Forged Anew

by Vermillion Prose

Dark, the Night & the Mare

Twilight had long departed for bed when Hesperos began to patrol the halls of the castle. His relationships with the guards stationed throughout the crystal tree remained cool, but their shared experiences had at least left them amicable and respectful towards each other. In truth, he suspected he would always engender nervous tension. He was simply too martial.

However, it was this martial nature that encouraged him to lay a hand on his sword, ready to draw, as the natural calm of the night became too still, the shadows too long. Even within his metal frame and without flesh he sensed the slight chill seeping into the castle. The air was perfectly crisp and still, and he positioned himself in the center of the room, scanning his surroundings.

His only warning was the faint, echoing and ephemeral laughter of sinister feminine intent.

His blade was up in an instant before the shadows leapt at him, a silvery blade clashing against his raised khopesh. Fangs flashed in the faint moonlight through windows as the dark mare before him nearly met him eye to eye, wings flared and slitted eyes glaring daggers at him. He threw his armored knee towards her barrel, but she twisted aside and greatly reduced the impact of the blow, her silvery blue armor folded slightly from the blow. She grunted through the pain and unleashed a flurry of strikes with her sword, which he deflected unflinchingly, the ring of the clashing weapons fading in the unnatural shadows of the hall.

He was untiring, and she was relentless, yet eventually he deemed the fight long enough. He dropped his own sword and caught the blade of hers in both hands, snapping it into shards he tossed aside. Fearing her grasping the pieces in her magic and assaulting him in a storm of metal fragments, he swept up his own sword once more and lunged forward. Armored gauntlet grasped horn tightly and forced the dark mare against the wall, and the blade was quickly pressed to her throat.

The hall returned to unnatural stillness for a moment before Hesperos released her and stepped back, flourishing his sword into a vertical salute to his opponent. Laughter bubbled up again from her before the black coat bled away like mist to reveal the regal blue beneath, and her eyes returned to their natural, unslitted state. Her laughter nearly reached a guffaw as an eager gleam in her eyes provided the only warning before she embraced Hesperos, the surprising force of the hug actually rocking the Rubricae.

“Oh glorious fun! I have not faced so worthy an opponent in an age!” Luna proclaimed loudly and enthusiastically. He gestured firmly with a finger to vox grill at her outburst, but she waved a wing dismissively. “Sound dampening, none ever heard our bout,” she offered in explanation, her volume unchanged. His gaze remained locked on her without moving, his closest approximation of a glare.

“I must admit, I was afraid you might follow through and finish me,” she told him, eyeing him critically. “But whether it be a change in your ways, or your perception being even sharper than I surmised, you knew when the fight was done. I am most pleased.”

“There is only one with that visage,” he stated simply.

Her enthusiasm finally dimmed. “Yes. That is true. And perhaps why I am willing to see what you might become. Not all who walk dark paths remain lost.”

Hesperos dipped his head in agreement, and gestured for her to follow him. It was a short journey to the study, and the guards posted masked their surprise fairly well upon seeing Princess Luna accompanying Hesperos. Nods were exchanged, and the two entered.

The hours leading towards dawn were spent recounting their pasts and growing a mutual respect and understanding through their shared experiences in the darker aspects of life, and at many points only the soundproofing spells kept Hesperos from clamping a hand over the muzzle of the night princess, so vocal she became when invested in a conversation.

Needless to say, when a groggy Twilight stepped into the study that morning, she was very confused to see Hesperos’s demonstration of Astartes hand to hand techniques to the most battle-inclined of the princesses. Tangled on the floor, Luna’s legs were wrapped around his limbs in an attempt to wrench herself free and he had a grasp of her throat as he pressed down atop her.

“Uh… ‘tis not what it looks like.”

Twilight, having had nowhere near enough coffee yet, simply turned around and left the way she came.

Comments

[FleetlordAvatar]

We can only imagine the look on Twilights face.

[Horusa]

Glorious scene :D

[Neacroon]

Woooow, that escalated quickly, hahaha 10/10 :D

[Archon Priestmane]

"uh...'tis not what it looks like." me: "Fuck this shit im out,no thanks."

[LegionCenturionMaster]

Twilight, having had nowhere near enough coffee yet, simply turned around and left the way she came.

I’ve had enough of those mornings to understand the feeling.

[darklight731]

Oh how lovely! I like this.
You would think Luna would not use that appearence at all tho...