//------------------------------// // Blood Stain, Eve and Legends of the BMP // Story: The New Guy // by SilverWind102 //------------------------------// Silver was seated on the pile of plushy pillows in the library. Star Shine had left some time ago, and he decided to return to his original engagement of reading. That was, until he remembered the paper his friend had given him when she stopped by. When he first looked at it before, it was simply to see if there were any workouts he didn't recognize. Seeing that there were none, he quickly turned his attention back to the conversation since it was of more importance. But now... Now he was alone. Sure, the presence of the books kept him distracted for a while, long enough for the sun to begin to set, but as his reading materials grew thinner, the paper sitting next to him seemed to be more and more present. The wolf eyed the slip, a hint of fear festering in his heart. The training regiments Star Shine could come up with were...extreme. With a shaky paw, Silver took the paper and unfolded it. Carefully, his eyes went over the schedule. Twilight pranced with a happy hum into her home. Her talk with Rainbow went well, or at least as well as she could have hoped for. There was the moment of worry when Rainbow began talking about the Elements curse, but seeing how relieved the pegasus was when Twilight unintentionally proved her wrong was uplifting. But that didn't stop the alicorn from pondering on what her friend said. While Twilight was against what Rainbow thought, she couldn't help but see some points to her statement, particularly the one referencing the lavender mare herself. It was true that many of the problem she'd tried to fix with a spell had backfired, but would that really be considered cursed? Twilight had already learned that magic wasn't the solution to everything a long time ago, but in those situations, using magic was definitely a reasonable solution. ...Except for that time she enchanted Smarty Pants. Shaking the darker thoughts from her mind, Twilight strode down the hall and into the Silvers home. The sun was nearly set, the light of the celestial body breaking through the glass back door and casting a beautiful array of oranges, reds and purples across the shimmering white tile. If Twilight didn't know any better, she'd swear she was walking on flames. As the alicorn entered the house, she looked to the couch expecting to find one of the homes residents occupying it. Sadly, there were none. Going left, Twilight went down the hall and poked her head into the wolfs room. Unfortunately, the bed was empty, once again disappointing her. As she went to pull her head back out though, her eye caught something in the room. In the corner of the room on Silvers desk, there was a small, blue journal. Twilight had seen it before, but never paid much attention to it. The only reason why she'd noticed it now was because unlike all the other times before, the book was open. Twilight took a few hoof steps into the room, her curiosity getting the best of her, only to pause for a moment. “No! I can't do this. I shouldn't be snooping around in Silvers personal belongings.” Her hooves moved a half step back before stopping again. “Then again, he's never really gotten mad at me before for doing it. He'd didn't really care that I'd tried to get into his rooms on the second floor, but he also knows that I can't anyway, so there's nothing for him to worry about.” Twilight remained in her spot for a moment longer, staring at the book from her position. Her curiosity was clawing at the back of her mind, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why. So what? There was a journal lying around in Silvers room. That was no reason to have such a strong desire to flip through it. But there was still something about it that bugged her. Something about it that made her intent on finding out it's contents. “Maybe....maybe I'll just take a quick look. If it's something personal, I'll just walk away and never bring it up. But then again, what else could it be? If Silver keeps it in his room, then it's something he likes to keep close by, probably something about his past." Another hoof step forward. “Or perhaps it could be about his less legal activities. Maybe it's his ledger. Either way, if I get caught in here, I don't think it will end well. Alright....just a quick peek.” The alicorn quickly shuffled over to the desk, careful to avoid disturbing anything on it. When she looked down at the page of the book, she found something she didn't recognize. Well, “didn't recognize” is a bit confusing in this sense. She knew what was on the page, but at the same time she couldn't identify what the hell meant. On the paper was Arcane circles and symbols, but each one was foreign to her. Perhaps maybe it was Houndish