True Black

by Leonofsweden

Chapter 35 Growing Conflicts

True Black
Chapter 35
Growing Conflicts

****

17 of August

As Lobo walked down the dimly lit hallways of the gothic mansion, the soft clopping of hooves accompanied his own ever-silent paws on the way. Piercing Mark cantered next to him, while the rest of the praetorians followed closely behind the leading duo. Finally, much further back and dragging her hooves, Hammer Song reluctantly tagged along.

Piercing Mark glanced back towards the very glum-looking pony. With a sigh, she slowly dropped back towards the dark purple earth pony. To say that Hammer Song had been sullen since her defeat to Lobo that morning, and the ensuing chewing out by Piercing Mark, would be putting it lightly.

But, if necessary, Piercing would do it again, despite knowing how hard Hammer Song would take it, because there was nothing that angered her more than seeing an obvious talent not reaching its full potential. Hammer Song was clearly talented well beyond your average blacksmith, but she was too focused on that area of her training, and was subsequently letting her combat skills go lax.

So when the dark brown unicorn finally let Hammer Song catch up, Piercing Mark stepped in beside her second-in-command. At first, the earth pony mare would not meet Piercing Mark’s gaze, thinking she was in for another reprimand. Finally Hammer steeled herself and looked up at Piercing Mark questioningly.

“What?” Hammer asked shortly, before thinking the better of it and adding, “...Sir?”

“I know you had a rough morning Hammer, but it's well past time you pull yourself together again,” Piercing stated. “Do you want Nightmare Moon to see you like this when you step into the meeting chamber?” Hammer Song just snorted and kept on walking in silence, causing Piercing to look over at the stubborn earth pony disappointedly, until another approach dawned on her.

“Or perhaps the better question is would you like Bender to see you like this? He is waiting for us there as well you know.” That comment got a reaction out of Hammer, who stopped in her tracks, while giving her superior a heated glare. Piercing Mark slowly stopped as well and turned slightly to meet the angry expression on her subordinate’s face. With a smug expression, Piercing Mark continued forwards.

“I thought not. Now get a move on! We’d better not be late for this meeting with Nightmare Moon,” Piercing Mark said in a rather harsh tone. “There are topics to be discussed and plans to be made. I will need you at your best during these deliberations. Is that understood?” Hammer Song ground her teeth together at that, but raised her head and followed.

“Understood Sir. I will do my best Sir,” Hammer Song replied with as much calm as she could muster. She came to a halt in front of Piercing Mark, the brown unicorn having stopped in front of a large set of double doors at the end of the hallway. With an encouraging nod, Piercing Mark put her hoof against Hammer Song’s chest, making sure her subordinate was paying attention.

“Good. Leave your troubles at this threshold for now. For the next hour we will think of nothing but how to bring this Avarice to his knees. He will rue the day he crossed the praetorians! Besides, by any account, both you and Bender have quite a personal stake in this. For that, I swear that whatever help you may need to rectify your shortcomings, I will make sure you receive. I will personally train with you every day if that's what it takes.” Piercing Mark said fiercely, as she met Hammer Song’s blue eyes with her own light purple ones. After a few moments of silence Hammer Song answered with a crisp salute.

“Sir, understood Sir!” Hammer barked back with a firm voice and a small grin.

“Good, now let's go. Nightmare Moon waits for no pony,” Piercing Mark said as she pushed the door open and entered.

****

As Black Star opened her eyes, she was immediately filled with a feeling of wrongness. She looked around, trying to make out where she was. As she tried to move, a dulled pain shot through her body. She winced and looked down at her front legs to see them firmly secured and stretched out in front of her on a table.

Oh… right, we got caught. They broke my legs and… and-

“Lightning…” Black Star croaked out as she remembered flashes of what befell her beloved. At least, she thought it had happened, she couldn't be too sure seeing as she’d been pretty busy screaming in absolute agony herself. In the short time she had woken up, she once again had trouble doing anything except concentrate on her own torment.

On the other side of the research tent, in whatever camp they now found themselves, Black Star could hear something stir. The rattling of chains announced something moving towards her at a slow pace.

Finally, Lightning Strike’s short, messy, two-tone blue mane came into sight. Her golden yellow coat looked unkempt while her ice-blue eyes were bloodshot, tired and haggard from lack of sleep.

Black Star’s breath caught in her throat as she beheld Lightning’s side; her fears for her loved one were confirmed. Lightning Strike’s beautiful wings were stripped clean of all feathers, leaving two naked and frail-looking protrusions where the majestic feathered wings had once been.

As their eyes met, Lightning Strike managed to smile lovingly at Black Star, tied down to the table before her.

“Hey… How are you feeling?” Lightning whispered hoarsely as she came up and tenderly nuzzled her beloved.

“I'm fine…” Black Star answered while looking at Lightning’s wings. “How are you?”

Lightning cringed as she followed Black Star’s gaze and looked back at her stripped wings.

“I'll… I'll be fine,” Lightning shakily answered. “They’ll grow back eventually, and if I get a magic healer it might only be a… few months...” Lightning tried to sound light-hearted, but the strain in her voice and the look in her eyes betrayed how hard she had really taken the mutilation Avarice had forced her to endure. Not to mention that even if her feathers did eventually grow back, she knew there was still the risk that her flight capabilities would be hampered for years to come.

“It's… It's my fault! I'm so sorry Lightning… If I hadn't-”

“No! This isn't your fault!” Lightning interrupted, looking down at the unicorn with fierce determination. “Don't you EVER say this is your fault, you hear me?”

“But if I hadn't set of that trap…” Black Star whimpered where she lay on her side, looking up at her lover with pleading eyes. Lightning Strike sighed sadly before pressing her forehead against Black Star’s.

“It could just as easily have been me, my star… It was just sheer dumb bad luck and nothing more. So please love, don't blame yourself. No matter which way you look at it, this is not your fault. The blame lies squarely with Avarice, and no one else,” Lightning Strike said and slowly lifted her head again so she could lay a gentle kiss at the base of Black Star’s horn.

“We'll get out of this. You’ll see; everything will be all right,” Lightning Strike lied, knowing it was what Black Star needed to hear right then. In response, the white-coated mare looked up through her messy black mane, with its beautiful red stripes running through it, and nodded.

“I love you,” Black Star croaked out. Lightning smiled reassuringly.

“Love you too, my star,” Lightning cooed back. “Do you need anything? Are you thirsty?”

Black Star nodded, and Lightning Strike once again began the arduous journey across the research tent to fetch the water jug from the provision table.

