right next to my mantle, and smile before relaxing even further into my couch.
After almost falling asleep, Rainbow Dash joins me on my couch.
“Osiris…” She trails of similar to Fluttershy. I look to the dark Pegasus and see she has scarlet tinted cheeks from either embarrassment or from her lingering pleasure.
“What is it my dark pony?” I ask her in the same way Celestia would. She giggles a bit from my words before hugging me.
“Thanks.” She says before pulling away.
“Anytime Rainbow, just don’t tell the others how my spell felt. Mother knows I don’t need mare and stallion alike asking me to do the same to them.” I reply with a chuckle. She does as well before we fall silent.
“Is there anything else you would like to ask?” I question her. She seems to think for a few moments before smiling.
“Want to play a game?” She asks me with what I think is mischief in her eyes. I smirk before waving my hand with lunar magic to summon my old deck of elven playing cards.
“Sure, have you ever played a game called liar?” I ask her. She shakes her head.
I start shuffling before I get a whiff of a mare in heat. I stop, and look to Rainbow.
“Rainbow, when is the next heat season?” I ask her. She looks to me with a blushed face.
“In about seven hours.” She tells me with her eyes half lidded.
My eyes widen before I teleport over to my mannequin, and grab my medallion, and teleport out of my room, and into the throne room before penning a short note to my mother, and teleporting out to the edge of the Everfree.
I start making my way into the forest with a sigh of relief; knowing that if I got caught in the heat I would literally end up having sex until my body gave in.
As I am making my way to the ancient castle I hear a rustling to my left, and stop to watch as a timberwolf walks right up to me before sitting down. I look into the wolf’s eyes, and see that it wishes me to follow it.
“You wish for me to follow?” I ask it. It nods at me.
“Very well then, lead the way.” I tell it.
The wolf stands, and starts into the forest, and I follow close behind into the dense undergrowth. After what seemed to be a few hours we enter a small clearing with a pack of timberwolves that are waiting on something. I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what.
As my guide nears the center the other wolves howl in unison. I could feel magic being used before six wolves fell apart, started to take the shape of one being.
I watch as the six wolves combine into a bipedal form that resembles a nymph, and know that Everfree herself, the goddess of the forest, wished to speak with me.
I bow before her, and she chuckles.
“Rise dark child, and listen to what I have to say.” She tells me. I do as she says.
“You and six others have restored the mother tree to full strength, and have healed me of my sickness. I was on the verge of death, but you seven saved my life, and my forest.” She tells me with pure gratitude in her voice.
“I wish to repay you for your assistance, even if it was unknown to you what you were doing.”
“May I ask something first?” I ask the goddess’ avatar.
“You may.” She answers.
“Is the Mother Tree able to bear fruit?” I ask her. She blinks a few times before stepping closer to me.
“Yes it is, but the last time she gave birth was millennia before the ponies, dragons, elves, and even griffons, and zebras were in existence. The first fruit was what gave birth to the alicorns, and draconiqui.” She tells me with another step to me, “Why do you as this dark child?” She asks me.
“After the seven of us restored the Mother Tree, she bloomed and placed a fruit before me.” I answer her. She takes another step towards me, and looks surprised.
“And what did you do with the fruit?” She asks me.
“I had it moved for it is nourishing a body inside of it.” I answer her. She smiles softly to me.
“I know what to gift you now.” She tells me before her dress made of leaves falls away.
“And, if I may ask, what would your gift be?”
“A timberwolf of your own blood that will become a loyal companion for the rest of your life.” She replies before I watch as a rouge wind removes my clothing.
“I accept your gift wholeheartedly.” I say with my head bowed to her.
“Come dark child, follow me to my den so we may create your first child.” She says before embracing me, causing my face to rest squarely in her bosom. I return her embrace before I feel that we were teleported to someplace. She releases me, and I her.
She then lays down gently into what appears to be a nest made of the softest flowers. I join her, and she kisses me. I return her feeling in full, and start to get aroused by the scent of lavender and honey.
The rest of the night was spent in Everfree’s embrace while we made love to each other.

> XIV
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gentle humming graced my ears as I slowly came to. It came from a voice I didn't recognize at first, until I remembered last night's mad dash to the forest to get away from heat season. Laying there, I let the beautiful voice of Everfree melt my stress away as I continued to wake up.

I opened my eyes to see that I was still laying on the bed of flowers, with Everfree gracefully sitting next to me, as she started to vocalize her song. It was a gentle song, and seemed to come from all around me. The song had a subtle life to it. No impressive runs, no extreme high or low notes, just a simple melody that was easy to wake up to.

"You slept longer than I had guessed you would, Dark Child." Everfree says calmly," Are you ready to finish creating your first child?"

"Yes." I answer as I slowly sit up from the extremely comfortable bed of flora. She smiles and waves her hand over the side of the bed, and I see several small trees grow into saplings right before my eyes.

"I'm glad. Please choose one of these trees for your child to be made from." She tells me. I eye the several trees with wonder as none of them were recognizable. The first has a pure white bark with a smattering of leaves that seem to consume the light near them. The second looked as if the entire tree was made of gold, and the leaves seemed to glow with what appeared to be sunlight. The third has normal brown bark, but the leaves seemed to constantly drip water from their tips. The forth appears to radiate some waves of heat, and the leaves look to be burning with small flames. The fifth has a deep brown bark with leaves that appear to be made of gemstones of all kinds. The sixth seems to not have a hard physical shape, and the leaves appear to contain clouds within them. And finally, the seventh has bark made out of a deep blue crystal with leaves that all glow a different color.

"These trees are all vastly unique. May I know what they are called?" I ask the forest Goddess next to me. She giggles and gestures to the first tree.

"This one is called Luasyl, a tree normally only found in the moonlight grove. it has properties that match what a lunar equine has." She moves to the golden sapling, "This is a Solaric tree, the opposite of the Luasyl tree." She moves on to the next, "This is a Marelantian tree, normally only found in or near the city of Marelantis." The next," This is a Dohvaan tree, it's wood contains and radiates dragons fire when fully matured." She moves to the fifth, "This is a Tectoni Tree, normally found underground holding two vast lands together with it's roots." On to the sixth, "This is a Ventius tree. Only found on the peaks of the tallest mountains." She moves over to the last sapling, 
"And this is an Arcaniuum tree, it contains unmatched arcane properties."

She looks at me with a small smile gracing her lips and says, "Each of these trees are extremely rare, and will give your child different attributes and abilities once they are fully matured." My eyes are wide in awe at the fact that these trees are only found in legends and myth. I had no idea that they actually existed, and now I had to choose which one to make my child out of.

Looking over the trees again, I pause on each one thinking of which would be the best to pick out of the seven legendary saplings before me. Looking between all of them I make my mind on the Solaric sapling with a nod to myself.

"My child will be born from a solaric tree." I tell her. She smiles before waving her hand over the saplings, making all but the Solaric tree revert to what I assume is their seed state as they had all appeared to shrink back into the ground.

Everfree then begins to glow with a godly power, and the Solaric tree before me begins to mature at a rapid pace. As the tree gets taller the Golden hue of the bark starts to shine and glimmer in the den that we reside in before it starts to leak solar magic from the leaves like the flares of the sun itself. Soon enough the tree reached full maturity. The bark almost seemed to glow with a radiance that only the sun produces, and the leaves had constant flares of white and gold magic streaming from them. The tree had grown to about four meters tall, and lit up the den in a bright golden hue.

I glance at Everfree to see that she has a ball of magic in her hands and is walking towards the Solaric tree with a motherly smile on her face.

"Solaric tree, I grant upon thee the seed of the Prince of Darkness. In return I ask thee to create a child of the Everfree, and Darkness' blood. Make them pure of your aspects, but child of the man next to me." She says with a multilayered voice that reverberates through the entire den, and most likely the nearby forest outside.

She then pushes the orb of magic into the tree, and chants something in a language that made my head spin slightly. The tree reacts to this by dropping a couple of its large branches to the ground, where they broke apart and started to swirl together like a normal timberwolf. However my child was much more defined in its wolf like features, for as it was forming together it took the sleek shape of a flesh and blood wolf, not the blocky wolf like shape of the normal timberwolves outside.

It took an hour for my child to fully form, and once it was done it looked like a golden statue. Everfree grasps my hand and places it on my child's head.

"Name them to grant them life." She tells me. I look into the lifeless eyes of my child and start thinking of names for them. I settle to name them after my grandmother.

"I name thee Aurora Whisper, Daughter of Osiris Eclipse." I tell the Solaric timberwolf before me. My daughter's eyes light with an Aurora green glow, and solar magic starts to flow from her neck like a lion's mane. The end of her tale does so as well, and she takes her first breath while looking me dead in the eyes.

