Teleportation hit me like it always does, and I stumbled and would’ve thrown up if it wasn’t for my empty stomach. Even then I gave it my best shot as I dry heaved nothing onto the soil.
“Fucking magic.” I cursed as I wiped the bit of bile from my beak and looked over at Nightmare. “Seriously, you’re a god. Why the fuck would you give each race a unique magic, and only give unicorns one that has any real use?” I was talking out my ass, but I do that a lot, so whatever.
“Because we enjoy your whining so much,” she replied sweetly.
I looked around White Peak as I stood up, trying to get my bearings. This place looked different in the day, or maybe that was the building that had burned down. Or the corpses in the streets.
No, wait. That one wasn’t a corpse.
I stared at the gryphon female that had collapsed to the ground. Dumb, unblinking eyes stared out at the world and drool leaked down her beak. Every now and then, she let out a short moan or groan, and I felt disgusted. Part of me wanted to put it down, another part commented on how little difference it would actually make to most male gryphons whether she was retarded or not.
Yeah, okay maybe that’s a little harsh, but whatever. I hate my culture.
I shook my head and turned away. “Let’s just go find Trixie.”
I took to the air and made my way back to the guard house. This was maybe the fourth day since my last meal, but I’d had sleep and water so I wasn’t feeling too bad. You can last a month before dying of starvation anyway. I hadn’t eaten any of the food Nightmare cooked, because despite what she said, ponies cannot cook meat. Seriously, she left it out over night thinking it’d just be okay for me in the morning. I was not touching that half burnt, half raw and all rotten junk.
I landed outside the guard house and made my way to the side. I turned around as Nightmare landed. “Get the window open.” I ordered and fidgeted uncomfortably.
Trixie had been here four days, and it didn’t look like anything had broken in, but I was feeling a bit restless as I thought about Trixie. I just wanted her safe. The monsters were dead now, and we could go back to Equestria and be done with this.
“Do not order us around,” snapped Nightmare, but she did as I told her. The barricade was lifted and the window was tossed open.
I shouldered past her and dove in. “Trix? Are you okay?” I looked around. “Trix where-” My breath caught in my throat as I saw her. She just sat there, empty bottles of alcohol around her as she stared up at a noose that hung from the ceiling. Every so often she’d take a swig, but not once did her eyes or body move.
“Trixie!” I shouted and snatched the noose down from the roof. “What the fuck are you doing?!” I waved a claw at all the empty alcohol bottles.
Unfocused eyes turned to me. A blink. Two blinks. Next thing I knew, I was being tackled to the ground in a hug as she sobbed into my chest. Though she was speaking, the words were too muddled by her tears to make any sense and all I could do was awkwardly stroke her mane in a vain attempt to get her to calm down.
“Trixie, just... what?” I asked her in my most level tone, though I think there might have been an emotional edge to it.
“I-I-I thought,” she sniffed as she buried her face in my chest. “I thought you left me here. To die o-or... I thought you’d left me.”
“You thought that I’d abandoned you to die here?” She was speaking in the first person. Oh this was bad.
Trixie looked up at me teary eyed before her gaze dropped down and ran along the scar across my chest. “I-I thought you had left to kill yourself,” she said in a whisper. “I thought you were going to leave me alone for good. I th-thought that...”
I pulled her closer. “Why would you think I’d do that?” I asked her, though there was an edge of panic to my voice. Oh goddesses, please tell me that she won’t kill herself for me. Please. I don’t deserve that. She’s too good for that. “I just went with Nightmare to deal with the changelings. You were hurt, and I wanted you to be safe.” My mind immediately went to the way I’d been fighting for the last two days. The suicidal edge that I’d been flirting with and loving every second of. Oh sweet Celestia, no. How could you do this to Trixie? “I just want you to be safe.”
“Y-You hate yourself and you’re so reckless an-an-and.” She broke down once more, pounding my chest with her hooves. Despite the pain it caused, I still held her close and let her hurt me. After all, I deserved it.
“Trixie...” A tear formed in my eye and I didn’t rub it away. “You can’t kill yourself for me. I’m not worth it.” I swallowed, and the crushing guilt I felt was so... oh goddesses. What had I done to her? “You’re too good to die for me.”
She shook her head and looked up at me with those tear stained eyes of hers. “You’re worth it.” It was a little thing, a light caress of my cheek with her hoof, but it felt like she needed me to be here. Needed me to be real. “You’re worth it and I never want you to say otherwise. Alright?”
I felt anger hit my head like a thunderbolt, but hate was playing it cool at the moment and waiting around to niggle me. “No!” I shouted and grabbed her face so she couldn’t look away. “No Trixie! You cannot die for me. You’ve been through too much, and are just... so much better than I am, damn it! No! I’m not letting you fucking end yourself like this, no matter what happens.” I pulled her closer. “Fuck... Trixie... no. Just no. If I die, then you need to keep going.” I swallowed. “You deserve so much more than what I can give you. You deserve so much better than me.”
“Trixie isn’t as great as you think she is. In fact, I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She leaned up to whisper in my ear, “Trixie isn’t really that great and powerful.” A quick nip of my ear and she snuggled back down into my chest. “And I don’t want better. I want you. Is that so hard to understand?”
