//------------------------------//
// 19. With Rock and Stone 
// Story: Wolves of Night and Blade: Book I 
// by One of Nine 
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“Ok, I’m going to need flying lessons. That and any magic tips anyone wants to give.” I muttered to myself as I ran my hands over my new appendages. Their black feathers ruffling slightly, their oils slipping over my padded hands.
Snow drifted over the assembled crowd of ponies, Hippogryphs, and Wargs (living and undead), bonfires had been built to provide light and warmth. The Princesses had gone around and passed out blankets, tending to the wounded and assisting where they could. Steinkjøtt had said he knew a spell that could fix the downed train. From the way he and his warriors were working, digging up and placing stones in a circular pattern, I was silently praying for the best. I lifted my nose to the whistling air, feeling a cold shiver roll down my back.
“Those things caused this, why are we letting them stay? We should just shove them off the cliff and be done with them!” Snarked a lime green mare with a brown mane, shivering under a blanket in her misery. “And that black one’s not helping one bit, just sitting there like limp of coal.”
I was somewhat insulted by that but shoved it off and went to go check on the Princesses (and get away from the complainers). We’d set up a nearby cave as our base, a decent sized one, big enough to cram everyone inside if needed. We’d also draped a large 30’ by 40’ tarp over the entrance, keeping the cave warm. I found the royals inside, assessing the situation and the Wargs outside. The Main six sat around the royals, adding to the conversation every now and then. A large bonfire flickering in the center of the group, set below a hole in the roof, allowing the black smoke to exit easily. The only undead Warg present was Steinkjøtt, having been the only one the Two Sisters trusted at the moment. He sat by the entrance, rubbing his chin as he looked over Celestia’s plans to get the train back in working order.
Stone shook his head with a sad sigh. “That won’t work. The wheels on the left side are bent and some even in half, you can’t hope to repair them in that fashion. They’ll break faster once weight is put on them, they’ll break faster than can be fixed in this weather.”
“Excuse me?” The Solar Princess huffed, shooting the ancient Warg a scowl that could kill him all over again. “You’re the ones who broke the train in the first place. And my little ponies were the ones to constructed that very train, I believe they can do so again.”
“Yes, but are those very same ponies here at this moment?” Challenged Stone, his ears flattening in anger. “Can you say for curtain that this will work till we return? Can you say that our food, water, and firewood will last until help arrives? Or until a storm rolls around to wipe you out?”
Celestia put on a strained neutral face. “All I know is that if I teleport ponies from here to Canterlot, I’ll need at least an hour to restore my mana. The largest group I’ve ever transported was fourteen ponies, but I can’t remember how far it was. It depends on how many ponies I’m teleporting and how far. But I’d rather not wait an hour, only to return to find more than half of my little ponies buried under five feet of snow.”
Luna stepped for the side, leaving Haven to read her book. I smiled, remembering my own joy in reading adventurous and action-packed novels. The She-Warg frowned at the ancient Warg. “You were the one who put us in this debacle, I will see to it that you get us out. Don’t try and pin this one on my sister, she has enough to worry about. From what I see, all you’re doing is moving rocks and painting them!”
“Everypony, please try and calm down.” Quietly ushered Fluttershy, though her words went unnoticed.
“It’s part of the ritual.” Deadpanned Steinkjøtt.
“Is it?” The Lunar Princess lifted a brow, annoyed. “Nothing is being done!”
“It’s not yet time.”
Luna snarled, stepping closer and lifting her ears and tail. Her wings fluffed to make herself look bigger. “Well, you had better hurry. Ponies out there are starving and freezing. You got them into this, you need to get them out!”
With that, she exited the cave with a huff. I looked over to an apologizing Celestia. “The dragons and I can keep the fires going, but with the gathering cold, it won’t be for long.”
Twilight looked taken aback as she perked up. “It’s getting colder?”
I nodded. “The wind’s shifted toward us. From the breeze I caught, it’ll only drop in temperature. Everything will freeze.”
The Solar Princess gulped, then looked to Stone. “Then let’s hope this works.”
“It will.” Said the grey Warg.
I nodded at them all and left the cave, Haven looked up and followed me out. She slipped under my new right wing and huddled between it and my body for warmth. I thankfully had enough control over them to press the limb over her and hugged her back.
“Hey, wolf!” Shouted Blueblood.
I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to drown a snarl. I turned to see the snowy stallion with brass heir, the fuzziest blanket draped over him. “Yeah?”