Magic? Or maybe some notes taken from the grimoire they'd gotten from Radiance? As Twilight continued to study the marks on the page, she barely managed to keep herself from screaming when she'd heard the back door slide open. A quick shuffle later and Twilight was away from the book and back in the bedroom door way, heading out into the hall. It was there that she saw Ruppy, Onyx and Aerial come in, the first of the three mentioned carrying a worn out Beats on her back. His little sister was on Onyxs. “Oh, hey Twilight,” Ruppy greeted as she moved to the couch and began unbuckling her gauntlets, the little filly sliding off of her. “Hello every pony,” Twilight said back, “I don't suppose Silvers coming behind you.” The three mares all shook their heads, the stallion too tired to respond properly. Onyx could be a demon when she wanted. “Hmm, I suppose I should go check the third floor then,” Twilight said as she made her way to the hall, only to pause and look turn back, “Oh and by the way, you may have another member joining soon. I haven't entirely made up my mind yet, but she does look promising.” “Whoo!” Ruppy cheered, “See Aerial, I told you the next one was going to be a mare! You totally owe me five bits.” The mare simply huffed and reclined on the couch. Twilight shuffled off down the steps and to the third floor, where she saw a light coming from under the door of the library. Entering the room, she noticed the wolf she was looking for sitting on the other end, looking at a piece of paper. “Hey Silver,” she greeted as she strolled up to him, “What are you reading?” The wolf didn't respond. He just kept staring at the sheet in his paws. At first, Twilight had almost panicked. She thought he had fallen back into his rage from earlier that day. But when she lifted a hoof and poked him to get his attention, she noticed his body wasn't cold. “Silver?” she asked warily, “Silver, what is it?” “I'm..go..ie,” he mumbled. The alicorn leaned a little closer, “Huh?” “I'm gonna die...” “...Again, Huh?” Slowly, Silver lifter his head and presented the parchment to his marefriend. Twilight looked at him quizzically and floated the paper up, scanning over it. Silvers Regiment Marble Meditation: 2 hours Boulders: 2 hours Gravity Swings: 300 reps. Split Seconds: 50 from 250ft. Golems: 5 Triple Vortex: 2 hours Target Practice: 150 targets Gravity Simulator: Level 3 Wind Style Forms: 50 reps. The words meant nothing to Twilight. She'd never heard of any of these exercises. But then again, she didn't exactly work out often. Sure, she'd occasional go for a run but that was it. She didn't know what any of these meant or what they entailed. “Um Silver,” She began, giving the paper back, “Is this the training schedule Star Shine was supposed to come up with?” The wolf slowly nodded, the fear on his face never fading. “Is...is that what you think is going to kill you?” She asked. Again, a frightened nod was his response, “Silver, not to be presumptuous or anything, but these don't exactly sound like they could.” “...Huh?” Well that seemed to get a response out of him, although it was accompanied by a unnerving eye twitch. “Well, it's just that something like 'Marble Meditation' doesn't really sound all that dangerous.” “The marbles explode when dropped,” the wolf informed, “And I have to balance four in the middle of a forest high on a windy mountain.” “...Oh...” “The others are just as dangerous, if not then just as exhausting. I swear that she's trying to kill me.” “Um, you don't have to do it, you know,” Twilight suggested, “Even if you are out of shape, I don't think there is any pony in Equestria that can match up to you.” “If I don't, Star Shine will see me as a liability. She'll probably request that I get sent back to Houndland.” Twilights eyes went wide at the statement, “She...she wouldn't actually do that, would she?” She couldn't deny the flare of anger in her heart. What else was she supposed to feel when she was told her boyfriend would be shipped away for not listening to someone else? “Star Shine doesn't like taking chances. She'll eliminate any possibility of an oversight. It's what earned her the title of the Queen of Ancient Knowledge. She's not just smart, but thorough. She won't let anything slip by her.” “But there must be things even she can't see coming.” Silver simply shook his head, “She plans for literally every scenario, and then calculates the most likely events. Even then, she uses the plans for the ones that are less likely to occur. She can see it all and prepares for it. She has no loose ends or blind spots.” Twilight sat in shock. From the way he described her, she almost sounded like she could see the future. Actually, he made it sound like she could see every future that could occur. “But even if she did send you back, it's not like