I realized then, that to Trixie, I really did matter. That I wasn’t just some fling or some cheap little emotional bond to enjoy from time to time. She was relying on me. I couldn’t just treat this like I had been up to this point. Acting like some... small part of her life to be forgotten and replaced. This was a real relationship now, and she really expected this to go all the way.
I closed my eyes and tears leaked down my face. Goddesses help my poor little Trixie. “It is Trixie. I don’t know why you don’t get it yet, but... It really is hard for me to understand.”
“Well then I’ll just have to keep this up won’t I?” A light, tender kiss on the tip of my beak. “It’ll get through that thick skull of yours eventually.”
I laughed. Celestia save her from me, please. “I dunno. I can be pretty stubborn.” I looked up at the door and saw Nightmare staring at us, her face expressionless. Oh shit. I tapped the unicorn on the shoulder. “Trixie...”
“Fuck her,” she whispered in my ear as she glared at the alicorn. “You’re mine and I am not letting you go.”
I stared up at Nightmare. I grit my beak and glared at her. My gaze settled into a threat I don’t think I could ever voice effectively. I matched her reptilian eyes, and warned her for all I was worth.
If you ever touch her...
For a second, it looked as though she was going to say something then her head snapped to the side before stalking out of the room.
I leaned in and just hugged Trixie tighter to me. “I got some spices for you,” I mumbled. “I don’t know what they are, but I thought you might like them.”
Her smile was probably the brightest thing I had seen all week. “And you say you’re bad...” Before I had a chance to react, I was on my back with her hooves on either side of my face as she leaned down till her lips touched my beak. “You’re just a big softie under all that fur, aren’t you?”
I smirked. “Oh yeah, you got me. The mass murdering sociopath with the heart of gold. Cause that’s where it counts.”
“Mmmmm...” I felt her lips press themselves against my beak in a hungry kiss and despite the awful hunger I had, I felt my pulse rise and my cheeks flush.
The moment would have been perfect, if at that exact moment my stomach didn’t rumble loudly. Like, really loud and for like, half a minute. Or at least it felt that long.
Trixie simply stared at me with this expression that was halfway between amusement and exasperation. In the end she gave me a lick on my beak and got onto her hooves. “Well Trixie supposes the fastest way to someone’s heart is through their stomach. Come, and bring those spices of yours. Trixie shall prepare a meal fit for royalty!”
“Great. I haven’t eaten since we cooked together.” I paused and thought about it. “No, wait. I didn’t even get to eat that before those brain-deads came at us.” I looked over at Trixie, before I paused to sniff myself. “And I haven’t had a bath since then either.” My arms were coated in dried blood and I was soaked in sweat, not to mention the changeling goop and corpses I’d been hanging around all day. I’m surprised Trixie could even stand to be in the same room as me. “Yeah, it’s been a rough couple of days.”
Trixie smiled and nodded, swaying slightly on her feet as she rubbed up against me. “Perhaps you would like a shower first thing? Trixie is willing to help scrub your back...”
“As awesome as that sounds, I’m really hungry. I would utterly fucking love you if you cooked me something up while I take a shower.” I looked over at her. “Seriously, please. I’ll eat anything that’s not raw or charcoal.”
“Since you asked so nicely,” she replied with a smirk. Then she turned away, letting her tail trail up my chest and over my beak as she sauntered away, her hips swaying more than usual and in a manner that made it impossible to not stop and stare.
After a moment, I shook my head and helped her clear away the barricade from the door. I stepped out, and after a parting kissing from Trixie, we went our separate ways, the spices I had floating away with her. I broke into an inn and found a brain-dead drooling onto the counter. I shuddered and thought about killing him, but I’d had enough of blood for now and just made my way around to the bathroom in back. There wasn’t a shower, but a tub full of hot water was good enough for me.
The water stained itself a ruddy brown shortly after I got in, and I drained it and filled the tub again with fresh clean water. As I rubbed shampoo into my coat it turned dark again, and so I changed the water again. By the fifth change of water there wasn’t enough blood and grime in my coat to change the water’s color anymore, and I heaved a sigh of relief as I relaxed in the warmth of it. After another minute of soaking, I set about preening my feathers. After I was done with that, I was done with the tub. As nice as the water was, I was damn hungry.
After draining the water I went to put my equipment and cloak back on, but I realized it was stained with blood and grime too, so I wrapped it up in paper and carried it with me as I set out to find Trixie. I’d need to clean it soon, but fuck that. I was hungry.
The smell of sizzling meat drew me inside an empty house, and I found Trixie at the stove humming to herself. To my surprise Nightmare was there too, but not saying anything as she stared at me. I realized I’d probably been a bit harsh earlier when she saw me and Trixie. Actually, I know I wasn’t too harsh, but whatever. I shrugged and gave her a silent apology as I passed.
Trixie must have noticed me because she turned to me with a bright smile, all put jumping into my arms. I had to admit, she looked good in an apron. “You smell delicious and look just as good,” she whispered in my ear.
“And to think, you just want to get me dirty all over again,” I replied in lowered tones. “Isn’t that just bloody typical.”
“Well that depends on the type of dirty you’re going after,” she said with a wink before turning back to the meat. “So? What do you think? Trixie is improving her skills.”
I blinked in surprise as I looked at it. “Well it’s not burnt.” I picked up the flipper thingy, and stirred the meat slices in the pan. “And you even added the right spices,” I told her with a smile. “Smells good, what did you put in it?”
