Prologue

On a Cloudless night a long, long time Ago...

On nights like this, Nocturnal loved to roam the land known as Equestria.
It was a long way from germane to where he was now.
Dangerous journeys by land, even more dangerous journeys by sea.
Sea monsters, monsters on land, wicked ponies, and other creatures that wanted to harm him.
The chimera that cost him his left eye.
All this...
For this moment in life.
The stars twinkled, The moon shone bright and clear, no cloud could be seen. And even if he could get up in the air, for he was a batpony afte rall, he preferred the ground. The dirt under his hooves, the grass tickling his knees despite the red coat he was wearing. His sword was ready to be drawn though, as this place was a little scary.
The locals called it The Everfree Forest. Despite its relatively small size, it was close to where He was going.
The castle of the Two Sisters.
He was so excited.
If he hurried a little he could meet the princess of the night by tomorrow and thank her for all the beauty of her nights, all the times in which the moon had lit his way and all the times the stars twinkled and helped him to get along. He looked up with a smile.

"Such a wond'rful night..." he said softly, "thanketh thee, princess of the night, f'r this presenteth"

Stopping for a moment would certainly not hurt. He could use a short rest.
rustle
On his left.
In a bush.
Nocturnal moved cautiously towards the place, his wings ready to catapult him backward should this be necessary, his eye wide open.
It was a dangerous moment. No matter what was lurking there, he would be careful because his eye was important to him. Obviously.
Without that he would never be able to see the night again. And damn the monster that took away his good eye.

"Holla? Is anypone th're? feareth not i has't nay malicious intentions" he asked in the bushes.

In response, he got a ... cackle?
Okay that was strange.
Was there a chicken in the bushes? Maybe it ran away from her farm. If he brought it back maybe the farmer would give him a quiet place to sleep in the morning. Or even breakfast? That would be great.

"Cometh h're, dram chicken. I wonneth't harmeth thee. Doth thee wanteth me to taketh thee home?"

Something moved quickly towards him and he flapped his wings.
Whatever it was, it was clearly attacking him. Otherwise no chicken would approach an unknown one like that
The flap of his wing was so strong that it catapulted him off the path and deeper inside the forest. And he needed a second flap of his wing to bring some distance between himself and the attacker, which brought him a deeper into the forest, and down a small depression,
What came out of the bushes there wasn't a chicken!
It had the head of a chicken, but That’s where the similarities stopped.
He bit the hilt of his sword and swung it around, looking the beast in the eyes and getting ready when he felt something.
His tail felt so heavy all of a sudden.

The beast attacked, but he managed to hold it at a distance with a swing of his sword, looking inward for a second.
His back legs felt numb.

Oh nay! yond can not beest! Those gents turneth into stone!
What shouldst i doth?

First of all, take care of the monster in front of him. He threw back his head, and decapitated the beast!
Well, that was a little disappointing for a fight, but it gave him more time to see what he could do.
When he looked to his rear, his back was also petrified, and so were his wings, which he stretched out to keep him balanced.
He stuck the sword in the ground in front of him and looked around.
He was nowhere to be found, as remote as he stood in the forest. His wingbeat had actually carried him off the beaten track, if someone could call the dirtpath that on which he had hiked.
The forest wasn't too dense. Maybe someone would be able to find and help him?
Now his forelegs began to petrify. He was able to lift one of his leg a bit, but then it turned into stone stuck in this position.
Nocturnal felt a moment of panic, then calm and peace washed over him.
This was the end of his life, wasn't it?

"Oh alas. I very much desired to meeteth the princess of the night. What a shame. I'm traveling halfway 'round the w'rld from G'rmane to Equestria, surviving chim'ras and hydras, dang'rous flotes and flote monst'rs. And then i receiveth curs'd liketh yond done a thing yond looks liketh a chicken. Oh what a cruel fate "

He started to smile and looked at the moon when he felt his neck slowly turn to stone.

So closeth to the destination. So far hence anon

He felt the numbness rise further, now up the back of his head and forehead. He could see the moon.

I kicketh the bucket with a smileth yond shall nev'r vade grant you mercy to thee moon

As he continued to look, the petrification slowly reached his eye, a tear came off and flowed down to his muzzle where it stuck for a moment.
Then...
There was a bright light, shining in all colors of a rainbow and a shadow appeared on the moon.
Nocturnal opened his eye wide as he stared at the moon. There, on its light and white surface, the head of a mare was now depicted.

What...?

It was his last thought when the petrification enveloped him completely.

An unknown amount of time later

"I told you we're wrong here."
The mare's voice was annoyed
"The castle ruins can't be that far away. You will see that we are NOT lost."
The stallion was a little insecure, but he didn't let it show as best as he could.
"If any of these creatures of the forest attack us, I swear I'll break your leg." Now anger mixed with the mare's annoyance.
"Why's that? That would be really mean!" The stallion was probably scared.
"I would do this so I could run faster than you," said the mare in a matter of fact tone.
"That would mean that I would die!" Now the stallion was afraid, "Come on, we're colleagues!"

Just as the mare was about to answer something, the ground broke under the two of them. They slipped a little, both screamed, rolled over the forest floor and announced pain for everyone to hear.
"It's all your fault!" yelled the mare, then trotted off, "I'm done with you. If we don't come to this archaeological site before the sun goes down ..."
Her voice fell silent and she suddenly screamed out loud.
The stallion rushed after her, holding a machete in his snout, not sure what to do with it in case of need, but he would ...
He would drop the machete and scream too.

There in a small clearing stood a bat pony, one hoof slightly raised. Next to it a rusty sword in the ground, barely recognizable as such. And the batpony was about to trample his colleague down.
At least that's what it looked like until they both noticed that the batpony wasn't moving.

"What an extraordinary statue!" said the mare and began to examine the statue in front of her. She removed some vines, leafes and grass, "So detailed! and in such good condition!" she said delightedly.

"But ... what is this statue doing here?" asked the stallion, starting to look around the small clearing, "there is nothing here... no foundations for a house, no traces of ponies whatsoever... And look at his face. He smiles, but his eyes look horrified."
"Huh you're right. As if the artist had changed their motiv in the middle of the project... Could that be a hero statue? Or maybe a grave? The clothes look old. Very old. And take a look at the sword. A real sword! Albeit a little rusted." The mare looked closely at both the clothes and the sword.
"Hey, take a look here!" shouted the stallion after a while, "Here are petrified bones!"
The mare hurried over to him, looked at his find. There where just a few bones. But it was a chicken head that did not match the rest of the bones, and showed signs of a sword blow.
"Strange..." said the mare and began to lay the bones down as they belonged. There were missing parts, but it came enough together.
"That could be... a cockatrice..." she said thoughtfully, then opened her eyes wide in surprise and shock.
"Oh sweet celestia ..." she mumbled and looked at the batpony again, "I think this is not a statue... this is the victim of a cockatrice!"
The stallion just looked at her questioningly, while the mare went back to Nocturnals statue, "Cockatrice turn their prey to stone. It is their hunting strategy. Why exactly? Nopony knows yet. Captive cockatrices do not petrify their prey." she explained and freed the "statue" from more vines and grass and blew the leaves off from him, "This pony must have been here for a very long time! We have to let the others know and bring him to Canterlot."

The mare let her horn shine and shot a glowing red ball into the sky. A little later, a group of pegasies were on the spot and took the two archeologists, the bones of the animal and the petrified pony with them.
Carefully so that nothing breaks off, they brought the petrified pony to their camp, from there with the help of a carriage to the nearby village of Ponyville. There they asked a pony named Fluttershy if she could help them. As luck would have it, there was actually a cockatrice that could reverse the petrification.
It didn't take long to reverse the petrification, but Nocturnal almost instantly passed out and collapsed with a groan.

Probably a lifetime later

"Wh're am I? Owwww, mine own headeth is hurting"

That was the first thing Nocturnal said when he slowly came back to his senses. It took his eye time to focus, and he realized... that he was lying in bed. Not just in any bed. It was probably the most comfortable bed he ever felt.
Where was he?
What happened?

"Ugh. I am thirsty."

A pony entered the room in that moment.

"Oh good morning."

There was a strange noise from a corner of the room, like a small waterfall. With the help of magic the mare handed him a glass of water and a drinking straw.
So a unicorn then. Must be a noble.

"Since at which hour doth nobles doth such base ch'res?"

The unicorn looked at him with a raised eyebrow and started smiling.

"Me? A noble? How do you get that?"

Huh? this mare spoke strangely. He'd never heard an accent like that

"Here, have a drink first."

She handed him the glass and he drank, first cautiously, then more and more greedily. It felt like he hadn't drunk anything for ages!

"Ah thanketh thee valorous mare. But sayeth wh're am I? how didst I receiveth h're?"

She giggled!
Why is this mare giggling?
Nocturnal gave her a questioning look.

"Oh sorry. The way you talk is just extremely funny."

Nocturnal blinked in confusion, then stood up and stretched. He felt like he hadn't walked around for ages. All his bones cracked and he felt a little weak, but he stood.

"I thanketh thee f'r thy hospitality, but anon I has't to moveth on. I did want to wend to the castle of the two sist'rs to expresseth mine own grant you mercy to the princess of the night."

Now the mare looked a bit confused, cocked her head when she looked at him. He was physically okay, but he didn't seem to know that he had been petrified for a long time. Nobody knew exactly how long, and nobody really knew who he was. All that was known about him was that he had stood there for at least 200 years.
Probably longer.
Nocturnal went to the window and pulled the curtains aside.
And at the same moment as his eyes got used to the brightness outside, his jaw dropped.

"Which city is this? I has't nev'r seen such a big and magnificent city! and this magnificent castle! w'rthy of the princesses, I wouldst sayeth"

The mare, now better visible to Nocturnal, joined him. Her clothes were pure white, a red cross sewn on a breast pocket, her hat looked interesting and strange, but was also white with a red cross. She looked out the window with him and said quietly:

"This is Canterlot. The capital of Equestria. And that over there is the princesses' palace. There is a wedding there tomorrow, that's why it's a little more decorated here than usual."

Nocturnal turned to her again.

"The capital of Equestria? Tom'rrow thee sayeth? whose wedding is't?"

The mare looked him in the eye, with a little sadness and an understanding smile.

"The wedding of Princess Mi Amora Cadenza and Captain Shining Armor."

These names were completely unknown to Nocturnal.
Princess Mi Amora Cadenza?
Captain Shining Armor?
He must have slept longer than he thought.
memories came back at the thought, and he drew in the air in a loud gasp, grabbed the mare next to him by the collar and forced her to look at him.

"What hath happened to the moon wherefore wast th're a mare's visage th're? Is the moon n'rmal again? What didst the princess of the night sayeth about t?"

Nocturnal hadn't noticed that his Germane accent slipped through a bit too.
The mare looked at him fearfully, then tore herself free and ran out, calling something like hospital security and he woke up!
It was all really strange.
So Nocturnal contented himself with looking out the window again and looking at the city that lay before him.
On how many floors was he? It looked like he was a little higher up than a commoner's house. In addition, the bed frame was made of metal and there were strange devices standing next to it. And did the bed have wheels?
Queerly...
But breakfast was there on a small cupboard next to the bed, and Nocturnal was not going to waste it.
And what a breakfast!
Cutlery made of fine metal, porcelain plates, drinking glasses with two carafes, one with an orange liquide, one with water.
There were eggs, bread and several fruits that Nocturnal had rarely or even never seen. He took a mango and looked at it. He had never seen this fruit before, but it looked good, smelled sweet and felt right.However, it was the apple which really caught his attention. Red and shining. It was so perfect, the farmers who grew this apple had to be very proud of their work. Nocturnal bit into it with relish and was blown away by the sensation.
It felt like ages he'd ate something.
And the bread was so fluffy and soft and tasted very different from what he knew. And butter and Cheese! Truly a luxurious meal for a simple traveler like him.
Hopefully the owners of this fine house wouldn't ask for too much money.
He had only fifty golden coins with him, and he would need them to pay the fee when entering the castle of the Two Sisters.

Just as Nocturnal finished eating - only the mango was still there - two sturdy earth ponies came into the room, wearing a kind of white uniform similar to the mare from before. There was also another stallion with them, this time wrapped in a kind of long white coat. A Unicorn again.

"Hello. My name is Doctor G. W. Soon."

Nocturnal was surprised. A real doctor? Not just an apothecary or a mountebank? Was he the owner of this house or did he work here? He was a unicorn, so Nocturnal assumed this was the householder.

"I give you a valorous day, m'l'rd. And thanketh thee f'r thy hospitality. Unf'rtunately I has't not much yond I can giveth thee in returneth. I can only off'r thee mine own s'rvices with mine own sw'rd and mine own stout backeth"

The doctor looked at a piece of paper and raised an eyebrow, but then smiled openly and warmly as he sat down and motioned to Nocturnal to do the same, only on the edge of the bed.
This followed the request. After all, he wanted to be polite.

"I don't think it will be necessary to take your sword. And a strong back is good, but not needed here. I'm not a lord either, just a doctor." he smiled again, "Could you please tell me your name?

That weird accent again. and again the doctor was not a lord.
It was all very strange.

"I'm a Nocturnal Wand'r'r, from the 'ord'r of wand'ring blades' and if 't be true not through w'rk, how can I showeth mine own appreciation? And wh're art mine own things concluded, be it?"

Something seemed to be bothering the doctor, however. He slowly put the clipboard aside then put his hooves together and said with a more serious look:

"There is no need to be of service to this hospital. But I very much welcome the offer." He began to smile again: "So may I ask what your last memories are? It would be very interesting to hear that"

That was a strange question, but Nocturnal didn't know what else to do or say so he told him what had happened.
He then said at the end:

"Can I anon findeth out what's going on and what I am doing h're? and wh're is mine own stuffeth? I hadst a jurnal with me, a sw'rd, and a saddlebag. Can I has't yond backeth prithee?"

The doctor looked at his papers again, then took his glasses off his snout and said softly

"You slept, Mister Wanderer. At least 200, if not 500 years... We found you in the Everfree Forest about a week ago completely petrified."

Truly, the doctor's words hurt as much as his scalpel...
so did the memories that pounded him again...
And in Nocturnal case, the ground he standed on vanished under his hooves, and he fell into a deep hole...
And passed out again.

Chapter 1

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not long there after

Nocturnal woke up again. It was hard to remain unconscious when you were being shaken lightly and someone patted you lightly on the cheek.

"Are you all right, Mister Wanderer?"

How could everything be okay? He had just found out that he had been unconscious for 200 if not 500 years. Petrified in a forest, forgotten by the world, by time ... by the night!

"Nay, nothing is right with me"

this statement came without Nocturnal having to think about it. he sounded dejected, straightened up again, although the doctor wanted to push him back to bed.

"I've been falsing 'round longeth enow and doing nothing! i has't to... I has't to..."

yes what did he have to do? he didn't know what to do. all the time he had lived his goal was to come to equestria, to meet the princess of the night ...

"I has't to rep'rt to mine own broth'rs. Wh're is the nearest wand'ring blade headquart'rs 'r outpost?"

The doctor looked at Nocturnal and seemed to be thinking. The Germane accent didn't make it easier to understand what he was saying.

"I'm sorry, but I've never heard of an organization called the Order of the Wandering Blades."

That was impossible! The wandering blades were never many, but their traditional red robe with gold rims was widely known. Wherever nocturnal had gone, when there was a problem for a trustworthy mercenary, ponies came to him. Everyone knew that a Wandering Blade would never ask for too much, and would always be reliable and honest.
A place to sleep, something to eat, a silver coin here and there and, in the most difficult cases, a gold coin. Blacksmiths offered their work for Wanderering Blades sometimes for free when they mentioned their names in the neighboring villages, or when they killed a monster with a particularly good blade.
That reminded him of something.

"Wh're is mine own blade? wh're art mine own belongings. Giveth t backeth to me immediately!"

Doctor Soon looked at his clipboard and read a little before answering.

"When you were admitted here there was no sword with you. But your things are safe until you leave the hospital."

Nochturnal wasn't entirely satisfied with the statement and snorted slightly. But sat down again. He couldn't do anything while these two "security guards" were at the door.
And they had moved as he got up. Just slightly, but they must have thinking he would do something

"Good now then. how longeth doth i has't to stayeth h're bef're i can wend?"

Dokter Soon got up and with his magic let several instruments fly to him, which Nocturnal only vaguely recognized.
One was a stetoscope, he had seen something like that, but it looked... different. but what was this funny funnel on a stick for? and what were the wooden sticks for?
And what kind of weird metal cylinder with a glass in front was that?

"Please don't be afraid. There have been some advances and developments in medicine. I will now examine the oral cavity, take a look in your ears and do simple tests. Then we will decide whether you can go or have to stay."

Nocturnal looked suspiciously at the doctor as he put the Stetoscope on and placed it against Nocturnal's chest.

"Okay, please take a deep breath, then exhale slowly."

Strange but okay ...
Nocturnal followed the instructions, and took a deep breath, holding the breath for a second, then slowly let it out.

"Very good. I don't hear any problems with your lungs. The heart also beats steadily, if a little quickly. Probably the stress."

Now he took this strange funnel and walked next to Nocturnal, shoving this funnel into his ear.

"Ear canals are also free. Now the eyes ..."

He went to Nocturnal and wanted to remove the eye patch from him.

"Thee wonneth't doth yond 'r i'll breaketh thy hooves!"

The doctor flinched and looked at him, a little shocked.

"I has't not an eye th're yond needeth to beest examin'd."

His accent came out clearer again. At some point Nocturnal had to learn to control the accent.

"Ah i see. Okay then only one eye."

He took the metal cylinder and held it in front of Nocturnal's eye ... and suddenly it was incredibly bright.
Nocturnal screamed, kicked the doctors instrument out of his magical grip and kicked, sending the doctor across the room.
The two security guards saw this and wanted to bring him under control.
But Nocturnal, now able to see again, gave way to the first, gave the second a chin hook, then kicked again after the first and flapped his wings to change direction in flight to escape from the room.
Outside in the corridor, other patients and hospital staff shrank from him, and he had to make a decision. There were fewer ponies on the left, so he ran along there.
Another security colt moved in the way from him, but Nocturnal slipped under him, tearing him off his hoovs.
What kind of strange building was this? and how light was it here without candles? Was that magic?
Probably.
He came to a strange-looking counter, behind which the mare from earlier was sitting. He slid in front of the counter, jumped over it, grabbed the mare and pushed her to the floor.

"THEE. Wh're art mine own belongings? leadeth me to thee and i shall not both'r thee"

He hated threatening mares. It was a sign of weakness and dishonorable, but at the moment he had no choice.

"Please don't harm me! They are here! There in this closet!"

Ah how accommodating!
Nocturnal went there, ripped open the closet and ...
no the door was locked.
damn it!
Just as he was about to turn around he saw the mare rush next to him and unlock the closet.
After taking a look into his saddlebags - nothing was missing, blessings to the Princess of the night - he threw on his suit, the saddlebags and the empty scabbard, looked at the mare and bowed.

"I'm extremely s'rry yond i threaten'd thee, m'lady! i wouldst compensate thee, but unf'rtunately i has't nay m're than this silv'r coin yond i can doth without"

With these words he lay down a silver coin in front of her, than he jumped across the counter, in the direction of a window, which he smashed with a chair and then jumped out of there.

In a Royal guard barracks not far away

"Attention and listen!" An officer yelled into the barracks, "There was a situation in the hospital. A Batpony injured four ponies there, took one of the nurses there hostage for a short time and fled out the window."
The officer had full attention of all Guards.
"He wears a red coat with a golden rim, and is obviously trained in hoof-to-hoof combat, but also seems to be able to hoovle swords. He's confused, he's dangerous, let's get him off the streets before he hurts more ponies."
One soldier raised his hoof, "Sir, what if he notices there is a shield over Canterlot?"
"Unknown. But he will probably not be captured that easily. And well... Your job is to capture him. So get out there and get him! DISMISSED!"

towards noon

This capital was confusing.
Everywhere ponies, decorations for the mentioned wedding, he understood the accent that these ponies spoke only badly and now there were gold armored guards everywhere!
And he could see a shimmer in the sky, which indicated a magical barrier.
He was trapped.
Okay, not optimal, but not bad either.
He just had to avoid the guards until he found a way out.
He was just in a side street and tried to make sense of everything.
Petrified for 200 to 500 years ... no more wandering blades, or at least they were unknown here, and a large castle where the princesses are supposed to live.
That would explain the sheer number of guards and the magical barrier. Was the city besieged?
He would have to find out.
Nocturnal stuck to the shadows, crept through the dark side streets wherever he could, was fast as the wind where it couldn't and hardly attracted attention. These ponies were quite carefree, so he could rule out a siege of the city.
At one point he was able to get to the city limits. There was nothing to be seen around the city.
Very strange.
Why maintain a magical barrier when there was no threat?

"Stop! On behalf of Princess Celestia!"

Princess Celestia's guards! That explained the golden armor. Gold like the sun.
When the two came up to him and stretched their spears in his direction, Nocturnal took a closer look at the situation. Behind him was the city wall, but he practically got up on top. before him two guards, a Pegasus, a unicorn.
and they were both far too close.
Must be newbies.

"Alloweth me wend and i shall not harmeth thee"

The guards looked at him in confusion and looked at each other.
Yeah, definitely not long Guards.
one did not take one's gaze from one's opposite. With a quick movement Nocturnal had torn the spear of Pegasus, whirled it around, hit the unicorn in the snout with the blund end, so violently that the guard went to the ground, unconscious but alive. The Pegasus, now unarmed, raised its front hooves, but then the spear flew and pierced the left wing. a painful hit, but not life-threatening.
Nocturnal stood next to the screaming guard. He had that look on his face. that many seems to have when they think their time has come.
This guard was lucky.
Nocturnal bowed slightly, then spoke calmly

"F'rgive me, i did see too late yond thee did want to surrend'r. Thy did hurt wast unnecessary"

nocturnal reached into his saddlebag with his snout and placed a small vial of golden liquid in front of the guard, a little out of reach.

"Yond's all of the healing potions i still hadst. prithee accepteth t as mine own colours, but drinketh not t while the partisan is still in thy wing"

With these words nocturnal galloped on without looking back again.

The sun sets, the moon rises

Nocturnal had already had a few bump ins with guards that evening. But apart from the first two, he had been able to avoid further injuries.
Either the guards were poorly trained and new to their jobs, or anyone could become a gaurd.
A part of Nocturnal found that very disappointing. A good fight would have been great. Now he was hiding in the basement of an empty house. he would have to spend the night here.
In the candlelight he began to write in his Jurnal, reporting on the events.
But when he wanted to write down the date, he didn't even know what day it was today.
and a page before ...
a page before was forever ago
But at least the moon was as beautiful as it was back then. He could see hin trough a window.
Maybe he just imagined the mare when he thought he was dying.
Possible.
Everything that had happened was in the journal now.
"Yesterday" in terms of memory and what he beleved to had happen and today.
Until he got the date, it would simply be day .
His stomach growled.
apart from the exceptionally good breakfast, he hadn't eaten anything.
well he couldn't change it, so he put out the candle and let the darkness envelop him.
He would rest the night and study the stars and the moon, admire them, and thank them that he was allowed to see them again.

He woke up around noon

Loud screams and the sound of impacting projectiles woke him up.
Nocturnal knew these noises.
A city in need, invaders within the walls, heavy artillery that put everything down.
But where did they come from? and who attacked?
Anyway, fight was fight, and this was apparently the capital of the two sisters.
He would be there for the fight.
With a goal in mind, Nocturnal ran outside. The magical barrier had failed, there were black dots in the air and some fell to the ground, but this seemed to be intentional.
When he has oriented himself, Nocturnal could see fire, civilians were herded together, guards fought against opponents in black armor.
No...
not armored ...
Bug ponies ...
How strange.
Nocturnal ran and looked around. His cloak seemed to attract the attention of the enemy and he quickly had three of the enemies behind him. When they attacked he dodged them, fighting hoof to hoof with them.
Ducted under a blow from the left, dealt one straight out and blocked one on the right, bucked behind him to hit one.

"Thee cowards. doth thee has't nay hon'r in thy corse?"

These creatures didn't seem to care.
And now they shot around with sticky slime!
okay that was it nocturnal had enough of it.
He kicked one of the attackers in a dishonorable region, grabbed him and then threw him at his two comrades.
That helped.
Now free from the fight, Nocturnal sprinted into a side street, where he found a blacksmith!
But this one didn't seem to have any swords.
Damn it.
But there was a guard there, injured and barely conscious, suraunded by four of thus creatures, all dead.
Nocturnal pulled him into an apartment nearby, looked at his injury.

"I am s'rry, hon'rable guardscolt, but th're is nothing i can doth f'r thee. Thee shall kicketh the bucket.
what is thy nameth?"

The guard looked at him in panic and said weakly

"my name is Thundering Hooves"

Nocturnal took the sword that guard had with him and held it in front of him, bowing slightly.

"Thund'ring hooves, i'll taketh thy sw'rd. From this moment on 'twill beest nam'd aft'r thee, and with its holp i shall tryeth to receiveth thy revenge from as many enemies as possible. T shouldst gust the blood of the foe until th're is nay m're of those folk. Aft'r yond i shall carryeth t to thy barracks and bid thee about thy sacrifice"

Thundering Hooves hadn't heard everything anymore, unfortunately he died too early, but it was now clear to nocturnal what to do.
First he looked after Personal belongings, wich he put in his saddlebag, together with Thundering Hooves coins. Now he needed something he could take so his follow guardscolts wold be able to confirm his dead. But what could nocturnal take without howling around to much load?
Ah this metalplates on a chain around his neck. It looks like there where his name ingraved. That should do. Nocturnal bound this metalplate with some fabric onto the swords crossguard.
Now He stormed out looking for enemies. and he found them everywhere.
There were some who wanted to kidnap a family and he struck them down, there were others who surrounded the guards, and these too fell victim to the sword of Thundering hooves.
Nocturnal felt it.
He felt the blade.
He knew he would miss this sword when he had to return it.
But now he didn't think about it. He turned, flapped his wings, kicked and thrashed. These enemies weren't the strongest in combat, but they were numerous.
At one point Nocturnal rammed the sword into the ground. He, his clothes, the sword, and the ground around him were soaked with green blood, and the innards of these creatures lay around
He had a few wounds himself, but he screamed at the top of his throat

"THEE SHOULDST FALL TROUGH MINE OWN HOOF, I AM NOCTURNAL WAND'R'R, A MEMB'R OF THE WAND'RING BLADES AND THOU ART NAY A MATCHETH F'R ME!"

He flew onto the roof of a house and raised the sword with his hoof towards the sky, towards thus strange creaturs.

"SQUARE ME! SQUARE ME AND KICKETH THE BUCK'T THEE RASCALS SCUM!"

Of course, the enemy wouldn't come down, and in the air he was inferior to them. But out of the corner of his eye he could make out a new target.
The hospital.
He recognized it because he could take a look at it as he escaped.
It was under attack and the guards there seemed to be having a hard time taking it.
Well, apparently his sword was needed after all.
Flying was too dangerous so he jumped from roof to roof and only glided for short passages.
In front of the hospital he met fierce resistance.
Both the guards and the creatures fought for the entrance.
But these guards seemed to be a little better trained than the ones who had hunted him. Still, he could help a lot here.
The blade went through the enemy, blood flowed, limbs followed, whom He was not afraid to kill. After all, that was his daily bread, at least back then.
When he had fought his way to the guards, this wave of opponents withdrew.
The sight was hard to bear because the morale was really low.

"Doth not despair, mine own broth'rs in arms. this foe may beest num'rous, but that gent too shall has't to giveth up at some pointeth. We shall did cost that gent so much blood and did sweat yond that gent hast nay choice but to giveth up his planeth with this sanat'rium. We shall protecteth the ponies presenteth h're and if 't be true t costs us our liveth. We has't chosen this life, we has't enclos'd t with our hearts.
as longeth as a dropeth of blood shouldst floweth through our veins, we shall protecteth this building! i am with thee, who is't is with me?"

Nocturnal was a little proud of that speech. It would certainly kindle the fire of fighting spirit in these guards and they would ...
they would look at him in confusion.
how unpleasant.
Apparently that strange accent was all these soldiers could do.

"Woe to me, so much did waste breath and so dram did gain. Beest yond as t is, i shall square and hon'r mine own 'rd'r"

Another wave was preparing to attack the hospital. and Nocturnal bit the hilt of the sword again. He was ready, even if a little exhausted and wounded, everything he had learned so far had been put to use. He remembered the first time with a sword. As the blood ran down the blade, it reached down to his snout. He had dropped the sword in disgust.

"Doth not refuseth the blood thee has't taken, disciple, tasting this blood of thy foe is parteth of being a sw'rdscolt. If 't be true thee liketh not yond, thee can switcheth to lance square'r 'r learneth to square with a glaive. The sw'rd is m're elegant, but t calleth f'r a m're intimate encount'r. Thee receiveth v'ry closeth to thy foe while fighting. and thou art v'ry closeth to that gent at which hour that gent dies 'r doth take thy life.
beest eft f'r t. Blood is the juice of life. At which hour thee taketh someone's life, t flows out through their blood. by tasting the blood thee can gust his life. Beest grateful f'r this gift and beest eft to giveth t at which hour thy timeth cometh"

The memory of his old master and his words came and went in an instant, then he was fully back to himself. he tasted the blood of these enemies more than clearly. it ran through his teeth right into his mouth. and even if it didn't taste particularly good, he would endure it, that's how he had learned it.

This wave of enemies was great, but hesitant. Chances are these creatures didn't expect such stubborn defense.
Or maybe it was the sight of the bat pony in the first row that put them off.
Covered over and over with the blood of enemies and his own, Nocturnal had to look like a monster.
And he used that by starting to growl.
Even more so, he was moving towards the enemy.
Acting often won more battles than the fight itself, by breaking the moeal of the enemy, sadly, the guardscolts backed up too.
Then a slightly larger creature stepped forward, the same size as nocturnal with a black blade and a slightly longer mane. It rammed the sword into the ground in front of it, and so did Nocturnal.

"I am Kallaxia, Commander of the third attack unit and report directly to my Queen Chrysalis. Tell me your name, stranger, on which I can write it on your tombstone."

This thing was a mare? And it could talk with that strange accent?
Interesting. Nocturnal hadn't expected that.

"I am a nocturnal wand'r'r. Memb'r of the ord'r of the wand'ring blades. This building is und'r mine own protection, and i shalt defend t until the lasteth dropeth of blood hast flow'd from mine own veins"

Kallaxia began to smile, looked down at nocturnal, but only briefly.

"I see you killed many of my subordinates. My respect for that, but you realize that I have to take your life now?"

Now it was Nocturnal's turn to put on a show. He just bowed his head and grinned broadly, showing the blood on his teeth, showing his fangs.

"Tryeth me, i wonneth't backeth down"

Both opponents bit into the handles of their blades and began to circle each other. After a few steps, the creature's horn lit up and both found them in a ring of emerald green flames.

An arena just f'r our danceth. How wond'rful! i desire this square goeth on f'r a while

The two completed a circle, observing their counterparts, looking for weaknesses, for openings. Nocturnal knew that Kallaxia had more advantages on her side.
She wasless exausted, and probably knew more about Batponies than he did about the creatures in front of him. He only knew how to cut them, and that only applied to the smaller ones.
Nocturnal paused briefly, lifting the blade into the flames created by the creature.
it burned away the blood of the others.

She started to smile, probably thinking he was looking for a way out, but in fact he had just cleaned the blade of the other's blood.
As his training required, he was going to taste this creature's blood, and he wanted to show it the respect to do it as pure as possible.

