Chapter 7--Part 2

The same day, Phebe regrouped with Artemis below ground where she explained the situation with Ferris.

“In other words, you're going to blow our cover on the slim chance that he'll be able to help?” Artemis asked with a leading tone. Phebe nodded sheepishly. “I like it.”

“Huh?” Her head cocked.

“I'm the leader, I know.” His eyes rolled. “I'm supposed to weigh out these important decisions and take action after some thought. My decisions don't just affect me.” Looking at her, he smiled. “That's what you were going to say, right?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Not even close.”

“Oh.” Artemis' face faded several shades of red. “Well, uhm... yes...” His head turned away while he attempted to recover from embarrassment. Though, she didn't understand the reason for his embarrassment. “A-anyway, I already thought this through. We need all the help we can get. Besides that, as you said, he has already seen the Guardians, so if you tell him upfront about us, then I believe he'll take our side.” He smiled unnaturally. “So... what do you think?”

Phebe shrugged. She wondered why he would ask. She could tell that he wanted her approval, but the point of the discussion was for her to ask his opinion about telling Ferris about the Changelings. In other words, she was asking for his go-ahead on her decision—not the other way around. Thus, his question was ill-placed and bewildering. “Great, I guess,” she answered with uncertainty. “What do you plan on doing for our base?”

Sulkingly, he replied, “We'll move it to the opposite edge, and we'll cut off a smaller section.” Obviously trying to pick himself up, his voice upped in volume and pitch, “We'll get through this. Anyway, I need to focus on setting up our base. I'll talk to you later.”

I wonder what that was about. She was still a bit confused over his inquiry, but she didn't let that bother her. Let's go see Ferris then. Turning herself around, she snapped shut her eyes, imagined a the police building, and teleported to its front gate. After a few moments of staring at the red “POLICE” sign above the entrance, she absentmindedly placed her hoof on blue trim. I think I miss this place.

Before she had the chance to enter, Fairoh Tonto exited the structure. As soon as she noticed Phebe, she scoffed, “You saved me the trouble of having to find you.”

Phebe paid no attention to the mayor, for something caught her eye inside the building. Peering through one the windows, she noticed something move, and it was not a pony. She was not far from the window, so she should have been able to determine a figure of some sort. While Fairoh blathered about some nonsense, she strolled up to the window and looked in closer. When she walked up, something darted underneath a desk. Hm... I can't tell what it is, she mouthed. It was kind of vague. It didn't really have any shape.

She tried to shove off a specific conclusion—that is, that the Guardians had invaded the police building. No way. They wouldn't do that. Too risky. Her brain started to hurt in its attempts to derive any other logical explanation. Even Changelings have shape, so they would notice shadows moving around their station.

Thump! Fairoh smacked the back of Phebe's head.

“Hey!” The Unicorn snapped to attention ready to use her magic on a foe. She only found a disgruntled Fairoh standing there. “Oh, it is only you.”

The mayor tensed and growled. “Listen up! I will spell it out for you.” The Earth Pony pounded her hooves firmly upon the ground. “You will not show your face in this city ever again.” Phebe snickered to herself but let the overconfident mayor speak on. “I know all about you and Flame Tosser. You ruined him, and I won't let you ruin his brother too.”

“What are you talking about?” Phebe furled a brow. Certainly Fairoh had her attention now. “What do you mean ruined him?” Despite being openly confronted with her failure, she manged to escape all guilt.

An expression of awe fell upon Fairoh. “You don't know, do you?” A moment of weakness and insecurity thrust upon her, but it soon passed. She then stated authoritatively, “When I ran for mayor, shortly after your leaving, Flame and I began a relationship. I was truly interested in him, unlike somepony. But, not a day went by when I didn't see the twinkle of regret come off his eyes. Initially, I thought I had done something, but he eventually explained what you and he did.” She inhaled trying to stem off tears. A heavy sigh dropped. “On Flame's last day, he left a note.”