As she finally made it across, Lightning had to take several deep breaths to quell the desperation she felt within herself. She couldn't break down here; she couldn't show weakness. She had to be strong... strong for Black Star. For if she wasn’t… they were both sure to die.

Slowly, and with a final shuddering breath, Lightning retrieved the water and a single piece of stale bread, their entire allotted rations, on a wooden tray before making her way back. She’d left the bread untouched and had only taken some of the water. Because one thing Lightning new without a doubt was that Black Star was in far greater need of the food than she was.

When she was almost within sight for Black Star, Lightning once again put a smile on her face.

Be strong for her Lightning... you have to be strong… She thought as their eyes met and she walked the last few meters back to her beloved, all the while smiling reassuringly down at her.

****

“You two take care now, and we’re terribly sorry we forgot about our prior engagement,” Lady Silver Flash said apologetically.

“Oh, that's no problem,” Zig Zag replied, not minding too much while Raven was more than happy to leave. “I guess we'll see you two later.”

“You will,” Lady Silver Sparks said, sounding mischievous. “We have plans for you two this coming week, and I dare say, you’re both likely to enjoy them.”

“Yeah okay… That doesn't sound creepy at all,” Raven muttered while Zig Zag made himself comfortable on her back. The two of them were, as the twins had suggested, leaving by way of the balcony.

“Take care now, and stay out of trouble,” Both Lady Spark and Flash said at the same time while Raven spread her black wings and shot up into the sky with Zig Zag grinning widely.

As soon as Zig Zag and Raven were out of earshot, the twins turned around and started heading for the exit of their room.

“We should probably have a word with father now,” Lady Silver Flash said.

“Indeed, thereby making sure our dear old brother knows Zig Zag is once more within his reach. Given the state he was in when he left, he’ll most likely start looking for the little fighter immediately,” Silver Spark continued, chuckling a little.

“Oh I can’t wait!” Silver Flash cooed, “This afternoon promises to be most entertaining.”

And with that, both sisters, with happy smiles gracing their beautiful features, opened their door and began making their their way through their extensive home to find their father.

****

As Raven glided peacefully over the vast commons of the Silver-Seas Estate, Zig Zag looked out over the impeccably trimmed botanical garden landscape. It was no secret that he loved flying with Raven, and she, in turn, loved making Zig Zag happy.

“Hey! Look over there, isn't that…” Zig Zag’s face scrounged up, “Twilight! I think...” Zig Zag pointed off to the side. Raven turned her head, following where her colt friend was pointing. The female gryphon´s much sharper vision locked onto the unmistakable form of Twilight Sparkle sitting in a secluded part of the garden, almost all the way out towards the Estate’s back boundary wall. Seeing the unicorn sitting by herself, Raven suddenly got an idea, as she glanced down to the silver bracelet Zig Zag had given her before they reached the city.

“Let's go see how she's doing,” Zig Zag said, tapping Raven on the shoulder.

“Yeah, okay,” Raven answered and changed course, veering towards the purple unicorn.

When they came in for a landing, Zig Zag jumped off before Raven even touched down; rolling once before coming to a skidding halt right in front of Twilight. She, however, was too deep in thought to notice the two new arrivals.

“Hello! Any pony home?” Zig Zag asked, playfully waving his hoof in front of Twilight while Raven walked up behind him.

“Ghhaa!” Twilight blurted out when she finally became aware of her two uninvited visitors. Simultaneously, both were unceremoniously knocked away by a powerful telekinetic force wave from the startled mare.

With two thuds, both youths crashed down a respectable distance away from the purple unicorn. Shaking his head, Zig Zag looked up at a now-irritated Twilight while Raven groaned a bit beside him as she too made her way up on all fours again.

“By Nightmare’s blessing you two! Don't ever surprise me like that! I could have really hurt you just now!” Twilight said agitatedly while she looked at Zig Zag and Raven a bit awkwardly.

“Wow, that was…” Zig Zag gave a small shake of his head to clear it, “...almost as fun as training with dad.”

“Ouch,” Raven added.

“Sorry. You two just startled me when you snuck up like that,” Twilight said while telekinetically helping brush off both Zig Zag and Raven.

“Snuck up? We couldn't have been more obvious unless we were banging on drums while we landed!” Raven said, quite annoyed at the rude welcoming they’d received.

“Yeah, you seemed kinda lost in thought,” The young colt remarked before looking at Twilight and, more specifically, where her left hoof used to be. “What were you thinking about anyway?” Zig Zag wondered, leaving the conversation topic choice up to Twilight.

“It's nothing you two need to worry about, okay?” She answered, staring off to the side and pausing, before turning back to the youngsters with an accusing look. “And what are you two doing all the way out here anyway?”

“Well, we saw you sitting here alone while we were flying over the gardens, so we decided to come over and say hi!” Zig Zag explained enthusiastically, before glancing sideways and rubbing his back hooves together as he added, “Seeing as we really haven't seen each other since, you know, the club...” He’d been unsure as to whether or not Twilight still found the subject a bit sore, but by the way the mare grimaced, he understood it still was.

“Look, I really am sorry I brought you two into that-”

“Don't be!” Zig Zag said firmly, cutting off Twilight’s intended apology mid-sentence and looking rather pointedly at her as he continued, “I chose to come with you. I knew where we were going and I would do it again if given the choice a second time.”

Seeing the determination in Zig Zag’s eyes, Twilight sat in silence for a few moments before a soft smile spread on her lips as she nodded her understanding.

“Thank you Zig Zag; I really needed to hear that,” She replied, looking rather sadly at the little blue colt. “You’re a lot older on the inside than you look on the outside, aren’t you?” Twilight surmised, before looking over at Raven and adding, “Both of you are.”

“When you've been through what we two have, you don't have a choice but to grow up fast,” Zig Zag countered with a melancholy tone to his voice.

“I think you’ve been through a lot yourself, if you don't mind me saying so,” Raven said looking at Twilight knowingly with her piercing golden eyes.

“Yes…” Twilight said, shivering as some rather unpleasant memories resurfaced, “you could say that…”

“Don't worry though; you can pull through it,” Raven offered, before looking down at Zig Zag with devotion shining in her eyes. “You just have to find someone to put your trust in, a rock you can lean against: everyone needs that. Especially when it comes to those of us who’ve lived through… bad stuff…”

“The two of you are lucky to have found each other, Raven,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Not everypony is lucky enough to find what you two already seem to have.”

“Isn't there any pony you would want to be with?” Zig Zag asked curiously, the rather blunt question making Twilight blush a little bit . All the while, her unbidden thoughts were drawn straight towards a certain black-coated, former Empress with a star-filled mane.