"Father." She says in a quiet feminine voice reminding me of a certain shy pegasus I know. She stood only up to my knees, and when standing on her hind legs she would probably come up to my lower chest. Aurora looks over to Everfree, and gives a slow deep nod of respect before walking up to me and sitting on her haunches.

"Now that your child has been born," Everfree starts, "You may continue to elude the heat season at the old pony castle." She finishes before she seems to have an 'aha' moment and looks over to Aurora then back to me.

"The only things you need to worry about with your daughter, are feeding her, caring for her, and making sure she doesn't bite off more than she can chew in a fight. Other than that, she will be just fine." Everfree says before she starts to glow and continues with, "The rest is for you to find out Child of Darkness. Until we meet again."

With those final words Everfree seems to fall apart into random forest pieces. Said pieces reform into the six timberwolves that made her avatar in the first place.

I look over to my daughter and say," Come, we have some travel time before we make it to the old castle." before walking towards the exit of the den. Aurora follows close behind me to my left.

As we left the den, all the nearby timberwolves gave a howl before bounding off into the forest. After a few short moments we were alone in the Everfree, with no sign that the den was there in the first place. I look around to get my bearings, and realize that we're lost.

"Stay here for a moment." I tell Aurora. She lies down as I summon my magic into my feet. I crouch down, and leap high into the air, breaching the forest canopy looking around quickly to get my bearings. Canterlot was just visible to the north, and the old castle ruins were only a kilometer or two away to the southeast.

I land on a cushion of magic with a decent thud, and look to Aurora.

"Alright, we got a fair hike ahead of us to get to the castle ruins, and about four hours of daylight left to get there. You ready to go?" I ask my daughter. She nods her head a couple times as she stands up, and we start walking southeast.

"So before we get too far in our journey, what kind of diet do you have so I know what to gather on the way there?" I ask Aurora.

"I need a heavy in meat omnivore diet." She tells me before falling silent. I blink and grin a bit. Looks like I get to go hunting while we walk.

Most of our journey was spent in silence. Mostly to not attract predators, but also because we didn't need to talk all that much. I had killed a few rabbits for dinner, and they were strung from my belt with some twine I had summoned from Canterlot. I also had a decent bundle of sticks on my back for a fire once we get to the ruins.

After about three hours of travel we make it to the castle ruins with little resistance from the forest itself. I sigh at the state of my old home before walking through the rotted portcullis. Aurora gazes around the courtyard in mild interest before she suddenly stops and takes a defensive stance while growling.

"Something else is here." She tells me quietly. My eyes narrow as I ready my magic to be used. I take slow cautious steps towards the entrance of the castle ruins, and pause outside them, seeing something in the antechamber that I had hoped would have died out in the last thousand years.

An ancient Ursine.
> XV
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I immediately, and quietly back away from the main entrance of the castle ruins. Looking over to my daughter, I motion to stay low and quiet. She gives a very slow nod, and follows me away into the front courtyard.
"An ancient Ursine has taken residence in the front of the castle. The smart thing to do would be to find someplace else to stay until heat season is over." I tell Aurora.
"And what are the other ways?" She asks in a near whispering voice.
"Well there's the fun way, the hard way, the complicated way, and the terrifying way." I respond just as quietly.
"The fun way?" She asks with a tilt of her head to the left. I chuckle before saying, "Running in, startling it, and leading it on a mad chase through the castle." She looks at me with an unimpressed stare.
"No. The complicated way?" She asks. I grin before saying, "We construct an overly large, and complex catapult in the courtyard. Once that is done we lure the Ursine out into the trap to be flung into the Everfree's depths."
"No that would take too long. Let's do it the hard way." Aurora tells me as she bares her small fangs. I give a savage grin, and hit my armor medallion. I flare my magic, and hear the Ursine growl from inside the ruins.
The old forest guardian comes lumbering out of the front entrance, sees us, and drops into a battle stance before roaring at us. Aurora gives off a howl before we charge the large bear. The Ursine sees this, and begins its own charge. As we drew closer together, I start charging a silent sapping spell that would drain the Ursine of its strength over time. Right before we collide, I duck just to the left, and slam my right fist into the bear's head, discharging the spell at the same time.
Aurora dodged to the right before darting forward to bite the Ursine's neck, and I hear the bear cry out in pain, and smell the scent of burning flesh. Both Aurora and I jump back away from the Ursine before it can hit either of us, and I open my wing to take to the air.
As I leap into the air, the Ursine takes a swipe at my daughter, getting her to dodge back again. I quickly cast a silent kinetic amplifier spell on my gauntlets, and dive down at the bear, ready to give a solid punch to the back.
Just before I swing my fist forward to hit, the Ursine turns faster than I expected, and swipes me out of the air. I tumble, and roll for a few meters before getting back to my feet, before looking to see Aurora getting hard pressed by the guardian bear, and I flap my wings as I charge back into the fray.
Skimming the ground with my feet, I reel back my fists for a double punch, and slam them forward into the Ursine's left side. Due to the kinetic spell, the ursine is sent tumbling away from my hits, and gives a yelp from the hit.
Aurora takes this opportunity to pounce on it, and starts tearing at its throat. The stench of burning flesh get stronger as my daughter rips and tears, but ultimately gets thrown off with a swat from the ursine's paws. She gives a yelp from hitting the ground, and something in me begins to slip.
As Aurora stays down from her hit, I feel the darkness within swell in rage. I give a booming battle cry, and rush forth. The ursine turns to me, and seems to jump a bit. I ignore the dangerous stupidity of my tactics, and slam into its face with my full bodyweight, and start throwing wild punches that throw the ursine's head around like a speed bag. Each hit is met with the loud crack of metal on flesh and bone as my hits increase in speed and power. Soon enough a meaty crack is heard in the courtyard as I break the ursine's jaw. I back away from it, and keep my eyes on it as I walk over to my daughter.
"Aurora, are you okay?" I ask her. She whimpers a bit before saying in a strained voice, "That hurt a lot. I'm not sure I can walk at the moment." She tells me in a defeated tone. I sigh and kneel next to her, while glancing up to the ursine every now and then to keep and eye on it. It appears more interested in its injury at the moment.
"Where does it hurt the worst?" I ask in a caring voice. She whimpers and noses her rear left leg. I sigh, and stand up.
"Stay here until I'm done taking care of the big bear." I tell her. She whimpers some more before resting her head on the ground.
I turn back to the ursine, and start ramping up my magic power. It sees this and starts trying to look intimidating, but it can only do so much with a broken jaw. I flare my magic in anger at the ursine, and start charging at it. It greets my charge with one of its own.
As we neared one another time seems to slow, each breathe felt like an eternity. Something I was familiar with. I focus my magic into my gauntlets, causing the kinetic spell to flare with a vicious intent.
The Ursine growls and glows with wild magics. Stones and all sizes, from as big as my head, to the smallest pebbles, gathered to it and formed a crude stone armor. I growl as we are only a couple meters apart, and bring my right fist back as the ursine raises unto its rear legs.
Time slows even more as my fist begins its journey forward, and the ursine's paws begin to fall towards me. A blink of the eye, and we clash. My fist connects with the left paw as my left arm blocks the right.
The stone armor on its left paw it blown apart, and we separate for but a moment before we resume the melee.
I block my left side, and counter with a right hook to the ursine's ribs causing the stone to fall apart. The ursine responds with a swipe from its right claw, and knocks me back a few feet from the force. My armor feels dented over my chest, but I shrug it off and look back to my foe.
I can tell its getting tired, and my sapping spell is forcing it to be cautious. Throwing an arcane bolt as a distraction, I bring my left fist forward into its right shoulder, and blow the stone pauldron off.
The ursine backs away a few meters, and is panting hard. I can tell that it is spent due to my sapping spell. I myself am breathing a little hard as well from the exertion of the Kinetic spells slowly draining my magic over time.
As I get ready for round two, I am bowled over as the ursine had charged me faster than I thought possible. My helmet is knocked from my head as I am slammed into the ground. The ursine rears up on its rear paws to slam down again, but I don't give it the chance.
I quickly grabbed its rear legs, and slid myself out from under it by going between it's legs. As the bear came back down, it kicked with it rear legs, and caught me as I was standing up. My face slammed into one of the few stone tiles that remained in the courtyard.
My vision blurred and my head swam in a sea of pain. My left eye was seeing nothing but red, and my right couldn't get a clear view of what was happening. My ears were ringing from the hit to the head.
As I struggled to get back to my senses I feel a flare of heat from in front of me, almost as if a fire had been started right in front of me. I sluggishly pulled myself into a sitting position, and brought a hand to my head, and woozily sat there waiting for my senses to clear.
I felt the wind of something charging past me, and slowly turned to see a bright white light slam into what I assume is the ursine before everything goes dark, and I faintly feel myself hit the ground again.