Another round was over.
and now they both jumped at each other.
Her insect wings buzzed, and Nocturnal's wings flapped. they met in the middle and sparks flew between the blades.
She was quick and strong, but Nocturnal wouldn't give in.
Neither of them cared about themselves or the surroundings, only that they had to stay in the center of the circle was important.
Nocturnal loved it.
This whole fight got his blood boiling, the whole situation was to his liking.
An honorable opponent
An arena in which there were only two
The blades that hit each other and ricocheted off
It was a dance indeed.
A dance of death

The sound of the blades could be heard clearly, you could see what was going on. sometimes Nocturnal backed away, sometimes he forced Kallaxia to withdraw, but neither left unused an opportunity to strike.

Nocturnal jumped on some debris lying in the circle to avoid her blade, and a cloud of dust blew across her face.
She yelped briefly and rubbed her eyes. Nocturnal reacted too late and hit Kallaxia on the raised foreleg.
The blood that came down the blade was ...
sweetish. very different from that of the others.
When he saw what he had done, he stuck the sword in the ground.

"I am incredibly s'rry! i didst not seeth yond thy sight wast taken hence. Shalt we pauseth f'r a moment so thee can seeth again?"

Kallaxia didn't expect that he would just stop. she breathed a little panicked, obviously waiting for the fatal blow
But Nocturnal was waiting for her.

"Why are you stopping? That would have been your chance!"

she was really surprised, nocturnal could hear it.

"T wouldst not beest particularly hon'rable to striketh anon. Furth'rm're, i draweth first blood, by striking while thee wh're blindeth. Yond is eke not hon'rable"

She freed her eyes from the dust and looked at him. Her sword was stuck in the ground
She seemed to be thinking, then said a little embarrassed

"I would have struck."

It kind of hurt Nocturnal to hear that.
They had fought such a beautiful and honorable fight, and now she admitted that she would have cheated if she had the opportunity.

"But I also felt it."

Huh?

"That energy. I felt that you loved this fight and I felt the same. You are a worthy opponent and an honorable one."

She began to smile smugly when there was a loud boom coming from the castle. Both Nocturnal and Kallaxia looked at the lock and saw a blast of energy come towards them, pushing the creatures in front of them.

"Ah, apparently we lost ... But I can't leave one thing as it is."

Nocturnal saw her approach him without her blade. She came to him, leaned close to him, looked deep into his eyes.

"What is this thing yond can't beest hath...?"

she pressed her lips to his.
She just kissed him!
No not really. he felt that she had bitten his lip and was now tasting his blood with her tongue.
And he could taste her blood.
Obviously she had bitten open her lip too.

What is happening anon?

Nocturnal was too amazed to react, but also felt himself growing a little colder. as if something was being pulled out of him.
He couldn't defend himself.

"I've taken some of your love, Nocturnal Wanderer, Swordcolt of the Wandering Blades. That we can meet again next time and end this fight proper. I swear by the blood i took and that i gave you."

She jumped up and willingly let herself be carried away by the wave of energy.
Nocturnal sat still in place and looked after her, confused. it took a few minutes before he could say something again.

"What the tartarus wast yond anon?"

Just a couple of hours later

Nocturnal had picked up the sword and was now in a suit in the palace. The guards had taken him afterwards and he hadn't struggled.

After he had understood the showers - or at least partially - he had cleaned himself of blood, then his clothes. his saddlebags were fortunately kept locked and the contents without blood. after he finished washing and putting his things to dry, he sat down on the floor in the middle of the room.
Although there were many chairs in this room.
He took the opportunity to try to clean the sword of Thundering Hooves, to sharpen it with a whetstone and to repair the nicks from the last fight as well as possible.
This sword was special in his eye.
After he finished working on it, he wrapped it in a red cloth and slipped it under the saddlebag. his scabbard remained empty.

when evening came...

Nocturnal was accompanied by three guards. one on each side, one behind him. This time they kept their distance and their lances were probably ready to stab.
He had really only dealt with newcomers the previous day.

The 4 ponies reached the throne and instantly Nocturnal looked down.
He remembered what his old teacher had told him.

"Shouldst thee ev'r cometh to the princess, treateth h'r liketh the travelling lamp. Thee behold not directly into the travelling lamp, so behold not into h'r eyes unless the lady allows thee to, 'r thee shall loseth thy eyesight"

He kept bowing the whole way and looked at the ground until the others stopped. there he bowed a little lower

"Thy majesty. How can this humble blade s'rve thee?"

He couldn't see Celestia frown.

"Tell me, my little pony, who are you? Where are you from?"

Nocturnal didn't look up, but answered immediately

"I am a nocturnal wand'r'r, sw'rdscolt in the ord'r of the wand'ring blades. mine own journey hath carried me from g'rmane ov'r the celestia flote h're to equestria"

"He's a Nocturnal Wanderer, Swordscolt in the Order of Wandering Blades. His journey brought him here from Germane across the sea"

Huh? what was that? it sounded like a mare to his left, but he couldn't look.

"Interesting. So Nocturnal Wanderer, do you have any idea why you're here?"

Nocturnal had to briefly go through all the possibilities, but then had no idea why.

"Nay, thy majesty, i doth not knoweth"

"He says he doesn't know."

Again ... a mare's voice seemed to translate his words? in that newfangled accent?
how outrageous!
But well, Celestia spoke in that accent too.

"You are here for the following reasons: Injury to hospital staff. Taking a mare hostage in the hospital. Destruction of a hospital window. Injury two guard ponies. And theft of a sword from the Royal Guard."

Nocturnal must have misheard.
He hadn't stolen a sword. he even wanted to give it back, but he hadn't gotten around to it yet!
and the other things?
He hadn't taken a hostage!
Oh how much he would like to contradict, but he had to wait for the princess's approval. He could only hope that he could testify

"Explain yourself to these allegations."

Thanks to Princess Luna!

"The doct'r hath tried to blindeth me, so i hadst to tryeth to escapeth and protecteth myself. I nev'r tooketh the mare hostage, but i admiteth i threaten'd h'r to receiveth mine own belongings backeth. The window wast mine own quickest way out. And i only tooketh yond sw'rd because th're w're enemies 'round me. T did belong to thund'ring hooves, who is't tooketh his lasteth breath in mine own presence aft'r successfully fighting an ov'rwhelming numb'r of foes"

"the doctor tried to blind him. He threatened the mare, but did not take her hostage to get his belongings back. He destroyed the window because it was the quickest way out. and he got the sword from a fallen guard."

He sat on his haunches and pulled out the sword. It was still wrapped in the red cloth, on top of which he put the makre he had taken from Thundering, as well as all the personal items he had found and the coins he had pocketed. he put everything in front of him on the sword, and raised it with his front hooves ah, presented it to Celestia.

"This is all i did get from thund'ring hooves, thy majesty.
His sw'rd yond i hath used in battleth. did clean and sharpen'd.
His p'rsonal belongings as well as his payeth, with the requesteth to giveth t to his family, as those gents shall needeth t aft'r the loss.
And this strange necklace with his nameth on t. I supposeth to unfold that gent at which hour that gent falls.
I has't all of this h're and i am giving t to thee in the desire yond 'twill all wend wh're t belongs"

"He has the sword and personal items here to give them back."

For a long time nothing happened and Nocturnal simply held the thing out to Celestia. It was almost embarrassing how quiet it was.
It was so quiet that nocturnal could hear the whisper of a subordinate in Celestia's ear.
After that it was still a bit quiet

"When you said where you come from, you forgot to say that you stood petrified in the everfree."

Nocturnal was about to answer when a dainty, low voice answered

"It's true. The archaeological team in the forest brought him to me so that my friend could disenchant him."

The yellow Pegasus mare with a long pink mane hid behind the other mares that were in the room. Nocturnal looked up in their direction for the first time.
The composition was interesting for him:
two earth ponies.
Two pegasi.
two unicorns.

"Is yond true? i oweth mine own resurrection to thee in this case thee has't mine own grant you mercy"

He went to the mare and bowed deeply to her

"Without thee i wouldst nay longeth'r beest able to exp'rience the beauty of the night. Has't mine own infinite grant you mercy!"

What he hadn't noticed was that a dark blue alicornmare appeared behind him.

Chapter 2

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The moment between two heartbeats

"thee like my nights?"

That voice emitted royalty... that familiar way of talking ...
Nocturnal shuddered and turned, eye wide, but only briefly.
His forehead hit the floor hard, the rest of his body followed this sudden bow, and he was close to tears.
At last!
The princess of the night!
Everything he had ever dreamed of. He was in the same room as the princess of the night!

"Thee may get up."

Nocturnal hesitated for a moment, then kept his head as low as possible. He couldn't look at her.
That wouldn't do her justice.
Celestia had stepped up next to her sister and the other 6 mares were standing behind Nocturnal.
Im true no matter what that looked like to them. He had a smile on his face and tears in his eyes.

"Tell me thy name."

Nocturnal took a deep breath, and repeated

"I am nocturnal wand'r'r, sw'rdscolt of the ord'r of wand'ring blades".

Princess Luna approached Nocturnal, and homd her hoof towarts hin. He misunderstood it, and kissed the hoof. She was astonished, giggled a bit and put her hoof under his chin, to lifted his head.
Now he had to look at her, and her mane was indescribable, as were her eyes and her appearance.
Truly, she was an ideal, hardly attainable.

"Explain thy language usage, Nocturnal. Is it to make fun of us? And how do thee know this order? According to our sister, the last Wanderer of Blades died about nine hundred and eighty years ago. Twenty years after our exile."

Nocturnal couldn't believe his ears.
Nine hundred and eighty years?
The time he was petrified became longer and longer. he stared at her in disbelief, and it took a moment before his brain snapped back in.

"Mine own habit of speaking wast b'rn in mine own cradle, thy highness. I wouldst nev'r maketh excit'ment of thee! thou art the one who is't gives us these wond'rful nights. I has't at each moment 'rient'd myself by the stars. I've at each moment did admire the moon coequal on the night i did face this beast yond petrifi'd me.
i first hath heard t wast two hundr'd years ago, then t wast five hundred, anon nine hundr'd and eighty"

Everyone looked at him in amazement when the purple unicorn asked

"What's your last memory?"

Nocturnal turned to her, then said with a sad look

"Mine own lasteth mem'ry at which hour i wast petrifi'd is liketh the day bef're yest'rday. I did cross the ev'rfree f'rest on the way to the castle of the two sist'rs. Then this creature hath appeared with the headeth of a chicken and did attack me. I hath killed t apace, but by then i wast already starting to transf'rm"

He took the position he had while he was transforming

"T wast a cleareth, full moon night, the way i loveth t. So i hath used the lasteth few seconds to behold at the moon as.
at which hour th're wast this bright flasheth of lighteth in the col'rs of the rainbow. And the lasteth thing i did see wast a mare's headeth appearing on the moon"

It was dead quiet in the room and everyone looked at him.
Obviously the mares around him knew something he didn't know. But he could wait for the answer. At least he was permited to have a look at the princess of the night.
she looked at him sadly, opened her mouth and spoke

"Nocturnal. Thou were witness to my banishment to the moon. Thou were petrified in Everfree for a thousand years."

Well what were 20 years more ...
moment...
did he hear that right?

"Thee w're did banish to the moon? wherefore yond?"

The princess looked like she was arguing with herself, but then told the story.
How she thought no one would cherish her nights and how she tried to keep the night going forever.
Nocturnal looked at her wide-eyed, and tears came to him.

"I am so s'rry thy highness! t tooketh me too longeth to receiveth to thee. I at each moment ad'r'd the night! thy nights art the most quite quaint yond i couldst and may seeth!"

He sat back on his haunches, rubbing his eyes with his hooves

"a thousand years high-lone on the moon just because t tooketh me too longeth! can thee f'rgive me, thy highness?"

Luna looked at him in confusion. she didn't seem to understand what he had just said, which could also be due to the strong German accent.

"We do not know what there is to be forgiven? Thee have and do adore our nights, and we are very grateful to thee for it. We will show our gratitude to thee for it."

Nocturnal sniffed, then saw her with a small smile. She was so generous.
No wonder that her nights were so beautiful ..

"T is true yond a quite quaint spirit creates quite quaint w'rks"

Luna smiled slightly too, then looked at the others.

"We suppose the party will continue at sunset?"

Everyone nodded except for nocturnal.
It took him a moment to understand that the wedding was meant.

"If 't be true thee alloweth me, i'll receiveth backeth into the suiteth and relaxeth a dram. The square with kallaxia and h'r sub'rdinates wast exhausting and i has't to s'rt mine own thoughts. I did bid thee valorous night and has't excit'ment at the wedding"

He bowed and let himself be escorted back to the suit.

Short after nightfall

In the suit he began to write in his journal. He had a lot of thoughts to sort out and writing helped him a little.
Kallaxia in particular woulden't get out of his head.
How she fought, her moves and her fighting style itself.
He noticed that he adored her.
In his recording he saw that he seemed a bit dreamy about her.
To get his head clear again, he looked for a new topic.
The changelings, as he now knew the opponent was called, had the ability to transform into ponies and move among them as if they weren't there. They lived on emotions, first and foremost love.
Also they had an Hivemind, atleast the drones.
When Kallaxia kissed him, she had "eaten" some of his love for battle in order to strengthen herself.
AH! There she was again!
Nocturnal rested his head on his front hooves and began to scribble aimlessly with the pen in his mouth, looking out the window. It was a big window and the moon shone straight into it.
Half moon, just like on his flank. He looked down at himself. The half moon at the shield with the stars was his cutie mark since ever and he had an idea what it meant.
The shield meant he protected, the crescent moon that he belonged to the night, the stars that he could orientate himself on them.
Or so he believed.
He looked at his jornual again.
And it didn't surprise him that he'd drawn Kallaxia in his jornual.
Not good, but easily recognizable, in a fighting stance, with a blade in her mouth, ready to jump out of the book and attack.
He sighed.
and although he now knew what date it was, he only wrote "Day 2" as the date.
As if to show that a new life had started for him.
Just lost in thought he only noticed the knock on the door at the third time.

"Prithee cometh in"

To his surprise, it was the pink mare, the purple unicorn mare and the yellow pegasus mare.

"Are we bothering you?" asked the purple unicorn mare.

Noctunral smiled thinly, looked at his jornual, and closed it

"Nay thee don not. how can i holp thee?"

The pink mare jumped around her friends in front of nocturnal, who noticed a boing every time she jumped, as if one prodded a thin piece of metal and made it vibrate.

"I suggested inviting you to Ponyville for a little 'welcome to the future' party or a 'congratulations on the one thousand and twenty-first birthday party'. I'm sure the author of this story won't mind!"

hey, stop that 4th wall breaking, Pinkie!

Nocturnal looked at the three of them, then put his head back on his hooves and looked a little pensive straight at the pink mare's hooves.

"I doth not knoweth. Somehow i feeleth not liketh partying. Or how wouldst thee feeleth, t'rn out of thy timeth, taken somewh're, at each moment with a cleareth goal in mind and anon nothing m're?"

He got up and trotted to the window.
Yes, that was his problem. He no longer had a goal

"You could move to Ponyville and start a new life there. There are enough free houses and it's near the Everfree Forest. You could protect the residents from the monsters that live there. Also its where OCs normally live."

Hehe that was a good idea, even if he wondered what an "OC" was.
However ...
Nocturnal was a wanderer, hence his name.
And he was a Wandering Blade, the last ocne he was.

"Watch out, now comes the author's big story idea."

OIE! PINKIE Cut it out or I'll never let you appear in the story again!

The pegasus and the unicorn looked questioningly at their pink comrade, but then ignored it.
Nocturnel continued to look out the window when an idea occurred to him.
He had a purpose!
Oh how happy he was to have this inspiration!
He turned to the three visitors, a broad smile on his face.

"I has't a home. and i still has't something to doth. I am a wand'ring blade, and at which hour th're art none but me i shall has't to rebuild the ord'r. And ev'rything at home yond i needeth is h're"

He put his hoof on his saddlebags.
To his astonishment, the pink mare went up in there to her hind legs.
That shouldn't be possible at all, but as she backed out of his saddlebacks she smiled wide!

"How didst thee doth yond?"

The pink mare came out laughing and began to explain

"It's a pinkie thing. By the way, my name is Pinkamina Diana Pie, or Pinkie for short, that's Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy."

Nocturnal bowed in the direction of those named, then turned back to Pinkie

"I fain accepteth the invitation to the celebrations. But i wouldst liketh to suggesteth something oth'r than topic"

Pinkie bounced up and down in excitement.
And that strange sound like a spring could be heard again ...

"The theme yond the celebration shouldst has't is the beginning of a new journey. I shall wend in searcheth of clues from mine own fusty friars, compileth their hist'ry and rebuild the 'rd'r!"

Pinkie kept jumping up and down and in a circle and suddenly appeared behind Nocturnal even though she was just at the other end of the room.

"I'm so looking forward to it! Your story can still wait a chapter for action, as long as the author gives us this party! Every good trip begins with a party!"

*Sigh* I hate you pinkie. We talk later about that

The next morning

Nocturnal yawned heartily. this was his normal time to go to bed. Together with the moon.
Unfortunately, this time could not be done, the barely the sun rose, the service staff raved about the room in which he was and began to tidy everything up, to prepare, to set breakfast and to disappear again.

"What in all the stars wast yond even but now?
a cleaning t'rnado?"

When he looked around, he couldn't see a stain anywhere, every dust had been meticulously wiped away.
But his things were still there.
He threw on his robe, his saddlebag and hisscabbard, just as he was on the verge of having breakfast, which was actually more dinner for him, he noticed an envelope.

"Thy presence is desired in the large castle garden with the first rays of sunshine. Princess Luna."

Oh that was unexpected, but enjoyable.
He made his way and looked for the way out.
Frustrated that he couldn't find one, he just jumped through an open window and glid down gently, landing and now looking for Princess Luna.
It wasn't difficult to miss her, as she was leaning against a tree and seemed to be watching the sun rise.

"I greeteth thee, princess of the night, and wisheth thee a valorous... m'rning"

she was fast asleep.
The princess of the night was leaning against a tree out here so as not to tip over, and was firmly asleep.
Nocturnal grinned a bit at the sight, then yawned and flew into the tree to hang upside down on a branch.
A quick nap wouldn't hurt.

it will be noon in an estimated two hours

Princess Luna awoke from her nap and blushed. She just fell asleep like that. and judging by the sun, that wasn't exactly short either.
She looked around.
She actually wanted to meet Nocturnal out here. Maybe he was inside again and would come back later?
A snore made her look up.
And she almost had to laugh.
There he hung, upside down like a bat, wings hanging loosely, just like his hooves, all fours, and even his tongue.
It was kind of adorable.
At first Luna wanted to wake him up, but then she had another idea. She closed her eyes and a silver thread flew from her horn to Nocturnal.

In a world with its own rules, time and space

Luna opened her eyes and was curious what Nocturnal was dreaming of.
It was terrible!
Everywhere there were corpses, the floor was soaked in blood, the sky was blood red, the moon was blood red, the stars sparkled red.
When Luna looked down she could see that the ground wasn't made of earth, but of flesh and bones.
What a nightmare!
A terrible terrible nightmare!
And in the distance she could make out Nocturnal, standing on a small hill, flapping around with his sword and killing shadowy figures to the left and right.

"This nightmare has to end!"

She rushed to Nocturnal when she subconsciously noticed something. She didn't feel this nightmare. She stood in the middle of it and didn't feel it. Just a normal dream.
But that couldn't be.
She saw what it looked like around her.
As she got closer and she could hear Nocturnal grunt, heard his exertion as he swung the sword around and the deadskreeches of the shadows.

"Nocturnal, don't worry, I am here to end this nightmare!"

Nocturnal stopped at the stroke, as did the shadowy shapes. When he let go of the sword with his snout, it just floated in front of him

"Oh i didn't knoweth yond the princess of the night is eke a dreameth walketh'r. Mine own fusty teachest'r toldeth me this art is v'ry rare"

Luna looked at him blankly and looked around for it

"Thus is not a nightmare? Thus is a conscious dream?"

Nocturnal smiled and bit his sword again, but at the same time he ran out of himself. now there were two noctrunals. One fought against the shadows, one spoke to Luna

"T's a conscious dreameth, aye. Mine own fusty teachest'r did teach me how to doth this so yond i can useth mine own timeth at which hour i catch but a wink. H're in this w'rld i can square mine own fears and insecurities.
at least i has't at each moment been able to doth yond until the present day"

Luna stepped next to him and watched as the other dream fought nocturnally and cut through these fears and insecurities.

"What happened that changed?"

Nocturnal just said "H'r", and with that word a shadow escaped from his mouth and took the form of a changeling.
Kallaxia started to draw her sword and approach the dream Nocturnal. both began circling and fighting, but this time it wasn't an easy victory for Nocturnal.
The fight also changed the environment to the one in front of the hospital as it had been.
After a while it became clear that the dream had turned into a memory, and Luna was now witness to what had happened. She could see everything, how they fought with what force they wanted to kill each other, and she also saw the Nocturnal Honored.
And then she saw the kiss, feeld him getting a bit colder and how Kallaxia was hit by the blast.

"That is very unusual."

She saw again how the landscape changed, this time a grassy landscape with rolling hills, a bright moon and stars. Dream Nocturnal and Dream Kallaxia were still fighting, but it looked more like a training match now.

"I can't receiveth this mare out of mine own headeth. T is as if 't be true t wast burn'd into mine own mem'ry. H'r arts art very much impressive. H'r movements art precise, elegant and pow'rful. H'r compliment extern..."

He sighed and watched the two of them a little longer, then he met Luna.

"Thy highness, i assume thou art awaketh anon? i cameth as thee did wish"

Luna cocked her head a little and frowned. Why the sudden change of subject?

"Are thee hiding something from us?"

Nocturnal's eyes widened and he took an unsteady step back.

"Nay! i wouldst nev'r encave aught from thee, thy highness!"

Luna came up to him, lit her horn

"Well then We can examine thee mind, right?"

ten minutes have passed in the outside world

Nocturnal suddenly woke up, lost his footing, and crashed on the floor. He was confused for a moment and shook his head.

"We now know what's wrong with Thee, Nocturnal."

It was Princess Luna. Ah right he remembered. but why did she seem so ... pleased.
No matter
Nocturnal straightened up again and bowed briefly before her before he straightened up again.
Luna looked at him with a big smile before she realized again why Nocturnal was here.

"Oh right, We have something for Thee!"

With her magic she drew out a package and handed it to him.

"A presenteth f'r me? f'r what?"

He opened it carefully. Inside was a sword.
And not just any! it was the sword from Thundering Hooves! he recognized it immediately.
He could feel it.
He looked up at Princess Luna in disbelief

"Go ahead, it should be yours, as thanks for your service to the hospital."

Nocturnal carefully took the sword in his muzzle and raised it.
He felt an energy emanating from this sword, something he only knew from his sword.
It became a part of him, took something of his soul in order to expand it.
Body and mind, both would be complemented by this sword.
Practiced and as if he had always had the sword, he let it circle a bit, then switch from left to right in his snout and he strikes against the air. Then, in a fluid motion, the sword found the scabbard and slid into it. Back to a new home

"I am hon'red, thy highness! i gage i shall useth this sw'rd f'r the benefit of ponykind! yond maketh me wanteth to asketh if 't be true i am did allow to revive mine own 'rd'r?"

Luna seemed to be thinking about what had been said, so Nocturnal followed up

"I wanteth to hon'r mine own 'rd'r and i wanteth to holp the royal guardeth a dram by taking up the fusty ways of the wand'ring blades. Roaming 'round, helping, protecting, f'r dram handouts and a dram hard currency"

Now he saw Luna frown.

"Mercenary is illegal, Nocturnal. My sister banned it from around the same time the Wandering Blades ceased to exist."

That was strange.
And a little unsettling.
Why should the Princess of the Sun prohibit mercenary work shortly after the Wandering Blades ...
Was she to blame? Did she somehow make the blades stop? or were they even killed by her?
So many questions.

Just after Dinner

Nocturnal has never had anything for closed spaces. it was more out there for him, or a tent. Caves were okay too.
However, this dining hall was so big that all of his senses said that he had to be outside, but that the entrances with a window had been closed. He looked around saw colored windows with motifs. Outside in a corridor it went on like this.
The food was good, even if it was unusually spicy. He had only seen a glimpse of the cake, then it was gone. The other 6 mares took him through the castle and told him something about the world in which he had woken up again.
When he was being honest, he was barely listening. the motifs on the windows were much more interesting.

"One moment. Thou art not? what art thee doing?"

He pointed to the window on which Mane 6's victory over nightmare moon was depicted.

"Oh that? That was the day we discovered the elements of harmony and freed Princess Luna from her nightmare."

Twilight proudly explained it, pointing to each of them:

"We have honesty, kindness, generosity, laughter, loyalty and magic. Together we can simply create anything and no challenge is too big for us."

Nocturnal smiled and looked at the six. the way they had just assumed a pose reminded him of a small group.

"Thee remindeth me of the dancing blades. A group of six mares within the wand'ring blades. In contrast to the r'd robes with the golden rims, those gents w're black robes with r'd rims. Those gents wouldst beest the most wondrous square'rs by the blade, and moveth across a battlefield with grace and det'rmination to taketh the heads of foe f'rces"

He laughed softly and bowed his head, his look a little sad

"I once hadst the pleasure of being able to carryeth out a mission with the dancing blades. By the timeth i did knock down five bandits and tooketh their liveth, those six hadst done the rest. I misseth mine own comrades. And if 't be true i hadst known yond i wouldst nev'r seeth those folk again, i wouldst has't very much hath said goodbye to those folk.
a hugeth, a fat w'rd. but i wouldst has't hath left"

He looked up again, new fire in his eyes and a smile

"Fate wilt has't a reasoneth wherefore i'm h're. Thee proveth t. the meeting of the six of thee wast nay coincidence. Mine own encount'r with the beast cannot has't been a coincidence eith'r"

The six smiled back and gave their opinion

Twilight: "Exactly! We'll find your place!"
Fluttershy: "We'll help you, come what may"
Rainbow Dash: "You are cool and you will surely be fun pounding monsters."
Rarity: "You will always be welcome to join us in Ponyville
Applejack: "And we will always help you if you ask for it, we promise!"
Pinkie Pie: "Let's go home and start the party! Nocturnal has yet to prepare for his story, and for everything that is to come and the author has planned!"
Seriously Pinkie, the fourth wall is expensive!

On the evening of the same day

"I am not sure of yond. What art we did suppose to doth in h're? if 't be true we wanteth to wend to ponyville we shouldst wend"

Nocturnal was sitting on a plush bench in a strange room. There were windows left and right, the room was not particularly wide but long. And there were doors on both sides, front and back, as well as doors into the next room
And what kind of hiss was that? Any monster?
The mares around him had kept a low profile and only grinned or talked.
That made him nervous.
A whistle sounded answered by something that sounded ... similar but was louder.
And suddenly the room started moving!
What in Tartarus is this?
Nocturnal tried to hold on to something, but to no avail, everything was moving. the landscape passed the window and ...
THE LANDSCAPE PASSED BY THE WINDOW!
It was black magic, and it couldn't be anything else.
It was hard to scare him but that made it. At first he tried to squeeze into a corner, but since the walls were shaking, he unconsciously decided to lie down on the bench and hug his tail, also he partially hid under his red robe. One hoof held his new sword in his embrace, for fear of it falling out. His eyes were wide open in panic and he stared straight out apathetically while lying on his side.
Twilight saw this and stopped laughing on the spot. Of course, Nocturnal didn't know trains, that must have been a terrifying experience for him. Pinke tried to cheer him up while Fluttershy put her hoof on her mouth and felt sorry for him.
And then the train accelerated, which almost knocked Nocturnal off the bench because his back was facing the direction of travel.
The train ride was the most terrifying Nocturnal had ever been through and he swore when he got off at Ponyvillestation

"I shall nev'r grise into such a thing again! this is crazy! much too festinate and too loud! thee has't to beest insane to doth yond voluntarily!"

Twilight gave him an apologetic smile, then led him through the streets of Ponyville.
It was a nice little town, the ponies were friendly, the air good and the weather very nice.
The six took Nocturnal to a little pastry shop called Sugar Cube Corner.
Apparently Pinkie worked here. and to the surprise of nocturnal, a party had already been prepared for him here.

"How didst thee prepareth all of this, coequal though thee w're with us in cant'rlot and didst not cometh h're bef're us?"

Pinkie just winked at him and put a weird box on the pastry counter. With a strange click she flipped a switch ... and music played!
Truly a strange time that you just got music when you flipped a switch on a box.
Little by little, more and more ponies came in and began to celebrate. And to Nocturnal's surprise, he also got small gifts and nicks. A few clothes from Rarity that would certainly look good on the go, some food from Pinkie, as well as Applejack. Twilight helped him with a map, compass, and star map, as the stars had moved a little in a thousand years. Very helpful. Fluttershy gave him some medicine and first aid. useful too.
And Rainbow Dash ... well, the cap was kind of funny, even if it didn't fit on his head with his mane as it was now.

"I thanketh thee all f'r ev'rything. T is valorous to knoweth yond th're is a lodging in equestria wh're thee shall at each moment beest welcometh. I am sure yond i shall not exp'rience such hospitality ev'rywh're, so i shall keepeth our friendship in mine own heart, and nay matt'r what, i shall turneth 'round immediately and cometh h're shouldst thee needeth holp. Thee has't mine own deepest gratitude"

He bowed to Mane 6, then to the other residents of Ponyville who were at the party, and went to the door. The moon was just rising.
It was the perfect moment.

"Wait, you want to leave now? It's getting dark! Stay the night and leave tomorrow morning. You could sleep with me in the library."

Twilight smiled widely and lifted his hoof invitingly.
Nocturnal chuckled a little, then looked at her with a smile

"Aye, t's getting dark. the w'rld is at its most wondrous even but now. Peace wh'rev'r thee behold, only gentle noises yond singeth thee a song about past times, about past deeds and events. I enjoyeth this moment the most. Th'ref're. Farewell wouldst beest too final, i wanteth to cometh backeth in any case, at the latest f'r the wint'r. Goodbye fits bett'r"

With these words Nocturnal started, following the compas towards the south. One this night he wanted to see the castle of the two sisters. and officially start from there.
Oh that excitement!

the moon is still moving upwards

So this was it. The castle, or the ruins of it, of the two sisters. It must have been an incredibly beautiful place once. And it had only taken Nocturnal a thousand years to get here. Well now he was here. He had met Princess Luna ... where to go next?
He looked at the map and the compass. Then up into the stars.
If he didn't know where, then fate would decide.
With the help of a branch he determined his path by dropping it on the map.
north
that was going to be interesting, since it had never been this far north.
A good direction, then, so he packed up all his things again. But this time he got up in the air and flew.
To be petrified again here in Everfree was not part of his plan this time.
It wasn't the last time either ... but well ...

As he flew over the Everfree Forest, he heard something. At first very quietly, then it got louder. And it caught his attention.
Slowly he let himself down on the floor, landed and pricked up his ears.
He even closed his eyes to be able to hear better.
There! from this direction came ... singing?
How unusual.
Nocturnal followed his ears and walked in the direction the chant was coming from.
And what a beautiful voice ...
Truly the creature that could sing like that had to be at least as beautiful.
It was definitely not pony.
His steps quickened
he felt the urge to reach the source.
All caution was forgotten.
and Nocturnal got faster and faster!

At last, he reached a small pond, and in the middle of it sat a pony. with a long red mane, a golden coat, and she sang.
Her voice was so clear and Nocturnal couldn't take his eyes off her.
He moved slowly towards the pond, mesmerized by the sound of her voice.

"Who is't art thee? i've nev'r hath heard aught so quite quaint"

A few more steps and he would run into the pond. Inside, Nocturnal wanted to defend himself against it, but his legs moved on, his gaze empty and focused on the mare in the middle of the pond.

