True Black

by Leonofsweden

Chapter 5 Fight or Flight

29th of March.

She was pacing around the forge, absolutely furious. She had never been so furious at another pony in her entire life. How could she possibly deny her? She was most likely the best soldier in this sorry camp. White her being a Praetorian for crying out loud, the best of the best. And still Black Star couldn't see the benefits of having her in the combat exercise. She stopped suddenly as realization hit her. Of course she could see the benefit; Black Star was just denying her because she could. Not being allowed to participate in the exercise would make the job of reporting on Lobo´s prowess all the more difficult. She gave a snort in frustration while marking Black Star as a pony she absolutely hated. She grabbed her hammer and smashed it down on the anvil making it sing out that lovely metallic sound. Relief flooded into her as she smashed the hammer, so she continued to bash the anvil as if it were her tormentor. She took a couple of deep breaths as the fury was ebbing out of her.

“You know, Praetorian, it works better if you have a piece of metal there on the anvil.” Bender's voice boomed out while still keeping a calming tone. She looked up and saw the big brown stallion with his red, fiery main and eyes standing just a couple of meters away. She must really have been angry for Bender to get that close to her without her noticing him. He was looking at the dark purple mare, with her deep blue mane and even deeper blue eyes and sighed.

“Feeling a bit on edge girl?” He asked.

“Now what could possibly have given you that impression?” She answered in that singsong voice of hers.

“Well girl there might have been a clue or two.” He said and walked up closer to her.

“I told you before to just call me Praetorian.” She scolded him.

“Why not just tell me your name?” Bender wondered.

“There’s no need for familiarities. I’ll have you know that I won't be staying here for very long.” She answered. Bender just smiled back at her, which for some reason made her feel a little better. It wasn't until now that she noticed that he was covered in some sort of armor. Curious, she stepped up to him so she could take a closer look. There was a tough fabric closest to the coat; on top of that there was: ring mail, another layer of tough fabric, more ring mail, and then ending with a third layer of fabric. She looked puzzled at the construction of it. The fabric had the same brown color is his coat, which was why she had missed it when he was standing in the shadows. Bender saw her interest and did a little circle in front of her. Immediately she noted how easily he could move in the armor. Bender grinned back at her proudly, as he showed off his work.
“It’s of my own design, and it's quite comfortable. I can move faster and it’s twice as effective at stopping arrows when compared to regular steel armor.” He informed her and stopped in front of her again. She started walking around him with a calculating look.

“Everything is always twice as good as the last model when the inventor explains it. I'll remain skeptical for now.” She answered him.

“Come on Praetorian! I'll even give you a lifetime warranty on your first order.” He said but could barely keep a smirk of his face. He knew all Praetorians had to wear their mythril armor, so he could play the scrupulous sales pony part all he wanted. She looked at him with a playful little grin, catching on to what he was doing.

“Wow… A lifetime warranty, on the armor you say. So if it doesn't work I can just come back again and… Oh wait I'll be dead if I ever need to use the warranty won't I?” She said with a smile. Bender put a hoof to his head and looked stricken.

“Oh darn! You found me out girl! That warranty usually gets them every time!” He said with a chuckle as he walked past her and grabbed a two hooved War Hammer from a collection he had stored at the back of the forge. Bender tested its weight before he gave a satisfied grunt and walked over to the anvil. He then proceeded to quickly wrap it in a lot of padding, so it ended up resembled a big pillow on a stick.

“What are you doing?” She asked as she trotted up to him. She wouldn't admit it, but she was beginning to get annoyed at the smith’s casual treatment of her. Bender never deferred to her simply because she was a Praetorian, most others would. No other pony she'd met would dare talk to her like Bender calmly did ether. Although come to think of it… that might not be a bad thing. Bender looked up at her a bit unhappily.

“Making myself ready for the worst idea in history… Well that might be stretching it a bit, but it's a bad idea.” He stated. Her eyes went round as it all clicked into place.

“You're fighting Lobo!? But you're a smith!” She exclaimed. Bender raised an eyebrow at her.

“So are you, and I'm actually a Sellsword. Or more correctly, I used to be. My special talent is using hammers, be it to shape metal or crushing skulls… It doesn't seem to matter. I'm quite proficient on both accounts. I do prefer to use my skills in metallurgy; it's less messy. Nowadays I only offer my services to one pony in the entire empire.” He answered while he hefted the war cushion on his back. She let her eyes roam over him once again. She could see all the scratches, patches and repairs the armor had sustained over the years. It was quite obvious that it had been through more than one battle.