“Maybe… I don't know.” Twilight muttered, still unsure of where she stood in regards to her turbulent feelings.

Seeing an opening to ask her own question, Raven stepped up to Twilight while she looked back at Zig Zag.

“Well, when it happens it happens. I'm sure there’s a male worthy of you somewhere out there,” Raven said, trying to be comforting. “But in the meantime, you might be able to help me with… something…” she trailed off, looking over towards Zig Zag a bit nervously again.

While Raven worked up the courage to divulge her issue, Twilight struggled to understand why the two friends, who were supposedly younger than her, seemed to be advocating finding a special somepony for herself.

“I have a question, and it's rather personal. But... could you help me find a bracelet for ZZ?” Raven asked, glad that her feathers were hiding just how much she was blushing at the moment.

Behind her, Zig Zag wasn't as lucky; his whole face was now bright red as he looked up, wide-eyed, at Raven.

“Raven? Are you sure? You really…? I mean…” Zig Zag almost started stammering.

“Yes… I want to be yours,” Raven answered a bit coyly, surprising Twilight, convinced as she was that emotion was well beyond the rather coarse gryphoness.

“Would you two mind filling me in? I think I'm missing something here?” Twilight asked while she looking back and forth between Zig Zag and Raven.

In response, Raven slowly raised her black right talon, showing the silver chain wrapped around it: its little cherry blossom pendant hanging down beneath.

“This… This belonged to ZZ. He gave it to me even though it really means a lot to him,” Raven said, having trouble conveying just how much that meant to her. Her gaze fell with reverence to the simple but emotionally priceless piece of silver as she added, “He also told me… If I ever give him a bracelet in return, he would happily be mine forever.”

Twilight was now eyeing the little silver pendant with much more interest.

“That’s… really quite a beautiful gesture,” she said, as she smiled down at a still furiously blushing Zig Zag. “I've never heard any pony doing something like this before, but I sure wouldn't mind receiving a bracelet like that myself.”

“So… will you help me Twilight?” Raven asked nervously. Twilight couldn't help but smile.

“Of course I will. I would be honored to help you find something suitable to gift your chosen male,” Twilight said, adapting to the way gryphons usually referred to the opposite gender.

“All right! This should be so much fun!” Zig Zag burst out happily, while he bounced around in excitement.

“Hold it right there, young stallion,” Twilight scoffed in a mock scolding voice. “This is a thing between us girls. You will stay right here while Raven and I head out on the town,” Twilight said with a playfully evil smile.

“Awwwww… I want to go too!” Zig Zag protested.

“No, this is going to be just me and Raven. Otherwise, it won't be a surprise when she gives it to you,” Twilight said with a raised eyebrow.

“But I already know you're getting it for me…” Zig Zag said, confused.

“But you don't know how it's going to look and that will be the surprise,” Twilight answered as she started to walk off, dragging a somewhat perturbed-looking Raven behind her.

“Well okay then. See you two later, I guess…” Zig Zag said irritably as he walked off in the other direction, kicking a rock rather harshly off into the undergrowth of the well-trimmed hedges.

Meanwhile, Raven was now watching Twilight rather questioningly.

“Are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, two females walking alone through town?” Raven asked hesitantly. Twilight looked over at the gryphoness for a few seconds, trying to figure out why she looked so concerned: before it clicked.

“This isn't one of the Gryphon kingdoms, Raven. It doesn't matter if you walk alone here; no male has the right to claim you as his own without your consent. We're not barbarians here, you know.” Twilight said reassuringly. But Raven, remembering the Officer’s Club, couldn’t help but doubt that statement.

“If you say so…” Raven murmured uncertainly, while she followed the purple unicorn towards the Silver Seas Estate exit.

****

The meeting had been going quite smoothly, as is often the case with meetings when most participants are in complete agreement. Piercing Mark sat at Nightmare’s right hoof with Hammer Song, as the praetorian unit’s second in command on this mission, coming next.

The two of them had been then followed by the rest of the praetorians in no particular order. They were spread out around the table, with the exception of Bender, who was still on duty as Nightmare Moon’s shadow.

Therefore, even if it was completely redundant in this setting, the very large brown earth pony stood at attention a few steps behind the former Empress: ready to defend Nightmare at a moment’s notice should anyone be foolish and tried to inflict bodily harm upon her.

At Nightmare’s left hoof sat Lobo, quietly observing the meeting as it progressed. He hadn’t said a single word the entire time. He was content to just listen in on the plan to find this Avarice who, he was now sure of beyond the shadow of a doubt, was the one responsible for the present mess of a situation.

Nightmare Moon sat in quiet thought while she went over all that had been said before giving her final orders on how to take care of the debacle. With a final nod, she looked up at everyone gathered.

“It is final then: as soon as we have confirmation on a direction to strike out in, you will all head out to confront and kill Avarice,” Nightmare stated with finality. “Kill Avarice exclusively, if possible. I want as many of his soldiers as possible to join the Lunar Republic; we are in dire need of any reinforcements we can get our hooves on.”

“I understand; we will try to keep the casualties to a minimum ma'am.” Piercing Mark acknowledged, “There was also the matter of the two special cases we mentioned.”

“Of what you told me about Lightning Strike, she will become a very valuable asset indeed as an already proven commander. Similarly, Black Star will be a high-priority asset, as a potential trainer and teacher to any newly recruited unicorn of sufficient talent. They are to be brought back unharmed,” Nightmare Moon ordered, only to hear a repressed snort to her left.

“I am well aware of your feelings towards Black Star, Lobo. But you will ensure she is brought back unharmed,” Nightmare said firmly, while she turned towards the black direwolf. “Am I understood?”

“Sure, if she still alive from our last encounter, I won't cause her any more harm,” Lobo said flatly, as all eyes around the table now turned towards him.

“I do believe you need to explain the statement Lobo. Have you been in close contact with Black Star since you escaped from Crown Peak?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“I have... I believe I left her for dead on my way here. I found her and Lightning Strike in a somewhat rudimentary hideaway. My intent was to end her life then and there, but I realized she would suffer more if I left her to die from her wounds.” Lobo said coldly, while Nightmare Moon began glaring at him.

“And you have not told us this earlier because...?” Nightmare wondered.

“You never asked. And the longer it takes for us to find them, the higher the odds she’ll be dead,” Lobo said without batting an eye.

“And what of Lightning Strike? I doubt she stood idle while you almost killed Black Star.” Piercing Mark asked.

