Morning came all too eary, bright sunshine and the now obligatory blue sky warming the bedroom and the occupants of the guest bed. Rarity as always was the consummate host and provided us with a magnificent breakfast fit for royalty. I felt a pang of regret when it was time to leave, my tangerine partner and I waving our goodbyes as we set off to collect our chariot. It was right where we’d left it, safe and sound. Suddenly, Tingles let out a cry of horror,

“Oh my Celestia! What the hell are all these boxes?”

“Whoops”

“Whoops? How much chocolate did you buy Fairlight?!”

“Says the mare buried under bags and boxes of treats!”

She stood there staring at me and then face hoofed, “We’re going to get fat aren’t we?”

Raising an eyebrow, I grinned, “We’ll just have to fly it off, the both of us.”

Hiding a sly grin, Tingles shrugged and we repacked the carriages cargo compartment to fit everything in…all those delicious treats…boy, I wish I could have one now, but I could wait. ‘All good things come to ponies who wait’, apparently.

A shout from across the street made us both turn to see Twilight Sparkle rushing towards us.

“Wait! Please…!”

The poor little unicorn was quite out of breath when she pulled up in an excited and panting state,

“I’m so glad I didn’t miss you, agent Nox, agent Tingles, here…”

She handed me what looked like a hoof drawn map, tied up with a neat red ribbon. Upon closer examination, Twilight’s incredibly neat and tidy writing suggested it had been written with the aid of magic. I marvelled at the amount of detailed work that had gone into this in so short a time.

“I found it, last night in my map book on old Equestria…it’s the location of the fortress” she gasped.

“You found it!” I exclaimed giving Tingles a wide eyed smile. She seemed just as surprised as I was.

“I don’t know how accurate it is though,” Twilight explained, “as it very was roughly drawn so it’s could be only an approximate location. Maybe even completely wrong, so much of the land has changed since the map was made. Mostly towns and villages, river courses and so forth. But this…”, she tapped the river through the everfree, “…I know this exists, I know the mountains exist. Whether there is anything left of your fortress, I wish I knew…Oooh, I wish I could go and see it too!”

She gave a little dance and gave us both a beaming smile.

I nodded to Tingles, “Do you want to go and see?”

She flexed her wings, “We’re low on equipment, and don’t know what to expect out there…could be dangerous too, the mountains…Everfree”, Tingles smiled, “whats not to like?”

“We could leave the carriage here, have a quick look and come back, save you all the flight time?”

Tingles took the map and studied it for a while, “We’ll need proper flight gear, and you’re not an experienced flier…yet”, she added at my hurt look, “…I think we should get back to the facility and drop off my, erm, ‘our’ cargo first. What do you think?”

Clopping Tingles on the shoulder, I smiled at Twilight, “Agent Tingles is right, we’ll need to get properly geared up before we go. No sense risking ourselves out there.”

I whispered in Tingles ear, “What would I do without you?”

“Eat too much chocolate”, she whispered back patting my backside playfully.

Twilight eyed us curiously, her big purple eyes taking everything in, “Well, I’d better go then…quality study waits for nopony! Good luck and don’t forget our promise!”

We gave her a hug goodbye and before long the two of us were heading up into the azure blue sky on course for Manehattan. Tingles called back, “Go on then…whats this promise, you’ve peaked my nosiness.”

“She wants me to tell her what the fortress is like,” I shouted back, “she’s like a sponge for knowledge that one, I mean, who lives inside a library?”

“The princesses favourite student! Fairlight…are you sure you should have told her what you did, can we trust her?”

“I hope so Tingles, after all, she’s the only one who worked out who…and what, I am. If she wanted, she could have told Celestia about me at any time. At least this way, I get information I want and so does she. I’ll just need to keep her sweet.”

“Okay, I trust you on this Fairlight, but how are we going to get past Brandy…?”

“Now that’s the easy part, I’m owed a stack of leave and so are you. A trip to the country is all we need to recharge our batteries, wouldn’t you say?”

“Worth a try!”

Back at the facility, we stowed our ill gotten gains and I trotted off to the boss’s office. Agent Brandy was busy reading reports when I arrived and was in the best mood I’d seen him in for ages. I gave him my report on the operation at the human facility and he just sat quietly and nodded, taking it all in. There were a few questions here and there, but nothing special.

Brandy was actually surprisingly happy for Tingles and I to go on leave, my success with the destruction of the human facility and rescue of the ponies had certainly gained me some brownie points with the boss apparently. Before we were due to leave though, he called me to join him in his office.

The black and silver stallion stood up with a huge smile on his face when I entered,
“I haven’t had a chance to congratulate you yet, Nox. You did a damn good job and if it was up to me, I’d give you a medal. Sadly, that’s not the world we live in, so I’ll just do this…”

He reached forward and shook my hoof, “Thank you, what you did was something Equestria could never thank you enough for, so if you want some leave with your partner, then of course and please, take what you need from the stores; within reason of course.”

“Thanks Brandy, this means a lot, it really does.”

He clopped me on the shoulder and sat back in his chair. There was something about his demeanour, a happy air I hadn’t seen since I’d met him,

“Sir?”

“Hmmm?”

“You’re back with Carnation aren’t you?”

“How!?” he cleared his throat, “Well, yes, yes I am. Who told you?”

“Oh, Nopony, it’s written all over your face”

“Ha! You’re right too, I haven’t felt like this in ages. Carnation came to see me not long after you brought her here. We’ve decided to give things another go.”

I smiled broadly, “I’m really happy for you boss, I wish you all the best of happiness together.”

“Cheers Nox, now…” he pointed to the door, “get out of here and enjoy that leave!”

And with that, myself, Tingles and a sky carriage full of equipment and provisions, we took to the skies over Equestria on our journey to the ruins of the fortress of the four winds. Or a bunch of frozen, snow covered ruins in the middle of nowhere of course. I couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t going to be the most romantic of trips and I still hadn’t heard anything from Luna about Shadow yet either. How long was this going to…hang on, I was forgetting something wasn’t I?