“So who is this pony who can so easily obtain your services?” She asked perhaps a little more sweetly than she had intended. He looked up at her with a smile.

“I didn't take you for the jealous type girl!” His voice boomed out happily. She cringed a little bit at this, but at the same time she couldn't deny that she disliked such competition for Bender.

“I just want you to tell me it's not Black Star.” She said defensively. Bender's eyes went round in shock.

“Buck no!!!” He said quite adamantly as he winced at the thought. She looked at him approvingly.

“So it's Lightning Strike, I saw the way you looked at her that first evening. You love her don't you?” She asked a little apprehensively. He smiled while looking back at her.

“Well of course, we grew up together after all. Our two families have been friends for generations. Even though we're not brother and sister by blood, we still see each other as such. Which is why I'm surprised that she even asked me to do this. She, more than anyone, knows this cannot end well.” He answered her. Now she was really curious.

“What do you mean not end well? Are you afraid you'll get clobbered?” She asked in a very teasing voice. Bender just looked flatly at her.

“Let's just say holding back isn't my strong suit.” Was all Bender said before he trotted out of the forge leaving her alone again. As she looked longingly after him, she caught herself thinking of how lovely his flank had looked while working at the forge. She shook her head to get rid of the images flashing through it.

By the moon! I'm not really thinking about him in that way! Get a grip girl! She scolded herself. Then she got even more annoyed.

Great! Now am even calling myself girl! Buck that stallion! I need to get out of here soon. She thought as she hefted her own weapon to her back and walked after him.

Black Star read through the letter again. Chief Decurion Avarice had answered her report on the summoning of Lobo more or less immediately by expressing his overwhelming delight at her quick results and by apologizing for not being there that evening. He decided to tell her the truth of it which was that he had actually not expected her to succeed the first time. Black Star was taken aback by that. The thought that she would not make it work had never entered her mind. The fact that Avarice was willing to spend this amount of resources to pull all this together, on something that he actually didn't think would be successful, was baffling to her. It quite frankly boggled her mind completely, but the line of thought that had really made her heart pump was near the end of the letter. She looked down at those tantalizing sentences again.

Could you possibly summon a spirit into a body that already exists? With spirits being eternal entities, could you perhaps research what would happen to the host body in such a summoning?

Those last few lines were alluring. She lowered the letter while looking straight ahead. Black Star´s brain was railing with the ideas this had brought to her. Spirits were ageless beings, so would this also be applied to the body that housed it? Could that possibly turn out to be true? That would mean if she summoned a spirit into her own body she would become immortal like the empresses! As long as nothing destroyed her body she would never die of old age. She most likely wouldn't even grow old! This might actually work! But then she frowned when something occurred to her. Not all spirits were ethereal like Lobo. For example Discord was a spirit, but he still had a body of his own according to legend. Trying to summon a spirit that already had a body into your own would be… bad. And even with a spirit like Lobo there were still problems.

"Had I summoned Lobo into my own body, we would constantly battle for control over it. By the looks of things, his will is very strong." Black Star thought. She was not at all positive that she would win such a battle for dominance. Most likely it would end up with her own awareness being thrust into the subconscious depths of her own mind. Shuddering at the thought, she then immediately put her intellect to solving the problem at hoof. It didn't take long for Black Star to start making progress. After a while she was smiling again. There would have to be some experimentation with Lobo to see if this could theoretically work. She really, really, really loved her work right now.

Lightning Strike, Bender and the Praetorian mare were standing on the top of the hill where Black Star had summoned Lobo. Just like at the summoning, more or less the whole camp was standing around the hastily prepared exercise ground, eagerly awaiting the promised spectacle. It consisted of four spears thrust into the earth. Ditches had been dug between the spears to further emphasize where the border of the exercise ground was drawn, each side about fifty meters long. Lying down in the middle of the square Lobo waited patiently for whatever was to come. His ear twitched at the familiar hoof beats of Black Star as she trotted up the hill. He gave a short growl and stood up. She didn't even spare him a passing glance while she walked up to Lightning Strike.

