Being home again felt strange. In the months since his last visit a lot had changed, and not necessarily for the better. The most obvious thing Tercio noticed was that he was almost constantly on edge any time he was alone, as if there was a deer assassin hiding in every shadow. The whitetail raid had left lasting scars on more than just his body, and he often suspected they would try to take him when his guard was down -- and what better place to do so than his own home? Deep down he knew it was a ridiculous notion, but it still led to sleepless nights and tiresome days. His parents had noticed, of course. They knew him too well, but they thankfully did not pry beyond the usual questions. He doubted he could have explained anyway.

Two days into his visit he sat alone in his old room, listening to the wind gently blow the freshly fallen snow against his window as he dutifully scrubbed his gear. Spots of blood still clung to the places where metallic plates overlapped each other, not all of it his. Every nick and gouge told a story; a spray of gore from a successful attack, a deflected whitetail quinn-blade, a powerful blow by a cultist mace that had nearly shattered bone. They came to him as clear as day, glimpses of combat and death, and he prayed he would not have to see battle again for some time.

Nocturne still called to him when he was alone, its connection such that he could almost hear it speak, somewhere in the back of his mind. It was voiceless and faint, like a breeze among the grass, and it waited patiently in its midnight scabbard. The warmth of the grip comforted him as he drew the weapon and admired its beauty, its blade leaving a soft trail of white energy as it sliced through the air. It had seen its share of violence, and yet it had not a single scratch on it. It was a good sword, swift and deadly, precise in its movements and lethal in its attacks. Celestia had been generous in gifting it to him and, though he had felt apprehensive at first, he could now no longer imagine fighting his battles without it.

He wondered what the Princess was doing without him around, if she longed for his affection as much as he longed for hers. It still seemed unreal, being involved with the leader of Equestria, someone who was viewed as a demigod by much of the populace. At night he could almost feel the warmth of her skin, the silken caress of her flowing mane, and at those times he wished he could be open in his love for her.

A knock from downstairs caught his attention, and he quickly put the blade away and tucked it into his storage chest. Perhaps his parents had returned from their early morning trip to Bridle Falls. He imagined his father complaining loudly as he pulled a wagon loaded with goods, and his mother chiding him for being old and bitter.

"Hold on," he called out as he approached the door, bracing himself for the gust of cold air. He quickly threw open the door, and immediately was at a loss for words.

"Hello, Tercio," Victus said with a smile. Flakes of snow flecked his white coat and brown tunic, and a pair of saddlebags were draped over his torso. Tercio threw his arms around his brother, holding him tight in disbelief and joy.

"Victus! By the gods, it really is you!"

"So it is," Victus laughed. "I've missed you, brother! I was afraid I wouldn't be here in time to see you."

"I've missed you, too. I had no idea you were coming! Last I heard the Legion was being recalled to the front lines. I had assumed that meant you as well."

"I didn't know I was bound for home until a few days ago. It seems Princess Celestia herself requested that I be granted leave. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Tercio had to smile at that, though he knew he couldn't very well say everything. "I might have requested you join me. The Princess is quite accommodating of her Praetorians."

"Well I'll be damned. Looks like you've got connections in high places these days!"

"I have a few. Come, let's get you out of the cold."

Victus stepped inside, clearly happy to be back as he looked around. "Like nothing's changed, eh? Where are mother and father?"

"Bridle Falls, left earlier on. They should be back shortly, I imagine. Your timing is good, I've only been home a few days. Dreadful weather to walk in, let me tell you. Must be nice to be able to fly here."

"I had to trudge through my share of snow, unfortunately. Low cloud cover and strong winds kept me earthbound much of the way here. But at least I'm home at last. Feels like it's been a long time, doesn't it?"

Tercio nodded. "That it does. It's good to see you again, brother."

"Well look at you! Little Tercio, all grown up and sporting his own fancy-ass armor. I'm sure you get plenty of use out of it while standing around and looking good for civilians." Victus laughed and knocked a hoof against Tercio's steel and gold plate.

"Says the Legionary who spends his days chasing after darkness worshipers. Tell me: do they all run around screaming, or do some of them actually fight back?"

