From the helm Guardian Angel stared down at the deck of the Onyx. Most of the crew had moved into the vessel some time ago. He could hardly blame them. At cruising altitude and speed it was rather chilly on the surface of the ship. There was no reason to look up or worry about their heading, the ponies that had been trained to drive the Onyx did so with a high degree of skill. He cast a quick glance at the bundled up helmspony with her goggles and scarf, before returning to gaze at the wooden planking his mind free to wander and think. The last thing he wanted it to be able to do. In his mind, there was not a beautiful orange sun slowly descending from the sky. There were no happy, puffy blue clouds that floated by the ship as they traveled. There were only twitchy reactions to anxiety and fear. The feeling pitched deeply in a black void that threatened to overtake his waking vision.

It’s only there if I let it be there. That is how it always worked. Why I gave into it before he reminded himself. Closing his eyes Guardian Angel let that darkness enveloped him. Every fiber of his being cried out in anger and fury. The haunted screams of dozens of ponies pierced his sense of sound. Their long-dead voices making him want to swat at his ears. The stench of ozone and burnt fur hit his nose again as if he had traveled back in time to that night so long ago when he had lost his world.

But, I rebuilt, I survived, even my own vengeance and arrogance. I have a purpose to fulfill, I’ve lived through everything for a reason. And it’s to undo what my family did. No matter what. I know it is. That thought almost made him smile.

He drew a fresh breath and the smells, the sounds, and the overwhelming urge to let his full-power go berserk dissipated. A sense of calm washed over him for a moment as it always did when he found his control, his zone. He had to maintain it no matter what if there was any hope to reach for when the time came. If only his dour mood could be cured as easily as his demonic urges.

“Dude, you’re so stressed out you’re stressing me out, by just looking at you.” The raspy voice of the dragon princess forced his right ear to turn towards her. She was difficult to hear over the buffeting of the wind.

“Me? Stressed? Never,” he remarked with thick sarcasm.

“You’re lucky I enjoy your sarcasm or I would get really tired of your bad attitude,” Ember huffed. “Besides, mom has no idea you are you. There won’t be any trouble unless you march up to her and announce that you killed Torch.”

“Trouble has a habit of doing stupid stuff like that for me, Ember,” Guardian Angel answered. He turned his head enough to see her with his peripheral vision. The heavy wind pushed hard enough that the soft edges of the dragoness’s lower spines bent.

“Still, I’ve seen you fight and you can handle mom. She might be fierce but, my gold is on you. Just don’t kill her, alright? She’s not my dad.” Ember’s scaly brow folded down low, a visual representation of her apprehension. Guardian Angel understood that feeling too well.

“I wouldn’t even dream of it. Besides, she’s not what has me concerned,” he replied.

“Is Gusty really that dangerous? She seems pretty normal for pony standards to me.” Ember stopped leaning on the deck rail and clacked her way over next to him. The lithe lizard’s face seemed lost in thought. After a moment she pointed a claw at his chest, Guardian Angel had long since ditched his dress uniform. She indicated the wide scar that crossed the center of his ribcage, the one he had gotten from her father.

“If you can survive that, you can handle her. I mean come on, aren’t stallions the dominant ones in relationships anyway,” she commented.

“Who the hell told you that?” he raised a brow at her in amused disbelief.

“Nobody, I always figured that was the way ponies were, seeing how Spike was always trying to take control of any given situation if he thinks he can manage it,” Ember answered casually.

Guardian Angel could not help but laugh. The notion was rather ridiculous and it broke the tension in his mind with its whimsy. Perhaps he cackled a little too fully at it in an attempt to cover up how wrong it felt to find any joy at this moment but Ember probably did not notice. The dragoness just stared at him in confusion not quite understanding the complexity of pony dating culture.

“Well,” he managed between another chuckle. “I’ll be the first to tell you that you aren’t always wrong about that, but in these modern times the relationships between lovers and friends are usually pretty mutual. It’s a good thing really.”

“Yeah, I always forget ponies don’t really do the hierarchy thing we dragons do. Anyway, even if it is mutual, why don’t you take some initiative and check on Gusty, before she comes up here and bumbles around the deck before challenging me to a race.” Ember folded her arms.

“Probably a good idea. Still need to explain to her that I smuggled her daughter on board too,” he answered.

“You what?” The dragoness’s face scales flushed red and then white with worry.

Guardian Angel gave her a smugly fanged smile and trotted off the helm and down the stairs. Ember remained where he had left her, her gaze following him with a look of shock and horror that simply said: That stallion is crazy!