But he did not get further than the edge.
four sticky, green lumps stuck his hooves to the ground, then a black, shiny figure appeared and with another spit the mare's mouth was pasted up. Kallaxia stood next to Nocturnal and she breathed out a cloud of hot steam as she made her horn glow

"Take your hooves from him, he's my prey!"

The mare in the pond tore the glue from her face, tore her snout open ... and an incredibly high-pitched scream came out as she jumped into the pond, which was obviously deeper than it looked. Then Kallaxia turned to Nocturnal, who was still glued to the ground with all four hooves.

"You're welcome, idiot! Honestly. You almost fell for this thing. "

"Thee did save me? wherefore yond? and what wast yond"

Kallaxia began to remove the glue from his hooves by spitting on them again.
The sticky slime dissolved as if attacked by acid

"I told you that I want to defeat you in a fair fight. Well, change of plan ..."

She turned to him and came very close, looking deep into his eye

"No matter what I do, I can't get you out of my head! Your love tastes different than it does from others. And when I think of you, it started with how I defeat you and now I want to start a hive with you! Explain that to me!"

Nocturnal looked at her in confusion. That was weird to admit.
And what did she mean by "start a hive"? Changelings were weird.
Yet...
now that she was there he was happy to see her. And that was strange. He had expected a desire for fight and murder.
But he didn't feel that.

"Unf'rtunately i knoweth not eith'r. All i knoweth is yond i coequal not feeleth the desire to striketh thee down. I'm m're did attract to thee. I can't pray pardon me t eith'r"

Kallaxia pulled her head back a little and looked at him in surprise. she thought about what had been said for a moment and then sat down across from him. She seemed to be pondering, her mind racing until she brought him back into focus

"That was Princess Mi Amora Cadenza. The princess of love. The energy wave was enriched with her love and did something to us, I'm sure."

"What maketh thee bethink yond? i cullionly. t sounds strange, but i has't not a bett'r the'ry"

"I can taste your love And it is directed at me. And I know how it feels, that I feel so for you. But this love is ... too sweet. It tastes unnatural. Like cheap fairground candy. She is responsible for it with relative certainty. "

"Ah. anon what?"

Chapter 3

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around midnight

It was strange.
This Changling Kallaxia sat across from him. She looked at him, he at her, and neither of them knew exactly what to do. At some point Nocturnal put his hoof on the back of his neck and rubbed himself, pondering his options.
There weren't many.
He could ignore his feelings and fight her.
He was able to carry on as before and try to find out the reason for these feelings and determine their cause.
Or he could indulge in the feelings.
Nocturnal didn't know, and judging by the embarrassed look of Kallaxia ...
she neither.
How unpleasant.

After about an hour passing nothing happened and both had just been embarrassingly silent, Nocturnal had made a decision by now

"I did want to wend n'rth. Wouldst thee.... cometh with me, mine own belov'd foe?"

Kallaxia jumped up and seemed to shine for a moment, but only a moment, before she calmed down and stepped next to him

"Sure, why not? But I have a question or two. First of all, why do you speak so puffy and weird? On the other hoov, what is in the north why you have to go there?"

"Ah yond's because i wast petrifi'd f'r about a thousand years. T's n'rmal f'r me to speaketh liketh yond. I desire thee mind not too much"

Both started after Nocturnal had orientated himself again briefly with the compass.
To the north it would get colder ... luckily Lady Rarity had given him clothes for something like that.

"And wherefore to wend n'rth? i doth not knoweth. I did drop a brancheth on the mapeth and t wast pointing n'rth. Mine own 'rd'r wast known to wend ev'rywh're backeth at the timeth. Th're w're only a few p'rmanent buildings from us, mostly in larg'r cities and th're just to receiveth 'rd'rs. We art looking f'r adventure"

"Hehe, I like that. Do you mind if we go to bed at sunrise? I prefer to be out at night."

Oh what a joy!
Kallaxia was as nocturnal as he was! At least that would make traveling more interesting. He smiled at her and just nodded, then walked next to her.
It was only when they were on the road for a while that it occurred to him that both could fly if they wanted.
But the weather was so nice.
Clear sky, a gentle wind.
Perfect.

"Sooo ... you came from a thousand years ago? Back then the times were a little ... more interesting, right? More fighting, I mean."

"Ah i knoweth not yet. I did wake up the day bef're thee hath tried to invade cant'rlot. Lucky me, i guesseth."

That made Kallaxia laugh.
And what a nice laugh she had.
He smiled and began to tell a little bit about his life before petrification.
Living as a Wandering Blade, from his order, what he liked to eat. Only when the sun slowly rose over the horizon did he realize that he was pouring out his heart to her, and she ... she did the same. As if they'd always known each other, and don't be in a fight for not too long.

Nocturnal found a cave and went straight to it to peek inside to see if it was inhabited or not.
Kallaxia looked in too, stood next to him.
Nocturnal had to turn his head to see her since she was standing to his left, but somehow he knew she was there. he felt it.

"A bat in a cave ... More cliché is not possible."

That made Nocturnal laugh
The way she said cliché.
The throwing hoof movement.
Almost like a prenchnoble

"Oh thee speaketh prench? an extremely quite quaint language, coequal if 't be true t is too high f'r me"

"Well Prensh is the language of love. And I eat love ..." She couldn't contain herself anymore and started laughing again "... so it's just normal for me to speak prench"

It took her a moment to stop laughing, and so did Nocturnal.
Both went into the cave. since there were no traces of living things except spiders. Their webs were everywhere

"No to be honest, cliché has become colloquial. If you want, I can help you learn the new language."

"I wouldst beest v'ry grateful to thee f'r yond, kallaxia. In returneth, can i bringeth thee clos'r to sw'rd fighting? so i cullionly how we combated a thousand years ago"

Kallaxia frowned at his suggestion, but not what Nocturnal thought she would be about.
He had feared that she would accuse him of not appreciating her fighting technique or her prowness

"Why should you teach me something that I can use against you when this... curse is resolved?"

Somehow it hurt Nocturnal that she used the word curse, but then pushed it back to the just mentioned. Meanwhile he also believed that it was a strong spell. and used properly, any spell would turn into a curse.
Because he was still smiling a little, sighing softly as he lay down across from her.

"I am the lasteth of mine own 'rd'r. At which hour i kicketh the bucket all is hath lost. eke the sw'rdscoltship yond madeth up mine own 'rd'r. I wouldst liketh to maketh sure yond th're is still a pony yond can passeth on the lessons if 't be true behoveful. And i bethink thee wouldst hon'r and respect such teachings"

Now he yawned heartily, got up again briefly to lie down between Kallaxia and the cave entrance. He took out his journal and his pen

"I shall keepeth the first gaze as longeth as i adjust mine own rec'rds. Thee shouldst catch but a wink, if 't be true thee wanteth"

Kallaxia looked at Nocturnal's book. she could see inside the way she and he put.
The first thing she noticed was the drawing he had made of her, then which pose he had chosen for her. Her cheeks flushed when she realized what she was seeing.
Nocturnal didn't see that because his blind eye was on her side.

"I ... thank you. I'm really tired. Good morning."

"Aye, valorous m'rning, and catch but a wink well "

After she lay down, Nocturnal wrote down everything that had happened and how excited he was. Again his thoughts were on Kallaxia.
She might have saved his life from a beast that wanted to lure him into a trap.
And it felt good to be with someone who also cherished the night.
It was so long ago that he had traveled with someone.
Most of the people he met were sun worshipers and slept at night.
He wrote about his thoughts, about Kallaxia, then more thoughts and more about her.
If this was really a curse, he began to hope that it would not be so easy to break.

He was all the more surprised when Kallaxia stretched and stood up.

"My time to keep watch. You need a little rest too"

"Thanketh thee, mine own belov'd foe"

Both smile, swapped places and now it was Nocturnal who could sleep in peace.
And he actually slept relatively calmly.

towards early afternoon

Nocturnal stretched and looked around briefly. to his surprise, Kallaxia was not in the cave.

"Kallaxia? wh're art thee?"

He felt a fear rise within him.
Had something happened to her?
Was she hurt?
Had she left him and left him alone?
He looked around. his things are all there, including his sword. She must have left the cave of her own free will.
Nocturnal got up and was about to leave the cave when a bat pony mare came in.
They both looked at each other for a long second, then she began to smile

"oh you're already awake. good."

It was Callaxia's voice, and somehow her eyes too, now that Nocturnal looked into her eyes, but ...
oh yes yes yes, changelings can take the form of ponies

"Hehe, anon thee've did get me, kallaxia. Not lacking valor"

"Thank you, but in this form I would be fine if you call me midnight star"

"Ah und'rstand. Can i nickname thee by night 'r star?"

"Hmm, I'd like Night better."

Nocturnal smiled at the statement, just about to say something when he noticed movement to his right. He couldn't see the movement on the left, but Kallaxia noticed that. She drew her sword, so did Nocturnal. Both walked side by side, Kallaxia to Nocturnal's left side.
Out of the wolf stepped a creature that looked like it was made of wood, in the shape of a wolf.
Nocturnal had heard stories of such creatures.
Timberwolves.
Supposedly impossible to kill.
That would show up when it came to a fight.
What he couldn't see was that Kallaxia was less optimistic about her chances. She had taken a step back
one of the two timber wolves took a step forward and growled at Nocturnal.
Nocturnal did the same and growled back. He would show this beast what was in a Wandering Blade!
Just a little closer then ...

"Careful!"

Nochtunal looked to the left and was just able to prepare for this blow in time, the blade held the claws open, but he could not stop the momentum that the paw transmitted.
A sharp pain in his front leg told him he had hit a tree, but he hadn't dropped the sword. but now he could also see the two other timberwolves that he had not seen before.

"Th're art too many. we shouldst retireth apace and behold f'r anoth'r day to square!"

Nocturnal rose into the air, looked back. to his horror he saw that Kallaxia did not fly.
She had her sword in a magical grip, a shield built in to protect herself, and was slowly retreating into the cave.
And Nocturnal was scared.
He never had a problem with being afraid
The day before a battle he was afraid, during the battle as well.
Fear kept you alive.
But this fear ...
This fear was different.
He was scared for Kallaxia as never before for any other pony. This fear for her was stronger than his fear of an overpowering enemy.
Without really thinking, he folded his wings again, drew his sword and aimed it at the wolf who was closest to Kallaxia. The momentum he built up while falling was enough to drive the sword deep into the neck of the Timber Wolf, who howled in pain. He lashed out, his paws hit his wolfpack, and did good damage.
Nocturnal held the sword firmly in its bite, growling and wiggling the sword back and forth to do more damage and free the blade.
Meanwhile, Kallaxia broke her panic, darted forward, and drove her blade into one of the Timber Wolf's eyes.
Another whine.
When the blade was finally free again, Nocturnal jumped into the air, began to turn and this time instead of stabbing it he used a cutting movement to cut a joint on the Timber Wolf's leg.
Tree sap flowed from this "wound".
Another painful yelp, but this time one of the legs hit Nocturnal as he was a little too far from the Timber Wolf and threw him into the woods, where he landed hard.

"NOCTUNAL!"

Kallaxia saw this and used her magic and anger to raise all timber wolves. Her horn hurt a lot from the strain and exertion, but her anger made it very weak.
Its magical power, however, was like a fire into which lamp oil had been poured, glistening bright and incredibly hot.
The timber wolves began to burn and disintegrate.
All while Kallaxia was screaming out her anger.
When the Timber Wolves were gone, she darted in the direction of the Nocturnal, her sword just felt to the ground, because she no longer had the strength to maintain the telekinesis.
She didn't care either. When she found Nocturnal he was already sitting upright again, holding his foreleg.
It was bleeding easily, and where the fur was missing you could see the skin becoming discolored.
A bad bruise was showing, but the way he moved his leg showed that he was lucky

"Accurs'd creatures! at which hour i receiveth mine own sw'rd backeth i'll carveth a chair out of this wolf! or a hoof chair! then i putteth mine own did injure leggeth on t until t's did heal! aft'r yond, i'll burneth the chair! and i throweth the ashes into a volcano! luna damnd this hurts!"

When he looked up and saw Kallaxia, he nonetheless jumped up and glided over to her with outstretched wings so as not to strain his leg.
She wanted to say something, but he didn't give her a chance, tossed his good hoof around her and hugged her tightly.

"nothing hath happened to thee! luna beest did thank!"

Kallaxia was too amazed to answer and began to blush.
He had been hurt to help her, and yet he only had her health in mind?
She started to smile a little and put her hooves around him too.

"No, I'm okay. Thanks to you."

Even as she said that, she began to tremble. All of their magical and physical power had been fueled by anger at the wolves and that they had injured Nocturnal.

"But now I feel a bit weak."

A bit was good.
She clung to him and would otherwise have collapsed.

"Can i somehow holp thee? doth thee needeth a day rest bef're we moveth on?"

"I need a little love. I'm starving."

Nocturnal chuckled at this statement, stroked her neck a little and held her tight, tears in his eye
He was so relieved.
Then he pulled his Head back a little and looked her in the eye

"Taketh something from mine own loveth"

Kallaxia couldn't believe what he had just suggested.
He gave her love willingly?
She could feel it.
She could already feel his love shining out of him. She was practically enveloped in her by the hug.
She licked her lips because they were very dry until just now. Then she opened her mouth and took some of his love.
Nocturnal let it happen, and held the hug the entire time.
She was different.
The love she tasted was different.
It was still too sweet, but now other sensations mixed in.
and she felt her strength return.
In the end she would have to eat more to regain full strength, but somehow this love seemed ... more rich in nutrition.
There was no other way to explain it.
Even after a small amount, she felt full.
And even better than before.
She leaned in, and now kissed him fully.
Nocturnal was surprised, for one thing he no longer felt the cold rise in him.
After a while, Kallaxia broke away from the kiss.

"Thanks ... I needed this."

"T. t wast mine own pleasure"

Both looked at each other, blushing, then Kallaxia also released the hug and saw with an embarrassed look at the ground, as did Nocturnal.
Nocturnal remembered the wound on his hoof and began tending it.
He had hoped that Fluttershy's first aid kit would remain untouched for a while.
Well, better than having no help.

"Can you still walk with your leg?"

She looked at him worried.

"I bethink not we can wend yond festinate at which hour i walketh. luckily we can both flyeth"

Nocturnal rose again, this time Kallaxia followed. Her disguise was impressive. Her wings sounded natural too. It would look like two normal bat ponies to everyone.

the sun is slowly sinking again

The ponies landed outside a small village. It was nice here too. But the mood was far less nice.
Nocturnal limped a little from the injury to his leg, but no one seemed to notice.

"Everyone here is sad and withdrawn."

Kallaxia looked around and shuddered, the fur standing up.
She stopped a Pegasus and asked in a very kind and compassionate tone

"What happened here?"

The stallion looked at her, then just sighed and hung his head

"Our mines have been attacked by diamond dogs. Some of us are injured and ponies are missing."

"Diamond dogs? these revolting creatures art still in equestria? doth thee needeth two square'rs?"

The Pegasus looked up and towards Nocturnal. He looked at him closely.

"With all due respect, you don't look like you can fight well at the moment. Come with me, you can rest in the hostel."

"We has't not timeth f'r t. We might not but prepareth f'r the enemies!"

nocturnal stood firmly, drew his sword and rammed it into the ground in front of him.

"We shall square the foe. These creatures shall beshrew the day those gents did hurt a pony! alloweth those folk receiveth to knoweth the wrath of the wand'ring blades and alloweth their blood soaketh the did grind on which those gents standeth! we shall showeth thee yond ponies art not easy prey!"

Kallaxia began to smile and nudged him with her flank.

"Well roared, Leo, but our friend here is right. We should take a break, look at your wound and above all collect information. It's no use if we storm off and then run into a wall of diamond dogs."

Nocturnal looked at her, about to argue against it.
The best way to fight an enemy was to attack them directly.
But something in her gaze told him that it wasn't.
She worried about him.
He could feel it, and it instantly dissipated all of his anger. he nuzzled her neck and was just a little happier.
Also because Kallaxia read a little sigh from it and seemed to enjoy it too.
Then Nocturnal contacted the Pegasus again.

"Thou art right. We shouldst taketh a sh'rt breaketh. How much wouldst the timeth in the... hostel... did cost?

The Pegasus instructed both of them to follow him and led them to the hostel.

Night falls, the stars awaken.

Nocturnal sat by the window and looked out. Outside the ponies hurried to their houses, and the lights were turned off everywhere. In her room, too, a clerk turned off the lights, but nocturnal didn't mind.
If only with one eye, he could see very well in the dark.
And he didn't have to wait long either.
The diamond dogs came from the south and began to ravage the streets, wrecking wagons and stalls.
And they had hostages with them.

"You Bring us all the shiny Gems end of the Week, or We hurt the Captives!"

That was the biggest and ugliest diamond dog nocturnal had ever seen.
Still, he started to smile.
The end of the week? that was more than enough time to prepare a decent defense. That would help the village.
Only the hostages were a problem.
One that he and Kallaxia had to take care of.
He prayed to Luna and Celestia that these hostages would hold out for another week.
He turned away from the window when a stone flew through

"We seen you! Get out here. You aren't from here."

Nocturnal looked at kallaxia, who shook her head negatively.

"Come Come come here little pony, or we hurt the captives!"

Nocturnal sighed and jumped through the window, slid down into the street, and landed a good distance from the leader.
He had neither his cloak nor his sword with him, but he stood proud and strong before them.

"You are Hostage now too."

"I bethink not so, creature. I am nocturnal wand'r'r, sw'rdscolt of wand'ring blades. And i shall not surrend'r to thee"
The diamond dogs looked confused, then one of them tried to grab Nocturnal.
He ran towards him, but Nocturnal only had to step aside to let the diamond dog rush past him. Then He flapped his wings and took off with the crescent moon behind him.

"Thee shall regreteth the night at which hour thee hath tried to did lie thy handeth on me"

He took a dive and kicked the Diamond Dog in the back that attacked him, then grabbed him and threw him at his comrades.
Then he spat on the floor.
The diamond dogs were unsettled by. the local ponies didn't fight back, so that was something unusual. One of the diamond dogs hollowed a mare forward, which they were holding captive.

"You hurt one of us, we hurt one of you."

He was about to hit the mare when Nocturnal lifted his hoof and called out loud

"Stand ho! this mare hast nothing to doth with t. Doth not harmeth h'r!"

The diamond dog struck and the mare screamed in agony.
Nocturnal saw this and his hatred rose in him, but he just sat on his hounches.
No, he wouldn't do anything to provoke these creatures anymore.
they were dishonorable.
after the one blow, the diamond dog looked at Nocturnal and laughed.

"Already giving up?"

"I shall not giveth up. But i shall holp the inhabitants of this village to mineth the gemstones yond thee wanteth. Just refrain from doing m're harmeth to the hostages"

The diamond dog just nodded, then indicated with one movement that they would leave. his comrades simply left the injured mare lying there and left with the other hostages.
Nocturnal rushed to the injured mare and looked at her. The injuries were bad.
He lifted her with his wings and began to carry her.
Other ponies took him to the hospital, where he put the mare off.

"I shall retaliate. doth not w'rry"

midnight

Nocturnal flew over the village with kallaxia at his side and both of them looked at the surroundings in the moonlight. It was a relatively open area here. And the next forest was a little out of the way. The diamond dogs could simply hide in a nearby mountain where the mine could also be seen.
The battlefield wasn't ideal. And from the encounter, Nocturnal now knew that he was dealing with dishonorable enemies in excess, who, however, probably wore no armor and had only a few weapons.
The fight wasn't going to be easy, even with his injury.
But with Kallaxia by his side, he could do it.
he felt it.
Her current figure as a batpony was very successful and he looked over at her. But somehow he also missed her natural form.
She noticed his look and looked at him questioningly.

"I wast just admiring thee. And i bethink with thee on mine own side we couldst driveth these diamond dogs out of this village f'rev'r. 'r what art thy thoughts on the subject?"

"Yes, I also think that I can do anything with you by my side. But we should ask for reinforcements. One of us should alert the Royal Guard."

"Aye yond wouldst beest a valorous idea, but i wanteth thee closeth to me. We couldst asketh one of the pegasus if 't be true one of those folk wouldst taketh ov'r this task while we stand ho the foe and maketh the village defensible"

"How do you want to do that?"

"Just liketh we didst in mine own timeth. Ramparts and ditches. Traps and oth'r devices to stand ho enemies. Barricades in the streets, and citizens with pitchf'rks and t'rches. But we both shall has't to taketh the main f'rce of the attacketh.
we art both the most wondrous chance these ponies has't"

"Hmmm sounds good. And should be easy to do, but difficult to hide. We'd have to save the hostages first."

"Yond is the crux of mine own strategy. I knoweth not how to doth t i'm not hath used to fighting so dishon'rably. Thy changelings w're dishon'rable in t'rms of their numb'r. but those gents didn't did hurt anypony m're than absolutely behoveful"

""We'll find a way. And I think I also know how we can camouflage the walls. We are building a second mine. The stones will be the foundation of the wall."

Hidden from all eyes in direct line of sight. That was unusual, and nocturnal loved the idea. Changelings were good at that, he was sure. He just smiled broadly

"This is a brilliant idea, mine own belov'd foe. We shouldst alloweth the maj'r knoweth about our planeth. and we has't to hie. A week is ov'r apace"

He lay aside and began to lower quickly. His goal was one of the houses.
Kallaxia was right behind him.
Nocturnal knocked loudly on the door and continued until a sleepy looking unicorn opened the door.

"Do you actually know what time it is?"

"T is timeth to putteth these diamond dogs in their lodging. Wh're's the may'r?"

The unicorn just looked at Nocturnal in confusion, then looked at Kallaxia for help.

"He wants to set a trap for these devious diamond dogs. Ramps and ditches to defend the village."

She explained the plan the two of them had come up with. At first the mayor, who turned out to be this unicorn, was skeptical, but the more details were revealed, the more he seemed to think it was feasible.
Nocturnal left the talking to kallaxia because she could make herself understood better than he.
You could tell that she was a leader.
At first she was a little insecure, but this insecurity disappeared and was replaced by a military leader. after a while, even Nocturnal was excited and enthusiastic about the fight, and he had actually intended to stay relaxed.

A little later back in their quarters, Nocturnal looked at Kallaxia, searched a little in his saddlebag and threw her a coat similar to his.
Only this one was newer because it was made by Rarity.

"What does that mean?"

"I wanteth thee to weareth the mantle of the wand'ring blades. thee wouldst earneth t with ease. And i wouldst beest hon'r'd if 't be true thee wouldst weareth our col'rs in square"

Kallaxia looked at him with a smile and walked over to him, kissing his cheek tenderly

"I will wear this coat and I hope I will bring him honor."

Spoken like a real Wandering Blade!
Nocturnal beamed and looked at them closely, and he realized that this was the resurrection of his order.
He had just handed over the coat.
Kallaxia looked at the coat, with big eyes in which joy was reflected.
He knew that she would fill the coat quickly. Faster than he was back in his childhood.

The sun is slowly rising over the horizon

Nocturnal lay on the bed, Kallaxia curled up in her true form beside him. They had been refining the plan all night, trying to make plans to save the hostages.
He had just updated his journal when an argument broke out on the market square outside.
It was loud enough to be heard, but not loud enough for the nocturnal to hear what was being said.
Quietly, without waking Kallaxia, Nocturnal snuck out of the room and locked it behind him, slipping the key under the door. Nobody was allowed to see them like that, otherwise there would be more trouble.
He went down gently, through the door and into the market square.
The quarrel had now become heated and some of the ponies present were not at all satisfied with the idea of building a wall around their village. Others wanted to take more extreme measures and take the fight to the Diamond Hounds.

"Citizens of this village! knoweth yond thee thirst to beest free from these tyrants! but yond requires a lot of blood and did sweat! none of thou art did train to square, and neith'r of thee shouldst beest. If 't be true the planeth yond mine own mateth and i art currently f'rging is to beest successful, we might not but all sticketh togeth'r. Leaveth the fighting to h'r and me. buildeth this mure and digeth this trench with t, shouldst we faileth and loseth our liveth, at least thee has't a bett'r chance than us.
night and i shall standeth bef're thee.
night and i shall staineth our blades with blood f'r thee ponies
níght and i shall giveth our liveth if 't be true needeth beest, f'r we art warri'rs.
Our hearts can beareth this fate"

His voice was calm and yet everyone heard him, because as soon as he spoke and moved through those present, it became quiet around him.
He didn't limp.
He didn't stutter.
And in his eye burned a fire that was hard to miss

"All i asketh of thee is to protecteth yourself so yond at which hour i square, i just has't to w'rry about mine own comrade and myself. If 't be true someone wanteth to joineth us, those gents art most welcometh, but the few'r of us and the m're of those folk th're art on the battlefield, the easi'r 'twill beest f'r mine own comrade and me"

He had reached the front end of the ponies and was now standing next to the mayor.

"I'm a wand'ring blade mine own 'rd'r did exist a thousand years ago. I wast petrifi'd by fate and during this timeth i did wake up again.
by fate i am h're the present day.
and if 't be true fate shall, i shall exhale mine own life h're"

"Why should any pony do that for another?"

The exclamation was unexpected to Nocturnal and he was visibly confused.

"Isn't th're aught m're hon'rable than giving thy life f'r oth'rs?"

The ponies looked at each other. Nobody knew exactly what to say on it.
This thought seemed alien to them.
The last thousand years must have been really peaceful. kind of a shame that he missed that.

"In the timeth i cometh from th're wast nothing m're dang'rous than the air raid of a pegasus, the strength of an earth pony and the magical abilities of the unic'rns. I am asham'd to admiteth yond i did expect m're from thee. and i'm v'ry s'rry. Night and i shall doth ev'rything yond thee can continueth to liveth thy peaceful path. But we needeth the holp of the royal guardeth. Prithee, thy fastest couri'r hast to leaveth anon and asketh f'r holp"

A group of Pegasus looked at each other and raised their hooves.

"We're going to take off. There are three Royal Guard outposts. We can ask all three."

Nocturnal smiled and bowed low to them.

"May thee beest successful. The fate of this village may dependeth on t"

May the preparations begin.
That promises to be interesting

Chapter 4

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At noon, the sun burns down from the sky

Nocturnal actually helped with the wall. He had a pick in his teeth and hit a rock to make a second tunnel from which they could hollow the stones for a wall. The plan was a one meter high wall. That would help a lot, but it would take a lot of work to get it done in a week.
At least everyone helped.
Meanwhile, Kallaxia had taken on the task of looking for the hostages.
It was best for this, even if the villagers didn't know exactly why. To them she was just a bat pony mare. But hardly in the forest could she transform into anything and move undetected.
Nocturnal grinned at the thought.
These diamond dogs had no idea what to expect.
And if everything went well, they wouldn't realize it until very late.

Still, Nocturnal hoped that Kallaxia would be successful and find the camp quickly. The sooner the captured ponies could be freed, the better. And he hoped they could get reinforcements from the Royal Guard. Otherwise it would be a long and bloody fight with many losses on the side of the ponies.
He had no doubt that the villagers would defend their homes and lives wherever they could, but that didn't mean they would be successful if it did.
Kallaxia had agreed to his plan to be the breakwater for the attacking enemy.
It was going to be an uphill battle.
That she had agreed to fight by his side had filled his heart with much pride.
The pick hit the stone with all the force that Nocturnal could muster.
This was a very good training session and it would certainly help him build up his stamina.
When he left the pick stuck in the stone to treat himself to some water, he noticed the ponies around him.
The morale seemed very low. Some hung their heads, others talked about fleeing the village.
He couldn't blame them.
In their place, he would probably want to do it that way and leave quickly.
But he was a nocturnal wanderer, swordscolt of the wandering blades.
He wasn't going to back down.

His way of thinking seemed very out of date.
He already realized that, but what should he do? For him, a thousand years was just five days ago.
He closed his eye and raised his snout at the sky.
Destiny, what have you planned with him? He wasn't sure.
But when could you be that?

"Broth'rs and sist'rs, directeth mine own blade. Alloweth me doth the right thing and rest're our 'rd'r to a new reputation. Leadeth mine own blade in the battles to cometh"

Nothing happened. The wind neither increased nor did the sun shine brighter. He was the last of his order. And he couldn't ask anyone. There was no one to guide him. nobody he could ask for advice.

Or is it?

He had Kallaxia. And although she had been his enemy, he would now trust her with everything, including his heart.
A strange feeling.
And how proud she had worn his colors.
No.
He was NOT alone.
He was NOT the last of his order.
He had Kallaxia, Swordsmare of the wandering blades.
Maybe she was even worth the black of the Dancing Blade. That would be shown later, but he was good things.
When thinking about it, this hard work was much easier to cope with.

the evening falls

Nocturnal stood on the edge of the village. All the stones had been laid on a new dump near the village and would only be piled up to a wall a day or two beforehand. The trench that was dug was camouflaged as a construction site for a road for which the stones were to be used.
A blacksmith who worked in the village had started making spears.
These diamond dogs would get a nasty surprise.

"Hey, Handsome, mind if I sit down with you?"

It was Kallaxia. He didn't have to look to know and just nodded.

"I found the hostages. They are being held in a trailer. Two of the hostages always have to move the other around."

Nocturnal remained silent, closed his right eye and rubbed the patch on his left.

"Are you all right? Are you not okay? Can you help you somehow?"

"it is nothing. Ev'rything is fine. I am just not restful"

Kallaxia smiled and pulled him into a hug, allowing Nocturnal to rest his head on her shoulder. Nocturnal closed his eye and enjoyed their closeness.
Her fur felt so real. So soft.
He didn't even notice how he fell asleep.

Kallaxia sighed when she noticed how Nocturnal slipped into the realm of dreams and slept leaning against her. She could feel his love all the time. And she had changed.
Perhaps it was the influence of Princess Mi Amora Cadenza's magic at the beginning, but now this magic subsided, but love remained. He had got to know her and had really fallen in love.
And when she was honest with herself she felt the same way. That was probably the reason why she helped him defend these ponies. On the other hand, she would never do that.
But the fight promised to be a challenge. Something she longed for as much as he did.
Until the attack on Canterlot, life in the hive had been boring. And there she met him.
She had been fascinated by his attitude.
Also that he was not afraid of blood and death.
Gently she put her false wing around him.
And now he had accepted her into his order.
Somehow she liked the idea very much.

"I... I Love You..."

She couldn't believe she said that.
She actually said it out loud!
What was the matter with her?
Just good that he slept and hadn't heard that

about an hour later

Nocturnal woke up again and found himself asleep leaning against Kallaxia.
He straightened up, stretched like a cat once, and smacked his lips a few times.
Then he let his head rotate as far as it could and you could hear a little creaking as that rearranged the bones.

"I bethink i haven't did sleep yond well in a longeth timeth. Grant you mercy. "

"Oh no problem. You don't have to say thank you for it."

They both smiled at each other, and without saying another word, both rose into the air to fly over the area and keep watch.

The week flies by

The Diamond Dogs ultimatum would expire tomorrow. That week, kallaxia and Nocturnal had learned that the Diamond Dogs had appeared shortly after the attack on Canterlot because the Royal Guard had withdrawn into their bases.
And now Nocturnal and Kallaxia would free the hostages.
During the night they both sneaked to the camp that kallaxia had tracked down. Most of the car was unguarded, and all of the hostages were locked in it.
The two guards that were there were quickly disposed of by Kallaxia and Nocturnal.
Both looked in the trailer and then quietly freed the hostages.

"Followeth me i shall leadeth thee. Night doth take the rear guardeth"

"and be quiet!"

Nocturnal led the group through the Forest. first away from the village, as guards in this direction were more likely. They made a bow around the place where the diamond dogs had camped.
In the middle of the night the hostages arrived back in the village, which had started to pile up the wall during the night and to equip the front with traps and spikes.
This village had become a fortified fortress overnight.
Well, as defensive as a settlement with miners and farmers could be.