“I-” Lobo ducked to the side just an instant before a giant Mithril-clad hoof swung through the air where his head had just been. Bender’s blow instead connected with the table, splintering the area where he impacted. Lobo continued his movement, rolling further out of the way before coming up on all fours, ready for another strike.

The attack, however, never came. Instead, Bender remained rooted in place, shaking with rage as he tried to control his berserker impulse.

“Calm down, Bender,” Sounded the melodic voice of Hammer Song through the air. As if by magic, Bender stopped shaking while he stared down at the floor. With a final snort that sent visible blasts of air from his nostrils, Bender looked up at Lobo.

“You’d better pray to the moon your next words are that my sister is okay, wolf... or there will be a reckoning you will not walk away from, you hear me!?” Bender’s booming voice said, in a tone that left none questioning his certainty.

“She was fine; she even woke up before I left again,” Lobo answered, as Bender’s hooves ground into the floor at Lobo’s casual reply.

“You stay away from me, wolf,” Bender said uncharacteristically and dangerously quietly. The way he said it sent a pang of sorrow through Lobo, even though he didn't know what, he understood that something budding and precious had just been destroyed between them. At least for the time being.

“Bender… I had no choice: she wouldn't move.” Lobo tried.

“Lightning was more or less the only pony to give a crap about you when you came to this world! She could have left you completely at Black Star’s mercy! But she didn't! Then you have the gall to attack her!?” Bender asked, betrayal clear in his voice.

“She was protecting that Demon! The one who tore me from my pack! My home! My world!” Lobo retorted, his voice carrying just as much hurt and betrayal. “What would you have done in my place?!”

“I would-”

“Enough!” Nightmare Moon boomed out in the Imperial voice, bringing everything to a halt as she looked back and forth between Bender and Lobo: her face a very irritated mask.

“Bender, you are relieved. I did not ask for you to act. This breach of conduct would be enough to warrant severe punishment were it not for our current circumstances. I will be lenient this one time because of your proximity to Lightning Strike. But I will not tolerate something like this again,” Nightmare stated coldly, while staring down intensely at Bender, who had trouble meeting her gaze. “Am. I. Clear?”

“Yes ma'am.” Bender managed.

“Good. Now be gone from my presence: I do not wish to see you for the rest of the day,” Nightmare ordered. Bender bowed his head and headed for the door. As he reached it he stopped and looked back.

“Ma'am …” Bender began carefully.

“Yes?” Nightmare answered from the meeting table, not even turning to look at him.

“If I am being spared punishment due to our state of being sorely pressed for time in our current endeavor, I would take it upon my return when I'm not needed in the field,” Bender said in a firm voice. Nightmare Moon looked over at the giant earth stallion and noticed his red eyes gleaming with determination.

“Are you sure Pretorian? The punishment is twenty lashes for an infringement of this severity,” Nightmare stated.

“I am,” Bender replied. Even though no pony saw it, Nightmare Moon's features actually softened for a split second. It wasn't often she met ponies like this: who stood for their mistakes when they made them.

“Very well. Upon your return, you will receive twenty lashes,” Nightmare said, some of the frigidity now gone from her voice.

With a final bow to Nightmare, the red-maned stallion disappeared through the door.

“Fire Will, take Bender’s place,” Piercing Mark ordered. At once, the light orange unicorn Pretorian stood up and moved to stand behind Nightmare Moon's right shoulder.

“Now then...” Nightmare began, looking quite crossly down at Lobo, who was once again sitting next to her, “you will tell us everything about this encounter you had with Lightning Strike and Black Star. And I do mean everything.”

****

The young mare and gryphoness wandered slowly through the merchant district, talking softly while they walked from shop to shop, looking for the one bracelet that would tell Zig Zag that Raven wanted to be his for the rest of her life.

What neither of them noticed was just how much attention they were getting from ponies and gryphons alike as they made their way down the well-kept streets. Even though Twilight was wearing her enchanted hooded mantel, it was still clear to anypony that beneath the garment, a rather fetching young mare was hidden.

As for the gryphons now patrolling the city in the service of Nightmare Moon, their gazes were all drawn to the fine-looking gryphoness with the unique plumage as she walked by.

“So, are you starting to get an idea of what you’re looking for?” Twilight asked, while she and Raven entered another silver merchant’s store.

“Yeah, I’m starting to…” Raven said, looking down at some of the bracelets on display. “I actually know what I want and it’s why I asked you to accompany me in the first place.”

“Oh, really?” Twilight asked, looking questioningly at the black-featured gryphoness. “What were you thinking?”

“Welcome ladies!” a voice called out happily from further in the store. Moments later, the store owner appeared in the threshold that lead to a small smithy in the back, where he made his merchandise. However, he stopped and started grumbling when he saw that it was not any of the noble mares visiting his shop as he had hoped. Instead, a little frown spread on his features as he entered the store proper, glancing towards the burly earth pony guarding the front door to make sure he was paying attention. “Can I help you two?”

Both Twilight and Raven huffed at the obvious change in the store owner’s demeanor. They’d received identical reactions from all of the silver and gold smiths they had visited in the merchant district.

“Yeah… you can take a hike for now,” Raven said rather tersely. The shopkeeper looked flatly at the two, whom he presently viewed as no more than unimportant ruffians loitering in his store.

“I don't think so madam,” The store owner replied in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

“Ignore him Raven. You were saying?” Twilight prompted, taking the increasingly annoyed gryphoness’ attention away from the arrogant-looking stallion, who was now beginning to look upon them with suspicion.

“I want something like Zig Zag gave me,” Raven answered, looking back at Twilight and once again showing the silver chain with the little silver cherry blossom pendant. “But I’d like a silver feather or a feather of my own as a pendant instead.”

“I like that idea,” Twilight agreed, while she inspected Zig Zag's gift once more. “Making it your feather would definitely make it more personal.”

“Yes, and I was wondering if you could enchant the pendant to always find me if ever I'm separated from Zig Zag,” Raven asked hopefully.

“What? Why would you want that? What if you want to be alone because… you know… you two have had a fight or something? He would basically be able to find you whenever he wanted, whether or not you wanted him to!” Twilight blurted out, eyes wide, unable to understand why Raven would want something like that. After all, the purple mare herself had always valued her independence and ability to disappear when needed; especially while she was living alone in Stalliongrad. When she thought about it though, she hadn't really been that independent lately…

Look, I know you ponies probably won't be able to understand why I want this. But knowing that Zig Zag will always be able to find me, it will definitely be worth any little headache that potential drawback could ever cause in the future,” Raven said firmly, looking the unicorn in the eyes and trying to make her understand how she felt about this.