Hell fire! That was it…the letter! Fuck me, I’d been so pre-occupied I’d forgotten the damned thing. I would have to read it as soon as I returned. With luck, Luna had some good news for me and Shadow would be with us soon. I just kind of kept expecting her to appear one day out of thin air, or in tow with the princess, but…a dark part of me, the guilty part, whispered my shame. I had fallen in love with Tingles, I had forgotten Shadow, I had betrayed my beloved Meadow. I was the lowest being in the land, I had left my Shadow alone and in peril in the Wither world, having taken what I wanted from her. Betrayer…liar…

A deep sense of self loathing spread over me like a shroud; I didn’t deserve them, any of them. I should have done more, tried everything I could have to save Shadow myself, not leave things to Luna. But how? I couldn’t just wave a magic wand and appear in the Withers all guns blazing, could I? How would she feel about Tingles anyway, what about Meadow? I felt like burying my head and hiding away…what the hell was wrong with me…

“Fairlight? Whats wrong?”

The carriage smoothly rode the air currents, silent and free. Soon, I prayed we would have answers and I would be re-united with…

“Fairlight! Are you okay? I’ve been shouting you for ages!”

“What? Tingles, I’m sorry love, my mind was wandering. Over-thinking things again.”

“Well don’t do that! We’re off on an exciting adventure and you’re moping in the back for some reason. Cheer up!”

Ah, Tingles, she was a beacon of light in my ocean of emotional distress. I had to get myself together, if for nobody else, for her. Shadow would come back, Tingles would be with us, and together…my own herd? Pfff! Could happen I suppose…

Hours of flight passed until there, far below us, green hills changed to thick dark woodland, to even denser black forests, deep and foreboding. Slowly, we began a spiralling descent, sweeping down through the cloud cover to a small hamlet on the outskirts of the forest and the banks of the winding river which sparkled in the sunlight.

The tangerine mare eye’d me inquisitively while we parked the carriage. The hamlet was a small affair of cottages, a tavern and some outlying work huts. The cutting edge of Equestrian civilisation, yeesh!

“What do you think?” Tingles asked looking around smirking at the rustic scene before us.

“Quaint. Spooky quaint. You sure ponies live here? The place looks deserted.”

“It’s on the ‘where to’ guide I picked up from the tourist office in Manehattan a few months ago, so I would say it’s inhabited alright.”

“By ghosts maybe, Woooo!”

“Stop!”

I laughed, “Sorry, couldn’t resist. There must be somepony about, whats the brochure say?”

She shook out the leaflet and read aloud, “Welcome to Smiling Borders, the village that likes to welcome everpony with a cheerful smile. Experience life the traditional way, while our friendly craftsponies show you how life really was in the past.”

“Bloody hell, I think it still is…” I cast my gaze around at the ramshackle hovels, “this place hasn’t moved on in the last millennia.”

Tingles ploughed on, “Guests are always welcome at the popular tavern, the ‘Wyvern’s Tail’, famous for its locally brewed ales and ciders. Home made food is always available from the friendly staff. Nanny and Drew run the family owned tavern and The Wyvern’s Tail has been in the Good Grub Guide for six years running.”

“Oh good goddesses…” I breathed, taking in the star attraction of Smiling Borders.

The tavern looked like it had been attacked by Wyvern’s, never mind being a ‘popular tavern’. The bloody doors were half hanging off along with the crudely constructed window shutters. Moss and grasses were poking up through the boarding outside the mouldering old dump giving it the feeling of being long abandoned.

Her muzzle stuck in the brochure, Tingles kept reading while we walked up to the steps, “Fully on suite facilities are standard in all rooms. Nanny and Drew invite you to enjoy their hot spring baths which are open all year round.”

“Ouch! Warn me when you’re going to stop like that!” she clopped me on the rump.

I ignored her, something had moved behind one of the windows and I touched the grip of my sword for reassurance, “Theres somepony, something, in there. I don’t like this…not one bit Tingles”.

“You’re being silly, Fairlight, this is a popular holiday destination for goodness sake”

“Who for? The undead?”

Tingles stomped a hoof, “You’re annoying me now mister, come on, we need to get booked in”. She trotted up to the door and pushed on it, the thing creaking open with a loud ominous squeal.

The inside of the tavern was almost in complete darkness except for a few flickering yellow lanterns and a barely glowing fire, the first signs of life since we’d arrived. I following tingles inside, checking my PDW was ready to hoof, my ears swivelling trying to detect any threat. This place had my hackles up like never before.

A loud ‘ding’ from the desk bell Tingles rang nearly had me in conniptions. Goddesses I was a bag of nerves.

“You rang?”

“Gha! Bloody hell!”, I shouted stumbling backwards in shock. A huge griffin materialised like magic from under the counter, fixing me with its round avian eyes.

Tingles tutted at me then turned to face our ‘host’ with a warm smile, “Hello, a room for two please”

“Are you married?”

“No…yes…recently…Mr and Mrs Salt.”, she replied not-so-convincingly, “Just flown in from the big city to sample the delights of your quaint little town.”

“I see, Mrs…’Salt’, sign here please” he intoned heavily.

The griffin dropped a large heavy ledger on the counter with a bang, dust billowing out from its mouldy pages. By the looks of the other entries, nopony had been here in a very long time.

“Is food available?” I asked hopefully.

“No”

Tingles looked up from the ledger, “What? But the brochure says, ‘Home made food is always available’.”

The griffin stared at her and opened its beak to speak.

“…from the ‘friendly staff’”, I chipped in, treating the griffin to a broad grin.

The thing fixed me with a hard stare, “There’s a store in town which should still be open if you’re hungry. We don’t have anything here.”

“This is the ‘Wyverns Tail’ isn’t it? Run by Nanny and Drew?”

“Yes to your first question and no, Nanny and Drew are…not here any more”

“That’s a shame, isn’t it ‘darling’?” Tingles smiled at me. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes though, I think she was thinking the same as me.

“Do you have any drinks?”

“What do you want?”

“Two wheat beers please”

“Wheat beers off”

“Um…okay…two ciders then”

“Ciders off”

“Right…well, what do you have?”

“Everfree Brandy”

I clopped my hooves together, “Great! We’ll have two of them please.”

The charming fellow wandered off into the back of the tavern and I looked at Tingles’ bemused face, “Good Grub Guide eh?”

