//------------------------------// // 56. The Sun is Found // Story: Wolves of Night and Blade: Book I // by One of Nine //------------------------------// “So… I see that the Sun Priests are no longer fledglings.” Starswirl commented to his fellow unicorn, sitting across from him in an office. Chancellor Neighsay smiled warily, folding his hands over his desk. “Yes, having grown in numbers and successfully brought our dear Queen back from the dead, I think we’ve done fairly well in your absence.” “So I see… aside from the… minor setbacks, I think that was a good trial run.” The ancient wizard slumped in his seat, a small smile on his lips. “But we will need to rebuild our numbers again…” “I might have a solution to that, but it will take much time.” “How much?” “Several generations, if we can hit off the propaganda well enough, this entire country will fall under the banner of the Sun, once more.” “And whom, pray tell, will be the figurehead of our new Equestria? Twilight Sparkle, I presume?” “No. She’s just a seat warmer. Our new Queen shall be one you already know… and with the stores of magic we stole from those captive Wargs, we only used a quarter to rejuvenate Faust.” “And so with her…” “She may well be more powerful than any Warg in history.” -=Havaak’s POV=- The smell of freshly baked waffles and eggs roused me from sleep’s depths, my eyes opening with a quiet groan. Last night’s events had left me drained. Not so magically, but mentally. The source of my pain? The ponies… Rainbow, regardless of how many times she was told to stop, kept subtly demanding that I return their magic. Not that I was going to give a spoiled and bratty kid their pillows and blankets back. With another grunt, I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my face, grasping a shirt from my dresser with my magic. Making my way out into the kitchen, I found the love of my life reading from a cookbook. When she’d previously said that she knew how to cook, it had been mostly a minimum of plant based foods, so she was learning all she could about custom Griffin, Minotaur, and Warg dishes. Not that I was complaining, most of the stuff was pretty good. Looking to my left, I found the five ponies huddled around a small table I’d managed to build last night. Joseph was seated by the hearth with his… buddies? I honestly didn’t know what to call two Greek gods and a talking head… but I did my best to roll with it. “Morning my Alpha~” Luna pecked me from behind, floating a plate of steaming waffles soaked in maple syrup with a side of fluffy eggs before my face. “Hungry?” “Famished.” I kissed her back. But as she turned around toward the kitchen again, I smirked like the Devil and gave her butt a light slap. The resounding squeak that my mate made caused my grin to widen. “Ow…” My smile vanished as she rubbed her stinging rump, replaced by weary. But it turned to confusion as her own smirk came into play. “Save it for tonight~” Joseph exhaled. He tilted his head. "So you found where those Wargs' we're held captive," he remarked. Atreus nodded, the Norse Trickster quite focused. "Aye, though the odd thing is, though what their Alpha did yesterday did leave a residue, where they were held… was void of any natural source of magic. Even on Earth, where the ley lines about as lively as Draugr, there's still a natural energy to the locale… that pit… had none. It was like someone took a scoop out of the natural flows of energy, like scooping up a scoop of ice cream," he sighed. His gaze shifted to Artemis, whom was humming softly.  "Most mortals like to think because deities do not subsist in quite the same way as mortals that we don't enjoy doing so. Rather arrogant, wouldn't you agree?" she hummed. Joseph shrugged. "Wouldn't know, myself," he remarked, his gaze drifting to the Alpha as well as whom he'd gathered was apparently Luna. "Though it begs the question who has that energy and what do they intend to do with it?" he remarked. “So, you guys couldn’t sense any magic? Not even a bit?” I asked, having overheard, with a mouthful of delicious waffle. Atreus shook his head. "No. Which in itself is troubling," he exhaled as he spoke. "Everything and everyone has low levels of energy that is radiated. To those like Artemis, who is naturally sensitive to Nature's energy because of her Domains, she would notice the lack of energy in an area as if someone slapped you in the face. I noticed it because of the simple lack of energy as I am well versed in arcane magic and energy manipulation. No doubt to the rest of them, it would be noticeable as well as they are used to a certain amount of energy in the air and ground." "And by my