To Fill a Void

by Erebus

First Impressions

First Impressions

The morning sun hung low in the sky, its radiant beams shining down through the stained glass windows of Canterlot's throne room. Celestia sat at the far end of the long room, her face completely serene despite the troubling thoughts that were currently making their way through her mind. From the moment she had woken up, a small storm of doubts of questions had been plaguing her being, keeping her in a constant and rather uncomfortable state of worry.

Then again, her sister was currently missing.

How could she not be worried?

"Princess Celestia?"

The alicorn snapped out of her musings at the sound of her name. Glancing down the hall, she noticed one of her guards standing at the edge of the now open double-doors, patiently awaiting her her response.

"Yes, is there something that you need to tell me?" She questioned.

The pony glanced at something behind him before nodding. "Yes Princess, the two guards that you asked asked to see are here now. Would you like me to have them both sent in?"

Celestia perked up her head at this. "That would be wonderful, please send them in immediately."

The guard nodded and bowed before disappearing behind the large doors, reappearing a few moments later with two Lunar Guards in tow behind him. From the moment the two thestrals entered the room, Celestia could tell could easily tell that they were obviously quite uncomfortable with their current situation. One of the two wore a barely suppressed grimace on his face, his eyes squinting harshly in the light of the brightly lit room. The other, while doing his best to keep himself composed, was still nervously glancing between his companion and the alicorn herself. Making their way across the room, the two stopped in front of the throne where the princess sat, bowing low before her.

"Good morning to the both of you, I'd like to apologize for bringing the two of you in on such short notice." A warm smile graced Celestia's face as she spoke.

The thestral to her left raised himself back up and responded. "Good morning to you as well Princess Celestia, and please, there is no need for you to apologize. After all, it is our honor and duty to serve the royal family whenever we are needed."

"I appreciate your understanding on the matter." She gently gestured to the other guard. "Though it would seem your companion may not be quite as pleased to be here."

Nightshade lightly sighed as he glanced over at his friend. "He just...had a long night is all, under normal circumstances he can't seem to keep quiet."

Overcast shot him a glare, which he promptly ignored. "But surely Princess you don't need to be concerned with such minor inconveniences. Is there something that you needed us both for?"

Celestia nodded. "Yes of course, I'll not drag this out any more than it needs to be. I merely would like to ask you some questions regarding your duties last night with my sister."

Nightshade was slightly taken aback by this. While it was rare for the Night Guard to have dealings with Celestia at all, he had never known the Princess to go asking about her sister's nightly business.

Keeping his composure in check, he warily answered. "Of course Princess, we will gladly answer any questions that you might have. Although there may not be much that we can offer in the way of information. I'm loathe to be so blunt on the matter...but I'm afraid that Princess Luna relieved us both from duty almost immediately."

Celestia's expression betrayed nothing, but Nightshade could pick up the slight hint of confusion in her tone. "Hmmm, so then...she gave you no indication of what she might be doing throughout the night?"

"I'm afraid not." The thestral replied. "The both of us only saw her long enough to be told that we were free for the rest of the night."

Nightshade paused, considering Celestia's shift in tone. "It might not be my place ask Princess, but is there something about Princess Luna that is troubling you?"

Upon hearing this, the Princess turned decidedly sullen. "Yes, I'm...I'm afraid that there is. I can't say anything for certain at the current moment, however...Luna has been missing from Canterlot for quite some time now."

She paused momentarily, as if mulling something over. "Normally this isn't anything we should have to worry about, as my sister tends to go off on her own quite frequently. This time is different though, this time I cannot help but feel something has gone wrong."

Nightshade bit his lip ever so slightly as the Princess spoke. The confusion he had originally detected had been replaced with visible worry. "Princess, what exactly do you mean by that? Is Princess Luna in need of our aid?"

Celestia lightly shook her head. "I can't say anything for sure right now, as I have been unable to contact Luna through any means I know...and that is what worries me most." She took in Nightshade's expression. "It is obvious that you both have an equal stake in this matter, and I could use any insight that you might be able to provide."

The thestral was swift in his reply. "You needn't even ask Princess, the both of us will not hesitate to aid you in locating Princess Luna. I myself am personally willing to set up a search party immediately in order to locate her."

The Princess allowed a slight smile to grace her lips. "Truly I have every respect for your sense of loyalty, I assure you that it is greatly appreciated. All the same though, it would be wise to exercise patience in this matter."

Noticing the look of concern on the guard's face, she continued. "I have already dispatched sentries to most of Equstria's larger settlements, as well as sending messages to a few friends. If any information happens to come up, we should know rather quickly."

Despite these words, Nightshade took only little comfort in them. "Princess, I understand your wisdom on the matter, but should this not be slightly more urgent?"

Celestia slightly raised an eyebrow at this. "I am not unsympathetic with what you are feeling, but do not be so quick to judge my sister as helpless in this situation."

"After all...I'm sure wherever she may be, she is well prepared for anything laid before her."

----------------------------------

"We really weren't as prepared as we should have been for this ordeal."

Princess Luna groaned to herself as she nearly tripped over a slick rock embedded in the stream she was crossing. She glanced ahead a few feet to catch her companion rolling his eyes in amusement.

"So I've heard...for about the fifth time now." Erebus shook his head lightly. "You know, sometimes you simply have to take things as they're handed to you. Although, I suppose in a sense, that terminology wouldn't exactly apply to you."

It was Luna's turn to roll her eyes. "Your words have a special talent for making a mind run itself in circles, as we cannot tell if you were just now mocking us or trying to be considerate."

Erebus chuckled, stepping back to help the alicorn across. "Well, I could say that I've had time to practice over so long, but talking to myself should hardly count as that much."

Stepping out of the cold water, Luna replied. "Hmmm, well not everything requires practice to master. Anyways, you're not going to say that you enjoy this forest, are you?"

Erebus raised an eyebrow quizzically at this. "Oh, are you saying that you aren't finding this enjoyable?" He adopted a smug grin as he continued. "I can say without a doubt that this is quite accommodating. I mean, just feel that smothering humidity, or how about the dense foliage that always sticks you full of thorns...and let's not forget about these huge swarms of bloodsucking insects that tend to follow you everywhere."

He spread his arms wide and took in a deep breath. "Yep, I tell ya Princess, it just doesn't get more invigorating than this."

The alicorn looked up at him with pure annoyance written on her face. "You are treading on extremely thin ice right now...just keep that in mind."

Erebus did his best to contain his enjoyment in the conversation. "Please forgive Princess, it's just that...your just so much fun to tease. After so long by myself, please allow me just this much."