Her cheeks turned purple at the compliment. “Salt and pepper mainly like it said in the cookbook, but I also added some of those spices you brought back. Nightmare helped Trixie identify a few that weren’t labeled.”
I nodded. “Yeah? That was nice of her.”
My mind went back on how I thought Nightmare would react when she found about me and Trixie, and I realized how... petty that was. Fucking hell, I’m just me. Honestly, how cut up could she be that I was taken? It was stupid of me to think she viewed me as anything more than a sex toy. And I’d completely forgotten about that Aurora mare who she was still hung up on. I was nothing to her, just a distraction. I mean, she got off on blood right? I guess I was just the first thing she’d seen in a while that could scratch that particular itch.
“It smells really good actually.” I took a deep whiff. “Is there wine in here or something?”
“Uh... no, but I could add it if you like.”
“No, it’s fine.” I told her. “And I think it’s about ready too.” I took it off the heat and dropped a large serving into a bowl. I took a spoon from the top draw and went to sit down. “Hey, why is it that spoons and knives and forks and stuff are always in the top draw?” I asked as I settled into the seat.
“They are? When Trixie used to live with her parents, they were always in the second drawer.” She sat down opposite me with a dish of pasta. “Sure that’s not a gryphon thing?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I remember most of the houses I’ve been to having it top draw.”
After that I gave up on conversation as I dug into the food. Aww, dude. It actually tasted good. I mean, it wasn’t the best I’d ever eaten, but it was still really nice, and I was so fucking hungry. After I finished that bowl I got myself a second and third helping. Even after I was full I wanted to eat more, but I left the bowl on the table.
“Another Great Scars saying is ‘hunger is the greatest seasoning.’ I think that one’s pretty true.” I smiled at her. “Thanks Trix.”
Once more with that wide smile. “You’re welcome!”
After a second I glanced over at Nightmare. “And uh... thanks, Nightmare.” Wow it felt weird thanking her, but I guess she’d helped Trixie with the cooking.
“You are welcome,” she replied with a smile.
I frowned at her smile. It seemed really... genuine. I stood up from the table. “So anyway, as nice as the creepy ghost town full of brain-deads is... what next?” I looked between Trixie and Nightmare.
“As promised, you two are free to go. Unfortunately, we still have business to attend to in the kingdom.” She cracked her neck. “Some vermin left to exterminate if you will.”
“Oh yeah, that list of gryphons who’d been through town, right?” I asked her.
“Exactly. We found a more extensive list back in the laboratory and we are afraid that they may be infected with the hive mind. It doesn’t help that when we read their mind, we managed to sense more of them in the direction of the capital. Too far to get a location, but they are there. If they managed to get into the mind of high ranking officials, the outfall would be disastrous.”
I shrugged. “Great. Have fun.” I turned to Trixie. “We’re leaving, right? No more of this, we’re just going back to Equestria?”
“As long as you’re certain. After all, this is your home; if you’re fine with leaving when there is still danger...”
I snorted. “Fuck that. The Kingdom’s not my home. In case you haven’t noticed, I really don’t belong here.”
“Trixie has noticed that, yes.” She pressed herself up against me. “Back to Equestria it is then.”
I sighed with relief. “Great. Finally.” I looked at Nightmare. “Well... goodbye?”
“Apparently so,” she replied with a nod. “With luck these gryphons should return to normal in time.”
I shrugged. “Whatever. Uh... come on Trix. Let’s go then.” I turned away and picked up my disgusting package of weapons and bloody cloaks. Me and Trixie made our way to the door, and I paused for a moment. “See you around then.”
“Likewise.”
We stepped out and I closed the door. After a moment I wrapped Trixie in my arms and flew into the air with a shout of, “Fuck yes!”
With her hooves wrapped around my neck, Trixie joined in on my laughter. “Finally free. Let us never repeat that experience ever again.”
“Oh, fuck yeah!” I flew away over the wall and laughed for all I was worth. “It’s over! All this shit is finally over!” I did a barrel roll and swooped low over the grass. Low enough that Trixie’s hooves touched the taller flowers. “We can go home!”
All the while, Trixie screamed in a mixture of fear and exhilaration and more than once, I felt her press her face into my neck. Not once did she tell me to stop though and more than once, she joined in my yells with some of her own, though it was impossible to hear what she was saying above the whistling wind.
I flew a little higher as I felt my wings getting oddly tired. After another minute’s flying I landed because I wasn’t sure it was good for both of us to be flying if I was feeling tired. I guess I was more worn out by the last few days then I thought.
“Come on Trix. Let’s get the fuck out of this goddess forsaken place.” I smirked. “I’ve had more than enough of the ‘divines’ to last a lifetime.”
“Well at least Trixie got you out of all of this so she can say it was worth it.”
I nodded. “Yeah, meeting you was the one part of all this that I don’t regret.” Meeting Trixie was great. Yeah it could have turned out better, but even then, as much as I hated how she needed me of all gryphons, I was glad she wanted me with her. Damn it, I’m so selfish it hurts sometimes. “Tonight, I say we celebrate.”
“Celebrate?”
“Yeah. I say we find ourselves a nice camp, and we turn in early. Break out the alcohol, cook the best food we can, and just have as much fun as we can on the roadside in the middle of nowhere.”