After thinking about it for a moment, Twilight smiled and nodded.

“Just as long as you know what you want, it is possible to make a pendant like you requested,” she said, nodding to herself while she thought of how to make it happen. “It would actually be better if it was physically your feather in the pendant to make it work.”

“I don't know anything about magic really, but I did hear something like that was doable. So… will you?” Raven asked pleadingly. Twilight nodded and smiled even wider.

“Of course. I might not understand your reasoning, but if it’s what you really want, then I’ll do it for you,” Twilight answered reassuringly. “After all, this is your gift to give."

“Thank you!” said Raven and strode over to the snarky shopkeeper.

After some rather lively negotiations, Raven and Twilight were finally leaving, having bought a silver chain similar to the one Raven had around her wrist, but a little thicker. One of Raven’s smallest feathers had also been fastened to the silver chain as a pendant.

All smiles, the two females stepped out of the silver shop, but immediately came to a halt at the sight that greeted them. Standing spread out in front of the door, waiting for them to emerge, stood a whole wing of gryphon warriors grinning back at them. Or rather, at Raven.

“Now, this can only end well…” Raven muttered under her breath as the obvious leader of the group strode forward.

****

Bender stomped through the gardens of the Silver Seas Estate, trying to smother his burning temper. The knowledge that Lobo had attacked his beloved step sister was infuriating. But more infuriating still was the fact that attacking Lobo would be counterproductive, for he was currently their best bet at finding her quickly.

He had come to that conclusion sometime after leaving the meeting behind. But the fact did nothing to help his bad mood: if anything, it was having the opposite effect.

And to make things worse, somepony was shouting at him from off in the distance.

Wait, what? Bender thought as his attention was brought back to the world around him. As he quickly realized the shouting wasn't directed at him, Bender’s first thought was to walk off in the other direction. But when he heard a very high-pitched yell responding to the first, he stopped with narrowed eyes.

That sounded like a kid! Bender thought a bit apprehensively, as he cantered towards the disturbance. Just a few moments later, he spotted two young mares he had been thoroughly briefed on by Piercing Mark.

With a surprisingly high degree of stealth for his size, Bender carefully snuck up behind Lady Silver Flash and Lady Silver Spark. Both noble mares were peeking out through the bushes at something in the open field that was on the other side of the hedge they stood concealed behind - completely oblivious to the fact that Bender was now standing behind them.

“Sister, big brother is being a bit aggressive, isn't he?” Lady Flash whispered, while continuing to spy on whoever was on the other side.

“Well I didn't expect Zig Zag to cause brother such difficulties; I thought he would have beaten Zig Zag by now. But he hasn't come close to landing a hit yet,” Lady Spark answered, while the familiar sound of combat could be heard through the hedge.

Intrigued, Bender raised his head up as high as he could to peer over the obstacle the sisters had to look through. As he finally registered who was on the other side, his eyes went wide in surprise.

Lord Silver Cutter and Lobo’s little brat? What's going on here? Bender wondered, while he saw the little blue colt dodge under a vicious blow from the Silver Seas noble. He narrowed his eyes as he took in the fight in front of him: the little colt, in his snugly fitting leather armor, had been given a broken-off broom handle as a weapon. Meanwhile, the clearly infuriated noble stallion had a practice metal sword with blunted edges.

But blunted or not, the blows Lord Silver Cutter was trying to land would seriously harm the little colt if they connected.

He's… he’s really trying to hurt the kid?! Bender thought, feeling both angry and revolted before looking down at the two spying noble mares keeping low to the ground in front of him.

“What's going on here?” Bender asked sternly, making both Silver Flash and Silver Spark shriek in surprise as they spun around.

The first thing they saw in their semi-crouched position, were the well-polished, mythril kneecaps of what they realized was a very large pony. With wide eyes they both craned their heads up, and up, and up, until they looked into the very stern face of Bender who was glaring down at them.

“You two better fill in the blanks for me, or something very bad will happen here to one of the stallions out there very soon. If you would be so kind as to be quick about it, my young ladies, that would be appreciated,” Bender stated rigidly.

In a last-ditch effort to appear innocent, the young ladies tried to smile disarmingly up at the giant earth pony Pretorian: something they shortly realized had no effect on him as his ruby red eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Bugger it,” Both the twins said simultaneously, when they understood they had finally wound up on the wrong side of trouble.

****

The lead gryphon strode forward, his head held high confidently. He was very well-built and his well-kept scale armor gleamed in the soft spring sunlight of the day. He was the very image of a true gryphon warrior. Even though she didn't want to admit it, Raven found him quite handsome to look upon. But that outlook was shattered the moment he opened his beak.

“Come here female; let me have a look at you,” The male gryphon said with anticipation.

“No. I am already claimed by the one I love. I will not go with you,” Raven answered fiercely.

“Oh good! I would hate for something as marvelous as you to be won easily. I would not be able to boast of how I acquired you through a fierce battle of claim otherwise,” The gryphon wing leader said with a laugh, followed immediately by the laughter of his fellow warriors.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, wing leader,” Twilight said, although she truly wasn't, “but Raven is a citizen of the Lunar Republic. She is under the protection of our laws and customs, so you cannot claim her against her will, regardless of your traditions back home.”

The laughter from the gryphons died abruptly at Twilight's words. They looked towards her as if only now realizing she was there to begin with.

“The males in this… Lunar Republic really needs to teach their females how to behave correctly,” A relatively small gryphon warrior off towards Twilight's right side said scornfully.

“Do you have any idea who you’re talking to, female!? You should feel honored to even be in his presence!” Came a very angry shout from her left.

Twilight looked the Gryphon wing leader up and down as if considering his fellow warriors words.

So this is apparently a gryphon of some renown. Even though I have never asked for the position I have been given in the Lunar Republic Army, perhaps it is time I start using it. Twilight thought, as she stood up straight and glared back at the wing leader.

“Perhaps it is you who do not know who you're standing in front of Gryphon; I am Twilight's Sparkle, Magus in the Lunar Republic Army and Nightmare Moon’s right hoof! And for all intents and purposes, I am your superior officer!” Twilight shot back at a now completely stunned-looking wing of Gryphon warriors.

The shock of her statement lasted only for a moment before several of the warriors’ facial expressions contorted into anger.

“What!?” One of them shouted.

“So YOU are the accursed female!” Another one screeched, and a moment later, the sound of several weapons being drawn was heard. With the support of his entire wing behind him, the gryphon wing leader puffed up even further and slowly drew his own rapier before levelling it at Twilight.

