//------------------------------// // 30. A Cold Night // Story: Wolves of Night and Blade: Book I // by One of Nine //------------------------------// I stood in horror at what had happened, what I’d made occur. I’d just caused the death of someone who only wanted his son to live. Now that child would die, and the father would soon follow. I was dimly aware of Faust and her lackies standing around their table, planning for the inevitable battle. So focused was I on my depression, that when the alicorn smacked her fist against the table, it sent my heart racing as I yelped. I looked around for a moment in a panic, my eyes settling on the equally startled alicorn. What the… had she heard me?! “Sargent?” Faust barked as she nervously looked around the tent, her face settling into a frown as he turned to her. “Yes you Majesty?” “Did you hear that?” He started to answer, but stopped himself and listened, his ears shifting this way and that. After a moment, he righted himself and turned back to the Monarch. “No my Queen, I didn’t.” Faust scoffed and looked around the room again. “Maybe it was nothing but check the tent. I thought I heard somepony scream.” Crap. I knew for a fact that they couldn’t see me, but could they touch me? I knew that Faust had heard me, but still. Part of me was curious, the other part didn’t want anything to do with Faust and her psychopathic plot to dominate the Wargs. Even though they were my people… I blinked as the assembled pony guards spread out within the tent, one of which had stepped in front of me. Inch by agonizing inch, he moved closer and closer. Step by step until I could hear his breath. My breathing hitched as he came close enough to easily smell. On a side note; this guy really needed to shower more. The guard’s voice interrupted my musings. “There’s nothing here my Queen.” Faust seemed to buy it and huffed to herself. “Maybe I’m just getting old.” “Old and crazy.” I risked whispering, preparing myself for the worst. The alicorn’s ears shot up and her eyes grew wide in rage. “WHO SAID THAT!?” All guards and generals present cringed and covered their ringing ears. The newly ascended generals looked at one another, one of their number gaining the courage to ask. “Said what, your Highness?” “THAT I’M OLD AND CRAZY!” Seethed Faust as she whirled on the stallion, unaware that I was innocently whistling in the corner, rocking back and forth on my heals. “And you smell! Seriously? Have you taken a shower today?” I cackled. Faust’s eyes turned shining white and her mane went ablaze. She then stepped forward, scanning the room. Her horn lit, preparing a spell, only to have her magic glow brighter as she neared me. “WHAT?! What are you?! Some stupid spirit?” She snarled in my direction. Did she know I was here?! “Show yourself! The Alicorn Queen dema-” Suddenly, we all stared in awe and shock as cinders and glowing sparks from the torches and main bonfire slithered and snaked their way towards me. As they gathered, the embers began encasing my body, clinging to my fur. Within moments, my body was a mass of living shadow and radiant ash. I looked over my new appearance in shock, seeing that most of the cinders had gathered around my runes, allowing all to see them along with my burning eyes. “A-are those…” Stuttered a stallion off to my right, staring at my runes in horror. “Are t-those… N-Nahar markings?!” Everyone but Faust took a horrified step back, clearly terrified of me. Using their fear to my advantage, I gathered some fire into my maw and let it leak through my teeth, a loud snarl escaped my throat. “Yes, it is.” Whispered a shaking guard, his sword barely held straight in his grip. One of the generals made the fatal mistake of addressing his Queen. “I thought the Nahar were all dead.” “They were.” She answered as she stepped forward and raised a fist above me, bringing it down over my head. But there was a problem; her fist passed straight through me as if I were smoke, my body distorting as disturbed mist would’ve. I patted my head over to find everything still attached and whole, nothing broken. Wanting to test a theory, I brought both of my own fists up and bashed them against the alicorn’s stomach. The effect was instant, sending the aged alicorn into the roof above, ending with her doing a faceplant in the mud below. Once shaken from her daze, Faust looked up at me in surprise and slight terror. Seeing her face, I smiled wickedly, smugly voicing what I found pleasing about my situation. “Jeg kan røre deg, men du kan ikke røre meg. (I can touch you, but you can't touch me)” Surprised at my own words, or rather language, I reached up and touched my throat. “Hvorfor kan jeg bare snakke i Skandinavia? (Why can I only speak in Scandinavian?)” “KILL IT!!!” Screamed an enraged Faust, pointing at me as I refocused on her. “It