“Last day?” Terror started to set in. “You mean, he's-”

“Yes! He's dead.” Fury erupted. “He's dead because of you! Before hanging himself in his room, he left a note reading, 'I can no longer live with the guilt of what I did to Phebe Hoshana.'” Finally tears fell from her eyes, as her voice broke. “You killed him, Phebe. I loved him, and you took him from me. And, Ferris has no idea about the note. All he knows is that his brother committed suicide. I tried to protect you out of respect for the work you did here—good work, at that!” By this point, Fairoh was shaking. “Even so, out of respect for my love, I will not let you destroy his brother too. If I ever see you in this city, I'll tell Ferris everything, and I'll do worse.” After pausing to reclaim her demeanor, she asked, “Am I clear?”

Phebe stared blankly at her fellow mare. She was in the middle processing all that was said. He's... dead? He's dead!? Overwhelming sorrow flowed into her chest. Despite her mistake, she never loved Flame as anything more than a friend; nevertheless, she trusted him and counted him a true companion. His death would have been hard enough to handle, but to know that she was responsible tossed on exceeding heaviness. He's dead... because of me? If I hadn't done that... he would... he would still be alive. Water started to cloud her eyes. “I...” She was so overtaken that she struggled to speak. “Yes...” was the best Phebe could say. As tears fell down her face, she walked away. My Lord, why was I so stupid? Why did I do that? A stranger who happened to pass by Phebe noticed her tears.

“Hey, are you all right?”

“Go away!” Phebe darted. Stopping for nothing and no one, she rushed again to the forest east of Dodge. Once at the treeline, her hooves stopped and she flopped onto the ground. My mistake. My mistake! Why is Flame Tosser gone? Oh right, I slept with him. “GRRRAH!” She smashed her head into the ground hoping the ensuing physical pain would make up for her mistake. Why is he dead? I didn't want this, but if I had stopped to think... if I had given a single thought to my action, he could still be alive today. Liquid despair dripped down her face and onto the ground. I can't. I can't do this. I don't want to hurt Ferris more than already have. What if... what if I make the same mistake? It's always easier the second time. I could wreck him like I did Flame. She curled into a ball and began to shiver. If I kill myself... I wouldn't hurt anyone ever again. Ferris would be free to live his life. Y-yeah.

Set in her heart to end her wickedness permanently, she glanced around. Conveniently, some vines grew in these trees. Nonethless, she ventured deeper into the forest, so no one would be able to see her death. Once she found a satisfactory tree filled with vines, a measure of gladness filled her heart. I'll finally be rid of myself. Using the vines as her rope, she engaged her magic and began to create a noose. Once the noose was made, she tied the vine up on the tree to create a make-shift gallow. All she needed to do was wrap the noose around her neck and jump. I'll see you soon, I AM.

As she readied to teleport to the proper tree branch, someone called out, “Phebe!”

Phebe panicked. Crabapples. I'll have to do this later. She quickly wrapped up the vines and tossed them back into the tree hoping the nearby person wouldn't realize what she had created. She cleaned fer face of her tears.

“Phebe?” Artemis came up to her. “One of the others mentioned that you had come out this way in a hurry. Did you spot the Guardians or something?”

“Uh... I...” Artemis' presence caused her to doubt suiciding briefly, but she eventually concluded, No... I probably should die. “I-I thought I had.” Hopefully, I can get here later without being noticed. “Well... even if I did see them, I lost them. Let's go back.”

“Okay...” he replied with some measure of bewilderment. As the two began walking back to Dodge, Artemis explained, “We began work on the traps. So far, it's going smoothly. How are things going with the police?”

“Fine,” she stated abruptly without saying anything more.

Head cocked and eyes squinted, he replied, “Is there anything else?”