you'd have to leave. Wolves have already been exposed in Equestria, so you could just come back. Or maybe you wouldn't even have to. Luna and I still have our keys, so we could see you anytime we'd like. It's the same for the girls too.” “I imagine she'd probably count on that,” Silver said with a sigh, “She knows that telling me to go back home won't work, so she'd probably figure that I would just stay here in Equestria and then request for another guard to come here. Then there would be four incredibly powerful wolves looking after the princesses, and even less of a chance for something to go wrong. What's more is that I wouldn't be an official guard, so I wouldn't be restricted by the rules of the princesses like the others. If something needed to be done that they couldn't do themselves, they'd just have me do it.” Once again, Twilight sat stunned. Star Shine was...intimidating. If Silver was right and this was her plan, then she understood why Silver described her the way she did. “Of course that's all speculation,” Silver sighed, “Truth is, I never know what she's planning.” Well that certainly didn't ease the mares thoughts. But then again, thinking about this was pointless. It's not like Star Shine was plotting against them. She was just....plotting. Shaking her head, Twilight folded up the paper and set it aside, then took a spot at Silvers side. She laid her head into his neck and nuzzled, “Hmm. Well there's no point in wondering what she would do if you did refuse. Let's just relax for now.” The wolf couldn't help but chuckle as he wrapped a wing around his mare. Now all he was missing was the other one. At the same moment, Twilights thoughts had copied Silvers, “Hey, do you know when Lunas supposed to get here?” The mare could feel him shrug, “I'm not sure. I think she has a fair amount of paper work to do so she'll probably come later.” “Aww,” Twilight pouted, “Oh well. I suppose there's no helping it.” The two continued to lay together for the evening, reading the stories that filled the pages of Silvers library. Luna lazily shuffled down the halls of Canterlot. The mountain of paperwork that sat on her desk was ruthless. But alas, she defeated the beasts known as Tax forms, capital budget papers and investment appraisals. She had worked later into the night, only pausing to raise the moon before getting back to work. By the time she was done, it was already 10:30. But now she was off to the home of a wolf. Trotting into the house, she found a tan mare sitting on the couch. “Good evening Ruppy,” the alicorn greeted, “Where might Silver be?” “Papa's in the library with Mama Twilight,” she informed. Luna giggled, “You're actually going to call us that?” “Yep. I figure it'll make one of guys feel really awkward....or really horny.” The midnight mare laughed, “Very well,” she said before going over to the couch, “Thank you for telling me, my sweet wittle filly,” then leaned down and pecked Ruppys head and nuzzled her mane. The mares ears fell flat and her face lit up with a bright blush, “Just go to your damn boyfriend already!” Laughing as she made a quick retreat, Luna wandered down the stairs to the library where she found the other two. “Hello~” she greeted in a cheery voice. Despite being tired, she simply couldn't frown when she saw the two of them. “Hey Luna,” Silver said back, looking up from his book, “Work late?” “Yes, the papers seem to get higher and higher with each passing day,” Luna replied as she came to a stop in front of them. Noticing Twilight still had her nose in a book, the midnight alicorn decided it was time for a proper hello. Leaning down so that her face was hidden behind the book, Luna waited for a moment, then used her magic to pull the book up out of Twilights grip. “Wha-hmph!” The lavender mare was cut off by a pair of lips pressing against her own. At first she pulled back, but upon realizing it was Luna, Twilight fell back into the kiss. After a moment, Luna broke away, “Do I get a 'hello' now?” Twilight couldn't help but blush a little and nodded, “Good evening, Luna.” The mare giggled and nuzzled Twilights cheek, “Good evening, dear,” then shuffled over to her side, sandwiching the smallest of the three in between the other two, “I do apologize for startling you though.” Twilight shook her head and brushed her cheek into Lunas neck, “No, it's okay. I was just a little too caught up in the book.” “What are you reading anyway?” Luna asked as she lifted the tome. “Just some old fairy tales from Houndland,” Twilight replied, tugging the tome so that is sat between the two of them. “Oh?” Luna hummed with a small smirk, “And I don't suppose our beloved wolf would happen to be the source of some of these legends, would he? You are quite infamous after all.” Twilight paused for a moment and thought. It wasn't an entirely