He slipped down the stairs and turned the hairpin corner towards the door that led to the cabins. Unlike cold deck the warm voices of his staff could be heard echoing up from the stateroom below the cabins. They seemed to be explaining the details of one of the contingency plans to somepony. Presumably that pony was Gusty, or perhaps one of Ember’s escorts. Probably that big mouthed Frostbite fellow. Under normal circumstances he would have just overheard both with his life-sense and ears but he was feeling more direct today.

He sauntered down the stairs to cut the explanation short, making quite a bit of noise as the wooden steps protested from his weight. However, as his eyes cleared the edge of the ceiling the pony who Captain Stiff Inspection was speaking to was Amethyst. Guardian Angel balked, shocked the filly had decided to so brazenly sit out in the open. Gusty could walk right in at any moment. He extended his connection to Gusty to find where exactly the mare was on the ship. The ping returned a simple unconscious acknowledgement. The teal alicorn was asleep in her cabin. He breathed a sigh of relief for Amethyst. He did not want the filly to take the fall for his call to keep her on the ship, and hide her.

Slipping silently up to the stool that Amethyst was perched upon, only Stiff Inspection noticed him. The captain gave him a small nod and a smart grin. Carefully extending a singular feather, he gently tapped the filly on the shoulder. She spun her head around quickly, too quickly for his plan of stepping to the side to work. Instead he was left feeling somewhat idiotic as he realized that even had Amethyst not reacted so speedily he was too large to step to one side without hitting the nearby table.

“Mr. Stormwalker, you scared me!” The filly murmured from her stool.

“Well I had to try and give you some trouble for running around the ship unsupervised. It’s good that the gallant Captain here had managed to hold your attention.” He motioned to Stiff Inspection smartly. His underling let a sly smile and a nod be his only response.

“Your sister told me to find something to do after I woke up from my nap, she told me mom had fallen asleep,” Amethyst replied calmly. “I found my way here and well, the Captain was explaining to me one of the contingency plans…” She looked away, her mood souring as she spoke.

Guardian Angel narrowed his eyes at Stiff Inspection. However, he noticed on the small drawing board behind the captain that the subject matter was not something that was off-limits for Amethyst. He did maintain his apprehensions, simply because the filly grew more upset as she sat here. It seemed the faux-scolding had upset her which had not been his intent. It did not help that Pixie seemed to be included in Amethyst’s venture outside of the safety of one of the cabins. The situation made him twitchy and remorseful.

“I want to be with mom. I’m still super upset she didn’t want me to come,” The filly moped. Apparently his assessment of her mood had been both wrong and also less severe than imagined. Amethyst sniffled some, clearly on the verge of tears.

Stiff Inspection grimaced. The young captain met his eyes, clearly pleading for help out of the situation. Fortunately, for him, Guardian Angel was not about to let Amethyst sit there and feel terrible.

“Come here, punk.” He extended a hoof out to pick the filly up.

She silently took the gesture and let him guide her onto his back with both the limb and a wing. Amethyst remained silent as he started to leave the area. Stiff Inspection followed him to the door.

“Is there any other surprises you have for me, sir?” The captain asked with a long droll.

“Not if I can avoid them. Just make sure this hunk of iron gets us to where we’re going. I understand Zeccaran had to do some maintenance to one of the engines,” he stated.

“I’ll have a crew double-check them and see if there are any preventative measures we can take. Things had been perfect before take off. So I’m upset he found something wrong to fix.” Stiff Inspection nodded.

Guardian Angel returned the motion. The captain let him go after that, Amethyst staying quiet as he walked through the vessel. With only a destination but not a particular path in mind he strolled through the gundeck. He felt Amethyst shifting on his back to look at the various weapons and ponies that they passed. She remained silent as they moved, her silence troubling Guardian Angel. He only hoped that Gusty received the filly well, it was probably the only thing that was going to help Amethyst feel better.

“Where are we going?” she asked, seemingly aware of his thoughts.

“For a walk before we go tell your mother you are here and staying because I say so,” he replied with a bit of forced cheer. He just hoped the filly did not notice his mood was fake.

“Really? You’re just gonna barge into her room and show me off like some sort of prize?” Amethyst replied. She was more skeptical of his plan than his attitude thankfully. Her description made him smile, both at the irony of how accurate it was and how reminiscent it was when they had all met.

“Yep. It should keep her from getting too upset, I think.” He turned towards the stairs that led down into the crew quarters down below. A few ponies of his employ whom milled about near their top snapped to attention as they saw him.