"Some do, which is more than can be said for a Praetorian who stares at the Princess' backside for hours on end."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing," Tercio answered with a grin. As backsides went, hers was rather shapely. He wished he could flaunt his knowledge of such things, but then, Victus was probably not the first person he'd want to tell about his relationship with Celestia.

It was mid-day, warmer and sunnier than it had been in days prior, and the two brothers had decided to make the best of it by challenging each other to a sparring match. Tercio thought it a grand idea; if nothing else, it would let him show off his Praetorian armor. Dragging it around with him from Canterlot to Summervale hadn't been the most enjoyable thing, but he was glad to have it now -- even if his mother seemed to be even more impressed than Victus. "Oh, my dear boy," she'd said adoringly, "all grown up and handsome like a proper stallion." He likely would never have escaped the house if his father hadn't come to his rescue.

His purple cloak flowed behind him as the wind gusted, and he set his crested helm firmly on his head as Victus did the same, his own Legion-red cloak hanging over his back.

"Turn around for me, would you?" Victus asked. "Is that...a bull stitched into your cloak?"

"It is. It was given to me by Celestia after the attack on Canterlot. She said it was fitting. Something about having the strength and determination of a bull, I think."

"More like being bull-headed," Victus laughed. "I'm impressed! Looks like you've been busy these long months after all. All joking aside, I'm proud of you, Tercio. You do our family a great honor."

"I try to," Tercio said earnestly.

"As do I. But hey, we didn't come out here to swap compliments, we came out here to fight! What say you?"

"I say it's about time! Come, draw your sword."

"Wish we had our shields," Victus said as he reached to his side and pulled a gladius from its holster. A second weapon was tied to the other side of his body. A backup, he'd explained earlier. Losing his weapon was something that seemed to happen far too often. Once he had a firm mouth-hold he nodded that he was ready.

"I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to drag mine all the way here. Guess it's just our blades, then. Like when we were children, eh?"

"Lit'le diff'ren zhan wooden shords."

Tercio chuckled at the way Victus had to speak with a weapon grasped between his teeth. He never understood how ponies could fight so well without magic -- or hands, in his case -- but they seemed to do fine on their own. Reaching across his body he unclasped the top of Nocturne's dark scabbard, drawing the weapon with a singing of steel on leather.

Victus' eyes went wide at the sight of it."What in the nine hells is that?" he asked as he tucked his weapon into his foreleg.

Tercio twirled the longsword in his hand, showing off the magical trail it left behind. Runes along the fuller dimly pulsed, slow and subtle, with the color of night. "This? This is Nocturne."

"You named your sword?"

"I didn't, no. But Luna did."

Victus eyed him apprehensively. "I'm not sure I understand..."

Even though they were no longer young children, Tercio still enjoyed one-upping his brother from time to time. What brother wouldn't? "To make a long story short, Princess Celestia gifted me this blade not too long ago. It had been sitting in Luna's chambers for quite some time, just collecting dust. She thought Luna -- the Luna we all knew before her fall -- would have wanted me to have it if she couldn't use it. How could I refuse?"

Victus was plainly awestruck. He ran his hoof along the blade, more than twice as long as his gladius, and felt the hum of magical power that ran through it. "You mean to tell me this is a royal blade? The personal weapon of Princess Luna? Come on, that's a load of nonsense even for you."

"Swear by the gods, brother. It's the finest weapon I've ever held, and I'm honored that Celestia would choose me to wield it."

With a low whistle Victus stepped back. "First the armor, then the cloak, and now the sword. Celestia seems awfully generous with you. Is there something you're not telling me? Next thing I know, you're going to say you're bedding her!"

What Tercio wanted to say was "not yet, I'm not" but he feigned laughter and rapped his knuckles against the side of Victus' helm. "You've always had a way with words, you know that?"

"Well, shit, if you're going to produce a damned royal blade, then I might as well not hold back a little surprise of my own."

Tercio watched in interest as Victus pulled the second blade from its sheathe, then locked it into a ring mount on the armor of his right foreleg with a metallic 'click', so that it faced outward while he was standing. Soon after, he spread his wings wide, revealing a set of intricate, multi-jointed strips of gold-plated steel that ran along the leading edges of his wings, sharpened to a razor's edge.