She scratched her head with her hoof, “I don’t understand it, the brochure’s not that old.”

A loud crash and the sound of various unidentified ‘things’ falling onto the floor emanated from the kitchen, making us both cringe with each bang. A cacophony of breaking glass, creaking and what sounded like hammering, finally stopped when the griffin emerged to retake his position behind the counter.

He looked at us sternly.

“The brandies?” I asked hopefully.

“Brandies off”

“Oh, for f…”

Tingles’ glare cut me off, “Thank you sir, we’ll take our bags up to our room now if that’s alright.”

The griffin nodded and walked off to leave us struggling with the bags on our own.

“Friendly staff…”, I grumbled, heaving the saddle bags and packs up the ominously creaking stairs.

The tavern stank of mouldering wood and decay, the upper floors were covered in dust and obviously hadnt been cleaned in, well, forever by the looks of it. What a toilet, I dreaded to think what the room was like. We were about to find out too.

Tingles turned the key in the lock to room one. I presume it was room one as the number had fallen off and never been replaced, a faint outline and screw holes the only reminders of the stricken door number. Oh Celestia, I was going to need a wash when I left this place!

Okay, actually, the room wasn’t that bad. The bed was a four poster, very nice, the sheets clean and furniture surprisingly well made and I’d even go as far as to say, ‘elegant’. We heaved the bags onto the table by the door and I took the opportunity to check the closet and under the bed.

“What are you looking for?” Tingles asked curiously.

“Nanny and Drew…” I replied semi-seriously.

Tingles laughed and caught herself, “Fairlight, you…you don’t think somethings a bit, you know, ‘off’ about this place?”

“Noooo! It just needs a bit of a dust and brush up, probably new management that’s all.”

Tingles gave me a doubtful look, peering over her shoulder with one eye, “I don’t think theres anywhere else we can go now…” She looked frightened.

“Its okay love” I told her rubbing her back, “I’m sorry, i’m only teasing you. It’s very rustic, reminds me of aunties hamlet…remember?”

She smiled and nodded, “You’re right, I’m being silly. It’s just…it’s our first proper time away together and, I wanted it to be…special.”

“You’re here, so that is special to me.”

Tingles gave me a happy smile that made her eyes sparkle, “My Fairlight, I love you so much.” She leaned in and kissed me gently on the lips.

“I love you too, ‘Mrs Salt’” I gave her a cheeky wink and fished out a box of chocolates from my pack, “Emergency rations”.

Tingles giggled and I popped one in her mouth and she pulled a face which nearly had me rolling on the floor in hysterics, “AGH! Fairlight what in Luna’s moon is this!?” she swallowed the remainder and rushed to the saddle bags to take a long drink of water.

“Chocolates…for Stallions” I smirked.

“And you can keep them too! You rotten bugger, I’ll get you back for that, you’ll see!”

In good spirits we laid out our kit for the next leg of our journey, ice shoes, ropes, cold weather gear…all set by the looks of things. Food could be a bit of an issue though If we couldn’t get anything here…I mean, what did that griffin eat? Oh shit! Ponies?!

“Tingles…aren’t griffins, you know, carnivore’s?” I asked in a near whisper.

She gave me a funny look, “…yes…they are…oh bollocks.”

And theres another bad habit she’s picked up from me…swearing, “Don’t worry love, I’ll be keeping my PDW close to hoof”.

“I think I will too, but I’m not ‘that’ worried”, she nuzzled me as we locked the door behind us and headed back down the stairs, “my lord of the four winds”.

A crash of glass from below was followed by a rush of feet and shouting, something was going on and I was going to find out what.

In the gloomy common room of the tavern, glass was strewn across the wooden floor next to an upturned serving tray. More worrying was the huge minotaur standing next to it staring at us with its beady bull eyes. The creature had pale yellow fur and rather short horns for a hulking great beast like this and memories of the last time I’d faced one of them made me reach for my sword.

Something was wrong though, there wasn’t the sense of imminent danger from the thing I would have expected and the fact that it was wearing…a red and white pinafore and a small white hat.

The griffin re-appeared from the back with a dust pan and brush, looking flustered and with its feathered sticking out all over the place, “Oh, I’m most terribly sorry! Please, Heather is new here and she’s a bit clumsy…Is there something I can help you with?”

“No…its fine sir, we’re popping out to get something to eat and drink”

“Oh no! Please, let us, you’re our guests”

He, well I presume it was a he, I hadnt met many griffins, waved his claws at the minotaur, “Heather, go and sort out two hot meals for our esteemed guests, move it girl!”

‘Heather’ rushed off out the front door and the griffin motioned Tingles and I to a couple of seats by the fire, bowing and smiling all the while. This was now seriously starting to worry me now, I could almost feel my pistol burning through my tunic pocket.

The griffin re-appeared a few moments later with a bucket of coal and had the fire roaring in short order. It was a touch too warm for my liking, but lit the place up a lot better than it had been earlier, adding an almost cosy air to the place.

Tingles put a hoof on my hind leg before addressing the griffin, “May I ask you name sir?”

“Sir? Oh no! please my lady, call me Grimble, I am at your service for the duration of your stay. I apologise for the terrible state of the place, we don’t get guests as often as we once did.”

This was the same griffin wasn’t it? I watched the creature carefully, removing my glasses to gauge his reaction. He looked up into my face, his pupils going wide and beak hanging open with a strangled gasp.

“I’m sorry Grimble, I have an unusual eye colour don’t I?” I laughed it off, “Hope I didn’t startle you.”

“NO! No my lord, my goodness, no…forgive me…”

Tingles was staring at the griffin with as much scrutiny as I had given the poor creature.

“Grimble…will you join us?” I asked politely.

He looked like he was going to throw up, “My lord! I couldn’t, I’m not…”

“I’m not ‘my lord’, the names…um…’Rock’. Yes, now please…” I extended a hoof to the chair opposite us at the table. He looked a little ruffled but complied, I’d have to watch this didn’t turn into a watch style interrogation; I was on leave after all. But something was really strange here at Smiling Borders, and I was determined to find out what I could.

“Grimble, where are the other people in the village? This place is like a ghost town.”

