//------------------------------// // 27. A Royal Problem part 2 // Story: Wolves of Night and Blade: Book I // by One of Nine //------------------------------// Chapter 27: A Royal Problem part 2 It’s always one thing to work the nightshift and sleep the day away. It’s another to work the nightshift, not get a wink of sleep, and begin early. The start of my troubles had started in days before, when I’d saw that my sister refused to notice my hard work. Making the nights accommodating for her and our subjects. And like before my banishment; she ignored my tributes. Through the next few evenings, I saw her chatting merrily with our subjects and having parties. She continued sharing jokes, drinking wine, and eating cakes (scarfing them down was more like it). With all those sweets, one could only wonder how she stayed fit. The answer; lots and lots of morning workouts. BLAH!! However, among my seething, Fang had approached me and spoke about my bitterness towards my sister. Apparently, he’d noticed my shift in attitude, unlike many ponies I’d passed by every day. I was starting to see how self-centered and oblivious the ponies were. Was I like that at times? Did I tend to focus on myself more than others? No, of course not. I was a Princess of Equestria! I served my people and made their lives easier! How could I be self-centered?! Right? Fang had pointed out Tia’s distressed features; how her eye would twitch whenever a bad joke was shared, and she’d force a smile. How almost every reply was a secret cry for help and every fidget was a lurch towards the door. “That’s not a smile, that’s her pleading for a rescue.” He’d said with a chuckle. “She looks like she’d be okay with someone kidnapping her and running away to a high tower.” I’d shrugged him off at the time, focusing on my work. But what if he was right? Could Tia be suffering more than I? “Suffering from boredom”, Fang would’ve laughed. Was I really spending too much time with him? Did I know him so well that I could even tell what he’d do? Were we that close? However, against my intuitions, I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on my own situation. A sudden knock on my room’s door jerked me back to reality, causing me to shamefully stutter when I spoke up. “W-who is it?” The voice of Obsidian Fang answered from beyond the wooden door. “It’s me, Fang. You wanted to see me, Luna?” I smiled, apricating his curtesy. “Yes, enter.” “How’re you doing?” Said the ash furred Warg as he entered, fixing me with his ocean blue and gold eyes. “All good?” My smile kept as I nodded, until saw his bandaged hands. The wrappings stained with blood. I looked back to his face before speaking, the scars reminding me that he was always there to keep me safe. “I am, but are you? What happened to your hands?” I picked up the smallest of grunts from him as he flexed his right hand, observing it for himself. “Aside from the hundreds of needles and aching, I’m fine.” “Are you sure? How did you hurt yourself?” He chuckled softly before speaking, giving off a small air of pride. “I smashed my way through the magical barrier. It was the spell that had kept your magic away from you.” My jaw nearly fell into my lap. “Y…You WHAT?!” “Uh, I destroyed the barrier between you and your magic.” He said in confusion as he tapped his fists together, demonstrating. He soon brought one of the infirmary’s chairs to sit in and took his seat. “B-But… That’s impossible!!” I nearly shouted, picking my slack jaw up. “Nopony has EVER broken a magical barrier besides Starswirl the Bearded!!” Fang just smiled in victory, folding his arms over his chest. “One, I’m not a pony. Two, you might want to tell Starswirl that he’s got competition. And three, nothing is impossible with God.” I thought on his last sentence for a minute. “Fang, speaking of God… how do I get to know Him better?” The black Warg smiled. “Well, as the Bible says; you must become a son or daughter of the Father to truly know Him. Anyone who is not with Him, doesn’t know Him.” I was stunned for a second or two. “Does that mean that I’d have to renounce my family? Abandon Tia?!” “Uh… no.” His smile faltered for a moment but returned as sure as it had before. “In a sense? In coming to know God…” He paused before deciding to switch tactics. “Picture it like this; do you believe in God?” “Yes.” I