"Also, you hopefully shouldn't have to deal with this place much longer. As far as I can tell, we're making excellent time, and keeping a rather steady pace." The human scratched the back of his head. "Although...it's difficult to tell anything right now without any proper lay of the land."

"We should consider ourselves quite lucky." Luna replied. "I've heard tell of ponies that, without proper guidance, never find their way out of this forest."

Erebus snorted softly. "Hmm, such a charming way to lighten the mood."

Luna sighed. "Sorry, we don't mean to be so pessimistic. This place just tends to give off a sullen atmosphere, on top of how long we've been hiking...we're just a little drained is all."

Her companion stopped, turning back to gaze down at her. "No it's alright, I understand Princess."

Erebus looked behind him, staring out into the path of trees and foliage that still blocked most of their view. He knew that despite the good pace they were keeping, the Princess wasn't in optimal condition for long treks.

"This is going to be more difficult than I'd like it to be, isn't it?" He turned back to the alicorn. "I can't place the blame on her though. To be honest, I'm surprised she's doing so well despite her injury...not to mention the fact that she hasn't any food to speak of for almost a full day now."

"Princess, why don't we both just take a few moments to rest?" He propped himself up against the side of a tree. "It's still quite early in the day, so it's not as if we need to be anywhere in a huge hurry."

Luna graciously obliged, gently lowering herself onto ground. "We appreciate your consideration Erebus, and we're sorry that our condition is such a hindrance to our progress."

Erebus simply waved off her final remark. "There's no need to place any blame on yourself Princess, what's done is done. When the unexpected happens, we simply have to deal with consequences. Besides, this simply allows us more time talk with each other. For instance, you could tell me a little more about the forest itself."

The Princess looked a little surprised at his request, but marked it down as idle curiosity. "Well, normally the Everfree is a subject that most tend to avoid entirely, but we can understand the interest you have."

As the Princess spoke, her companion casually placed his hand up against the side of the tree beside him. While he was indeed interested in these woods, he was also seeking to fulfill an alternate objective. Imposing his essence upon the surrounding area, he hoped to not only learn more about the forest itself, but also the correct path that should be taken.

Keeping his eyes upon the alicorn, he replied. "Hmm, I hope that you won't mind discussing exactly why this forest is such an avoided topic? After all, besides the minor inconveniences, I haven't noticed anything all too out of the norm."

Luna laughed lightly at this. "So says the human that explicitly stated he'd never experienced the outside world. That aside though, the Everfree forest is a place that most ponies consider unnatural. The forest is one of the oldest known landmarks in all of Equestria, with much of the area remaining completely unmapped."

Gesturing out around her, she continued on. "On top of the unpredictable landscape that the woods provide, the local flora and fauna are among some of the most strange and deadly creatures known to us."

Erebus continued to scan the environment as he listened. While it was true that he was now intrigued about the local wildlife, he opted to pass over most of it, in favor of finding any trace of the settlement that the Princess had mentioned earlier. Pushing his mind out even further, noticed something that immediately piqued his interest. Out behind him, a little more than a mile out, the landscape took an all too sudden change in scene.

"Hold on a second, are those...apple trees?" He kept his face composed despite his sudden confusion. While he quickly figured that these were being tended by some of the locals, it was simply surprising how suddenly the forest shifted in scenery. "Well, it's at least good to know that we're closer than I had hoped to be."

Opting to keep his discovery to himself as not to raise suspicion, he quickly shifted his attention back to Luna's last comment. "Would you mind explaining what exactly you mean by strange? I've seen a few of the rabbits around here, and they don't seem any stranger than most household pets I knew of."

The Princess adopted a somewhat more serious tone. "We can assure you Erebus, there are creatures in this forest that have terrified ponies for many generations. Many of the predators here tend to draw a fine line between reality and the unnatural."

"Well Princess, I'm not sure exactly what you mean by that, but I suppose I'll just have to take your word for--." Erebus paused mid-sentence, his mind inadvertently brushing against something he had failed to notice.

Luna immediately noticed his hesitation. "What's the matter, is there something wrong?"

Quickly focusing his attention on what he had come across, Erebus' eyes widened as he noticed that, whatever this was...it wasn't by itself. A wave of anxiety passed through him as he strained his eyes into the surrounding foliage, the sensation drawing him into a heightened sense of awareness.

Cautiously, he made his way over to the Princess, keeping his movements deliberate. "We're being surveyed Princess, very closely I might add. I'm going to ask that you stay close to me, but do your best to monitor the treeline, I can only keep track of so many things at one time."

Luna looked up nervously as her companion took on a more defensive posture. "Do you have any idea how many of them there are?"

"I'm afraid that I can't put any reliable number on that." Erebus knew that was a blatant lie. It was true that these creatures were difficult for him to directly identify, but he could still sense each of them, tallying up a decent total of seven. "What I need to know, is exactly what we're facing up against."

Almost on that cue, he was rewarded with one of the most intriguing sights he had ever come across. What Erebus could only describe as a mass of animated branches and twigs, assuming an unmistakably canine form. The strange creature could have easily passed off as a woodworking project, were it not for the low growls that it was currently issuing, as well as the sickly green light that passed for its "eyes".

Shifting his focus to his peripheral vision, Erebus quickly noticed that these were obviously pack creatures. The remaining number of them had followed their comrade, and were already forming a makeshift perimeter around the two travelers.

"I'm hoping that you might have an idea of what these things are, just maybe Princess?" The human cautiously shifted his footing, testing for any reaction he might gain.

"Timberwolves...magically sustained nature spirits. They're one of the more common predators that roam the Everfree, but that makes them no less dangerous, especially in packs such as this."Luna lowered her horn threateningly, although she knew she was in no real condition for combat.

"There's no real way to escape from situation, so I'm afraid it's going to come down to a fight." Erebus quickly gazed over at the Princess. "I'm not going to doubt your ability Princess, but that wound is going to make you a priority target. If you can defend a frontal assault, I should be able to stop most of the others."

The alicorn nodded, knowing there was little other choice for them. "We've had to deal with Timberwolves before, this isn't going to be the worst situation we've been faced with."

"Good to hear that she keeps up confidence in tense situations, an admirable quality indeed." Reassured by this, Erebus decided to test the ring of wolves surrounding them. He readied his fists whilst keeping them hidden beneath his cloak, a tactic that had lowered the guard of many an adversary, and took a slight step towards the closest wolf.