He frowned and jabbed a finger at the fire. “Light the fire back up, it’s cold.”
I breathed out a silent retort and inhaled deep, calling up my fire. With a loud roar, I released a torrent of flames, smiting the logs. Their renewed crackling and sizzling greeted my ears. “Done.”
Before I could turn around, and other group called to me, asking politely to rekindle their dying fire. I did so with a smile, and decided to check on everyone else, Haven staying beside me at all times. As we continued, a rock-splitting roar erupted through the area. Seconds later, a hulking mass of brown fur, teeth, and claws burst through the snow bank. A bear. It was thrice the size of the normal grizzly, standing (if on hind feet) 13’ 5”. It roared again as it charged the nearest bonfire group. The mass of ponies scattered, but not before a unicorn was claimed by its huge paws.
“A Fjellbjørn,” Stone breathed. “A Mountain Bear.”
The beast claimed two more lives with a chomp, their screams silenced by sharp teeth.
“How do we get rid of it?” Asked a now calm Luna. She look Haven and handed her off to Celestia, summoning her energy blades.
My eyes widened as a crying filly was silenced by the bear’s paw. She became a stain in the snow, prompting my hands to curl into fists and a snarl to escape my throat.
“You kill it.”
Luna grimaced as she scowled at the bear, her teeth glistening in the light. “Good.”
“Its unlike most creatures, similar to Changelings, it eats a singular emotion. It drains fear, and with that fear, it grows in strength.” Informed the undead Warg, quickly ordering his army to create a wall with themselves and gather all the ponies behind them. Celestia teleported the last of the ponies next to her, Luna and I were left alone with the bear. “With all the fear that the ponies just gave it… and are, it’ll be very hard to kill.”
Luna and I looked back in annoyance, the Princess yelled back. “Then why aren’t you helping us?!”
“Fjellbjørn were used as beasts of trial for many of the old Warg clans, face it with no fear and you’ll reign victorious! And by tradition, no weapons, only your claws!” Luna gaped and watched as her swords vanished thanks to Stone’s spell.
“We didn’t agree to this!” She snarked back at him, stretching out her talons.
I sarcastically pumped a fist into the cold air. “Go team! Why not have us be the distraction while he breaks the cliff, giving all three of us a one-way ticket to a frozen death?”
“It certainly feels like that.” The Lunar Princess grumbled. “You ready for this?”
“Nope.”
“Me neither.” We both looked to the hulking bear that just now noticed us, baring its teeth and towering over us in hind paws. I gulped.
The Bjørn rampaged toward us, scarring ice and earth. We stood strong, the smell of sweat overcoming my pelt. Was I freaking out? YES! Who wouldn’t be as a monster of a bear was charging them and all they got were a pair of claws and useless wings?!
Stone said that fear made it stronger, like the Yellow Lanterns. I think, I couldn’t remember if they fed off of fear. But one has little time to think when a Fjellbjørn is charging for them.
I dove to my right as Luna took to the sky. The bear came for me, sending me flying with a clawed swipe. As I lay in the soft snow, shaking my dizzy head, the beast stood over me with claws raised. Luna latched onto its back, digging all four sets of claws into its baggy pelt and started tearing away. Crimson blood soaked her limbs and teeth, yet the Princess didn’t seem to care. She beat her wings to keep the bear off balance. I shook my head, growled at myself and stood, ready for another round.
I raced forward, gathering heat into my claws. The ivory bone became red with fire, burning away the bear’s flesh and fur as I dug into the its side. But my attack lasted six seconds as a brown claw batted me away again, sending me headfirst into a boulder. My eyes spun, my gut felt like I’d just swallowed a gallon of hot sauce, and I could feel acids burning my throat. In short… I’d felt better. I stood and watched as Luna sat on the bear’s shoulders and tore out an eye. A disgusting sight, I assure you. I then looked to the boulder I’d just headbutted. I suddenly got an idea and karate chopped it down the middle, my claws still alight with flame. Grasping the two halves, I started toward the bear with the intent to bash.
Luna was now pinned by the beast, struggling under its massive paw, the other raised and ready to end her. Finally gaining some control over my wings, they beat once to boost me forward. I lowered my arms and swung the stones into the bear’s jaw, the grizzly fell back and released Luna, snarling as it lost several teeth. I glanced down to the rock I’d just used, its surface sprayed with blood. I smiled in satisfaction, pounding the boulders together in a show of strength. I released a roar, crimson flame boiling in my throat and hands. As my hands continued to warm, the stones started leaking a bright flow of lava. Bits of stone and lava crawled up my arms, melting away the braces Luna had given me and creating gauntlets of pure magma.
