A Nocturian Tale

by Corvus Eclipse

Chapter 9

Everything around her was colorless and blurry. Unable to recognize the various shapes and forms of objects, or even living beings, Twilight could only look upon them with half opened eyes. She could hear voices, but they were spoken in a language which she did not know nor understand. Other sounds were mixing themselves among the voices of blurry creatures around her, creating a rather chaotic sounding orchestra. A terrible headache caused the lavender mare to let out a painful moan and with the remaining strength, which was absurdly low; she tried to open her eyes completely. Right away this decision turned into a very bad and unpleasant choice. It seemed that not so far away from her was a camp fire.

As much as she welcomed its warm touch the light seemed to cut into her eyes. The moan lured the attention of the beings around her and all of the sudden Twilight was surrounded by them. They were so close to each other that it seemed that they were melting into one huge atrocity born of shadows. Fear took hold of her heart and a basic instinct of survival assumed control over her. But it was no use. Her body felt numb and was not responding to the Alicorn’s will. The mare kept struggling against the shock and fear, but no matter what she did, no matter what she asked or begged for, the body simply remained where it was.

In the end the feeling of failure took hold of her and the last signs of rational thinking were ripped apart. Tears filled her eyes and made the already twisted world look even worse. The creatures around her, probably confused, noticed her behavior. One of the spoke with a very deep bone chilling sound, making the other creatures take a few steps away from her. Not all did follow the order, at least she thought it was an order, for they remained close to the big bulky shadow. They were talking with each other like everything was just fine. It only made it worse for the poor Twilight who kept sobbing. The defiantly smaller shape came closer to her, and pressed something against her cheeks.
Right away she recognized the object as a handkerchief. The obscure being wiped away her tears and spoke with a soft and caring voice. Sadly she could not understand any of it, but deep in her heart she was glad that a good soul tried to calm her down. In that moment her body moved on its own, and without any control Twilight leaned her head against the creature. She felt soft cloth on her skin and with great relief the mare recognized female perfume. The foreign smell filled her nostrils and made her eyes feel heavy. The world which was merely formed out of shadows and impossible forms turned into a huge black field.

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Everybody was watching the poor Princess of Equestria falling asleep in the arms of Marie. The satyr lady, who was probably as surprised as the others, gently placed Twilight’s head on her lap. For Lyria it was a cute scene to look upon despite of the sad event that took place moments ago. Marie was a very old and good friend who has accompanied her and Borealis for many years during their service to the crown. She was a very gifted physician, but also the representative of her people on this crucial mission. Right now she was wearing her nearly worn out white physician uniform which she simply could not get rid off.

< I know that it lacks beauty now, but it has accompanied me since my very first hours as an apprentice. Throwing them away would feel like I would throw away a part of myself. >

As worn out as it was the uniform hugged her body tightly and presented, and even showed off, the pretty curves and forms of the female Satyr. Her fur had a pretty dark nut brown color and her cute horns, which were going out of her head next to her ears, had the color of ivory. To be honest despite Marie being a so called Humanoid being, like the Minotaurs and Diamond Dogs, her beauty did make the female Batwing feel a little bit jealous. Since they first mission her friend got a lot of attention from males (some among them were even Ponies). But to Lyria’s great surprise Marie stated that she disliked having all the eyes laid upon her. Especially since most of the time the message written in them was the unholy desires of males. This thought made Lyria shiver.

“How does Twilight feel?” Borealis was sitting not so far away from the campfire. Right now he was filling his trusty old hickory pipe with flavored moss. Her heart started to beat stronger after looking upon him because it woke up a memory of their first encounter. Back in the time while she was still a bloody beginner Lyria was entrusted with a mission beyond the level of her experience. Intrigue was something not uncommon among the royal houses of Nocturia, and since she was a beginner nobody suspected her to carry out an important message to the Satyrs. What she was not aware of back then was the fact that she would not travel alone. Borealis was waiting for her at the main gate of a city which was sadly no more, filling up his pipe with the very same moss.

< I hope you do not mind if I will use my pipe from time to time lady Lyria? >

This memory always made her giggle because for the first time a stallion has called her a lady. But the very fact that Borealis noticed that his message might have been misunderstood simply burned intself into Lyria's memory. Back then she disliked the idea of having a stallion travel with her. Even worse a stallion who was using a pipe with terrible scent of moss which caused her a headache for a very long time. She got used to it though even tried it out a few times, and to her great surprise it tasted delicious (sadly the smoke still remained unbearable for her nose if inhaling it too long).