great-great-great-great-grandmother's own admission, I have some of her empathic awareness, hence my awareness of Wendigo's presence… which, to me, felt… ugh… if I had to put the feeling of that thing's energy into words… It felt like someone took a sock full of rancid fish and meat mixed with rotten eggs and slapped me across the face with it. Honestly…. I would have sooner called the La Brea Tar Pits a bubble bath in comparison," Joseph said with a shiver. “Hm… and you couldn’t find any? It was as if it was all just… sucked up?” Luna asked as she poured more batter into the waffle iron. At their shaking heads, she smirked. “I think I know where it all went…” When she looked at me expectantly, I felt my hearts sink in slight terror, swallowing the bite I had in my mouth. “Me.” "I doubt that. The feel of the natural energy there was there, then it simply wasn't. Though we have noticed a difference, I doubt you can absorb the energy in a particular area to the point of it feeling 'dead' without affecting the surrounding areas, hmmm?" Artemis commented. I shrugged in response. “It’s a newer power and I’ve barely used it. I’ll need to test it out at some point… anyone want to be the test dummy?” Artemis hummed as she had an idea. "What if I blessed a certain area, letting it grow wild… then give you a very particular target to drain without affecting the surrounding area? If you can do that with ease… then I may consider your theory. If not… which I suspect is more likely… then the source may not be anywhere near as thoughtful as you," she offered thoughtfully. “Not sure…” I hummed in thought as I chewed another bite of egg. “Would the plants be infused with magic?” "Most likely," Artemis commented with a slight shrug. "Either way, they would be healthy for them," she commented, tilting her head towards the ponies. Yeah… like I would let them stay, knowing what my pack might do to them. For that matter, I was surprised that they had made it through the village in one piece. “And, you believe I’ll let these ponies stay here? They have their own families and lives to worry about, and I’m not about to let them stay at the drop of a hat.” "Kinda obvious that they're scared outta their wits with their 'magic' weakened. Not that they'll admit it. Though they're nowhere near prepared for how life can be without heavy amounts of magic… though that old ass mage with his rambling… 'If the dome isn’t returned, Equestria will die. Ponies will starve. Our government will crumble. And foals will die of all the diseases spread throughout the larger world'... as he put it… sounded far more like fearmongering… coming up with the 'most scary' thing to distract and worry them," Joseph remarked, his gaze on the ponies, unconsciously mimicking Starswirl's voice upon quoting the elder mage, his arms crossed over his chest. He noticed Twilight jolting in surprise upon hearing Starswirl's voice as she looked around before she noticed him watching them. He noticed her cheeks flushing as she looked away before going back to chatting with her friends. He hadn't told any of them that Kratos, Aphrodite, and Hades had all told him indirectly and, in similar but different ways, that there was a very strong likelihood that he would develop powers very much unrelated to what they had given him or what any other Deity could grant him… unique to himself, that is. “Yeah, I got the same idea.” Peeking another look at Twilight, I grimaced slightly. The new Princess arrived here by teleportation… through many jumps. I then leaned forward and whispered to the human, “And seeing as Starswirl is the Princess’ idol, we best leave the subject at that.” "There's an expression: never meet your idols…. as it's guaranteed that the version in your mind will never be the one you meet. Though there's one that will always be better than the one envisioned… and He's closer than a brother," Joseph commented wryly, referring to Christ. There was a knock at the door as I gave Joseph a smile, the entrance opening as Okarr stepped inside. “Master, we have visitors… they are Wargs from another clan and their Alpha wishes to speak with you.” All four hearts stopped for half a second with the chunk of waffle I choked on. After having removed the annoyance with a swig of water, I felt an old friend from college pat me on the back. Oh, hello Anxiety… Taking a breath, I stood, headed for the door. Just before following the dragoness out, I looked back to the others. “I’ll be back in a few…” Stepping out into the morning suns, I started the trek toward the edge of town. To a meeting I wholeheartedly didn’t expect the outcome of… yay… Coming to the edge of our