doesn’t have its horns yet, it’s still young! Kill it!!” This sent a wave of curiosity and alarm within me. Horns?! Wha- I was suddenly surrounded by a full battalion of guards and generals, each showing an air of either fear or confidence. Crud. From that moment on, all hell broke loose. I dodged to the right as a stallion attempted to jab me in the nose, letting my hardened wing hack his limb off. The pony screamed in agony before I grasped another by the neck and belt, tossing him into his unfortunate friend. My runes blazed with hot flames as my claws lengthened, the air in the tent thickening. Turning to one of the generals, I went to headbutt him but was surprised as someone jumped through my back, falling on his face between my legs. I soon remedied this by taring off his wings at the shoulder blades and letting him fall to the ground again with a weeping scream. Tossing the disabled limbs at another soldier, I grabbed another general by the collar of his armor and began heating that hand, turning his breastplate bright red. The stallion cried out, attempting to bash his hands against me. Yet, I observed that he was an earth pony, his straight not matching mine. Deciding to show mercy, I released him, and the stallion fell to the ground with a thud. “Skal vi fortsette? (Are we going to continue?)” I asked as I surveyed the others, all looking ready to bolt. My eyes turned to Faust as she glared at me with an unearthly hate, a hate that was spawned from a cold and stony heart. “Eller vil du leve? (Or do you want to live?)” “Did you not hear me you idiots?! KILL HIM!!” She snarled, lighting her horn and jabbing a finger at me. I then spread my arms wide, offering the shaking stallions a chance to attack, but none came. Faust just continued to glare at me, then turned to her warriors, looking ready to kill them for their disobedience. “I said KILL HIM!!” She lifted her outstretched hand and began gathering magic, pointing toward the nearest stallion. “Disobedience means death. You know this.” The stallion gulped but made no move to beg or plead. He knew it would’ve been useless, if the tears in his eyes were anything to go by. But just before she could fire her blast, I rushed forward and clamped down hard on her wrist, my jaw locking around her arm. The alicorn screamed in pure agony as blood oozed from between my teeth, using her other hand to beat against my head. I only shook off her poor attack and began heating my jaws, the smell of cooking flesh and fur following. Finally, after several more seconds of this, I released her from my grip and grabbed her shoulders. She only had a moment to look me in the eye before I headbutted her as hard as I could. She stumbled back, but I again grabbed her by the shoulders and clamped down on her horn before she could light it. Everyone in the room gasped and stepped back as my jaws locked around her source of magical output, staring in shock as I grasped her wrists to hold her back. I took a sharp breath before twisting my neck, my ears picking up a loud crack and a shriek. When I opened my eyes, I saw that only a bloody stump remained on Faust’s forehead. The remainder of the horn lay in my teeth, the last bits of green magic fizzling out. Again, Faust cried out in pain as she tumbled to the floor, clutching her head. “Ikke i dag. (Not today)” I said from behind the crippled horn. “Mommy!” I swirled around to see who’d spoken. My eyes widened and heart stopped as I saw an eight-year-old Celestia staring at me in horror. I stared back, claws smoking, and a shattered alicorn horn in jaw. Seconds later, my vision faded to black and the dream vanished… -=Luna’s POV=- My eyes screwed tight together as the sun breached the curtains, my sister’s sun woke me earlier than I was normal to. In a desperate attempt to banish the offending light, I reached out with my magic to pull the covers over my head. Once done, I sighed in relief as the light faded, the strong scent of forest pine and warm cushions making themselves known to me. Soft fur combed over my shirt as a strong arm lay over me. I had almost drifted back to sleep before my tired brain made an obversion; nothing in my room smelled of pine, nor did I have electric blankets. All at once, my brain went into overdrive and my body bolted up in bed, the thin covers flying off me. A small gasp escaped my throat as I felt the arm around my waist tighten its grip. I looked down to find the muscular appendage pulling me closer to a still slumbering Fang, laying on his stomach with the left side of his face smushed into the pillow. At any other time, I would’ve found the sight charming and adorable. However, in my current predicament, I only tried to scoot away. His hold only tightened further, squishing me against his side as I whimpered in resistance, a soft growl came from