//------------------------------// // Cloak of Night // Story: Of Blades and Brothers // by ChaoticHarmony //------------------------------// Chapter 7: Cloak of Night He flapped his strong wings as he flew away from the barracks. Most pegasi would be making slow progress in the night, but Stalwart Spear shot forward away from the pegasus city. The night was filled with clouds, and only small shafts of moonlight struck through the gaps in the cover. Still flying at his swift pace, he shot towards the intruding material with his hooves in front of him. Slicing easily through the condensed precipitation, Stalwart Spear bathed in the moon's silvery light. He splayed out his hooves as he soaked in the full moon's light. His entire body tingled with the Lunar Magic that his body was so attuned to. He closed his eyes and floated in a sea of pure bliss, with nothing to disturb him. Night was his realm, and he was happy To call it so. The wind picked up and blew upwards, sending him further into the night sky. Suddenly a deep hunger wormed its way through his bliss, and he turned down to follow the scent that the wind carried. He found himself goes back through the hole he had made and descending into the city. Realizing what he was about to do, he shook himself violently and shot back up over the clouds. He mentally scolded himself and flew away from Cloudsdale. That was stupid, falling under the moonspell like that while near so many ponies. If I had lost myself completely, who knows how many I would have killed. He shuddered with the icy coldness of that thought and flew even faster to put more distance between himself and the possible prey. There were times when he found himself wishing he could be like the rest of the world, and just be normal. This was one of those times, and he felt a small amount of despair creep into his heart as he brooded. He alighted on a tall tree after he had judged the distance to be significant. Sighing to himself, he enjoyed the moonspell a bit longer before surrendering himself to the hunger. This was the part of his transformation he liked the least; the losing of his sense of himself. Primal trappings gripped him, and his nostrils dialated as he searched out his prey. There. He darted through the shadows, keeping himself out if sight as he stalked his prey silently. With a shout, he shot towards the animal with a flash of fangs. He felt his teeth peirce the tough hide and sink deep into the flesh, blood spurting through the wound and into his mouth. The beast struggled to free itself of the pegasus that was latched onto its neck, but Stalwart Spear's strength was much greater than the animal's and its struggles grew weaker and weaker until he brought it to the ground. He pulled away from the fallen creature, murmuring an ancient saying to nopony in particular. "Multis gratias pulchra luna passus nobis hoc farinam satiare nostrum sitit. Gratias ago pulchra luna pateretur hunc mors velociter manus in cælum suscipere et te." The ancient rites observed, Stalwart Spear bent once more to his meal and began to feed. Translation: Many thanks fair moon for allowing us this meal to sate our thirsts. Many thanks fair moon for allowing this creature a swift death at my hands, and may you recieve it in the heavens above. (It is Latin in case you are wondering.) His feeding complete, he felt the primal feelings leave his body and his own sense of self return. He wiped away the blood from around his muzzle, grimacing at the coppery taste in his mouth. He hated this part the most, coming back into his body to find a mutilated creature in front of him. He hated not being in control of himself. He murmured the saying that he had invented, remorse filling his tone as his voice drifted through the silent night. "Ut luna semper protegamur complexu. Qui loquitur in oblivione possit. Ignis alis numquam evanescere a corda." Tears welled up in his eyes as he mourned his lost love. In his mind's eye, he still saw the look of pain on her face as he drained her of life. Her last words came unbidden into his mind, echoing repeatedly and stabbing at his heart. "I still love you Stalwart, no matter......what......you.......have......become." Translation: May she always find shelter in the moon's embrace. May she never be forgotten by the one who speaks this. Fire Wings will never vanish from our hearts. He felt a small wind pick up and shivered with the icy chill it brought. He turned to fly back towards the city he had departed from, but a scent on the wind made him stop short. What is she doing out here? He shook his head. Of course, she must have followed me to be sure that I wouldn't do anything stupid. He felt a small pang of hurt at that, and he turned to follow the scent. He stuck to the shadows that the trees cast over the ground, letting his tracking instincts take hold. Night Pegasi were able to blend into the smallest of shadows and be undetected by those ignorant to the ways of detection. He knew that if his leader was watching him, she wouldn't have been fooled, but the scent was old, as if the wind had gone a long way with the scent on its gusts. He lost track of how long he was following the smell, but soon the wind sent another pony's scent his way. He is out here too? What is happening between them? He spread his wings and speed into a gallop. He flew into the midnight sky and shot towards the clearing in the woods. The scent was stronger there, and his sensitive ears picked upmthe sounds of crashing and thuds. The sounds of fighting. Concern washed across his body and he streamlined himself into a silent dive. He alighted on a tree branch as quiet as a whisper and observed the two entangled pegasi. Iron Dancer seemed to have the upper hand, but the other pegasus put up a strong fight. He rolled her over and sat on top of her, at which point Stalwart tried to surpress a dark chuckle. A move that had been used many times before on him was used on Cloud Slicer, and Stalwart nearly fell from the tree as he stuck its trunk. He watched as his leader moved to grab her spear, and nearly laughed as the other pegasus smacked her flank. Bad move Cloud. Nopony touches her flank and lives to tell the tail. He laughed in his mind at his weak joke, and watched as Iron Dancer shoved the spear into Cloud's chest. Stalwart Spear remembered this part of the "exam". She never did break him as she did so many others. He watched as the spear was dug in further and further until she suddenly pulled it away with disapointment in her eyes. He remembered the same disapointment in her eyes during his exam, and he felt a new-found respect towards the young pegasus who has resisted her punishment. He turned away to look again at the moon, reciting the same mantra in his mind. Ut luna semper protegamur complexu. Qui loquitur in oblivione possit. Ignis alis numquam evanescere a corda. When he turned back to the two pegasi, he felt a swift jab of shock in his mind. His mind was racing as he felt himself drop from the tree and land on the ground as silently as he always did. He cleared his throat and addressed the pegasus that looked as if she were about to violate the poor pony beneath her. "Am I interrupting something Iron Dancer?" Author's note time: Yes yes, I know that this chapter was semi-repetetive, but I felt we needed the story and POV of Stalwart Spear. I mean, who doesn't want a bit of backround on something as cool as a Night Pegasus?