quaint little village, I found Okarr waiting alongside six Wargs. Each had large wings decorated with shimmering beads, dressed in fine robes of various bright colors. The two in the front of the group looked to be the Alphas, if their powerful auras were anything to go by. The first to speak as I neared was the male; a Warg with an all black coat with streaks of white flowing from his eyes to his fingertips. “Greetings to you, Alpha of the Nahar. We pardon ourselves for the early hour, but we would be interested of a trade agreement.” The Alpha wore a friendly smile and warth in his gaze, but I was still cautious of some alternate motive. “And what would this trade entail? We have little to trade with a clearly successful pack as yours.” “True. But from what my spies have told me, your clan just opened up a mine. And with all these glorious mountains surrounding you, I bet that there are some very good deposits here. I do apologize for sending them, but I wanted to know the state of your pack and see if there were any areas my neighboring clan could help fill.” “I accept your apology. And I get that; it’s better to know your neighbor’s state before helping. But couldn’t you have just come and asked?” “I could have. In all likelihood, I should have. And, again, I apologize for not being forward. I shall do that in the future.” At my nod, he continued. “But in regards to trade, we live on the far shores of the sea, allowing us to have plentiful culinary resources. And as you can see, we have many articles of clothing and materials of the like. We could also help with any news from the capital and the surrounding area, my network is vast as I keep my ear to the ground.” “And what do you expect in return for all of this?” My brow shot up, wondering what he could really want from such a small pack as ours. The Warg breathed a sigh, his warm smile still present. “In truth, I hope that you could teach us about the Eternal Forge. It’s an ability lost to our generations. And I swear to you that should we obtain this knowledge, we will never raise a claw or fang against you. This, I swear in my own blood.” Then he took an extended claw and slashed his palm, the red pooling in his hand. I was immediately shocked, stuttering. “N-no! Y-you don’t have to make a blood pact, or anything like that! All I ask is that you keep my trust and your word, you don’t need to go that far!” “Thank you!” He wiped his hands with a cloth that was passed to him by one of his escorts, a sigh of relief escaping him. “I have been requested to form blood pacts with other Alphas in the past, it is very taxing. To hear that my word and loyalty are enough brings joy to me. Thank you.” “Others don’t trust you?” “I didn’t lead a very clean life in my youth, and for that, I gained a very… unsavory reputation…” “We’ve all made mistakes, I do not judge anyone based on past deeds. So long as those deeds are kept to the past, then I see no reason we can’t trust one another.” The Alpha nodded, bowing with a chuckle. “It seems I am making many apologies today. But forgive me, I am Alpha Uur, of the Kaldor.” “And I’m Havaak, Alpha of the Nahar.” I did my best to copy his bow, feeling more than awkward. As I stood, the Wargess next to him stepped forward, the silver mask she wore covering much of her face. Only her gold eyes visible, green rings pulsing as she roughly elbowed the Alpha. “And you’ll be doing a lot more forgiving, as my mate forgot to introduce me. I am Harha, mate to the Kaldor Alpha.” “Good to meet you all.” I smiled back. I then motioned for them to follow. “Would you like a tour? Some refreshments perhaps?” “Well, I—“ Uur started, but was interrupted by his mate. “We would love to. After all, it would be rude to refuse.” After the Grand Tour, having met and greeted many in the pack, I led them to our home. We were then greeted by ten faces, Warg, pony, and human alike. “I’ll be completely honest; I thought you would live in a larger house.” Harha admitted, looking over the place. “Heh, yeah no. Me and Luna decided to skip any mansions.” Joseph blinked at the newcomers. "Nice outfits, though sometimes it's not always the flashy things that make the most impressions. Hmm. I'm picking up the slightest hint of sea salt, so I'd wager you're from a coastal area," he commented before he felt a tingling rush in his fingertips, unaware a complex runic Sigil circle formed, hovering just above his palm before the neck of a guitar protruded from the Sigil before he blinked, not realizing that the Sigil had very distinctive hearts around the edge. “You would be correct, we come from an oceanfront town down south.” Uur smiled, but then caught