nodded without hesitation. “Yes, even unbelievers and the demons believe in God.” His smile grew wider. “But do you believe God?” “Isn’t that the same question?” He shook his head, his smile returning. “No. To believe in God is to believe He simply exists. To believe Him… to know Him, to see Him, to feel Him. It is to believe His words.” In a burst of his fiery magic, Fang’s bible teleported into his hands, causing him to grunt in irritation. “His word; the Bible.” Words failed me for the second time that morning, my mind slowly connecting the dots. His smile kept as he spoke, getting stronger after he saw my expression. “In reading His word; His recorded gift to us, we can come to know Him. And through knowing as my Heavenly Father, He gives me strength and power when I need it. How else do you think I could’ve gotten through the barrier?” I shook my head, waking myself up from my stupor. “W-Wait, that was God’s power?!” The prideful air around him vanished in an instant, replaced by its opposite. He took a breath before speaking. “Everything I’ve done is to the Lord. All my great deeds are His, not mine. My power is His, my strength is His, my soul is His, my mind is His, and my heart is His. I’ve given all I have to Him because I know that He loves me beyond understanding. He will never forsake me, never deny me what is good, and never turn His wrath upon me. I am His and He is mine. Greater is He who is in me, than he who is in the world!” I thought about all the times that I’d felt alone. Every time I was shunned by the ponies and cast aside by Tia before my banishment. I felt rage and sorrow building up in my heart, threatening to overwhelm me. It had been so long, but I still hated every minute of those days. And to see Tia ignoring my efforts during the past few days, reminded me of all those years. Always shunned, always alone. My eyes looked up to Fangs’ through the loose strands of my silver locks, his face holding nothing but a fiery passion for his Father. I thought back on his words, all he had; he’d given himself to God. Fully. All of Fang’s power, all his amazing strength, was God Almighty’s, not his. The scars that he’d gotten from Chrysalis, running down his face. God had taken away the pain for him to push on. My eyes then looked down to his abdomen, where the claw scars of both the Bear and Manticore lay behind his maroon cotton shirt. Finally, my eyes turned towards his left hand, the massive scar. The one where Chrysalis’ sword had pierced his palm, I remembered the blade’s tip a mere inch from my snout. God had given him the strength to face these threats, and I had a feeling that He had much more to give. “Fang?” I finally asked, my breath faltering. “Hm?” My hands grew unsteady as I gripped the covers around me, bringing my knees to my chest. “C-could you... answer another question?” “Sure. What’s is it?” I drew in a long breath before speaking, looking him in the eye. “What exactly is a Christian?” He grew a sideways smile. “Well, a Christian is a fallower of Jesus—” “Yes, I know that.” I interrupted, and by the look on his face, Fang didn’t take too kindly to it. “Sorry…” “Should I continue?” He asked with a creased brow, a small frown on his snout. “Or should I stop?” “No, no! It’s just- just, I’d like to hear about it in depth. I guess my real question is… who is God?” Apparently, he didn’t like being interrupted. His smile returned with a nod. “Remember what I said about the Trinity back at the Summit? About how God is three in one? The Father, the Christ (or the Son), and the Spirit. That is God, He is three-in-one. He had no beginning and has no end. He is eternal. The God-head is eternal, the Son is eternal, and the Spirit is eternal. The Father orchestrates, the Son executes, and the Spirit animates. The Father plans everything out, from beginning to end. The Son, or Jesus, executes the plan and gets things moving. And the Spirit keeps everything moving, like the perfect engine in a car. God is the sower, Jesus is the water, and the Spirit is the gardener, yet they are all the God-head.” I struggled to rap my mind around it all, remembering the confusion I’d felt at the Summit. Three in one? Eternal? How could that be?! Not even me nor Tia were immortal, regardless what ponies today thought. How could someone be immortal? Truly immortal? Why