“I'm sorry I'm late. I was caught up in my work.” Black Star apologized, without really sounding like she meant it, while examining the Praetorian mare at Bender’s side; her distaste for the mare was poorly hidden. Then her eyes looked puzzled as they lingered on Bender in his strange armor and the big cushion on a stick he had on his back.

“Why are the two smiths here?” She wondered as she turned back to Lightning. Lightning gestured with her hoof towards Bender and the group of soldiers behind him.

“Bender is part of the exercise by my order. First we will send in the four soldiers behind him in order to see how Lobo handles himself against a squad of ordinary soldiers. If they are unable to defeat him, I will send in Bender to face Lobo.” She explained.

“Why don't you send in Bender first? He's just an earth pony. Four trained soldiers have to be better than one earth pony at fighting.” Black Star wondered out loud.

“You’re too quick to judge other ponies, Black Star. I brought in Bender for your benefit.” Lightning Strike answered not even trying to conceal the growing irritation she was feeling towards Black Star right then. Lightning even looked as if she had offended her personally.

“Okay I trust you… Even though I don't understand what he could possibly do that four soldiers couldn’t.” She answered and started walking out to Lobo. As she neared him he gave his usual grunt in pain. She rolled her eyes before coming to a halt in front of him.

“Still?” Black Star asked. Lobo just looked coldly at her.

“Always…” He answered. She gave a snort of annoyance.

“You are to participate in this exercise to your full capacity. You're not allowed to permanently injure or kill your opponents; however, you are allowed to exercise brute force within those parameters. Lightning Strike will be in command of this exercise. Am I understood?” Black Star ordered Lobo by the means of her mind control spell.

“Yes.” Was all he answered. She gave him that smile he hated and walked away. Lobos watched Black Star as she made her way back to Lightning, exchanged a few words, and then stood to the side as Lightning approach the edge of the square.

“Lobo you will face four ponies to begin with. If you passed that test, Bender will be your next opponent. As long as you're inside the square you're allowed to attack and defend according to the parameters you were given. Any attack that would most likely be lethal outside of the exercise will be deemed a finishing move, and the participant receiving it will be deemed dead in the exercise. Any questions so far?” Lightning said calmly.

“No!” Lobo shot back, as he noted that four ponies were now standing ready at the edge of the square. One was a grey Pegasus with an indigo mane and tail; she had on a light armor for increased agility in the air. Her weapon of choice was a long spear. Then there were two heavily armored earth ponies. A brown pony and beige pony both sporting blonde manes. The brown one had a double headed axe while the beige carried a great bastard sword. The last pony was a rose colored unicorn with a black mane. Her choice of weapons was two short swords. To his relief, Lobo could see that all the edges of the weapons were blunted, but it would still hurt quite a bit to be hit by them; the axe and the bastard sword could probably break a leg or his skull if he wasn't careful.

“Okay then, take your positions!” Lightning strike ordered. Lobo’s four opponents spread out. One pony to each side of the square. Lobo stood so he faced the Pegasus; she would most likely be the fastest and the first to engage. This left Lobo with the problem of having the unicorn at his back and the two earth ponies to either side. He widened his stand in the middle, eyes focused on the Pegasus while his ears flicked to every sound the others made. There was so much tension in the air that it could be cut with a knife, as all the spectators watched in anticipation. Some bets were even being placed on the outcome.

“Begin!” Lightning Strike shouted. At once the Pegasus shot forward with her spear leveled straight at him. To her apparent surprise Lobo launched straight for her as well, obviously not opting to wait in order to dodge the attack as she had expected him to. Losing her nerve at the unexpected charge, she came to a halt in the air, barely managing to catch Lobo´s strong jaws on the shaft of her spear. She was slammed down onto the ground on her back with her wings spread wide. Lobo had landed on top of her, grinning with her spear between his shining teeth.

The blood drained from the mare´s face and time seemed to slow to a halt just as Lobo´s jaws clamped down and shattered the spear shaft she had thrust in between his teeth. She was looking her death in the eye, and she knew it. Then he was gone from her view before she felt a sharp pain from her lower left hoof. With a heave Lobo launched the Pegasus through the air, so that she crashed into the unicorn coming the other way. They both tumbled backwards. The only things left were the two blades cluttering down to the ground since the unicorn had lost her magical hold on them.