sight of Joseph, fixing the human with an odd look. “Hm, what manner of creature are you? I don’t mean to be rude, but…” "I'm human. Trained by a Spartan General turned War Deity, as well as being a descendant of said Spartan though I couldn't say how far back that might be," Joseph deadpanned. He didn't mention his connection to the Greek Titaness of Love nor the fact he had been trained by the Greek Deity of the Dead. He tugged the guitar free with a slight grunt. Uur smirked with a hum, stepping closer to Joseph, looking him over closely. “An oddity to be sure. Your kind aren’t native to our lands… What of Equestria? Did they summon you to enact their revenge against Havaak? I was apart of the Old Wars, I know what idiotic langths they went through to try and win.” “Doubtful, as from what I recall, humans don’t live that long.” Harha chimed in, accepting a cup of tea from Luna as I sat down on the nearby couch. “Thank you Luna.” “You’re welcome, Aunt Harha.” My eyes shot wide at that, staring at the two Wargesses in bewilderment, my gaze finally landing on my mate. “Huh? Wait… she’s your aunt?!” My Queen gave me an odd look. “Yes, we met at the Celebration, remember?” “Uuuuhhhh…” I racked my brain for any memory of the Wargess, but there had been so many new faces, it was hard to recall them all. “You have a huge family my dear, please forgive me for not remembering every single one of your forty aunts, forty uncles, and gazillion cousins. As my own uncle used to say, ‘I have a good memory, it just doesn’t last long.’” Luna shook her head and giggled along with her aunt, the older Wargess leaning in close to whisper in her ear. My mate’s chuckle returned with a vengeance soon after. Joseph cocked an eyebrow. "Haven't heard anything about vengeance. But that is one road I will never walk again. I made that mistake before," he sighed, unaware his voice deepened subtly as Kratos' voice melded with his own though there was no physical change. “Mm, haven’t we all?” Uur sighed, no doubt remembering darker days in his life. “Mhm…” I hummed, remembering my own wanted revenge against an old bully from first and second grades, but the anger had dulled over the years. My anger had vanished toward the bully, replaced by pity for him. The creak of hinges sounded behind me before I turned, seeing Spike stretching and yawning the night’s sleep away. He blinked upon seeing the crowd, his six eyes landing on Twilight. His face twisted into an array of emotions; shock, confusion, fear, regret, and finally… anger. A hard huff of smoke exited his nostrils, his face hardened as he settled a glare on the mare, causing her to weep. Watching the alicorn, she slowly stood as he stepped back, a soft growl rumbled in the Ahamkara’s chest. “S-Spike?” Twilight muttered, only to be stopped by Applejack as she stepped between them. “B-but…” Spike huffed again, closing the door to his room with his long tail, starting towards the kitchen. He grunted at seeing the stack of fresh waffles ready for eating, taking a few for his morning meal, ignoring the staring mare. His head tilted, one of his eyes snapped to her as he groaned. “Are you done?” “Y-You’re here…” “Yeah… I’ll be out today, learning from Oktorr.” He poured a bit of mapley goodness over the waffles, taking a large bite. "You do know that she was unaware that you were more than you appeared to be. It's painfully obvious that just as you were deceived, so was she. Though then again, who isn't in one form or another throughout life? After all, the one of the Devil's epitaphs is 'Deceiver' which is what he does…. amongst other things," Joseph sighed. "Rather surprising how accurate that song is, really," he hummed thoughtfully. "Um… what song? If you don't mind me asking," Fluttershy said softly, lifting a hoof. "I must admit curiosity myself," Artemis commented. "'Faceless Man' by Creed. If I'm honest, the version I learned was a masterful cover," Joseph commented wryly. “So…” Uur started, stepping up next to me. “Would this be a bad time to discuss our trade agreement? If not, we can reschedule it.” I gave a sigh. “If we can be quick, sure. But if not, then we might need to reschedule.” Joseph exhaled softly. "Since that has nothing to do with me, I'll likely be out of the way but nearby," he sighed. He turned away, not noticing that AJ, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow followed him. I watched them go as I summoned a small wooden box. Removing the lid, I pulled out ten silver rings with gold chains connected to gunmetal grey bracelets. Slipping the rings one each finger, the bracelets clamped around my wrists, suppressing the aura of my