She retorted with a confident attitude, “Nope.” Artemis shut himself up after that; thus, they to the waterways in silence.

~~~~~

Having snuck away from the others while they were, Phebe came back to the forest at midnight. Tonight I die. She returned to the noose she had created earlier, and without any hesitation, she set it up. Almost there. She only had to climb the tree, place the noose, and jump; therefore, the Unicorn teleported to a stable branch and levitated the noose towards her. Slowly, the item of capital punishment slip over her head.

This was it. Her demise was one fateful step away, and she would finally put an end to her wickedness. No pony, nor anyone else would ever deal with her treachery again. Fairoh wouldn't have to worry about Phebe anymore, Flame would be avenged, Ferris would be protected, Artemis would get to marry a better mare, Black Star wouldn't have to waste his time on her, and the Changelings would be free from the attacks of the Guardians—they only sought the Element, anyway. Everyone's life would drastically improve once she finished herself, thus no reason remained for her to continue living. Goodbye.

She leaned forward and slipped off the branch causing the vine to tighten severely. Asphyxiation began Though she discovered the process to be more painful than intended, she did not resist. As she dangled from the trees, one image came to her mind. She saw Artemis. Ahh... I didn't have a chance to marrying one like you. Who did I think I was? I'm a whore. That's all. Her vision began to fade. I'm only a whore. She hoped that to be her final thought, for it was fitting of one so unworthy, defiled, and evil. Unfortunately for her, she would have another thought.

Snap! The vine broke. She plummeted to the ground and crashed into an exposed tree root; moreover, the noose remained tight enough to impair breathing. Realizing she could would not likely die in this fashion, she attempted to remove the noose; nevertheless, her lack of oxygen sucked dry her physical strength and mental concentration, thereby counteracting magic.

Ugh... Internal turmoil raged on. Why can't I even die right? Stupid! She would would saw herself in half at moment's notice if it would mean death, but at this point, she hadn't the ability. I hate my life so much. Why do I have to screw up everything? What worthless excuse for a messenger of God. I AM was foolish for choosing me. I'm a mistake.

A low growl curled gently into her ears. Instantly, she recognized the sound. Timberwolves? I didn't know they lived this far south. Rest entered her struggling mind. They'll kill me. This is great. She would have smiled if she were able. This will hurt, but I'll definitely die this time. Heheh. YAY! More growls entered the air. Despite having spotty eyesight, she could see pairs of glowing canine eyes; they drew close. Steadily these violent creatures surrounded her. They stopped once in pouncing distance—a normal Timberwolf tactic. Normally, they would attack simultaneously as to overwhelm the prey, and as far as she could tell, they planned to do the same on this occasion. Only a little longer. Waiting for the right time, they all stood still. Goodbye for the last time.

A single Timberwolf sprung upon her. One foreleg planted squarely on her torso and the other upon her head; the claws imbedded into her skin. Promptly, the beast lowered its head to take a bite, but instead of grabbing something vital, the wolf took her horn by its teeth and snapped it clean off. Timberwolves never bothered with horns; they weren't that smart. Next, the wooden being snapped its jaw around her body, lifted her up, and began running deeper into the forest. Though the injuries were moderate, she quickly realized that they had no intention of killing her. The beasts would kill prey in an instant to satisfy their ravenous appetites, but, as proven by the strategical removal of the horn, something else was going on.

After an unknown time span passed, the Timberwolf stopped and emptied its mouth of Phebe.

“Hah. You're kidding, right?” Black Star questioned before stepping out from behind a tree. “How much do you think I love my daughter, Mr. Furry Ears? Oh wait, you don't have fur. Hah!” The wolf crouched and growled. “Enough that I would rip out over single branch, twig, and leaf from your body and burn them individually. Oh, but I'll do much worse.” The beast lunged at Black Star, but the Earth Pony casually ducked out of the way. Having avoided the attack, the immediately rushed up to Phebe. The wolf turned around and darted for Black Star, but he paid not mind. In the few seconds before the wolf came into range, he bit off the vine from Phebe's neck; nonetheless, at the moment afterward, he ducked his lightly narrowly avoiding a claw swipe. The wolf promptly followed up with a bite, and yet again Black backed up out of the way. Once missing this third time, the Timberwolf suddenly changed its attention to Phebe. It stepped to her and removed the Element from her neck. Black commented, “That's what this is about. I see. You made one terrible mistake.” The wolf dash in the opposite direction of Black. “You messed with my daughter.” He swiftly picked up a nearby by pebble, knocked it up into the air, and bucked it at the wolf. The tiny rock blazed through the air until impacting the wolf in its right hind leg. The wooden leg broken. “Oh, and whose daughter did you mess with?” The wolf would have healed from this wound, but the logs that composed its leg were shattered. He picked up another stone and performed the same move. This larger rock collided with the Timberwolf's head. The rock punctured clear through one end and passed through the other. Next, the wooden being fell to the ground lifelessly.