Lobo´s ear twitched to the right. He shot forward just as the bastard sword came crashing down where he'd just stood. He slipped under the axe as it swung towards his skull; the draft from it ruffled his fur as he continued on. He could deal with the earth ponies later once the two real dangers were taken care of.

Now though it was Lobo’s turn to be surprised. The Pegasus took off into the sky with the broken shaft of the spear fastened under her front right leg’s armor so it now functioned as a wrist weapon. The unicorn however was still struggling to regain her balance. Not wanting to give the mare any chances, Lobo gave a quick nibble on her horn, knowing that it was apparently very sensitive. Had he not been restrained he would have ripped it out of the pony’s skull, but the nibble was enough to make her buckle to the ground again. He immediately clamped his jaws around her neck. Unceremoniously dragging her kicking and screaming backwards, letting her go to switch his hold for a finishing bite on her throat.

But before he could pretend to kill the mare his ears picked up a rustle of feathers behind him. Lobo immediately rolled to his left since the earth ponies were almost upon him on the right. The Pegasus had aimed to drive her spearhead into Lobo´s back, but she ended up shoving it into the stomach of her friend instead. Since it was very blunt, it didn't penetrate, but judging from the howls it still hurts like buck.

“Dual Wield you’re eliminated! Get out of there!” Lightning Strike called from the side. The unicorn staggered out of the square, one hoof clutching her stomach. The remaining three ponies gathered in the middle back-to-back, while Lobo prowled around them. They were now looking at him fearfully, not letting him out of their sight for a second. Lobo on the other hoof was grinning quite happily, looking at his remaining chew toys.

“Are you three just going to stand there and wait for him?! Your outnumber him three to one. Use your numerical advantage!” Lightning Strike barked out from the side.

The three remaining ponies gave each other a quick glance and a nod. The Pegasus once more launched into the sky, while the two earth pony squared off towards Lobo weapons held ready. They broke to the sides in opposite directions in order to circle around so that they could pounce on him from different angles.

Lobo kept his eyes on the axe wielder since he had been the one closest to landing a hit on him so far. His ear twitched around picking up the sounds of the approaching Pegasus. Lobo smoothly spun around clapping his jaws around the front hoof closest to him. Which was also the hoof holding the makeshift wrist-blade.

For some reason he couldn't understand why she looked surprised that the ‘third time’s the charm’ rule failed to work when she used the same attack for her third attempt. Using her own momentum against the Pegasus, Lobo sent her crashing into the charging stallion. Although the axe wielder only made a grunt as he bit down on the axe, rolled around once, and was then up on his hooves again.

The Pegasus mare however was not getting up this time. Slamming into a heavily armored earth pony was like hitting a wall at full speed. Already having taken quite a beating she was now lying unconscious on the ground. Not hesitating for a second Lobo grabbed the unconscious mare around her right back hoof. Spinning around and hoisting her up in front of him, just as the bastard sword came roaring down towards them.

The strike was a full force blow intended for Lobo, so the beige earth pony mare had no chance of stopping the blow. Being so fierce it even ripped the Pegasus mare out of Lobo's jaws, smashing her into the ground again. There was a collective sharp intake of breath around the exercise grounds. The beige mare stood frozen to the spot, unable to take her eyes off her friend gasping on the ground. It gave Lobo all the time he need as he shot forward to close his jaws around her throat.

Yanking sharply backwards he left four visible scratch marks where his canines had connected with her throat. The beige mare dropped the sword from her mouth and frantically clutched at her throat, thinking that Lobo really had ended her life. He then continued with an uppercut that hit her lower jaw squarely, whipping her head upwards.

As he lazily turned his head towards the last opponent Lobo could hear the beige mare collapse behind him. The stallion axe wielder looked desperately from side to side as he slowly backed up. Lobo started walking after him.

“Stop right there Lobo! Cleaver you can… Cleaver! Cleaver stop!!!” Lightning Strike’s voice rang out but to no avail. Cleaver's axe found its mark at Lobo's neck as he lunged for Lobo when he’d been told to stop. There was a sharp metal clang as the axe connected with the mythril collar. Lobo didn’t move an inch at the impact. Cleaver was staring into the two yellow eyes that were now only inches away. A warning growl could be heard from Lobo as he stared back. Cleaver let go of the axe and it fell to the ground. Lobo looked down on the axe and then up to the brown stallion again.