She suddenly grinned at me as she trailed a hoof down my chest. “Oh, I’m sure we can have a lot of fun tonight then...”
I smirked. “Not what I had in mind, but if you want to do it in the dirt I won’t stop you.” I sighed. “And to think, this is the first time I’ve been clean and preened all week.”
Trixie burst out laughing. “What was it you said earlier about me only wanting to get you dirty again?”
I chuckled. “Oh, well if that’s the case I’ll never clean myself again. If you just want to get down and nasty what’s the point?”
She stuck her tongue out at me. “Then expect to never get laid.”
“Oh, the horror.” I answered her. “How did I ever live without getting laid by you?” I frowned. “Oh wait, that still hasn’t happened.” I nudged her with my elbow.
“And once you have had the pleasure of being with Trixie, you shall not be able to live without it ever again!” she announced.
“Yeah, no doubt. If you’re as good at sex as you are at everything else...” I paused for a moment as if gauging her worth. “Hmmm... above-average’ish.”
“What.”
I smirked at her. “Don’t worry about it. I was just kidding.” Then I caught the look in her eyes and noticed the slightly dangerous glint.
“The Great and Powerful and Trixie... ‘above average’.” She took a step towards me. “The Great and Powerful Trixie, will not settle for ‘above average’. The Great and Powerful Trixie excels at all things!” She jabbed her hoof into my chest. “Do you hear me gryphon? You will be screaming Trixie’s name! You will ride waves of ecstasy like nopony has ever imagined! By the time Trixie is done with you, you will be unable to think of anything other than another taste of Trixie’s grace! You will be putty in her hooves, and you will not know anything that could ever compare to how Trixie will make you feel!” She shoved me and I fell back onto my haunches. “You understand me gryphon? Do you?!”
I swallowed nervously, before I smirked. “Only one way to prove it.”
“Oh yes. Yes there is.” Then she gave me the mother of all kisses. I mean, talk about smoking hot! Like... shit I’m out of words. I’ll sum it up this way:
HELL THE FUCK YES!
What had to be an hour, or maybe a month, later we broke apart, and I wasn’t the only one panting hard.
I smiled as I gasped. “Alright. Yeah. Awesome.” I spoke slowly, pausing for breath between each word.
Trixie smirked. “Told you.”
I nodded. “Yeah well...” I took in another deep breath. “There’s always room to improve.” I nudged her shoulder. “If you’re up to it, we can practice.”
“Way ahead of you birdie.” This time she pushed me over and pinned me down as she kissed me.
The sun started to set and the red pink light washed over us as we made out. We were both getting into it, and I only paused long enough to throw away the package I was carrying. I was getting sick of playing bottom, so I rolled over and let Trixie have a rest as I held up my own weight. She growled playfully, and tried to roll me over again, but I was stronger and held her down. Suddenly, I felt my arm shaking, and before I knew it, Trixie pushed me over.
“What’s the matter bird brain?” She asked as she nipped my cheek. “Getting tired?”
“The day I get overpowered by a unicorn is the day I stop being a gryphon.” I growled back and shoved her over again. Or I tried to. I frowned as I couldn’t budge her arms despite using all my strength. “What the fuck?” I asked aloud.
“Is this is it?” she asked sounding amused. “You’re not as strong as you look.”
I grit my beak as I tried to push her again, and suddenly both my arms cramped with pain. I cried out in shock and surprise as the muscle contracted.
“Gilda? This isn’t funny.”
I panted heavily, and it wasn’t from the kissing. “Trix, let me up.” I swallowed. “Get off me.”
She immediately scrambled onto her hooves and pulled me up onto my feet. Swaying dangerously, I would have collapsed again if she hadn’t been there to prop me up.
“I don’t...” I blinked and noticed tears in my eyes. “I don’t feel very good...” I felt a snake squirming around in my stomach, crawling up my throat and into my skull. “I need- I need...” I arched my back in pain and rose on my hind legs with wings flared. I screamed as that snake did fucked up things to my spine. I fell over onto my back, writhing in pain.
“G-Gilda!” She was immediately on her knees beside me, looking around frantically as she tried to restrain me with her magic. “Stop thrashing, you’ll make whatever’s wrong worse!”
I tried to listen to her, but my muscles weren’t listening to me as they twitched and spasmed out of my control. As soon as the snake started fucking with my back, it stopped and I blinked in surprise. Tears formed in my eyes, and Trixie gasped as she stared at me.
“What?” I asked her and rubbed the tear from my eye. “What’s wrong?” Then I noticed there was blood on my talon. With growing dread I wiped away another tear from my eye, and my claw came away bloody.
“B-blood. There’s blood coming out of your eyes.” She swallowed.
I stared at her in shock, and opened my beak to speak, but just as I did something happened inside my chest and I screamed in pain and arched my back. Something was in my chest, and it was rearranging my organs. I could feel my heart squirming and trying to strangle my lungs while my stomach had my kidneys in a headlock. I screamed. That was all I could do. I arched my back and writhed in pain as I shouted myself hoarse. One of my flailing arms hit Trixie in the face, and she was flung away from me. Within seconds she was back by my side with her magic glowing even brighter, and I found my limbs chained down to the ground. But even that didn’t stop my body from doing what it wanted.
“There’s something inside me!” I screeched. “There’s something in me!” I would have screamed in pain as it found my brain and started messing with that too, but I was already out of air. “Get it out! Get it out of me!” I shouted desperately.