More Timberwolves came out of the woodwork, but Black Star laughed. “He messed with my daughter. He died. Maybe I should have told him who I was. Perhaps then he would have run away. Hah.” While they slowly came closer, he stopped by Phebe. “Hey, Pheebs. It's time to go. They really don't like us.” She didn't move. “Obstinate then? All right. I'll kill them all.” Making use of his spare time, he picked up the Element of Perseverance. Oddly enough, the item began glowing an intense blue when he came into contact with it. “Ow. That's hot.” Black Star then yelped, “Oh ow! That hurts!” He rushed over to Phebe as he screamed, “HOTHOTHOTHOTHOT!!!” Once close to Phebe, he dropped it. “That's... interesting.” He looked away, abstaining from eye contact with Phebe. “I'll have to look into that later. For the time being, we have Timberwolves to kill. Can you stand?”

“No.” Her statement was especially emphatic, for she still desired the peace of death. Though, thanks to him removing the vine, she grew steadily further from death.

“Awww... you're so cute, Pheebs.”

“Don't call me that.” You don't have the right; you're not my dad.

Filled with lightheartedness, Black Star remarked, “I can call my daughter by a nickname if I so desire. So, listen up Pheebs, I'm gonna rescue you. Don't want to be saved? Too bad. Your life is not your own.” He looked towards the foes nearby. “Twenty against Phebe? You guys don't play fair. You're gonna need at least two hundred more.” A toothy grin developed. “Except, today, it's twenty against zero. You can't win against nothing... because you can't fight nothing. Hah, even those two hundred wouldn't help you for this one.”

Phebe rolled her eyes. What a cocky belligerent fool. I would have to rely on my Element to win against these many wolves. Your babble won't save you, Black Star. A small smile formed. I won't be the only one to die at least.

How wrong she was. In the span of fifteen, she watched Black Star singlehoofedly wreck each and every wolf. Maintaining an ever calm demeanor, he dodged every pounce, swipe, bite, and tackle. Though on repeated occasions, the attacks came close to contacting Black Star, the wolves completely failed at harming him. Between dodges, Black beat down his opponents in varied ways—by pummeling them with rocks and hoof-to-face bucks, by causing them to hit each other, by tying them up with vine and throwing them at each other, and other ways. And, by that fifteen minutes came around, only Black Star and Phebe Hoshana remained alive. As a mocking end to the conflict, he chortled, “Oh ho ho, told you. Twenty against zero. Zero wins every time.”

Phebe remained on the ground, and she gawked. “How-how... how!? I don't understand. I don't think Celestia could do something like that. How did you do that, Black Star?”

“Call me papa, Pheebs.” Wink.

She recoiled sharply while gagging audibly. “Don't make me puke. You're Black Star to me.”

“Then I won't tell you who I did that, Pheebs.”

She became angry. “Oh what, are you serious?”

He gave out a sideways glare. “Were you serious about committing suicide? I know you, Pheebs-”

“Don't call me that!” She huffed at him. “You got in the way. I was so close, Black. So. Close!” Her head tilted downward glumly. I can't do anything well. Star said nothing; in fact, he started walking away. When she noticed, she yelled, “Hey, don't you go anywhere! I still haven't gotten my answer. How did you do that? I want to know!”

A boisterous laugh was the initial reply. Once he recovered from his chortle, he shook his head and smiled warmly. “I already said, 'you can't win against nothing. Zero wins every time.' Only my family understands what that means.” He was plainly trying to get Phebe to call him Papa on the guise that she would understand the reference to “nothing” and “zero.” She recalled that Black Star referenced himself as “no one” and “no name”; however, neither of those explained how he performed the feats in the previous conflict. While she pondered, he removed the bark from a nearby tree and ripped a small plant from the ground. “Who knew that the willow tree and oregano grew near each other?”

Phebe eyed him. “What are you talking about?”

“Heheh...” He smiled. “Nothing.”