"Wing blades? I haven't seen those in a long time. Impressive."

"A gift of my own, from Battle-Master Gilias. Standard griffon equipment, but modified for pegasi. Not bad, right?"

"Not bad at all. And is that an armor-mount on your foreleg?"

"Modified whitetail design. Not spring-loaded, but it works."

Tercio shook his head. "You're going to make me fight against three weapons at once, aren't you? And here I thought you were looking for a fair fight."

"'Fair' nothing! Any idea of fairness went out the window the second you produced a magical sword. Consider this my way of making things more of a challenge."

In the Cervidaen capital of Pecora, Empress Elinwynn waited impatiently on her covered balcony overlooking the city. A cold drizzle had permeated the air for the last two days, and she shivered as she pulled on her expensive, elegant winter robes to keep them tight against her. Even so, a fire burned inside her that had not abated in the least ever since her brother had returned from his latest trip to Whitetail. The nation of their inferior cousins was falling into her grip, slowly but surely, and everything had seemed to be going better than she could have hoped -- and then Celestia had thrown herself into the equation. Now Elinwynn cursed the pony princess under her breath even as Corvalix appeared in the doorway.

"You called, Sister?" he asked with a smirk as he leaned against the door frame, his usual armor replaced with silver and crimson body wraps that hung loosely from his sides.

"Corvalix. I was hoping you'd come quickly," she replied, stepping over to him. She always tried to maintain an appearance of being calm and decisive, but she knew she looked worried for the first time in ages. She didn't bother trying to hide it from him. "We have a problem."

"Oh? With whom?"

"Celestia. She knows."

The smile faded from his lips. "How much?"

"Enough. To think she would even make the connection! I should have seen it sooner! Spirits of the Ancestors, I should never have--"

"Elinwynn," Corvalix stopped her, lifting a hoof to quiet her. "Calm yourself, then we will discuss this together."

She took a deep lungful of cool, damp air and forced herself to relax; panicking would only make things worse. "A few days ago one of the devices was activated. I felt the usual pull of magic and went to see what inane request the followers had this time, but...it wasn't one of the followers. It was her. Celestia had one of the medallions, and she'd figured out how to use it."

"And? As far as she knows, it's just used to speak with Nightmare Moon. I'm sure she wasn't exactly overjoyed to see the visage of her fallen sister floating there before her. What, did you come to her in your true form?"

"Of course not! Do you think me a fool? She expected to see Nightmare Moon, and so she saw Nightmare Moon."

"Then what is the problem? If she truly believes the ruse then we've no issue."

Elinwynn looked around to make sure no one was watching or listening. She could never be too sure these days. "That's just it! She suspects a connection between 'Nightmare Moon' and myself! She said as much! Somehow she'd obtained a communication medallion and had noticed it was the same as the one I gave her several months ago." She stomped a hoof in frustration. "What a ridiculous oversight to make! I should have been more careful with that damn listening device."

"So she suspects you're working with her sister. Do you think she knows that you are 'Nightmare Moon'?"

Elinwynn shook her head, her gold and emerald antler chains tinkling with the motion. "No, at least not yet. Fooling a bunch of fanatical idiots to cause a distraction once in a while is one thing, but Celestia? She may think us separate for now, but I doubt it will last long. Once she learns that there is no Nightmare Moon..."

"Then she'll be on a war path," Corvalix finished for her. "I see what you mean. This is a problem." Elinwynn paced back and forth as she fumed, her mind filled with all manner of possible actions. Only one truly stood out in the end.

"We have to move the timeline up, and do so immediately."

Corvalix eyed her with apprehension. "You're sure about this? I realize things are not ideal, but--"

"If we don't take action, then she will, Corvalix! We've no time for games -- not with Whitetail, and certainly not with Equestria. I want you to pack your things and depart immediately to Evinwiir. Tell the good Chancellor there's been a change of plans." She stepped forward and stared him directly in the eyes. "You have one week, Brother. One week, and not a day more. Do whatever you must to ensure things go as we've foreseen."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Corvalix said quietly, "because we're not going to have a second chance at this. Not now, not ever again."