Rolling his eyes and ignoring their salutes, he waved them “free.” The group was mostly composed of new recruits who hadn’t acclimated to his improved attitude. Not that he could blame them for taking the precaution. Guardian Angel was all too aware of his reputation amongst the Royal Guard, his main recruiting pool, and fresh admissions held onto their fear. He silently supposed that was what he got for sitting at number one on the list of national security threats that the Guard put together for an odd ten years.

It should probably be more upsetting that until three years ago I very much deserved that designation. I know I’m never going to get away from what I’ve done. But it would be nice if ponies I don’t really know weren’t afraid of me. He scowled to himself,

The crew quarters were fairly well populated as they walked through. A few ponies looked up from various card games or weapon maintenance kits were mostly officers. One, the engineering commander, waved at Amethyst with a wide smile on her face. The filly giggled and wriggled around on his back, presumably waving back. Otherwise, the normal soldiers were too occupied with fighting the boredom of travel. That would change soon, they had entered international waters and airspace. There was no telling if Griffa would hold to its treaty or if they would not stumble upon other dangers like pirates or raiders.

“There are so many. I didn’t realize how many ponies were on the ship!” His ward proclaimed.

“Well it is a diplomatic mission with two crown royals on the ship.” He rotated his head to catch a glimpse of Amethyst with his good eye as they left the quarters.

“Yeah, sometimes I forget mom is technically an Official Representative of the Equestrian Royal Court...That’s what it’s called right?” The filly asked for confirmation.

He nodded pleasantly, a small grin on his face. A real one this time. Oh, how such a simple interaction could uplift his mood. It did not last.

They now stood in a wide corridor. It was mostly occupied by the stairwell that led back up to the gundeck or down to the engine room. Some sacks of dried food were stuffed into tight bundles and stacked neatly opposite of the stairs. Idly taking a wide circled path towards the way up. There was no real rush. Gusty was asleep. However, a quiet blanket of unease had settled over him as they began their little jaunt through the ship. Amethyst felt it too. Guardian Angel could feel her shifting about on his back again, pressing her face into his right wing, trying to get comfortable. Of course, there was no comfort for them. Every second seemed to take a minute to pass and every minute an hour. The attitude of the distracted crew was a reflection of how time had slowed to a crawl. Finally, he took his first step up the stairs.

Each plank creaked with the slow fall of his hooves as he ascended. A burst of wind, hissing and rushing, made the whole ship moan and list before the helmspony corrected it. The lack of noise in the narrow space of the stairs made the feeling of the tilting vessel erie. It was almost a soulless motion and noise that was meant to reflect his mood. Guardian Angel rolled his neck and pushed the feeling away. He reached out with his mind to see if Gusty was, in fact, still napping. The only thing he felt from the mare was a vague static. It reminded him of the sound of his ears popping from altitude changes. Whatever Luna and Zeccaran were doing was allowing her to sleep like a normal pony.

As they drew closer to the next floor the murmur of ponies in the Strategy Room. They kept speaking, ignoring him and Amethyst as they passed into and out of the chamber. That was a bit of a shock, but at the moment Guardian Angel was happy to be unnoticed. Soon enough, he stood at the top of the next set of stairs and stared at the three large cabins. He stepped towards the center one, there was no reason to shock Luna out of the dreamwalk by suddenly walking Gusty.

“So how does dreamwalking work, anyway?” Amethyst piped up as he reached for the handle.

“You’d have to ask Luna,” he smiled. “I only have a vague idea myself. I know how it's supposed to work, but details? Forget it.”

“Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I’ll get to ask her now. If she has the time.” The filly stood up from where she had been resting against his wing. Her hooves pressed into his back, making him reflexively unfurl his wings some.

“She’ll have time. Just got to wake her up first.” Guardian Angel turned the handle and strode into the room.

Everything was calm, Luna layed tucked neatly into the large bed in the center of the room. Zeccaran, was leaned into the corner of the large chair that was next to it. The usual attendant had been excused because the two mind-trekkers were only supposed to be monitoring Gusty. Such had always been their standard procedure.That was when the smell hit him. It was faint, like it came to him from across a great distance. He knew that smell: the stench of a specific magic. It was Nyx.

“What’s wrong?” Amethyst asked from over his shoulder.