“She is very exhausted, but besides that she will be fine.” Marie answered and place her hand on the forehead of the sickly Alicorn princess. “The fever is gone thanks to the herbs I gave her. The cause of all this was the overuse of magic in a very bad time.”

“Bad time? What do you mean?” Borealis took a deep breath from his pipe and let out small circles of smoke into the air. The circles followed the flow of the smoke towards a natural opening in the cave. Otherwise the group would have suffocated from the smoke hours ago. The two females simply looked at him like he would've been a small colt and smiled at his ignorance. “Oh… her menstruation started?”

“You do not have to know all the details.” Maries let her free hand glide through her hair. She winked at Lyria who winked back. ”During this time the overuse of magic, stress factors and lack of sleep can lead to such unwanted results. She was lucky that we were close or things might have gotten worse.”

“When will she recover from it?” Everybody looked to the other side of the small cave. Leaned against the solid wall of stone rested another member of this quite colorful group. His name was Pavel Gemcrusher of the clan Silvermane, and he was probably the most keen Diamond Dog Lyria have ever counted as a friend. His spotted grayish fur showed signs of very fine and delicate gem powder. Especially his beard, which he cared for like it would be his own child, was especially covered with it. Simple in nature and size it was a very interesting sight to look upon. He was wearing fine and very richly decorated clothes which were representing his status among the subjects. A very old leather hat was covering his face, protecting its wearer from the light of the fire (if one would ignore the fact that it had holes here and there). The Silvermanes are the oldest known clan in the history of the Underground, and they are hailed as the most cunning jeweler crafters, gold smiths, gem cutters, crystal shapers and most importantly stone masons. One would right away recognize what profession Pavel was specializing in. In a time long past Lyria asked him why they were calling him Gemcrusher. Her Diamond Dog friend chuckled and pulled out a beautiful Gem out of his many pockets of his jackett, and right in front of her he simply crushed it with his bare hand like it would be made out of glass.

< I can't answer your question directly my dear. Me good old mother claimed I was able to do so while I was still a young pup. Some people of my clan claim that I have inherited the strength of my grand grandfather Isaac. Maybe it is true maybe not... but trust me I was a pain in the ar... ehem flank for my teachers back then. >

Like Marie and herself Pavel was another important member of this group. He was the voice of the Diamond Dogs and the Silvermane clan here in the distant land of Equestria. As far the information's brought by merchants were true his race had a rather bad reputation in this part of the known world. Mostly due to the landless and greedy Diamond Dog deserters or illegal gem hunters. Deep in her heart Lyria was hoping that Pavel would show the ponies the true nature of his kind. Still not looking at the group the Diamond Dog Delegate was simply trying to have a nap. How on earth he was finding it comfortable on the cold and hard stone remained a mystery.

"I am not sure Pavel." Said Marie and sighed while covering Twilight with her own cloak. "I can only assume that due to our unannounced appearance Princess Twilight forgot about her menstruation. Many claim that the teleportation spell is an easy one, but the truth is that it requires tremendous concentration and focus of magic. She simply overused her magical abilities. Let her rest for a while and in no time she will recover from it."

Borealis remained silent while he was listening to his companions. Right now he was scratching his chin with his hook, showing everybody who knew him that he was about to lose himself in his thoughts. The unexpected event that took place not even a hour ago might slow down the entire mission Lyria was aware of that. Since the first journey the Batwing lady learned how to read the stallion's body language, and it was obvious that the delay was deeply bothering him.

"Have the twins returned yet?" He asked and looked towards the exit and entrance to the cave.

"No." A very deep voice answered Borealis's question with a slight trace of boredom and annoyance. Following the example of Pavel the last politically important individual was leaning against the cold stone wall. And there he stood tall, proud and strong, but at the end of his patience (which rarely happened) Arranak Stoutheart the Delegate of the Minotaurs. Arranak was, like most of his kind, very muscular and broad, but he was also the oldest member of this crucial political mission. His cobalt colored fur showed signs of his age, which he desperately tried to hide under his attire. The horns, which were a little bit over his temple, were not his natural horns. Made out of solid and rare metal called Mithril, or the Blood of the Mountain as the Minotaurs called it, were decorated with beautiful runes, which were not only showing the skilled craftsmanship of his kind, but also adapted to the light in various ways, making them unique at any time or occasion.

Three long, and properly tended whiskers were decorating his face and chin, which was not only giving him a quite characteristic appearance, but also granted him an aura of experience. Sadly the most noticeable thing about this lad was the missing right arm. Both horns and arm were lost to him ages ago he once claimed.