"Excellent w'rk. anon we just has't to waiteth until tom'rrow. I desire the couri'rs can finally convince the royal guardeth"

Everyone was worried because the couriers hadn't returned yet. There was no news from the outposts of the Royal Guad and it was uncertain when and whether reinforcements would come.
Nocturnal had already discussed back up plans with Kallaxia, including the plan to abandon the village and run away. A village could be rebuilt again and again, dead ponies were lost.

"How do you think our chances are? These diamond dogs will notice that they have no more hostages. And then they will attack in large numbers."

"With both of us in the main defense? our chances art valorous if 't be true thou art nay m're than twenty"

"What if more come?"

"Then we will fight and fight and keep fight until they give up or are dead, or until our swords break or we die."

"You said that beautifully"

Both looked at each other smiling. Let's see how long that would go well.

The time is up, the sun is rising

Thanks to unicorn magic and the power of the earth ponies, the wall was built. It was only a meter high, but the trench in front of it made it higher.
The residents of the village were all on their feet, had their belongings loaded onto two wagons and the strongest and fastest earth ponies hitched up in front of them. Everything else would have to be left behind in the worst-case scenario.
And this serious case was about to occur.
Instead of the expected twenty diamond dogs there were at least sixty. and some wore crossbows.

"This is... unexpect'd"

Nocturnal saw the villagers fearfully face the demf and. That wouldn't do morality any good.
He took a deep breath, then read it out slowly, then got in touch with the mayor.

"Yond's m're than did expect. If 't be true those gents receiveth clos'r than fifty hath met'rs i wanteth ev'ryone to runneth. the foals and fillys shouldst already beest load'd onto the wagon. We shouldn't taketh a risik"

"Risk? you don't want to face them, do you? There are only two of you! That's more diamond dogs than we've ever seen!"

Kallaxia stepped by Nocturnal's side and spread her wings

"We can fly away in an emergency. You can't. We have to buy you time."

Nocturnal nodded in confirmation and turned back to face the enemy. Without saying anything further, he slipped over the wall and the ditch and ran towards the army.
Kallaxia did the same and landed next to him. She was a little unsure but she tried not to take note of anything.
Both of their red cloaks lay over their backs and made them very noticeable.
Nocturnal took a quick breath, closed his eyes and about a hundred meters from the village and one hundred meters to the enemy army, if he stopped, he rammed his sword into the ground.

"H're i standeth, h're i stayeth"

Kalalxia looked over at him and smiled. The belligerence seemed to awaken in her and she loosened up, stretched a little and seemed to be ready.
Then she also drew her sword and stuck it in the ground

"Here i stand, here i stay."

Neither of them had to wait long for the fight. The diamond dogs rushed towards you two batponies.
To their surprise, a few of the villagers joined them.
It was only twenty, but it was more than before. And they could hold spears.
any weapon would help.
The diamond dogs drew closer and Nocturnal bit the hilt of his sword again. His heart was beating violently with excitement and a little fear, but he knew that if he failed, the ponies behind him would pay the price
That was something he couldn't allow.
He stormed towards the diamond dogs and his sword Thundering hooves immediately found his first victim, knocking down one of the opponents.
After that, everything was instinctive. He moved his wings to keep his balance, to change direction in flight, for kicks or for blows, slashed with the sword and he tasted the blood of the enemy running through his teeth.
That would be a fight that many of his brothers and sisters in the order would love. He hoped for them that they could prove themselves in a good fight and found their end there.
This could well mean the end.
Only Nocturnal didn't want to make it so easy for the enemy.
He always knew where Kallaxia was. it was to the left of him, where his blind eye was and he had a large blind spot.
He could trust her.
To his horror he saw one of the supporting ponies go to the ground next to him, all light had disappeared from his eyes.
Dead.
Dead and gone.
Nocturnal tossed his sword and instantly avenged this fighter.
He couldn't prevent any loss.
Fate would decide who lives and who dies.

They approached the village with the fight.
Just a few more meters and they would come close enough that the villagers would have to retreat.
Still, nocturnal fought doggedly on. His sword was deadly to anyone before him, but he had to take it too. A club in the side took his breath away and his leg was caught by a flail.
They crossed the line.
Nocturnal saw the villagers lay everything down and run away.
The defenders were now only half as strong as before and the remaining fighters were morally exhausted.

"Fight! Every minute you win here gives your families time to escape! Make these dogs bleed!"

Kallaxia's exclamation hit Nocturnal unexpectedly, but he also noticed how his courage to fight increased a little. both others did the same.
They didn't fight to win.
They fought that others did NOT die.
He needed a short respite.
When Nocturnal clamped his sword between his two hooves and flew upwards, he was able to enjoy the greatest sight far behind him that he had ever seen.
The villagers he had sworn to protect were already on the horizon.
They slipped away from the onslaught!
The diamond dogs would never again catch these villagers.
That made every death worth the price
Spurred by the Lives tat they had saved, he let out a cry.
Not one ounce of regret could be heard, Nocturnal was overhelmed with Pride.
The diamond dogs stopped their attack briefly to look at the mand batpony that was flying overhead. the remaining defenders joined in this shout, even if there were only nine left.

"they can taketh our liveth, but we has't wonneth this vict'ry! those gents can nay longeth'r dispute t!"

With these words, Nocturnal literally rushed back into battle.
Now his zeal was like fire and his enemies were like matches. every enemy he saw kindled the fire again.
Until a crossbow bolt flew past Nocturnal.
It wasn't aimed at him ... but who then?
Kallaxia was lying on the floor with the bolt in her back.
Nocturnal's eye widened.
no ... no that can't be ...
Not her.
Not... her...
Nocturnal couldn't help but start screaming. His scream began as a cry of pain, but was quickly overlaid with hatred and rage. When one Diamond Dog wanted to grab him, Nocturnal turned around to and jumped at him, completely insane, and bit the Diamond Dog in the throat, tore it to pieces with his fangs, then he ran around and attacked more like a wild animal than a warrior the enemy, bit, kicked and trampled anyone who came before him.

Kallaxias perspective

The bolt had hit hard, but it was only tucked into a belt buckle for her sword scabbard. The rest had been absorbed by her natural citin armor. Except for a light wound and a violent blow that knocked her out briefly, she had nothing.
But nocturnal did not seem to see that.
He was absolutely mad.

"Nocturnal!"

She could see how he was beaten and kicked, a few hit him with daggers, but he didn't seem to notice anything. Almost like her when she was so wasted with magic.
there were two other allies alive around them, but they were incapacitated. She herself was also surrounded.
It looked bad.

Until horns could be heard there.
Attack horns to be precise.
The fight was interrupted when a unit of gold armored earth ponies came galloping, spears ready.
The diamond dogs either ran away or surrendered when they were surrounded.
And the couriers flew all over the place.

"We came back as fast as we could, but we had to fly further than we thought. The outposts have been abandoned.

Kallaxia just nodded, then hurried to Nocturnal, who was in a ring of royal guard and growled at them like a dog gone mad.

"Nocturnal, it's all good! I'm fine! Please calm down!"

She put out her hoof towards him, and Nocturnal bit her.
He just bit her hoof!
His eyes were blank and she could barely feel any emotion from him.
Two Royal Guard unicorns then managed to put him to sleep with a sedative.

In the subconscious of the Thestrals

Nocturnal was curled up in the middle of the room, sniffing and crying when Luna found him.

"Nocturnal. Are thee okay? We can feel a lot of stress coming from thee. Big enough that it even reached us in our dream."

"Princess luna! i'm so s'rry... but.... but kallaxia... I bethink the lady's dead! i did see h'r kicketh the bucket because i did want a battleth! i hath led those folk to death instead of ev'ryone running hence!

"Sssssh everything is fine, Nocturnal. We don't think she's dead. Tell us what happened. "

And did Nocturnal.
He talked for quite a while and told her everything from her arrival to the preparations and the battle.
And until he saw her die.

"That's terrible! How did that happen? The Royal Guard is supposed to protect ponies from precisely such situations!"

She hugged Nocturnal with her hooves and wings. This slowly calmed down again, even if Luna noticed that it wasn't just her merit. Maybe a sedative.

"Good night, Nocturnal, and sweet dreams."

she lit her horn to give him a nice dream. At the same time, however, she also felt that this sleep would take a little longer than normal

a week after the battle

Nocturnal was slowly waking up.
he was lying in a bed.
That was a good sign.
But his hooves wouldn't move.
When he looked down at himself he could see that he was tied to bed.
and there was Kallaxia.
She slept half sitting and half lying next to him
Praise be to Luna, she was alive!

"Kallaxia? is yond very much thee not just a pipe dreameth?"

Kallaxia woke up and looked at him, then began to smile.

"Nocturnal? Are you back to normal? The doctors say that you fell into some kind of bloodrush during the fight. You attacked everything ... even me."

She raised her hoof to show the wound she had from him

"Didst i attacketh thee? i am v'ry s'rry, mine own loveth. This hast not hath happened to me in a v'ry longeth timeth"

"You knew about it?"

"aye"

"What exactly happened? And why were you like this?"

""i can't pray pardon me what and wherefore jump. I only knoweth yond mine own fusty teachest'r hath called t roteth'r rausch. r'd rush"

"What should be red rush?"

"A dang'rous state in which a warri'r f'rgets what maketh that gent special. That gent becomes an animal. Many claimeth yond this is wherefore the legends of vamponies cometh from. I did throw up aft'r i wast hath caught, right?"

Kallaxia just nodded and was shocked to hear all of this.

"Ah aye yond is because t happeneth yond the pony swallows the meat in the state yond t bites out of the foe. Only the corse cannot cope with t and wanteth to receiveth did rid of t"

"That's terrible!"

"Aye, t is. I'm s'rry thee hadst to seeth me liketh this. but i very much bethought thee hath fallen"

"All because you thought I was dead?"

"All because i loveth thee"

Kallaxia faltered.
Did he just tell her that he loved her? Just because?

"I wast afraid yond i could n't bid thee anym're"

Yes, he just said it like that!
Her cheeks turned pink and her heart grew warm.
damn changlinge were meant to steal love, not receive and feel it! This confused her very much and she had to sit down on a chair first

How could he love her?

Chapter 5

View Online

A few months after the Battle of Horseshoe End

Nocturnal watched Kallaxia train. She was an exceptional swordsmare, and so were the four volunteers who wanted to learn sword fighting.
He was only slowly healing from his injuries, but thanks to medical advances, no scars would remain this time. this time he had also put up with this hideous flashlight.

He had also practiced the new dialect with Kallaxa. Here and there he slipped back into his old language habits, but it worked now

"Very good work from all of thee. Thou are very strong swordscolts."

He smiled when he saw how everyone was happy about the praise. Especially the smile of Kallaxias meant a lot to him. It was a little strange with her now that he had confessed his love to her, but ...
it was worth it. Every minute with her was a minute that he would hold in his heart forever.
It was clear to him that even if a spell weighed on him, he could really love her, now that he knew her like no one else. And he had confided in her like no one else.
Nocturnal closed his eye and sighed

"Are you all right? Are you in pain again? Should I get the doctor?"

Kallaxia was a little over-cautious, but Nocturnal didn't mind. On the contrary, he enjoyed being so cared for.
It was refreshing and made him feel good.

"Nay thanks. I feel good. Better than good actually. I think we can move on soon."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to that. This village is beautiful ... but I really miss traveling around."

"Aye me too. We've both been in one place too long. But I have a question for thee.

He looked at the other four ponies and pointed at them unobtrusively

"Do thee think these four would be something for our order? They could set up a kind of headquarters here, from where we receive our orders."

"That sounds like a very good idea as long as we can both go hiking again."

"We can do that, my love."

Kallaxia beamed and put her forehead against his, and they both enjoyed the togetherness a little.

the evening before departure

There was a feast.
A festival of the entire village dedicated to the six heroes who survived the battle, as well as the fallen. Everyone was sitting in the market square and there was food and drink in abundance.
Nocturnal was extremely surprised. there was less of that back then. A mercenary came, did his job, took his reward, and left.
It was a nice change.
He and Kallaxia stood slightly in the shade, their traditional red robes on.
ready to go.
Nocturnal leaned against the wall of a house and beamed a little as he watched the four newest members of the Order of the Wandering Blades celebrate.
It was a beautiful sight.

Until a hoof came to rest on his shoulder that wasn't Kallaxia's.
When he turned around, he saw a hooded figure holding an envelope towards him.

"Warm regards from Princess Luna and Princess Celestia"

That was all the figure said and it disappeared into the shadows as it withdrew.
It all happened faster than either could react. The content of the letter was interesting.

To Nocturnal Wanderer

After some searching in the archives and a few blows on the back of my sister's head, we can give thee a map of the last known battle in which Wandering Blades were involved.
Tia simply forgot that day!
There were border disputes with the yaks.
Apparently there are still remnants of the battle there.
maybe thee can find out about the last days of thy order there.

Greetings Luna

Another card came out of the envelope.
It was marked with an X where to go.

"Excellent. In addition to our desire to set off, there is now a destination where! What do thee say, Night, shall we leave?"

"Oh yes that sounds exciting! I would like to know more about our order!"

Our Order ...
these words sounded so beautiful from her mouth.
He began to beam and looked at the compass, adjusted the map.
Then he looked back at the festival that was going on. The four would need instructions. and leadership. Something that Nocturnal had always left to others.
But when he thought about it ...
he was now the head of the order.
Something in which he had no experience.
On the other hand, Kallaxia had once been a military leader. She would certainly do a great job. or at least be able to advise him well.

"Hey ... um ... I have no idea how to manage the Order. I have no experience with it ... Can thee help me with that?"

"But of course I'll help you with that. With the greatest of pleasure."

She smiled at him again, kissed his lips gently. Then she went to the party and gave each of the new friars a role.
She was really good at what she was doing and Nocturnal was happy to have her.

Just a couple of hours later

Nocturnal had a slight bounce in his walk and he enjoyed being on tour again. It was way too long ago that he had felt so good.
And how could he not feel good?
he had Kallaxia, who had taken on her true form again, at his side, the weather was perfect, the way ahead of them was clear.
What could go wrong?

"Nocturnal ... you know the source magic that brought us together is gone, right?"

happy too early it seems

"Yes why?"

"Because I'm not a real pony after all. I'm still a changeling. A love-stealing parasite."

"That's what thou are. But not WHO thou are."

She looked at him incomprehensibly.
Nocturnal was always fascinated by how insecure she was at times, but on the battlefield she was like no other.
He smiled at her, stopped, sat down and put his hooves on her shoulders so that she had to look at him.

"listen to me carefully, mine own belov'd.. Thou are a strong personality, a reliable partner, always there when I needed thee and thee did not let anything or anypony stop thee from following me to death when it looked like it. To me one thee even took on the coat and joined my long-extinct order and helped me to revive it. And all thee wanted for it was something love. And I would givethee more love at any time. Because all love I feel is through thee and for thee"

She looked at him with big eyes, blushed a little and then looked silently away.
something was absolutely wrong.
Nocturnal could feel it in his bowels.

"I'm a traitor. I betrayed my Hive, betrayed my queen and I betrayed my comrades. I am on the run from them because I ran after you, because I felt the love that was triggered by the magical pressure wave in us. and now? now I feel that this love is sincere. I love you more than anything Nocturnal. That's why I'll have to leave you. To protect you. From my kin. I can't let anyth..."

Nocturnal had interrupted her by pulling her close for a deep kiss, and he held her close until she melted in his embrace and snuggled into him.
Only then did he break the kiss

"Never think of that again, my beloved. When it comes to that, I'll protect thee from your hive. if it comes to that I'll die for thee. And when it comes to that, I'll live for thee too. Life is hard, dying is easy. And I want to dedicate this new life that I got to thee"

before she could answer he kissed her again, this time full of love and affection.
How could she think he minded?
Did she think that he would now think she would betray him too?
Should it come to that, so be it.
He just wanted to taste this wonderful feeling for so long that it triggered in him.

somewhere above the two

two drones watched the two on the ground.
it was so heartbreaking.
so emotional.
disgusting.
The love that this Batpony exuded, however ...
In any case, they would pass on a report to their leader. Both made their way back as inconspicuously as possible.

a little later at morning in the next village

"Under no circumstances do I get into such a thing!"

"But Nocturnal, we would be at our destination in no time!"

Kallaxia, now again as Midnight, just didn't understand why Nocturnal didn't want to get on the train. He had come into the village with her, all the way to the train station, and now he was standing on the footbridge in front of the open door and didn't want to put a hoof on the train.

"Are all the ponies crazy that they ride in something like that? they even pay for it? Can't we just go on it's so nice to be out and too hoov!"

"What the...? is the big bad monster hunter afraid of a little safe train journey?"

She couldn't help but tease him a little.
Nocturnal probably just didn't know it and wasn't used to it.
It was not different for her in the beginning.
But he didn't have to know.
She smiled, mended her tail around his nose and walked ahead, away from the train

"Okay, big stallion, got it your way. But don't complain if it takes too long."

Both went further in the direction that they had to take according to the map.
Nocturnal was just glad not to have to sit on a train again.
All that shaking, this speed.
It wasn't for him.
In addition, maybe there was also the opportunity for a little togetherness on the way?
sit a little in the moonlight in a beautiful place?
or more than just sitting?
No, they didn't have time for that ... yet.
Maybe when the two of them had spent a little more time together.
Or was that his thousand year old thinking?

later morning, earlier noon

Both had set up their camp on a small clearing, the grass was beautifully green, there was a small lake nearby that was clear and pure, if a little cold.
Nocturnal didn’t mind. he washed in it and enjoyed the water.

"are thee coming too, Kallax? the water is very refreshing."

No Answer

"Kallaxia?"

Nocturnal turned and ran back to camp. Everything was as it should.
He checked the tent.
Kallaxia was sound asleep.
A little reassured again, Nocturnal withdrew quietly, then thought better of it and crawled into the tent, lay down next to her. Immediately he had her head on his shoulder and her front hooves wrapped around him.
Careful not to wake her up, Nocturnal wrote in his journal.
In addition, someone had to keep watch, after all, they were out in the wild again.

towards evening

When Nocturnal woke up, kallaxia was doing some exercises in front of the tent. Her shape was excellent, and although she could wield the sword with magic, she did as Nocturnal had shown her. She actually used her magic to create a shield that covered her side well. According to her, this is easier than placing a bubble over her whole body.

"good morning nocturnal!"

as soon as she had seen him she literally jumped at him and sucked on his lips. The kiss surprised nocturnal very much, but he was not averse.

"Excuse me, but I'm starving! Can I have a little of your love?"

"Always my beloved"

He read that she sucked some of the love he felt for her. she never took more than necessary.
But now he too was hungry.
To his astonishment and delight, a breakfast had already been prepared.
He ate with relish the fruits that they had bought at the last market. Everything was nicely draped.

"Thee are so good to me"

Kallaxia giggled and sat down with him.
Something was ... strange.
again ...
he just looked at her questioningly, and she looked brightly at the sky.
It took a while before she noticed that he was looking at her.
and a little longer until she understood.

"I'm in an extremely good mood today. I woke up with my special somepony, the day has been great so far, my training is finished too.
Oh and I had a visit from Princess Luna. She helped me get rid of a nightmare and talked to me about feelings and the same. "

"Ah that's good, but what was the nightmare about?"

"I dreamed that I would lose you, or worse, that you would leave me."

"I would never leave thee willingly. But thee know that, yes? "

"Yes i know."

"Very well then. i sharp my sword, than we can go on."

He started sharpening the sword. But this time he had it with the handle on his wing, while the sword itself went down towards the ground.
Kallaxia said goodbye to look for something to eat in the forest again for Nocturnal. She had taken care of it.
He began to take care of the blade with the whetstone, but after sharpening it twice he felt a stabbing pain in his hoof.
The sword had blood on its blade.
It asked for his blood!
That wasn't a good omen for a swordscolt like him.
Still in disbelief, he looked at his hoof, then the sword.
How could it even be so hot?
Nocturnal hadn't used it in a while but ...
That was the problem, wasn't it?
Thundering Hooves came into possession during an invasion. He killed many opponents with it. After that, he had led it into another fight.
It made sense that the sword was thirsty for blood.
After all, that's how it was for Nocturnel.
He felt the need for more blood, for more dead, for more devastation.
but he would fight it back.

"What happened?"

Kallaxia looked at the sword in amazement, then Nocturnal, then the sword again.
How was it that he hadn't noticed that she was back again?

"Just cut me. I overdone it with the sharpening."

he laughed a little like it was funny, but it wasn't. and Kallaxia didn't laugh either. She just looked alienated.
Then she came closer and took a closer look at the wound, took a hoof in her hooves.
He allowed it and held out his leg to her.
she examined it, then spat on it.

"What in...?"

was all that nocturnal could bring out, a hoof hit him in the face, then his two front hooves stuck together with the spit.
Still surprised, nocturnal wanted to jump up, but that only ensured that his back legs were also glued together to the front legs.
Then he felt a hoof around his neck and how it was slowly being squeezed shut.
He couldn't breathe anymore!
nocturnal slowly lost consciousness

Kallaxia comes back about an hour later

Everything was normal in the camp. at least at first glance.
In fact, Kallaxia disliked several things that were strange.
Nocturnal's things weren't packed yet, even though he was about to leave. His journal was lying around openly and he himself seemed to be dozing.
That was very strange.

she walked up to Nocturnal, took a closer look at him. His coat was upside down. his saddle pocket closed untidily, and the sword not properly in its scabbard either

"You don't need to pretend to be him, Changeling. I saw through you."

The changeling in front of her said nothing, and green flames broke out of him and he turned back to his true form.

"We borrowed your coltfriend. After all, you are well fed and can certainly do without him a bit, right?"

"Bolt words for somepony in Swordrange"

"You won't hurt me After all, you want to see HIM again, am I not right?"

Kallaxia bit her lip.
That was indeed a good leverage against her.
she swallowed hard

"What do I have to do to get him back?"

"Fight your sister. She has Nocturnal now."

"Oh no. Please tell me it's not Hellira."

"But it's hellira. She has your beloved nocturnal"

Kallaxia looked at him in disbelief, then screamed, turned and struck a tree with her sword.
This one had no chance and fell like a match.
Of all her sisters, it had to be Hellria right now.
Her anger knew no bounds, and it was only because he had the information she needed that the Changling stayed alive.

"Take me to Hellria right now!"

The changeling bowed to her and started walking.

unknown time later

Nocturnal woke up again. everything was upside down. His hooves were glued to the ceiling of a cave.
And before him was Callaxia.
He turned his head a little.
No. It wasn't Kallaxia. she just looked like her.

"Why is my sister so attached to you? Why did she betray the hive? Why did she betray me? What did you do to her?"

"I do not know exactly. But thee should let me go. Otherwise, Kallaxia will put thee in your place. and siblings shouldn't fight."

The changeling in front of him came closer, and sniffed at him.
Then she just licked his mouth and lips.
It was bizarre.
Then the Changeling opened her mouth and did something that nocturnal had seen many times at Kallaxia.
Only this time he didn't give up the love in himself so easily. She would have to fight for it.
But not difficult or long. Nocturnal felt the strength and the warmth leave him.
Kallaxia had never sucked out of him as much as this changeling.
his wings were limp, and so was his head.

"Stop please ..."

The changeling continued to look at him with wide, curious eyes.
walked around him and looked at his cutiemark.

"My name is Hellria. i'm the sister of Kallaxia, leader of the first attack squad. I think I saw you fight in Canterlot months ago. hoped you'd kill Kallaxia."

Nocturnal gave her a weak look but couldn't answer.
He was so cold and his throat felt so dry.

"Tell me ... why did you spare her while killing so many other of my subordinates? And their subordinates too. Why is Kallaxia still breathing?"

Nocturnal articulated with his mouth that he needed water .. He was so incredibly thirsty.
And he was so cold.
Hellria still had the curious and inquiring look on it when she let water float towards him and gently gave him a drink.
Then she repeated her question, still calm, still inquiring.

"I don't know. We fought, but she was good. It was fun fighting her. Then this explosion came, it came to me, bit my lip, tasted a little of my blood, I of hers , then she was carried away by the energy wave"

That stare again.
as if she didn't want to miss anything.
She came slowly closer and stared into his eye, moving her head a little as if she wanted to look at herself in a mirror.

"I don't know how, but I think you put my sister under a spell. That's why she's on the road with you, and not at home. I'll prove that, and then I don't have to kill her anymore. No matter what mother says."

"mother?"

"Queen chrysalis of course. We are special. Bred to be stronger and smarter than normal drones. We are, if you will, princesses. all of my sisters ... except for Kallaxia. she was stripped of her title when she was banished."

Nocturnal had to process this information first. Apparently there would be more problems than expected if he traveled with kallaxia.
Too bad she hadn't told him that she was such an important pony in the hive.
He couldn’t believe it. Why? Why?
He hung his head again, and darkness enveloped him.
Darkness and cold

Chapter 6

View Online

Way too late

Kallaxia has been following the changeling for a while now. and every minute she was getting more impatient and feeling more pressured.
She hoped no, prayed to Luna that Nocturnal was okay. Hellria had always been the weird one. But also the one with the best results, regardless of what.
She was a better swordsmare and leader.

"How far is it to my sister?"

"Not far anymore."

And indeed, they soon entered a cave that turned into a kind of mini-hive after just a few meters. A sure sign that Hellria wanted to stay here for a long time.
The other changelings looked at her suspiciously as Kallaxia passed by, but she held her head up.
She couldn't show any weakness.
Not even when she was surrounded by enemies belonging to her own species
Still, she wasn't ready for what she saw.
Nocturnal hung from the ceiling, all four hooves glued to the celing on top. And hellria had been feeding on his love until just a moment ago.
He was so pale.
no not pale, gray!

"What did you do to him?"

Hellria turned away from nocturnal and looked at Kallaxia, but her eyes became a bit more normal. Her stare stopped.
She started to smile, ignored the question and just hugged Kallaxia.

"Hello sister! Come on, we'll get you back to normal, then you can come back to the hive. We just have to get rid of that bat."

"I don't want to get rid of him! I love him!"

Hellria walked away from Kallaxia with a disdainful look and moved back to nocturnal, her guards blocking Kallaxia's path.

"Too bad that there is no more love in him! I took everything from him!"

Kallaxia couldn't believe her ears. She took a closer look at Nocturnal.
He was breathing, his wings drooping, and so was his head.
His eye was blank and empty.
She could see him directly and he saw her, but he barely reacted.
A chill ran up Kallaxia's back

"You hollowed him out? You made him a Husk?"

These words came from far away, but actually from the mouth of Kallaxias.
If changlings were too greedy, they could suck out all the love of a creature, which led to that creature only remaining a shadow of itself. all other emotions suffered from the process too.
What was left after that was nothing more than an empty shell.
A memory of a being.
And Hellria had done this to Nocturnal.
Kallaxia felt on her hounches, her hooves came to her temples and she stared in horror at the ground in front of her.

"No! no no nononononoo..."

She couldn't speak anymore than that, then she started screaming. a bloodcurdling scream, her horn ignited and the blade of her beheaded the two guards in front of her with a quick and swift movement, then she stormed on Hellria, wild hatred in the eyes.
Her sword hit a barrier, but that didn't stop Kallaxia from beating and shouting at her sister

"You monster! All these years I thought that you were right with your assumption that we are more to our queen than just improved drones. I believed your nonsense, we were a kind of princess! I was blind to see that you are completely insane! You are a monster like all of us! A love-stealing, unfeeling monster! And in the name of the Order of the Wandering Blade, I will bring you down! "

Kallaxia jumped back a little as a green ray of magic hissed past her. The changelings around them tried to interfere, but Kallaxia's hate-fueled magical power sent out a wave of green fire that pushed the changelings away and out of this chamber. Now it was only Hellria, Nocturnal, and her who stayed here

"Pity. I was hoping to save you."

Hellria drew her own sword now, a much more elegant one than Kallaxia had.
Both knew each other's fighting style from many, many training sessions, and Kallaxia knew what Hellria lacked in strength, she made away with elegance and precision.

"As always. We cross the blades, you lose. This time, however, more than just my respect for you. This time you lose your life."

Hellria was full of confidence and self-assurance as she said this, holding her blade in her magical grip. and started circling the room with kallaxia. you always on the other side.
The difference was like day and night.
While Hellria walked elegantly, her head held high, and her sword in front of her was ready for the fight, Kallaxia was walking like an animal, hunched over, her eyes wild and the target fixed, the sword slightly behind her, ready to strike.

At an invisible signal both rushed off, the blades met each other in the middle, sparks flew, then the blades disengaged again and met from the other side.
In her anger, Kallaxia hardly noticed the impact, or that the magical effort was very high. she would give anything to save nocturnal.
Perhaps, and there was little hope, Kallaxia would find a way to get him back to normal.
But now she concentrated on the fight.

Kallaxia moved a lot more than Hellria. Her sword was heavier, but Hellria could easily block or deflect the blows.
She was better.
And Kallaxia had to change her tactics.
It's good that she had spent the last few months learning a new art of sword fighting. She grabbed the hilt of the sword in her mouth and began to fight, which earned her a laugh from Hellria.

"I may be a monster, but you fight like one of these ..."

she got no further when she had to fend off an attack. and then another attack and another and another.
She let herself fall back a little and Kallaxia followed her on the hoof.
Hellria recognized an opening and stabbed her blade in the direction of Kallaxia's chest, but it ricocheted off a barrier.
That surprised Hellria.
Kallaxia had never been good enough at magic to wield a barrier and a sword at the same time.
Danner she knew it. That is why Kallaxia had her sword in her snout.
This realization only took a few seconds, but it was long enough for kallaxia to land a hit.
On the perfect Citin armor from Hellria, where there had never been a crater or a wound before, there was now a cut from which the same greenish blood ran out as from all other changelings.
She was surprised long enough by the pain that Kalalxia could turn the sword around and land another hit. This was also only small, but painful.
After this hit, Kallaxia tore her sword upwards and the point of her blade cut into Hellria's face, across from the left side of the snout up to the right side, through the right eye.
Hellria dropped her sword and held her face in pain, felt on her back and kicked around to get Kallaxia away from her.

Kallaxia's sword was rammed into the ground besides Hellria's head. The shimmering surface showed Hellria the damage to her face as she looked at the bare metal in panic

"Actually, I should kill you for what you did to Nocturnal. It would be entirely in the interests of our order. But I will spare your life. In all this time you have kept my back free and hauled me from the battlefield when I was wounded . But know this, Sister, from now on, when our paths cross again, I will no longer show mercy. "

Hellria, wounded and on the floor, was breathing heavily and in panic. She had never been hurt before, and now so badly.

"Mother will order everyone to hunt you down and kill you, traitor!"

Kallax leaned down so that she could see Hellria's face directly, and Hellria only the blade to her left and Kallaxia's face

"I'll be waiting for you."

With those words in her ear, Hellria ran.
She just wanted to get away from this place and this defeat.

Kallaxia had stayed on her feet until the last changeling was gone, then she fell to the ground.
Her legs trembled.
Her magical reserves were almost completely used up.
and this time she couldn't get anything from Nocturnal.
NOCTURNAL!
She pulled herself back up and freed him from his position, sat down, and let his head rest on her hindlegs.
He was completely unresponsive.
His stare was blank.
But he was breathing.

"I'm so sorry, Nocturnal! I should have known. I should have warned you!"

She began to sniff and tears rolled from her snout.
Nocturnal's eye focused on her

"I am so cold."

"I know I'm sorry!"

"I don't feel anything anymore. No sadness about my lost life, no pain when I think of my old friends ... no love when I see thee ..."

"Hellria sucked all your love out of you and made you a husk. That's what we changlinge call it when we are ... too greedy. Only she did it on purpose."