*****


"Osiris." I hear my mommy say from the throne. I look up to her with a smile.
"Yes mommy?" I ask. She extends a wing to me, silently telling me to come close. I happily slide up next to her.
"I want to you to know my child, that no matter where you go, or what you've done or become, you will always be my strong handsome prince. I love you oh so much my child." She says with a pretty smile. I giggle and boop her nose with one of my fingers. She wiggles her nose and giggles as well.
"I know mommy. You tell me every night." I tell her with a big grin. She giggles again.
"That's because its true no matter what happens." Mommy says as she wraps me in her wing as a hug as she nuzzles my face.
Before anything else can be said, a magic bolt hits my mommy on the other side of her face, and she falls to the throne unconscious. I scream in fear, and guards rush in to see what has happened, only to be hit with magic bolts as well.
I start shaking mommy to try and wake her up. She doesn't open her eyes. I'm crying in fear and confusion as I hear hoofsteps from behind the throne, and see a day guard with a smile that scared me even more.
"There you are you little brat." He said as he pushes my mommy off her throne and onto the ground in front of it. He reaches for me, and I run over to mommy to try to wake her up again.
"MOMMY WAKE UP!" I shout to try and get her to protect me, but she stays asleep. The day guard chuckles evilly and says, "She won't wake up for a few hours. I made sure of that."
"Why!? Why are you being so mean?!" I ask the day guard. He spits at my mommy before saying, "That dark whorse doesn't belong on the throne. Only the True Goddess should rule over us." He is now right in front of me, and picks me up by the collar of my clothes, and I struggle as he throws me onto the ground.
I scream in pain as my left arm hangs limp before blacking out.
I can see again, and the guard is gone. In his place is a pile of red mush that smelled horrible. My arm doesn't hurt anymore, so I run over to mommy, and snuggle up next to her as I start crying again, calling for her.
After a while my mommy groans, and sees me with my red puffy eyes, and quickly gets into a sitting position.
"What happened Osiris!?" She asks in a panic. I point over to the pile of red mush that had the iconic day guard armor pieces in it.
"He hurt you, and me, but I don't know how he got like that." I tell her while whimpering. She grabs me and hugs me close to her chest, wrapping both wings around me, and cooing sweet nothings into my ear.
Once I was calm again I look up to mommy.
"Do you know what happened mommy?" I ask her. She shakes her head up and down.
"Yes. You are much stronger than I first thought my sweet nightshade. Much stronger than even you know."


*****


I jolt awake to the sound of my daughter yelping in pain. My rage boils over, and my vision tints red as I give a battle cry in the royal voice charging the ursine with murderous intent. It turns just in time to catch my gauntleted fist to it's face, and roars in pain. I continue with a left hook, then a right, followed by another left as my magic flares from my rage.
I throw another right hook before grasping above my head at the air. My magic reacts to my rage creating an ethereal scythe, and I bring the blade down on the ursine's head with a meaty schlink, ending its life in a final rage filled shout.
Letting go of the scythe causes it to fade away from existence, and I start making my way over to my daughter with sluggish steps. Stopping next to her I fall to my knees, and look her over for any wounds.
I see a single bite on her mid back from where the ursine chomped down and more than likely threw her, and her rear left leg is cracked. I gently pick her up, and cradle her in my arms before standing, and heading towards the portcullis.
"I can't heal you Aurora, but I know someone who can." I say as I start on my journey deeper into the Everfree. My destination: Ashvataarl, the city of the Elven people.
> XVI
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I continue walking, even though I'm exhausted. My magic is drained, so I can't teleport to where we're going. Aurora had woken up about an hour after I had started walking, and had asked where we are going. I had replied with, "To some old friends." And that had placated her.
By now I have been walking through the night, and the sky above the canopy was starting to brighten with the first signs of morning.
"Hold on tight Aurora, I have to get my bearings again." I tell her as I crouch. She bites down onto a strap of tough vines I had found so she had something to grab onto incase I needed to move quickly. Spreading my wings under a light part of the canopy where I was crouched, I jumped and flapped with all my dwindling might, and soared up into the pre-morning sky, looking for landmarks.
Giving a quick glance to my daughter in my arms to make sure she is still there, I hover there for a few moments, looking for one tree in particular. After a few moments, I see the tree in question. It was massive, and its leaves gave off a gentle blue glow that was barely perceptible with how bright it was getting. Logging the direction in my mind, I begin my decent back down to the ground.
I aim for the hole in the canopy I made, and gently glide down to it before dropping back down into the forest altogether. My landing sent those needles up my legs as my strength was fading in the coming daylight.
I grunt in slight pain as I continue on my new bearing in this deadly forest. Surprisingly we hadn't run into anything else that dwells here.
After another hour of me walking through the forest I started speaking in elven. Asking for assistance, and medical attention, hoping that an elven patrol would answer, and take us to Ashvataarl.
As I keep moving I hear trees being moved in the distance, and stop moving to get a better lead on where it is coming from. I stood there waiting for a few moments as I listened to the forest around me. Again I hear the distant sound of trees being pushed aside, however I can also hear the footsteps this time. A rhythmic sound of only a two legged being, meaning that what is nearby is a hydra, and judging from how muffled the sounds are, and how far away the sound, I would assume this hydra is old, and battle worn.
My heart starts to race as I know I can't defeat such a foe on my own, even at my best.
With that in mind I hit my armor medallion, reverting my armor back into a medallion, and break into a run for Ashvataarl. I need the speed, not the protection at the moment, and I knew that I couldn't fly for very long with my armor active.
"Father, why are we moving so fast?" Aurora asks me. I am grunting from moving as fast as I am with how tired I am, and with how much my legs hurt from my rough landing earlier.
"An elder Hydra is approaching, and I don't have the strength to kill it, so we run." I tell her as I dipped between trees in a run for the Elven Capital City. As I ran I can hear the Hydra getting closer to us with each of it's deafening footfalls. I decide to take a chance on the Elven people once more who might be nearby enough to teleport us to safety.
"Im am cóon osiris -o i dú, im baur cín polod cel o hi radag!" I shout out into the woods as I ran. I hear the stomping, behind us now, pick up in pace, and receive no reply from the forest dwellers about my plea for help.
Seeing a clearing coming up in front of us I half spread my wings in anticipation of flying from my plight, whom seems to be right on my tail. I pick up my pace as the ground starts to rumble beneath my feet from the hydra behind us.
As I neared the clearing I open my wings, and start flapping to increase my speed. I reach my top speed rapidly, and start to feel the hope of escaping with our lives get brighter within me. However, right before I exit into this clearing I am tripped by the ground shaking heavily from the hydra stomping the ground.
For the few moment I am in the air, I give a few faulty flaps of my wings to try and get airborne, but am stopped by clipping a tree branch with my right wing, and go tumbling to the ground. At the last second I spin around to land on my back to not land on my daughter.
Hitting the ground hard, I am dazed, and have the wind knocked from my lungs as I skid across the ground on my wings. Looking up at the hydra that is now in front of me, I catch a small glimmering of metal on the creatures back.
"Dár cel cóon, a accept mui aid!" I hear an Elf call to me. I immediately relax now knowing that the hydra is being used as a beast master's steed.
"Maybe next time carry a loud horn on you so I don't! I though we were going to be Hydra chow!" I call back at him. He laughs as he dismounts his reptilian steed.
"As true as that may be, we don't get visitors very often, so it was overlooked as a piece of necessary equipment." He says as he offers me a hand. I accept his help, and am pulled to my feet.
" Thanks." I groan in pain as my right wing flops around limply. His face hardens at my injury.
"Why are you carrying a Timberwolf?" He asks in mild confusion. I chuckle a bit, and groan in pain again.
"This is my Daughter that the Goddess Everfree has gifted upon me. Her name is Aurora Whisper." I tell him. I could see his eyes widen beneath his helm.
"Surely you jest?" He asks me. I look down to Aurora. She grins up at me with a hint of mischief in her eyes.
"I am the daughter of Goddess Ever Free, and Prince Osiris." She says in flawless Elven.
The Beast master jumps slightly in surprise as I look to my daughter in awe and pride. Even I can't speak flawless Elven.
After the Beast Master stopped having a mini heart attack, he chuckles a bit before whistling sharply causing the Hydra to bend one of it's heads down with a loud rumble like purr.
"Mount up Prince, we have a ways to go to get to Ashvataarl." He tells me as he mounts his steed as well. I gently climb onto the Hydra's head, and sit down hoping I did it right. The beast seems to chuckle at how I hopped on before raising it's heads up above the canopy off the forest before it starts walking towards the City hidden in the forest.
I gaze about in awe of my new view of the Everfree, and give a smile before looking down into my arms at my Daughter.
"We're as safe as we're going to get in the Everfree, so rest up while you can." I hear the Beast Master tell us. I nod my head in acknowledgment before laying on my back with Aurora still in my arms. The Elder Hydra's head fin curls over the top of us to make sure we don't fall off during its trek through the forest. The rhythmic stomping of the beast lulled my exhausted self to sleep rather quick.