Lyria's first encounter with Arranak was very unusual. While being off duty she went into the markets, hoping to buy some food and perhaps new clothes or jewelry. Suddenly she heard loud laughter and the air was filled with the heavy scent of alcohol. Right away the source of the foul smell and sound appeared in front of her. Three young Minotaurs were pestering an elder of their own kind. Most things they spoke were not understandable, and the burping and laughter simply made communication with them impossible. Lyria noticed the one armed elder and without hesitation she jumped between them and yelled to leave him alone. But she forgot the strength of the drunken brutes and was nearly slapped unconscious. Arranak's imploded after seeing what they did to a female, and although he had only one arm he struck them down and made them run away.

After this incident he highly apologized for this dishonorable behavior of the younglings and invited her for a cup of tea. She did not refuse because the world was still shaking for her, and with the help of the kind elder they went to his house and quickly became good friends. Eventually the curiosity won and she humbly apologized that she stated the question about his arm. Arranak laughed, gave her a piece of delicious cake and started his story.

< I was wandering with some merchants back then. We both know how dangerous our home can be, and I am not talking about its wildlife. I can still remember the thundering sound roaring like a mighty beast, and how the world of stone started to crumble and collapse around us. There was a mare heavy with child in one of the caravans carts. She was simply left by the merchants in it... I took her and ran as fast as I could from the danger zone. A huge boulder hit not so far away from us, breaking into hundreds maybe thousand pieces. I shielded the mare, but in the end we were buried alive. My arm was completely crushed, my once proud and mighty horns broke like sticks. And while we were struggling for survival the birth suddenly started. To aid the young mare I cut my arm off, and together we survived that traumatic experience. Where two were buried three have been rescued. An arm for two lives... *He smiled at her, showing that he regretted nothing* Sounds like a good deal to me. >

The way he said the last words made Lyria cry back then, and days later, while she was on her duty again, she received an order of delivering a very important letter to the local Minotaur Delegate. To her big surprise she met her friend again and both laughed about not knowing that they were sharing the same profession. Since then he often accompanied her and Borealis, often turning the tide of aggression into peaceful resolution.

"I still think it was a bad idea to let the twins fly off like that." Since he heard that Borealis allowed them to enjoy the beauty of Equestria he was expressing his annoyance about it. "The last time you did that they got lost."

"What was in the past remains in the past old friend." The stallion emptied his pipe, cleared it with his small tool, which he was caring always with him, and smiled at the annoyed elder. The Minotaur only let out an annoyed huff, letting out hot air out of his nostrils. "Or do you claim that you were not curious about the world in their age hmm?"

"I deny nothing, but also I had enough self discipline to take my work serious." He looked at the group and shook his head at the sight of Pavel. "With each passing hour my concern starts to turn into fear. We must make sure that our task will not fail. Any unnecessary distractions or problems may ruin everything."

"I can give you some herbs or a tea to calm you down Arranak." Said Marie who managed to place Twilight on her own bed roll. "You know that too much stress will not make you and your heart any good."

"Please Arranak listen to Marie and accept her help. We will need your undisputable experience and more importantly your voice on the upcoming meeting with the Princesses. If you will fall ill you will not help our cause and only slow down our return." Lyria smiled at her old Minotaur friend which she affected with her appraise, but also her logical conclusion. He sighed loudly and nod.

"As always you are right mylady." He bowed graciously for the two beauties and moved towards them. "And yes I assume a cup of tea would do good for me and my oh so poor heart." He smiled warmly and made Marie chuckle.

"As old your heart might be it beats stronger than any hammer in the Vale of Smiths." The Satyr lady walked towards her bags and, started to search for the necessary reagents for Arranak's tea.

"Do not worry about the twins lad. They may be a lil' bit green behind their ears, but they are smarter than the *royals* I know." Pavel lifted his hat and grinned at his Minotaur friend, revealing his sharp fangs (Some were golden. Not a big surprise.) "And if any lusty stallions will try to hit on them, they will quickly learn that our beautiful Nocturian ladies not only have good taste, but also know how to defend themselves both verbally and physically."

"I can only agree on that." Borealis laughed and winked at Lyria who smiled happily, but also rolled her eyes.

"Well that explains why you are single." Said Marie without any warning and all started to laugh loudly especially Pavel who applauded the sharp tongue of a Nocturian female, which only confirmed his statement.

"Oh by the way Borealis." Arranak sat down next to him and stretched his back. "The wind brought by the Pegasi seems to have moved away from Ponyville and Canterlot. You or dear Lyria should use this opportunity and inform the Princesses about Twilight Sparkle's current condition. They are probably worried already."