"I... i see... can i be cured?"

Kallaxia rubbed her eyes to stop the tears but to no avail.
She could assure him that it would work, but to be honest, she hadn't the faintest idea whether that was even possible. Usually, a changeling killed its victim in an act of grace afterward.

"I dont know..."

Nocturnal deserved the truth.
No matter how painful. To her surprise, Nocturnal got up and stood on unsteady hooves again.

We must go. If we stay too long, Hellria will come back and kill thee.

"What about you? Aren't you afraid that she'll kill you too?"

Nocturnal stood in the entrance of the chamber, still like a statue, then he hung his head

"She already has"

A few hours later, deep in the night

Empty.
That was all nocturnal felt when looking up at the stars, or the moon.
He knew that the sight had always sparked joy in him, but now there was nothing.
Even if he looked at Kallaxia, now disguised as Midnight again, he felt nothing.
He knew how love felt.
He knew what he should actually feel.
But he didn't feel anything.
He would cry but also grief was gone.
He was just ... there

And neither of them knew what to do. kallaxia listed possibilities and immediately rejected them. From black magic to zebra medicine to Griffon drugs to time travel to prevent the whole thing.
As if time travel would help.
If that were possible, he would have simply been sent back to his time.
and so he just trotted along next to kallaxia, looked at the ground.

"Eureka!"

Her exclamation should have scared him, but fear was probably also on vacation. for the rest of nocturnals' lives.

"The unicorn you accompanied after the invasion is the student of Princess Celestia! Maybe she can help you! Or she can ask Celestia if she can help you! I'm sure an Alicorn can do that!"

Nocturnal looked at her, just raised an eyebrow .. too stupid that it couldn't be seen under the eye patch.
But since his interest in finding out what happened to his order was gone too, he followed Kallaxia.

In the morning

They were both on the train to Ponyville. kallaxia had feared that she would have to drag Nocturnal in here, but he was simply gnawed into it like all other commuters.
If you took a closer look at his emotionless, empty manner, he also looked like a commuter, only without a newspaper.
That would explain so much ...
Kallaxia broke the thought and looked out at the window. She should really be tired. And magically she was at a dangerously low level of her capacity. She couldn't keep up anything more than her disguise.
Just as well that bat ponies couldn't make magic work too.
She would be screwed.
Was it her fear of Nocturnal that kept her awake?
or her anger at the Hive for what Hellria did to her nocturnal?
She gridded her teeth.
Next time Hellria would pay for it.

The train journey lasts until noon

They finally arrived. To her surprise, a pink erthpony mare with a pink mane and a serious expression on her face stood in front of her.

"Come with me. I've already let Twilight know."
How did you...? You know what, have it your way...

"How did you know we were coming?"

"I read the story. You can't help it, it was the author's idea"

"the... author?"

"No time for explanations. Follow me, Kallaxia and make sure that Nocturnal is not separated from you again."

Kallaxia paused for a second.
How did this mare know who she was?
Nonetheless, she looked around for Nocturnal.
he was slower but followed.
She let him pick up and then adjusted to his speed.
Then she looked back at the pink earth pony.
now she recognized Pinkie Pie, one of the elements of harmony. She was supposed to keep her eyes open for the elements during the invasion, but had received reports that the elements were in the castle, she quickly forgot.
Now to have the element of laughter so close to her was ... strange.
When they arrived at a tree that doubled as a house and library, they were greeted by Twilight Sparkle, another Element.
Pinkie said goodbye.

"My element can't do anything here. And as much as it hurts me, the author has other plans than the simple rainbow-laser-method-everything-is-fine-again"
Thank you very much...
Kallaxia looked at Twilight, but Twilight just shrugged.
They went to Nocturnal.
Twilight used several books for references and cross references, got help from Kallaxia, whom she called Midnight.
Apparently only the Pinkie mare knew of her true nature.Twilight groaned in frustration, and her head landed on the table, next to Nocturnals.

"I have no idea how to fix this! There is just too little known about changelings for there to be a useful solution in one of the books! If you hadn’t told me that changelings called this condition husk, I wouldn’t even know that! I ask the Princesses!, maybe they have a solution! SPIKE!"

What felt like an eternity later

When the little dragon belched, a scroll flew out of a small green flame.
Kalalxia was now completely exhausted on a couple of pillows. She could hardly stay awake.
at least until now.
She jumped up and saw Twilight gripping the letter in her magic.
Twilight looked a little skeptically at the parchment and cocked her head.

"This one is from Princess Luna
It says:
Twilight Sparkle, we've turned the Royal Library almost completely upside down. Unfortunately, We have to report that this condition is known, but we have not described a specific cure for it.
All that is mentioned over and over again is that 'the only way to refill an empty shell is to remember what and who it is'. Memories strong enough to arouse emotions.
Good luck Twilight Sparkle, we keep looking "

"THAT is it! I heard about it at the Hive! An old fairy tale!"

after saying it, Kallaxia hit her feet over the snout. She was betrayed by tiredness.
Twiligt raised an eyebrow.

"Please don't scream. I ... I'll explain everything to you."

Kallaxia took a deep breath, then dropped her disguise as Midnight and stood in front of Twilight in her true form.

"My name is Kallaxia, I am ... was a leader in the Changelinge army. During the Canterlot invasion, I met Nocturnal ... and fell in love with him."

Twilight was absolutely amazed and her jaw hung wide open. it took a little while to recover, then she looked at Kallaxia suspiciously.

"How do I know you didn't do this to him?"

"It was not her. She is telling the truth. We fell in love and have been traveling for the past few months. We even fought together to save a village called Horseshoe End from diamond dogs. Thee can trust her"

It was the first nocturnal had said since they were here. He had even raised his head and was blankly staring at Twilight.
She looked at him, her distrust of Kallaxia was replaced by care for nocturnal. She sat down next to him and took his hoof in hers.

"You heard everything, yes? I think we can get you back to normal. My friends and I'll find a way to do it. Can we borrow your journal to see what makes you up?"

Nocturnal nodded and handed her the journal.
Then he put his head back on the table and stared straight out.

"nocturnal ... we should both be sleeping. We've been awake for more than a day."

Kallaxia resumed her disguise as Midnight, and wrapped one of the leather wings around Nocturnal. He just sighed. As if the thought of sleep was exhausting for him.

"You can sleep here if you want. I close the door to the upper area so you don't have to keep this cladding all the time."

"Thank you... with all of my heart."

Kallaxia led Nocturnal up to one of the rooms. There wasn't much here, but both found a sofa and they sat on it. Kallaxia leaned against Nocturnal and began to cry softly.
He barely reacted to it.
He knew that you had to put your hoof around the mare to comfort her, and he did, but he felt nothing.
how could he comfort her when he was so empty?
surely he would have cried in the situation, but there was no longer grief
At some point Kallaxia fell asleep leaning against him.
He should really like that.
He should feel love for her.
He should think it's cute how she clung to him.
He should be happy.
Instead, he felt nothing.
No fatigue either.
All he felt was kallaxia's wet cheeks on his fur. her gentle breath against his chest. he could feel her heart too.
Shouldn't he hope that she slept well and had nice dreams?
Yes he should, but he didn't.
He stared at a clock.
The tick tock tick was everything apart from kallaxia's breath.
And the seconds passed.
Then minutes...
Then an hour.
no fatigue.
But weakness and cold.
He knew he should eat something, but he wasn't hungry.

"I am going to die."

A simple statement, but it was so clear for him to see.
Why didn't he feel the urge to prevent that?
Why was he still breathing?
Probably because his body did it automatically.
Kallaxia hadn't heard him.
She was still sleeping and she was going to need it.
She had already said several times that she would do something on behalf of the order that he was trying to rebuild.
He should be proud.
He didn't feel that either.
How should it be possible to restart emotions?
A burned out fire was also impossible to restart.
It needed new fuel.
But where do you get fuel for emotions from? Certainly not in the forest.

His eye closed.

It didn't make sense

there was nothing here. When Nocturnal looked up there was no sky. when he looked left and right, he saw only blackness, and nothing was the same under his hooves.
He must have fallen asleep.
and that was usually his dream landscape. well, here it looked like he felt.

"There thou are at last! It was really hard to get thee to sleep"

Nocturnal bowed to Luna, who had simply placed a moon in this void from which she could come

"I would say that it is a pleasure to see thee, Princess Luna, but ... I have nay more emotions"

"As we can see thee have made great strides in terms of language."

She gave him a small smile, but that disappeared again when she saw his empty face.
and by that she meant it literally.
no eyes, no snort, no mouth.
And no colors.
He was a gray figure in a black environment.

" thee had to suffer a lot in the last two days. "

Usually she would remove a nightmare. But there was nothing to remove here.
So she closed the gray matter in front of her in her hooves and closed the wings around Nocturnal.

"stay strong, Swordscolt. I am sure Kallaxia can save thee."

Or so she hoped. But miracles keep happening

"just stay strong"

Chapter 7

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Still "dreaming"

Luna had been holding nocturnal for hours. He barely moved, but at some point he asked the question that preoccupied him most with an almost hollow voice

"Princess Luna, why are thee here with me? I am no different from others. I have nay dream or nightmare. I ..."

"We help thee because we feel sorry for thee. We know what it's like to be torn from thy time. and thee too are plagued by dark demons. The survivor's guilt, for example. and now that."

Nocturnal then remained silent.
He lacked the motivation to do anything. So all he saw this time was Princess Luna, her moon, and darkness until he opened his eyes again.

In a tree that served as a library and Residents

When Nocturnal woke up, the first thing he saw was a group of mares around him. seven to be exact.
There were the six mares who had accompanied him to Ponyville after his resurrection and had said goodbye to him when he had started his new adventure and a batpony with a really concerned expression on her faces.
He just lacked any motivation to get up. So he was lying on the couch and just looked straight, no expression on his face, his eye empty and motionless

"How are you, Nocturnal?"
"Here, we have something to eat for you."

Twilight and Fluttershy.
He should be happy to see them.
But the emptiness in him was still there.
Only his stomach growled loudly, which was not enough motivation to eat.
Everything was here that he liked.
And the apples looked so fresh and juicy.
There was cheese, butter, bread ...
A few months ago he would have considered this luxury food.
Now he just sighed and trembled slightly. The cold had gotten worse.
Or did he have a fever?
He did not know. For that he would have had to lift his hoof to touch his forehead.

"Please eat something. For me."

Kallaxia cut one of the apples into bite-sized pieces and held them in front of his muzzle.
It took a lot of conviction, but he took a bite out of the apple and nibbled it a little before he completely got it off.
The apple was delicious, and yet it could only dampen physical hunger a little
Kallaxia was frustrated, Nocturnal could tell.
But was she frustrated with him or with the situation?
But he couldn't do anything about it because he lacked the motivation.

"Leave me. I am just causing thee grief and I am not worth it."

Kallaxia's jaw dropped as he said this.
She seemed to be furious because she was pacing up and down, looking angry.
more on Hellria, that was clear because she kept saying her name, then she set up before Nocturnal

"Listen to me carefully Nocturnal, you are the reason why I have changed. You alone are responsible for the fact that I can feel love. It is you alone that I want to accompany until the end of my life. I will find a way to cure you, I promise you that! Then we'll find out what happened to your Order, rebuild it just as you wanted it ... "

She was about to kiss him, but she didn't dare. What if there was still a bit of emotion somewhere and she accidentally devoured it? She was so hungry.
But she wouldn't do the nocturnal.
As much as it hurt her, he had priority.
She let her hoof caress his cheek when the tears came

"I don't want to lose you. I love you so much!"

Nocturnal would be touched if he could feel something. In fact, the cold inside him was so overwhelming that he couldn't even feel his hooves anymore.
Almost like when it turned to stone.
Maybe that would happen with a body without emotions?
If so, that would be fine with him.
Still, he checked.
No, his hooves were still fleshy, just cold.

"okay mares, we have an important mission! Somehow we have to get emotions in this stallion again. Any ideas?"

"Can't we just blast him with the elements and see what happens?"

"That wouldn't work. The author doesn't want that."

"What are you talking about, Pinkie?"

"You wouldn't understand Dashie"

"Calm down girls again. That doesn't help us. What was in his journal?"

"Was a bit fascinating. He comes from Germane, near Trottguart. His life has been relatively eventful. He loves hiking and fighting, but in the more recent entries this is rather secondary because of his marefriend Midnight here."

"Me? Does that mean I can somehow help him get back to normal?"

"At least that's my guess. At the beginning he wrote how much he longed to fight you again."

the four uninitiated mares looked up at these words.
That made no sense to hear at the first time.
Only Pinkie, Twilight and Kallaxia themselves knew what was going on.
But when it became clear that there would be no explanation, all six looked at Kallaxia.
She looked back and raised an eyebrow.

"do you really want me to fight him?"

All six nodded in unison.
then Twilight put her hooves on Kallaxia's shoulders.

"It's worth a try. And you've already been hiking. Even at night if I understood correctly."

Kallaxia just nodded and understood.
But first she wanted the nocturnal to eat more. Otherwise he would be physically too weak.
So she continued to feed him pieces of apple, patiently like a mother who cared for her sick child

A little later a little away from Ponyville

Nocturnal and Kallaxia both wore their red and gold cloaks, stood facing each other, the six mares some distance away, for safety. Fluttershy also brought a first aid kit.
Nocturnal had his sword in his mouth, but the tip of the sword lay on the ground as if it were too heavy for the stallion.
Kallaxia had her sword ready, but she was uncomfortable with the thought of attacking nocturnal.
Yet she did. She shot forward as if for a real attack, swung her blade around and ...
stopped just in time.
A small trail of blood flowed from a small wound on Noctunal's neck. the sword that he had held in his mouth lay on the floor.
He had let go of it and just looked at her blankly.
Kallaxia trembled all over when she realized what had happened.
He'd dropped the sword on purpose.
He just let go of it to be beheaded by her!
now the sword of Kallaxia fell to the ground and she began to cry, sat on her hounches and rubbed her eyes with her hooves

"I'm so sorry Nocturnal! I don't know how to get you back to me!"

Nocturnal let out a small sigh, then sat down next to her and closed a wing around her.
She pressed against him.
And cried.
She cried out her eyes and the six mares both left some time alone.

"kallaxia ... it would be better if the finish me off. I do not feel afraid of the end, nay joy in life, nay love for thee, nay sadness because thou are crying ... The life that I have in front of me is not worth it . "

She cried the harder when he said that. inside she knew that he was probably right.

Let me try a little more, okay? I don't want to give up on you, not yet."

Nocturnal sighed softly, hung his head and looked at you out of the corner of his good eye.
He didn't know how to answer. How could he answer.
So he said it bluntly

"So thee want to see and let me suffer unnecessarily? Please, just end my life. Suck the last bit of emotion that is still be there out of me and then cut off my head, i do not care"

Kallaxia wept all the harder.
But he was right.
Fairy tales in a hive wouldn't help.
Stories of miracles wouldn't help.
If that were the case, it wouldn't be that much of a problem.
A husk would always be a husk.
She noticed the small bleeding wound on his neck.

"nocturnal wanderer. Since I am about to take your life, I will do this in the spirit of our order. In the spirit of the tradition of sword fighting that I learned from you."

Tenderly she kissed the wound and tasted his blood on her tongue, tears in her eyes.
It was going to be the worst she had ever done, so she closed her eyes to enjoy this last moment.
but ... was that a sigh of his?
even a little moan?
She looked up at him while she continued kissing his neck gently.
He had closed his eye!
How to enjoy this one moment!
He seemed to be feeling something!
she pulled away from him, looked deep into his eyes and then just kissed him on the lips.
She was careful not to suck any emotions from him.
It took so much to overcome because she was so hungry.
But there...
really quiet...
a very faint touch of sweet brushed her tongue.
At first she thought she would accidentally suck out love after all.
But no ... it flowed all by itself.
and it got stronger.
Then came kallaxia enlightenment.
Nocturnal still had a tiny bit of love for her somewhere. That's why he tried to comfort her even if he didn't know why or how!
And this kiss was like oil, poured into a faint ember!
She had to be careful.
Just don't overdo it.
She leaned against him and stroked his chest, kissing him more and more.
She did not notice that the six mares had just come back into sight and were now standing a little perplexed.
The love in him grew stronger, she could feel it.
Even more she could taste it!
She held back so much because she still felt like more and more love in this kiss flowed from his side.
Did he understand what was going on?
Did he feel it himself?
Probably, so she was not only leaning against him, but against him, pressing herself harder and tighter against him ...
and he did the same!
Nocturnal suddenly closed both wings around her, and his hooves like a drowning man on a lifebuoy.
she read it, then began to lean backwards.
just when it looked like the kiss was about to break, nocturnal leaned against her and on top of her until Kallaxia was on her back in the grass and he was over her.
only then did the kiss break

"Welcome back, my beloved Wanderer"

"I... thank thee, my beloved Night..."

both could hear the gaging coming from a certain cyan mare.

"A little mushier and I would actually throw up. It's good that you stopped before you both accidentally triggered an energy field."

"That wouldn't have been possible, Rainbow. Neither of them is a unicorn or an alicorn"

"Yeah yeah whatever Egghead"

The discussion between the two continued until they reached the two Batponys.

"So? Explanation please? I would love to write to the princess what the cure for this condition is."
Kallaxia just smiled broadly, was still lying under Nocturnal who looked much better again, and smiled at her too

"It was love ... all along ..."

After a day of relaxation

Nocturnal was doing much better than the day before. And thanks to a while to rest and gather strength, all the emotions that flowed back to him were able to find peace again.
Kallaxia was at his side the whole time, but she noticed that this effect would probably not be permanent.
She could feel that, even if everything seemed like the old one again, these emotions were just like a flare of embers.
An expert had to work.
and that expert was Princess Mi Amora Cadenzia.

"She is in the Crystal Kingdom right now. Princess Celestia says there are problems there. Would you like to come with us?"

Both looked at each other, Kallaxia smiled sly

"That would mean that you have to take a train."

Nocturnal didn't look enthusiastic, but he eventually agreed

"Do we have another choice? I ... would just like to avoid it. These trains are way too fast for my taste."

"I'm still surprised how well you have mastered our accent"

"kallaxia des'rves the praise. H'r patience hast hath paid off. "

All three laughed and then headed for the train station in Ponyville, where the others were waiting.

During the train journey

"What exactly is the problem?"

Kallaxia seemed to be freezing. Definitely more than the others.
Of course they were more happy. As a changeling, she preferred the warmer southern regions.
It was just too cold up here.
Nocturnal noticed and widened his wing around her, together with his cloak, so that both enclosed and warmed her, and she could slide even closer.
kallaxia always kept an eye on him.
During the drive she had "refilled" his emotions and also took a little for her meal, but each time seemed to be less effective.
So it was urgent to meet the princess of love

"Well, the Crystal Kingdom only recently emerged. It was gone for about a thousand years. Erased from the map by an evil spell. And this evil spell now seems to be causing problems again. "

"Why does everything come back after a thousand years? Why not two thousand? Or three hundred years? Princess Luna and I have also been in our prisons for a thousand years."

That brought him a giggle of mares.

Arrival in the Crystal Kingdom

An icy wind whipped over the plains and Kallaxia was clearly too cold. She had already gotten all kinds of clothes from the six mares and also the cloak from Nocturnal.
The cold bit his wings too, but he could endure it better.
A shape came towards them.
As it turned out, it was Shining Armor, brother of Twilight and married to the princess.

"Any help is welcome. But I don't think swords can help you against Sombra."

"Sombra? I heard from him. It's been a long time."

"How that?"

"I am over a thousand years old."

Nocturnal smiled at the unicorn when the unicorn looked at him in astonishment. But there was no answer, unnatural black clouds drew behind them.

"Run!"

Nocturnal was a little against running away, but he had to agree. This cloud could not be fought with a simple sword.
So he galloped after the mares.
If he couldn't fight he would at least be the last in line to defend the mares in case of emergency.
Above all, he paid attention to kallaxia.
His everything in this world, and literally the only source where he could find feelings.
They came to a sign that was stretched over a town, behind which it was pleasantly warm. Shining armor followed a little later, black crystals on the horn.

"Everything okay BBBFF?"

"Yeah, just a little chipped. Let's go."

Nocturnal was unsure about that, but he followed the others, looked back again. The black cloud looked at him.
With green eyes.

"Mercenaries ... if you give me access to the city I'll give you what you want."

"thou know I am a mercenary?"

"You wear the colors of the Wandering Blades. One of the mercenary troops who helped me to my power before I came to this land. I would reward you richly and I would cure the disease of you. Let me in!"

Nocturnal hesitated.
The offer was too good, but then he looked at the group leaving.
Especially kallaxia.

"No. I will not help thee. I already have a pack that I honor. These mares are my friends, and these mares deserve everything I can and if I have to, I will die for them"

"So be it, mercenary! You have chosen your dead, like the dead of everyone else you care about. I will take everything from you""

Nocturnal began to smile, bowed politely

"I will look forward to the fight, M'lord, but I will not surrender without a fight.

A little later in the palace

"Kallax and I are on patrol. Thou talk to the princess."

The mares agreed and the group split up, everyone began to do their job.

"Okay what do we do now?"

"We will collect information. And patrol. This shadow knows what we are. And he wanted to hire me. In exchange for healing and wealth."

"He can heal you?"

"I do not know, but I do not really believe it either. He would say anything to get in here."

"I see. Then we will protect the ponies here and hold our position until we have destroyed this evil spirit."

"spoken like a true blade."

In the streets of a crystalline city

This town was really beautiful, but the ponies here looked really depressed. When asked about King Sombra, they reacted with fear and ran away.
It was a little depressing.

"Let us walk the outskirts. Not that anything gets in here."

"I agree. It would be terrible if one of the hisigen ponies were killed by a wild animal while we were supposed to keep watch here. Should we part?"

"together we are stronger"

"okay we'll stay together."

both made their way to the edge of the magical barrier. The chances were good that if they could just get away with it, everything else but sombra could too.
Indeed, when they came to a point in the barrier where there were a few rocks, they encountered what looked like crystalline ice wolves.

"Looks like the local version of the timber wolves"

Kallaxia drew her broadsword and got ready to fight, just like Nocturnal.
They agreed at a glance. He on the left, she on the right.
And with each flap of their wings they opened the fight, flew towards the enemy, and brought him down disappointingly quickly.
The crystal wolf just broke

"Hmm ... pretty disappointing so far. What dothee think my love?"

"I love it when you call me that."

Both looked at each other lovingly when a black shadow hit the shield.
The green eyes could be seen again.

"Oh how cute. You both will die together ... or ... you let me in, and I can guarantee you both a long life. You could serve by my side and lead the campaign against equestria."

"That sounds tempting, M'Lord, but I refuse again

"Can you really heal Nocturnal?"

Nocturnal looked at Kallaxia, startled. Her look was sad but determined.

"Of course I can heal your loved one. That would be my easiest exercise. You just have to let me in."

"Kallaxia, do not do that! Please!"

But too late, she struck her sword against the barrier, which formed a crack, just big enough that Sombra could get in and tear the shield apart

"Fools! I will take everything and force them to submit!"

"What have you done, Kallaxia?"

Chapter 8

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The damage is done

Nocturnal watched in horror as the cloud of black magic moved towards the city. It would wreak havok among the residents, the elements of harmony were there, the princess of love ... and Kallaxia had opened the barrier for this disaster.
He could not believe it.

"please bid me wherefore thee didst yond?"

"I... don't want to lose you! I haven't thought and his promise that he can heal you sounded too good!"

"too valorous to beest true. "

Nocturnal closed his eye and took a deep breath.

"Kallaxia, I love thee more than anything, but that was stupid. We never rely on dark forces to solve our problems, and certainly not when we risk the lives of ponies."

Kallaxia looked like a beaten dog, shuffeld a hoof across the ground.
It hurt Nocturnal to see her like that.
But it had to be said.
He got ready to go, looked over his shoulder, the eye patch at Kallaxia. He still trusted her with everything he was

"Let us make up for our mistake. That nay pony is harmed"

He began to smile, which made Kallaxia join him.
Both galloped off, also because they could see how the barrier broke around the city and was now limited to the tower in the middle.
There was still hope.

In the battle

Unfortunately, you can't kill black clouds from pure dark energy.
No matter how hard Nocturnal tried, his sword wouldn't help.
But with strong wing flaps he was able to keep the cloud at bay.
For now, at least.
While he was trying to do this, Kallaxia flew around to collect scattered Crystal Ponies and bring them to the tower.
Thanks to the others, they knew that they had to hold out a little. Twilight had an idea.
Nocturnal hoped this would work, no matter what.

"How are you, Nocturnal?"

Nocturnal didn't look at Kallaxia, focused on his task, but took the time to answer.

"my wings are getting tired, but I hold the front as long as I can."

Kallaxia nodded and helped fillys and ponies to the tower.
Yes Nocturnal would hold his ground as best as he could. But it couldn't take too long. not that there are still losses.

Out of the fog came an attack that Nocturnal hadn't expected. One of the crystal ponies smacked him with green flames in its eyes. probably possessed by Sombra's evil magic.
Nocturnal had to be considerate of these ponies and not injure them. or at least had to try to do as little harm as possible, which was not so easy.
In addition, these ponies had no instinct for self-preservation and rushed to Nocturnal, which is why he drive the sword, which had been useless up until now and was now only dangerous, back into its scabbard.

So hoof to hoof combat was the order of the day. And that with tired wings.
Unpleasant.
But it had to be done.

Unbeknownst to Nocturnal, he was enveloped and surrounded by the black cloud, and all escape routes were cut off when he noticed it.
Obsessive ponies broke out of the clouds and tried to overpower him. And slowly they would succeed.
But not without a fight.
Nocturnal's thoughts only revolved around the nearest enemy and how to fend off, but his muscles grew tired, his blows weaker.
Not much longer and he would ...

A kick in his stomach made him fall.

"You fought well, Wandering Blade, but now your time has come. I'll add you to my army, and with the training you teach my soldiers to come, I'll become unstoppable."

Nocturnal wanted to get up again but the crystal ponies under Sombras control pushed him back to the ground.

"I will now tell you a little secret. Once for all time one of the Wandering Blades was my subordinate. I cursed this unicorn with a plague. The Red Rage."

Sombra's face appeared before nocturnal and he heard everyone laugh maliciously.
In the distance he could hear Kallaxia screaming his name.

"It is a curse that was brought into your order by this unicorn. Surely you know him. I feel this plague in you. Weak, but it is there. Let me stir up this hatred in you I'll turn you into a killer like Equestria has never seen before!"

He tried to defend himself against those lying on him and looked at Sombra angrily

"Test my blade, Evil King, and I will strike thee down with the thunder of righteousness! I will nay fall on my knees before thee, i shall die first!"

Sombra laughed as black clouds broke away from him and entered his mouth and ears.
Nocturnal screamed, it felt like his insides were on fire. Even more so, he saw red at the edge of his field of vision.
The red rage slowly began to rise in him and his scream turned into a growl
When the transformation was complete and Nocturnal got on all fours with a growl, he looked around, his saliva was flowing uncontrollably, his movements were more animal than pony.
And to top it all off, King Sombra laughed derogatory and maliciously.

"Very well, my faithful slave. When your work is done here you will have no other place than to serve me. And if you still refuse, as if you are, you are just as useful. Now go and ..."

Sombra looked up when a purple spot with the crystal heart appeared.

"That can't be! No!"

Sombra was literally torn apart by a wave of energy.
The crystal ponies he controlled came to their senses again, but Nocturnal ...

Just a few meters from the tower

Kallaxia had shielded her eyes when the wave of energy rolled over her.
she had expected that the same thing would happen again as in Canterlot and that she would be thrown away immediately, but that was not the case. She could see how the dark cloud that Sombra once was was just dissolving, and then looked around in panic for Nocturnal.
He had stopped and fought the cloud, as little as that had done.
No. it had bought them time.
She was still worried about him now.
When she could see him her heart was filled with relief until she could see what she feared most.
He stood there, hunched over, growling at a crystal pony.
This pony seemed very frightened and raised a hoof protectively as Nocturnal dashed forward.
And he just bit into it, growling and nagging.

The scream was enough to wake Kallaxia out of her shock. She briefly considered drawing her sword, but she let it go. Nocturnal should be injured as little as possible.
So she used her momentum and flapping her wings to ram one of her Hindlegs against his temple, whereupon he let go.

"Quick! Get the Elements of Harmonie! Maybe they can help me! Or the Captain of the Guard! I'll try to stop Nocturnal!"

The just frozen ponies gallop away and head for the tower.
Kallaxia, meanwhile, tried not to be caught by Nocturnal, who kept attacking and jumping at her.
His attacks didn't seem to slow down, even though he'd only recently been so exhausted.

"It's me ... kallaxia ... do you recognize me?"

Nocturnal just growled at her, sniffed like a wolf, and his ears rose. His expression was less bloodthirsty, but his eye was still bloodshot.

Then he slowly began to withdraw.

Right in the direction of Twilight, which raised him with a telekinesis field.
Nocturnal didn't like it at all and he snapped at Twilight, growled at her and tried to reach her with flaps of his wings.

"What's with him? Why is he acting like a wild animal?"

"This is the red rage. He seems to have gotten into a blood frenzy. or he was very angry. I've only seen it once before and he attacked everyone and everything. "

Twilight looked at Kallax in shock. That was really terrible news.

"What can we do against it?"

"We have to calm him down. The best thing to do is to numb him for a day or two"

"I ... know a spell. It could help us."

Using her magic, she gently sent Nocturnal into the realm of dreams.
But Twilight was also exhausted by it.

A few days later

Against all odds, Nocturnal later still woke up under the influence of the Red Rage. But it was weaker. Instead of growling, he roared around and asked to be released.
He wanted blood.
It should flow like rivers in spring.
Kallaxia was a little unsure what was going on, but as long as he was tied to bed he couldn't harm anyone.
So the hope.
But at least Kallaxia was allowed to visit him, which took a great burden off her heart.

"How are you, Nocturnal?"

"I want to taste the blood of my enemies! I want to bathe in it until my fur is completely red! It has to flow!"

"But ... you can't really want that! Remember who you are!"

"I am a wandering blade! My destiny is to slaughter my enemies! I will only find peace when I have dammed a lake of blood in which I can bed!"

"You are a nocturnal wanderer. You are a kind being, a good friend and the pony I love most! You can't mean what you say!"

"Thou oath made us enemies! Thee swore it on our blood! Thee tasted my blood and I tasted Thou when thee promised that we would fight again!"

"That was before I fell in love with you."

Nocturnal said nothing more, but stared at her with bared teeth. If it weren't for these chains ...
A nurse came in and brought something to eat and drink.

"Where is the blood that I thirst for? Where is the meat that I crave? I will not eat this ... rabbitfood!"

The nurse looked at him in shock. apparently no one had told her what state nocturnal was in.
She fled the room.
Kallaxia sat down next to Nocturnal and sighed, then looked around. Nobody else was in the room, so she dropped the midnight disguise. It felt strange since she was so used to it.
What wouldn't she give for being a pony ...
at the moment there was a bigger problem.
She looked at Nocturnal.
He stared back, still with those bloodshot eyes.
Then she sighed and drew a dagger

"Yes! Kill me as long as I can not defend myself! Let my blood flow! Soak this bed in my blood!"

to Nocturnal's surprise, Kallaxia cut herself in the hoof.
Her green blood smelled so delicious to Nocturnal.
Another surprise was when she spread the blood over the food that the nurse had brought in. Then she took the fork and began to feed him.
A little insecure and without really having an idea what else to do, he let himself be fed.
The blood made the food so much better, and he ate it with greater pleasure.

More days later

Nocturnal slowly came back to his senses.
And he was very ashamed of what he had said and done.
Kallaxia had a few more cuts on her hoof, every time he asked for blood she'd given him something.