I wake up as I hear big heavy door's being opened, and slowly sit up to see the city gates to Ashvataarl being pushed into the wall surrounding the hidden city. I grin as I see the "City Hidden by Leaf" once again.


There are few distraction spell towers at the highest points of the city, casting what appeared to be a glamour over the top of Ashvataarl. These prevented fliers from seeing the city if they happened to fly over it, or from those that were at high vantage points from seeing it at a distance. Oh the mischief I got up to with my friends and that spell. Countless cookies and sweets raids to the castle kitchens, and many nights spent in the restricted sections of the royal libraries, both here and in the Everfree castle.
I'm brought back to the present as my daughter whimpers in my arms, as I had been distracted and bumped her injured leg.
"Sorry Aurora, got lost on memory lane." I say as I adjust my arms to support her better. She remains silent, and curls into my chest. I smile a bit before looking to the beast master that brought us here.
"I know it has been a while since I was here last, but could you take me to a healer?" I ask him. He looks over to one of the Guards nearby and waves him over.
"Please take his majesty to a healer, and yes he's carrying a Timberpup." The beast master says as his hydra lowers me to the ground.
I step off, and give said hydra a few thank you pats before it rises back up.
Looking to the guard, I see them patiently waiting for me to follow them. I nod and we start walking into the city. We pass by various storefronts, each selling their own unique wares, and I even saw a store that was selling what looked to be spell cards that got arcane wisps to take the shape of various creatures, and battled them. One of the children playing this game had an elflike figure dressed in what appeared to be a heavy battle robe of dark colors, and seemed to be outright crushing his opponent.
I smile lightly as I remember these "cards" now. A popular game for children that seems to have taken off in the last thousand years.
I am brought back to reality as the guard enters a nearby building with elven medical symbols all over it. I follow him in, and see that it is similar to the current hospital that was in Ponyville.
Approaching the receptionist with the guard, I grimace as my wing and legs remind me that they are hurt. I nearly collapse, but manage to stay standing by sheer force of will.
"And what has brought you to us today?" The receptionist ask me in common.
"I have injured my legs and left wing in the forest, and my daughter has a wound on her hindleg." I tell her as all of the standards, and customs of the elven people come flooding back into my mind. The elves of the Everfree prefer blunt honesty over anything else, but only if you are polite while in their presence.
"Alright, if you will take a seat, I'll have a healer out shortly." She tells me with a small smile. I give a firm nod, and turn to the small waiting area to take a seat. I look down to my daughter, and look her over again, I can see and feel her trembling a bit.
"What is wrong my child?" I ask her. She whimpers for a short bit before answering.
"I hurt, more than before." She tells me.
"I know, but we made it, and it wont be much longer now." I tell her. She just groans a bit before falling silent once more. Trying to help my daughter was futile as my magic is still burnt from fighting that ursine.
"Prince?" I hear someone call for me. I look up, and see a healer looking at me. I stand and walk up to them. They nod before turning, and leading me further into the building, coming to a stop at a room, and holding the door open for me. I flash a quick smile in thanks, before entering, and taking a seat on the low sitting bed. The healer follows me in, and takes a seat in a chair nearby.
"So, what exactly is injured on the two of you?" She asks me. Looking up from Aurora, I am slammed with memories from how familiar this elf looks.
"Nesa?" I ask barely above a whisper. She blinks a few times.
"No, that's my grandmother. I am Tramara." She tells me. I nod a bit.
"You are nearly identical to her." I say before my wing throbs again. "But we can talk later, Right now my left wing is likely dislocated, or sprained. My legs have fall damage, and my daughter has a large crack in one of her hind legs." Tramara's eyes widen a bit before she stands, and her hands ignite in a pale green glow.
"Please hold still." She tells me. I don't move an inch as she brings her hands closer to my daughter, and gently place them on Aurora's right hind leg, and the glow on her hands brightens as magic flows into the wound, and starts stitching it back together. I watch in slight awe as my daughter's leg was essentially sown shut with vines before a thin layer of her skin-like bark form over the top on a matter of seconds.
"Please set her down, and lie on your front so I can get started on your injuries." She says neutrally, as she is focused on her profession. Aurora hops out of my arms, and into another nearby chair.
I gently turn and lie on my stomach to give Tramara easy access to my wings.
"Bui i aenil, ennas na- limb damage hi." I hear her whisper to herself before I feel magic flowing into my left wing, and my pain starts to sooth away. She stops, and I cant feel my wing.
"I cant outright heal it. You have too many fractures and breaks for me to do so. I'll need to get you to a surgeon or two to fix this." She tells me before moving to my legs, "As for now, I'll bind it in place so you don't hurt it more." She says as her magic starts wrapping gauze around my wing to gently bind it to my back. While she does this magic courses into my legs, and in the time it took her to wrap my wing, she had healed my legs.
"Not very much damage here, just a few hairline fractures that I filled in." She says before backing away.
"Is your grandmother still alive?" I ask her. She nods her head. I smile with a plan forming in my head. Nesa was a prodigy when it came to medical spells.
"Will you take us to her? I think the surgeons can wait." I ask with my smile. She tilts her head before shrugging.
"Sure, I don't see why not. I assume you were friends back then?" She asks me. I nod my head, and stand up from the bed.
"Does she still live in the same home?" I ask as I make sure my legs were fine, nodding in satisfaction of the healing done.
"Yes, says she cant leave it for some reason that she cant explain." Tramara tells me. I chuckle a bit, knowing exactly why.
"Then let us go, I believe I should see her after all these years." I say before heading for the door, Aurora at my side as silent as ever.
> XVII
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The walk to Nesa's seemed to go on forever, when in reality, it more than likely only took a few minutes at most. Tramara didn't talk much, and Aurora had fallen asleep in my arms, as my past rung in my ears. A small smile plastered itself on my face, as I dove deeper into my past memories.

So lost in thought, I didn't even notice we had arrived. Stepping in front of Tramara, mostly forgetting she was there, I reached up to the door with my hand condensed in magic. Touching the door released the silent spell I had unconsciously cast, and a near silent whisper grows into near deafening boom in about three seconds.

My perception of reality shifted, and I was suddenly half the height I used to be. My ears were ringing from my first time casting this spell.

"Nessy! Come out and play for a bit!" My 8 year old voice shouted, shadowed by my real voice. I had that stupid smug grin on my face, as I knew she had just gotten home, and was likely relaxing from her long day at the medical tower.

Before I could delve any deeper into my memories, Nesa opened the door with tears in her smooth, almond shaped eyes. My surroundings returned to the present, as my past crumbles away. Nesa's youth seemed to flake away in an unfelt wind, and in her place stood a silver haired woman with the same tears in her eyes.

"Can it truly be you?" She asks me. I looked Nesa over, and smiled gently at how well she aged. She grew to be about two meters tall, with slightly tanned skin. Her eyes held a spark of wisdom and experience that I had never seen in her before. Granted its been a thousand years, so that is to be expected.

"Hey Nesa. I could use your help with a broken wing if you don't mind." I say with that stupid smug grin I used to wear all the time. She chuckles, and whimpers almost at the same time. Giving a true smile, I opened my unused arm to the middle aged elf. Without hesitation she accepts my hug.

"Where have you been this whole time my friend?" She asks softly. I could hear her emotions thick in her voice. Her deep green dress/tunic gently flowed around her as she moved, almost as if gravity had a loose hold on it.

We embraced tightly as my tears threatened to overflow. That is, until I remembered something that I subconsciously held close to my chest starting to struggle for air.

Backing away to let Aurora breathe, I respond with, "Purposely trapped in stone so I could see my mother again."

"Still the foolish boy I knew all those centuries ago." She says wiping tears from her eyes before continuing, "Come lets get you taken care of before we talk more, no doubt my granddaughter here couldn't fix your recklessness." I chuckle in response as Tramara blushes, and puff her cheeks out in mock anger.

With that said, she gracefully turns to go back into her house, expecting my group of three to follow her.

Entering Nesa's home nearly brought me to my knees as memories flood to the surface of my mind. Laughter, crying, singing, and so much more echoed in my ears. Shadows of Nesa, our small gaggle of friends, and I danced at the edges of my vision. Feeling tears falling down my face, and hearing Aurora whimpering from them, I smile and lean down to give her a hug.

"Worry not my child, I'm simply lost on memory lane again. Seems that I will be visiting my past plenty while here." I tell her as she returns my embrace.

"I'm not worried, just overwhelmed with your memories. We are linked on a deeper level than you think, father." She responds. Nesa glances back to me with a smirk at that. She chuckles, and motions for me to lay on her couch. Laying down with a smirk of my own, I let Nesa get to work.

"Just like the old days, Right Nessy?" I ask as she removes my bindings. Nesa hums in thought with a smile.