“I-I don’t know! Where? Where is th-”
“You know, I would advise against such actions.” Out the corner of my eye, I saw Nightmare admiring the night sky. “I can definitively tell you there is nothing in you. Though I’m surprised you’re having such a strong reaction. The first batch, and the most unrefined, failed to get this reaction from me. Perhaps a difference in pony and gryphon biology? How curious.”
“What the fuck did you do to me?!” I shouted, and tried to stand up. Though my stomach muscles cramping stopped that.
“Oh, you know, a bit of something I picked up in the lab.” She threw an empty vial at my feet. “One of the ‘spices’ no doubt.”
“Why?!” I gasped and my claw went to my knife. “What the fuck are you doing?!”
“Congratulations, We found you worthy to be the first of the nightkin. You should be proud of yourself. Of course there may be some added benefits to turning you. Such as having such an... athletic toy to play with.” She took a step forward, but Trixie immediately stood between the two of us. “What’s this? Protecting your dear lover? How pathetic. Get out of my way showmare. If you truly love her, you’ll let me perform the ritual on her. Without it, she’ll turn into a mindless raving beast.”
“No.” Trixie’s eyes narrowed and her horn flared to life. “I will not let you harm her.”
“You think you can stop a goddess?”
“You’re no goddess!” The bolt of magic was deflected with a simple flick of Nightmare’s sword.
“Tsk, let me show you true magic.” Dark balls of energy gathered around Trixie, charring the ground and singing her fur.
“Stop!” I shouted. “I said I didn’t want this!” I spasmodically drew my knife, trying to get between Nightmare and Trixie.
“Stay out of this,” snapped Trixie as I was flung back and pinned down. I could only watch helplessly as those balls of death collapsed in on her resulting in an explosion so massive I was thrown back like a doll.
“No!” I shouted and tried to stand up, but magic still held me down, and every muscle in my body was contracting. Just speaking was taking a lot of effort.
“How dull. And here I was hoping for a bit of action.” Nightmare teleported beside me and rolled me over with a hoof. “Don’t worry, this won’t hurt a bit. Then again, the original potion shouldn’t have hurt either, so who knows?”
I only just managed to spit blood in her eye, before my neck muscles cramping so hard I couldn’t even look around. I was coughing and gagging, and something crawled up my throat. A chunk of something bloody slipped into my beak. I tilted my head for what looked like a red chunk of meat to drop out of my mouth and onto the ground with a plop of blood.
“Look at that, such a shame you had to suffer like this. This would have been so much easier if you just accepted my advances, you know. Then I wouldn’t have to re-”
A bolt of blue magic threw her across my field of vision and then there was a bright flash of light. There stood Trixie, cape not even damaged as she stood above me in a defensive stance.
“I will not let you hurt her!” she screamed as more bolts of blue magic rained out. “Anything you can do, I can do better! That applies even to you, Nightmare Moon. I’m not called the Great and Powerful for nothing!”
“Well now, color me surprised. The unicorn has some bite after all.” Dark laughter echoed through the plains as Nightmare swooped around the attacks.
Another spasm racked my body, and my hind legs kicked the air as I felt the claws in my back paws flex out of my control. My fur was standing on end, and I felt a strange... numbness spreading from my stomach to the rest of me.
I looked up again and saw a white lance descending, but Trixie merely did a sweep of her horn, shattering the entire thing. She ran at a full gallop, weaving between blows while launching her own counterattacks. Then she flickered and vanished, only for twelve Trixies to appear, each launching their own attacks and running in different directions. Nightmare merely created a shield and spread her wings wide. Even from my position I could feel the magic radiating off her, it was like a pressure on the back of my mind, pinning me down. One by one the illusions shattered until only the real Trixie was left.
“This is foalish. Look at her! She is dying without the ritual. All you are doing is causing needless suffering.” Tears streamed down Nightmare’s cheeks. “Why must you disobey your goddess!?”
“Fuck! You!” screamed Trixie as her horn lit up brighter than the midday sun. Sparks flew off in all directions, her cape whipped around her as she rose off the ground while a blue aura surrounded her entire body.
“You- You wouldn’t! You’ll destroy this entire place you foal!” For the first time in my life, I heard fear in Nightmare’s voice.
“Better than letting Gilda be your pet.” Though it was a whisper, it carried with it a tone of finality and serenity.
With a sound like existence shattering, a blue shock wave radiated out from Trixie. Dust filled the air and blotted out the moon and all I could see was bright blue light. Around me I could hear nothing but a dull ringing in my ears. Was I dead? Had Trixie killed me? As the light faded, I found myself staring into darkness. Then I realized that was the dark midnight blue of Nightmare’s magic. Her aura sparkled around us. She was sheltering me protectively with her wings and body. Blood dripping from her nose, and her horn burning with enough magic to make the darkness of her aura seem impossibly bright.
“Stupid foal, casting such magics with a cracked horn,” she muttered as she stood up. “However, that takes care of that little issue. Now hang on and you’ll be fine in a minute.”
She took to the sky and I noticed a deep gash along her side. Out of her saddlebags came the ingredients I’d gathered for her back in the mine, and within seconds, the runes were redrawn, the crystals placed, and I was levitated into the air beside her. Just behind her, I could see a smoking crater and a prone body in the center of it all.