The griffin looked down at table sadly, before replying, “It’s the Everfree, the forest becomes ‘restless’ now and again. Timberwolves attacked Smiling Borders a few months ago. Nopony was hurt, but it scared folk and soon most everypony left, now theres only Heather and me, plus a few others who found their homes here in the abandoned cottages.”

Others. Couldn’t wait to meet them…

He continued, “We’re quite close to the mountains too, and…the mountain is…changing. The mist, which used to only stay in the forest, now comes into the town. It frightened off what folk had stayed behind, and I can’t blame them. With the fog came more timber wolves, and if it wasn’t for Heather and her kin, I might have ended up dinner for those things.”

“There’s other minotaurs here?”

“Why, yes my…erm, ‘Rock’, her kind find it hard to fit in around ponies you see; frightens them. No offence to your lady of course.”

Hmmm, no offence to Tingles then…

The door crashed open and the snorting minotaur in the pinnie brought over two plates loaded with food. The creature nearly smashed the table in half, laying the plates in front of us and almost gored Grimble when she tried to curtsy. Tingles tittered behind her hoof.

“Grimble”, she asked, “Have you ever heard of the fortress of the four winds?”

Oh shit! Nice one Tingles, way to give away what we’re here for. These folk are like cats on a hot tin roof already, under attack from weird fog, timber wolves and now she goes dredging up mention of legends from the past. Goddess almighty, this trip just kept getting better and better.

Grimble waved Heather out of the room and cocked his head to one side, “Yes, the fortress…” he said quietly, “you want to find it?”

“We do”

“Why?”

“My wife and I are explorers, Grimble, I’d like to explore the ruins and maybe document them if I can. Anything you can tell us would really be of great help.”

He leaned back and blinked a few times, “The fortress…yes, its there. Local legends say that many tried to find it, but year after year their numbers fell, until hardly anypony even remembered it ever existed.”

“Let me guess, nopony who tried to find it every returned?” the good old legend standby line. I was waiting for a reference to ‘curses’ next.

“Actually yes, they did. The wind is different up there you see, the cloud incredibly thick and cold, bitterly cold in fact. I’ve known a few, griffins mostly, who tried to find it but even they had to turn back. Horrible place to fly.”

“What about its location though? The mountains cover a vast area.”

He nodded, “The locals used to say that the ghosts of ancient warriors would fly up the river and up into the space between the mountains, back to their home in the fortress of the four winds. They believed the place was cursed.”

Nailed it!

Tingles gave me a long suffering look whilst chewing on her food. It actually smelt edible, and the way she was tucking into it with such relish was making my stomach grumble in response.

“Do you believe the fortress is cursed, Grimble?” I asked, picking up a radish.

The griffin shook his head just as his hulking colleague brought over a bottle and three glasses.

“Forgive me Rock, it would appear Heather has found the elusive brandy. Would you join me for a glass?”

“Of course”

I took a sip of the fine spirit, its warmth spreading through me and helping me to relax. The food was good too. I motioned to my meal and Grimble held out his claw nodding,

“Please, enjoy your food while it’s hot. In answer to your question however, I don’t believe in superstition. My father and his father before him, passed down stories of the fortress and of great battles between the forces of night and day. I expect you already know the legends of the princesses?”

I nodded.

“The fortress was destroyed in the last battle, but I believe that there is something still there, some…magic, that protects the place. A magic that keeps ‘explorers’ away. In every legend, I believe there is some grain of truth. How much is legend and how much is truth, is the real question.”

Tingles finished her meal and leaned back rubbing her full tummy, “Grimble, that was amazing, will thank Heather for us?”

He smiled and nodded, “I will my lady, thank you”

My companion giggled like a school foal and helped herself to another brandy. Our host didn’t seem to mind and refilled mine and his glass as well.

“Rock, if you are going to try and find the fortress, I beg you…be careful.”

That struck me as a funny thing to say, he seemed a bit overly familiar somehow. I couldn’t quite put my hoof on it either, but there was some undercurrent here in Smiling Borders that I wasn’t altogether happy with. I’d be locking and barricading our door tonight, that was for certain.

We finished our meals, brandy and stretched out by the fire. Grimble and Heather joined us for a chat and, I was delighted to see, cigars. As the sun set, Grimble took me to one side, “May I speak privately?”

“Sure”

Heather and Tingles were deep in conversation, the gravelly voice of the minotaur hurt my ears and I was glad to get away. They seemed to be enjoying each others company anyway and I didn’t want to smoke near them either; Tingles had that disapproving look too. Time to vanish, I think.

Grimble was impressed by my fire making trick and drew on his cigar, blowing the smoke up into the evening sky, the sun starting to sink below the forested mountainside,

“Rock…this may sound strange and, forgive me if it does, but, do you have…dreams of this place?”

“The village?”

“No, the fortress, the mountains”

“I’m not sure where you’re coming from with this Grimble”, I felt like I was walking into some sort of verbal ambush here too.

“Sorry, its just a legend amongst our people.” He sighed, “Silly, really…a childs tale”

“Childs tale?”

“Mmm, a story of a warrior with blue eyes”

“There’s plenty of ponies out there with blue eyes, I’m not unique”

“Like I said, a child’s tale, nothing more than a story”

I rolled the smoke around in my mouth from the cigar, a brandy next to me. Heaven.

“Its getting cold out here, Rock. We’d best get inside.” He shouted over to the girls, “Heather? Could you help me secure the shutters please?”

Tingles sniffed at me when I trotted up to her by the fire, “You smell of smoke, I hope you’re going to brush your teeth when we get upstairs, ‘Rock’”.

We rose to go to our room when Grimble called over to us, “Rock? Mrs Salt?” he looked concerned, “Please, don’t go outside until the morning. Just in case, Timberwolves roam at night.”

What a comforting thought!

We reached out room and closed the door behind us with a click. Tingles bumped me with her rump and whispered in my ear, “Hey, ‘Rock Salt’, pffff!” She launched herself onto the bed and started to laugh raucously, half cut with the bloody brandy I imagined. I don’t think she was used to alcohol.

“Oooh, Rock! Why don’t you come over here and give your wife a little taste of your ‘salt lick’, ha, ha, ha!”