"Yes, just like the old days. I would constantly be patching you and Clockwork up almost every time I saw you. Always getting into some kind of trouble that you needed me for." She responds as the last of my bindings fall away. I smile softly at that. Nesa had healed many of my wounds 1000 years ago. From broken bones and burns, to simple cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

"Come here Tramara. Let me show you how to treat such severe wounds." Nesa says as her hands ignite in a familiar deep pink, almost red, aura. Tramara moves next to her family's current matriarch, and ignited her hands in her bright leaf green aura.

"When wounds of this nature come before you, you have to start from where the fractures first occurred. This is easily found by following the damage back by how old it is." Nesa begins her teaching, "To do so on wounds this fresh, apply a gentle soothing spell, and trace the wounds with your magic. The wound that reacts the most is where you start applying it." I could feel the two moving magic through my wing, and wince a bit when they found the right spot.

I could feel the bones in my wings start to move and set back into the proper positions. They worked to regrow bone, and stitch tissue back together in my wing. Flexing my magic to help accelerate the process at just the right time made Nesa hum neutrally, and cause Tramara to gasp. She was in no way expecting this, and I groan due to my magic being burnt out still.

"Glad to see you still remember how to assist me Osiris." Nesa comments idly as she finishes fixing my wing, "Even though you're still so reckless to do such things while drained."

"How could I forget the tender touch of my favorite healer, or her methods for that matter?" I respond with a bit of dramatics thrown in. Nesa chuckles as I sit up, and I flex my wings to stretch out the minor stiffness. Nesa and Tramara's eyes widen as I show off my wingspan. I could feel my primaries just barely touching the walls of the room, at an impressive six meters across.

"Your wings are magnificent Prince." Tramara says in slight awe. I chuckle and bow my head as thanks as I retract and ruffle my wings.

"Thank you." I say to both of them, " I feel much better." Standing I look to Aurora with a couple thoughts in mind, but file them away for later as I focus on a promise I made to a friend long ago.

"Nesa... take me to Clockwork please?" I ask her. Her face hardens before she sighs. She motions for me to follow her further into her home.

"Tramara, please stay here with Osiris' daughter. This is a very private ritual." Nesa says as she leads me away. I didn't see Tramara's response as I followed behind Nesa. We moved through the house in silence. Both of us knowing what was going to be happening soon.

After a few moments of moving from one room to the next, we eventually came to an intricate metal door that was covered in not only gears, and levers, but arcane runes as well. Nesa stops and looks over the door.

"In all the time between his death and now, I've never been able to open this door." Nesa tells me as she places a hand on one of the pristine gears. I give her a sad knowing smile, before placing my hand on top of hers.

"I know." Was all I said in return as I fed trace amounts of magic down my arm, and into my hand. The runes on the door light up in response to my magic, and gears start turning. I hear the mechanical whirls, and clicks and the inner workings of the door come to life after sitting still for assumed decades.

"How long ago did he pass?" I ask in curiosity as I wait for the first actions of the door to stop.

"Thirty years." Was her quiet reply. I place my free hand on her shoulder and give a gentle squeeze. She gives me a sad smile in return.

The door falls silent, and we both return our attention to it. A small outcropping with a black crystal pops out of the door. Sighing in frustration, knowing that I have to wait even longer to open this door, I start to ramp up my power, and groan in pain from doing so. My magic is still mostly recovering.

Forcing magic into the crystal causes the runes to dim and start flashing randomly as magic is being built up in the crystal before us. It wasn't that big of a crystal. only about the size of a cat's eye, but due to the way the crystal is used in the mechanized door, I was probably going to regret doing this so soon.

I groaned in pain, nearly doubling over as my body screams at me to stop pouring so much magic out. Growling in response to my body's reaction, I bring even more power to bear.

The crystal is now glowing brightly and cracks begin to form inside of it. With a final shout of pain from me, the crystal shatters, and the shards coalesce into a solid key covered in runes, and normal sized. The magic had given the crystal extra mass to compensate for the lack of material. The key floats in mid air, and was slightly glowing from the remaining magic inside it.

Panting in near exhaustion, I grab the key that was floating in midair before me.

The door before us started whirring and clicking again, causing the surface of the door to move and shift out of the way. Soon enough the door reveals a keyhole for said key that I have.

"Why did we make this require so much magic?" I ask as I get my breathing under control, and feed a few trace wisps of magic into the key. As I did this, the keyhole starts to spark and glow with magic.

"If you need to rest, you don't have to open his workshop right now." Nesa offers in a comforting tone. Chuckling at that, I stop feeding the tiny amounts of magic into the key, causing the keyhole to fall silent again. I put the key into my pocket, and back away from the door.

"It's not a matter of needed rest." I tell her as I cast my most simplistic summons spell. I double over in pain this time, but what I summoned appears before me on the floor; a silver glowing bottle.

Nesa gasps, seeing a bottle of liquid moonlight before her. I smirk as I reach for said bottle, but Nesa stop my hand with one of her own. I look up to her with a mild questioning look.

"When did you figure out how to make this?" She asks me in awe.

"Shortly after my mother fell." I respond, "And yes I have enough for everyone that is still alive." She smiles softly, and removes her hand from mine.

Grabbing my personal hidden bottle, I uncork it, and start draining the liquid from within. After a quarter of the bottle is pulled into my stomach, I feel my exhaustion start fading. Half gone, and I can feel my magic surging with new strength. Three quarters, and I'm at full power again. And finally, once the bottle is empty, my magic soars to new permanent heights.

My body is graced with a slight after image made from how much magic I have. I grin at my new power before standing, and taking out the key again. Flooding the key with power, the keyhole on the door immediately becomes a beacon of light.

I quickly slam the key into its hole, and twist a half turn. A gear rolls out of the way of another crystal. Turning the key another half turn causes another gear to reveal a second crystal. I turn the key twice more with the same result, and now there are four crystals in the four quadrants of the door.

Hearing another click, I release the key before slamming my palm over it, causing the key to sink all the way into its hole. The runes of the door pulse outward from the key, and light four rings of runes around the four crystals.

"How do you know what pattern the crystals need?" Nesa asks me. I give a smug grin in response.

"Because there is no pattern here." I say before raising both my hands, and firing four beams of magic simultaneously into the four crystals. As the crystals feast upon the magic I was pumping into them, the door's runes all start to light up, and spread to the inside mechanisms of the door.

A couple moments of this pass, and the door gives a hiss as the crystals stop feeding from me. Stopping the flow of my magic, and resting my magic power, the door begins whirring, clicking, and clanging. Quite suddenly the noises all stop, and a lever pops out of the door a few centimeters.

"Would you like the honor?" I ask Nesa. She shakes her head, despite the fact that Clockwork is her brother. I also noticed the beginnings of tears in her eyes. She was more than likely present when he locked himself inside. Quickly wrapping her in an embrace made her gasp, and this frail old elven woman quickly returns it.

"I am always here for my friends, especially when I'm not able to physically do so." I tell her in my calmingly firm elven, "Your struggles end soon Nesa."

My elderly friend looks up at me with tears falling from her eyes, but a small smile on her face.

"I never doubted you my Prince." She responds softly. I give her a happy grin, and release her while smoothly looking back to the door. She sighs and pulls a silken handkerchief out from her bosom and wipes away her tears.

"Shall we?" I ask her. She smiles at me, and grabs the lever with me.

"Alright, fist we go up with it, then pull, and then down with it." I tell Nesa. Pushing the lever up was a chore, as the rest of the door is mechanical, if I remembered right. With a fair amount of force used, the lever finally reached a vertical position, and the door starts whirring and clicking.

Feeling the bar shake a bit and fall a couple centimeters, I start pulling on the bar. Said bar took exception to that, and my grip failed me as I fall on my rear. Nesa lets go of the lever, laughing. A couple ancient curses may or may not have left my mouth.

"Are you okay?" She asks still giggling every now and then. I groan and chuckle at the same time as I stand up, rubbing my rear end. It was a bit sore from the fall onto Nesa's oak flooring.

"Yeah, just a surprise to be on the floor." I respond with a smile before we both grab the handle again, "Alright, round two, with a little less stupid this time." She snorted in amusement at my old saying for when something went wrong.

We both started pulling again, and the lever slowly leaves whatever hole it came from, and clicks once in the next spot.

I look at Nesa, as she looks at me. "Ready?" I ask her. She nods, and I can see tears in her eyes again. She probably doesn't trust her voice at the moment. Nodding in return I pulled on the lever.

As we manage to get the lever back down to a horizontal position, the door itself starts to move more pieces of its insides. How I would love to tear the door apart, and see how it ticks.

Said door was also starting to release steam from valves inside it. We were about three quarters to the down position, and I can hear giant machinery come to life from either inside the door, or Clockwork's workshop.

We finally got the lever in a down facing vertical position, and just as we let go, it got sucked back into the door.