did the Father plan everything out? Why was Jesus the one to accomplish those plans? And what did this Spirit keep going? What did it, or rather he, power? “You ok?” Fang’s voice tore me from my musings, the sound sending an electoral current down my spine. “Y-yes… and, no.” “Care to explain?” He said with a soft, understanding look. “How could God be immortal? How is He eternal? And how could He be three in one? That doesn’t make sense!” Laughter drifted through the dark Warg’s throat as he lightly shook his head. “You know what? I don’t understand either.” I gave him a look that surpassed awestruck shock. “Just ‘cause you don’t understand someone, doesn’t mean you can’t know them.” “I-I’m sorry, it’s just that… I’m sure that even the smartest minds in Equestria would be driven mad by such a concept.” He gave another chuckle. “Luna, He’s the one who made the smartest minds in Equestria. He made the very universe in a day, all of creation was crafted with His words. Not one person, animal, tree, flower, rock, or grain of sand is out of place in the time it was planned to be. All of creation started with four words; ‘Let there be Light.’ God saw that it was good, and so it was so.” Fang cleared his throat. “Anyway, you wanted to know who I am as a Christian, yes?” I nodded but cocked my head. “’Who you are?’ I already know who you are. You’re Fang; the brave and noble knight!” A light blush consumed my cheeks. “HA!” He belted out as his snout pointed to the ceiling, then looked back at me with a bright smile. “That’s only the name of my shell; my body, my jar. I am not Fang, I am not a Warg, I am not flesh; cursed and defiled. I am a child of the most high God, I am a servant to my Eternal King, and I am a brother in Christ Jesus my savior.” Again, my mind became a maelstrom of thoughts. However, these thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. I looked over with Fang to see Raven Inkwell, Tia’s prime secretary, poked her head through the door’s crack. The mare with a white coat and black mane straightened her broad glasses before speaking. “Your Highness, the patrons are waiting.” Fang turned back to me with a wounded smile. “Duty calls, fair maiden.” He then stood and bowed to me, a wickedly childish smile on his muzzle as he looked up at me, he even bobbed his eyebrows. This made me blush all the more, though my thick fur hopefully hid it. “A-and to you, noble Knight.” “Good day, curious child.” With that exchange, Fang stood and headed for the door, passing Raven before stopping and turning back to her with a puzzled look. “Have we met before? Raven Inkwell, right? Sounds familiar.” Despite Fang’s height, Raven kept calm and looked him square in the eye. “Perhaps her Highness spoke of me while I was away.” The Warg nodded but kept his confused face. “Yeah. But, just out of curiosity, where were you?” “On vacation.” The mare grumbled out, much to Fang’s added confusion. “Is a vacation so bad?” “When you work for the Princesses, yes. It takes professionalism to keep them on schedule.” Raven stood proudly with her head held high. “That and add the fact that she’s a workaholic.” I snickered. Raven’s pride deflated with a grumble before she ushered Fang out and turned back to me, preparing to shut the door. “Have a good evening, Your Highness.” “Same to you Raven.” I bid the mare farewell as she closed the door and left me alone in my room. Alone… once again. My head turned toward my nightstand, my eyes landing on a black leather bound book with golden pages. Had Fang left his bible on purpose? If so, why? I found my hand reaching out for the book, and as I grasped it, a soft whisper drifted to my ears. Powerful as claps of thunder, warm as the sun’s rays, and so much more. “You are never alone, dear child.” -=Fang’s POV=- UUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Why, O God Almighty, did you have to send someone THIS annoying and… tedious!! A test of my patience, maybe? I sat in Celestia’s throne, my head resting against the back, and eyes lazily drooping as I half listened to the noble in front of me. The guy’s name was Mighty Longwinded. You could guess by the name that he was a talker. So, here I sat as the jerk prattled on and on. What was he rambling on about? Good question, I stopped fully listening after the first hour. Thankfully though, the