his lips. The growl would’ve been, again, cute if I wasn’t in this situation. But his snarl pushed a button in the back of my mind, making me subconsciously submit to his momentary authority. It surprised me at how compliant I was, normally being a girl who usually got her way. (Okay, let me rephrase; I got my way when it didn’t involve nobles, Blueblood, or Tia’s cake excursions. But my point still stands!) His grasp remained firm, the only reason that I couldn’t break it was because he didn’t have any enchanted armguards to dampen this power. Whereas I still had mine, Fang’s had melted away and he hadn’t gotten another set. He’d said that not having them made him more cautious, making him work on discipline around everything and everyone he came near. Honestly, I admired him for that; not wanting restraints to limit himself, but instead focusing on being gentle and careful. But a serious question burned in my mind; HOW DID I GET HERE!?! ‘That… may be my fault…’ Came Star’s voice through my mind, a raincloud of embarrassment settling over her. “W-What?” I whispered through clenched teeth, my face turning into a scowl as I turned away from Fang to stare at the ceiling. “Why?” It took her a moment to admit her deed. ‘I-it was cold last night, and… I just couldn’t resist his call.’ His call? Fang’s call? ‘No… Balder’s.’ I could feel her- our cheeks flush. “Why did he call us?” She sucked in a breath through our lips, preparing herself with a gulp. ‘Because he’s- they’re, our mate. His scent called us to him.’ I stared at the ceiling in shock and frustration, away from the subject of our conversation. Star too!? Not only did Queen Scatha and my mother, Queen Jurdehn, believe Fang to be my ordained partner. But now Star, my other half, believed it too! Was this God’s way of telling me that He’d sent Fang my way for this reason? Was Fang truly the one for me? The one that God had planned for me to spend the rest of my life with. To have and to hold, until do we part in body? Yet together with our Heavenly Father for eternity? Was I even interested in a relationship with him? I didn’t know… but I wish I did. And I wished Fang did too. Finally, having come to a decision, I focused back on Star as she’d been waiting patiently for me. “If he really is our mate, if he is the one, what do we do? How would we go about this?” ‘Well… since you’re here… with him…’ She trailed off with a soft giggle. Ideas that would’ve normally sent me crazy for a “private session” with my love interest popped into my head. I inwardly cringed at the thought, finding that, while appealing, they made me hesitant. Would Fang even want to? I mean, we were already in bed together (heads out of the gutters). But then, I remembered what I’d read in Fang’s bible a few nights ago; that only those who were equally yoked and married could have sex. At first, I’d not gotten what “equally yoked” meant, but through asking Fang, I’d learned. “Equally yoked” meant that the two individuals had to have the same convictions and faiths as one another. I knew that this was the reason for Fang hesitating after I asked him if he loved me. While I felt that he found me attractive, the one thing that stopped him was that I wasn’t of the same faith. Our ideals would’ve meshed, and our relationship would’ve been doomed, spiraling out of control in time. And it was from this that I gained a greater respect for him; that he knew we wouldn’t work and carefully ushering my feelings in a gentle and kind manner. “No. That wouldn’t be right. We aren’t bound.” I said this in respect for his choices; not wanting to have sex before marriage. That was his wish, and if I wanted to remain in Fang’s favor, I would respect him. With myself wrapped in Fang’s embrace, wearing an extra large T-shirt and my pajama shorts, I couldn’t help but ask the Lord for help. Not that I wasn’t uncomfortable. Fang’s hold was firm but gentle, treating me like a delicate flower. I didn’t think of myself as such, no; I was a warrior and a Princess. Regal and fierce, I could easily make my way through a battle to my objective. However, in the past, I’d dreamed of being treated like this. Protected and safe in the warm embrace of somepony I loved. Regardless of my stature, be I a Princess or warrior, I still had dreams and hopes similar to any mare in Equestria. I was shaken from my musings by a soft moan, Fang’s grip changing to rest over my back between my wings. The touch of his reduced claws brushed against my fur, sending a soft thrill through my spine. My breath hitched as he pulled me even closer and rolled onto his side, pulling me against his shirtless chest. My head leaned against his collarbone, my sharp ears picking up his soft heartbeat as butterflies fluttered in my gut. I normally felt so small next to him, with his height overtaking mine and