far fetched idea. After all, Silver was known as Saber, who was thought to be near mythic, so perhaps some more of his past actions had their stories carried on as well. The wolf in question set his own book aside and took theirs into his grasp, humming while he flipped through the pages. “Hmm. Yeah, I doubt it. I usually kill myths and legends, not make them,” he concluded as he flipped through some more pages, “However, the other Alphas of the Black Moon Pack have certainly left a mark on some folklore.” After placing the book on the floor in front of them, Twilight and Luna looked to the page the wolf stopped on. “The Beast of Black Skies?” Twilight read aloud, “Let me guess, it's Black Wings doing.” Silver shook his head, “Nope. It's actually one of us you haven't met yet. His name is Blood Stain.” Both mares couldn't help but quiver at the name. Neither of them had heard it before, but the words alone were unsettling enough. Of course, the passage describing his handy work certainly didn't help either. Twilight read the words on the page aloud, “The Beast of Black Skies is said to be a powerful monster with unparalleled strength. It wanders the lands, slaughtering hundreds and scorching villages with it's hellfire. It's been said that there is no way to determine when the beast is approaching. It will simply appear and destroy. The only thing that can be concluded is the village it has attacked, for it will not be left standing. The only way to tell that something was even there is by the pillar of ash and smoke rising into the air, turning the sky black for all to see.” The two mares sat in silence as their eyes scanned over the words once more. Silver, who was doing the same, muttered to himself while he read. “Hm. Burned...smoke pillar...villages...” he mumbled, “Yep. That's Blood.” Twilights eye twitched, “Silver...you do realize that your friend slaughtered innocents, right?” The wolf...rolled his eyes? Were it not for her love of the wolf, she would have punched him in the nose for making such a notion. “Funny thing about these legends, they never get the full story,” he said before standing and moving among the shelves. After about a minute of searching, Silver came back with another book. Taking his place next to the mare again, he set the book down and began flipping through the pages. Finally stopping, he slid the book over and placed on top of the one they'd read before. “Those weren't your average towns,” Silver said as he pointed a paw to the heading on the page. Twilight and Luna both looked past the paw and read the title. “Ghost Towns?” the lavender mare read aloud, “You mean like..” “Like villages and towns infested with demons and ghosts, yes,” Silver finished for her, “The places Blood Stain visited weren't normal towns. They'd all been abandoned decades before, only to be inhabited again by hellish spirits. It was, and still is, Blood Stains job to go around and put an end to these Ghost Towns.” “...So, he didn't kill innocents then?” Twilight asked, her guilt causing her voice to break for a moment. Silver shook his head, “Despite popular belief, there is only one Alpha of my pack that has killed indiscriminately, but luckily we managed to get her to stop. We don't go around ending lives pointlessly.” “And just who is this Alpha?” Luna asked. Silver removed the second book and took the first one back. Once again, he began flipping through the pages until he found the one he wanted. Placing it down again, Twilight and Luna looked over the page. There wasn't much, just a poem and a title. “The Nightmare Witch?” Luna questioned, “That's a terribly unimaginative name.” “It's not the name you should be worried about,” Twilight chimed in before reading the passage. Can you hear, can you hear? The beast's raving laugh? Can you see, can you see? Something hiding in the black? Can you feel, can you feel? It's breath down your spine? Can you smell, can you smell? The souls on which it dines? Can you taste, can you taste? Your misty blood in the air? If you can, if you can, Then I'm afraid there's a tear. In your chest, in your chest, You'll notice something missing. Your last breath, your last breath, It's your heart. It stopped beating. “....Well what's that supposed to mean?” Luna asked. Sure, it was a creepy poem, but that's about it. As far as helpful information goes, poem was useless. “It means nothing,” Silver replied, “It was just a poem that someone wrote.” “Then what makes her so terrible?” Twilight inquired, “You said she's killed innocents, and that's horrible, but other than that, there's nothing that's really scary, other than her creeping up on you.” Silver shook his head, “That poem isn't about her. It's about what she does.” “....Huh?” the mares echoed, both tilting their heads to the side in confusion. Silver took the