guy had his eyes closed for most of his “speech”, if you could call it that, and didn’t notice me nodding off. But, a quick jab from Raven, and I was awake. To my embarrassment, I yelped myself awake during two of those pokes. She leaned down next to my ear, whispering enough to be heard over Longwinded. “Don’t warry, sire. Just another hour and we’ll be done.” “What a relief.” I slumped in my seat, clasping a hand over my chest to check if I was still alive. At that point in the Court, I was dying of boredom. “… and to top that off, the baker had the nerve to ask me to leave! Can you imagine, ME, a high noble of society, forced to leave such a fine establishment? But I didn’t let him get away with it, no sir…” The guy finally opened his eyes, causing me to sit up straight and put on a neutral but tired face. “Now, about that minor loan of pocket change, your Eminence?” Balder and I inwardly groaned at his use of flattery. ‘Seriously?! He’s still on about that? You still up for the flawless tactic of tossing him out the window? He’s a unicorn, he can’t fly right?’ “I’ll keep that in mind for emergencies.” I whispered back to my counterpart, before rising my voice so everyone in the room could hear. “Longwinded, you are a noble, and therefore, you have a strong fortune to back your wants and needs. Why come to the Crown if you could just pay for it yourself?” The stallion straightened his tan suit jacket, smoothing out his emerald green tie. He was a lemon yellow stallion with a mint green mane and tail. The guy also had no fashion sense, but then again, neither did I. “Well, Great and… Intimidating, Lord Fang, I would pay for it myself. But the tax of placing a bid on such a high bit item is such a bother, I was hoping to save my finances for more important—” “So, instead of using your own money to back your purchase, you would use the Crown’s money and then owe us a debt? Not only would you be using someone else’s money to buy this… thing, but you would do so, knowing that there would be a debt if you didn’t pay it back in full within the time limit? That’s not a wise decision. That and, why bother with it if it isn’t ‘worth your time’ in the first place? If you really want it, buy it with your own bits.” “W-well, I—” “From what I know, I receive a weekly payment of about 460 bits, and that’s with a seventy-five percent bonus for keeping Equestria under my charge.(*)” I pulled out my phone and brought up the calculator app, typing away. “That leaves you at about 345 bits weekly, and how expensive is this item?” (* I suck at finances that deal with a lot of math, please correct me if I’m wrong.) “F-five-hundred-and six bits…” He grumbled; his fists tight. I gave him an unimpressed look, furrowed brows and all. “And seeing as you inherited your families’ fortune by birthright, I think you have more than enough to buy this “high dollar” item. Don’t you agree?” Longwinded grumbled as his fists shook. “Y-yes, your Radiance. But i-if we could—” “No.” I said in a loud and stern voice, dropping it an octave. “This… talk is done. You can go.” “Bu—” I leapt up from my seat and spread my wings till their tips touched the pillars on either side of the throne, similar to how Celestia did it. With my eyes locked onto the terrified stallion, glaring at him as he trembled at the bottom step on the dais, I spoke with Balder’s vocals backing me up. “I said; this conversation is done. Now go.” Longwinded soon found himself escorted out of the throne room by two guards, soon rejuvenating his loud protests. I shook my head at the display, folded my wings, and turned around to see a shocked Raven Inkwell, her eyes wide and mouth agape. “Uh, you ok Raven?” I asked, knowing I could be scary at times. My answer came as she pointed above me. I looked up to find another pair of wings stretched over where my own wings had been. If I had stretched my wings out, it would’ve looked as though I had two pairs of wings. But the wings were ghost-like, like ash that had taken the form of wings. wisps of black smoke trailing off them. I could think of only one who could’ve made them appear. “Balder?” ‘Um… that wasn’t me, dude.’ I thought of anyone else who could’ve made the wings appear. Celestia? No, she was in her room, resting. Luna? Nope, same as Celestia. Twilight? No, she was in Ponyville, unless she came unannounced… Still no, not her style to do stuff like this. Hm… Discord? The throne room suddenly got a serious case of omnipresent cackling, the hysterical laughter echoing off the walls. The laughter slowly centered onto a stain glass window depicting the famous Draconaquis dangling ponies on strings like puppets. The stain glass Discord suddenly clutched his stomach as he began laughing his head off, the depiction’s head literally being flung across the window with a series of Ping-Pong sounds. The head soon returned to its owner as the glass Draconaquis looked at me with his one eye, his cackling soon dyeing down. “Oh! THAT WAS PRICELESS!! THE LOOK ON HIS FACE! HAHA!!” “Discord.” I greeted with a bow of my head. “How’s it goin’?” The Draconaquis looked me over for a second, his laughter halting completely. He then shrugged and looked back at me with a smug smile. “You’re defiantly nicer than old Sun butt. She usually goes…” His head was replaced with a plushy Celestia head, the mouth moving along with his imitation. “Discord… what is the meaning of THIS INTRUSION??!!!” The Celestia head vanished with a poof, leaving Discord to pout. “I forget whether that’s her or Moody Lulu…” He scratched his goatee in thought. “Oh well! Never mind that.” Discord then zapped himself right in front of me, pushing his face inches from mine with a big smile. “So, what’d you think about the wings? You like?” “A bit.” I chuckled, refusing to breath in his garlicy breath. “But first…” I pushed him away enough that he took a step back. “Personal space, dude. And, two words; breath mint. Please.” He then raised a hand to his mouth, breathed on it, and took a whiff. The effect was instant, making the thousand old Draconaquis gag at his own breath. He then produced a can of breath freshener, sprayed the condense down his throat, and gulped down the can. “I don’t think that will cut it.” I said, trying to hide my laugh with a cough. “You’ll need something stronger for thousand year lack of tooth care. Did the doctors faint when they saw the state of your teeth?” “Eh, most of them.” He shrugged again with a laugh. “Anyway, putting your manners aside, I came here because I thought you might need something fun to do. But I see you got your hands full with… this.” “Yeah… this.” I groaned as I sat back down, slouching into the throne. “More than half of the people who come here are either asking for more cash or have some stupid scheme they want to get past me.” “And what about the ponies who have something worthwhile?” Asked Discord, seeming to take an interest. “I’ll usually grant it, but if it concerns money, I’ll send them to the banks. If it’s an autograph from the Princesses, I’ll ask them to wait either until the Princesses are available or offer mine.” “Your Highness.” Interrupted Raven while tapping her watch, saying we didn’t have time for chitchat. I turned to Discord after a moment of thought. “Hey Discord? Would you like to help me during these last few patrons?” Everyone in the room gaped at my proposal. Discord’s jaw dropped to the floor like a two ton anvil had weighed it down, the stair below cracking under the weight. “M-m-m-ME?!!!” The Draconaquis shouted, causing the windows to flip and spin on their sockets. “Ja (Yes).” “N-Nopony’s ever asked me for help. Not like this, anyway.” He said with puppy dog eyes and a small smile, a tear in his eye. “Well, I’m asking. Want to help me?” “YES!!!” The Draconaquis squealed with glee, dancing on his toes/hoof tip. Discord proceeded to dance before doing a little Ping-Pong action through the room’s pillars, continuing his dance atop the throne. He suddenly stopped mid leap at seeing everyone’s shocked faces, then straightened himself and took a dignified stance, clearing his throat. “I mean, I accept your Highness’ offer.” I couldn’t take it any longer. I burst out a chuckling fit, clutching my stomach as my giggles soon became roaring laughter. My head hung in my palm as my elbow rested on the throne’s armrest, slowly getting my laughing fit under control. Soon after, I forced my chuckles to die with a thick gulp of air, breathing in and out a few times. I let out a single laugh, looking a shocked Discord in the eye. “Now that… was funny.” “Wow. You really do have the Element of Laughter in you.” The Draconaquis blinked once. “I like to think of