I tutted at her and locked the bedroom door, wedging a chair beneath it for good measure. Tingles was rolling on the bed covers when I finished washing up for the evening to join her. She rolled next to me and gave me a quick nuzzle, “You okay love?” she asked.

That caught me off guard, “Uh, yeah. Yes I’m fine love, this place is very strange though. I’ve got a feeling there’s more to the Smiling Borders than meets the eye.”

“True, but that’s not what I’m asking”

“Hmmm?”

“In the carriage…somethings bothering you and I think I know what it is”

“Tingles, look, its nothing, I’m just…”

“Worrying about Shadow, right? I’ll add to that, you’re worried about how Meadow and I fit into the picture, or, well, me I suppose”

I didn’t know what to say, I just sat on the edge of the bed listening to her.

“I chose you, because you’re special. Not in a weird, ‘wendigo’ way, but, just you being you…its hard to explain. I didn’t want to fall in love, sure, and I knew about Meadow and Shadow too, but I’d known you from my first days in the watch and I guess I knew then, deep down, that you were the one for me.

“Shadow and Meadow…somehow, Fairlight, I feel a connection to them. I dream of them, of you, the fortress, a place of endless black sand and a moon that never sets. It frightens me sometimes, but I think to myself, this is your world, this is the world of which, I want to be a part.

“Maybe I’m dreaming it all, maybe my minds completely messed up. I’m not a psychiatrist, Fairlight but I know my own heart and deep down, in my soul, I know Meadow and Shadow are a part of me and a part of your world.”

She sighed and lay her head on the covers next to me, “I told you before, I’m selfish, ‘Rock Salt’.”

I mussed her mane and leaned over, giving the base of her tale a nip.

“Ow! That’s twice now you cheeky beggar, right!”

She threw herself over me and bit down on my cutie mark, hard.

“OUCH! Bloody hell Tingles!”

“There! That’ll teach you, now…you still owe me one, ‘Rock Salt’. Lets see how much licking you can take.”

Tingles and I lay exhausted but happy on top of the bed covers, I was hot and sweaty, but not uncomfortably so; I had a wonderfully soft orange cushion behind my head. I didn’t know what time it was, but the moon was high in sky and I’d left the curtains open to allow its baleful light in to flood the room. She was asleep, breathing gently and so peaceful, I sat a while simply watching her...she was so beautiful. Carefully, I moved to the window so as not to make any sound and wake her.

I could smell the forest, it was alive, fresh and full of an earthly power that called to me on some level that was probably instinctual. We were animals after all, with needs, desires and imagination for sure, but there was still that basic animalistic drive in all of us. The Everfree was a frightening yet alluring place. It was almost legendary within Equestria and its weather patterns denied all explanation, their unpredictable behaviour a danger to any flier entering it. Yet enter we must…tomorrow.

I leaned my head on the window sill. Goddesses, I hoped Tingles was right and Meadow and Shadow would approve of her. Herding wasn’t unheard of, it was even actively encouraged in some places, but it still ran contrary to the way I had been brought up…one stallion to one mare, that’s the way it is. At least, that was the way it was supposed to be wasn’t it? Mares had their own ways though and as a stallion, my traditional role was to protect and to provide. A stallion or a mare could take on any role in Equestrian society, true, but deep down inside myself, there was still that instinctual desire to protect. It had always been strong in my family, the females too for that matter. Mum had faced down a manticore that had wandered into our farm and would have had a Fairlight for breakfast if she hadnt kicked the thing into next week.

Dad…he’d cried when he found out, tears of joy that we were safe, but also anger. Not at the Manticore, but at himself. He hadn’t been there to protect us and never forgave himself for that. Mum had told him she was quite capable of protecting the home, but he was who he was…a protector. I remembered when he came home with a crossbow one day for ‘home defence’, I’d been upstairs alone when I found it. Being the inquisitive little fellow, I accidentally knocked the release lever and shot a bolt through the window. Mum raced upstairs and spanked my arse raw, all the time crying until she hugged me within an inch of my life. At the time it made no sense to me, but now, years later…yeah…I know now.

I looked over at Tingles, she was still sound asleep. The tangerine mare was more than capable of protecting herself, but hell, you know…I wanted to protect her. It felt right, it was in my own way, an expression of my love for her. I suppose Tingles had her own way of looking at things and over time, I would come to understand her better and we would fit into each other worlds. We’d argue, we’d fall out, we’d make up…understanding and being able to compromise was the key, that and communication. I vowed I would never hide things from her, she was my moon in the sky, the….hmmm, speaking of the moon, there was an awful lot of low cloud tonight.

A piercing scream from somewhere in the village rang out, followed by a loud howling of something…unnatural. I’d heard wolves before, but not like this, their cry had a strange rasping edge to it, one I didn’t like at all. Tingles shot up out of bed and grabbed her PDW, “Fairlight? What the hell was that!”

Lifting the window, I looked out into the night…damn it! I couldn’t see jack shi…no…there! Something running into the forest, a dog like thing, several of them in fact. Hell fire, they were huge…

Something charged up the stairs and began hammering on my door, “Sir! Are you alright? I head a scream!”

I dragged back the chair and unlocked the door, my pistol in hoof. To my relief it was our griffin host, “Grimble? No, we’re fine, I heard it too.” I turned to face the window,

“There’s something out there.”

A loud banging on the front door was accompanied by agitated shouting. From downstairs, Heather called up to us, “Father, its Heavy Hoof, should I let him in?”

“Yes! Please, Heather…” Grimble nodded to me, “Sir, stay inside and lock your door…this is village business”

To hell with that. Tingles nudged me, “Getting your gear?”

“You wanted adventure, love, here’s your chance. I’d like to ask you to stay here and stay safe, but…”

“…but I’d say no. And I do say no, you’re not vanishing off into the night to fight monsters without me there to get you out of trouble ‘mister Salt’.”

She was never, never going to forget this.

The night air was bitterly with the edge of the forest wreathed in a dense mist. Up above, the sky was crystal clear, the moon and stars giving a white cast to the scene. Around us was a scene straight out of a monster hunting novel; Minotaurs, griffins, weird furry ‘things’ (no idea what they were) and of course, the obligatory burning torches and lanterns. I half expected pitch forks, until one of the minotaurs stomped over carrying an axe almost as big as me.