The resulting effect was almost instantaneous. The instant his foot moved, the canine lowered itself into a defensive stance, growling and snapping at him. At the same instant, he noticed two of the wolves behind him begin to stalk forward, keeping their approach as stealthy as possible. Predicting this much, Erebus stomped his foot backs towards the two with deliberate force, causing them to jump backwards, clearly frustrated.

"As much as I thought, not all of them are going to attack us. The three I'm dealing with are going to bait me away from the princess, the one she's facing is likely to just stare her down until their plan fails, and the rest are simply there to prevent our escape should we attempt it." With this in mind, he knew that he would have to deal with all of his three at once. Glancing towards the ground, he noticed a few decent sized stones beneath him. Keeping his eyes trained on his adversary, he knelt down and picked up two of the small objects, keeping his hand hidden all the while.

Keeping his head forward, he called back. "Listen Princess, no matter what might happen back here, I want you to keep your eyes on that wolf in front of you at all times. Do not attempt to assist me, no matter what you think."

"We take it that you have a plan of some sort?" The alicorn called back.

"Ya, or...something to that degree...we'll see how it turns out." Taking a step towards the lone wolf, Erebus immediately noticed the two behind him reattempt their same move. Continuing to antagonize the one he was facing, he waited until the duo was within a few feet of him. As soon as he was sure he wouldn't miss, the human spun around on his heel, lobbing the two stone missiles at the wolves. Each projectile made it's mark, making a sharp rap upon impact. Quickly following this Erebus surged forward, feigning an assault on the now disoriented wolves, watching as the single wolf charged his exposed back.

Digging his foot into the ground, he stopped himself short and flipped around, shooting his hand out of his cloak. The wolf was stopped dead as it bit down onto the bracer on Erebus' arm. It gave off a yelp as it realized that it was doing no damage, and it attempted to let go and retreat, only to have it's face smashed by the human's free hand.

Taking the heavily injured canine in his grip, Erebus attempted to launch it at it's confused allies...only to find that they had recovered faster than he had expected. The wolf flew out of his grip as he found himself knocked to the ground by two wooden blurs. Immediately, one of them attempted to go for his exposed neck, while the other was attempting to chew on his shoulder. In that brief moment, Erebus noticed that the wolf he had dropped had been knocked into Princess Luna, knocking her off her balance.

"Shit, this is far too sloppy on my part." Noticing Luna's wolf moving forward towards her, he quickly threw up both of his arms, locking his grip around both of their skulls. Digging his fingers in, he clapped his fists together with all his force, effectively smashing the two wolves heads into each other.

Ahead of the human, Princess Luna internally cursed. She knew that the timberwolf in front of her would make no hesitation to attack, hence her companions explicit order to keep all of her attention focused on keeping it in its place. When the struggle behind her broke out, she made every effort to ignore the yelps of pain and sounds of combat, keeping her eyes firmly planted on her current adversary. For the time being, her focus had paid off, with her glare sending a clear message of challenge to the predator. Just when she thought that the fighting behind her had caught a break however, a limp wooden body stumbled into her side, knocking her off balance and breaking her focus on the wolf.

The predator immediately took advantage of the fact that its prey was clearly vulnerable, dashing forward toward the alicorn's exposed neck. Luna had little time to think as the wolf charged her, though she knew that there was only one current option. With no time to aim any form of spell at the wolf, and her wing still incapable of flight, she grimaced and pushed all of her current strength into her back legs. Despite her being off balance, the alicorn's effort had just enough force behind it to propel her out of the predator's trajectory...while ripping her wound open even more than it had.

Behind her, Erebus was just about to flip himself back onto his feet, when he noticed one of the wolves go flying over his head. Quickly picking himself up, he turned back to the Princess, only to notice her lying on the ground, a steady stream of blood pushing through her now useless bandage. He quickly realized that, despite her being caught off guard, she had somehow managed to throw herself out of harms way, wounding herself all the more in the process.

Disgusted at his own stupidity, Erebus let out a growl at himself, before turning to face the final wolf. The wooden creature returned his gaze with a snarl of its own, readying itself to charge forward once again. Before it could even make its way forward however, the human had rushed forward, closing the distance between them in seconds, before delivering a brutal kick to the side of its wooden skull.

The sheer force of the kick sent the creature flying headlong into a nearby tree, the wolf violently shattering into pieces upon its impact. The remaining wolves quickly began to realize that their intended prey was easily far more of a threat than they were as a pack. Erebus watched readily as the one of the wolves sniffed at the pile of shattered branches, before letting out a low keening whimper, slowly backing its way back into the forest. The other wolves, noticing their ally's retreat, hastily followed its example back into the woodline, letting out light whimpers as they disappeared.

Erebus sighed as they vanished from his sight, a slight pang of regret tugging on him. He knew that it wasn't any fault of theirs to go hunting, and it pained him to have to kill and injure these creatures simply because of their natural need for food. He was quickly reminded of the reason behind his need for violence as he turned back towards Princess Luna, a fresh wave of regret settling upon him.

Rushing over the alicorn's side, he immediately began to assess the severity of her injury, keeping his voice level as not to alarm her. "Princess, are you in any major pain? Did you receive any other injuries during the struggle?"

Luna looked up at him with a small smile. "Please don't work yourself into a panic, the effect you gave us earlier still hasn't worn off quite yet, we still can't feel any pain in our leg." Her expression turned apologetic. "We should be thanking you though. Had it not been for your quick thinking, our clumsiness might been our undoing."

Her companion shook his head, his face becoming serious. "No Princess, there is absolutely no reason to put you at fault in this situation. I underestimated my opponents, I couldn't adapt quickly enough to a non-human adversary, and my own lack of experience could've nearly led to a much more grievous injury for you. I'm afraid that only I am to blame for this unsightly mishap."

Luna frowned slightly as Erebus began to redress her leg. "Perhaps...we were both at fault in this situation? Surely you cannot be so harsh upon yourself, can you?"

Erebus sighed , keeping his eyes fixed on his work as he replied. "Listen Princess, I appreciate the forgiveness that you're offering me here, I really do. However, what good would come if I forgave myself in this matter, what lesson could I possibly learn from that? " He shook his head. "No...should I pride myself on anything at all, it should no doubt be my skills in defensive arts. If I let such a mistake go unpunished, than I will have degraded one of the only things in my life that I held somewhat highly."

The Princess ultimately decided that it would be pointless to challenge him on this matter. "Judging by the little that we know about him, it is becoming obvious that he was some form of warrior by profession, or something of the like. It would be foolish of us to argue with him about this, even if we are only attempting to console him."