it as the Element of Joy, not laughter.” I suggested. “Laughter is an action, not an emotion. Joy is a virtue, same as all the other elements. Kindness, Generosity, Loyalty, and Honesty.” “What about Magic?” “You mean the power that holds friends together?” Discord nodded his head furiously, while Raven nodded slowly and hesitantly. She seemed curious herself in where I was going. “The ‘magic of friendship’ is nothing more than Love.” At their confused stares, I elaborated. “But not the sort that couples have, it’s not that strong, just strong enough to create a bond between two or more people. Jesus showed me His love through giving himself up to all the sin and wrath what we would’ve taken us. Jesus didn’t just show us His love, He showed his dedication to his task, his power over death itself, and the thing called Grace, that was born at Calvary.” “Your Majesty.” Said Raven as I paused for a breath. “I’m sure that we all would like to hear your explanation, but we’re pressing ourselves for more time. Either we should end day court now, or we need to finish with the last… Filly?” We all turned to see a small foal, about half Haven’s size. She was covered in scarlet fur and had a grey mane that was braided, hanging over her shoulder. The filly wore a green sundress and had an orange bow in her hair, just above her left ear. Her amber eyes shined with joy and her smile never wavered, in an adorable sense. She had a blue school backpack strapped to her shoulders. The child stared on in awe as she stepped forward, admiring the architecture and artwork of the throne room. Once she had seen enough, she turned back to us and looked up towards the throne. She was scared the moment her yes met mine. “Could you tell me you name, child?” I asked, trying to make myself less threatening. “H-Honey Breeze.” I smiled at the adorableness of her voice. “A beautiful name, Honey Breeze. Very beautiful.” “Th-thanks, y-your Highness.” Honey blushed cutely. Raven checked her clipboard. “I don’t see her on the board, sire.” I hummed in thought, rubbing my chin. “Honey? Could you tell us why you’re here?” “I-I came to give the Princess thi-this, I heard she was sick.” The filly removed her backpack and pulled out a small bouquet of flowers, looking like they were picked from off the side of the road. But nonetheless, the act still touched my heart, making me smile all over again. “Honey Breeze, seeing as you are the last patron and that the court is now closing, would you like to give those flowers to the Princesses yourself?” The little filly’s eyes lit up instantly, a tiny squeal of joy building in her throat. “YES-YES-YES-YES-YES-YES-YES!!! YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!” All in the room suddenly regretted not having earplugs, chief among them being me. The child’s squeal reached the point of causing momentary deafness, making me shake my head to try and clear the fog. It didn’t help. I struggled for a few moments as my hearing came back, though everything was still a bit fuzzy. “Sire? Sire?!” Raven nearly shouted as I looked up to find her and Discord hovering over me, little Honey staring at us in horrified shock at what she’d done, hands covering her pouting lip. “Are you alright?!” “Yep.” I confirmed with a thumbs-up, sitting up straight and putting my head back to try clearing it. The pain soon faded after a short while. “I’m fine. All good… Uhhh…guys?” A sudden blurriness shot through my vision, causing me to double over in the throne. As I sat there, the world around me became a void of color and noise. But cast before my vision, clear as day, came the image of a white She-Warg with red runes. A voice as smooth as silk and warm as a beating star, the feminine voice spoke with the same age and wisdom I’d sensed from before. “I saw you once before.” She said, her glowing lavender eyes narrowing slightly. “And like before I ask again; who are you?” “I am Obsidian Fang.” I said, hoping she could hear me. Her head nodded, the beaded strands of her heir bobbing with her head. “I see. And what bloodline do you come from?” “The Nahar, so I’m told.” At this, the Wargess’ eyes widened and mouth agape slightly. “N-No. Impossible. The Nahar vanished and were presumed dead a millennia ago.” I huffed in amusement. “Well, sorry to disappoint.” “No, this is good.” She said, hand