After rolling her eyes, she attempted to stand up, but the punctures and cuts in her sides made that a painful endeavor. She stopped before causing too much agony. “So, are you going to tell me how-”

“Chew on this.” He stuffed the bark in her mouth. “Now... how to get the oil out of this...? Meh.” He pushed aside the smaller plant. “We'll go into Dodge. It's dark anyway. We can get you the medical attention without drawing much attention to you.”

She spit out the bark and yelped, “N-no!”

“No?” He grabbed the bark and stuffed it in her mouth once more. “It's a pain reliever, Pheebs. If you don't chew on this, the next stage of our journey will hurt significantly.” She removed the medicine and refused to take it anymore. Black sighed, “So be it.” He handled her roughly and threw her over her back.

“OW!”

“Sorry.”

“I won't go.” She pushed herself off despite the fact her injuries hurt more because of her movement. “I'm never going back there. All right?”

Black yawned. “Did I AM tell you to be there?”

“Huh?” What does that have to do with this? She didn't want to answer, but she couldn't help but mull over his statement. Well... maybe? I don't think he said specifically for me to come here. But... he said I am to marry Artemis... Little time passed before she came to her conclusion. “I think so... probably.”

“Then if somepony stands in the way, I'll kill him.”

“Wh-what?!”

“Hahah, kiding.” Without any warning, he picked her up in the same manner as before. “But, seriously, I'll kill him, her, or whatever. I'm not afraid of blood.” He began to walk towards Dodge, and this time she did not struggle. “I can't give you the medical care you require here. I need real supplies. So, if somepony does try to stop us, well, I'm already not in the mood to care. My daughter is hurt. I have no need for any other reason.”

She was getting tired of rejecting the father-daughter relationship, so she let it pass this time. “Can't you heal me like you did before?” He didn't answer. That would be the second question he completely avoided. This time her heart was struck. She felt alone—separated from the Changelings, Artemis, and even the one who carried her at that moment. In attempt to mask her insecurity, she inquired firmly, “Are you going to keep ignoring me?” Apparently, he was planning to do that since he, in fact, did disregard her words again. “Listen to me! Hello!?” Silence.

Water glossed over her eyes; her heart began to tear apart. Looking back at the forest, which they had just exited, she came to realize that she didn't want death; she wanted to be part and parcel of Black's life, Shade's life, Kirk's life, and others, though most of all Artemis' life. She never wanted to leave them, but fear gripped her. She did not so much as lift a hoof to counteract the fear, thereby allowing it to reign free in her mind and body. That's how she came so close to killing herself—twice, no less. “Black Star, c-” Tears broke from her eyelids, fell from her face, and dropped onto the ground below her. When the droplet crashed, Black stopped and looked back at her. Immediately, she hid her face with one leg; she had no desire for him to see her emotionally distraught. Soon enough, he carefully set her down upon her haunches and quickly after that, his forelegs wrapped around her in an embrace. The side of his head met hers. Upon contact, she felt warm water soak into her face. Looking upon him—as best she could from behind her tears and at point-blank distance—she discovered his eyes to be clasped shut and streams of water rushing down them. “Black Star?” she murmured. Speaking his name transformed those streams into gushing rivers, and then his whole body quivered. What... what is he doing? Was he trying not to cry this whole time? A small realization appeared. Is that why he couldn't answer my questions? He couldn't speak without breaking down.

With a crackling and broken voice, he shouted into her ear, “Never scare me like that again! If I lost you too, I'd...” For a brief moment, his silent tears became an audible sob; though, they ceased all together several seconds later. He pulled away. “I'd kill myself too if it were possible.” He looked downward refusing to stare at her, but she saw droplets fall from his face.

He knows. He knows what I intended on doing. He cares that I stay alive. How would it destroy him if I killed myself? What about Dark Shade and Artemis? Barely over her own crying, she answered in a grimace, “I... I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I... didn't know it would.”

“Now I know how I AM feels...”

“Huh?”

Disregarding his state, he looked up at her. The crying had subsided to an occasional tear. “I know how he feels towards us. Every mistake, every difficulty, all the suffering, and all the struggles that we experience, he feels too, as I am feeling yours right now, my daughter. Honestly, I wonder who hurts more, you or I.” A light grin sprung out from the Black's cloud of gloom. “So, you had questions? I've been meaning to answer them, but do you actually want to know?”