He just looked at her, and wondered why she hadn't just left him.
Yes she said she loved him but ... so much?
He knew he would stay with her for as long as she wanted, because he wanted to see her happy.

"I owe thee. I will never be able to repay that."

"That's what you do when you love, isn't it? You're there for each other in the good times ... and the bad times as well."

"I can only apologize that my bad times are just this bad. I know that not many are as loyal as thou are."

Kallaxia smiled thinly and leaned down to kiss him, a kiss Nocturnal returned with delight. She was just the best.
There was no doubt for him.
And tomorrow he would be on the road again with this wonderful mare.
A goal in front of your eyes, a direction to go, a comrade at your side whom you could blindly trust.
What couldn't be nicer for a Wandering Blade?
He just hoped that the Rote Rage wouldn't always be this bad.

Another good news was that this explosion of energy had solved his problem with emotions. As if the embers in him had not only come with new fuel but a completely new fire.
Too bad that the Rote Rage hadn't ended when he was trapped in it.
Apparently he had missed a very interesting sight, how everyone looked like crystal.
He could well imagine Kallaxia standing there like a black gem. Or Midnight as a midnight blue star.
And he'd missed it.
Pity

The time to say goodbye.

Kallaxia was hugging Twilight and her friends one last time, while Nocturnal opened the saddlebags and got ready to go.
From here it was just west, and not even that far.

"Take care of yourselves, yes, Midnight? And write me.

"Of course. But I don't expect a lot of mail to go where we're going."

The group laughed, and Nocturnal looked at the picture again.
A changeling that was eight months ago? a year? still enemies i had seen these ponies, and whom he had also seen as enemies, was now surrounded by friends.
And he was waiting for her for the next adventure.

Pinkie Pie had planned the route, much to the astonishment of Twilight, and Rarity had packed extra clothes for kallaxia.
There would be a few more villages ahead of them.
A trip of three or four days.
and to Nocturnals' regret, you would not be able to travel at night, as the temperatures here were far too low when the sun went down.
For this he would always take himself off in the evening to look at the stars, wherever they would rest.

"Let us go, Midnight. We will surely see our friends again."

"What makes you so sure?"

The question was serious, but she said it with a smile and a confident face.

"As long as we are together there is nothing that can stop us. Nay weather, nay enemy, not even evil curses!"

"We'll see, but as long as our blades are ready ..."

"... everything has to be prepared for the fact that we will fight back."

"exactly."

A final thought, and the two left while the other six got on the train and drove south again, home.
Nocturnal's home was right next to him. He knew, home is where the heart longs for.
So may the journey go on, further west, further to find out what happened to the Wandering Blades.
And towards an uncertain future.
This time He silently prayed not only to Luna, but also to Celestia that she might let this future shine brightly.
The sun lit their way from behind.
A good sign

Chapter 9

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a new journey begins. Westward

The journey continued.
According to the map, they had to go west to reach the final battlefield of the Wandering Blades.
Nocturnal had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, he wanted to know what had happened and why the order went under. On the other hand, it would be a conclusion to this part of his history.
He could then concentrate fully on rebuilding.
Still, he noticed that Kallaxia was unusually quiet.
And she kept her disguise as Midnight.
that was strange
Usually she morphed back when they were alone.
Since he didn't know how to start a conversation, he decided not to say anything and just look at her questioningly out of the corner of his eye.
She understood the hint and sighed barely audibly

"I'm still ashamed of what I've done. Without me, the barrier would have lasted long enough. I unleashed evil on a city because I was blind because of love."

"Thee can not know that. And I think in reversed roles I would have acted exactly like that and let unleashed the evil King on the city to save thou. Besides ... I learned what the Red Rage really is."

he sighs.
The thought of having to live with such a curse was really horrible. Especially after being told what he had done the last time and how long it had lasted.
He still shuddered when he thought that he had asked for flesh and blood.
And Kallaxia had new wounds on her hoof because of him, since she gave it to him to quench his thirst for blood.
Well maybe you could break this curse too.
Any curse could do it. Right?
Maybe he should ask the most gifted unicorn he knew.
Too bad that he had forgotten that while Twilight was there, now he had to do it via letter.
How long would it take from here?
First come to the next village. Maybe there was work that would keep her busy for a week or so, then he could definitely write a letter and send it off.

The day is drawing to a close, night is breaking, temperatures are falling rapidly

Luna, it got cold in the night.
And Nocturnal was covered with fur, unlike Kallaxia, who had a little flame of green magic with her to warm herself.
Still, He could see her trembling.
They needed shelter, so he looked for a cave or something else they could use.

"There is a cave there. Maybe we will find shelter there."

"Ho-hopefully. I'm freezing my horn off here..."

Nocturnal went first and carefully examined the cave.
It appeared to be uninhabited.
However, in such a cold climate there was a lack of spiders that would definitely indicate that.
Still, he went in.
When he was in the cave, however, he could hear soft breathing.
This cave was inhabited, and so he quietly withdrew.
He silently signals to Kallaxia that they have to move on.
She wasn't at all enthusiastic about it, but nodded.
They moved on together, even if it seemed to be getting colder by the minute.

A little later it also started to snow.
and kallaxia seemed to freeze more and more.
To give her some warmth, Nocturnal put his wing over her back.
That made him feel colder, but also protected her a bit.

"W-w-we should bu-bui-build a shelter."

Kallaxia used her magic to shape snow into an igloo.

"A house made of snow? Does it not get cold in it?"

"No, ponies have survived in it for centuries. It's called an igloo."

"we shall see"

Both went into the igloo. to Noctrnal's surprise, the fire warmed the kallaxia with magic opened the igloo quickly and it turned out to be quite pleasant.
But Nocturnal could also see that the constant use of magic was draining her strength.
He got up, put his coat over her side so that it was completely covered on one side, and snuggled sideways to the other side so that his body warmth kept her warm.
That liked kallaxia and she leaned against him.

"thee certainly have hardly any magical power left. Here, let me help thee."

He kissed her throat gently. his teeth slid down her neck to her cheek.
That made her moan, and she closed her eyes, enjoying, while her flame grew brighter and warmer.

"not .. otherwise I will melt our shelter ... and you .."

"I will take the risk."

The next Morning

Fortunately the weather was better the next morning.
And when Nocturnal climbed out of the igloo, he stretched himself for the first time.
The air was clear, the sky blue and the sun was just rising, warming his wings and his muzzle.

"Did not think that I would be so happy about Celestia's sun."

"Yes, lucky. Now it's getting a little warmer. Let's go on. It shouldn't be far to the village."

Both went on and in fact, a few hours later they saw a village before them.
But it was strange.
Walls of snow were piled up around the village and the unicorns in the middle seemed to be maintaining a barrier.
As the two got closer, a unicorn stepped to the barrier and looked at both of them from top to bottom. He especially looked at Midnight and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you here? Tell me the reason."

Kallaxia and Nocturnal looked at each other questioningly, then Nocturnal shrugged and gestured with his hoof. he let Kallaxia step forward so that she could explain better.

"We are nocturnal wanderers and I am Midnight Star. We are Wandering Blades and we are passing through. May we refresh supplies in the village and rest for a while?"

The unicorn looked closely at the two of them again.

"Your tribe is not welcome here. Especially not that heavily armed."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You stand at the gates of the village of Whitehorn pass. We don't like the other tribes and therefore do not allow them in our village."

"Great. Unicornsupremists ... we were just missing that... Come on, Nocturnal, we're moving on."

"Unicornsupremists? I thought the tribes were all the same now. Is it nay so?"

"These friendly stallions think differently."

Just as they were about to turn to leave they heard a new voice

"Wait! You are the wandering blades, aren't you? We may have work for you."

How nice that the news of the return of the Wandering Blades spread so quickly.
Maybe they could spend another night here after all.

"What would the task be, mister?"

"We have a monster problem in the area. Wereponies attack in the evening. Or vamponies, when things get particularly bad. You fight them, and you can stay in our village for that."

Wereponies?
Vamponies?
That sounded kind of implausible and yet it seemed to be meant seriously.
Kallaxia looked quizzically at Nocturnal.
he just shrugged his shoulders before he turned back to the unicorn behind the barrier

"We accept the offer and will take care of these monsters."

"Very good, welcome to our humble village!"

The village was anything but humble. the houses were all splendidly decorated, and each unicorn wore classy clothes.
But there were other types of ponies as well.
Kallaxia could make out an earth pony out of the corner of her eye that apparently did not voluntarily work as a street sweeper.
A unicorn was just yelling at a Pegasus because it had taken too long to clear away clouds.
She didn't like any of that, and neither did Nocturnal.
something was really wrong here.
But first they needed a safe place to stay before they could deal with the problem here.

"Here we are. Our inn. I hope you like it here."

There was a tiny hint of duplicity in the unicorn's voice.
Nocturnal had noticed, as had Kallaxia.
Another unicorn came towards them inside, and for a fraction of a second they could both see the wrinkled noses.
Things really weren't right here.
There were only a few seats in the inn, but not a single unicorn other than the guide and the inn owner as it looked.
An earth pony mare in scandalous clothes worked behind the counter.
She looked up, bored, just nodded and continued cleaning her glass.
Was she wearing a collar?
That was hard to make out because the only thing she was really wearing was a scarf.

"I'm sorry, my employee is sick. Otherwise she would greet you properly, as it should be."

The mare put her hoof on her throat and made a few croaking noises before coughing lightly.
And then continued cleaning her glass.
Nocturnal raised an eyebrow and looked around the tables. Hardly anyone was here.
it was almost noon. it should always be well filled for the break or something.

Nocturnal didn't like any of that.

"We thank thou. Can we maybe lie down? As Thestrals we are actually nocturnal and ... well ..."

"But of course, of course! Lie down, eat and drink a little something, the reckoning for today is on me."

The stallion bowed slightly as he started to walk back.
The two looked after him for a moment, then they were pushed on by the inn owner

"Come with me, I'll show you your room."

The room was a bit shabby, but otherwise very comfortable. Better than sleeping outside in this cold.
They waited until the door was closed and then looked at each other seriously.

"We have a problem."

"Yes, I noticed. We are in a village where the slave trade is going on. And we are in the lion's den for a short period of time."

The sun is slowly going down.

The two outsiders were ready as well as in the trap.
Kallaxia had a feeling for that, and also knew that it was apparently a matter of keeping two extremely rare specimens. Thestrals were less to be found this far north. And then a male and a female Thestral? what luck!
If only the residents here only knew who they were messing with!
Nocturnal circled and looked at the floor, thinking carefully.
Fighting unicorns without magic was a difficult task and required good planning.

"It is going to be an uphill battle. Wereponies are very strong, and vamponies are cunning and smart."

He winked at her. to make her understand that he believed the walls were listening.
She understood and winked back

"I've never fought them. I always thought they were a myth."

"They are ... actually. But we have seen an evil king who should be dead. And then there is the story with Nightmare Moon. And the list is getting longer. We should be prepared for anything!"

"I agree."

How beautiful language was.
All that was important about the conversation was that they had to be prepared for anything and that Kallaxia agreed and remained vigilant.
And Nocturnal would have to be too. In pairs and with a show of hands, they made a watch plan for the coming nights so that one could always sleep.
It was going to be pretty rough.
But Nocturnal was good things for bad game.
He knew that Kallaxia could count on.
In addition, it was also an advantage that she nourished herself on love. If you mix anything in the food, only Nocturnal would be affected.
His hope was simply that they wanted the slaves undamaged. That would significantly improve your chances.

The next morning, very early.

The mattresses were uncomfortable, but Nocturnal had slept on worse.
The breakfast wasn't really nutritious or tasty either.
Fortunately, Kallaxia didn't have to eat that.
The earth pony mare was still at the bar, still dressed scandalously and still cleaning a glass.
However, if she moved ...
Nocturnal pricked up his ears. He could hear it very well.
Slave shackles were made around their hindlegs to tie them to the bar, Nocturnal was quite sure of that. That explained why nobody put away the drinks glasses
Kallaxia took over and joined the bar. It was relatively quiet there at this time of day, so she started talking to the mare.
Not long, but apparently long enough to get some information out of it.

"We are in very, very serious difficulties."

"Any non-unicorn is enslaved and sold?"

"Yes, but not only within this barrier, but also outside of Equestria, especially in a southerly direction and Griffonia ... Only the lucky ones stay here."

That brought Nocturnal's blood to a boil, and he was only able to control himself with great difficulty. He could not afford to freak out.
Not now.
together with Kallaxia he went out on the streets, where they were already expected by the guide from the day before.

"Ah there you are. Nice to see you. How was the night?"

"Quite eventful. We lay down ... in beds! Instead of hanging upside down under the beam! It was quite strange."

Nocturnal had to control himself not to laugh, but Kallacia was proficient at telling lies and deflating them.
She only raised an eyebrow when the unicorn walked ahead in a fake laugh and showed her around, pointing to each building and explaining a little something.

Chapter 10

View Online

In a village where things are not right

There really seemed to be a fixed herachie in the village.
The unicorns hadthe control, everyone else was trapped inside the barrier and enslaved.
Most of the non-unicorns wore collars, a few, mostly pretty mares, had less noticeable bracelets in noble materials, but they clearly indicated that they belonged to someone, similar to handcuffs, only without the chain in between.
And Nocturnal really had to try not to just draw his sword and attack the unicorns.
Anger boiled in him
And the edge of his field of vision was slightly red.
Since Sombra had told him what the red rage was he could feel it more clearly.
A curse ... a damn curse.
it also seemed as if the red rage was also feeding on the feelings that had now germinated again in him.
No matter what he had missed in his rage, it seemed to have cured him of the condition Hellria had imposed on him.
Something good, after all
But he wouldn't mind mixing up some of the unicorns.
The thought alone was so tempting, how he simply slashed these snobs and the blood filled the gutters of the streets.,,
Nocturnal shook his head clear again. These thoughts were strange and yet they seemed to be part of him.

"Is everything ok?"

Kallaxia, as Midnight, looked at him worried. she could feel something was wrong with him.
He couldn't hide his feelings from her.
Even if he tried, she would taste what was going on inside him.

"I am feeling a little upset, that is all. thou will see once we get rid of these ... monsters ... I will be better."

Your lead unicorn nodded enthusiastically, and turned around, giving a polite bow.

"That would be very welcome. Those vamponies and wereponies are a real nuisance."

The two followed and had everything shown. However, both noticed the looks they were drawing to themselves. Interested look as if one were ...
like examining the goods at an auction.
The two were demonstrated and offered!
No one would touch Kallaxia, Nocturnal swore that by the moon!
Anyone who dared ...
A comforting hoof rested on his shoulder.

"Is everything really all right? You seem unusually angry."

Nocturnal closed his eye and took a deep breath. No, something was absolutely wrong.
He wanted murder.
Don't fight, murder.
That was against his order. If you fought because you had or had a goal, never for fun.
He looked at her and shook his head in rejection .

"I think I will have to retire later for meditation. Clear my mind. I haven not done this for far too long."

"Oh, I didn't even know that Batponies did that! It's fascinating!"

Nocturnal glanced at the unicorn that had interrupted him.

"Not all do, but I learned under a unicorn. Besides the sword art he taught me, he also taught me the importance of keeping mind and body in harmony. Something I have had problems with lately, to be honest be."

"oh you once served under a unicorn?"

"We were brothers in arms, but that was a thousand years ago now..."

The unicorn laughed.
It laughed at him.
how dare he!

"A thousand years? I didn't even know that I was dealing with a princess here."

Nocturnal was dabai to draw his sword, but kallaxia stood close to him so that he couldn't.

"Didn't you know that we Batponies can get that old? We are children of the night, and receive a part of Nightmare Moon's power. We are absolutely loyal and determined. And we are long-lived. All thanks to Nightmare Moon."

This lie was an exaggeration. but it seemed to be effective.
The unicorn now looked at the two with curiosity.

"I thought you were fighting for money."

"We do that too. But our loyalty belongs to our order. As in any other profession, money is only the payment of work."

Damn Kallaxia was good.
Noctunral admired her all the more.

"I See. What would one have to do to win your services?"

"Everyone has to find out for themselves, otherwise there's no fun, right?"

Kallaxia grinned with a grin that fit both faces, Mindnights and Kallaxias.
A hunter's smile

In the evening

In the evening, Nocturnal and Midnight noticed the first attempt by these unicorns to outsmart them.
Instead of letting them face the shield to fight the supposed monsters, they were kept inside.
As it turned out, the barrier was almost always closed, unless one of the unicorns left the village.
And what you could see on the outside was clearly everything, just not what it should be.
Nocturnal took the opportunity to sit down relaxed and close his eyes.
For him there was nothing but breathing in the moment while Midnight kept watch.

Noctunral could feel her nervousness. He was sure that she felt uncomfortable.
He also felt uncomfortable being trapped in the middle of the enemy camp.
Enemy camp?
That described the situation quite well.
The two of them couldn't really do anything against magic.
And the non-unicorns probably wouldn't be able to help. too intimidated, or too weak to resist.
Somehow you have to kindle the fire of resistance.
Yes, that would be the best.
And then blood could flow freely.
Nocturnal hit his head to get that thought out of his head.
Whatever the black magic of Sombra was supposed to do, it was really good at it.
Hopefully he wouldn't lose control.

At night.

It was only a small noise but it was enough to wake Nocturnal.
a suppressed gurgle or something like that.
What he saw first made the blood freeze in his veins, then it boiled.
Full of anger, he jumped up and in the direction of two unicorns who were trying to push something over Kallaxia's snout.
As fast as a shadow he jumped against the two attackers, caught one on the shoulder and the other in the face.
Kallaxia was on the floor looking dazed but otherwise okay.
Just as he was about to check on her, she lifted her hoof and with the help of her changeling thelekinesis she threw the sword to Nocturnal, who turned with it, beheaded one unicorn, and staked the other almost completely.

A small growl was heard from nocturnal as the blood flowed down the sword between his teeth.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on not losing control.

"How are you? are you okay?"

The kallaxia asked him that showed how bad things were for him.
Gently he let the impaled body slide to the floor so as not to make any more noise.
The house remained silent.
And outside it was also quiet.
these two must have thought that they would have had an easy time of it.

"No, I am not okay. Because ofwhat happaning with Sombra, I feel the red rage more and more clearly and more strongly ..."

"I see that and it scares me. I don't want to lose you."

"If it gets worse, promise me that thou will kill me. I do not want to become a puppet. And especially not if that means attacking ponies out of my mind."

Kallaxia hesitated, then nodded.

"I will still try to get you out of your condition first. Only when it is absolutely necessary ... I will kill you."

Nocturnal gave a small smile and sat down, almost falling down.
He sighed deeply and took a few deep breaths to get his anger under control.

"I'll hide the bodies. You stay here and clean up."

That was a very good idea from Kallaxia, and he saluted her in a mock way.
Then he began to wipe up the blood that was scattered on the floor.

the next morning. heavy snowfall

The village was in an uproar.
The two bodies were found relatively quickly, but there was no trace of what exactly had happened or who was responsable.

"Is that your work?"

A group of angry unicorns stood in front of the two batponies.
they looked at each other unsuspectingly, whereupon Kallaxia stepped forward to answer.

"No, we were in our accommodation all night. Perhaps a vampony or werepony made it into the barrier?"

They had made up this excuse beforehand.
Use ther own lie against them and play dumb.
it seemed to be working.

"It would be possible ..."

The sound said it all. This mayor, or whatever he was, thought that one of his other unicorn subordinates might have killed them.
It would surely fit in nicely with this corrupt slavervillage.
Oh how much Nocturnal now wished to be able to strike them all down.
But there were too many.
well over 30 unicorns.
But it looked like there were at least twice as many of the other tribes.
Maybe that would be enough to start a revolution.
Or maybe more of the unicorns had to die first.
Nocturnal liked the idea.

Back in the accommodation.

"Hurry, we don't have much time."

It was the earth pony mare behind the counter.

"you are in danger! the unicorns here want to enslave you. my master is dead now, that means I will probably be sold to the next soon. I need to warn you! Find a way out as soon as possible!"

"We will not leave the village without liberating everypony."

"You are crazy! They will enslave you too and ..."

The mare broke off and looked quickly at the counter when two unicorns entered.
It was the leader of the village and a thug guy.

"Well, well, you shouldn't reveal the surprise! Now we have to get the batponies ..."

Kallaxia interrupted him

"How much for this mare? I like her fur and her mane. Certainly will serve my Stallion and me well."

The mare whimpered and quickly ducked away.
The unicorn looked astonished at Kallaxia, but then laughed.

"you are not unicorns, you cannot have possessions! you are inferior to us!"

"This may be..."

Kallaxia went to the unicorn and made him beautiful eyes, sounded seductive and came so close to him that Nocturnal was almost jealous.

"... but we are hunters. We could bring in far more slaves if we are free. And we don't want a large payment either. This mare and this inn, a few supplies. As we noticed, it was the owners who died anyway."

The unicorn was clearly too distracted from kallaxia. Only after blinking a few times did he register what she was suggesting.

"you want to move out and bring us more, for a mare you like? and this shabby inn?

"Yes. We enjoy the hunt. We live from it. And there is no bad place here. We could even take on the role of the vamponies. And the little one there becomes the face of the Inn while we hunt ponies in the woods night after night. who got lost and are driving them here. "

Nocturnal had no idea where this was going, but let her do it.
Kallaxia knew how to lie, that much was clear.
The unicorn thought about it.
It was a strange offer.

"Deal. But for your freedom you have to get a monthly quota, is that clear?"

"As you wish, boss. And we see the cute mare as a deposit"

"It's a bargain!"

both hit their hooves, and that the deal was sealed.
Both talked briefly about a few details, while Nocturnal sat at the bar and looked at the mare with his good eye.
She was trembling and scared.
Understandable.

After the leader of this village had finally left, Kallaxia also sat down at the counter.

"Say, mare, can you dance?"

The mare dropped a glass in shock, which broke on the floor.

"I'm so sorry Mistress! I didn't mean to...!"

Kallaxia put her hoof on the mare's lips, looked at her seriously.

"I was just kidding. You are now under our protection and are free to move around in here. We keep the illusion alive. Don't worry, Nocturnal here is an excellent swordscolt and I'm better."

"We will talk about that again."

They both laughed briefly, then took the mare's chains off the bar. She looked down in disbelief, then pointed to the collar.

"can that go away too?"

"not yet but soon."

The mare nodded in understanding.
One free, only what? Sixty left?
At least they now had a chance to get out and a safe base of operations.
Nocturnal looked at Kallaxia in admiration.
Yes she was a liar, but damnd, she was good. Until she had said it, that she had only faked the whole thing, he had believed her.

"At some point thou have to show me how to lie as well as thou can."

"Oh, I didn't lie. The moment I said that, I meant that too. That's not lying, it's acting. In my family that's the alpha and omega."

"I understand. When you said up front you want this mare for us there you have ..."

"I imagined how exciting that would be, yes."

He said it over and over and still did it just as often. he had to stop underestimating Kallaxia.
Instead, he began to smile and kiss her tenderly.
He felt how she nourished herself on his love, but that was welcome to him.
It calmed him down, made him cool, and all his anger was gone.
For the moment at least.
Hopefully he could control himself long enough
He would see.

Chapter 11

View Online

It was just evening.

The leader of the unicorns stood at the barrier with Kallaxia and nocturnal. Nocturnal looked at kalalxia. She would go out and "hunt" first. Nocturnal was to be left as a deposit.
At first it was planned the other way around, but Nocturnal had convinced kallaxia that it was better this way around.

"See you later."

"I will wait here for thee. I Promise"

Kallaxia smiled and then slipped through a small hole that the guard made for her. With a flap of her leathery wings she took off and was in the air in no time, flew like a gruesome shadow in front of the rising moon.

"Let's hope she comes back for you."

"I am sure she will. I entrust my life to Midnight."

"Yes you do."

With these words the unicorns went back again.
Nocturnal paused at the barrier for a moment before he started up again.
His destination was the small inn that now belonged to him and Kallaxia.
Inside the earth pony mare was waiting for him and was nervous about keeping the cover upright.
A few unicorns were there, and Nocturnal could guess that these weren't regular guests.
These unicorns were watchdogs.
He didn't care.
when he was in the middle of the room, he spoke loud and clear and without turning around.

"Mare, come with me. I need relaxation while I wait for my beloved."

The earth pony mare whimpered briefly, then put the glass away and followed him upstairs to the upper floor that they had now moved into.
In the bedroom, Nocturnal sat down at a table. It was the only room that was equipped in such a way that it was almost soundproof. As soon as the door was closed, it became quiet.
Nocturnal let out a low sigh and sank back into his seat.
Only then did he notice that the mare was a bit insecure, and obviously a little ashamed

"What is the matter?"

"I was often in here with my old master to ... to ..."

Nocturnal raised his hoof.
He really didn't have to hear that now.

"I am sorry to have to hide thou in here. But this is the safest place. What is thee name actually?"

"My name is Orchid Charm... and it's been a long time since someone asked me for my real name."

Nocturnal began to smile, a gentle smile as he looked at her.

"I promise you that I will keep thou as much sorry as possible as long as thou are under my protection"

Orchid started to smile but was still unsure of what it seemed.
She probably just didn't know what to do.
Nocturnal definitely knew.
he closed his good eye and sighed again, before he started to doze.
It was hard to relax with a nervous mare in the room who really didn't know what to do.
But Nocturnal needed that sleep.
As much as he missed the nights, he had to adapt to this sleep rhythm or he would have to find a way to protect his wings from the biting cold.
And Kallaia had a harder time. He wondered how she would keep warm now that it was slowly getting dark outside.
And colder.
He was worried now.

outside

Chrysalis, it was cold here
Ponies didn't even know how nice they were with their fur.
It was better she found a cave and would warm up briefly.
to her regret, she found a cave and in it was a young stallion, about to freeze to death.
He had piled up firewood, but the evidence showed that he had not been able to light it.
She would use her magic to make a fire, but she didn't risk giving herself away.
So she used her sword and a flint.
The young stallion hardly noticed it and was trembling violently, but when the fire was on, he opened his eyes.
He saw Kallaxia and tried to slide away, but there was only the rock wall behind him.

"Take it easy. If I had wanted to do something to you, I would just have had to wait a little longer. I'm Midnight."

"Lost Track ... thanks ... for the fire ... but .. aren't you a vampony?"

Midnight laughed heartily at the statement and wiped a tear away.

"Only sometimes. And even if I wouldn't drink anything that's as cold as you are. It's bad for your teeth."

Her laugh made the stallion a little calmer.
He quickly realized that she was just kidding.

"Do you know anything about a village nearby?"

The question came unexpectedly for Lost Track.
He had to think about it first.

"Just stories about a village under a dome."

Midnight nodded.
After all, it was known that there was a village there.

"I have an inn there. Would you like to come with me?"

She knew what she was doing and it felt wrong.
But she had to maintain cover.

"That sounds good! What does the night cost?"

"Not much. Come on, I'll give you one room."

The two trotted off together.

In the little inn

Nocturnal awoke from his sleep when he noticed something.
A body lay cuddled to his right that had nothing in common with Kallaxia or Midnight in.
This body was much stronger, was much heavier and also a little ... warmer?
When he turned his head he saw Orchid leaning against him.
She was sound asleep and seemed safe.
Nocturnal sighed, he couldn't blame her. She had been enslaved.
She sought protection.
and she found protection with him.
He let her snuggled up against him.
Those cursed unicorns ...
One swipe and he could wipe out so much evil at once. he just had to hit the throat and let them bleed out slowly, watching them squirm on the floor.
He could literally taste the blood on his blade and the whole area could be colored red with blood as if the snow outside was lava!
Calm down!
Calmdowncalmdowncalmdown.
He took a few deep breaths.
His field of view had turned dangerously red for a moment.
He rubbed his left eye with his free hoof.
Nocturnal could feel how it was getting harder to control each time.
How long could that go on?
A new fear seized him. what if he lost himself?
That made him shudder.

"Is everything okay with you? I'm ... sorry that I threw myself so against you."

"Ah is okay. I have not noticed until just now. I just hope my mare does not see it or she will pull my ears out longer."

He then laughed softly, and Orchidee began to laugh too.

"Is that why bats have ears for so long?"

"Among other things. In addition, our mothers pull us by the ears when we do not want to fly."

Another laugh.
And a third voice joined in.
Both looked at the door where Midnight was written.
Orchid jumped up in a panic and landed hard on all four hooves.

"Oh shush little one, I trust my bat far enough. Nothing happened ..."

"Absolutely nothing, except that she snuggled up to me while I was sleeping."

"Understandable. You are so fluffy and absolutely cuddly. And after a cold night outside I will take away all the body heat that you have."

Midnight snuggled up against him and he could feel the cold on her fur. and when she kissed him she took some of his love to strengthen herself. He gladly let it happen.
She needed it and he had it.

somewhere far away

A letter arrived for Twilight Sparkle, asking for it to be forwarded to the princess.
It was a letter from Kallaxia

Twilight,

I am writing this to you in the darkest hour.
Nocturnal and I are in a village that shields itself from the outside world. Unicorns rule there and everypony else is enslaved.
We need help to free them.
The princesses should please send some troops so that we can act better from here.

I know this is an unusual request but we have to act.

Kallaxia

"Spike! A letter to Princess Celestia. It's urgent!"

A few days later

Nocturnal was out looking for a hiding place in the woods.
It was incredibly cold.
He had hidden his wings under a coat so that he could not use them,
he wore snow goggles to protect his eyes.
Still, the cold seemed to find its way up to his skin.
and that was a good thing. That meant there would be no one else out here.
Nevertheless, he moved cautiously through the woods. not that he attracted any monsters and animals to himself.
The last thing he needed now was an angry bear, awakened from its hibernation.
luckily everything stayed calm.
Only on his way back did he notice something following him.
It always kept a precise distance and tried to be quieter than the surrounding area.
Nocturnal turned behind a rock that was there and waited for whatever might come there.
He wasn't disappointed.
A white-clad figure stepped around the corner and looked nocturnal in astonishment as he leaned against the stone and looked at it.

"I could not help but notice that I was being followed. Thou are too quiet. A bat like me will notice what is so quiet."
The pony in front of him turned out to be the Pegasus of the Royal Scout Division.
The mare, biologically older than Nocturnal, posed as Swift Shadow, and it matched her dark coat and mane.
He told her everything she needed to know for the rest of the troops.
She saluted him and confirmed that the first troops would arrive tomorrow evening, and the rest of them towards evening.
So from now on we had to wait for reinforcements.
Let's see how much they could do on their own from the inside out.

Back at the inn, he was greeted by something he hadn't expected.
A group of unicorns sat at a table with Midnight. They appeared to be playing a card game.
When Nocturnal approached and looked over her shoulder, he was surprised.
The game looked familiar to him.

"That's Poker"

The explanation didn't really help Nocturnal, but he knew the rules that were explained to him afterwards.

"I knew a similar game back in my time. was never a big fan. What are you playing about?"

"These gentelcolts here each set one of their slaves ... and I set you."

"THOU DID WHAT?"

Kallaxia smiled, patted his side a little.

"Very well, without falling back into your old language."

"Midnight, if that is supposed to be a joke, it is not really funny."

She just smiled and put cards in front of her. from the reaction of the others one could guess that they hadn't expected it and had lost all of them.
Nocturnal breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he gave her a little pat on the back of the head with his wing.
Kallaxia just laughed and rubbed the back of her head, then picked up the cards and started shuffling them with the wings.

"another round, gentlecolts? double or nothing."

The others refused and left.
But true to their word, three freed slaves came in through the door.
Two Pegasus and another earth pony.
The plan was also quickly explained to them and they were given accommodation.
A little later, Kallaxia and Nocturnal were alone in their room. Not the great pomposity, but under the roof, where they slept since day one.
It offered the best view.
and smelled less like a brothel.