“Did you forget that you ponies made my neck and throat more or less indestructible? That wouldn't have worked even if your axe was sharp.” He stated with a sinister laugh. The stallion simply turned around and fled. As he came outside the exercise field he received several gloating comments from spectators.

“See to the wounded! And the next bastard with an ill-advised comment towards one of the participants in today's exercise will face Lobo alone!” Lightning Strike barked out at the crowd. Immediately several soldiers were hauling away the three injured ponies, so they could be tended to in the medical tent. They took extra care with the Pegasus mare since she obviously had several broken ribs. Black Star gave a low whistle.

“They didn't land one hit on him… his position as Guardian in his home realm wasn't just for show. I can’t see how Bender will fare any better all alone, just being an earth pony and all. Sure he's big, but Lobo will make mincemeat out of him in ten seconds flat.” She said in approval, feeling personally responsible for Lobo´s fating prowess. The Praetorian mare snorted, and she cued her Lightning Strike grind her teeth together.

“Lobo does have openings in his defense. A more experienced fighter could probably exploit that.” The purple mare stated and looks towards Bender. What she saw made her pause; he stood at the edge of the exercise field trembling, but the look in his eyes was not fear. It was definitely something else. Excitement and anxiety in more or less equal measures.

“This is a bad idea Lightning, I will not be able to control myself for long against him.” Bender said not letting Lobo out of his sight for a second as he paced around in the square exercise area. Lobo was also looking back at Bender with a wide grin. This had turned out to be much more fun than he had expected.

“Suck it up Bender! You better not lose it in your sister’s camp! Now show these bastards what a real warrior can do, brother!” Lightning ordered while giving him a hard punch on his flank. Black Star looked on with wide eyed surprise from Bender to Lightning. Then she mentally face hoofed as she realized why Lightning had been so annoyed with her when she badmouthed Bender by saying he wasn’t good enough to participate in Lobo´s combat trial. Black Star just had to go and insult her own love interest’s family, didn’t she!

“Well it could still end up with angry sex.” Black Star thought with a mischievous smile. Then she frowned when she thought about it. There had been nothing in Lightning Strike´s personal file that Chief Decurion Avarice showed her about Lightning having a brother. She would have to ask about that later tonight. Once again focusing on the present, Black Star could see that Bender and Lobo were now facing each other on the field. Bender hefted his war cushion from his back, then proceeding to rise up on his hind legs holding his entire weight on his hind quarters alone.

"No wonder he has such nice flanks…" The Praetorian mare thought as a serene smile she didn't notice spread across her face.

“Are you both ready?” Lightning strike asked. Letting the head of the war cushion falls to the ground with a thud, he rested some of his weight on the solid shaft and nodded. Lobo shook his head vigorously and then grinned.

“Begin!” Lightning shouted. Lobo just launched straight for Bender, jaws wide open. Bender snorted and caught his teeth on the shaft of his war cushion. His massive hind legs straining under Lobo´s weight as they came to a standstill, but they held firm. Then he showed how truly powerful they were, as he slowly step-by-step started to push Lobo back. Lobo grinned up at Bender, and then clasped his jaws down on the shaft of the war cushion, intending to shatter the handle. When that didn't happen, Lobo´s eyes went wide, as his teeth hit something solid in the center of the wooden shaft. He yelped, and jump backwards working his jaw from side to side to alleviate the pain.

“This is a war hammer I've made myself! The core of the shaft is solid metal! You won't chew through that so easily!” Bender's voice boomed out with not a small amount of satisfaction.

Lobo growled in response and started to prowl around Bender to try to find an opening. The stallion followed the Wolf in his slow circle while continuing to balance on his hind legs and keeping the war hammer at the ready in front of him. Lobo picked up speed as he continued to circle around. When he broke into a full run, Bender could no longer keep up since only moving on his hind legs made him slower. As Lobo got a full view of Bender's back he shot in towards the opening.

In an instant, Bender twisted around, bringing the war hammer overhead and crashing down straight towards Lobo. He came to a screeching halt, as the war hammer smashed into the earth inches in front of his nose. He proceeded to jump over the obstacle, but was met by a buck to the side of his head, sending him tumbling back. Lobo staggered at the power of the blow.