Once that was done, the door starts rumbling, and all the visible gears start turning. I could hear pistons, safety valves, sprockets, and so much more, as the door prepares to open once again.

The gears we could see sped up until they were nothing but circular blur, and a hole is made at the center. A small disk, with what looks like a spot to insert a dagger, fills in the hole. All the sounds come to a, very muffled, screeching halt.

I sit there, and stare at the hole in confusion, as it wasn't apart of the original design. Taking a closer look at the unknown disk, I see that it looks to have been made in a rush.

"Did he say anything to you about changing the door at any point in the last thousand year?" I ask Nesa. She shakes her head, and looks at the door for a bit.

"it looks like it wants a blade. Did you bring one with you to the forest?" She asks me. My thoughts stray as I try to think. The confusion messing with my mind. As I'm searching my memories, one almost seems to leap at my attention. I review my memories of my mad dash from the palace.

Without hesitation I flick my right wrist back, and slam my hidden blade into the slot on the exposed disk, and hear a few clicks, and my blade is pushed back out of the slot. The disk shines brightly for a couple seconds before returning to normal.

The gears on the doors lurch for a second as a split runs down the center of the door, and it finally opens up. I cant see anything that is inside, but as soon as I took a step in Clockwork's workshop sputtered to life as the light crystals are uncovered. A machine in the far reaches of his workplace chugs to life to power said crystals.

Before Nesa or I could say anything, I notice a small machine, that looked kind of like a metallic spider, crawl up to me. It chirps a few time before presenting a slot on its head. I blink a couple times, shrug, and put the hidden blade into the spider's top slot.

The spider seems to be waiting for more, and so I twist on the blade to the left a bit to find no give in the spider's mechanism. Turning the other way let me turn my blade to a horizontal position. The spider chirps again, and pulls away from me as it's top opened up, revealing a bright blue crystal. I reach for the crystal, and the spider backs up before firing a mana bolt at one of the light crystals, which promptly absorbed the magical projectile.

"I see." I say as I reach towards the crystal with my magic. As the first wisps of my magic touch the crystal, and it lit up in an all too familiar spell, except there are extra charges in the spell.

"Hello Osiris." I hear as light gathers inside the crystal before a ghostly image of my oldest of friends appears before me in full size, "It has been awhile, and I'm afraid that things took a sour turn in your absence."
> XVIII
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What... How?" I ask in shock as my hidden blade retracts. The image flickers a bit as I hear my friend chuckle at my shock and awe. Sparing a quick glance at Nesa shows me that she is on her knees crying, and I didn't blame her one bit.

"Osiris, there is much to tell you, but I'm afraid that we can't do so here. Please follow this mechanoid, and I can tell you more." Clockwork says before seemingly seeing Nesa, and not commenting, "This way please."

I look to Nesa, who nods her okay, before following the spider machine with the image of Clockwork leading me through his workshop. While following, I look around at all he had created in his life. Workstations aplenty were all full of projects in various states of construction. Gadgets, gizmos and tools of all kinds hung from racks and laid on massive shelves.

Horseless carriages, flying machines, ship blueprints, weapons, and so much more. We walked for a good ten minutes in silence. In this time, whilst perusing my late friend's work, I had taken a few glimpses of the spell work in the projection crystal that the spider dutifully held on its head. My eyes narrow a bit at what I see, but decide to let Clockworks projection tell me what it will.

Stopping at a door after our long walk, I see the projection gesture to the door. I knew what the door was. His tomb. His final physical resting place.

"We will talk more in here." The projection says, before flickering out. The crystal was still glowing, but now the black obsidian orbs that made the spider's eyes were glowing as well. Another ability of the spell work that was in that crystal.

The Spider now had my full attention, not just as a friend, but for different reasons. I watched it carefully as it crawled up the tomb's door, and set itself into a socket at the center of the door, before the crystal on it goes dark.

My magic is starting to spark from my hands due to my nerves. Before too much time had passed, the crystal lights up again, and the spider hops down. Hearing gargantuan mechanisms beginning to shift and move, I widen my legs into a gentle horse stance for more stability, adding in sea pony styles to stay on my feet as the ground starts to shake slightly.

The entrance to the tomb slowly sinks into the floor as more machinery starts to power up. Low growls of boilers, and high-pitched whines from high speed fans can be heard for a few seconds before a heavy pulse of magic from the tomb hushes all the racket down to gentle background noise that almost could be mistaken for music. A deep rhythmic bass filled my ears with a gentle pressure.

"Please enter." The spider says in Clockworks voice. I ignite my magic on my left hand, and start condensing energy for a simple spell.

"Lumos." I say as the energy collapses in on itself, and forming a phantom mini-star. Using an opaque layer of magic around said star allows me to hood my magical light.

Aiming my light around, I could see a massive machine suspended from the ceiling, over an ornate elven sarcophagus. As I got closer to my fallen brother's resting place, the machine overhead starts to stir in response to my magic. Runic circuits start to glow, and a soft cyan light fills the area.

"Osiris." Clockwork's voice emits from the massive machine, "There is much that needs to be said, but you have questions. Ask, and I will do my best to answer." The runes dim a bit, almost as if Clockwork is actually listening for my query. Looking over his tomb, and seeing his face carved into the sarcophagus, makes me look up to the machine.

"Why is your soul still here?" I ask the most burning question in my mind. The machine releases a deep booming chuckle, and the runes all flash and dance with magic.

"I never could hide anything from you old friend." Clockwork respond before sighing, "A different question, I don't want to talk about the heavy stuff just yet." I nod in understanding.

"What happened to everyone? After I was petrified." I ask and clarify. Clockwork hums in thought for a bit as magic continues to dance across his metallic proxy.

"Who to start with..." He mumbles to himself before giving an "ah ha."

"You can already guess what happened with Nesa and Rachuun, and some of what happened to me, so all that leaves are the other five." He starts, "Nemera went back home to learn from, and eventually lead, her people. Ty'k'dos also returned to his homeland, but I do not know much after that. Otia is still where you left him, and remains vigilant as always, though I recommend visiting soon as his sanity is slipping a bit. Glint is somehow still alive, and hiding in Manehatten. And finally Undine has been travelling the Oceans, and gathering pieces."

I bring my right hand to rub my chin. Most of the information was as I expected. Not much had been screwed with so far. Looking back up to Clockwork I ask, "How many potions do we have?" This causes magic to dance across the runes in different patterns. Not being able to decipher what they meant, I just waited.

"Thousands. Production is still continuing each night due to advances in the method of production. Older bottles are stronger due to time, so be careful, but all will have the base desired effects set by you." He answers.

"That is all I need to know for now my friend, aside what I came here for." I tell him. He hums a bit more.

"The world has changed differently than what we expected. The shadows are deeper, and darker than we expected. There are more people in total then ever before, most are not willing to fight without a massive incentive, and children grow up ignorant of the world. Favorable, but not, at the same time..." He goes on to inform me about the state of the world. Politics, the high, the low, the rich and the poor.

"Celestia has censored much from history over the last thousand years. Be careful moving forward after I say what I have to tell you." He finishes. Most of the information he gave me was useless, but good to know. Some of it disturbing, and filed away for later thought. Most of it worked towards my favor.

"Thank you for bringing me up to speed, but lets get down to what in Tartarus happened?" I ask at my wits end. I could hear the smirk in his voice. He always liked verbally toying with people. Harmless, but annoying.

"You're not going to like what I have to tell you," He starts, the lights on his proxy dimmed a bit, "I was struck down Osiris. One of your fears became truth. There is an organization that figured out what we were doing, and tried to stop it by killing me. The only things I know of them is their insignia, and their name; The Tears of Umbral" 

Clockwork paused, knowing I need time to process what he just said.

The Tears of Umbral. A cult I thought long dead by my own hand. Once upon a time they were a trusted knightly order for my grandfather King Umbral, only to be twisted to madness by Discord over time. He planted the idea that umbral needed a very bloody crusade to ascend to godhood. Luckily my grandparents banished them to the void, and the remnants scattered only to reform four thousand years later. I had rampaged through their mockery of a hidden fortress when they got the bright idea that ritual sacrificing my mother and aunt would bring Umbral back to life, and ascend him.

History remembers my actions, even now.

"The insignia?" I ask him. My phantom star is snuffed, and the spider projects the desired image above itself. It was an eye that had black tears dripping from it. Assorted around it were examples of jewelry that members have worn. Black tear drops.

"They struck on the night of a new moon wearing all black and have plenty of illegal enchants, weapons, and poisons. Highly trained assassins, and berserkers. Quite deadly." Clockwork rambled off to me. giving me some idea what I was facing.

"Estimated numbers?" I ask in our usual form of info exchange. Quick short queries, with quick short answers.