“I-I...I’m not sure.” His mouth answered on its own accord as his mind flew through the possibilities

Nyx existing made no sense. Of all the creatures across the planes, he knew how specifically her spirit had been cast into the Void. Then his prejudice reminded him a certain striped idiot had served as the Great Shade’s vessel. If she had somehow escaped her rightful prison then she had managed a first. And Zeccaran had helped her, although it was probably unwittingly. Probably. Stifling a growl he stode closer to Luna and the zebra. Amethyst hopped down from his back as he approached with a bit of a loud thump.

Neither pony stirred at the sound, but that was to be expected. Their efforts were more trance than sleep and not so easily disturbed. Yet, somehow their motionless frames upset him. More magic made its presence known, muddling its scent and feeling of warmth on him in an instant. Amethyst, too, felt it. The filly froze in her tracks, slowly turning her head to catch his gaze, worry sparkling in her eyes.

“What is that?” she whispered after a moment.

“Something bad-” The pressure of the Curse manipulating the power that hung in the air made him draw a sharp breath of terror. “Something I have to stop!”

Immediately, Guardian Angel focused his mind on the magic, ready to summon the full force of what he had stolen from Nyx. Breathing it in as it hung thickly on the air, he absorbed the stench internalizing. It was a strange mixture of all of the other creatures’ magic. Their presence and power all wrapped into a single blob of danger. He moved on instinct. The prickly feeling of incoming death and dismemberment for everypony on the ship nearly beating him in the back of the neck with its pulse. Already crossed over to where Luna lay in the bed he let his own power, the force of will that so greatly defined being Shadow-kin, spring forth. There was no restraint, no regret. Reaching out he cut into the tangled mess of consciousnesses like a hot blade.

He grabbed the largest portion that he could reasonably claim as Luna and pulled. To his relief she came unbound, at least that was the feeling his mind’s eye gave him and as his sight focused back up on the physical world so did his fiance. Then a sense of dread overcame him as he realized it was far too easy to pull her out. It was like something was trying to throw her to him.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Luna hissed into his face as she tossed her covers off. “She’s going critical I need to be in there!”

“If this is the end then, you aren’t going with her!” he snapped back with a loud snarl. Guardian Angel had made his decision a month ago. He would choose Luna every time if there was no way to save Gusty, and as this was that moment, he had no scruples.

“No, you don’t understand! The Curse, it's going to absorb Nyx! I know I haven’t told you abou-” Guardian Angel put a hoof to her lips and cut her off.

“I just figured out that Nyx is alive, I don’t care how and I don’t care why. You’re out here, and safe, Zeccaran will have to help his patron on his own.” His brow nearly furrowed over his eyes and he could hear his voice turn metal and coarse. Unfortunately, his deteriorating mood made him care little. All that matter was Luna was safe, for now at least.

His mare remained silent as she looked at him her cheeks flushing with fury. Her emotions ran rampant over her features for a few more seconds before she turned her gaze down to Amethyst who stood between the alicorn and Zeccaran. Luna’s frustration left her in an instant and was replaced with worry.

“How many problems are you trying to cause on this ship, Guardian Angel?” She gestured to the filly.

“I came of my own accord, thank you!” Amethyst chirped with a bit of a bite in her tone. Her face instantly grew truly upset, it was mirrored in her voice,“What’s this business with Nyx?”

Her question hung on the air, matching the ominous pulse of the magic. Guardian Angel had no answer for her and neither did Luna. The pungent stench of the ancient sorcery seemed to grow with intensity for every passing moment. Dread pulled at his heart and mind as he stood idly not knowing what to do. Everything about the moment held him anchored in place, lost, and fighting several different gut reactions. The entirety of his being screamed at him to just reach into the dangling mess of ethereal consciousnesses and pull Zeccaran and his precious Shade free of the Curse’s grip.

“We...we have to wake him, pull their collective consciousness out of that hellscape. But it will take me too long to-” That was all that the stallion needed to hear of Luna’s explanation. If she thought the same

With the same burst of power and ferocity, Guardian Angel inserted himself into the metaphysical battle of wills and magic. As always he could not see, only feel, his vision waxing into nothingness. Fortunately, the powers of the Shadow-kin were not limited to the physical realm and his ability to sense life came with him. His mind touched Zeccaran’s and he latched onto it. With the colossal force of his desperation he willed the zebra into the waking world. Yet, something felt wrong. He only had one mind with him when he exited the Astral Plane

As his vision became clear again, he beheld a strange sight. A small shadow sat before him on the ground. Had he blinked he would have missed it as it shot right at Amethyst who softly gasped in response. The filly made no other response.