"We owe this to Mother and Father, to six generations of Cervidaen peoples. I will not be remembered for inaction, not like the others." She motioned to the stairs with a tilt of her head. "Go. You have your orders."

Corvalix hesitated for only a moment, then bowed and departed. Elinwynn watched him go until he was out of sight. Her shoulders felt heavy and her legs trembled beneath her, and once she was sure of being alone she turned and bucked the wall hard enough to leave a cracked hole in the stonework. A gold and oak side table was yanked from beside her in a field of crackling magic, and she threw it over the balcony with a shout of anger and frustration.

Celestia had forced her hoof. There would be no turning back now.

Tercio had never thought of himself as much of a cook, especially compared to his mother, but he at least knew enough to throw together a hot meal for himself and Victus. For the first time since his arrival Victus finally had some time alone with Tercio, their parents visiting friends one town over. Sore and dirty from their fight, they soon sat with their bellies full and their legs kicked up on the table, the crackling fireplace creating a pleasantly warm glow.

"How's life in the Legion these days?" Tercio asked as he stoked the flames and threw in another length of chopped wood. "I've heard they've been on the front lines since the start of the war. Information is hard to come by, however, especially when it comes to the 44th. Trying to find out if you fare well is like pulling teeth, I swear."

Victus chuckled. "Secrecy first and foremost, eh? Truth be told, we've been serving as a secondary unit for some time. After the battle of Everfree we were pulled back to hunt down Nightmare Moon encampments. It's not as glamorous as fighting the whitetail, but it serves its purpose. Even managed to get one of these...medallions, or whatever they are. We think they're what the cultists use to speak with the fallen princess herself. No idea what happened to it, we sent it to Canterlot. Haven't heard about it since."

"No doubt Celestia will want to look into it."

"So I imagine."

Tercio pointed to a flesh-colored scar that stood out against the striking white coat and skin of his brother. "You've been wounded?"

"Aye, twice. Would you believe I made it through Everfree without so much as a scratch, but the damned cultists got the better of me twice? Last one lodged a dagger right into my upper foreleg when I wasn't looking." Victus shrugged. "Hurt like a son of a bitch, but it was only temporary. A lot of stallions I knew, well...they weren't so lucky."

It was quiet for some time as they both reflected on their own battles. Tercio broke the silence, removing his tunic to show several scars and coarse bandages. His wounds no longer bled as often, thanks to the concoction the apothecary had given him, but strenuous activity sometimes reopened them briefly.

"Gods, Tercio, what happened to you?" Victus asked in morbid surprise. "I thought the Praetorian Guard was a quiet job compared to the Legion."

"That's what they all say," Tercio answered flatly. "This jagged one here, on my arm? The attack on Canterlot. A cultist sliced me with a hooked blade. Along my ribs? Battle with Lacertus, the assassin who very nearly took Princess Celestia's life."

"I hear you tore his throat out."

Tercio winced at the memory. Apparently tale of his actions had spread across Equestria. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes." He shifted his body to show his back, where a wrapping of bandages covered an ugly, black and red wound that was slowly healing. "This is from less than a week ago. Our unit met with a Legion encampment in Dragon Crest -- we were supposed to escort a large wagon filled with reclaimed valuables. They passed it off to us and we were attacked near the end of the day, not even an hour outside of Canterlot. Damned whitetail were waiting for us, led by a powerful doe."

Victus swore to himself. "How did the whitetail get so close to the capital? The border isn't fully closed off, but it's at least watched most of the time."

"I've no idea. Magic, perhaps? Bribery? Whatever the case may be, they pounced on us with surprising speed. That was the first time I'd ever fought the whitetail."

"Damned tough fighters, aren't they?" Victus made a motion as if he was stabbing a blade forward. "Those armor blades, you never see them coming. They may not have our strength but they're hard to defeat when they have room to maneuver."

"So I learned. Almost had me a few times. One of them got behind me and stuck a quinn-blade right into my shoulder, through a gap under my pauldron. In the heat of the moment I didn't realize how deeply he'd struck me. I was bleeding quite profusely for some time, and only after the battle did one of the others notice. They had to take some measures to stop it. Painful ones."

Victus leaned forward in his seat. "What do you mean, painful ones?"

"Have you heard of prometheum powder?"