book, “It never mentions the Nightmare Witch, only the entity the author refers to as 'the beast'. You see Eve, the Nightmare Witch, can conjure your greatest fears...and watch them devour you. The creatures she creates are not illusions. They cannot be vanquished with believing that they are not real. They are. And they will kill you. “Unfortunately, her magic has an area of effect. It doesn't target one just one, but rather an area. Last time I check, she can cast her magic on a decent sized town, one roughly the size of Ponyville. So when she does, it's not just one pony's nightmare running rampant, it's every ones. All of them, killing everything.” Twilights eyes went wide, “She can conjure out greatest fears and give them physical form? What if my fear was of heights?” “Then a pit would form below you and you would fall to your death,” Silver answered, “To be entirely honest, I believe Eve is probably the most dangerous of the Alphas. We can't leave her alone, so one of us must always be with her.” “You have to keep your own Alphas under watch?” Luna questioned. “Eve is a unique case. She likes terrifying any one around her, and I don't mean in the playful, prankster way. She'll leave your mind broken and shattered while she laughs her tail off.” “She sounds more like a basket case to me,” Twilight said as she closed the book. “Oh yeah, she's entirely insane,” Silver agreed, “But once she actually befriends you, she's not that bad. Still crazy and tries to kill you every so often, but not that bad.” Both mares sat and stared at the wolf, eyes his body. They couldn't help but wonder if some of his scars had come from his friend Eve. But then again, Twilight was sure that all of his friends had scarred or at least fought Silver at one point. “I really think you need new friends Silver,” Luna advised as she got up, “But that's your choice. Now, it's late, I'm tired and I need to shower. Are either of you joining me?” Twilight and Silver looked at each other, before the latter simply rolled his eyes, “Go on,” he said, “But don't have too much fun without me.” Twilight giggled before pulling him into a kiss, “No promises~ But don't worry. You can have your fill of fun later. And maybe we can get a fill of something too~” With a sudden pop and flash, Silver was left alone in the room. “I can't help but wonder if she's always been like this.” Needless to say, Silver went about his shower rather quickly, and now found himself waiting in the living room for his mares. He was idly watching T.V. when he noticed a black figure emerge from the hall. “Hey Onyx,” he greeted, “What are you doing up?” “Hungry,” she answered simply. Digging through the fridge, she pulled out some daisies, daffodils then laid out some bread. After throwing together her sandwich, she grab a glass and poured some tea before heading over to the couch. “Did you meet Twilights potential recruit yet?” She asked, munching on her late night snack. “I think so,” Silver replied, “If it's the mare that was waiting for her when we got back from seeing Vinyl, then I saw her. She looks strong too.” “Stronger than me?” the mare asked, a small grin on her face. Silver chuckled, ruffling her mane with a paw, “I couldn't say. I only saw her the one time, but I could tell she had some kind of strength.” Onyx reveled a little in the contact. It was something simple, yet so very satisfying, “Meh. Oh well,” she said before digging back into her sandwich, “You know, it's nice to see you're feeling better.” Silver wore a sheepish smile, “Sorry. I didn't scare you, did I?” Onyx shook her head, “No. I was just a little worried. I didn't know what she was talking about, but when you got upset...I kinda got angry too.” A small blush formed on the mares cheeks, her black coat only making it more prominent. Of course, Silvers next actions only served to spread the pink from her cheeks to the rest of her head. In one swift motion, Silver pulled the mare into a hug, “Aww, thanks! I love you too, Onyx.” The embrace actually caused her magic to falter, making her put the sandwich down onto the table. She was too stunned to move, and could only sit while the wolf held her. Not that she didn't like it of course. Hell, Onyx was wishing he wouldn't let go. The way his fur smelt and felt, the breathes and heart beats she could hear through his chest, the was his chin nuzzled her aaaaand he let go. Onyx suddenly found herself out of Silvers arms and sitting in the cold. Well, it wasn't that cold. Chilly certainly, but without Silvers fur she might as well have been in the arctic. But that cold was short lived as she felt a wing wrap around her and pull her into his side, “Really though,” he said softly, “Thank you for caring.” Onyx simply hummed with glee as she nestled herself into his side, “You're welcome...” “...Papa”