My other half barged his way into the forefront of my mind, we roared in the Bjørn’s face, sweltering heat pouring onto its head. The Bjørn went to snap at us, its jaws attempting to claim our snout. We snarled back and stretched our talons out further, now at a length of five inches. Our enemy stood on its hind legs again and brought its weight down on us with its claws. We inwardly laughed at its foolishness. Bringing our hands up, we stopped the Bjørn from squashing us, our magma coated claws burning away fur and flesh. The Bjørn roared and whimpered in pain, yet we had mercy and pushed it back. But the beast wasn’t done, not yet. It roared at us again, as if saying, ‘You’ll pay for that!’. We just smirked, flexing our claws. The Bjørn charged us again, bringing its claw up to strike us. We leapt back to avoid contact, but were struck flat across the stomach, a new set of scars awaiting us. Our aggravated foe snarled at us, coming around for another strike. We lifted our left wing, burrowing deep into our powers and hardening our feathers. Each feather became hard as steel and sleek as glass. The beast’s paw connected and scraped against the shield, pulling back to see its claws dulled and fractured.
The air had grown colder, snowflakes drifting in from the northwest. The clouds above began to swirl, thunder and lightning mingling among the winds. We mentally called to the gathering storm, the power that our Maker had given us intertwining with that of the growing tempest. Our wings stretched out, spreading over the snow in a vast single wave of black and beat once, propelling us toward the sky. The Bjørn seemed to have forgotten us in seconds, advancing toward Luna as she stood alone. Her pleading eyes met ours, crippling our heart with the look she gave us. She then turned back to the beast, ready to fight. But she wouldn’t be alone for long.
“Fang!” The Wargess shouted, currently miffed at our chosen tactic. “Get back here!”
We flew higher, gathering the electrical energy and pointing toward the clouds with two fingers. Lightning struck our outstretched left hand. We traced out right hand down the arm, to our stomach, and whipped it toward the Bjørn, sending streaks of blue energy through the air. Our aim was true, and the beast was struck, it cried out in pain again and turned to us, leaving Luna be. Forgotten. We narrowed our eyes and dove. We crossed our arms over our chest and dive bombed the Bjørn headfirst. Not the brightest strategy, but it worked. Snow and smoke surrounded us as we wrestled with the bear, holding it around the neck and attempting to choke it, wings pinned to our back.
“ENOUGH!!” Roared Luna, her eyes glowing a bright alabaster, lightning sparking off her outstretched wings and ivory claws.
She flapped her wings and a torrent of fireballs assaulted us and the Bjørn, we leapt back and watched as the beast roared. We smiled at the Princess, her eyes a pure silver as she now released a tornado of lightning. Her outstretched hand guided the twister, arcs of energy striking the bear as it backed up toward the cliff. At her nod, we both rushed forward. Our wings pushed us up and forward as we struck, us with our molten claws and Luna with her talons and Null fire breath. She breathed blue flames into the Bjørn’s face, we could sense its magic reserves being blocked. It reared back and leapt to strike Luna, we intervened and spread our wings like a shield, our back to the beast. Luna gave us a sly smirk and a bob of her brow, prompting us to look at her curiously. Without a word, she dove between our legs and under our wing shield, sending a lightning blast at the beast’s jaw. In an amazing feet of acrobatics and a swirling kick, Luna sent the Bjørn over the cliff’s edge. The beast roared a final time as it fell off the cliff to its doom. We waited till it crashed and sniffed, fresh blood soaked the wind. Luna stood at my left, her tail wagging ever so slightly, looking at me with interest.
“Well, that’s done.” She spread a wing over our back, looking up at us. Our eyes locked and turned fully black, a sign that we’d found our—
“Luna, Fang!” Called Celestia as she and the Elements paced up to us. With a swift nod, our other sank back into the depths of our mind, hidden away. Celestia cupped her sister’s face, checking for injuries. “Are you alright, sister?”
Luna looked over herself, seeming dismayed slightly by the few cuts and bruises she received. From what I could tell, she’d been given a multitude of future scars. The most noticeable of them being the two horizontal cuts along her cheek, below her left eye. “Nothing too severe, dear sister. All is well.”