power. “W-wait, how are those rings doing that?!” Uur asked, eyeing the objects as I set the box down on the coffee table. I shrugged. “From what Luna told me, they basically cage any access power around me. I honestly don’t know how they work, Luna’s the one studying up on Warg magic theory. I’ve been busy with the pack… but, getting back to the treaty…” “So they act as a suppressant for your Chroma? But this will hide your power, even from the other Alphas! I can barely detect anything!” I just smirked. From there, we got to work on the trade agreement. Topics ranged from routes to transport, foods to drink, clothing, and many other goods. By the time we were done, it was just after noon. And somehow, Twilight had been taking notes… which I burned. Yes, she cried and stormed off, but these were talks between just two rulers. At least in my opinion, not something to be shared with any other nation. Especially with ponies. - Joseph cocked an eyebrow as he half turned as Twilight came storming out onto the balcony. "Let me guess, you tried to take notes on what they were doing which has nothing to do with us. You do know you could have asked whether or not they minded you taking notes. It's a rather obvious idea called 'common courtesy'. You know, like knocking on a door before entering someone's home?" he commented wryly. He wasn't surprised that Twilight snorted, not meeting his gaze. He shook his head as he took a deep breath. He exhaled softly as he went back to idly strumming. "You know, if there's one thing humanity is known for, it's being creative. Our world isn't known for being heavily bathed in magic, so we employ a little thing like what's in here," he commented before ruffling Twilight's mane playfully. He smirked at her pout. "But one thing I'm familiar with is music. That, I'll admit, is one thing that has me quite curious about this world.” "Why?" Rainbow commented. "You could say that much like friendship, honesty, loyalty, generosity, kindness… music tends to be a universal language," Joseph commented wryly. A slight smirk crossed his face. "Though I do know one song that would describe a certain asshole Prince," he commented thoughtfully, glancing at Rarity, seeing her ears perk up as if she knew whom he was referring to. “Blueblood? Oh, he’s not been around for some time darling.” Rarity stated, looking back at him with a neutral face. “The scoundrel was executed for his crimes against the crown and the ponies of Equestria.” “I-I know he did some bad things, b-but did he really need to die?” Fluttershy squeaked. The fashionista did her best to hold in a snort. “The stallion was supporting those cultists and abusing his power. I seriously doubt that Princess Luna would’ve let it slide at any point, dear. Besides, we all know the Princess is strict when it comes to wrongdoings… even with her sister." "Hmm. Well, I'm not that surprised, frankly. Never been a big fan of traitors," Joseph sighed. - “Now that that’s settled, I will disclose the real reason why we’ve come.” Uur settled into a serious tone, looking me dead in the eye. “I currently have Celestia in my custody.” At Luna’s shock, he smirked. I on the other hand… was surprise, yes… but, we already had enough to deal with here. I didn’t need some drug addict running around. “And you want to hand her off to us? Why?” “Because, I know for a fact that Luna would probably want to mend her bond with her adopted sister. Should you take her, know that she is still recovering. And because of the medication she took had been neurotic, she has experienced some… slight memory loss. When questioned, she does remember Luna… and Nightmare Moon, but not your current state.” I felt Luna flinch next to me, my arm wrapping around her back to comfort. “Anything else? Her memory only reaches back one millennium? No recent events?” “None. All her friends she once had, she will not recall them.” I looked to Luna, silently asking if she wanted her sister back. I was honestly fine either way, so long as it was her decision. Did I want to add yet another patient to the ten therapists we hired? They’d already been dealing with seventy five traumatized Wargs. Taking a strained breath, my mate spoke. “We’ll take her. But this all seems for our benefit only, why come with all of these things if we can repay so little? Besides the Forge and materials, we have little to trade.” “Well, those breakfast cakes smell delicious, perhaps we could throw several recipes into the trade?” Harha smiled, her nose twitching. “We’re always in the market for new foods. Perhaps there are some from your previous world that you could share?” I blinked. “How do you know about that?”