"Tens of thousands easily, more than likely many more. A thousand years is a long time to spread and expand." He responds insinuating that he lost track of how large they became, making me frown. Many thoughts rans through my head. How to send spies places to learn things I will need to know, resources being moved, troops being drafted, and so much more on how to combat this threat. I only had to do one thing first.

"What do you want to do now Clu?" I asked quietly, and seriously using his nickname to convey the weight behind it. The spider scuttled away, and his proxy went quiet. I waited patiently for his response. I stood there silently for a few minutes as I waited. We talked for a few hours, and I could wait years for his response. He could take his time.

Just as I opened my mouth to repeat my question, the runes on his proxy slowly started to blink and glow again, starting slow and speeding up until the entire runic circuit stays brightly lit. I had to widen my stance as the whole damn thing started to descend, causing the room to shake horribly.

Large sections of his proxy started shifting about and stop, almost like the tumblers of a giant lock. All fell silent as a cylinder, about six inches in diameter, is lowered before me three feet from my face. A split runs up the face of the cylinder, and a bright cyan light can be seen peaking through the split in the shiny silver.

My eyes widen as I know his intentions, and my knees start going weak. The promise we made to each other had many different outcomes based on what happens in his life. For example, if he were to live and die peacefully, then I would put him to rest as a constellation in the night sky.

He was murdered, and the idea we had for that, was...

"Soul fusion." I whisper in slight fear and awe as the split opens, and Clockwork's soul lights up the tomb in his gentle cyan glow. He chuckles at this sadly, his soul pulsing in time with his voice.

"Yes my friend. You will need the extra power to defeat these dark cultist, and I am more than willing to help with my all." He says as I take a half step towards him.

"I don't know if you knew, but I was infused with alicorn magic, and now have a longer lifespan due to it." I say to him, giving him an out.

"That was one of the expected outcomes Osiris. Besides, we both know you cant refuse this. Our promise was bound by magic." He reaffirms. I take another half step, and raise my hand to grab his soul.

"Last chance my friend." I tell him. His soul brightening at my hand's approach.

"We both know I will delay paradise for myself, because my friend..." His soul lurches forth into my hand, "You are filled with Patience!"

Clockwork's soul moves over my chest, where my own soul leaps from my chest to meet it. As the bright golden yellow of my soul appears in the room, a rainbow like aura seems to burn around my soul for a few moments before strings of golden light slither out of my soul over to Clockwork's as his does the same.

The strings connect, and snap taught, pulling his soul closer to mine. His cyan soul turns to the open position, and connects with the bottom of mine. A small pressure wave comes off of me from the connection. Blowing back the thick layers of dust in the room.

I'm left breathing heavily in the silence of his tomb. Our joined souls fading back into my chest, as my eyes start burning, shortly followed by the rest of my body. Our mana was mixing, and I couldn't hold it back for very long.

I bring up a shaking hand as I try to summon some magic to teleport to the badlands, but instead I fall to the ground as gravity seems to increase on me by thirty fold. His magic screwing with how to cast.

Now immobilized by my own magic, I scream in pain as our magics combined into one. My vision blacks out and I can feel myself changing... again. Bone grew slightly longer, and my ears felt like they melted off my head as they fused to an elven point. My muscles felt like magma was hidden behind my skin as I gained a bit more muscle mass.

As the pain starts to die down, I can feel one last surge coming. Managing to focus through the pain to press my fingers together for a snap teleport, guided by Clu's presence in my mind.

I hear the click, and my magic flares around my body, a beautiful bright teal, before I feel the rough blasted dirt of the badlands under my face. Just in time before my vision goes from black to white, and my world implodes with pain.
> XIX
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

My hearing is what brought me back to the land of the living. The light howling of winds over a barren land is quite clear. My sense of touch was next, and it brought the rough gritty feel of sunbaked land, and ash. My skin felt dry, but cool, meaning I was at least in the shade, in a barren wasteland.

Tounge tastes like sandpaper, what feels like kinks in my back and neck, and my throat is completely dry, oh, and I'm slightly concussed... fun. I sarcastically think to myself.

Well not quite, that part comes with opening you're eyes. Clu responds to my inner thoughts calmly.

Daring to crack my left eye, I am not blinded by the sun. Despite it being mid day, I appeared to have the fortune of being in a deep enough hole that it didn't bother me.

Opening both eyes, slowly, made the picture that much more clear to me. The hole was the shape of my body, and I was lying in the bottom of a crater.

Trying to speak gave me a short coughing fit. Once I could breathe properly again, I decided to just shut up and move.

Before you try moving, you should know how hurt you are. Clockwork starts, causing me to pause.

How bad? I ask him, struggling through my shaken thoughts.

Minor cuts and abrasions, a few bruised ribs, mild concussion, plenty of bruising, and a very slight case of dehydration. I give him the mental equivalent of a nod.

Now knowing how hurt I am, I try to refocus my shaken head on the process of getting out of my crater.

Freeing my arms from their unplanned union with the ground proved difficult. Not only did they feel like lead, pins and needles, and sandpaper got together for a tavern brawl on my skin, but it also stung in random spots that I recognized as magical nodes throughout my nervous system.

My body was still settling Clu's soul into my body. It's taking longer than we first calculated, way back when, and causing my body to feel heavier in random locations, making it that much harder to move.

I had managed to eventually free my arms, and my legs took just as long. I will not be painting a description of how long and pain filled the process of getting me out of my hole was. Clu was either laughing at my amount of profanity, or crying along side me when the pain became too much.

Night had fallen again by the time I was out of my hole, and at the bottom of my crater instead. The third day of The Equestrian Heat Season was over. A pained, weak, chuckle came from that thought, and caused me to contemplate all that has happened since my release from stone.

The Moon peaks around the edge of my crater as I think on things that need to be done. Retraining the Night Guards, visiting each of my friends, delivering their potions, raising my timberwolf daughter, amongst the overshadowing threat from The Tears of Umbral.

Before my own mind tortures me, the Moon's light hits my fingers on my right hand, causing Lunar Mana to start flowing into my body, healing it. 

I sighed as my body strengthens under my mother's moon. Her light soothing my wounds. My magic finally calming as I drank the moon's power that it freely gave to all, every night. I grunted as numbed flairs of pain bloom in my chest as my ribs knit back together. My cuts close back up, and dried blood flakes away, revealing my pale skin.

The light now was covering half my form meaning my head was laying North. Good to know. My head starts clearing up a bit, as the celestial orb above bathed me in her light.

As I laid there healing, Clu brought my attention inward. Whilst preparing my meditation, I feel a wave of cool and calm magic wash over the area. A slight shimmer of cyan coated my crater.

A boundary spell, just in case. Clu says, confirming my thoughts. Taking a semi deep breath in, I let the world around me fall away from my senses, and turned my attention inward with my exhale.

To the outside world, it would appear as if I fell asleep, but if one looked closer, they would see my eyes glowing behind my eyelids.

To my perception, reality faded away, and was replaced with one of Clockwork's workshops. His space, inside 'our' shared mind.



I found Clu looking over what appeared to be a magic projection of the condition of my body. Several points upon this projection had red hues versus the predominant green on the basic shape of my form. Some of these points were small, and focused on the mana points throughout my energy network.

"What is all this?" I ask him as I approach the large table that glowed with magic. He appears to be deep in thought, as he looked over the projection. He hummed to himself for a bit as some of the red auras on the projection slowly turn green.

"This is the state of your physical self." He said motioning to the projection, "Green means that area of the body is healthy, while red means injury or wounds." The projection turns off, and he waves for me to follow him.

"Then what is it you want to talk about?" I ask while starting to follow. He only smiled before leading me deeper into our mindscape. We came up to a wall with a door, which he opened and walked through. I raised an eyebrow but tailed after him.

"I need to teach you the basics of how to harness my magic. Clockwork tells me now standing in the middle of a "gym" I've heard the guards call it. Elven and Clockwork's own style blended well to make an advanced training environment.

"Makes sense, everyone has their own way to use magic." I reply while nodding and stopping a couple meters from him. He chuckles a bit, whilst shaking his head.

"More like our shared soul now filters magic differently. You are used to the way your soul filtered magic, but now you have a second filter to deal with." He says as a machine pops out of the ground and projects a chart on the wall behind him.



Two of the depictions of a soul lit up; The soul of Honor, and the soul of Patience.

"Our soul is now the Combination of Patience and Honor." He starts, as he motions to the chart behind him, "While your soul was a perfect mix between Justice and Bravery, my soul has the trait of Patience. This means your magic is going to function weirdly if you try to cast normally." I nodded along as I listened to my best friend.

His explanation of how to best use our magic was quickly understood. I had to be centered in my mind on what to do, and wait for the best time to use it. Instead of flooding a spell with mana, I now had to intricately weave my magic into the spell forms, and then flood it with mana. Similar to using runes to cast spells, just mentally and without the massive mess runes can be.