“Wait, I felt a consciousness become awake, but...Zeccaran is still asleep.” Luna looked between Guardian Angel and the zebra in confusion.

The stallion turned his own eyes to Amethyst. The filly maintained a misty-eyed gaze at nothing. Her face was relaxed, and calm as if she had forgotten all about the moment she resided in.

With a rush of wind and rustle of grass did time stop for Amethyst. She saw Mr. Stormwalker looking at her with a simple blank shock. If he had noticed what had happened he made no showing of it. In fact, the whole room seemed fuzzy to the filly as she struggled with the feeling that someone else was watching her. Then it became clear as the fizzling of the air became an understandable voice. That was when it all made sense. Amethyst knew that voice. She had heard it in her dreams since she was little, she wanted to gasp in horror and morbid curiosity but found her body stuck.

My, my my. Your mind is even sharper than Zeccaran’s! cried Nyx into her head.

Still frozen and unsure what to do, Amethyst simply waited. The personage of Nightmare Moon, the everything she once had believed in gave her the feeling of ashamed amusement. The mixture of emotions served only to confuse the filly more.

I am not the same as I was before, dearest child. I’m not sure if I am better than I was or if this new perspective has merely made me more aware of my surroundings. You hold all the cards here within your mind. I am merely a visitor. You were the best option to avoid my swift and vile end. Nyx monologue to her.

What do you mean? Amethyst asked with her mind, the way she always had when the Great Shade had visited her in her dreams.

Your Guardian Angel, Amethyst felt Nyx gesture towards Stormwalker and the filly slowly met the stallion’s gaze. He would never harm you, even if I was in possession of your mind. And though that is something I can no longer do in my condition, better safe than sorry should he decide to end me.

Was I seeing things? His pondered thoughts reached Amethyst for only for the briefest of moments, yet it was as if he spoke aloud to her.

Did I just hear him think!? She gasped at Nyx.

You did. You are quite powerful, truly. Your mind reminds me of Zeccaran’s, honestly. Yet it is better, broader, even than when he was in his prime. There’s even that darkside- Amethyst cut Nyx off, she had come to a conclusion.

Wait, weren’t you helping Uncle Z? What’s going on? She asked urgently.

Yes. And you seem to have realized my next request, even as I was thinking it -you are so powerful- I must get back into the Astral Realm or the will of the Shadow-kin will destroy Zeccaran. And from there on the entire world will suffer the consequences! Nyx declared.

But how? Amethyst question.

Just do it. You have the raw ability. WIll me into Zeccaran’s mind.

But-

Do it!

Nyx’s presence was suddenly overridden by welling magic deep inside Amethyst. Guardian Angel started to balk but was stopped as the filly’s ice-blue eyes sparkled with a simple yet powerful force, comprehension. Time snapped back into focus and the stallion was none the wiser, other than Nyx was inside Amethyst, and a lot of rage was building deep in his chest. However, his young ward’s words held his fury off as she nearly danced in place.

“Nyx! She’s in my head!” She cried. A grin broke her lips which quickly spread to a wide smile.

“How do I get her back to Zeccaran!? She keeps telling me I have to right now! And she keeps saying that I can just do it, but I don’t understand what she means!”

Luna loosed a shriek that made both the stallion and the filly jump. She rushed over to Amethyst her breathing loud and uneven, making him grimace in dismay. With a flash of light and the hiss of magic Luna picked up Amethyst and touched their horns together. It happened fast enough that Guardian Angel had no reaction. He could only vaguely suspect that his fiance intended to cast the magic via the filly’s horn, by simply touching. It was a common practice in combined spellcasting so he did not think much of it. Another flash another hiss and a beam light shot forth and connected to Zeccaran.

As fast as it happened so too did it pass and the light and the magic subsided. Likewise the pooling power of the Curse dissipated, receding into Gusty’s mind. Guardian Angel chased the beast with his own power and touched the teal mare’s mind. Somehow she remained asleep, and undisturbed. Thankful, he returned all of his energy to his body slowly calming the fervor he had been building as the sudden outburst had produced.

A sharp puff of air and an audible wince turned his attention back to the room where he stood. Zeccaran sat up in his chair, disheveled but free. Guardian Angel put a hoof up to his face, closing his eyes as he loosed a long sigh of released tension. For a long blissful second he enjoyed it, as he focused only internally at that moment. His fury, returned, only having built in his stomach where he stored it. He opened his eyes. There were answers he required.

Next Chapter: Act 5: Chapter 7 - First Line of Defense Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 53 Minutes