Erebus finished with the work he had been doing. "I'm afraid there isn't much I can do in this respect, and that will make the rest of this journey...problematic. The wound is much worse than it was before, and it will severely hinder any form of movement for you as it is. I've done most everything that I can, redoubling my efforts with both the bandage and making sure you feel no pain, but that will not fix the issue."

He looked away, murmuring something incoherent before continuing. "To put it bluntly...I can't stop the bleeding, not entirely at least. The wound isn't beyond repair, and the flow of blood has been halted substantially. Even with my temporary solutions though, you'll lose a lot of blood if I don't get you out of here soon. We desperately need someone certified in the field of medical care, and safe to say, I'm not that someone."

Luna looked down at her leg, noticing the much larger cloth that now covered it. "What then would suggest we do? Surely Ponyville cannot be much farther from where we are now, but if my wound truly prevents me from travel, then getting there will be twice as difficult."

"Unfortunately, what you just said proves to be all too true." Erebus replied, rising back to his feet. "Currently there's only two options in this situation, one of which I don't like, and both of which you won't like. The first of which is to leave you in this spot while I go out and attempt to gather aid from this town that you told me about. I'm almost completely opposed to this, as not only will be leaving you here alone, but I'll have to convince the populace to help me in the first place."

He paused momentarily. "The second option...is for me to carry you all the way there."

Luna's ears perked up upon hearing this. She stared up at the human, an almost dumbstruck expression on her face. "We will put all of our faith into the first option you voiced, and there will be no discussion on the matter."

She continued on before her companion could even begin to reply. "Remember that you just spoke of your own pride, and know that our pride would be beyond repair if you even consider doing what you just said."

Erebus sighed, knowing he had just lost a battle that he couldn't even begin. "Very well Princess, I'll respect your wishes on this matter, against my better judgment."

The alicorn huffed. "Better judgment or no, we would only be caught dead being carried into Ponyville."

"An outcome that we would both prefer to avoid no doubt." Erebus shrugged. "If your mind is truly made up though, it would best if I left as quickly as possible. Time is not on my side right now, and prolonging my departure will only make the situation worse than it is. I'll still voice my concern though Princess...leaving you here alone seems like a horrible idea."

The Princess nodded in reply. "It is true that this option is less than preferable, the second is simply out of the question." She perked up. "We are not defenseless though, and should anything attempt to attack us again, we will be willing to fight."

Erebus returned the nod. "Alright then, if you're so certain, then I'll be off. " He walked over to the treeline, stopping to continue. "Just try to promise me...that you'll still be in one piece when I get back."

Luna laughed jokingly. "Oh please Erebus, try to save some of that worry for yourself. After all, you never know what you might come across out there."

Erebus just rolled his eyes as he began jogging into the dense brush. "I'm sure that whatever I happen to find out here, I'll be able to take care of it."

----------------------------------

"Well, I think we can all agree that "Author" is most definitely off the cutie mark list."

Sweetie Belle crumpled up a piece of parchment, tossing it into a small pile that had been growing behind her.

To her left, Apple Bloom groaned in frustration before taking her friend's example and discarding her own parchment.

Behind the two fillies, Scootaloo just stared blankly at her own slip of parchment. "Ya...you know, I think this is just one that we weren't exactly cut out for. Weird, this one seemed a lot easier when we looked at it on paper."

The Cutie Mark Crusaders sighed in exasperation as they checked off their latest dead end in the cutie mark department. The three had met up at their official clubhouse earlier in the day, to come up with a few new options on what they could achieve their cutie marks in. Between their last attempt and a few other cast-offs, the trio had currently exhausted their supply good ideas.

"Hmmm, sometimes I think that our ideas get even harder with each new one." Apple Bloom looked over the list of old plans with a somewhat a annoyed expression.

"Well you're never going to get your cutie mark thinking like that." Scootaloo replied. "I mean, if it was really that hard be an author, then Twilight wouldn't be nearly such a bookworm now would she?"

Sweetie Belle chimed into the conversation. "Yep...except that's what you said before we even started to try writing in the first place."

Scootaloo sighed as she realized that she had defeated herself. "Still, it can't be all too difficult...right? We could always keep it as a backup and come back to it later."

Sweetie Belle just shrugged. "Whatever the case, it's over our heads for now. On top of that, I'm fresh out of good ideas for now. What about you two, have you got anything new?"

Scootaloo put her hoof up to her chin, pondering the question for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Nope, I'm dry on cutie mark plans myself. Hey Apple Bloom, have you got anything in mind?"

The young earth pony shook her head in disappointment. "I really wish I could say that I do, but I'm just as stumped as you two. I've been running my brain in circles trying to think up any kind of good ideas."

Suddenly, she perked up, a cheerful grin on her face. "Hey, why don't we all just take a small break for now? I'm sure that after we get a bite to eat, and just let our minds cool off for a bit, we'll be able to come up with some amazing ideas!"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo immediately jumped at notion of getting some lunch. It was well past breakfast when they decided to try writing a bestselling novel, and the mention of food had quickly roused them from their stupor.

With their minds made up, the three friends hastily cleaned up the small pile of writing tools they had been using. When they satisfied that their clubhouse wasn't in complete disarray, they climbed down out of the treehouse and were about to make their way towards the Apple Farm.

Before they could start down the small path, Apple Bloom's ears perked up, straining to hear an odd noise that they had happened to catch.

"Hey girls, hold up for just a second." She placed a hoof up next to her ear. "You two didn't happen to hear something weird just now, did you?"

The two fillies looked at each other with confused expressions, but nevertheless, they followed their friends example. Straining their ears against the soft breeze, the two listened in vain for anything out of the ordinary.

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. "Are you sure you didn't just imagine whatever it was? I couldn't hear much of anyth--"

She was cut short by Sweetie Belle's hoof against her mouth. "Shhhhh! Just listen Scoots, I think that I can hear it too."

Scootaloo gave her friend an annoyed stare until she removed her hoof. She then redoubled her previous efforts, listening twice as hard for whatever this odd noise was that had eluded her. A minute passed by, and she was just about to give up again, when an extremely queer noise happened past her ears. The pegasus once agin raised her eyebrow as she slowly began to make sense of the noise.

"Hang on a second, just now, was that...whimpering?"

Apple Bloom nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, at first I wasn't sure what to make of it either. After a while though, there was no mistaking it."

"It's coming from over in the Everfree Forest." Sweetie Belle eyed the trees nervously. "What exactly do you think might be causing it?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "No idea, and personally I'm not too keen on knowing. Just about anything out there could have made a noise like that."