“Trix...” I croaked, trying to reach for her. My talons twitched and I couldn’t keep my arm steady. That was it. That was all I managed to do before my energy left me and I was done. I slumped in the air, gravity dragging me down, not even fighting the spasms that rocked my entire body.
Trixie. My... Trixie... died to protect me. Bloody tears leaked from my eyes. There was nothing right about that. No part of the sentence that was whole or natural.
Nightmare’s horn began glowing and against my will, I found my eyes drawn to hers. The spasms I was experiencing died down, and a haze filled my mind, blocking out the pain. My eyes started to dim, as if the all light in the world was dying slowly. Even as I slowly blacked out, I glared into Nightmare’s eyes. I couldn’t recognize the look she was giving me, but I knew I was only staring hate into her soul. Then the world dimmed completely, and even though I couldn’t see anything I could feel my eyes slowly close.
My Trix...
When my eyes opened, there was no more pain. I didn’t feel any lingering weakness or hangover or like everything that could've hurt did. If I hadn’t been there myself, I wouldn’t have known that last night was the most pain I’d ever experienced.
My vision was perfect, and I pushed myself to all fours. At first I thought it was daytime, but then I noticed the moon in the sky and saw the pink lines of dawn on the horizon. I frowned. I never remember it being this bright before dawn. I took a step forward, and I felt... different when I did. It didn’t hurt, and it didn’t feel like something was wrong. I don’t know why it felt different.
I wasn’t dead. I knew I wasn’t that lucky. Trixie though... If she was dead then... I felt anger and hate shifting in the back of my mind. Getting ready to deal with Nightmare. I looked around, and spotted the alicorn watching me. The moment I laid eyes on her, Hate and Anger stilled, against my will they quietly slunk to the back of mind. I tried to draw them out again, but they ignored me and watched.
“What have you done?” That was my voice, but speaking felt like walking did. Like something had changed, and I wasn’t the same as I was.
“I have made you mine,” she replied with a seductive whisper. “Now why don’t you be a good pet and come tend to your mistress.”
I raised my claw to take a step towards her, but I froze, realizing what I was about to do. I wanted to make her happy. I wanted Nightmare’s approval and affection. A little part of told me to just do it. To earn her smile and favor. I gagged that part of me and crushed it as best I could.
“Fuck you.” I said aloud and took a deliberate step back. “Where’s Trixie?”
She frowned. “I said, ‘attend your mistress’”
I was halfway to her before I stopped myself mid-walk, and began to slowly reverse. “Why?” I asked.
“Is it not obvious? We want you, and now We have you. So come.” She pattered the grass by her side.
I went to take another step before I growled and stopped myself. The way she frowned at me hurt. I felt sad as I realized I was making her unhappy.
“Why the fuck would you want me?” I asked, and slowly drew my knife. “Why would anyone want me!? Why did Trixie have to die for me?!” I shouted at her.
“She was in the way.” Her hoof ran along my cheek and I immediately stumbled back out of range. Since when had I been next to her? “Come on dear, let me wipe all those memories away for you.”
I took another step towards her again, when I caught myself. I screamed in frustration and turned to run only for her to appear out of the shadows before me.
“How are you resisting me!?” she snarled as she tackled me to the ground. “How can a gryphon like you resist me? Tell me!”
With all my might I heaved and tossed her off me. I rose on my hind legs with a roar. “I don’t want you!” I shouted. “I never wanted you, and I have no fucking clue why you’d want me!” As the words left my beak, I felt despair fill my chest. I knew how much that must have hurt my mistress. I needed to tell her I’m sorry. Beg and crawl at her hooves and-
“Mother fucker! I won’t be your cattle! I’ll never be that again!” I cursed as I jammed a knife into my arm, but at the last second, a blue glow stopped me. “T-Trix?”
“Unfortunately not.” My eyes snapped up and for a brief moment, Nightmare’s eyes weren’t reptilian. Then her eyes went all evil again, the glow vanished and the dagger narrowly missed my arm.
“Luna! Damn you, Luna, what did you do? What the fuck did you do to my ritual!?” screamed Nightmare as her head swung from side to side.
Before I knew what I’d done, my fist was in her face. “Get the fuck away from me!” My knife came around to stab her, but I couldn’t do it. Hate and Anger slithered away from me, and in their place, a need to see Nightmare happy remained. I couldn’t draw her blood like that without them. I snarled in frustration and turned to fly again, tears staining my face.
“Wait!” Once more it was Luna’s voice, but it sounded strained.
Instinctively I stopped for The Night’s call, and I stumbled forwards and fell to the ground. I pushed myself up slowly. “Why didn’t you stop her?!” I turned around and shouted. “How the fuck could you let her poison me, and change me?!”
She looked up at me one eye closed in a wince as her entire body shook. “W-We disrupted her ritual. Made her, made her forget a couple of symbols. It was all we could do. You can resist her call, you have free will.” For a split second her fur turned dark and Nightmare attempted to get away, but Luna came back in full force. “Take some of our blood. There is some leftover moonflower nectar in the bag. F-Find some salt and go!”
With a scream of pain she collapsed on the ground. “T-Trixie is alive. Barely. We’ve been sustaining her. Y-You must go. Quickly. Can’t hold her off for long.” All of a sudden she leaned up, pressing her horn against my forehead and a series of images flashed through my mind. Symbols and circles and all sorts of information.