"I was waiting for such turn of events Arranak. Thank you." He stood up and opened his wings fully, which often made Lyria hold her breath. As funny as it may sound the Batwings were strongly allured by the wings, especially the females. Her behavior was noticed by Marie, but she kept it for herself and only smiled at her friend. But it turned out that Borealis also noticed it, or better said did it intentionally because his eyes were looking upon her. This only made Lyria blush prettily, and even make her tufted ears turn slightly purple. And to her great surprise he walked towards her and offered his hook to help her get up.

Not sure what he was up to she only placed her hook and his and stood up. All eyes in the cave were laid upon them, Lyria could feel it although the world around her was only focusing on her love. Written in his cat like eyes was a simple massage.

< It is time. >

Her heart started to beat faster and her breathing also increased. The only thing she could do was to take her place at his side, still feeling his hook gently holding hers.

"My dear friends I would like to announce something." He was obviously nervous, but he tried to hide it under his mask he wore as a Delegate. "We were working together for many years. Together we have accomplished things which helped the Nocturian society to prosper and most importantly survive dire times. We are the living example of what all races bounded together can accomplish in the harsh world of the Underground. Without you and your support Lyria and I would have failed countless times and for that I thank you from all my heart."
The Delegates of Noctura were listening to him like they would be under a spell. They knew that he was not ready yet which is why they did not dare to say something.

"I would like to announce something in front of you. You are the best friends a Batwing could ever had beneath the Earth. You are my family. And for that I want you to know something that was well hidden away for many years." He looked at Lyria and nuzzled her gently. She nuzzled back and leaned her head against her heart, feeling like a heavy stone was taken off her back.

"Before me stands the mare of my life. I love her with all my heart... but by her bidding we were hiding our feeling for so many years. The charade is over! I will no longer participate in it, and the only thing that I will be hiding is the shame of mine." Only with obvious hesitation he managed to free his eyes of hers, and look upon his friends who came even closer to them. "I take you as my witnesses for the thing that I will ask now."

After saying it he fell to his knees, pulled out a small wonderfully carved box of wood. Lyria did not have to ask what was in it. She let out a small cry and covered her mouth with the free hook. Borealis said a word towards the box, and a mechanical *click* came out of it. Slowly it started to open up and a melody started to play. It was a melody her mother used to sing for her while she was still a filly. She always claimed that this melody was very important to her because while it was playing her father asked her to become his wife. And now after so many, many years Borealis was kneeling before her, the melody was filling the air and he spoke the magical words in their mystical langauge.

"Mela en' coiamin... Hervu nin." < Love of my life... marry me. >

The ring appeared and showed itself shyly for a small crystal from within the box was delicately shrouding it in its light. Everybody let out a sigh after seeing the ring, especially Pavel who dared to say.

"My, my... I shall be damned. This is a cushion shaped Tanzanite." Everybody was looking at the so called Tanzanite which had a beautiful dark blue color. "It is surrounded by sparkling micropavé Diamonds, on each side of the ring are accented with blue sapphires and everything is surrounded by 18k white gold." Nobody was interested in that kind of detail, but it was in his nature to notice such things right away. "This is truly a treasure worth for a queen."

Lyria was speechless and it seemed that she had no more air in her lungs. Only the sound of the cracking wood in the camp fire could be heard in the cave. First she thought that it was only a dream until she felt the grip of Borealis's hook tensing around hers. The female Batwing noticed that expectation, love, happiness, but also fear was written in his eyes. Then she realized that everything was true, and her eyes started to fill with tears. Without any control she started to cry.

"Y-yes..." She managed to let out a sound (even if it was not in their language), but it was not loud enough which is why she started to repeat it. "Yes. Yes. Yes! Yes!!" And before Borealis could place the ring on her hook she pounced him and gave him a very long kiss. A kiss he did not resist.

Their friends were cheering at the couple. Marie was jumping happily in one place and yelling the best wishes for her friends, Pavel decided to open his bottle filled with the best wine he only opened in times of need, and Arranak wiped his tears away with his remaining hand. It was something they would remember to the end of their life, and although Borealis had to leave and inform the Princesses about Twilight he knew that for now on, and to the end of his days somepony would be waiting for his return.

It was something that did not only give him courage and strength, but also another purpose of staying alive. The charade was over and with it a new life and challenges started.

Author's Note:

Hope you will like ^^ Pardon my english if you will see mistakes in it :)