"I can't really say that's absolutely true." Scootaloo replied, a troubled look on her face. "I mean, I've heard a lot of noises come out of that forest, but none of them have ever been like that. I can't say exactly what made it, but it sounded like it was in a lot of pain."

Apple Bloom eyed her friend suspiciously. "Scoots, you're not about to suggest that we go find whatever made that noise, are you?"

Sweetie Belle snuck her way into the conversation. "I don't know Apple Bloom, after all, Scootaloo does have a point. For all we know, there be somepony out there in some kind of trouble."

Apple Bloom just shook her head in disbelief. "We could be in a lot of trouble if we decide to go in there. We could get attacked by Timberwolves, or a Manticore, or...who knows what else."

"Oh come on Apple Bloom, you know most predators don't come out till it's dark. Besides, it didn't sound too far off, we wouldn't even be going that far from the farm." Scootaloo let a small grin grow on her face. "Or are you just saying that you're scared to go?"

Apple Bloom's expression went flat. "Yes...yes I am, but I know darn well that you are too. If you're both set on going though, I really suppose that I don't have much choice in the matter."

Scootaloo's grin grew wider. "Just wait, if we go save somepony out in the Everfree, we could get our cutie marks no problem!"

Apple Bloom sighed. "Poor decisions aren't the best way to earn cutie marks ya know." She looked up to see Sweetie Belle climbing out of the clubhouse with something in tow. "What's that you've got there Sweetie?"

The unicorn turned around to lift up the telescope she had just grabbed, before placing it into a small saddlebag she had also picked up. "I got to thinking while you two were talking. If we do happen to find something out in the forest, it might be better if we didn't have to get too close to it. So I decided to go grab this, just so we have less chance of running face-first into danger."

Apple Bloom mentally shrugged. "Well, at least somepony was thinking straight in this situation. Not that this really makes it any better."

She sighed and began to follow after Scootaloo, who was already standing at the forest's edge. "For the record Scoots, I blame you if anything horrible happens to us in there."

The pegasus just giggled as the three of them slowly made their way into the darker foliage. "Come on Apple Bloom, sometimes I think you worry too much."

"Let's just get this done and over with already." Sweetie chimed in. "The quicker we find out what this thing is, the quicker we can get out of here and not have to worry about it."

None of them could argue with that statement, and for the most part, the three agreed to keep the talking to a minimum throughout their hike. As they slowly began making their way deeper into the forest though, the silence only helped to make the atmosphere more tense.

The tall trees began to blot out the light of the midday sun, and eerie shadows danced across the grass. The fillies began to eye the surrounding foliage nervously, almost as if waiting for something to come charging towards them, eyes red and fangs bared. Despite their anxiety though, nothing ever came, driving their anxiety to higher levels.

Apple Bloom's ears were working frantically, desperately trying to catch any glimpse of the sound that they had previously heard. Despite her best efforts though, only the sound of their own hooves could be made out, stepping quickly across the soft ground.

Glancing over at her friends, she whispered. "I really don't think that we should have come in here, everything's just...wrong."

Scootaloo kept her voice as brave as she could, despite her obvious anxiety. "We're in the Everfree, what exactly did you expect, gumdrops and ice cream? This place is as wrong as they come, no matter what part of it you're in."

Apple Bloom just shook her head. "Normally I would have no problem agreeing with you on that point, but not this time. The forest is normally filled with all kinds of wildlife, but not now. I haven't seen so much as a glimpse of any kind of animal, not even the tiniest sound."

Sweetie Belle bit her lip nervously. "She really is right you know, the forest is still as a rock right now...not even the wind is blowing anymore. I...I think that we should start heading back to the orchard."

Scootaloo looked back and forth between her friends, apprehensive expressions on both their faces. "Ugh...fine we'll go back, but ya know, we seriously could have been on to something here. I mean it's not like we really even went too far in."

Apple Bloom gave her friend a smile of relief, more than happy that they could leave the forest behind. "Don't worry Scoots, I'm sure it was probably nothing all that important anyway. For now, let's just focus on making it back to the farm."

As she and Scootaloo turned to begin the trek back however, they noticed that Sweetie Belle still hadn't moved an inch, her back turned to them. They were just about to call out her, when she turned her head just enough to see them from her peripheral vision. They both saw that she had her mouth tightly shut, and was slowly shake her head back and forth. With a deliberate slowness, she raised her hoof and motioned for the both of them to come over to her.

When they returned to their friends side, she whispered to them as quietly as possible. "Please, keep your voices as quiet as you can. I need one of you to grab the telescope out of my saddlebag and look out there." She pointed directly out ahead of her. "I could have sworn that something big was moving through those trees, but I can't be sure."

Scootaloo glanced nervously at the spot that Sweetie Belle had mentioned, before reaching her hoof into the bag and pulling out the retractable telescope. pressing her eye to the looking glass, she cautiously swept over the aforementioned area, keeping her hoof as steady as she could. What she saw looked no different from the rest of the forest, with a few spread out trees, and a number of small bushes littered about.

She was about to question her friend's claim, when something happened to catch her eye. Focusing her gaze, her eyes widened as she began to make out what she was looking at. A huge, dark, looming figure slowly rose from behind one of the bushes, its features completely obscured by the cloak it wore.

Scootaloo almost jumped out of her skin when Apple Bloom tapped her on the shoulder. "So, is there something actually out there? Come on Scoots, let me take a look."

The pegasus didn't say a word as she shakily handed the telescope over to her friend, her eyes still glued to the spot where the figure stood.

Apple Bloom gave her a confused look, before raising the device to her eye. Almost immediately, her jaw went slack, and she nearly lost her grip on the telescope.

Sweetie Belle quickly became nervous at the reactions she was seeing. "W-what exactly is it? Is it some kind of monster or something?"

Scootaloo just shook her head silently. "I don't know what it is...and I don't think I want to know. Apple Bloom, what's it doing now...is it coming this way?"

"I don't really think it knows that we're here, it's just...standing there." Apple Bloom kept her gaze fixed on the creature, determined not to let it out of her sight. She immediately tensed up as it suddenly began to move, but relaxed as it noticed it wasn't coming towards them. She grew somewhat curious as she saw it walk up to one of the trees, unsure of what it intended to do. Her curiosity was quickly replaced with a sense of dread when she noticed it reach out to the tree with what she could only describe as a claw. It wasn't the odd appendage that truly shocked her though...it was the fact that it was drenched in a crimson coating of blood.