"Prometheum?" His brother's eyes went wide at the mention of the word. "Gods, Tercio, you mean they burned your wound closed?"

"They did what they had to. It was...bad. I have never felt anything like it, and I pray I never have to again." He could still remember the terrible heat, the unbelievable pain. The hole in his shoulder had been mended, but the scar would remain for the rest of his life, ugly and discolored. "I am thankful that we have some of the best medical aid in all of Equestria at the palace, or I might still be writhing on a medicae cot right now."

With a smirk Victus said, "Gilias would probably love to meet you. She's got a hard-on for battle scars."

"Gilias?"

"Battle-Master Gilias, of the Griffon Skyguard," he explained. "She's been an unofficial member of our contubernium for some time. Real blood seeker, that one, but tough as tails and with a personality to match."

"I take it Skytalon has at least somewhat of an interest in not being neighbors with their worst enemies."

"Pretty much. She frightens the hell out of me, but she can fight like no one I've ever seen."

"Better than me?" Tercio asked with a nudge.

"A foal with a wooden sword fights better than you, dear brother," Victus said, the two of them laughing together. "I am glad you're in good health, or close to it. Not having any proper communication with the outside world for so long doesn't lend itself well to news of such things."

"And I'm equally glad you found that messenger. Would you believe he passed himself off as a brothel owner in order to get close enough to speak with me? He was...persistent. I nearly jammed my dagger into his throat for it! Poor bastard nearly pissed himself before he could explain what was really going on."

"He said as much when he delivered your message. I had to pay him extra for the trouble. Next time, try not to almost murder my courier, will you?"

"No promises."

"Close as I'm going to get to your word, I suppose, you tall bastard. You're lucky I still put up with you!" He poured himself another cup of flavored water as the fireplace burned quietly behind him. "I've missed this. Just sitting around, talking like a couple of kids. Life was so much simpler back then, eh? No wars, no difficult mares, no long marches in the freezing rain. Just the two of us, wasting the day without a care."

Tercio sat back in his chair, remembering the many times he'd returned from school to find Victus waiting for him in the field with a sack of toys and baubles he'd gathered from their rooms. It felt like so long ago.

"Do you remember when we snuck into Applewood's orchard and ate ourselves sick, only to be caught by the old stallion?"

"I remember you nearly scared him half to death," Victus answered with a smile. "We were sick for days! Oh, but those peaches...they were the best I've ever had. I don't regret it for a moment."

"Neither do I. In fact, it was such a good story that I had to tell Celestia about it."

"Come on, you told the Princess? I think you're stretching things here."

"I swear on the good word of the Princess herself! We were having a dinner some time after the attack; a sort of thank-you for helping save her life. She asked about growing up with you, so I told her a few stories. She says you sound like a charming, caring brother."

"Really now? Charming, you say? Well, my dear brother, if you happen to see the good Princess, do be sure to tell her I'm single..."

"Oh, I'll get right on that," Tercio answered with a chuckle. "I was glad to share some small bit of our childhood, it made it feel like you weren't across the damned country, if only for a while. Those memories, they're what keep me sane sometimes." He grew more serious, eyeing his brother. "I've seen, and done, some truly terrible things, Victus. I can't even begin to describe them. They were all in defense of the Princess and Equestria, but still...it's not something I'll ever forget."

"I understand, believe me," Victus said, patting his brother on the back. "There was this caravan we were supposed to destroy, a few weeks ago. Cultists, or so they'd told us. Turned out they were working with Whitetail and its soldiers. There was a buck protecting the caravan -- tall, well-built. He knew what he was doing. Gilias slaughtered him all the same. After the battle we found a fawn hiding from us, short little thing. Maybe...four, five years old? We found out that he'd been sold as a slave after his parents were killed. Soon after, stories started popping up all over the place from other Legion units that had freed slaves of one kind or another. Whitetail, mostly. To think a government would sell off its own citizens..."

"That's why we have to win, so that no one else suffers under them."

"We will," Victus said sincerely. "Ahh, but let's not talk about such things right now. We're both alive, and we're both home. What more could we ask for?"