“Well... yes!” Her mood brightened instantly. “But... I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I messed up, and I ran away... again. This time I could have died... and I was... I just sorry!”

“You're were forgiven the first time.” His demeanor became momentarily somber. “So, you're forgiven, but if you apologize again, you'll be doubting my forgiveness. One apology is enough.” His smile returned, and it was much greater than before. “So, what did you want to ask?”

“How did you fight off those Timberwolves?”

A lofty chuckle came about. “Two things. The most important one comes first—that is, I am nothing. No one, no name, and nobody. No person, no being, and not a thing. Some of that is literal, some of that is metaphorical, and all of it relevant to my point.” He didn't seem to mind having no identity despite that he expressed joy when he was named Black Star. “I AM is my everything. When I am nothing, he is free to be everything, and I am nothing all the time, thus he is everything all the time. In other words, my God wins all my battles for me, and I just go along for the ride. I don't know if that makes any sense to you, but that is the most complete truth as to my success that I can give.”

“All right.” Having a slight grasp on Star's odd way about him, she mostly understood the point he was making, even if she was unsure how God would win all his battles. “What about the second?”

“Ah, yes...” He smirked. “I'm a soldier.” Instantly, her attention was stolen. Whatever doubts she had about his first explanation disappeared, as her curiosity gathered around the idea of a military stallion. “Huh? So, you like soldiers?”

“I don't know any personally, and there are very few in Equestria.” She thought back to her days in the Badlands. Even in those parts, only a couple of trained ponies defended that town. The remainder were civilians. “I want to hear what you have to say.”

“You mean that being a soldier is the most difficult, most gruesome, most under appreciated job in all of history?” A lighthearted tone rung his vocal box. “Not what you expected me to say?” She actually hadn't any expectations since she knew so little. “Well, anyway, this goes back a long ways. In summary, I've been a soldier since adulthood, and I've been hardened like a soldier since my childhood. In more detail, at a young age, my parents were killed by religious fanatics. My uncle sent my older brother and I to another country where we and another youth were adopted by the king of that country.” His smile retained itself. “For the better part of our upbringing, the king trained the three of us for leadership and for combat. We participated in battles for the sake of our king and father and killed many and lost some too. Eventually, our father was killed by his own countrymen, my blood brother went insane and killed my fiancee, he... ehm... took me away from our adopted brother, and then he left himself. Since then, I've seen my adopted brother and worked with him many times, but I've not seen my blood brother since that fateful day; moreover, since then, I've fought in wars, killed more people than you've known, and lost everyone I've ever held dear.” His tone finally became serious. “I will not lose anyone else, lest it be over my dead body. Heheh, oh wait.” He chuckled to himself. “Anyway, point being, I've had a lot of combat experience, and I've become completely calloused to the fragility of life. If someone I care about is threatened, I'm not afraid to kill a thousand with my own bare hooves. I don't tell you this for the sake of impressing, but you should know the truth. This is who Black Star is. This is what no name looks like.”

Phebe stared blankly. She didn't know exactly how to receive the information she had been hoofed. “Oh.” She couldn't say anything else; her brain tied up her tongue.

“Now you know why I couldn't bear you to die. I don't have anyone else; they're all dead or gone in some other fashion.” He sat upon his haunches. “I hope this doe-”

“Why do you hide?”

“Huh?” Head chocked. “What are you talking about? I travel aimlessly. That's definitely different. I'm trying to find whatever I'm looking for; though, I don't really know what I'm looking for. Eh, I'll know it when I find it.”

Though causing some pain in the process, She motioned widely with on forehoof. “Have you ever thought that what you're looking for is directly in front of you?” Her hoof pointed to herself. “You want a family, don't you? Why else would I AM bring you here like this?” His mouth opened, yet no words followed. He began to think. “You never really considered that. Anyway, think about it. Artemis and I would love to have you.”

“I... I really can't help you.”

“Huh?”

Black put his hoof through his blonde mane. “I AM told me not to help you against the Guardians. That I can really have no active part in your fight against them. Besides, there is one part of the family that is missing for me.”

She squinted at him. “You're not married, are you?”