“That. Was. AWESOME!!” Exclaimed RD as she did a loop through the air, shivering after she landed. “But, uh, could w-we go i-inside now? I think that storm Fang talked about’s coming.”
I looked to the northwest, seeing a gathering wall of white in the distance, steadily approaching. I frowned and ushered the others towards the cave. “Alright, everybody inside!”
Soon, everyone was huddled around the roaring bonfire, waiting as the cave grew in warmth. I strapped the tarp over the once yawning entrance, separating our heat from the cold. Fluttershy and another mare asked to treat mine and Luna’s wounds, we accepted and walked over to the cave’s back. I leaned back against the course rock, closing my eyes and breathing deep as the wounds were addressed, gritting my teeth as the wretched stinging claimed the dull ache. I looked over to see Luna struggling slightly, her body flinching as the alcohol was applied to her cuts. She searched my face for a moment, grunting as another injury was addressed.
“It’s been a while.” She stated, flinching away as the cuts under her eye were treated. “I haven’t had injuries this severe since my battle with…” She trailed off, her expression drowning in sorrow with a slump of her shoulders.
I nodded, silencing another snarl as the wound on my stomach was tended to. “Yeah, not the best feeling. But we don’t want those wounds to get worse, now, do we?”
Luna smiled at my cheesy grin, my lips spread wide to give her a full view of my teeth. She giggled as I bobbed my eyebrows, wanting to give her something else to focus on instead of the pain.
The Princess let loose a quiet snort, muffled by a hand covering her lips. “You’re a dork.”
I shrugged, my grin widening with a laugh. I then put my hands behind my head. “But a handsome dork, right?” The words were out before I could stop them. I wanted so desperately to smack myself.
She smiled with a snicker. “Maybe with a little hair jell, yes.”
“Nah, I don’t wear hair jell.” I ruffled the fur atop my head, between my ears.
“Really?” She said in mock surprise, a hand to her chest.
I crossed my arms, another grin building. “I’m the caveman type, o’ natural.”
“Clearly.” All other banter was halted as Haven came running up and barreling into Luna’s side, wrapping her arms around the Lunar Princess and then me.
The silver pup snuggling up into my lap and shoulder. I in turn hugging her with both left arm and wing. Luna scooted over and licked (kissed) Haven’s forehead, before she too huddled under my wing with the pup. No idea way, but I just didn’t have the heart to ask Luna to stop her snuggling. So I let her continue without protest.


=<Luna’s POV>=

	The hard dirt beneath my feet sounded with hushed grinding, keeping my tired mind from fully shutting down. As could be guessed, my dress was ruined, and my clothes were now buried beneath ten feet of snow. The fight with the bear didn’t help me with staying awake either, the ache of my muscles and joints increasing with each step as I trekked through the dark depths of the cave. Speaking of the bear, I reached up to feel my new battle scars, feeling their healed but scabby surfaces. When I was an Alicorn, a well of unending magic could be used to heal such injuries in the blink of an eye. But now, with this unknown Warg magic, I had no clue how to enact such a usually complex spell.
My eyelids were heavy, making me blink owlishly as I made my way through the shadows. The warm scent of pine reached my nose, and without thinking, I made my way towards the inviting smell. I yawned loudly under my hand, my body greatly begging for sleep’s embrace. After a moment, I’d reached the scent’s origin and steadily stretched out beside it. I was dimly aware of the warm feathers beneath me, their heat making me want to sleep all the more. My body detected the warmth of another, grumpily nudging me closer to the source and to curl up alongside it. With my body in a tight ball and laying atop the comfiest bed ever, I barely registered the large arm stretching over me and pulling me closer to the heat’s origin.
A smile crept onto my face as the warmth surrounded me, content to just stay and melt into the feathers beneath me. With my smile still present, I slowly opened an eye one last time before sleep’s claws could ensnare me fully. But they lost their grip and let me slam back into full awake mode, as I stared into a set of pure gold eyes. My breath hitched and my heart froze. Not only was I sleeping next to someone who wasn’t my sibling (not in that way, heads out of the gutters! Thank you very much), but it was another Warg. The long snout, angled ears, tan runes, and open eyes making it obvious. And it wasn’t just any other Warg, it was the only Warg who I knew that had the scent of pine; Obsidian Fang.
I started to panic, his gold eyes boring into my teal orbs. But wait… Fang had blue and gold, not solid gold. I thought for several moments before it came to me; I had Star, so who did Fang have? Who was staring at me with such intensity that it was making me blush?!