Tia’s. But now I felt as small as a mouse in his grasp, small and vulnerable. Weak even. I couldn’t remember a time that I felt weak around somepony aside from the dragons. I felt weak around Fang, but at the same time protected. My ear twitched as I felt a warm and slobbery tongue lick it, warm breath pressing into it. I blushed at the contact, finding the sensation to my liking. I then felt him beginning to nip at my ear and sniffing my messy silver locks, sending my toes curling with a chill. His wing unfurled and came around to wrap us both in its hold, draping the warm limb over me. As I was, I could’ve just stayed like this all day and I would’ve liked it. With a mental command, I leaned my head forward to rest it under his chin, licking the fur on his neck. To my surprise, I then began nipping and tugging with my teeth at the fur between his neck and shoulder, the action causing him to moan in his sleep. In turn, my cheeks reddened, my hand coming to rest on his arm in a tender stroke. Then, to my pleasant surprise, Fang’s hand began to rub along my back, making me shiver anew. Another growl escaped him as I continued to pull at his fur, though this time it was softer and closer to a sigh. I suddenly blinded in surprise at myself, stalling my motions. Why was I doing this?! Why did I like this, especially when I’d just debated NOT ushering him into pleasure? It was the heat. It was making us both susceptible to our urges. I bit my lower lip in an attempt to stop myself, pressing my forehead against Fang’s chest as he too slowly calmed. My ears twitched as the Warg’s breath picked up, breathing deeply as he stretched. His grip around me relaxed, allowing me some wiggle room. I took this chance and quickly fired up my magic, getting ready to teleport back to my room. “Luwa?” I froze at the sound of Fang’s voice, his word slurred by his sleepy state of mind. His breath tickled the fur on my snout, eyes barely open as he looked down at my wide and panicked eyes. What would he do? Panic? Yell at me? I desperately hoped that he wouldn’t get angry! “Why are you in bed with me?” He blinked painfully slow; his mind still wrapped a sleep’s thick haze. A huff escaped me as I decided against lying to him. “I blame Star.” He smiled before a loud yawn erupted from his throat, his jaw opening wide as he turned away. “Stars are nice.” I found myself smiling as he began falling back asleep, watching as he rolled onto his back, wing folded tightly behind him. I’d also felt his iron grip leave me, taking his warmth with him. I honestly found myself wanting to stay, if only to keep warm. But, like any day in the life of a Princess; duty calls at the first hour of the day. Begrudgingly, I removed myself from under the covers, shivering at the cold air’s contact. Taking a moment to smooth out my half of the blankets, I noticed that Fang had a frown on his face. It wasn’t something I enjoyed seeing, especially with how he seemed to be having a nightmare. Instead of diving into the dream realm, like I normally would’ve done, I decided to sit down on the bed and began humming a soft tune. As the soothing lullaby continued, I saw that the Warg was starting to calm. Taking a quick moment to catch my breath, I picked up the tune once again with slightly more vigor. As my song continued, I watched a Fang slowly calmed enough to settle, a small smile gracing his handsome face. I ended my lullaby with a soft and long note, leaning forward and planting a kiss on his forehead. “Goodnight Fang.” I whispered, a slight blush settling onto my cheeks as I realized what I’d just done. “G’night Lulu.” Fang mumbled in his sleep, his breathing becoming deep and long. I stopped at the door to look back at the slumbering Warg, butterflies beating their wings in my gut at the sight of him. With a quick spell cast over the door and walls to silence the room, I made my way down the hall and into my room. I slept the last few hours of the ‘morning’ in a cold bed and dark familiar room. -=The Next Morning, Fang’s POV=- Throughout my life, to what I could remember, I’ve had very few dreams that actually stuck with me. There’ve been a few that had stayed with my memory, but most faded away. There were a few instances where I felt like an event had happened before, often remembering them from a dream I’d had years earlier. But the two dreams that had be puzzled at the moment were the ones with Faust getting her horn getting torn off and Luna laying in my bed with me. Granted, the sight of anyone getting a limb removed via my own powerful jaws was bound to stick with me. A traumatizing event, even in a dream, to be sure. That dream had defiantly shaken me. But the one that had me most perplexed was when I’d found Luna laying next to me, and I was ok with it. Seeing as nothing had happened between us, I was