Forcing herself to continue looking at the gruesome sight, she urgently whispered to her friends. "Girls...we need to get out of here...now."

She was about to urge them on again, when she noticed the creature stiffen. Her pupils began to shrink as she watched it slowly turn its body, almost in a deliberate fashion. She had only a full second to see the dark shell where its face should have been, before she dropped the telescope and ran screaming back towards Ponyville.

It only took her friends a split second to understand her message...and quickly follow her example.

----------------------------------

Out past the dark trees of the Everfree, the small town of Ponyville was just as lively and unassuming as it could be. The sun shone down peacefully as various ponies went about their daily routine. The streets were filled with the usual bustle of each day, as ponies tended to market stalls, sat down at restaurants, and just enjoyed idle conversations with each other.

Despite this day seemingly being like any other, two of the local populace stuck out from the rest, like dead plants in a garden.

"So Nightshade, do you want to go over again the exact reason why you were so hasty with dragging us out into the countryside?"

Nightshade couldn't help but groan at Overcast's comment. "For the last time Overcast...I didn't drag you out here, you willingly decided to come along with me when you found I was going. Probably in some attempt to prove that I wasn't above you or something."

"Besides, it's not like you should question coming out here in the first place." He continued. "If you had any real pride in your position as one of Princess Luna's royal guards, you would realize that we don't need a reason to be searching for the Princess in question."

Overcast rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine...no need to go all high and noble on me. I'm just a little peeved that we're out here in the middle of the day, walking towards the damn Everfree Forest...on Princess Celestia's orders."

While disgruntled by his friend's attitude, Nightshade knew that Overcast had good reason to be in a bad mood. Earlier that morning, Princess Celestia had received a rather lengthy reply from a student of hers, who was quite concerned by the fact that Luna's whereabouts were currently unknown. Apparently, this young unicorn had noticed the Princess pass over her home the previous night, heading in the general direction of the Everfree. With this newly found information, Celestia herself had decided to pay a rather subtle visit to Ponyville, or at least...as subtly as her entourage of brightly armored guards could make her. Naturally, Nightshade had jumped at the chance to aid in finding Princess Luna, and Celestia had been quick to answer his enthusiasm. Now he and Overcast had been given orders to begin a sweep of the Everfree's border.

A task that even he was less than thrilled to carry out.

Making their way out of the town's confines, the two thestrals gazed up at the looming trees that marked the forest's edge. Nightshade swallowed hard as he gazed out into the line of brush.

Overcast smiled nervously as he noticed his friend's reaction. "So...ya still feeling like your uh...pride is doing a lot for ya now?"

Nightshade gripped his spear tighter. "Shut it Overcast, you're just as guilty as I am in this situation."

He gazed down at the haft of his weapon with an annoyed look. He wasn't opposed so much opposed to the polearm itself, as he was against the limited selection of defense they had been given. In truth, he was quite skilled in use use with spears and lances, and usually found himself training with them whenever he could. However, when Princess Celestia had told the two that their involvement would have to capitalize on the downplay of their defensive armament, they had been hesitant to go marching into the Everfree. While they had been granted the use of their own specialized style of spears, they had been denied most everything else, from axes to claw-blades.

A fact that did not sit well with either of them.

"Alright, let's just go and get this over with, alright?" Overcast did his best to hide his anxiety. "We go in, find the Princess, and get our tails out. Should a couple of timberwolves so happen to get in our way...then we make some firewood. Simple and easy as picking up mares, alright?"

Nightshade glanced over at his partner with a raised eyebrow. "Somehow...that last comment didn't sit all too well with me. What do you expect to do if we come across a manticore, huh?"

"Do you really even have to ask me that question?" Overcast scoffed. "If we run into one of those walking deathtraps, we fly away as quickly as possible and tell Princess Celestia we couldn't find jack shit."

Nightshade just shook his head in dismay. "You were right about that, I really shouldn't have asked. All the same it's not as we..."

Overcast gave his friend an odd look as he stopped mid-sentence. "Um, hello...Nightshade? You were just about to give me a snide reprimand on what I just said, right?"

"Hush up Overcast, this really isn't the time." Nightshade leveled his spear out into the thick foliage. "Do you happen to see those mass of rustling bushes perchance?"

The other thestral looked at him like he was completely crazy. "What in the name of Equestria are you going on about?" He craned his neck to get a better view of the forest. "I don't see anything, except for the sheer stupidity of what you just asked me."

Nightshade growled and knocked his partner's helmet with the haft of his spear. "That's because you're not even looking at where I pointed you damn cloudbrain." He once again motioned to the spot he had before. "Look right there, and tell me you don't see something making a beeline straight towards us."

Overcast grumbled to himself and attempted to fix his helmet, dropping his own spear in the process. "Jeez Nightshade, no need to get your wings bunched up. I still say you're just imagining whatever this is. I mean really, I doubt anything that comes charging headlong out of the Everfree would want to get mixed up with two armed ponies."

He was just about to reach down and pick his spear off the ground...when three small fillies came charging out of the trees and knocked him on his ass.

Nightshade couldn't help but slap his face with his hoof. "Classic Overcast, he never could manage to keep his eyes on what was ahead of him."

The small trio had managed to pick themselves off of Overcast, and were just about to continue speeding their way into Ponyville, when Nightshade quickly placed his hoof out in front of them, a quizzical look on his face.

"Woah now, just hold up for half a second girls. Would any of you like to elaborate on why exactly you're running out of the Everfree Forest at such high speeds?" He pointed down his companion, who was slowly picking himself off the grass. "I suggest you tell me the whole truth of things, as I'm sure you don't want to have to explain things to my partner here."

All three of them glanced nervously between each other with terrified looks on their faces, until one of them, an earth pony spoke up. "Darn it Scootaloo, I just knew that this was gonna get us in trouble."

The group's pegasus, apparently this "Scootaloo", quickly countered. "Hey, this isn't completely my fault! You could have stopped us if you wanted, or just said no!"

Nightshade was slightly amused at the two bickering with each other, as he found it almost comical. However, he quickly grew impatient as the two threw blame back and forth. He was just about to silence the two himself, when the young unicorn screamed out.

"There was a monster out there!!"

The scene quickly became quiet as Nightshade took in that piece of information. Given the current list of wildlife that he knew resided within the Everfree, that word could have equated to a great many things. The other to fillies began spitting out information before he even had time to question though.

"Yeah, there was some kind of big horrible monster in there!" The pegasus blurted out. "It was huge, and covered in these dark and scary robes."