“I am taking that female as is my right! If you know what's good for you pony, you will stay out of this. I won't hesitate to make an example of you otherwise,” He threatened. As he started to walk towards Raven while still glaring at Twilight, when he saw movement out of the corner of his eye he instinctively knocked something out of the air with his rapier.

The clang of metal made him look down at what his well-honed reflexes had intercepted. His eyes widened when he saw the gleaming blade of a dagger lying next to him on the ground. When he looked back to find its owner, he saw Raven, ready to throw another one at a moment’s notice.

“You impudent female! I see I will have to teach you proper respect first!” The gryphon wing leader shouted in rage. “Now drop those toys and I might still go easy on you!”

“I said stand down, wing leader!” Twilight barked out harshly.

“And I told you to get out of my way female!” He screamed back raising his talon to bash the purple unicorn aside.

Twilight’s horn lit up, and the next thing the gryphon knew, he was lying on the ground, face pressed against the unyielding cobblestone streets beneath. His prized rapier, the very symbol of his leadership, bounced and skidded away from him to stop at the unicorn’s hooves.

“Looks like I will be collecting these by the hoof full while your kind acclimatize to our way of doing things,” Twilight said nonchalantly, while she picked up the rapier in her telekinesis, all the while keeping the wing leader pinned to the ground with ease.

When the other gryphons understood what had just happened, a mighty roar of anger and indignation sounded from the rest of the furious gryphons around them. As one, they all surged forward: intent on showing just what happened to any female who dared oppose the will of any male, especially their leader’s.

Without breaking eye contact with the pinned leader, Twilight’s horn flashed even brighter, leaving the entire wing pinned to the ground an instant later, their weapons clanking loudly as they all bounced and skidded along the ground.

With poorly hidden contempt, Twilight stepped up and leaned down so that she was face to face with the terrified gryphon leader.

“I am your superior officer, Mr. So-called wing leader,” Twilight said, condescendingly. “Still, you think to physically assault me? Most of you gryphons seem to be even less intelligent than I give you credit for! It's a good thing I met my friend Raven here, or I would have written all gryphons off as brainless beings.” She snorted and stood up straight again, while letting the wing leader’s rapier fall to the ground in front of him.

She then formed one of her now-trademark force field discs, letting it hover well within his vision while several dark thoughts were making their way through her head. Twilight had truly started to hate all male Gryphons and their constant disrespect of all things not masculine.

I could break all his legs, his ribs, cut off his wings and leave him in a broken heap! She mused, while she looked into the increasingly terrified eyes of the wing leader, who had finally stopped struggling. But just as she was about to go through with her plan, the image of Nightmare Moon's disappointed expression, after finding out what she had done at the Officer’s Club, popped into her mind.

The image was almost enough to break her concentration on the magic pinning the gryphons. Twilight shook her head to clear it, before taking in her surroundings.

None of the Gryphon warriors were struggling any more. They were now looking at her with a mixture of fear and reluctant awe. None of them had actually believe the reports about the purple unicorn that served as Nightmare Moon’s slave and right hoof.

As Twilight looked around further, she could see several civilian ponies looking at her with a range of emotions: fear, admiration, awe and respect were reflected in the onlookers’ eyes.

But most of all, it was Raven’s worried expression that really cased Twilight to change her outlook on the situation. Of all who were present, Raven was the only one who truly knew what could happen if Twilight truly lost it again, and the reality of that possibility was reason enough to be very concerned and even afraid.

No! I can’t do that again; I can't let my feelings rule me so completely. I won't be a slave to my own emotions! Twilight thought angrily.

Strong feelings are inevitable, and they’re even used as fuel for magic, but they cannot be allowed to rule me! I must rule them! She berated herself further.

They are mine to use; mine to control. I can never master magic and help Nightmare to my fullest ability if I cannot even master my own feelings. With this final thought, Twilight took a deep breath and felt her whole body relax, as if a great weight had been lifted off her back. Furthermore, another peculiar sensation shot up her left foreleg.

As she looked down, Twilight realized that her new stone fist had unclenched for the first time since it had been attached to her by the strange creature she had created.

She looked at the alien appendage as its fingers twitched erratically; sending information through the nerve endings that she wasn't really sure how to interpret.

After opening and closing the hand a few times experimentally, she curled it into a fist, making it easier to walk on again.

When Twilight looked back up, she could see the Gryphon wing leader looking at her stone fist in horror.

He had thought it was just some badly crafted prosthetic limb made to look extra intimidating and frightful. After watching it twitch and move however, he realized that the limb wasn’t just for show: it was a fully functional part of her body. That understanding of what he was seeing sent a chill down his spine so strong he was surprised his beak wasn't chattering.

“You know… I could kill you all, right here and now,” Twilight said coldly. “But you’re supposed to be our allies, so that would most likely be frowned upon.”

She reached out with her newly-functioning appendage, making the stone fist open and then close reluctantly around the gryphon’s rapier lying on the ground. She truly didn't have any fine motor control over the limb. Luckily, what she wanted to try right now didn't call for anything but physical strength. Twilight didn't even know if it would work at all, but it was an experiment, and she had always liked experiments.

She put the stone thumb against the flat side of the blade and began to increase the pressure.

More… More… More! Twilight thought, while she exerted all the strength she could through the limb. Suddenly, with a metallic squeal, the gryphon-forged blade bent, eliciting astonished gasps from several of the pinned gryphons.

With a satisfied smile that the experiment worked, Twilight let the now useless rapier fall to the ground.

When she looked up, she could see that several of the Lunar Republic’s soldiers had now arrived on the scene and were looking at the pinned gryphons with far too much enjoyment to really be healthy for future cooperation. But that would have to be an issue she dealt with later.

“Arrest these traitors!” she ordered the soldiers, who immediately saluted her and jumped to it. When each Gryphon had its wings secured and front legs chained together, Twilight finally released her hold on them.

“Both Nightmare Moon and your Gryphon Superiors will be made aware of what has transpired here. You will be allowed to defend yourself, but until then I suggest you make it easier for yourselves and everypony else and go quietly to your cells,” Twilight stated calmly. She looked the wing leader over, as if to make sure that she hadn't accidentally hurt the gryphon: something that was met with a few snickers from around the now-secured Gryphon wing.

With a great deal of reluctance, the wing leader nodded before being led away by the Lunar Republic soldiers as their march towards the Bastille began.

“Thank you.” Twilight heard a voice say from behind. As she looked back over her shoulder, Twilight could see Raven standing there, looking appreciatively at her. With the first real honest smile that she could remember in months, Twilight tilted her head at Raven.