Grimble was busy talking with the largest of the creatures when he saw us and rushed over in a fluster, “Mister Salt! Please, go back to your rooms, there’s nothing you can do here.”

Tingles pulled back her overcoat, showing her PDW, “I think there is, Mr. Grimble”

Now, I don’t know much about griffin custom, but there was something in his mannerism that showed a distinct discomfort about being contradicted by a female, but maybe it was just ponies? In any case, Tingles took charge of the situation,

“Who can speak on behalf of these people?”, she asked in a booming authoritative tone.

A large black minotaur, almost invisible in the darkness, peered down at her, “I am, who are you…pony?”

Grimble rushed over and leaned up to whisper hurriedly in the massive creatures ear. Whatever he said, it worked, the minotaurs attitude changed instantly,

“The timber wolves have taken my children, Violet and Buttercup, we must find them before it is too late”. He certainly had some vocal cords on him, I could hear the ground vibrating with every slow, heavy rumbling syllable.

Tingles smiled kindly, “We’ll do our best to find them. What’s your name sir?”

“Silver Moss”

Before long, the tangerine mare had the minotaurs and griffins properly organised into armed and equipped search teams, with the griffins flying top cover to try and locate the wolves. Fortunately, Brandy had allowed us to take what we wanted from the agency stores and I’d indulged myself in a small selection of their gadgetry. Breathing a sigh of relief that I’d brought them along, I fit my TED over my head, nodding to Tingles who quickly took to the air in the direction I saw the wolves heading.

“Fairlight? You reading me okay?”

“You’re coming in loud and clear, keep me posted if you see anything”

“Understood”

I took off my sunglasses and headed into the woods with two of the smaller minotaurs. The looks on their faces when they saw my eyes was priceless, it was easy to forget how they glowed and in the dark the effect was even more pronounced. I missed their brown colouring though, it was more ‘me’ and besides, it didn’t attract all the inquisitive staring either. Sometimes, being a ‘boring’ colour didn’t seem so bad.

Pushing our way into the woods, the tracks were proving difficult to follow in the near pitch blackness. My enhanced eyesight helped, but the lanterns carried by the minotaurs offered more shadow than anything else and were actually making it harder for me to see. Their sense of smell however, was another matter and they would stop occasionally to snuff the air for scents. Before long, we lost sight of the other search parties, their lantern light no longer visible in the thick forest.

This place had a bad reputation and by the looks of things, it was well deserved too. Strange noises, shrieks, barks and cracking echoed from its depths. The canopy above us was so dense as to nearly block out the moonlight completely, with only brief glimpses of the stars when I looked up from time to time.

We’d been walking for a few minutes when my TED crackled, “Fairlight? I can barely see you, are you okay?”

“Yes, we’re all okay, still following the tracks but no sign of the timber wolves yet.”

“Received. Check in every five minutes, I don’t like this place.”

“Understood.”

Pushing our way through the dense undergrowth, making any sort of progress was becoming harder and harder. I was starting to doubt we’d ever find the children, alive at any rate. Remebering the size of that wolf, I doubted those things took prisoners somehow. My companions were silent, shambling along and sniffing every so often, pointing out tracks and scents I couldn’t. As trackers, they were surprisingly good and despite their size, quite nimble through the unforgiving terrain.

The TED came to life, “Fairlight?”

“Here. Find anything?”

“They’ve found one of them…there’s…not much left. They tore the little thing to pieces. Love, I don’t think we’re going to find the other one…”

“I know Tingles, we’ll keep searching though, until we know for sure.”

“Received”

Tingles was right, this was turning into a bloody nightmare. Branches and thorns were catching on my coat to the point where I felt I simply couldn’t make any headway at all. What about finding our way back, too? All I could see was blackness and the likelihood of finding the child was already doubtful, let alone finding it still alive. Goddesses, this place was terrible, it was even affecting my nerves now, I kept getting the feeling I was being watched…tracked.

One of the minotaurs was staring off into the darkness while the other scratched itself, looking for, ‘things’ in its fur. Bloody hell, I hoped they weren’t fleas, that was the last thing I needed now. Pausing to catch my breath, I took a mouthful of tea from my flask and offered it to my search buddies who carried on with their respective tasks as if I didn’t exist. Nice.

The one who looked like a he, it, whatever it was, was engaged in some sort of staring competition. The minotaur gave a sudden loud snort making me jump, and pulled out a hatchet from its belt. My hackles immediately went up, there was something out there, moving in the darkness.

“Tingles, can you see anything overhead? One of the minotaurs has spotted something”

The other one of the horned things loped over to its colleague, grunting. Some sort of primitive discourse resulted in it too drawing a weapon, this one producing a large iron bat and staring in the same direction as the other. Luna fuck me, I really didn’t like this, not one little bit.

“Tingles, talk to me…please, i’m starting to get a little worried here.”

“Fairlight! Theres movement in the forest, its all around us…it’s getting closer to the ground search teams.”

“Can you see what it is?”

“No! Movement from every direction, it’s homing in on the lights!”

Oh shit! This was it, I drew my pistol and sword, “You two, keep together with me, we can watch each others backs…Hey!”, one of the minotaurs bellowed some sort of defiant yell and barrelled off into the darkness. Moments later snarls and loud roars followed by a blood curdling scream, set my mane to itching like crazy. We were in seriously deep shit.

“You! Keep with me!” I shouted at the remaining minotaur.

Ignoring me, the stupid creature began a lumbering charge into the treeline after its fallen companion. I watched in horror as a shadow detached itself from the forest and hurtled into the minotaur, growling, ripping, tearing. I loosed off a shot, the beam pistol momentarily lighting a...thing…a snarling, dripping set of teeth and glowing green eyes.

“Tingles, get out of here…get back to the tavern and lock yourself in. Don’t open the door for anypony.”

“What the hell are you talking about Fairlight?”

Green eyes appeared all around me, one pair at a time. A hollow sound of clicking and rattling, the sound of dry bones snapping in the darkness…they were getting nearer.

“Tingles, get out of here love, please.”

“Fairlight…for Celestia’s sake, run!”

“Its too late…” I was completely surrounded.