Nightshade's list of relatable creatures immediately diminished upon hearing this. "Huge and covered in robes? Well that certainly doesn't fit any kind of animal I would know."

The earth pony quickly chimed in. "It had these claws that were covered in blood! And then...and then it looked right at us, but it had no face!"

Nightshade was quickly becoming worried about the filly's description of this creature, and was beginning to wonder if they simply were making this all up.

Suddenly, in complete unison, the three of them cried out. "And it was following us back here the whole time!!!"

Nightshade's eyes immediately widened, and he gripped his spear even tighter than before. Glancing at Overcast, he questioned him. "What are your thoughts on all this?"

Overcast gave him a sarcastic glare. "What I think...is that these girls are throwing us for a complete loop. Seriously though, what they described is purely something to try and scare us. Any second now, I bet one of their friends is gonna pop out of those trees in a Nightmare Night costume."

Almost on queue, the bushes behind them once again again began to rustle around, as something slowly made its way towards them. The three fillies quickly scampered farther behind the thestrals. Overcast just shook his head in complete annoyance, turning to face whatever it was with a face of stone.

Nightshade however, was far more hesitant. He leveled his spear ever so slightly in the direction of the disturbance.

"For once in my life...I sincerely hope that you're not wrong about this Overcast."

----------------------------------

Erebus had pondered quite a few major questions in life.

Many of these questions were extremely philosophical, and open to large amounts of maddening debate. So usually, he just came up with his own answers and didn't give a damn what anyone else thought about it.

Right now though, he was pondering one of the greatest questions in his overly long lifespan.

"Why am I chasing three small ponies through a forest that seemingly was spawned from hell itself."

Of course...he already knew the answer.

From the moment he had left the Princess where she was, he had been racing through the forest towards this town that Luna had mentioned. All the while, another question had been nagging at him. How was he going to explain his story to a bunch of ponies that had never seen the likes of a human being in their lives, much less one with a more imposing image such as himself.

For a short time he had questioned whether he should simply find the pony that looked most like a nurse or doctor and straight up carry them back to the Princess. However, he quickly pushed that thought from his head...first impressions were important at a time like this.

He became so preoccupied with his worrying over how he would get the ponies to trust him, that he soon noticed that he had lost track of which direction he was running. With minor frustration he had stopped all forward movement, and absentmindedly placed his hand on a nearby tree, trying to find his bearings as quickly as he could.

As he was just about to continue on his way, his essence tap managed to reveal something that struck him as odd. A small trio of equines, obviously children from their stature, had managed to sneak up on him. At first he considered simply pretending to be oblivious to their presence and continuing on his way.

Soon though, another thought crept its way into his mind. If these young ones came from the town, then they could undoubtedly take me to someone that could aid the Princess."

With that in mind, he decided to slowly turn himself around, as not to scare the children, and attempt to gently call out to them. Before he even had a chance to remove his hood however...

The three of them ran screaming in the opposite direction.

Erebus groaned to himself as he now found himself slowly jogging after the small trio. "Looking back on those events, I probably could have been a bit more subtle in my approach. For one, I could have removed my hood first. I mean seriously, the kids were probably scared shitless of me."

He had lost sight of the kids, and began to wonder if they had simply stopped short and hid somewhere in the forest. He considered using another essence tap to locate them, when he noticed a stream of light pouring in through the trees ahead of him. A small smile graced his face as he realized that he was finally at the forests edge.

Slowing his pace to a walk, he lifted his hand to push a patch of low branches from his path, and stepped out into a grassy clearing. The sun was much brighter outside the forest, as he found that he had to lift his hand to his eyes. He was so preoccupied adjusting his eyes to the harsh light, that he almost failed to notice the glinting spear that was only a few feet from his body.

With a puzzled look, he took in the sight that lay before him. The three fillies that he had chased were nowhere to be seen, probably running off to the town that he could now visibly see. That wasn't what held his attention however, instead it was the two odd looking ponies that lay before him.

Both of them wore suits of armor, shaded in varying levels of purple. At face value, the two might have looked completely identical, were it not for their completely different expressions.

One of them wore a dumbfounded look on face, as if he had just witnessed a whale grow wings and fly away. His spear was pointed harmlessly at the sky, and for the most part, he didn't seem to understand any of what was going on.

In contrast, the other seemed like he was the more competent of the two. Despite his obvious look of surprise, his spear was actually leveled at Erebus' body, and he seemed to be ready to use it, should the need arise.

For a solid minute, the three of them just stood there, staring each other down, neither being sure what to make of the other. Until Erebus decided that he had seen enough, and took a cautious step forward.

Almost immediately, as if broken from stasis, the two ponies snapped into action, bringing themselves into fighting stances and moving their weapons into defensible positions.

The more competent of the two spoke up, his voice slightly wavering. "Hold there creature! Stay exactly where you are, and don't even think about moving, lest we use force."

Erebus raised an eyebrow at this statement. "You have got to be kidding me...right?"

The other pony was apparently startled by the fact that Erebus was talking to them at all, but didn't seem to take kindly to his statement. "What's that supposed to mean huh? Do you think that the both of us can't handle you...whatever you are?"

The first pony quickly responded. "Don't antagonize it Overcast, you're just going to make the situation worse than it is."

The one named Overcast ignored his warning. "Shut it Nightshade! Sometimes I really get sick of your incessant nagging, you know? If this thing thinks that a warning from the Night Guard is a joke, then I'm not about to let it just walk away with that in mind."

At this point, Erebus was starting to grow impatient. "Listen, I didn't mean to insult you or whatever you're going on about, but I seriously don't have time for this."

He was just about to take a step forward, when Overcast interrupted him. "Well good for you, because neither do I!"

With one swift motion, he thrust his spear at Erebus' lower body, trying to hit what he could only hope were his legs.

Erebus, while somewhat surprised that an equine creature could move so deftly with a polearm, wasn't about to have a spear in his foot. Tracking the movement of the blade, he quickly spun his body in a complete circle, the gleaming steel just narrowly missing where his foot just was. As soon as the blade had planted itself in the ground, his other foot came back around and planted itself firmly upon the blade in question.

Overcast's eyes widened when the weapon was wrenched from his grasp by the weight of Erebus' foot. He had only a moment to contemplate what was happening, Before the human reached forward, and grabbed him by a chink in his armor.

Not wanting to truly hurt the pony, Erebus was about to lift him up and toss him into a pile of nearby bushes, when he noticed the pony called Nightshade, from his peripheral vision.