"Oh, by the way. I met a soldier from the Royal Guard in the forest. We do not have to hold out much longer. And we should come up with a plan of what we are going to do."

"Well finally."

They began to put their heads together and come up with a plan. it was best to wait until the soldiers attacked and then take out the unicorns that were responsible for the barrier.
nocturnal would prefer to kill.
He didn't say it, however.
It was deep inside. he felt the pull and the urge.
The fight was approaching.
The blood would flow
The cold, clear air would soon be rich in the smell of freshly shed blood, filled with screams of wounded and dying ...
His blade would drink its fill, and so he could.
NO
Not again!
These thoughts became more and more subtle and therefore more dangerous. He had hardly noticed her this time.
He shook his head violently to get it clear again.
It couldn't go on like this.
Did he have to break off the mission he had set on himself and first seek a cure for his curse?
Was there such a thing at all?
probably not. Nocturnal had to do it alone.
or not.
A wing on his back let him know that he wasn't alone.
Kallaxia's worried face also proved that he was far from alone.
He had found something that he had never thought possible.
It was not hate that should drive him, but his love for kallaxia.
He nodded weakly to her.

"I don't know if I can keep myself under control in the coming battle. Please keep an eye on me"

Kallaxia smiled openly and warmly at him.
Neither Celestia's sun nor Luna's moon could hold a candle to her at that moment.

"I am always with you, my beloved. And I will always take care of you. The moment I see you losing control I will carry you out of the battle."

Nocturnal smiled at the words and lowered his forehead against her chest

"thank thee my beloved."

He would not fall to darkness. He would always be guided by Lunas Moon, and Kallaxias Smile.
At least that was his hope

Chapter 12

View Online

The evening of the next day came, the air was full of energy...

Nocturnal could sense it. An itch in the corner of his mouth.
a horrible smile spread, and he looked excitedly out of the window.
The battle would come soon.
And with the battle came the blood.
Sweet, sweet blood.
He grimaced, only a frustrated frown remained from his grin when he closed his good eye.
when he opened it again, he looked skyward.
this curse became more and more of a problem. And every day Kallaxia could feel its effects too.
It made his love, which it fed on, so much more bitter.
Still, she would stay with him.
He knew that and she knew that.
Until the bitter end if it had to be.

"Are you feeling worse again?"

Nocturnal didn't have to look over her shoulder to know that she was giving him a worried look. He could feel her gaze resting on him.
His wings stretched as far as he could, then folded them back in before turning around.
His cloak billowed and lay flat on his back.

"I am getting weaker. The red rage is getting stronger and I am losing more and more of myself."

Lying was pointless when dealing with a master liar. Besides, it would be a very cold and dark day if he condescended to lying to his comrades. And the same was even more true of Kallaxia.
She came to him and nuzzle him tenderly, cuddled up to him and closed her eyes.
That calmed him down and he was tempted to close his eye for a moment.
But only tempted.
Everything in him suddenly screamed "danger", and when he turned around he could see what was going on.
At the edge of the barrier there was a first fight.
The Royal Guard used all sorts of tricks to break the barrier, but it didn't seem too easy. Worse, the unicorns seemed to be counting one and one together and made their way to the inn.

"Oh what a pleasure! We soon have visitor! Do thee think, we should give them a fitting greeting."

With a single swift movement, his sword was in a combat stance, and Kallaxia did the same. They both ran towards the window, and it broke out in a magical wave as Kallaxia prepared the way for them.
What a joy, now it came to a fight!

"We have to get through this barrier! Immediately!"

The commander of the attacking Royal Guard paced up and down while his unicorn unit tried to break the barrier.
But that was not as easy as expected.

"Sir! There is fighting within the dome!"

The commander let a pair of binoculars float to him and looked through, saw on the inside how two bat ponies armed with swords stood against the unicorns. Their red cloaks were blowing in the wind and he could see the blood these two fighters were shedding.
Nevertheless, it was clear that these two were not attacking, but only defending.
Granted, defending them meant the attackers were killed, but that was fine with him. Less resistance later.

Left, right, left, left, crouch, roll sideways.
The whole thing was more and more like a dance.
And Nocturnal's brain knew the steps.
Right, sword around and stab.
Again one of these enemies was missing and it only took a few steps to get back on the ground.
Kallaxia also moved like a dancer across the battlefield, with an elegance that was unparalleled.
In contrast to her fight with hellria, in which she had been driven by anger and hate, she was now in her element and nocturnal enjoyed seeing her spinning around, using her wings to change direction in flight.
Yes, if the order still existed, it would certainly have become a dancing blade.
The black of the capes would have gone very well with her.
a magical beam reminded him to turn his attention to the enemy.
Stab, twist, hit the side with the hoof and ... that had been the opponent's throat.
Another fallen.
If nochturnal had known how easy it would be, he would have started to cause a masacre much earlier.
No, now was not the time to lose control, even if the blood that ran down his blade called for him so incredibly seductively.
He couldn't lose control.
Not so close now with kallaxia. and only when the Royal Guard was inside the barrier to stop him if necessary.
The smell didn't make it any easier.
The fresh blood reminded him of numerous fights, victories, defeats ...
and suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his side.
He had allowed himself to be distracted.
And the price was an icicle that had been rammed into his side with the help of telekinesis.
When he took a look at the side and was expecting a pile of blood, he took a deep breath. The icicle was broken without penetrating, the damage was blunt in nature and it was not bleeding.
Lucky it wasn't a dagger.
He looked at the unicorn that had tried to kill him with ice.
He hadn't seen anything weak and dishonorable like this for a long time.
He stood menacingly over the stallion lying on the ground. A wound in his side showed that his reaction was touched by despair rather than really thinking about what he was doing.
It made no difference.
With a quick movement, nocturnal's sword found the throat of the stallion lying on the ground and sank deep into it until the sword on the other side severed the cervical vertebrae and thus ended the suffering of this unicorn stallion.

'Luna help me, I felt far too much satisfaction to kill this rather defenseless enemy...'

Part of him, however, hoped that Luna wouldn't watch.
It would only make him a monster, he was as sure of it as the sun had risen.
To his surprise, however, he noticed that the voice that asked him to kill had become quieter. and less demanding.
So it only took a fierce battle to curb him?
no, it wouldn't be that easy, he was sure of that. The right mix of control and violence was still needed.
he felt it.
Both set out to attack the unicorns that created the barrier. Once they got rid of those unicorns the barrier would collapse.
But just as they were working their way forward, chaos broke out. The captured ponies began to rebel, which led to the two of them now having to watch out where they hit with their swords.
It took much longer to make up the ground now that they had to find their way. The Pegasi made sure that lightning struck everywhere, earth ponies tore down buildings that blocked the streets.

"That will be really exciting."

Kallaxia smiled at Nocturnal and Nocturnal smiled back. When he was about to take off, a lightning bolt struck near the two of them.

"We can not take the risk of flying. The only way left is the way over the ground."

Kallaxia nodded and they looked for a path that was not blocked, in which there was less fighting and which protected them from the heavy thunderstorms that triggered the Pegasi.
When they finally got there, they raised their swords and pointed them at the group of unicorns.
To their surprise, they immediately gave up and dropped the barrier, lifting their hooves into the air.
The fighting broke off as quickly as the barrier collapsed.

Shortly after the fighting

The surviving unicorns got a strange ring on their horns, whereupon they probably no longer worked, and were led away.
the slaves who had not yet run away or were injured were provided with blankets and food, those who had run away were looked for by the Royal Guard.
It was still very cold.

"That would be a good fight that you delivered in here. In all of my time in the Royal Guad I have never seen two ponies fight like this."

"My fighting style is getting a bit old. But I am happy that I was able to show the guards of Princess Celestia something that they did not know yet."

The commander of the troops smiled as Nocturnal said this and looked at him closely.

"I think I remember you. You were in the streets during the battle for Canterlot, fighting changelings and defending the hospital. Heard about it in the barracks. The boys said that a Batpony in a red cloak and with strange language habits was almost there single-handedly held off the changelings long enough for them to be evicted. "

"That is correct. I am a Nocturnal Wanderer, and both the last of the orriginal Wandering Blades and swordmasters of the newly formed Order of the wandering Blades."

he bowed formally to the commander

"Always at the service of the princesses."

The commander bowed just as formally and then began to organize his troops again.

Orchid came to the two of them.

"What will become of me and the others? Some of us have no place where we can go. Or we don't want to go back."

Nocturnal looked at Kallaxia, and she looked at him. then she started smiling.
Nocturnal smiled too.

"We will convert the Inn into a barracks, and also train wandering blades here. In winter it is too cold here to move on anyway. So we will overwinter here and everyone who wants to can come and learn our sword fight. So this never happens again. We will stay in this village for so long. So if thee want, we can take this eyesore and make it something thou all need. A real home. "

The freed slaves looked at each other. a few didn't seem to think about it, but there were a few volunteers who would stay and turn this village into a real commune. and there were also those interested in martial arts and the order.
And while the new residents of the village began to clean up, Kallaxia and Nocturnal went back to their inn and soon barracks. It was a longer break than planned, but both knew that the winter months on the way would be too hard. and there was work here.
So... why not?

A letter to Twilight Sparkle and friends

Twilight,
We would like to thank you for forwarding our message to Princess Celestia. We found out about the Lost Track, the stallion who received the message from Kallaxia and passed it on, is well back with his family, which we are very happy about. We are also happy to report that the village has been liberated.
It got the name Freedom's Light.
We will hibernate here and set up a branch of the Wandering Blades, similar to that in Horseshoe End.

The Royal Guard has already suggested setting up an outpost here and laying a railway line for it. in a month or two (depending on the weather) there could be a new station here.
Feel free to visit us if you want.
But be warned it's very cold up here.

Greetings from Midnight and Nocturnal.

PS .: please also write our thanks to the princess, yes? she is also cordially invited to come over here.

PPS .: The red rage got worse for a while. Could you look for a counterspell, please? or after a potion that might help?
Thank you, your friend Kallaxia / Midnight

Twilight smiled a little as she read these lines. Fortunately, everything turned out well. At least nothing indicated that it was really difficult.
And a little trip to the north would be fun.

"Spike. A letter to the princess."

Spike nodded and, with quill and scroll, immediately got ready to compose the letter Twilight dictated to him

In Freedoms Light, a couple of months later

True to there word, the Royal Guard had set up a small outpost, along with a train station and tracks.
And the first train came with urgently needed building materials, food and ... visitors.
Kallaxia, again at midnight, saw the six joy and the small jaws coming out of the train and hugged one after the other.

"Twilight! And all of our other friends! Nice that you could set it up! I have to admit that I was a bit surprised when your letter arrived this morning that you come over today. I came right here afterwards to pick you up."

after giving Spike a hug, too, she was going ahead

"Come on, I'll show you everything we've built in the few months."

There was now a picket fence around the village to protect against wild animals. The outpost of the Royal Guard nestled against it on the inside to take up as little space as possible. Actually only the train station was outside this fence.
Inside there was a lot of life as workers unloaded the train and loaded ores from a nearby mine. The trade slowly picked up.

"It is amazing what you have built in such a short time!"

"Wouldn't it? Without the others it wouldn't have been possible. Come, follow me."

She proudly showed the school that had been built, and other new buildings, such as a small library, wich would have been raided by Twilight almost instantly if not all of her friends had stopped them.
The biggest surprise was the inn. It was now a small, defensive fortress with a training area. There were just eight ponies practicing sword fighting on dolls, while Nocturnal sat silently and meditated.
The red rage was back, but by now Nocturnal believed he had it under control thanks to meditation and a task that he had to cope with
All in all, things seemed to be going very well.

"Twilight! Rarity, Appledash, Rainbow Jack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet thou again! And of course nice to meet thee again, Spike!"

Everyone giggled at Nocturnal's name slipup.

"Nice to meet you again, friends. It's been a long time since we met"

"Okay, training over for today, Blades. You are making great strides and I am proud of each and every one of thou."

He bowed to his students, and they bowed to him.
They all disappeared inside the inn, while nocturnal went to the others with a big smile.
It was a pleasure indeed, and he too hugged each one with a big smile.

Chapter 13

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One cold winter later

If he had been told at the beginning that he would stay in this village for a whole winter he would not have believed it and might even have laughed. Nocturnal had never been in one place that long.
But the time had passed in a flash.
With the help of meditation he had been able to keep his anger under control, his sword school had developed well and the recruits learned quickly and efficiently.
Kallaxia helped him as best she could.
But as the days got longer it was time to leave again.

"Orchid, I want thee to lead the barracks. thou sword fighting skills are impressive, and thou have learned everything I have thrown at thee. I entrust thou with the future generations of our order. Always remember to fight with honor and to teach with pride . "

Orchid beamed across both cheeks as he handed her a red robe. In addition to the golden rim on the robe, a small badge had been embroidered on it, something that Rarity had suggested for the new generation of wandering blades.
He liked it a lot and that's how it was implemented.

"I'll make sure everything goes smoothly, Swordmaster Nocturnal."

She bowed to him and exuded energy all the time. Something that pleased Nocturnal more than anything.

"Take care while Midnight and I are on the way. When we are finished we will come back, then thou can go for thou first wandering."

A little later, Nocturnal and Midnight were on the outskirts of the village, the last of them said goodbye with a hug and a word of thanks.

And finally they were on their way. There was still some snow up here, but it wasn't as cold as it was in winter. And the sun was just setting.
Finally, the night would be his time again.
Nocturnal took a deep breath. the air was so fresh and so clear, if a little cold.
Midnight smiled thinly and joined his side. she didn't want to drop her disguise yet.
Both looked into each other's eyes, smiling briefly, Npcturnal leaned over to her for a kiss, then they started walking. An old destination in front of your eyes, to the west, and a few days' walk away.
Unless the next village had a surprise in store for them, which is why they would stay there for a few months.
but that was highly unlikely.
As the darkness enveloped them both, however, Nocturnal noticed a pettiness.
Kallaxia hadn't removed her disguise as Midnight.
he looked at her inquiringly, and she understood immediately, looked a little ashamed of the floor.

"I thought you might find me ... more attractive. Than my normal form."

"Yes, that's partly correct. But I love thou natural shape just as much. thou are the same mare under that face. And it's thou character that I love more than anything else."

Kallaxia smiled and the green flames enveloped her, turning her back.
They continued their way through a forest, which nocturnal gave a shiver down your back.
Something wasn't natural here, or it seemed like it to him.
and more than once his instinct said they were being followed.
and he was right. a little further behind you something moved in the bushes and looked after you with a crazy look in its eye

Just before sunrise.

The nights were still very short and, like months before, both always looked for shelter in a cave.
This time it was a small cave, but with little effort and thanks to kallaxia's magic, both could quickly expand the shelter so that both had comfortable space under one roof.

"I am on the first watch, okay?"

Kallaxia nodded and yawned as she lay down, hugging him while he sat by the fire and sharpened his sword.
Kallaxia didn't mind. In fact, it was quite comforting.
To know that he kept his sword so sharp and free of nicks proved, for her at least, that he was at the point and would keep an eye out.
If not he would cut and injure himself and that would tear him out of his thoughts at the latest.
What Kallaxia hadn't noticed until now was that Nocturnal felt watched and followed.
He wasn't sure what it was but it was better than the Royal Guard Scout months before.
It wasn't pony.
At the same time, it felt familiar.
Something that made him restless.
Nevertheless, he made sure that Kallaxia could sleep peacefully.
His eye wandered to her and he looked at her for a while.
He especially noticed her hoof.
Since the thing with Sombra months ago, Nocturnal always felt guilty when he saw the wounds she had inflicted on himself when his primitive, bloodthirsty self had taken over and refused to eat.
Sure she got all the love she wanted from him, but he was happy to give it to her.
She didn't have to do this for him. But she had done it and he would never be able to repay her.

"You are a danger to her ..."

Where did that come from?
Nocturnal looked around carefully but couldn't see anything. Nothing moved either.
He looked at kallaxia again.

"Whenever you lose control you will go after her. You ought to leave her. Then she would be safer."

He heard that voice, but where did it come from? it was omnipresent and seemed to come from everywhere at once.
was it in his head?
once more he looked around.
Kallaxia didn't seem to hear her, or she was just sleeping too soundly.

"All your efforts will be nullified by this curse. Even more, you bring shame to your order."

He closed his good eyes again and concentrated on his breathing.
Maybe it was the curse that spoke to im.
He always had to keep his thoughts together otherwise the curse would win and that was the last thing he wanted to allow.
The fact that he wasn't looking helped him to hear the voice more clearly. it came from outside, somewhere behind him. or very close to his ear.
No, it had to be an imagination.

In a dream

After the change of guard, nocturnal fell asleep as usual.
It was unusual that he met himself in a dream.
Well, not really himself. That in front of him looked like himself, but that's where the similarities ended. It was bigger, looked wilder, its hooves were clawed.
Long claw fingers came out of the wings and the teeth were unnaturally long.

"Hello Nocturnal. It's about time that I finally get strong enough to take over your dream world."

"Who are thou? What are thou doing in my head?"

Only when he had asked the question did an illumination come to him.

"Thou are my other me, are thou not?"

The laughter this creature uttered was confirmation enough.
It began to rush towards him and, since it was a dream, Nocturnal conjured up a sword. His conscious dreaming still worked.
A little hope arose when he thought that he might be able to free himself from this curse by simply knocking this creature down in front of him.
He stormed in front of but already this pass he realized that he had made a mistake. the creature lifted its hoof and pierced it.
and the pain was enough to wake him up

later tomorrow

Nocturnal woke up in a deep breath and looked around briefly, confused. beside him was Kallaxia, looking at him worriedly.

"Did you sleep badly?"

Nocturnal still had to sort out his thoughts and just nodded.
That just hurt a bit for a moment. when he looked down at himself he knew he hadn't just been speared.
Relieved, he lowered his head again, but then got up.
He was too awake to go back to sleep.

"Let us move on. I can not sleep now anyway."

Kallaxia nodded and put out the fireplace before loading her things into her saddlebags.
Both got ready to go on again. If all went well, they would arrive in the next village at night or early in the morning.

"You know, Nocturnal, it feels really good to be on the road again..."

Oh Nocturnal could hear the "but" galloping closer.

"... It's really good to be outside again and to be able to be myself again..."

That had to be a really big "but".

"... And I wanted to thank you again for allowing me to accompany you. I briefly had nightmares that you would leave me behind and move on alone when we opened school."

Nocturnal looked at her in surprise, then smiled. no, no but would come with hr. she came with him because she wanted, and he enjoyed her presence because he wanted her to be there. Neither of them would ever complain about traveling.
He raised his wing and placed it over Kallaxia, pulling her close as close as the equipment would allow.

"I would never leave you behind. Thou need me and I need thee. No, that is wrong said. I want thou with me. And I hope thou want with me. There is no one I would rather be by my side than... you . "

He had to pause briefly for the "you". even if he had improved when it came to speaking, he wanted to keep it that way because Luna handled it that way too.
But Kallaxia's smile showed that he had done it right.
Also smiling, and with an easier walk, he set out to overcome further hurdles.
with her at his side he could do anything, he was sure of it.
And a little later you were faced with a hurdle.
A canyon was between them and the only bridge must have collapsed under the snow masses in winter.

"It's good that we can both fly."

Both rose into the air. Kallaxias wing buzz while Nocturnal slid over silently.
On the other hand, they could continue on their way.

Around midnight

They reached the village and went straight to one of the inns that was probably still open. When they came in, everything was full of life and people were drinking and laughing.
Nocturnal liked it here.
Part of it all reminded him of his time. The furniture was old-fashioned, the ambience was kept that way, the music was a bit too modern for his taste. He sat down at one of the tables with Midnight next to him. So both had the wall in their backs and the door in their eyes.
"Welcome to ..." began a waitress, but then dropped her trays and stared at both of them.

"Uh hello. We wanted to order something to eat and drink. And ask for a room for the morning."

"You look like Wandering Blades!"

Both looked at each other questioningly. had their call rushed ahead of them?
somehow that nocturnal could not imagine.
on the other hand, trains seemed to spread everything quickly.
The waitress started squeening and pointed at the walls with her hoof. There were pictures there, painted pictures from old times, and all with red capes or cloaks.

"Welcome to the 'Red Robe'! This inn is dedicated to an old knightly order. The Wandering Blades!"

Nocturnal almost laughed.
Chivalrous order that he didn't laugh at! They were mercenaries, not knights.

"Good mare, thou must be misinformed. The Wandering Blades were mercenaries, nay knights. We wandered around to make our money hunting monsters and fighting."

The stuta, a pegasus with yellow fur and a brown mane, looked at them both briefly in confusion, especially Nocturnal.

"Oh, I understand, you are cosplayers! No no the Wandering Blades were knights who fought their last battle against a yak raid squad in the service of Celestia not far from here."

"Then you must only have been appointed to knight after I was petrified, since I know that I was and am a mercenary."

The mare cocked her head.

"You are really good. You even came up with an interesting story for your character. And that sword looks real. Cudos for it."

Nocturnal looked confused at Midnight who had to keep from laughing the whole time.

"A cosplayer is somepony who plays a role. An actor. Except that he doesn't play in a performance, but at a festival, for example. He also doesn't have a script but acts like the character he wants to play."

Then she turned to the waitress.

"He is new to this time. His story is true. We are not cosplayers. He knows a Wandering Blade from back then and was petrified for a thousand years and has only been among the living for what? A year? Maybe a year and a half."

The mare's eyes got bigger and bigger, then she screeched in a high-pitched nocturnal that reminded her of other bats he could hear from time to time ... when they were looking for prey with ultrasound tracking.
Then the mare ran behind the counter, babbled wildly before disappearing into the back of the kitchen.
Midnight and Nocturnal looked at each other in confusion. It was so strange that they both felt reminded of Pinkie Pie.
What was going on here?
When the mare reappeared, she had a very thick tome with her. and she came down a staircase from the upper floor.
Just as Nocturnal wanted to ask if she had blown up outside, the book landed on the table and she opened it.
Nocturnal looked in disbelief, and touched the sides.
The writing in it was a relatively new code among the Wandering Blades. well, new to Nocturnal

"What is it? What does it say?"

He hadn't taught Kallaxia to do it. up to now it hadn't been necessary.

"It is a logbook ... of our order."

Chapter 14

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After the discovery

Nocturnal ran over the page of the book, always reading the date and who wrote the page, until he got to a page and stopped.
He read everything through here in more detail.

"What is written there?"

Nocturnal looked at kallaxia and began to smile slightly.

"That is the day that I was petrified. It looks like my report arrived that day too. Here it says...

Today I received a letter from one of the swordscolts.
Nocturnal Wanderer.
apparently he goes to the castle of the two sisters to fulfill a childhood dream.
Lucky stallion.
His reports are always timely and he is a very reliable fighter. I am curious whether the princesses will let him go again in the end.
He also lets us know that he is crossing an area known as the Everfree Forest, where there are apparently many magical beings and monsters whose restraint could bring some fame and glory, and a good payment on top of that. I am eagerly awaiting his next report.
Maybe he has discovered new hunting grounds.
Swordmaster Lightning Strike

Lightning Strike was one of the best swordmasters I knew. Fair and just, and he believed in the infallibility of the blade and the sunprincess. I am... i am happy to know that he received my report ..."

After that he was lost in thought and turned the pages. And as he turned the pages, the days passed.
One day after he was petrified
Two days after he was petrified
Three days...
One week...
two weeks...
Lightning Strike always wrote a little bit about the medal, then something about events, sometimes even personal.
Then in the second week Nocturnal stopped again and began to read.

"A report from Nocturnal Wanderer should have arrived a few days ago. And even if it is not unusual for the mail to arrive a little later, I would have actually expected a personal message from him regarding his visit to the Princesses. And two weeks after the face appeared on the moon we couldn't find an explanation for it. A few voices whisper about a certain Nightmare Moon and the mare in the moon ...
I will take some of my best fighters and leave for the castle of the two sisters. Maybe we will get an answer there and also find out what happened to one of ours.
Lightning strike.

He is right. I would have told him about the visit with confidence. We both knew each other for a long time. I was his squire for a week when we came here to Equestria. "

More time passed in the book. This time it was about the journey he had started.
Up to a point about four weeks after Nocturnal was petrified

"The castle was completely destroyed! The princess of the sun was apparently slightly injured and nobody knows more about the princess of the night. Nobody has seen our comrade Nocturnal either. There is chaos and the capital is being relocated to Canterlot. We wandering blades have offered them to help in the transition phase and the Royal Guard has agreed.
Nocturnal never got here.
Everfree is probably more dangerous than you thought if it didn't even make it through.
I hope he died with honor.
Lightning strike.

I ... I did not die. I..."

Tears came to Nocturnal and he put his hooves over his eyes.
All the while he had believed his comrades had been looking for him, but now it was clear to him that they had given up on him very quickly. A month after he was petrified.
Who knows how long it would have taken if they had tried a little longer?
Would he have been petrified for a thousand years?
Admittedly, this gave him the privilege of getting to know Kallaxia.
This leaned against him and hugged him carefully, whereupon he leaned against her.

"That ... I'm sorry to hear. But it's unbelievable that you can read this! I haven't met anyone who could! And if only in part! Please, can you tell me everything about this book? I am a descendant of Lightning Strike. "

The waitress pointed to an old oil painting and nocturnal vaguely recognized Lightning Strike. He looked older. But he managed to smile.

"That explains why this is in thou possession. I was wondering."

The waitress nodded wildly and then looked at him with wide eyes. Everything about her screamed curiosity, and everything in her gaze asked for more.

"What is thou name anyway?"

The waitress blushed before answering

"Oh that's right. I'm Sudden Strike. I'm thirtieth generation after Lightning Strike. Estimated...""

"The thirtieth generation? And then are his stories still known? His origins and what he did?"

Midnight sounded really surprised.
As far as she knew, much of the time had been forgotten. And that wasn't a miracle. A thousand years was long.

"My family made it a tradition to uphold the memory of him as he died in the service of Princess Celestia."

Nocturnal listened up and began reading the book again, but jumped back to the last written pages.
About ten years after Nocturnal was petrified.

"The Rote Rage is spreading. Many of my loyal followers have succumbed to this curse, others, including myself, feel the call of the blood.
Our time has come.
This pass will be our grave, this enemy our downfall.
Not because we are inferior to him.
But because he demands everything from us.
The princess's peace negotiations have failed.
There is only war ahead.
Only Blood...

The font changes here. it is no longer Lightning Strike writing.

The swordmaster has fallen. so are many of our brothers and sisters. If they have not fallen yet, they stand on the border and stop the yaks as best we can. I will give this tome to a courier who will take it to Lightning's family.
I miss the little foal of his.
She would certainly have made an excellent fighter.
That is the end of the order
Last entry, Autumn Storm.
PS: Whoever reads and understands this here. Our order has fallen.
Let our failures be a lesson to you.
And if you are a descendant of a Wandering Blade: Beware of the red rage."

All three sat at the table and stared at the last few lines.
Especially Sudden Strike.
She cocked her head and looked questioningly at Nocturnal.
He just sighed before answering

"The Red Rage is a curse, imposed on us by King Sombra .... But I only known that for a few months now. At that time we had no idea where it came from or why. And I still do not know what to do about it can. Have Thou never had the need to kill? The feeling that thou want to see blood?"

Sudden Strike said no with a shake of the head.

"Then thou are a very lucky mare. I suffer from it and I always become a wild animal. I always attack everything that has a pulse with my bare teeth, and I want blood and meat ..."

Sudden Strike swallowed audibly.
Midnight looked away sadly.
And Nocturnal turned back a few pages.
Apparently there were raid squads of the yaks besieging the villages. and the Wandering Blades answered the call of the princess and united in one of the largest gatherings that had ever existed.
What a sight it must have been!
A sea of red cloaks, a patch of black, and even armor was described! Some of the Wandering Blades had armor! Truly that must have been a spectacular.
Something else also occurred to him.
An official army was being described here, not really the order he knew.

"Can I borrow this book? I would like to know more."

"Of course, but only as long as you're here, treat it well and I also find out what's in it."

Sudden Strike smiled broadly, her wings moving into a more comfortable position, but you could tell she was excited.
Nocturnal couldn't help but smile back.

"I recognize a bit of Lightning Strike in thou. He was easy to inspire back then. I was surprised when he became the swordmaster, but he was good. His guiding principle has always been:"

Sudden Strike spoke to him without delay or uncertainty

"Teach so that you will not be forgotten and never forget where you are from. Your blade shows the way you are going, but nothing prevents you from looking back and seeing why you are following your blade"
"Teach so that you will not be forgotten and never forget where you are from. Your blade shows the way you are going, but nothing prevents you from looking back and seeing why you are following your blade"

Nocturnal's grin widened, and he drew his sword, holding it out to Sudden Strike.
She looked at it in awe and carefully took it, looked at it.

"It's a Royal Guardian's sword. Where did you get that from? Civilians are not actually allowed to own something like that!"

"It was during the Siege of Canterlot that I saw a Guard die. I took his sword and began to fight in his name. I also named the sword after him. Thundering Hooves and I are connected by his sword and that blood that we both shed. Princess Luna gave me the sword afterwards as a kind of welcome gift and as a thank you for defending the hospital."

"That is somewhat sad, but also so incredibly awesome! What is it like to be on the move as a wandering sound = and how does it feel to be here at this time?" "

Nocturnal smiled and began to tell of his experiences from then. It felt ... familiar.
All that was missing now were campfires and tents, and already it could be almost like it was back then.
of course it was different.
Next to himself Nocturnal had the mare he was in love with and who loved him. and in front of him he had a mare who was a descendant of an old friend. He would never see anyone from back then. but sometimes that wasn't bad at all.
He noticed that he was feeling better and better now, especially now that he was talking about the old days and had already lived a little in the now.
It got pretty early before Sudden Strike yawned and almost fell asleep. Kallaxia and Nocturnal fared similarly, so Nocturnal took out his bits and set them on the table

"Good mare, the best room this house has to offer."

Sudden Strike smiled thinly, sliding the bits back at Nocturnal.

"You don't have to pay anything as long as you help me translate the book. You are my guests, not my customers."

Nocturnal bowed a little to her.

"Your generosity can measure up to that of the elementbearer"

All three went up to the first floor. Midnight was so tired she leaned against Nocturnal for support the whole time.

around midday

Nocturnal woke up with Kallaxia snuggled by his side.
From the kitchen you could hear the hustle and bustle that there was always at lunchtime in such restaurants.
And it smelled so good ...
Somehow Noctunal was looking forward to spending a few days here. It would be interesting to find out a little about the last few years of the Wandering Blades.
As he got up and threw on his cloak, he noticed that Midnight was smiling at him.

"are thou hungry too?"

"and how hungry I am."

She got up and kissed him tenderly, dined on his love, and licked her lips afterwards.

"Better than any five-course meal."

Nocturnal looked a bit tired from indulging a bit more, but he smiled.
Then he went downstairs and into a full tavern. Or so it looked.
Almost like back then when it was still common
Nocturnal looked around with nostalgia and saw Sudden Strike flying back and forth between the tables, partly figuratively, partly literally
Everyone laughed and it was a very good atmosphere. There weren't even any peckish guests.
thats how a tavernvisit should be!
With a smile he slipped down the stairs and landed at an empty table.

"I wishthee a good day, Sudden. Is this table still free?"

"Yes, the table is free. I'll just clean it up quickly."

And how she cleaned him.
With a little tornade she blew everything into the air, and with a bucket she collected the crumbs and leftovers while the plates landed on the hooves.
It wasn't an easy trick, it was years of experience and perfect hoof-eye coordination.
Nocturnal applauded her.

"What can it be, noble sir?"

Nocturnal laughed heartily at the address and looked at her with a grin.

"noble sir? thee has't to mistaketh me f'r a unic'rn. I'm just a simple m'rcenary. "

Sudden's eyes widened and she began to laugh too.