From the number of glowing green eyes, there must have been at least ten of the beasts. I’d heard of timber wolves before but had never believed the stories, dismissing them as flights of fancy from the over active imagination of country folk. Good goddesses, what a fool i’d been. These things were wolf shaped all right, but skeletal in appearance; constructed magical beings from the very material of the forest…wood. In some other place, I may have laughed at such a ridiculous notion, but the batteries of lethally sharp teeth, some dripping with gore and torn flesh, were all too terrifyingly real.

I lowered my pistol and sword, if it was magic they wanted, I would give these things all they wanted. I doubted that I’d be walking away from this though, there were simply too many and it took time for the magic to run through me. The images of Meadow face, Shadows, Sparrow and Tingles rushed through my mind like a rapid fire slide show. Nice to see my mind preparing me for the afterlife like that, but I had no such plans to move on just yet.

I felt down inside to the spirit and called its power forth as one of the creatures, clacking and growling stepped forward. Feeling the magic begin to flow through me, I turned to the thing and shouted the first word that enetered my head as loud as I could, “DOWN!”

It worked, if only for a moment. The things backed away, their wooden ears creaking down to their skulls, the leaves on their faces rustling. One or two even gave a little whimper. Thank Luna, it was all the time I needed. I felt my teeth grow long, my eyes taking on their now familiar fiery blue haze, strength and cold fire running through my veins. Mist of my own began to roll from around my hooves, this…this was who I was, who I am…

The timber wolves backed away a few steps, several of the smaller ones whimpering and unsure, their evening meal plans were suddenly not so attractive after all. My magic swirled around me in a blizzard, ready to strike, my wings kept tight by my side, I didn’t want these things getting a hold of them and pulling me down. Something in their mannerism gave me to pause, however. I don’t know what it was exactly, just a feeling from somewhere deep down in my subconscious that not all was as it seemed here. You could say, it was like an itch I couldn’t scratch.

I could have released a mist that would have frozen the timber wolves like statues and allowed me to kill them with ease, so why did I hesitate like this? The circle of wolves cautiously backed away from the mist forming around me and retreated, slowly making their strange click clack noise. As always, just when you thought it was safe…

Several of the creatures sidestepped, lowering their heads to the passage of what was obviously the alpha wolf. The damned thing was enormous, its eyes blazing like green beacon fires and there, dangling from its sharpened log like teeth, a bawling…nanny goat?

Ho well, at least we’d found one of the ‘kids’ alive…a goat, all this for a bloody goat.

Now, I was seriously pissed off. The thing growled at me like a miniature thunder storm, tossing the small goat to one of its companions who caught it deftly in it jaws, careful I noticed, not to injure it. Strange…unless it was a case of ‘don’t eat the boss’s dinner’, I’d just have to make sure I wasn’t on the starter menu tonight.

The alpha wolf looked down at me and gave a rumbling laugh, or at least it seemed to. Were they sentient? The massive wolf turned to its companions who began to click at each other excitedly and observe the proceedings from a safer distance. It was clear that negotiating was not an option on the table with this guy and his first lunge didn’t come as a surprise.

The beast reared and lunged its head out, vicious jaws snapping at air as I danced away, lashing out with a mist shrouded buck that sent the thing crashing into the trees. A crescendo of clicks, clacks and howls emanated from the others while their boss quite literally, pulled himself back together. He reached up a wooden paw and pushed a stray branch back into position on his neck, giving an irritated grumble.

Barking like an enraged hound, the monstrous beast dived at me and I narrowly missed being disembowled, but its claws managed to rake my flank sending a flare of pain through me. Suppressed by the wendigo’s magic, thankfully it barely registered for more than a second, allowing me a chance to breath a blast of ice and magic at the wolf. He tried to dodge himself, catching some of the lethal mix on his back leg; one of the audience wasn’t so lucky and took the full brunt in its face.

The others howled and growled their displeasure but did not interfere; there was some sort of honour at play here. But, whatever it was, I’d do whatever it took to get out of here alive, if only there was more room to move in this damned forest and I was very much at a major disadvantage not being able to use my wings.

Focussing my magic, I fired a pulse of blue fire from my horn, incinerating a path through the tree and singing the frighteningly fast alpha male’s chest as he snapped his jaws around my hind leg. His massive teeth bit down and he shook me like a rag doll, throwing me into a boulder with frightening ease. I cried out in frustration, anger and pain as I crashed into the thing with bone breaking force. Blue blood poured from the torn wound on my side, my leg now dragging uselessly. The creatures of the forest sensed victory, their leader shaking his head knowingly…the cocky bastard.

Through my haze of pain I glimpsed the little goat, bleating in fear while it hung helplessly from the mouth of one of the timber wolves. Sparrow Song was about the same size at the kid, how would I feel if I was this child’s father, how would I feel if this was Sparrow? To hell with honour, this was about winning, about saving a life. I released the full power of the wendigo through my body, the air around me chilling to blood freezing depths. A trickle went to my mangled leg, knitting the muscle and hide, the rest sending energy and strength to every part of my body. I exhaled a blast of ice and magic at the thing, howling my hatred and contempt; it lunged and lashed out at me. I didn’t dodge this time, a shield of crystalline ice materialising between us, I deflected the beast’s claws while I removed its hind quarters with a pulse of blue fire.

The wolf screamed out into the night air, trying to bite at me and crawl on its front legs. Even then, I saw the scattered pieces shaking, rattling, moving back to the main body of the creature, reforming it and making it whole once again. This could go on forever, or at least until I weakened from fatigue and the thing had me.

We clashed, again and again, wounding each other, healing and attacking again. At some point during the melee, I caught a tiny glimpse of a red light, glowing deep within the chest of the creature. It pulsed with energy, with magic…maybe…

Pausing for breath, we both surveyed each other, trying to find an opening and finish our opponent off once and for all. I made my plans; my horn flared, my breath poured, and the north winds blew. In that mix, the wolf watched in fascination as I fashioned a thing from memory, from the witherworld, a weapon not of battle so much as of agriculture.

In the blue and green flickering light of the clearing, the scythe glinted and shone like the stars high above. It was time to reap the harvest.