“Don't mention it; it's what friends do for each other, after all,” She said in a motherly tone. Raven almost burst out laughing at the look Twilight was giving her.

“Ah man, you’re just such a dork aren't you?” Raven said teasingly, as she started heading back towards the Silver Seas estate.

“What?!” Twilight uttered in surprise, before her eyes narrowed. “Hey! What's that supposed to mean?” She called after the retreating Raven before taking up pursuit.

****

Zig Zag came out of his roll, then immediately skipped backwards, narrowly avoiding the practice sword swung at him. When he looked up, Zig Zag could see that the sword had gotten stuck in the ground, due to the sheer force behind the strike.

“By Nightmare’s holy wrath!” Lord Silver Cutter yelled in frustration, while his gaze locked onto Zig Zag again. “Stop jumping around, you insolent brat! I’ve fought Pirates on the high seas who’ve accepted loss with more grace than you! It is obvious you cannot defeat me, so just give up and take what's coming!”

Zig Zag breathed heavily, concentrating on regaining stamina during one of Silver Cutter’s many miniature breaks in which the lord once again demanded he stop trying to defend himself. The longer he kept this break going, the better.

“And you are nothing but a thrice Celestia-forsaken bully! And I know how to deal with bullies!” Zig Zag shouted, making Silver Cutter sputter in indignant rage.

“You uncivilized savage! I will make sure you learn your proper place before this evening is over. And if I so much as catch you looking at my little sisters again…” Lord Silver Cutter growled out menacingly. “Then it doesn't matter who adopted you peasant; I will make sure you disappear. My sisters will not be tainted by some low-born, loose harlot’s son!”

Zig Zag had gone completely rigid at the Lord's last words. Smiling viciously, thinking the colt had finally realized what position he was in, Silver Cutter arrogantly stood up straight, looking down towards the little blue colt. Just as he was about to walk up and demand Zig Zag prostrate himself in submission to his better, a voice, so low he barely heard it, rasped back.

“What… did you just say?” Zig Zag uttered, letting the broken-off broom handle, he was given as a weapon during the practice fight, fall to the ground.

“What was that?” Silver Cutter asked, feeling himself slow down for some reason he couldn't understand.

“What… did you say… about my mother?” Zig Zag growled out in something that much too closely resembled the growl from a wolf for the young Lord's liking.

“Your mother?” Silver Cutter wondered out loud, not even remembering what he said just a few moments ago.

“My mother was killed…” Zig Zag said in a cold, dangerous voice, “...because she would not lower herself into being your brother's toy! AND YOU DARE CALL HER A LOOSE HARLOT!?!” Zig Zag screamed in fury.

Startled, Silver Cutter jumped backwards at the hate directed towards him from the little colt. Next thing he knew, Zig Zag was flying at him with a real dagger clasped between his teeth.

Lord Silver Cutter’s horn flashed just before the steel could reach his throat, leaving Zig Zag to slam into the magical shield that was now separating them.

With a groan, Zig Zag fell backwards while his dagger fell off to the side. Silver Cutter just stood there behind his magical shield, contemplating just how close he had been to actually being injured, or maybe even killed, by this little insignificant colt.

Finally, he snapped out of it, and ground his teeth together in righteous indignation.

“You! You actually tried to-” the young Lord was abruptly cut off by empty, humorless laughter from the little colt that was staggering up on his hooves again. Finally, he stood straight, mimicking the way Lord Silver Cutter had stood earlier. He turned towards the noble stallion, blood running from his muzzle, and a crooked grin across his face as he looked through the shield still flickering between them.

“I win…” Zig Zag said confidently. Lord Silver Cutter’s eyes went wide at the statement.

“What?” Silver Cutter answered, completely flabbergasted.

“No magic except levitation… I win,” Zig Zag stated, once again completely derailing Silver Cutter’s thought process. The lord’s features then darkened considerably as he glared down at the impudent little earth pony.

“You attack me with a sharpened dagger during a practice match, with the intent to kill, and still claim victory?” Silver Cutter asked in stunned disbelief.

“What dagger?” Zig Zag asked, as he looked towards his weapon on the ground.

Following his gaze, Silver Cutter’s eyes landed on a small silvery spade the earth pony gardeners used to dig up weeds. Even though it was made of metal, it did not have honed edges. At worst, it would have left a very nasty scratch on him.

But in his mind, in the heat of the moment, it had looked like a sharp and deadly dagger aimed for his throat. With wide eyes, Silver Cutter looks back towards Zig Zag.

“You… played me?” Silver Cutter almost whispered in disbelief.

“I win…” Zig Zag said, his tone again devoid of any real joy. “Thank you for the practice, but I think I'll take my leave now.”

“Oh, one last thing. If you ever mention my mother again, I will make sure you disappear,” Zig Zag said while baring his fangs. “Have a nice day, Your Lordshipness.”

“You think this is over you low-born curd?” Silver Cutter said, while his face contorted in anger at having been played by this uppity little commoner brat. “You will be lucky if you can ever walk again when I'm through with you!”

Zig Zag cried out as he was grasped viciously in Silver Cutter’s telekinetic hold and yanked towards the enraged unicorn. As the grip around his throat tightened even further, he panicked and started to struggle even more - which only led to his suffocation going faster when his need for oxygen increased. Right before he blacked out, Zig Zag thought he heard voices crying out from miles away.

The next thing he knew, Zig Zag was gulping down sweet wonderful air into his burning lungs and throat.

When he was finally able to comprehend what was going on around him again, Zig Zag realized he had the hooves of one of the Silver twins protectively around him, pressing him to her chest. While in front of them the other twin was now holding a magical shield.

As Zig Zag then looked beyond the magic shield, he could see an enormous earth pony in gleaming silver armor standing over a now-whimpering Lord Silver Cutter.

“Are you okay?” The Silver twin holding him asked nervously. When Zig Zag tried to answer, the only sounds that escaped his muzzle were a few croaks and wheezes.

“By the Empresses… brother was really going to…” The second Silver twin whispered, mostly to herself, while she looked back at Zig Zag, eyes wide in shock.

On the other side of the magical shield, Lord Silver Cutter was once again standing up, but only on three legs. He was using his right forehoof to cover half of his rapidly swelling face while he glared back at Bender through his left eye.

“I will have your head for this, guard!” Lord Silver Cutter yelled.

“Hardly,” Bender stated coldly. “Only Nightmare Moon can command me, and this colt is under her hospitality and protection, which means it is therefore my obligation to ensure his safety. Make the wrong move, my Lord, and I will snap your neck like a twig.”