Tercio couldn't think of much, besides having Celestia at his side. Such a thing was too much to think about sometimes. Even if the war ended tomorrow, what would they do? Word of their involvement would surely not take long to reach the ears of everyone else in the palace, and once that happened...would the others even listen to him as a leader, or would they see him as being a favorite because of his relationship with their Princess?

He would have to worry about it later. There was too much on his mind as it stood, and one thing in particular threatened to drive him mad unless he came out with it. He hesitated to talk about it even still.

"Victus, there's something I need to share with you, but you must swear to never utter a word of it to Mother or Father," he said solemnly.

Victus' ears perked up, and he sat up straight in his seat. "What are you talking about? Is something wrong?"

"Do I have your word?" Tercio insisted.

"Of course you do. I'll swear by any deities you like, but if there's something that troubles you so, then perhaps Mother and Father should--"

"It's not something they would be able to help me with. Neither could you, really, but I feel it's something you should know as my brother -- and as a fellow soldier." Victus nodded for him to continue, listening intently. "Right, so...remember the last time we were together? We had just arrived in Canterlot and you were told to report back to your unit, and shortly after I was reassigned to the Praetorian Guard. I began training with a group of other candidates after you left. It was a few weeks later, during combat training, that we discovered that there is something...wrong with me."

"Wrong?"

"Yes. I was fighting against our group's most skilled unicorn -- a good stallion by the name of Polaris -- in a back-and-forth contest. I haven't met many ponies who can match my dexterity, but Polaris kept up with me quite handily. Eventually he managed to put me on the defensive, and he started to shout encouragement for me to dig deeper and fight my way back. 'Attack, Tercio!' he'd say. 'Attack!' And then he used a word I'd never heard before, a deertongue word. I...I can't repeat it, nor would I want you to know it. But that word, it changed me, deep inside."

Victus cocked his head. "You know deertongue? I wasn't aware."

"That's just it: I don't know a word of it. I had never even heard it spoken before that day. Yet as soon as Polaris used that word it triggered something inside of me that I didn't even know was there. Like a...a darkness, you could call it. It took control over me, and I ended up wounding Polaris quite seriously. I may have sat out the attack on Canterlot in a cell if it hadn't been for Celestia giving me another chance."

"Hold on, I'm not sure I understand," Victus said. "What do you mean, 'a darkness'? The last time I heard that phrase, Princess Luna was banished for trying to usurp her sister. Do you mean to tell me you suffer from the same evil as her?"

"I don't think so, no. It's difficult to explain. Upon someone uttering that word, I begin to lose control of myself. I told Celestia about it -- I had to. I thought she might be able to help. I...I nearly killed her that day. Had I gotten my hands on her, I could have...well, I'd rather not think about such things." He bowed his head in shame at the memory. "I have been fighting against it ever since."

Victus was quiet for some time, unsure of what to make of what he'd been told. He and Tercio had always been close; why had such a thing waited so long to reveal itself? "What happens when this 'darkness' takes over, exactly? What is it like?" he asked. "Tercio, if there is some chance I can help, you must tell me. This is alarming news!"

"Which is exactly why I have been against the idea of telling you until now." Tercio closed his eyes and tried to put to words the horrific things he'd seen. "It is like...like a shroud of red being pulled over my eyes. Slowly, at first, then quicker as it builds. It clouds my vision until I can focus on it alone. That's when the rage takes over; terrible, all-consuming rage. It is an anger that I cannot properly explain."

"An anger towards whom?"

"Whoever is attacking me, usually," Tercio answered. "If there is no one fighting against me, then I will lash out at the nearest pony. It seems to be ingrained in me to attack Equestrians. I can remember only bits and pieces of my times under the influence of the darkness -- flashes of violence, visions of slaughter I had yet to partake in. Those thoughts drive me on, and when I have lost myself I will stop at nothing to rend the flesh from my opponent's bones -- even if it means using my bare hands. That's how I killed Lacertus Praxis, and almost killed Celestia and Polaris." He kicked the table in frustration, sure that his story would make Victus question his very sanity. "I must sound as if I am a trained dog, not a gods-damned soldier."

"You said you killed Lacertus under the influence of this rage, yes?" Victus asked. "How did that happen?"