The wolf lowered it head and charged me, jaws wide and sparkling with ice where it had tasted my hide. I leapt and span, the scythe slicing through the wolf’s face and neck, sending shattered fragment of wood and leaves to land on the forest floor. Shrieking in outrage, he came on, lashing and gnashing. His movements became more and more desperately erratic, while mine were deliberate, surgical, removing piece after piece of the thing.

It was sheer eroticism, a different kind of friend had come to play tonight and I had been so bored too. I’d never had a pet as a foal, and here was this doggy come to play with me. So sad that the thing was rabid and had to be put down. So, so sad.

The wolf tried its all to rend me, to kill me even if down to its last twig and branch. Laughing in the throws of the dance, I looked for my prize and…there! Yes, there is was!

A buck, a blast of ice, a slash and the timber wolf’s rib cage burst open revealing its glowing heart. The creature screamed in anger before a glittering hiss of the scythe severed its head from its shoulders.

Already the damnable thing was pulling itself together…what a wonderful pet! I could play and play and play, wonderful…so…

I reached out with my forehooves, feeling the raw magical power of the timber wolf’s heart, the way it pulsed, its raw feral anger and fear. With a cry of fury and joy combined, I wrenched the heart from the beast’s chest and threw it into the air, blasting it to dust with a bolt of magic.

Clicking and huffing noises filled the clearing, the pack watching the pieces of their great fallen leader, lie silent and still.

Nothing moved, not even a sound, even the forest was silent…mournful at the loss of a great warrior. I trotted over to the child and picked it up, placing it on my back, warily watching the waiting timber wolves for any sign of movement.

As one, they began to bow their heads, their forelegs outstretched; was this some sort of ritual? A large wolf timidly stepped forward and bobbed its head, whimpering slightly and sniffing at the remains of their leader, now just a pile of twigs.

This one, would be the new alpha. I reached out a hoof and stroked the things knotty head between its ears. The wolves lifted their heads up and howled into the night, long and pining, a song of ending and of new beginnings for their pack. I understood their intentions, if not the words, and so I readied myself to leave. I looked into the green eyes of the large wolf before me,

“If there is one request I may make of you, it is this; leave the village alone. The forest is yours, but village is theirs. Respect each other and live you lives wild and free.”

The wolf gave a barking yelp and bobbed its head before turning about and heading off into the darkness of the forest, followed by the rest of its pack. For me, it was time to go back to the village, to Tingles, and a box of salty chocolates. The small goats father owed me a brandy too, by my reckoning!

I flicked on the TED and Tingles’ panicked voice immediately bellowed down my ear, forcing a rapid volume adjustment, “Fairlight! Fairlight are you okay!? Oh thank Celestia, you damned foal, what were you thinking? I thought you were dead! And…and then I saw flashes of light, blue light, and I knew it was you, but I couldn’t get near! I…”

“Tingles, for the love of Celestia, please!” I shouted over her, “Just grab a lantern and come find me, I can’t find my way out of the bloody place…help!”

A lot of trudging and following Tingles’ lantern like a will-o-the-wisp later, the exhausted kid and an even more exhausted Fairlight emerged from the forests dark embrace into the massively hairy embrace of a jubilant minotaur.

“Buttercup! My baby! Thank the moon you are safe my daughter”, the massive hairy male hugged his bleating daughter until he finally released her to hide behind his huge legs.

“Silver Moss thanks you…Rock…you are welcome here in our home. Minotaurs do not forget their debts”

“Theres no debt Silver Moss,” I said waving it off, “this was the right thing to do. I’m just glad we saved Buttercup, but I’m sorry about your son and your two friends”.

He nodded, “We will mourn them and sing them to their brothers and sisters.”

The minotaur turned and shambled away, the rest of his clan following him in silence with the exception of Grimble who was busy pushing me into the tavern where an anxious Tingles waited with hugs and, I’m pleased to say, a bottle of the excellent brandy. On the house too no less; this was certainly going to be a night to remember, although probably in my bloody nightmares unfortunately.

Back in our room, an agitated Tingles examined me from top to bottom before clutching tight hold of my neck. She stayed like that for a while, saying nothing as I simply stroked her mane and enjoyed her warmth against me; I could have stayed like that for hours. A damp sensation creeping through my fur made me pull away from her in concern,

“Tingles?” her eyes were puffy and red with tears, the drops falling like rain onto the old wooden floor.

She reached out and kissed me on the muzzle before slowly walking to the wash basin and wiping her face. The mare leaned her head back and sighed, squeezing her eyes shut,

“Fairlight…are we a team? You and I?”

“Of course we are!” I was quite taken aback ”You know that love, why are you even asking my that?”

“Because…” she choked back another sob, wiping the flannel across her face again before continuing, “…because you told me to leave you there, to run away”

She stared me square in the eyes, “To let you die”

I stood silently looking into the big green eyes, distress and pain all too evident.

“There was nothing you could do for me Tingles”, I sighed trotting to the window and looking out at the dark forest, “you couldn’t have fought those things, there were just too many of them. They took down two minotaurs like they were nothing and that damned super sized wolf nearly did for me too.”

She choked back a sob, “I could have done something! I could have tried! You don’t trust me, is that it?”

“No! Yes! For Celestia’s sake Tingles, of course I trust you, I love you and I trust you with my life.”

“Would you have left me there Fairlight? Left me to die?”

“Goddesses, Tingles! Of course not, you’re everything to me, how could I leave the mare I love to die in that evil place.”

“Yet you expected me to leave you…didn’t you…”

I hung my head, I just didn’t know what to say. She was right, but what the hell could I have done? There was no way through that thick canopy to the forest floor and if she’d managed somehow, they would have torn her to pieces. I went to put a hoof around her but Tingles pushed it away and took a step back.

“Tingles?” I asked in confusion.

“I’m sorry Fairlight, I…I’m angry and upset with you right now…I don’t know what to think…”

My world felt like a crack had just appeared across its surface, ready to fall into the void beneath. My heart heavy in my chest, I turned to the door, “I’m the one who’s sorry, I did what I thought was best to keep you safe. If that was wrong of me…then yes, it’s my fault. But Tingles,” I glanced back at her before walking through the door and onto the landing, “…If you’d been there, you would have died, and that would have killed me too.”