at least happy for that, but the dream itself still bewildered me. As enthralled in my musings was I, that I almost missed the entrance to the dining room. I quickly backpedaled and opened the doors, finding Luna sipping on her morning coffee and Celestia munching on a sandwich with a side of Cheetos chips. Luna spared a look in my direction, flashing a soft smile before continuing to read the book she had beside her. Not wanting alert Celestia, I whispered softly enough that the Warg princess could hear me, asking if she was ok. She seemed… scared? Alert? Shy? I couldn’t tell. “Det er ingenting. (It’s nothing)” She answered nonchalantly in Nordic, not allowing the Solar Princess to know what we were saying. Clever on her part. I gave her a curious look, lifting an eyebrow. “Virkelig? Det virker ikke sånn. (Really? Doesn’t seem that way)” Luna stopped reading her book to give me her full attention, her jaw tightening and brow creased. “Må du trykke på saken? (Must you press the issue?)” “Hei, jeg bare spør hvis noe er galt. (Hey, I'm just asking if something is wrong.)” I said with raised hands in surrender. “Ingenting er galt, alt er i orden. Nå vil du forlate meg være?! (Nothing is wrong, everything is fine. Now will you leave me be?!)” The Wargess growled, her white teeth on display as a warning. I normally would’ve backed off and given her some space, but I felt that I just couldn’t let this one pass. “Av reaksjonen din, vil jeg si at du ikke bra. (By your reaction, I'd say you're not fine)” Luna stood up abruptly, eyes narrowed, throwing her book beside her seat. “Jeg sa at jeg har det bra. Hvorfor kan du ikke bare ta det?! (I said that I'm fine. Why can't you just take that?!)” “Kanskje fordi jeg ikke liker å se vennene mine vondt. Mye mindre du, Hun-ulv! (Maybe because I don't like seeing my friends hurting. Much less you, She-wolf)” "Å? Hvordan så? (Oh? How so?)" She countered, closing the distance between us as I stood to meet her. My ears picked up the sound of guards either gulping down their fear or slowly exiting the room. I huffed in frustration, crossing my arms. “Fordi du er en god venn og jeg ikke vil se deg vondt. (Because you're a good friend and I don't want to see you hurt)” “Er det alt jeg er for deg?! En god venn? (Is that all I am to you?! A good friend?)” With a snarl, she got in my face. “Ten bits says Princess Luna takes him down.” One guard whispered to another from behind a door. “Jeg vet ikke... Hva annet skal jeg kalle deg?! (I don't know… what else should I call you?!)” “Kanskje en kjæreste for startere?! (Maybe a girlfriend for starters?!)” Both of us were snapped from our rages by Luna’s words. Both of us stared at the other, our cheeks turning red. “Du... hva du skal ta forholdet til neste nivå? (You... what to take our relationship to the next level?)” I asked as pure shock drained from my system, very slowly. Luna didn’t answer for a moment, seeming to be berating herself. “B-beklager, det var dumt av meg å si. Jeg mente å merke seg det. (I-I'm sorry, that was stupid of me to say. I meant nothing by it)” I started to answer but stopped myself as the gears in my head began turning, my muzzle creasing up as I thought. “Wait…” My eyes caught Celestia staring at us with a tenseness in her body, seeming to be terrified of us at the moment. I switched back to Nordic so the conversation would stay between us two. “Det skjedde i går kveld... var det virkelig? Det var ikke en drøm? (That thing that happened last night... that was real? It wasn’t a dream?)” I motioned with my hands flapping about, trying to put the pieces together. And by the groan that Luna made, I was right. “You remember that?” She practically flung her face into her hands, drowning herself in misery. “Bits and pieces, but yes. I do.” I shuffled on my feet, looking off to the side as my cheeks grew redder. “But then… why did you say-“ “I DON’T KNOW!!” Luna hung her head in her grasp, plopping into the seat next to mine. “I don’t know.” I thought for a long minute, trying to remember if there were any good restaurants in town that would be suitable for a date. Then it hit me. The Gala! I then sat down in my own seat and rested a hand on the Princess’, stroking her confused face with a soft touch. “Luna Eclipse of Equestria, Princess of the Night, would you be willing to accompany me to this year’s Grand Gala?” Both Princesses stared at me in shock. Luna fumbled over herself to form words, but just settled for staring at me in surprise. “Nodding will do if you’re too shocked.” I laughed, feeling my chest swell with pride at my accomplishment. My brother and sister would’ve dropped their jaws at what had just happened! Michael, their shut-in elder brother with no social life, just asked a Royal Princess out on a date. After a few moments of silence, Luna nodded. She