Nightshade, who had quickly picked up how badly the situation had turned, had hastily sprung into a defensive maneuver. Gaining some space from his target, he had taken to the air in a tactic that fooled many of his opponents on the training ground. Taking careful aim, he hurled the spear as hard as he could, before propelling himself forward just behind it. The hope was, that even if the target managed to evade or block the spear, they would be completely exposed for the following body slam.

Erebus however, quickly managed to see through the simple tactic. As the spear came within striking range, he once again twisted his body, making sure to keep his grip on Overcast. He reached out and grabbed the wooden haft as it passed harmlessly by him. Without stopping to even consider his next move, he twisted his body back to where it originally stood, spinning the spear to the position he required. Nightshade had little time to rectify the error of his plan, before the flat end of the spear came crashing down on his helmet, immediately knocking him to ground.

As quickly as the skirmish had started, Erebus had ended it. Both of his "opponents" were incapacitated, and he was in complete control of the situation. Dropping the spear at his feet and picking up Nightshade in exchange, he lifted both of the ponies up to his face briefly, before lightly tossing the both of them into the pile of brush beside him.

He sighed as he walked past the two of them. "I mean the both of you no offense in the slightest, truly I don't. As I already said though, I don't have time for this."

He had walked no further than a few feet, when a harsh beam of sunlight shone itself directly into his eyes, forcing him to bring his hand up to face once more. The sunlight did not subside though, despite his best efforts to lesson it. He was just about to bring his hood back up onto his head, when another beam of sunlight came and struck him on the arm.

Searing away some of his skin.

Immediately, Erebus shifted his defensive tactics, coating his eyes in a layer of darkness in order to better see what was attacking him. Despite this, he had little time to react to the second blast of sunlight that struck him in his chest. Though his cloak absorbed the energy, the sheer force of the attack was enough to force him onto his knee.

Looking up, Erebus was was greeted with what he could only describe as the most radiant pony he had ever seen in his life...literally. The tall equine, which nearly reached his own height in full, was gazing down at the human with expression that spelled out just how enraged she currently was.

With a powerful and commanding voice, she issued a warning that was a clear as the sky above them.

"So long as I remain here, you will never touch my ponies again."

Author's Note:

WARNING

GUILT INDUCED RANTING

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Well...this is awkward...

Before I speak, just allow me to get this off my chest...

I'm sorry...

Since I typed up the last chapter, everything that could go wrong...did go wrong.

So for the people that didn't know, I was dragged off into basic military training in a horrible series of events that has scarred me for life.

So no chapters for 14 weeks basically.

Afterwards I had my individual training where I would learn my military specialty for exactly 16 weeks. Normally I thought that this wouldn't be a problem, as I was allowed to use my phone and other electronics throughout the duration. No sweat right?

Wrong.

Despite the hopes that my laptop might get fixed and shipped to me, so that I might continue writing...I found that the barracks had no wifi to speak of.

No chapters for 30 weeks.

I finally finish my military excursion, and make it home, ready to continue my glorious work...

All the computers done broke.

So here I am, typing this note up at my friend's house, because I am poor...and still looking for a decent job.

So let me sum this up for you.

At first I was all ready to start writing again.
But then life set up a wall of nope.

Then, I once again geared up to write this story, ready for anything life could throw at me.

I failed again.

In the end, I really don't think that there's much else that I can say.
I would like to thank all of you for your godlike patience of course...you people are saints, and you should be damn proud of it.

Feel free to judge the chapter as you will, and feel free to message me if you're an amazing proofreader, as I'm now in need of one again.

Thank you all once again, for even taking interest in my story.
I promise that there will be lots more to come, and hopefully my writing skills will continue to improve as I go.

Thanks, and have a pleasant day.

Comments

[Malefic Scholar]

I would cut down on the amount of tags you have.

[BronyofMeddlers]

...Shit storm happen quite faster than I thought.

[Erebus]

6224996
Will do first thing in the morning.

To tired to think straight.

[Erebus]

6225008
Oh, this isn't even close to a shitstorm.

This is simply the circumstances under which Erebus will be saying "hi" to public Equestria.

A real shitstorm would be if Celestia sat him down to discuss public relations over a spot of tea...

[Clayton the hunter]

Nice chapter, see you again next year!

[ChasingResonance]

Huzzah! Tis been updated! Sorry for what's been going on, mate. Hope things start looking up for you. At least the problems haven't affected your writing quality!

[gamer91]

I seriously hope Erebus just goes on a rant about how Luna is slowly bleeding to death in the middle of the forest because I'm sure that we don't have time for him to smack down Celestia and all of her guards. It would make it slightly more believable also if he just took out his frustration of it all in a rant that would shut Celestia up and it would make getting help to Luna quick. Just sayin.

[PostPony]

I could be an editor if need be. I've edited for a bunch of people in the past so I should be able to deliver some good results.

[Ariel Schnee]

Hope to see the next chapter soon.:)

[Erebus]

6225591
Hmmm...tempting, very tempting.

I'll see how I can incorporate that in there.

Of course, you might not want to count Luna as completely helpless just yet.

[gamer91]

6226810 oh no I'm counting Luna as helpless but even Alicorns have physical limits especially when they are actively bleeding

[lunarstallion]

Man, I'm glad you didn't abandon this story. With how shit just went down, I think I can stomach waiting a bit for the next chapter. Get your shit sorted out friend. Take your time, we're patient.

[HiddenBrony4]

6225591 Agreed. Realistically, I think even he would have trouble taking on an Alicorn at full strength. His best option is to explain the situation rather than try to fight Celestia. Emphasis on try.

[Erebus]

6235592
He might try to explain it...

If he gets the chance.

Don't be too hasty to judge him against an alicorn just yet though. You have to remember exactly how old Erebus is.
Also, while he may not exactly be a god of darkness, just consider that he must be going by that name for some good reason.

But anyway, Celestia isn't going to be using her full power just yet...
It's far too early in the story.

[Classy]

Well I enjoyed this! All aboard Celestia's pain train choo choo. Stay classy

[Erebus]

6266279
Hmmm, I just have to ask.

When you say "Celestia's pain train", do you mean pain for Celestia, or Celestia dealing the pain?

Never really bothered to contemplate that till now.

[Classy]

6284981 It's the train of pain and Celestia is the conductor on a nonstop trip to the moon. As per every statement from me Stay Classy

[Ausar the Vile]

Subscribe.................

[Yubella]

"So long as I remain here, you will never touch my ponies again."

Good, I've been waiting to fight you anyways