He was up in an instant, eyes ablaze with both fury and excitement. He was done playing now. This was a prey worthy of his full attention. Through narrowed eyes Lobo looked at the stallion in front of him. He was obviously very strong, but Lobo was faster. He did however move with much more ease than the other soldiers. Bender was actually moving as if he was dancing, although this dance was much more deadly than the usual sort.

He moved in more carefully this time, keeping his eyes focused on Bender and trying to read his movements. The problem was Lobo wasn't allowed to permanently injure Bender, or kill him. Fighting with this handicap made it quite difficult, but truth be told, he had a feeling Bender was actually returning the favor a little bit. If Lobo wasn't mistaken, Bender could actually have hit him with his second to last attack. Even with the padding on the war hammer that would probably have crushed his skull, at least judging by the strength this particular stallion seemed too possess.

All of a sudden Bender gave a battle cry, and lumbered towards Lobo. Bender wasn't quick in moving from place to place, but once an opponent was within his reach, he would begin his deadly ‘dance’. The war hammer came swinging towards Lobo. He ducked left, and then rolled right, rolled further right again to avoid getting stomped on, jumped up over the next blow, landed and ducked under a kick. The instant Lobo saw a small opening towards Bender's throat, he went for it ending up with the shaft of the war hammer once again between his jaws.

Bender immediately started pushing him backwards. Lobo´s eyes lit up when he realized he didn't need to play Bender's game of push and shove, immediately pulling Bender towards him, adding his own strength to Bender's momentum. Lobo rolled over on his back pulling his opponent over him, kicked up with his hind legs, and sent Bender flying through the air.

The stallion gritted his teeth as he made himself ready for the impact of hitting the ground again. He smashed down hard on his back. The impacts making him lose his breath. Ignoring the fact that he was choking he forced himself up again.

As he looked towards Lobo, I'll he saw was Lobo´s wide open jaws coming towards him. Bender didn't have time to do more than shove his left hoof down Lobo's gullet. Lobo´s eyes went wide as the armored hoof was forced down his throat.

Gagging and coughing he back pedaled desperately, almost throwing up as the hoof was yanked out. Through blurry eyes Lobo looked up at Bender who was winding up for a ferocious blow with the war hammer. His eyes were pinpricks, and he had a manic smile across his face.

This was not the Bender who had been holding back on his blows, as not to injure Lobo earlier in the fight. He could feel the alarms screaming in his head, the Bender before him was truly aiming to kill him.

Lightning strike was screaming for Bender to rein himself in, but he wasn't responding to any outside stimulation anymore. Bender only had his senses set for the fight and his opponent now. Lobo ducked left, but still received a glancing blow that sent him tumbling. He was up on his paws immediately again, and Bender was already bearing down on him. All of a sudden Lightning Strike appeared between them hoofs raced high and wings spread wide.

“Bender stop it right now!!!” She yelled as the great stallion as he came to a halt before her. Bender still had his war hammer raised as he looked down on Lightning, trying to decide if he should kill her or not. His whole body was shaking while he fought to hold himself back. Then he let out a great scream, turned around and threw the war hammer in a great arc to land with a thud between Black Star and the Praetorian mare who both jumped to the side. When he looked back at Lightning, his eyes had returned to normal, but Bender was not happy.

“I'm told you this would happen! I almost lost it again! I could have killed him! I could have killed you!!! What were you thinking coming between us?!” He bellowed at her with fear in his voice.

“I'm… I'm sorry I shouldn't have made you do this. It's been years since you fought last. I thought it would take longer for you to… you know…” Lightning said apologetically as she folded her wings and stood down on all fours again. She walked up to him and put a calming hoof on his chest.

“It doesn't work that way! You of all ponies should know that…” He said quite frustrated.

“I'm sorry, I won't ask you again. And just wanted you to… Impress.” She said and cast a glance at Black Star. Bender followed her glance and snorted.

“I think you got that the wrong way around… She has to impress me if she wants to be with you, and you should watch yourself with her. I know she ticks off almost every box you like in a mare, but if you haven't noticed she has a couple of drawbacks as well.” He stated as he looks down at her with concern.

“I know how to take care of myself you know. And I think she's worth it. It might not happen overnight, but I'll turn her around. Besides you’re one to talk, falling for a Praetorian of all things.” She said and gave Bender a playful punch on his shoulder, before heading back towards Black Star.