blinked once, then licked her dry lips and stumbled back over to her own seat to quietly finish her breakfast. Feeling that my work at this point in time was done, I got up, went into the kitchen, and poured myself a bowl of Lucky Charms. -=Three days before the Gala, Luna’s POV=- “Please tell me I didn’t just dream this whole thing, Silk.” I moaned as I lay across my bed, body slayed out over my hand maiden’s previous work. “You didn’t, your Highness. Fang really did ask you to the Gala and you said yes.” Smiled the mare as she pulled yet another dress from my closet; a beautiful blue gown with a frilled skirt. “Are you still having trouble accepting what happened after the past week?” “I think so. Yes? Augh, it all just happened too fast!” I stressed, smacking myself across the forehead. “With the smart boy figuring out that what happened wasn’t a dream? And at the fact that he suddenly asked to court you?” She giggled with a motherly tone, putting the blue dress away to look for another. “Is it so hard to accept him?” “Well, no. Not really.” I sat up on my elbows to look at my friend, confounded at myself. “He’s a very nice Warg. As I’ve stated before; he’s kind, generous, affectionate- just the other morning he made me a cup of coffee!” “I heard he also fetched you some aspirin after one of your meetings. A very warm gesture.” “True…” I watched as Silk pulled out another black dress with white tassels on the sleeves. A cotton corset was wrapped around the abdominal area, a loose belt of silver chain and tree brass discs adding to the ancientness of the attire. “I could never remember why I put up with those accursed things; corsets.” “I would like it if you didn’t try to change the subject.” Scolded Silk with a knowing look. I inwardly groaned, remembering two previous maidens doing the same. I think that’s why I continued to hire such strong willed mares as my handmaidens; they never let me down, keeping my will strong, and they ushered me on. A soft smile spread over my face, reluctantly reverting back to our previous topic. ‘A very handsome topic~’ Star sang, her cheesy line going overlooked by me with an eye roll. “Be that as it may… I’ve never been on a date, much less properly courted.” I groaned, falling back onto my mountain of pillows. “He saw to that.” “And from what I’ve heard, neither has Fang.” “So we’re both bound to screw up.” “No, it just means that you’re both inexperienced and in need of a little help.” Silk said as she pulled out another gown. “This one?” I looked over to see that she had a white dress with silver trims and a deep V-neck, which would show more cleavage than needed. I sent a scowl her way, only to find a devilish grin on her smug face. “On second thought, white is more for weddings.” She smirked as my face reddened and eyes widened. “I’ll save this one for later.” “Don’t you dare…” I gaped, sitting up with a growl. Silk just giggled in response, putting the offending garb away before I could shred it. -=Later=- “PRINCESS CELESTIA!! PRINCESS CELESTIA!!!!” Shrieked Derpy Hooves as she screamed down the halls of the Canterlot Palace, dressed in her mail mare uniform. Derpy came to a halt as she was stopped by Gleaming Shield, the Captain having taken post outside the main conference room. “The Princess is in a meeting, what is it?” “It-HUFF- it’s Appleloosa! HUFF- Gi… giant s-snakes!” She wheezed as she held out a letter. “I was told…HUFF- she n-needed…” Gleaming rolled her eyes and scowled. She didn’t have time to loose if all this pegasus was going to do was pant. “What? The Princess needs what?” “T-They want… th-the werewolf guy.” -=Fang’s POV=- As I lay in bed, trying to fall asleep, I still couldn’t shake the memory of what I’d done to the dream Faust. Regardless whether it was a dream or not, I felt that she’d deserved what I did. But… was that what I should’ve done? What would’ve Christ done? In that situation? Jesus had been up against his fair share of tyrants and bullies, but He’d never acted as I did! I was ashamed of what I’d done, regardless of whether it was needed or not. My tongue brushed over a strange lump in my teeth I’d notice earlier, failing to remove the protrusion from my canines all previous times I’d tried to remove it. Finally growing tired of dealing with the cause of my annoyance, I extended my claws and reaching into my mouth. It took me a good while, having to track it down with my tongue, I finally pulled whatever it was free. The obscurity free, I looked down at it, wanting to know what had caused such an annoyance. My eyes widened, heart freezing. I stared down at my hand, the small and drool covered pale shard sitting in my palm. I knew what it was from, I knew its origin; it was a shard of a unicorn’s horn. Or, more specifically, an alicorn’s cream colored horn. It was a shard of Faust’s horn.