raised and the faintest smile on her snout. “It means that the Nahar are not dead, merely in slumber.” “Slumber?” I repeated. “You care to explain, please?” The Queen of Bones gave me a nod, her smile growing slightly. “Like my kin, the Nahar were a tribe of fierce warriors. They were brave, strong, and in connection with all the Chromas. But unlike my brethren, they lacked faith in the Maker, instead choosing to rely on their own strength and insisted on doing things their own way. So, when Faust the Delusional (and that being nice) came to war with us, the Nahar had created a door to another realm. They escaped through this door and abandoned us to fight Faust, though it wasn’t much of a war if only ten Wargs could take on her entire army.” “So…” I paused in thought. “The Nahar are seen as cowards by the other tribes? Well that’s comforting…” “Not so, Son of Mine.” I tilted my head at the strange title. “The Nahar knew that we would win, but they wanted a place of peace, not blood and strife.” “Ok, so they left to get away from the fighting? I can understand that. And you guys didn’t try to stop them?” “No. It was not our place.” I nodded at that, but then a though came to me. “Perhaps… I don’t know. Did you by chance happen to loose a child to Faust? Black and blue fur, teal and silver eyes, and has a nasty sweet tooth for cookies?” Her smile brightened, threatening to light up the void that connected us. “Yes. And yes, I spoke with her before you, do not worry. While she was and… currently is stunned to meet me this way, she took it very well.” A violent rumble shook the world around us, as I could almost hear everyone else panicking beyond the mental link. Soon after, I heard the distant shouting of one Princess of the Night. “I’m going to have to disagree with you on that one. Luna sounds ready to shred the walls of family portraits… and anything else that ties her memory to Faust.” I hummed in thought for a moment. “For that matter, if I were in her shoes, I’d probably do the same.” Luna’s mother hummed solemnly in agreement. “I imagine this will be difficult for her.” She then looked me in the eye. “You must help her through this, Son of Mine. Help her accept who she is, whether that be Luna; daughter of Faust and sister to Celestia, or Luna; daughter of Althiirn and Jurdehn, Princess of the Gorokha and Kaldor bloodlines.” “So…” I looked at her quizzingly. “If I may ask, why did you contact her now of all times?” “I sadly had not known that she’d changed back, if I had, I would’ve contacted her sooner. But the displacement of her magic shown like a beacon, and I felt the surge when her Chroma returned to her.” “I hear you.” I nodded again and hummed in understanding. “So your name is Jurdehn? Queen Jurdehn, cool name.” “Thank you, I appreciate the kind words.” “You’re welcome… If I may ask, why contact me?” I asked. “The way I see it, you could’ve talked with Luna and that was it, why come to me? And why do you keep calling me ‘Son of Mine?’” She gave me a warm smile, showing an almost motherly grace towards me. “I came to weigh my daughter’s mate, from what I’ve seen and been told by her, I most assuredly approve.” My eyes went wide, my words failed me as she reached out, resting a solid hand on my shoulder. Queen Jurdehn then drew me close and wrapped her arms around me. It was all there; the pressure of her strength, the warmth of her body, and the soft touch of a mother. She then whispered into my ear; her voice filled with gratitude. “But most of all, you introduced her to the Almighty. And for that, I thank you beyond all measure, Obsidian. Even if I do not see her in this life, I will see her and know her throughout eternity.” The vision slowly faded, the world around me returning. After a moment of blinking, my eyes showed me a worried Raven looking me over. Discord was nowhere to be seen. Honey Breeze was gone, probably sent along to go see the Princesses and present her gift. “Sire? Sire?” Raven Inkwell pleaded in a muffled voice. “Sire? Can you hear me?!” I weakly nodded in reply. “Fang, what happened?” She asked as she ushered over Nurse Clear Sight, said mare went to work checking my pulse and blood pressure. I licked my dry lips, my brain weakly knitting together what had just happened. “I think… I—I just met my mother-in-law.” Both mares just stared at me.