"He knew the word. I don't know how, but he did, and he used it. I blacked out in the midst of combat with him, and he took the opportunity to attack Celestia. He very nearly killed her, Victus. If that sword of his had gone even an inch deeper..."

"What happened then?"

"I don't remember, not fully. I awoke soon after, my blade lost somewhere in the cave. Lacertus was about to deliver a killing blow to the Princess, and that's when I threw myself at him with all of my strength, or so I've been told. I tore the weapon from his mouth and grabbed onto his throat with both hands." He mimicked squeezing the very life from the assassin, and as he did so he could see himself covered in blood once more. "I mutilated him, Victus. He died a horrible death. The last thing I remember is looking over at the Princess bleeding on the ground, my hands red with gore, and approaching her in a haze. The next thing I knew, I was in a medicae building, covered in bandages."

Victus had to stand up from his seat and pace the room. Tercio knew he was having a hard time taking it all in, and he let his brother take as much time as he needed. How would he possibly react to such a revelation? If he were in Victus' place, he could not say he would understand it either.

"Why have we not seen this from you sooner? Why did it take so long for such a thing to come out?" Victus asked, his voice heavy with concern.

"I don't know, but I wish it hadn't come out at all. Word of my deeds spread quickly to the other barracks. I haven't been looked at the same by many of them ever since. The stallions I train with and fight alongside do not fully know what to make of it, but some of them owe their lives to me because of it, and they have become nearly as close as you and I. The others...they vary from outwardly friendly to very nearly hostile, but I hear them talk behind my back. They don't think I do. They don't trust me!" Tercio suddenly raised his voice, kicking his chair back against the wall. "All I have done, for the entirety of my career, is to better myself as a soldier, as a leader! I became a Praetorian because I wanted to be something more than a simple guardsman, and now all of it could be thrown away in a single instant because of this fucking anger inside of me! By all rights I should be rotting in a cell, or dead at the end of a Praetorian blade!"

Victus lifted into the air and hovered in front of Tercio, placing a hoof against his chest in an attempt to calm him. "Don't say such things, brother. You would not be here now if everyone thought you nothing more than a monster."

"I can lose myself entirely because of a single word! Does that not make me a monster? Do you have any idea what it's like to have such a thing constantly at the back of your thoughts? Someone, right now, could send me on a murderous rampage against you, against Mother and Father, with barely more than a thought, and I would be nearly powerless to stop it!" He sank back against the wall, his head in his hands. "I could be the end of everyone and everything I hold dear..." After a moment he quietly said, "I try to fight it, brother. I do. Recently I have nearly fallen into its grasp twice: once during training in the mountains, and once when the whitetail ambushed us near Canterlot. Both times I was able to stop it from gaining control over me entirely. I even felt a sort of...euphoric afterglow when I defeated it for the first time. I was sure it was gone. But it wasn't. It was still there, waiting. And now I don't even have to hear that word to slip back into it. Anything that causes sufficient anger -- especially the stress of combat -- can bring it forth. I can, at least, mostly stop it from taking over during sparring. I suppose that's something."

"It sounds like you're making progress, then," Victus said encouragingly. "Do you know why you've been able to resist its influence as of late?"

Tercio nodded. "Yes. Nocturne."

"Luna's sword?"

"I don't know what it is, but ever since I first held that weapon it is as if it's somehow...connected to me. I can feel its power, almost hear its thoughts. Perhaps something in its magic has helped me." He shrugged. "Maybe it does not wish to see me fall to darkness like Luna."

"You speak as if it's alive, Tercio. It may be a magical blade, and a fine one at that, if our little bout is anything to go by, but it's still just a weapon."

"I know, and you're probably right. But I will not question it if it means I have a chance at overcoming this damnable curse once and for all."

Victus trotted to the far side of the room and put Tercios' chair back in place, then helped lift him from the floor with a grunt of exertion. Tercio looked pale and tired, as if he were suddenly sick. It would do him no good to talk of it further, not for today. "Come, let's get you some rest. I'll tell Mother and Father you're not feeling well." Victus got a weak 'thank you' in reply. "Regain your strength and your courage, for tomorrow you will need it."

Tercio looked confused. "Why?"

"Because we're going to fight this darkness inside of you. Together."