I hesitated for a second before I snatched the moonflower nectar out of her pack, and slashed her throat with my knife. Part of me shrieked in rage at what I was doing, but Luna had ordered me to take her blood, so it wasn’t too hard to shut that part of me up. I dribbled her blood into my canteen, and to me it smelled... delicious. Seriously, I had to stop myself right then and there from just suckling the wound. It was like a deep rich wine, and I was worried for a second that nightkin were some kind of vampire.
I screwed the lid back on my canteen and turned to run, before I paused and looked back at her. I went to ask where Trixie was, but then I realized I knew that thanks to the information she’d just given me. Trixie was back in White Peak. Without another word I took to the air, and prayed to never see the alicorn again. Though I knew that wasn’t likely. There’s no way that I could be that lucky.
I flew as fast as I could to White Peak, and went to touch my natural gryphon magic to speed my flight. When I did though, rather than my pulse rising and my drag reducing, or any of the other signs of my natural magic, I felt my senses heighten and the landscape became clearer to me. The shadows became obvious, and something screamed at me to fly to them, but I ignored that part and focused on my desperate need to save Trixie.
As the quartz mountain top that White Peak got its name from came into view, so did the town itself and I landed in the streets with a whump. Without thinking about it, I dived into the door of the house and found Trixie on the floor in the middle of the room.
“Trixie!” I shouted and fell to the floor next to her. The first thing I noticed was her cape and hat were gone, but then I noticed something worse that made me freeze. Her horn was cracked. A deep fissure ran along the side of her almost all the way to tip. “Oh sweet fucking Celestia.” I breathed. “What did you do?”
I shook her. “Trixie?” I tried to raise her head by decided against it. “Come on, wake up.”
No response.
Oh shit. I had no idea what to do now. How the heck was I supposed to heal Trixie? “Oh goddesses damn it! I’m so useless when it actually matters!” I shouted to the empty house. I didn’t know whether I should move her, or leave her or...
Damn it. Part of me still wanted to fly out that door and find Nightmare and... just ask her to tell me what to do. To give me commands and...
With a snarl, I yanked the moonflower and blood out. I ran into the kitchen and snatched a salt shaker off the table. I sat on the ground and began drawing up the circles and runes and lines and all the magical shit that I had no clue about. Fuck. For all I know, this ritual would only make things worse.
As the last of Nightmare’s blood stained the floor, I tapped into the natural magic I had and the runes lit up. Except it wasn’t my magic anymore. It was... whatever the fuck sort of magic Nightmare had shoved into me. The runes deepened and darkened, and spread like black ink across the floor until the entire circle looked like a pockmark in the middle of the room.
I opened my beak against my will, and a retarded crooning made its way out of my throat. I sat there, singing like some fucking monster bird for almost half a minute before it died down in my throat, and the ink on the floor receded back to the edge of the circle. The ingredients to the ritual were gone, and in their place was just a dark ash.
I stood up, and I felt oddly numb and cold. I wondered what that ritual had done. I still felt... different. Like there was something different in me, but my head was clearer. I didn’t have that nagging voice telling me I needed to go find Nightmare and beg her for forgiveness.
Whatever. I could figure it out later. Right now I had to figure out how to help Trixie. I took a step forward and stumbled. I felt my eyes fluttering shut as I collapsed to the floor. I wasn’t tired, but... I needed to sleep. I needed, to... to...
My head hit the floor and I blacked out again.
Slowly, I woke up. It was full day now, and the light streamed in through the windows. My eyesight adjusted instantly, but for some reason I didn’t like the light. It put me in a bad mood. I rose to all fours and looked around, my head spinning slightly.
“Trixie?” I asked, noticing that I couldn’t see her. Then I realized I was on a bed and my eyes widened. Nightmare! “Trixie!” I shouted and ran out of the room.
I paused when I heard the sound of a shower and humming. I followed the noise and pushed open the bathroom door. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Trixie bathing in the hot water.
“Oh thank fuck,” I said aloud.
Apparently Trixie didn’t notice because she turned around so her back was to me and began soaping up her back and rump, while shampooing her tail. Her humming broke into a full out song as she began dancing in the confined space, making it look more like she was shaking her plot at me than anything.
As much as I would have loved to just watch, we had more important things to worry about. “Trixie!” I said loudly and walked towards her. “Come on, we need to go.”
She turned to me and blinked in surprise. “You’re awake!” Once more with the flying hug tackling thingie that she loved doing so much.
But this time I didn’t get knocked over by it. I braced for impact, and she smacked into me with a solid whump. I wrapped my arms around her and said, “I thought you were dead.”
“I thought you were going to die,” she whispered back.
“Your horn, Nightmare cracked it.” I growled as I patted her on the back, and hate and anger finally answered me. “I’m gonna murder that bitch.”
“My horn?” She touched it and shrugged. “Oh that. It must have re-cracked during the fight.”
I blinked at her. “Re-cracked?” I frowned. “What do you mean re-cracked?”
“Old wound.” From the way she said it, it was clear she didn’t want to talk about it. “And what happened to your eyes?”
I frowned at her. “What’s wrong with my eyes?”
“Um...” She pointed at the mirror. “They’re kinda like Nightmare’s...”