"I take the daily menu twice. Once for now, once for the room. Midnight likes to sleep a little longer when we have the opportunity to do so."

"Then I'll bring the menu to her room right away."

Before Nocturnal could say anything, Sudden was on his way to the kitchen.

Chapter 15

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In a room in a tavern

Kallaxia lay seductively on the bed, in her natural form, and hoped that Nocturnal would come back soon.
she was still hungry.
And besides, she hadn't teased him a little for a long time. She wanted to have a little fun.
When the door flew open she looked over her shoulder and spoke in the most seductive tone that her suppressed laughter allowed.

"Ah, I've been waiting for... you...."

She looked at Sudden and Sudden looked at her with wide eyes.
Then she wanted to scream.
Kallaxia only had to think for a moment, used her magic to draw Sudden into the room and used her sticky spit to seal her mouth, but made sure that nothing blocked her nose.

"Take it easy, I'm not here to harm you. Take it easy ... take it easy!"

Sudden didn't take it easy. She kicked Kallaxia's stomach with full force and freed herself, racing to the door as it opened.

Nocturnal only heard a thud and felt it in his hoof as the door was thrown against it.
When he looked in he could see Sudden lying on the floor, disgusted by the door, her snout stuck shut by Kallaxia.
This sat on the bed and covered her nose to keep the laugh inside that she just wanted to get rid of.

"What is the meaning of this here?"

Kallaxia waited until the door was closed and then laughed, pointing to Sudden, who was lying on her back and looking rather dazed.

"I can't help it, she just came in. And then she crashed into the door. Poor mare, but it looked so funny how she tried to stay in the air."

Nocturnal sighed and brought Sudden to bed, starting to cool her snout and removing the sticky stuff.
Kallaxia turned back to Midnight and was about to go to get some water when she ran into a unicorn stallion who was about twice her size.
Her ears reflexively folded flat against her skull.

"Did you see Sudden?"

Nocturnal nodded and pointed at the bed with his wing.

"We were just on our way to let thee know. Sudden flew in the door when I opened it. It is just an unfortunate coincidence that this happened."

The unicorn stallion shook his head and laughed softly, mumbled something about "Typical Sudden" and "always with his head through the wall." then he was gone again. Midnight took a deep breath and then went to fetch the water.
When she came back Sudden was waking up again.

"What happened?"

"I opened the door when thou wanted to get out. i am Sorry for that."

Sudden seemed to remember, pointed to Midnight and said quietly and tonelessly a word in Nocturnal's direction.

"Changeling!"

"Yes, I know. Kallaxia and I have known each other since the Canterlot invasion. I love her since we fought for the hospital."

"and I won't hurt you. I'm sorry how I reacted. I was scared."

Kallaxia's statement caught both of them cold and they looked at her, then at each other again.

"and how do I know that you are not a changeling?"

Nocturnal didn't think twice and cut his hoof with his sword, causing his blood to come out of the wound. Red blood like any other pony. Kallaxia did the same, showing that she had greenish blood even as Midnight.
Nocturnal grimaced.
The smell of fresh blood let the voice in his head grow louder again. he could feel that he was losing control again when a hoof hit him in the side.
It was Kallaxia's hoof and she just shoved the bleeding wound into his mouth afterwards.

"There, clean up nicely. I'll explain everything to Sudden in the meantime."

she turned to Sudden again.

"We fell in love with each other. Our thoughts were both pretty much the same, and we have a similar love for night, for hiking, and for sword fighting. The reason why he is drunk on my blood like a vampony is the red rage . She is stronger in him. I joined him because I want to be close to him and since then I only take love from him. It's like a five course meal if even a little comes from him."

Sudden didn't know what to say and just looked shocked at the two of them, then the book she had lent them both.

"I am a descendant of... could this red rage in me get just as bad that I long for blood?"

Kallaxia shrugged and looked at Nocturnal.
He looked reassured again and sat with closed eye on his hounches, thought about it.
Could it get that bad for her?
probably not, otherwise there would be more cases.
but Sombra had intensified the curse in him. what if that could happen to others too?
He hadn't thought about that yet.
An unsettling thought
Nonetheless, a question that Sudden had to ask to herself.

"I am not sure. What do you think Sudden? When thee saw our blood, what did thou feel? Be honest with theeself and with us."

Sudden closed his eyes and thought hard.
A good sign that she was serious.
And it was absolutely adorable when she stuck her tongue out to concentrate better.
But after a few minutes your answer came and it was sure to come if something was upset.

"I don't think it's bad. I was curious and also a little fascinated. Is that good or bad? I mean, isn't everyone fascinated by something?"

"I agree, this is normal. But are we sure that this is within limits? Or is this just the beginning of a blood rush? Is it the Rote Rage or is it something else?"

Nocturnal opened his good eye again and looked at her, looked into her eyes, then down at her and up at her, looked at the wings.
Everything about her reminded him of back then, of the sword master. Her fur was yellow in color and her mane was brown in color similar to that of Lightning Strike.
Somehow the way she moved reminded Nocturnal of him, too.
It made him smile.

"We are looking for a solution to my problem. A removal spell, if thou will. Would thou like to join us? Would thou like to step into your ancestor's hoovsteps and become a Wandering Blade too?"

Sudden's jaw dropped, followed closely by Kallaxias
Both looked at Nocturnal, and the reactions couldn't be more different. While joy was building up in Sudden and just waiting to be released, Kallaxia's mood was rather shock. She didn't want to share her time together with Nocturnal.
But before she could object, the young mare cheered.

"I'll pack my things right away! Oh that's like when my dream comes true! I'll be a Wandering Blade!"

She stormed out of the room and was gone long before Kallaxia recovered.
Then she just looked at Nocturnal questioningly.

"Several reasons. One reason is that she reminds me of my old sword master. Another reason that I hope to lift the curse from me with her help."

Kallaxia, not satisfied but understanding, just nodded, snuggled up against him.
She didn't want to share her bat, that was clear to her now.
Was that jealousy?
Quite possible. But he only loved her and she only loved him.
It ... would be fine ...
He put his two wings around her and pressed her gently to me so that she was largely enveloped by him.

The evening on the same day

Sudden said goodbye to everyone and hugged everyone before she went to the two red-cloaked bats. They looked at her smiling and Nocturnal liked the blue cloak she had chosen.
It was reminiscent of a wrongly colored version of his cloak.

"Where are we going?"

"To where our Order fell. To the battlefield of the last stand. We pay their respects and see if we find any clues to cure the red rage. Then ... we go where these clues lead, if we find any, or we go where we like. "

He got a downright dancing routine, which astonished Kallaxia for a moment.
Sudden also looked puzzled
Only when Nocturnal turned around and saw the two of them did he say with a big grin and with his gaze directed towards the sky.

"I have not been part of a group for a long time. A small team, yes, but three of us? Not for a long time. My habits have ensured that many prefer to move around with others than with me."

"What kind of habits?"

"Travel at night, sleep in the morning, wake up around noon."

"Oh ... yes that's unusual. But I think I can live with that."

"Well then, welcome to the life of a bat. I hope thee like it."

All three laughed until they were out of reach of the village. Kallaxia, still as Midnight, looked uncertainly at Sudden.
suddenly she was ashamed of what she was.
She didn't notice it but kept walking, her eyes fixed on the night sky.

"Luna has outdone herself again, has she not?"

"Yes, she has. An unbelievably beautiful night."

Nocturnal smiled and walked on, then saw that Kallaxia was behaving a little differently.
At first he didn't realize the problem, but then he realized it.

"Sudden, would thee be okay if Kallaxia walks with us in her natural form? I do not think she wants to scare thee."

"Oh of course I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb your routine."

Kallaxia smiled and transformed into her natural form.
Sudden was immediately next to her and looked at her closely, looked at everything.

"I've never seen a changeling up close. You actually see quite ..."

"... awful? Horrible?"

"Beautiful, I wanted to say. The black of your armor, those wings that shimmer so beautifully. But the scars are not normal, right?"

Kallaxia was visibly surprised, then smiled and before Nocturnal knew it, the two talked about fur, mane, tail and other things.
He just smiled. The two would become good friends.
Something that couldn't be outweighed by any gold in the world.
Unnoticed by either of them, his trot took a light dancing step in itself and he moved slightly in front of the other two.

"You should be careful what you do. Now you have two who might die because of you ..."

That voice again ... and she was right. One wrong decision could cost two mares their lives.
And it really would be his fault!
He got serious again.
No, he wouldn't let that happen.

around midnight

Sudden yawned heartily and her eyes got heavy. Despite the fresh air, she was tired.
Nocturnal and Kallaxia were both still fit, so she tried not to show anything, so she tried to stay awake.
But walking was so exhausting.
And she also lacked the strength to fly.
In addition, her eyes constantly feel closed.
Kallaxia finally noticed half an hour later.

"We should rest. Sudden has not yet adjusted to our schedule."

Nocturnal looked over his shoulder, nodded, and slid up a tree to survey.
Nothing to see but a small clearing.

"We can camp up there."

He pointed to it and Kallaxia positioned herself under Sudden's wing, who liked to lean against her and was already half asleep at this point.
Nocturnal feared that it would be a longer rest and began to light a fire.
The clearing was big. So you don't have to be afraid that you would accidentally burn down the forest. and they would see everyone who approached them.
Sudden fell asleep leaning against Kallaxia as her torso rested on the floor. Kallaxia sighed but let it.
Nocturnal grinned at the sight and sat across from them.
Both were still talking muffled, but Nocturnal kept hearing this voice, as if it were whispering in his ear.
Why hadn't he heard her in town?
Why out here again?
Ask for a later date. Kallaxia had also fallen asleep and so he had to take over the watch.
Which gave him more time to think.
But all of his thoughts only led back to Red Rage. and to Lightning Strike.
and the book ...
to Kallaxia ...
Back to the book ...
to Sudden Strike ...
To Kallaxia ...
To Hellria ...
and finally to sky above them.
It was an incredibly beautiful, starry night.
Moment...
why to Hellria?
Why did he remember this terrible event right now? Months later?
Just as he was about to open his mouth he thought he could see her emerging from behind Kallaxia and leaning over her.
But when he jumped up and drove her away, and drew his sword, she disappeared in green smoke.
What kind of weird designs were they?
Were you just imagination?
He hoped so much

Chapter 16

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Around noon the following day

Sudden woke up and looked around.
Had you slept until noon? And where were the other two now?
Did they just leave her here?
It popped up and was about to look around when Nocturnal and kallaxia came back and were apparently talking.
Both looked at Sudden and smiled.

"Good noon, Sudden. Did you sleep well?"

"I ... yes I slept well. Where have you been?"

"We were just looking for something to eat."

Nocturnal emptied a small bag of miscellaneous food items that were relatively easy to find in the forest. Flowers, leaves, a few early fruits, roots. Nothing special, but Nocturnal started to boil a bit of water while he smiled blissfully to himself.
And within a few minutes he had made tea from various leaves and roots, which he offered to everyone.
Kallaxia gratefully accepted this tea, but Sudden looked at him a little questioningly

"That is something we liked to drink back then. We called this tea the 'blades dance'. Try it."

Sudden took a sip, and her doubtful expression quickly turned into an expression of disgust.
She jumped up and rubbed her tongue, trying to get rid of the burning taste.
Kallaxian just laughed and oh Nocturnal was giggling. They both looked at each other and shook their heads.

"That's disgusting! How can you drink something like that?"

"It's all a question of getting used to it and killing the taste buds. I actually don't know anyone who likes this tea. And when you started scraping your tongue, you performed the dance from which the tea got its name."

Nocturnal poured himself a cup of tea and drank, eye closed and reminiscing.
He could literally see it in front of him. The magician of the group who made this tea and distributed it, the old-established laughing as the newcomers tried to get rid of the taste.
His mouth twitched upwards

A very long time ago in a still unknown country.

The young stallion's eyes sparkled as he stepped from the ship onto the Land. Baltimare, a small port a little further north of the city of Manehatten. The ponies here looked a little different than expected. Very normal in fact.
here his wings would attract attention, so he hid them under the red cloak of his order.
There was little that could be done about the fangs and the eyes other than keeping them out of sight.
Everywhere he saw ponies with feather wings or with horns, much more than back then in his home country. In fact, there seemed to be a relatively equal number of all three tribes here.
It was all so exciting!

"Gehe voran, Junge, uns eilt es sehr."
("Go on boy, we don't have all day")

The mage of the group that arrived on that ship nudged Nocturnal from behind with his cane.

"Verzeihung, Magier!"
("forgiveness, mage!")

He leaned out of the way and also took the magician's luggage on himself.
Together they went to a tavern in the center of town.
"The beheaded hydra."
The name of this place seemed promising for Nocturnal. Indeed, inside there were already other groups of Wandering Blades. They had gathered here to toast together on the successful crossing over the sea.
Something that was not granted to all blades.
We knew of three ships that had sunk in heavy seas, and another had fallen victim to a sea monster.
What luck that the nocturnal was spared. He hated getting wet.
Or to be eaten.
When the magician walked in, all the blades immediately went silent and looked at him.
This looked around the room.

"Wo befindet sich der Schwertmeister? Ist er nicht hier um seinen alten freund zu begrüßen?"
("Where is the swordmaster? Isn't he here to greet his old friend?")

The magician's smile faded as everyone's eyes fell.
Nocturnal also realized what had happened.
He must be among the victims of the crossing.

"Nun den. Lasset uns einen moment unserer Kameraden gedenken, danken das Wir alle hier sind und für die nachzügler hoffen."
("Now that one. Let us remember our comrades for a moment, thanking us all for being here and hoping for the stragglers.")

The magician's horn glowed and a jug flew to Nocturnal, another to the magician.
It was tempting, but Nocturnal knew that his willpower was tested as well as his strength and endurance. Everything together would help him one day become a Wandering Blade himself.
Then he would have a squire who carried everything after him.
Although it would be more pleasant to be assigned to a swordsman.
Mages carried more books than anything else ...
and the other stuff in addition!
That was one of the moments when Nocturnal wanted to be an earth pony.

Everyone toasted and Nocturnal took a sip of the wine too.
The wine was salty, way too sweet, and probably designed to tempt you to order more.
Disgusting, as Nocturnal found.
He would prefer a good apple juice. After all, it was a week or two ago that he ate a real, undried apple. That on the ship was more uncomfortable than anything and had made him gnaw on his mattress.
The mage seemed to notice and exchanged the cup with the help of magic.

"Danke, Meister Magier!"
("Thank you, Master Mage.")

The magician nodded to him and then sat down on a chair with a loud sigh and started again to write in his notes.
Before the voyage started, one chronicle of the Wandering Blades was brought to each ship, everything copied meticulously.
And the magician had one of those books. Now it was his job to keep a book until someone of a higher rank appeared.
Another magician or swordsman worthy of being the leader.
The door was kicked open and a small group of ponies came in, laughing and staggering, but what they were wearing identified them as Wandering Blades.

"Sieh mal einer an, da sind ja die anderen! wir hatten schon befürchtet wir wären die letzten am leben. Aber wie wir sehen, haben doch ein paar überlebt! Dann werde ich das hier doch brauchen."
("Look at this, there are the others! We were afraid we would be the last ones alive. But as we can see, a few survived! Then I'll need this.")

To everyone's surprise, the newcomer took out a necklace with the emblem of the blades.
It was the leader's mark, and everyone who wore it was the one in charge.

"Ich bin Lightning Strike, und auf dem letzten wunsch unseres Anführers bin ich nun der anführer. wer ein problem damit hat solle vortreten und wir klären das wie Klingen."
("I am Lightning Strike, and on the last request of our leader, I am now the leader. If you have a problem with it, step forward and we will sort it out like blades.")

The magician gave an amused twist and turned back to the book, finished what he had started and then read it to the newcomer.

"Solange wir eine Führung haben, werden die Klingen vorankommen. Und da keiner dieses Medallion hat, außer dir, bist du es nun, der uns leitet. Ich gebe dir meinen Knappen als hilfe. Nocturnal ist eine sehr große hilfe."
("As long as we have a leader, the blades will move forward. And since nobody has this medallion but you, it is you who guide us. I give you my squire to help you. Nocturnal is a very great help.")

Nocturnal was speechless and it took a moment before he started his new assignment. He bowed deeply and gratefully to the magician, then straightened up again and accepted parade rest across from Lightning Strike.
He repeated the bow

"Ich gelobe euch treu zu dienen."
("I vow to serve you faithfully.")

Lightning Strike looked at the young stallion and began to smile.
Then he let the hind hoof click, a sign that Nocturnal was allowed to rise.

"Sag, junge, hattest du schon einen becher 'Tanzende Klingen'?"
("Tell me boy, did you already have a mug of 'Dancing Blades'?")

Nocturnal looked at him in amazement and his eyes widened. so far that it was hard to hide that he was something other than an earth pony as he wanted to pretend, or a pegasus who hid his wings under a cloak.

"nein noch nicht , mein Herr. Aber ich habe gehört dass das zubereiten dieses Tees dazu gehört eine Wandernde Klinge zu werden."
("No, not yet, sir. But I've heard that making this tea is part of becoming a Wandering Blade.")

Why everyone laughed was a mystery to nocturnal, but a little later he was sitting in front of a mug with a tea that ... took some getting used to.
But the smell and the look had not prepared him for what he tasted.
His tongue burned like he'd stuck it into a burrow of fire ants and left it there for a day.
he jumped up, spat and gasped, rubbing his hooves over his tongue to get rid of the taste.
And everyone else laughed at him!
What a shame!
As a surprise, Lightning Strike came to him, patted him on the shoulder and handed him a mug of milk.
That actually helped against the taste

"Nocturnal Wanderer. Du bist hiermit als mein Knappe angenommen. Gratulation."
("Nocturnal Wanderer. You are hereby accepted as my squire. Congratulations.")

The applause in the tavern was deafening, but Nocturnal felt like he was bursting with happiness and joy!

"Equestria to Nocturnal, please come. Equestria to Nocturnal can you hear me?"

Kallaxia's voice was concerned.
And nocturnal hadn't even noticed that he was staring into the cup with a small smile.
Obviously it had been long enough to worry the two mares in front of him.

"I am okay. Just lost in thought. It is been so long since I ..."

He broke off again, then laughed softly to himself, only then looked up again and beamed at the two mares.

"Let us go. I really want to do as much distance as possible. Adventure awaits us I can feel it. and we have to find a village with a smith. Sudden needs a sword!"

As he said this Sudden began to shine like a sun and her wings rose wide in surprise.

"Me? A sword? That would be great! But how should I pay for it? Swords are expensive. And not many smiths make them at all. Ponies usually don't need them and the Royal Guard has its own smithy"

Nocturnal just smiled and jumped up, stretching himself and his wings.
He was more than ready to go.

"We will see what it costs and if we can find one. Ever thought about a fighting style that would interest thee? Elegant, fast, or powerful?"

"Isn't there a style that unites all three?"

Nocturnal laughed, as did kallaxia.
Both drew their swords and showed them.

"It's not about the style alone. It's also about the sword. I wield a broadsword. Strong, with a lot of weight, I can quickly cut hords of opponents in half. In the fight pony against pony, when it comes to a duel, I am in disadvantage to that, if the opponent has a lighter sword. He then has speed on his side. "

"The same goes for me. I prefer speed over brute force... at least most of the time. My blade is lighter than Kallaxia hers, and so it lacks the power to break an enemy's defence. In a direct duel with Kallaxia, I am on a par with her, and I should get her tired to find a gap. When fighting with several ponies at the same time, I can quickly change my direction and shift the fight as needed. However, a skilled swordscolt or swordsmare can outmaneuver me and a strong one with a broadsword can disarm me relatively easily if he gets a good hit. If strong enough the broadsword even could break my teeth. The art of sword fighting is to find thou style, and to look for thou sword, and then to master both."

Sudden nodded and seemed to understand.
Nocturnal had already gained a bit of experience training new candidates for the wandering blades, but it was always a new challenge.
Every pony was different. and each pony needed its own instruction and guidance.
After a little thought, Sudden looked at both of them.

"And if I want to learn the third form? The elegant one? Can you teach me that too?"

"I could. Back then it was customary to learn all three art forms before deciding on one. But be warned, I am not as good at it as my in form or Kallaxia in hers."

"That will work out. If necessary, I'll have to think of something myself a little."

That was the spirit that Nocturnal loved so much in a warrior's soul!
He smiled and sheathed his sword again.

"Then off to the next village with a blacksmith who can make you a sword. Something light and elegant will certainly be found."

Chapter 17

View Online

New city, new luck

This village was bigger than Nocturnal expected.
A small town, there were several hotels, a few inns and even a rather large school.
What pleased nocturnal, Kallaxia and Sudden the most, however, was the blacksmith shop, which was a bit out of town.
To their surprise, this forge was run by a Minotaur.

"Do I understand correctly? You three are 'Wandering Blades' a mercenary force that was disbanded a thousand years ago, and you are here because this Pegasus mare wants a blade."

Nocturnal stepped forward and bowed a little before answering

"That is correct, esteemed blacksmith, and we are sure that thou can master this task. I have seldom seen a blacksmith whose shop shows so many fine goods."

It wasn't an exaggeration. Armor, spears, crockery and cutlery stood everywhere in the workshop, everything finely worked out. There were swords here too, but these were made for griffins and minotaurs.
The Minotaur looked at Nocturnal, then tilted his head a little to one side as he indicated the sword that Nocturnal wore

"This is a sword of the Royal Guard. Where did you get that from?"

Nocturnal smiled narrowly and turned around so that he could get a better look at the sword.

"I got this sword after the battle of Canterlot last year. Unfortunately, its owner died, but it has served me loyally ever since. I got it from the Princess of the Night, Princess Luna, in pony."

The minotaur raised his hand and in a silent gesture asked for the sword.
Normally, Nocturnal would decline such a request from someone like that, but blacksmiths were something special.
They made blades.
Blades that distinguished the Wandering Blades and blades that saved lives when they struck down monsters.
And blades that the blood of enemies shed.
For a moment Nocturnal could hear his other side laughing again and he closed his eye.
Meanwhile the minotaur looked at the blade, ran his finger over the edge and held it up to the light to see and check whether it was straight. Only when he gave the sword back to Nocturnal did he know he was right back at him.

"A very good blade that has been very well looked after. I can see that you understand your work."

Nocturnal was genuinely pleased with the compliment and bowed to the minotaur.
This then turned to Kallaxia, who had disguised itself as midnight again.
She also gave her sword to the minotaurs.
But this time he didn't seem entirely satisfied.

"This blade has suffered a little. Seems to have a tough battle behind it. The gashes in the metal are deep ..."

Midnight looked a little ashamed and nodded

"Indeed. I have fought some battles with more strength than intelligence, and that's why my sword has suffered."

That brought a smile to the minotaur's face.
He bowed slightly and handed the sword back to her.

"I value honesty in my customers. Now tell me what I can do for the Pegasus."

All eyes turned to Sudden, who seemed to be getting a little smaller.
It took some time before she found the courage to speak again.

"I would like something light, elegant. Something that I can move quickly with and that doesn't hinder my flying."

The minotaure nodded at her description and rubbed his chin, thinking a little about the demands placed on the blade.

"I think something can be done there. Let's talk about payment now. A blade is not cheap. There is a lot of work in it and the material is not free either."

The three ponies looked at each other. So far, Nocturnal and Kallaxia hadn't needed a lot of money and Sudden couldn't just take everything she had with her.
Kallaxia was the first to speak after a short while.

"Is there work here that would be worthwhile for fighters like us?"

The minotaur scratched his chin and thought.
What could 2 obviously experienced fighters and an inexperienced Pegasus do to earn money?

"The farmers in front of the city complain of occasional attacks by wild animals that threaten the harvest. Perhaps someone from there can give you work that is worthwhile. On the other hand, the city is constantly being expanded. There is always work on construction sites."

He pointed to Sudden

"You could work on the weather patrol for a bit. They always need helping hooves."

All three looked up, then they looked at each other and nodded.
The plan was made.
They would all go to work and do what they could for a little money to get the sword in order.

Outside the city

a small changelinge reconnaissance force was watching the city. A little further back, Hellria stood bent over, her remaining eye flickering around wildly.

"The witch will atone for that! To cut up my beautiful face like that and to take my eyes off me ... oh I will make her suffer ..."

The small unit of changelings around her looked worried, then to their troop leadership.
Hellria had been after the two of them for quite a while now. sometimes she had shown herself nocturnal without him really noticing it.
How had Kallaxia managed to save him?
Why was he no longer a husk?
She didn't really care.
She just wanted Kallaxia. and if she had her, she would do to her all the bad things she could imagine.
And maybe the bat would have to watch.
And the Pegasus would make a first-class blanket.
Oh yes her vengeance would be terrible.
But the time for revenge had not yet come.
There were still too many variables on the board.
Oh ya, Hellria could play a round of chess against one of their drones! She always won and it cheered her up.
No, the goal was so close. not now, don't get distracted.

"Get ready to infiltrate the city. I demand control over the security of the city."

Her soldiers obey without grumbling.
Very good, so the execution of the doubters a month ago had worked.

The day creeps by

The work in the field was monotonous and, with the exception of standing around and keeping an eye on the nearby forest, there wasn't much to be done.
Allegedly there were creatures in it that looked like ponies in one moment and caught fire the next moment and could burn the fields down.
Old wives' tales as well as vamponies and wereponies.
But at least the farmers had promised to pay for the hour they stood.
and the three of them would quickly have the money together.
except the minotaur would build an extremely expensive sword.
None of the three hoped so.
It should be good, reliable, but not excessive.
Kallaxia yawned and leaned against a fence.

"It's also a way of living forever ... the time practically doesn't go by here at all .."

That made Sudden laugh and she leaned on the other side of the fence, smiling at kallaxia while holding the spear she had been given.
Nocturnal sat on his hounches and patiently sharpened his sword. The scraping of stone on metal could be heard clearly and hopefully would keep anyone foolish enough to try something at a distance.
After a while, Nocturnal put down the whetstone and circled his neck, got up and paced up and down for a while.

"That is the part of the job that I absolutely could not stand. Neither now nor a thousand years ago."

He sighed and began doing aerial exercises with his sword.
Kallaxia noticed Sudden longing look and handed her her sword.

"Be careful when you practice. I still keep watch."

Sudden beamed at kallaxa, took her sword gratefully and almost fell forward.

"The sword is really heavy! When you practice with it it looks so easy."

Kallaxia laughed at Sudden’s testimony and circling the spear around her hoof.
She did this with some practice before striking the staff on the ground and going into a fighting stance, the spear tucked under her wing.

"It's all a question of practice! You can do that at some point, I'm sure."

Just as Sudden was about to reply, a sharp whistle came from the clouds. A Pegasus instructed Sudden to come up with hoof signs.
She smiled, gave the sword back and said goodbye before she flew up and started her part-time job.

Kallaxia looked at the spear in confusion. She wedged the spear under her wing, then turned to nocturnal

"If she's helping up there now, why did she get a spear?"

The only answer she got was a shrug and a soft laugh. It was something Nocturnal had been wondering about, too. He had suspected that it might be some flying plague.
Only once had Nocturnal had anything to do with it...

Sometime in the past

"Watch out, Nocturnal!"

At Thunder's voice, Nocturnal looked away. A gryphon lunged at him, the spear ready to pierce him.
With a roll over his shoulder, Nocturnal was able to dodge, but that didn't help him against the enemy.
It would be so much easier if he could finally show his wings!
But the ponies behind him had never seen a batpony before, and there were fairy tales of beings who looked similar to his species and were known as vamponies.
They would fear him.
Even more so, they would probably attack him and try to chase a wooden stake through his chest.
Something that nocturnal could do without.

"Stop dreaming and finally fight, squire!"

Thunder again.
Had Nocturnal really dreamed?
He had to play an earth pony here! What should he do about the gryphons? These raiders were nothing more than bandits. They beat ponies, struck, always killed some and were gone in no time.
Another attack, this time on one of the civilians behind Nocturnal. That gave him the opportunity he had been waiting for. With a short jump and by jerking his head, his sword hit the gryphon on the front leg, severed it, and the spear and leg landed near Nocturnal, the griffin a little further away, clutching its stump and wailing.
Not for long, however. A quick push and the suffering of this enemy ended with his life.
Griffin blood tasted strange.
Another attack.
By killing one of them, Nocturnal had attracted the attention of many and so he had to throw himself more and more into the dirt to avoid the blows and barriers of the enemies.
But then one of the griffins got hold of him and pulled him up with him.

"That is for killing one of my Soldier, groundpounder!"

Then the gryphon let go of him.
So much for camouflage as an earth pony.
After a few meters, Nocturnal opened his cloak, let it flutter away and spread his wings.
The gryphon was as surprised as the others when Nocturnal pulled up and snatched the gryphon's dagger from his belt, slitting his throat with it.
holding his throat the gryphon began to fall, and nocturnal hastened the fall by lunging at him and pressing him down with his hooves.

"This is for all of those you murdered."

Nocturnal opened its wings and slowed its fall.
The gryphon slammed on the ground and died.
Nocturnal landed and internally prepared for the angry ponies, but what he heard was ...
Cheers?
Yes the ponies cheered and celebrated as the gryphons retreated.
After that, Thunder landed next to nocturnal, his wing over the younger stallion's back.

"That was excellent work, squire. I am proud of you. And it looks like you do not have to hide your wings for the time being."

Nocturnal beamed and the glitter in his eyes revealed that he was enjoying the cheering, which was meant for him too.
He had managed to kill a hated Fein.

"It is just a shame that my cloak is gone."

Thunder laughed at Nocturnal's statement and pointed to a tree in which the red of the cloak was clearly visible.

"Well then, get him back, squire."

With a big smile and a few flaps of his wings he was on his way to the tree, his price recovered.

present day

The watch shift was calm.
Apart from a few wild animals that got lost every now and then, nothing unusual was to be seen.
A really boring shift.

"Oh, I just remembered something! I think I've heard of the creatures this is about. They live south but further north than the Hive. We've dealt with them but ... getting rid of every emotion they had, they were uninteresting. They called themselves Kirins. "

Nocturnal listened. That was interesting to hear.
His gaze wandered over the forest before he turned back to Kallaxia.

"and what do you have to know about these kirins?"

When asked by nocturnal, kallaxia had to think for a moment. It had been a while since she had dealt with the Kirins.

"They are relatively peaceful beings, quite open, but they have a problem of aggression. When they get angry they transform themselves into flaming forms. Your village was once burned down in an argument, which is why they almost all went through a river with magical water to cool their minds. After that they were not interesting for my hive. But I also know that not all Kirins were there and some had refused and left the village."

Nocturnal cocked his head and listened out into the woods.

"So they are intelligent."

"Yes they are. Most of them, at least. Some of them are a bit clumsy. Just like you ponies."

That made both of them laugh.

A shift ends

At the end of the day, all three together had enough for an overnight stay in a hotel and a small deposit for the blacksmith.
And he only read it through because he had seen that all three were doing their work conscientiously.
A vote of confidence, he had said.

"So what do we do the rest of the time? May I practice with one of your swords?"

Suden beamed in anticipation but both shook their heads in the negative.
Instead, they calibrated her with a wooden sword.

"At the beginning we practiced with this. It is safer, believe me."

Nocturnal explained with calm matter-of-factness. In the previous villages he had started to see himself more like a teacher, and therefore his way of speaking and his tone of voice adjusted accordingly.

"A real sword is heavy, which puts a strain on the once inexperienced neck and can lead to contortions or Worse. Or thou cut yourself with thee own blade. Or break Thee own teeth. Slowly but surely, that is how thou become a sword master."

Sudden nodded in understanding and patiently went through the two exercises after practice.
She was a worthy valuer in Nocturnal's eye.

The Wanderer of the Night

by Rubberduck

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17