“This exercise is over! Lobo you take the rest of the evening off. There's going to be a full moon tonight, so it will probably be a good time to hunt if you feel up to it. You can look for me in the morning.” She called back to the Dire Wolf. And besides, with what she was planning to do to Black Star, she wanted to be sure he would not be back until morning at the earliest. Bender turned around to look for the Dire Wolf, and almost jumped when he noticed that he was sitting beside him.

“Buck it Wolf! It's true what they say about you. Big as a house quite as a mouse…” Bender said with something of a strained smile on his face. Lobo looked at the great stallion a bit apprehensively.

“You were really trying to kill me in the end, weren't you?” He asked. Bender looked away and sighed.

“It's nothing personal. I kind of lose myself in a fight, and to tell you the truth, even I was surprised that it happened that fast. There is something about fighting you; it just taps into the primeval side of me straight away.” He stated as he walked away down towards the camp. On the way down many of the soldiers approached him. Giving him their voice of approval, while stating how lucky the Wolf was that the fight was interrupted. Bender agreed that it was a good fight, but promptly reminded them that Lobo couldn't fight to his full potential. Lobo didn't know why, but the fact that Bender wasn't gloating about his apparent victory actually made him feel a bit grateful. Was his ego so easily bruised? He huffed and turned around. Lightning gave him the night to himself, so he wasn't going to waste it thinking about ponies, when he could be out hunting.

The moon had risen, but it was covered by a thick layer of clouds. It didn't bother Lobo though. The hunting had been poor, but he wasn't hungry. All he wanted was to be free from the ponies for a while, walking around in the woods. Suddenly he became aware of something following him again. He growled in annoyance, but as the scent of his pursuer reached him, he realized it wasn't who he thought it would be. Lobo moved into a clearing and sat down waiting for her to catch up. When the purple mare cleared the underbrush, she halted.

“So how long have you known?” The Praetorian mare wondered.

“I knew something was following me for most of the evening, but it was just now that I caught your scent.” He said with a grin.

“Well at least…” She didn't get any further, as the full moon finally broke through the cloud cover. From the moment the first rays of moonlight landed on his body, Lobo felt complete and utter happiness wash through him. The world around him fell away; he could now almost feel his entire pack around him so tantalizingly near, giving him strength.

The Praetorian was just staring at Lobo with mouth agape in shock at the pure beauty of the scene. His fur had changed color from obsidian black, into moonlight silver, practically shining as if he was made of physical moonlight. Even the eyes emitted eerie light, and he looked so at peace and serene, it was breathtaking.

For the first time since the summoning, anyone could see without a doubt that he was a spirit from the realm of light. The clouds once again passed in front of the moon, causing the transformation to end with him fading back into his original black color. She took a couple of careful steps towards Lobo. He hadn't fully seemed to come out of his moonlight induced stupor, turning his head towards where the moon should be, Lobo gave a melodious howl in thanks that was so filled of sorrow and loneliness; it almost made her burst out in tears. She was standing beside him now.

“What… What was that?” She asked. Lobo turned towards her.

“I was feeding…” He said slowly and calmly.

“Feeding? On moonlight?” She wondered. He put his head to one side while he regarded her. It actually had the effect of making him look quite endearing despite his otherwise sinister appearance.

“Yes. Moonlight is more or less the same as the light of my home realm. So I can absorb it and gain strength.” He explained. The mare looked thoughtfully at him.

“What kind of strength?” The purple mare asked.

“As far as I've noticed, almost all of my injuries disappear if I'm in direct moonlight for a prolonged period of time.” Lobo stated and slowly turned towards the hidden moon again. This was a staggering revelation. The Praetorian was pretty sure that not even Black Star knew this about Lobo. At least she thought she didn't.

“Does Black Star know this?” She asked carefully. Lobo growled while he thought about ripping Black Star's throat out. Then his eyes shot wide open in realization. There was no pain in his head when he thought of harm towards Black Star, no shards of glass pushing through his mind. He was free to think what he wanted again. The light from the full moon had been much more intense then just a night before. Did the healing from a full moon go deeper? Maybe he was free to do more than think about hurting ponies now. Slowly looking up at the mare standing beside him, he smiled widely at her…

Thanks to Meeester for the Pre-read/Edit