I turned and looked, before I balked back in surprise. “The fuck!” My eyes were... “They’ve gone slitty!” I shouted. “My eyes are cat’s slits!” I growled. “What the hell did that bitch do to me?!”
“Trixie doesn’t know...” She looked down and off to the side.
“I can’t believe I trusted her.” I shattered the mirror with my fist. It wasn’t just my eyes that had changed, but my coat was darker too, and the white on my chest had turned a light grey. “How could I think she’d wouldn’t do... something?!”
“Anypony could have made that mistake.”
“How? She’s Nightmare Moon! The Nightmare Moon.” I turned around and hugged Trixie again. “I thought she’d go after you. Damn it, I really thought she’d kill you.”
“Well... um... still a mistake anypony could have made,” she said lamely as she snuggled into my hug. “And she didn’t kill me. That’s the important thing.”
I nodded. “As long as you’re okay.” I repeated. After a moment of that I pulled away. “Come on, we need to get out of here. Before Nightmare or the Wide Eyes show up or... freaking Celestia decides she wants to fuck me too.”
“Or me?” whispered Trixie seductively.
“Not right now,” I told her. “Seriously, let’s just get the fuck out of here before something else goes wrong.”
“Very well,” she pouted. “Let Trixie dry herself off and we can be on our way.”
I nodded and stepped away from her. I was shifting uncomfortably, and I kept an eye out in case some more shit happened. Another eye was on Trixie as she slowly dried herself. I’ll admit I liked watching. She must have noticed because she started making sure I had the best angle for everything.
“As much as I’m enjoying the show, we really need to get going,” I said.
“What show?” She looked at me innocently and when I return it with a flat look, she sighed. “Very well.” And within seconds she was done. “Where to?”
“South, the border, Equestria.” I pushed the door open and we walked through it onto the street. “I don’t know, anywhere that’s not the kingdom.”
“Equestria sounds lovely.”
“You are a foal. There was no need for you to interfere,” snapped Nightmare.
“That was exactly what We thought. We thought that if thou loved the gryphon then thou wouldst not continue in thy line of action, but sadly, We were wrong.” I stood up on shaky limbs as We watched the gryphon recede into the distance. “Though that does not surprise us in the least.”
“Love? Don’t make me laugh. I loved once, and she is the only creature I shall ever love,” said Nightmare as I began walking, highly conscious of the ring atop my horn. “No, I lusted after the gryphon and had such delicious plans once she was my pet.”
With a mighty flap, I took to the skies, letting the thermals do the work for me. While Nightmare’s methods were flawed, I had to admit that Gilda would have made a fine addition to the nightkin ranks, if she had been willing.
“Though I have to admit, that was very well played. Sacrificing both of them to get the knowledge you seek was a sound move.” Nightmare’s laughter echoed through my mind. “To think you’d go to such lengths to learn the steps in the ritual. You and I are not so different after all it seems.”
“Silence!” My voice echoed through the silent sky. “We are nothing like thou!”
“Once you knew what I was doing, you could have stopped me anytime you wanted. Cut off my magic, or taken the body back forcibly, or any number of other tactics, but you didn’t. You waited and subtly nudged my hoof here and there.” Her words were like a venom, trying to burn me from the inside out. “You decided to gamble with their lives. To take things to the end, so you could find out the one piece of information you have always lusted after. They could have died, and Trixie almost did.”
“But they didn’t,” I muttered under my breath. “I did what was necessary.”
Even as I said those words, I could see Gilda’s face in my mind as she accused me of making excuses and hiding behind justifications. There was little doubt in my mind that if she found out the truth, she would very happily slit my throat multiple times and wear my skin like a cloak.
A sigh escaped. Since when did the lives of some toys matter to me? They would all die eventually, and I would be left alone once more. I had seen the pain my sister went through, yet time after time she’d pick a favored student to nurture and love with all her being. And time after time, that student would die and she would go into mourning. She’d cry her heart out, drown her sorrows in bottles of wine, and then pick another student. Going through that once was more than enough for me, so why did I bother saving those two? They were going to die anyway. Whether it was now or in a thousand years, it mattered not. Dead was dead was dead was dead.
“Looks like someone’s getting sentimental in their old age.”
I ignored Nightmare and turned my gaze towards the rising sun. The thing was, I knew why I cared so much. Touching Gilda’s mind, seeing and experiencing her past had changed me. It was impossible to go back and view them as toys. As pieces on a board in the eternal game. As beings with no feelings or emotions or desires or dreams. They were beings like Celly and I, perhaps not as long lived, but no less important. They were pawns, and yet, not pawns at the same time. Lesser than alicorns, but so much more.
“Oh, bleah. That’s disgusting! What happened to the sociopathic little filly I used to know?”
“She’s dead,” I replied before saying out loud, “and she’s not coming back.”
I removed the ring from my horn, and held it up to the light of the rising sun. Aurora... It was still so difficult to remember anything about you, but...
Tears leaked down my cheek as I kissed the central diamond lightly before putting it back in place. In the back of my mind, I could feel Nightmare crying alongside me. Perhaps getting attached to these frail mortal creatures wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Perhaps, all this time, Celly had been right.
Regardless, I had a mission before me, and if there was one thing I knew, it was how to accomplish a mission. And maybe, just maybe, Equestria would be better off if I vanished. To be never seen again or heard again.
A thousand years of peace, and all it took was for the meddling little sister to disappear.