It had been what felt like a few hours of him explaining the how, and me trying to apply it.

"That's it Osiris," Clu tells me as I charge a false teleport spell, one that wouldn't move our physical form, causing me to smirk slightly as I concentrated, "just a little bit more, good... NOW!

Heeding my friend's instructions, I flooded the spell matrix I had woven with mana, and my reward was being 'teleported' several miles away from Clu in the mindscape.

I could hear his cheers of success faintly from where I was at, and he shortly appeared beside me.

"You picked this up much faster than we expected you would! This means that our projects will be ahead of schedule for the first time in eons!" He rambled excitedly next to me, while I just had a calm smile and let him have his moment.

Whilst he was having his moment, a feeling of slight alarm shock the both of us for a second, and Clockwork immediately held his right hand up with his palm facing upward. A smaller projection of my physical health showed that, while magic was still a bit questionable, I could physically fight. I had an idea for a weapon, too.

"My boundary spell reports only a single being getting closer. Magic might not work fully, so expect a physical fight." Clockwork tells me with no hint of the mirth he showed not moments before. I nod as I release my meditation.



My eyes open to see my Mother's moon high overhead, and my ears could hear the sound of someone making their way down into my crater.

Darting my eyes over to where the sound was coming from, I see a rare species. Flutterpony, but it is corrupted into a changeling. Tears bead up in my eyes at what horror is before me. Not because I was scared, but because this poor 'ling has probably never known what it is like to have a full stomach.

"Don't come any closer." I state simply to the changeling in the old songlike language of the Flutterponies. They stop about ten meters from me.

Keeping my eyes on the corrupted one near me, I slowly get up on my feet. They seem confused about something.

Clu, take us back if you can. I think to Clu. He mutters something about testing my physicality, but agrees.

"That language sounds... familiar..." The, female, changeling muttered to herself.

"That's because its the original language of your people." I continue as Clu starts weaving a spell matrix to return us to his workshop. My plan to confuse it with fancy words worked, and it stopped to contemplate. Meanwhile, Clu finished the matrix.

"Goodbye, young one." I tell the 'ling just before letting my mana activate the spell, causing my view to stretch and skew for a split second before I was back in Clockwork's tomb.



It is sad to know that at least one hive of flutter ponies is corrupted. I tell Clu as I sit back on the raised dais of his sarcophagus. He sighs, and I can tell he's nodding along whilst lost in thought. One of his common habits that I remember seeing many times.

Not expecting an answer, I stand up and start making my way out of his tomb. As I wander about his workshop, Clockwork idly comments on some of his creations as we pass by. Most of his comments were, "Broken.," or, "Doesn't work right."

We'll have to come back for some of you're projects another time. I think to Clu as we passed a powered bicycle. A few meters later, and Clu stopped us as my eyes passed over what looked like a polished two-handed iron war scythe.

What is it? I ask. He doesn't answer, so I assume he wants me to figure out what was so special about this scythe. Another habit of his; Consistently testing to see how intelligent his friends are.

Approaching said iron implement of war, I notice that it has an Iron Oak handle a little over a meter and a half long, and the one and a third meter long, triangular blade had a strange wavy pattern hammered into it. A simple manticore leather wrap around the handle finished the look of the scythe quite well with its old and worn orange contrasting smoothly against the pale grey of the iron oak handle.

Clu remains silent as I grab the weapon, and feel the layer of dust come off. It has been sitting here for a few centuries, yet I can tell by sight alone, that the blade hasn't rusted or blunted over the years. The handle and leather have traces of preservation magic in them.

Rapping a couple knuckles against the flat of the blade gave of slight "tinking" sounds... not the normal sounds for iron shaped as this is.

"What are you made out of?" I ask the scythe aloud as I test the balance with a flourish, and some test swings. I have to rebalance myself after the first couple of test swings, as the unknown metal is lighter than iron, or bronze. Not by much, but enough to through me off my footing.

As I bring the butt of the handle to a rest on the ground I ask Clu,  What metal is this? I've never seen it before.

That is the only time I got the mixtures right for Steel. That stronger form of iron I ranted about when we were young. He tells me with a bit of an edge to his voice. It also serves as my reminder to preserve all of my notes, as I had lost the notes to this metal in the crucible accidentally.

I nod my head, and glance around for something to hit. If this is this so called "steel" that Clu went nuts over way back when, then that meant this scythe could pierce most forms of common armor all on its own. That theory excited me enough to dump most of my allowance into his research for it one thousand years ago.

"Where did we keep the armored training dummies?" I ask aloud. Clu chuckles and says, Three lanes left, and against the forward wall.

Hefting the farming tool twisted for war, I start following his directions. After a couple minutes of walking it dawns on me that Clockwork's workshop does not fit in the spatial limitations of Nesa's home. I smirk as I remember when we both learned the spatial distortion spells. What a mess it was trying to wrap our heads around the concepts of how to stuff more space into a confined space. Months of research, and head scratching came back to me as I approached the armored training dummies.

There were three left. One in light leather armor, one in medium bronze plates, and the last in an iron plate chest piece. It made me a bit sad that there was so little to show for our work here, but dummies are dummies, and not actually alive. I started stretching to warm my muscles for the bit of exertion I was about to perform.

This would also be a good opportunity to familiarize yourself with the hidden blade as well. Clu comments idly, seemingly distracted. I nod a few times in agreement, as I put the ring on for said blade.

Giving my hidden blade a few practice extensions to make sure I don't cut myself... again. Clu laughed at that thought. Retracting the hidden blade I approached the leather clad dummy.

Pausing, I start thinking of how to best use the 20 centimeter blade. Slashing is out due to the blade's placement under my wrist. Stabbing will be my best chance of a good blow.

"Hmm." I hum in thought as I back away from the dummy a few steps. I smirk as I get an idea on how this blade will work for me. Focusing a bit, I start a leisurely walk towards the dummy, and right as I got to its side I brought my right arm up and placed my hand on the dummies chest, and flexed my wrist to extend and retract the blade quickly as I passed. Stopping and return to see if it worked right, only to see a small stab wound the width of the hidden blade.

Frowning I extend the hidden blade and look at it to see that the dummies have marking oil in them, to tell you how far you stabbed into them.

The entire blade was now a bright blue, instead of the elven metal's golden bronze. My eyes widen at the lethal depth the blade achieved with so little effort. Nodding my head a few times, I went back up the the leather clad dummy, and practiced a few different approaches to this stealthy lethal sting. I even jumped with a flap of my wings to land on top of the dummy, hidden blade having found the dummy's spine through its throat.

You handle my creation well Osiris. But I want to see your reaction to the scythe's capabilities. Clu tells me as I stand with the hidden blade retracted. I'm panting a bit from how enthusiastic I was in my stabbing of the dummy. I wordlessly ready the "steel" scythe.

I decide a pierce and pull was a good start, so, reeling back with my new "toy", I slam the point of the blade right into the center of the leather clad dummy.  The blade hilted itself in the chest of the dummy and knocked it over, nearly taking me with it. Clu burst into laughter at my stumble, and I can't help but chuckle.

Placing my boot on top of the dummy, I pulled my blade out, forgoing my original plan to tear out the side. Resetting the dummy into an upright position, I take a step back, and ready myself for a slash. Aiming for the dummy's shoulder, I wind up my whole form for this strike.

Back straight, arms at strong ninety degree angles, good firm grip, and a nice and wide stance to handle the weight. I think to myself as I prepare. I jostle the scythe a bit to get a better grasp on it, and its weight.

Breathing in deep and full, I tense up before unleashing all of my built up momentum in my body. As the blade started on its way towards the dummy, I step closer and unwind my form. My hips turned, my back stayed straight, and my arms swung all at once.

Completing the swing, I stand up straight, and set the butt of the scythe on the ground. I release my breath, and the dummy slides apart cleanly in two. I groan as my muscles all burn for a moment at the extreme sudden motions. Their precious oxygen used up.

Don't do that again! You almost tore several muscles! Clu shouts in my head. I chuckle-groan in response. Looking over my work, I see that the typical tears in the material weren't present. A nearly perfect cut, save for the end where I started to run out of momentum. The leather armor was more torn apart than cut, but in half the dummy now lie.

Don't worry about a repeat performance. I know I can only do that once every few days. I tell Clu as I move onto the medium bronze Armored dummy.

Readying the blade once more, I go for a simple cut at the temple. The blade ripped through about half of the dummy's head and helm. I have to rip the scythe out, taking the head with it. I grimace as I use my boot to remove the helmeted dummy head from the blade.

You still hate fighting, don't you Osiris? Clu asks me before my next attack. I give a deep sigh aloud.

"As much as I hate killing, I know that it is a necessity for me to know how to fight." I tell him as I swing at the headless dummy. Having used the back of where the blade is attached to pummel the chest plate, caving it in with the force.

A tear drops from my right eye as memory overcomes me...