“You will listen to-” Bender cut the noble of.

“You have two choices. First one is that you will be known as a poor loser who lost to a little earth pony colt in a practice bout.” Now, Bender's red eyes hardened and stared right into Silver Cutter’s brown ones. “The second is that you don't drop this right now and end up a broken heap of pony awaiting Nightmare Moon’s verdict. But do try to remember this bit of advice; whatever she says, I doubt your survival if the black direWolf hears of what you tried to do to his son,” Bender said, as he looked over towards the still somewhat groggy blue colt.

“This… this is not the end of this!” Silver Cutter said, stomping his free hoof and began backing away.

“It most certainly is,” Bender stated with finality, while the fuming Lord turned towards the Silver Seas estate, leaving as quickly as he could.

With a snort, Bender turned back towards the Silver twins and glared down at them, causing both of them to fidget where they stood. They both looked nervously back towards Zig Zag, who was hovering behind them. Another layer of magic enveloped him that drowned out the sound around him, even though he didn't really notice at the time.

Bender sighed. He might be furious with Lobo right now, but he sure as hell shouldn't let that anger be redirected at his adopted son. He should have acted sooner, but to be frank, the colt wasn't doing too badly on his own up until the end.

“We will make sure he's okay,” Silver Spark said, while she carefully levitated a wheezing Zig Zag in her magic. “We won't let him out of our sights from now on,” Silver Flash continued.

“Drop the act ladies; I know what happened here, no matter what story you told me earlier. It's the oldest trick in the book when it comes to sister-brother pranks. But mark my words, if I catch wind of something like this happening again…” Bender said in a cold voice. “I will not be content with just the aggressor; I will make sure the instigators get what's coming to them as well.”

With that, the giant earth pony Pretorian turned to leave, but was halted.

“How could we know it was going to go so far?” Silver Flash asked desperately, “Brother has been in many duels before, but none have ever gone like that.”

“Let me guess: he was fighting other nobles for sport or trivial matters?” Bender muttered angrily.

“Well… maybe, we can’t remember all of them…” Silver Spark said a bit nervously. With a snort of frustration, Bender turned around and stomped up to the two noble mares, who shrank back from him.

“You truly thought your brother, one of the highest ranking nobles in the entire former empire, would have a duel with a low-born commoner on equal and fair terms?” Bender asked in disbelief. “For Celestia's sake, he gave the colt a broken-off broom handle to defend himself with!"

“Well… brother is just… okay… when you say it like that...” Silver Spark stammered out, trying to make her case sound less foalish and failing miserably.

“Surely, you must know that most nobles… are not very noble.” Bender finished, before turning around and walking away, leaving both Silver twins in a very unfamiliar situation: having to rethink their own actions and feeling somewhat less than pleased about the outcome.

****

Thanks to Evanescyan for the Pre-read/Edit
Thanks to mikemeiers for the Pre-read/Edit

Comments

[Leonofsweden]

Well finally another chapter is out! Took a little longer than I would have liked, although that's mostly my fault, having had a bit of difficulty with my creativity.

But thanks to my wonderful new editor Evanescyan I finally got my krapp in gear and started writing in earnest again. He's also been very good at sprucing up my vocabulary, making it less repetitive throughout the chapter. Thank you very much and welcome to the team Evanescyan!

Also there is of course mikemeiers, who valiantly fights a losing battle trying to make me learn commas from periods in dialogue exchanges. I applaud your efforts and will continue to try and hammer those rules into my stubborn head. Thanks again for your patience with me mikemeiers.

So I hope you have all enjoyed this chapter and please comment the story, I thoroughly enjoy hearing what you all think, bad or good.

[Atropony]

So happy to see story got updated.
When I saw this as the new chapter in my favorites, I had myself a little cheer. Just a little one, wouldn't want people asking questions over a phone conference now would we?

Unicorns are so freakishly O.P. 'Hey I'm losing? Better pick my oppenent up with magic and choke him to death' I hope ZigZag finds a way to defend himself against magic

[Leonofsweden]

4023545

Don't you worry, I do have some plans for that. They will actually start in the next chapter.

[Leonofsweden]

Yay... 100 upvotes!!!

[Dextroscity]

So while I'm not a massive fan of OC stories I do read them from time to time and eventually was going to read this one at least until I read True Colors to see that it was on hiatus but in the important message update this so story was mentioned and seeing that I saw it before I thought it would be a good time to start reading True Black. I was hooked and basically finished the current 35 five chapters in 2 reading sessions. I was simply astonished by the character development and quality of the story. This is easily one of my favorite stories on Fimfiction, keep up the good work and I can't wait till your next update

[Leonofsweden]

4198751

Why thank you very much Dextroscity.

High praise indeed, especially for the character development notice. It is one of the key elements I always try to work with, and hearing that it actually gets noticed was a rather good morale booster for me.

Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter up for you soon. I have been concentrating a lot on my other story, In The Twilight of Harmony’s End, the last month.

I will actually be releasing a blog post about the issue very shortly.
Thanks again Dextroscity, until the next time, have a nice one!

[Xaldon Ajide]

Are you ever going to continue updating Trueblack or are you completely invested in "in the Twilight of Harmony's end."

[Leonofsweden]

4489595

One more Chapter left of 'In the Twilight of Harmony's end', then I'm back on True Black full time.

[Xaldon Ajide]

4490801 YAY!

[Dragonofshame]

Agh! It frustrates me to see bender so close to zig zag and not realizing the fact that that's bright sky's kid! I'm really starting to question how smart Bender really is! Also, great job on the story!

[Leonofsweden]

4651897

Thank you for the fav, and your right in some of your observation of Bender. He isn't always using his head. But he has his moment, and he is rely good at what he does when it comes to smithing and combat.

You also picked a good time to get to this point in the story. I just started writing on this agen, so next chapter isn't to far off in the future.

Have a nice one!

[Halfpaw]

Really hope you finish this story I rather enjoyed it. It made a pleasant read and would be a real shame if it were to end here. That said this story was nicely write and very captivating. Also said not to far off in the future my ass

[Leonofsweden]

5176228

Yes that “not too far off” really was misdirection on my part wasn't it? But I can promise you this, I will finish it, the same with all of my stories.

Unfortunately my IRL situation at the moment gives me very little time to work on any hobby of mine. A combination with both work and family matters is really cutting into anything I want to do.

Anyhow, don't despair, someday when you least expect it, I will start posting chapter again.

Have a nice one Halfpaw!