“Nope. Engaged once, married twice, dead thrice.” His demeanor sank significantly more. “I shouldn't hide it, I suppose. I am hoping to find someone to marry. It's really hard for me to be single; I don't know why.” A laugh formulated; he apparently liked to laugh a lot. Perhaps this was to hide the true suffering deep within his heart. “Honestly, it does consume nearly all my thoughts. You wouldn't know that by looking at me.” He was correct; Phebe had no idea he wanted spouse up until this point. “That a side, I'll continue to travel awhile longer. Before I leave, I do need to get you to that hospital.”

“Wait-!” She glanced around briskly. “I can't be seen. If the mayor finds me, she'll-uh... um... er...” Phebe had no desire to share her mistake with Black. “You can say she's black mailing me, and I would rather not talk about what she's black mailing me with.”

“Pfffft. Black mail you?” He hoisted her upon his back once final time. “I AM said nothing about not killing mayors.”

“You're not seriously thinking about it, are you?” She couldn't tell his sarcasm from his regular speech. “I mean, it wouldn't look good for me to be hanging around a murderer. I'm suppose to have a good impression on ponies, you know?”

“Fine.” He grumbled to himself, which Phebe found amusing. “Time to get you patched up. After I drop you off and pay for your medicine, I'll let Artemis know where you are. I won't tell him that you tried to hang yourself, but I'll let him know about the Timberwolves and about this blackmailing mayor.”

“Thanks.” A warm sensation wrapped its comforting touched around her heart. She suddenly felt loved. “For everything, I thank you.”

“No problem.” He set off for the hospital.

During the trip to the building, Phebe pondered what it meant for Black Star to be a soldier. Wait a second. His parents were killed by religious fanatics? Pausing in her contemplation, she realized she did not know what a “religious fanatic” was. She comprehended the concept of religion, philosophy, and such things, but what would a “fanatic” be? And why would that be tied with killing? Wouldn't someone like that be a peaceful sort of person? Before arriving at the hospital, she had to ask. “Hey, Black Star. One last question, if that's all right.” I have to be direct. Black Star halted his movement and looked back at her. What do I really want to know? I don't care about religious fanatics, but I should know something about them. Pyre was religious, and he basically raised me. So... “Are you from Equestria?”

Black's eyes grew wide momentarily. “What would make you ask that?”

“A lot of things, but your past mostly.”

He turned his head forward and began walking. “You do know that your wounds will get horribly infected if I don't get you some disinfectant, right?”

She retorted sagely, “You won't let any harm come to me. Please answer my question.” You're not avoiding the subject this time. “If you expect me to treat you like a father, you need to start treating me like a daughter. That means trusting me.”

Black didn't stop walking in order to speak, nonetheless he spoke on the way, “You're very good at arguing. Just like me.” He smiled, though Phebe couldn't see his smile. “The answer is no. I was not born or raised in Equestria. I don't remember much of where I was born, and the place I was raised was destroyed. Since they weren't exactly a city block away form Equestria, you wouldn't know their names if I told them to you.”

“I see you preempted my following questions.” She chuckled, “You would have to be my dad to do that.” Despite her comment, she had not warmed up the adoption aspect of their relationship. “So... I imagine war destroyed your home?”

He shook his head. “Not exactly. War contributed to the final demise, but actually, my blood brother destroyed my home. He set it ablaze.”

She gawked. “He went ballistic, huh?”

“I don't blame him anymore, really.” The Earth Pony stopped, rubbed his hornless head, and groaned. “His wife instigated most of his wrong doing. When father died, he turned to her for support forgoing his brothers' wisdom and comfort, and she drove him to further lengths of stupidity—that is, until their evil actions brought her demise. When she died... my brother, figuring he had no one left to turn to, betrayed us and his country.” His head bowed lightly as his ears twitched. “I've been in a place like that. No matter what one does it seems wrong, so why even attempt to do right? At least, that's the mentality.” He pressed forward and brought her to the hospital. “Enough chatter. It's time for you to get mended.”

“All right...” She moaned; Black Star had a plenty interesting story, and she wanted to hear all of it. Another time, I guess. He left her in the hooves of the nurses, paid for her treatment, and left.

Author's Note:

Sorry, it took so long. I haven't given up on this, but my time to work on this is limited.

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The Rise of the Guardians and the Fall of One Hero - TrinityDragon

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