I finally gathered enough courage to look him in the eye, those gorgeous golden orbs making it hard to think clearly. “W-who are y-you?” I whispered, not wanting anypony else to listen in.
Fang’s other half grunted and looked away, glaring at a fist sized rock a foot away from his head. He didn’t answer.
I summoned all the courage at my disposal with a thick swallow. “Did you no hear me? I said—”
“I heard you just fine.” His voice was similar to Fangs, but it was heavier in bass, scratchier. Almost sounding wild and concealed behind a snarling beast’s roar. I don’t know why, but it sent a pleasant chill up my spine. I could feel Star purring at the sound, melting in joy. He turned back to me, his stunning eyes looking over my face.
“What is your name?” I asked, finding myself annoyed by his lack of communication.
He grunted, looking back at me with those eyes again. “I have none.” His voice was coated in anger, as if annoyed with someone.
“Why?”
“Why do you ask so many questions?” He snarked.
My resolve tightened as I repeated. “Why?”
The Warg huffed, letting loose a puff of smoke through the side of his muzzle. “We’d talked about a few names, but in the end, we decided to just hold off for now.”
“And why is that?”
He huffed again, bringing a hand to gently touch my new cheek scar. “You’re hurt.”
He was trying to change the subject, I hated that. “It’s nothing, I’ve had worse. But—”
A deep rumbling noise interrupted me, a snarl from within the black Warg’s chest. His jaw was clenched, and eyes narrowed, wanting revenge against the bear who hurt me. “If that Bjørn were still breathing, I’d—”
“You’d do nothing. It’s dead now, there’s nothing you can do.” I said sternly, frowning at him. His ears wilted and eyes downcast, he whined like a dog who’d been spanked.
“We couldn’t decide, that’s all there is to it.” He grumbled. “Does that answer your question? Can we go back to bed now?”
His arm started to drag me closer. While I would’ve liked to snuggle up next to the warm Warg and sniff his rich scent all night, the way he acted didn’t sit well with me. “No.”
He raised a brow, frowning. “No?”
Something inside told me this wasn’t right, that something was amiss and needed correcting. Something inside him as well as me that needed another perspective.
I looked him in the eye, going with what came out. “It’s not yet time, we’re too brittle. We aren’t one.”
His frown turned to sadness, loosening his grasp on me. He nodded as he rolled onto his back, leaving me with no cover. I shivered in the cave’s cool air.
“W-wait.” I asked through chattering teeth.
He looked over at me, his gaze becoming sympathetic.
“P-please, just for tonight? It’s cold.” I whined, pulling my best puppy dog pout.
He breathed a sigh and draped his other wing over me again, pulling me closer for warmth. His bare and bandaged chest pressed against me, the sight of firm muscles making me turn beat red. I’d always been the tallest of mares before meeting Fang, never feeling small nor frail. Yet, when I was near him, I almost felt outmatched. He was taller, stronger, and seemingly more powerful. I felt like a mouse next to him, and he the towering guardian. I knew Fang didn’t want to see me or anypony else hurt, yet he knew those things couldn’t be avoided, no matter how much he wished.
“I’m sorry.” He said, pulling me from my thoughts. “I’m not usually this grumpy. I’m usually very energetic and happy… but, I feel like I’ve been hollowed out and there’s nothing but anger and bitterness. Fang’s barring all his anger and sadness inside and it’s leaking into me. With all that’s happened; dying, losing his family and friends, and being turned into a Warg. I guess with all that weighing down on him, it’s pooling into me. So, in my anger, I’ve been giving him the silent treatment.” He sighed again, rubbing his head and lowering his eyes from mine. “I’m sorry.”
“Has he talked to you about it at all?” I inquired. “His loss?”
“No, he keeps telling himself that he’s leaving it up to God and just berries it. He’s putting it off and not dealing with it.”
“I’ll speak with him at some point.” I laid my head on my arms, looking into his eyes again.
The Warg nodded. “Good. We both need it.”
“Balder.”
“Heh?”
I smiled at him. “Balder, your name.”
The gold eyed Warg smiled for the first time, whispering his name. “Balder, Balder… Protector of Light?”
I nodded with my own smile, snuggling closer to him.
“I like it.” He whispered into my ear before falling asleep. I soon followed suit and drifted into the dream realm to sooth my little ponies’ nightmares.