Pain. All he could feel was pain. Nathan had opened his eyes to a bright light and hissed, the sudden brightness burnt his eyes and the human moved his bandaged arm to cover his face. He was vaguely aware of the sound of seagulls and the ocean around him, making the injured man look around. He could see shapes moving around him, his sight blurred for the moment.

The man tried to sit up, only for more pain to flare up. He breathed quickly for a few seconds before his body went back to mild pain instead of tremendous one. The wound Sombra had inflicted on him hurt the most, his abdomen having been bandaged again but not a single healing spell to close the wound entirely. Nathan looked around once again, his vision clearing after a minute.

The room he found himself in were big, large enough to hold cargo. As the young man saw a box of coins he realized he were in the cargo hold. The largest area of the ship had been remade into a infirmary of some sort, the walls a chestnut brown. The area smelled like medicine and hushed voices from beside him made him turn his head to the right.

There on a large bed laid Luna, the alicorn princess looking sickly pale. Her mane that had once been flowing in a non-existent breeze and seemed to have contained the night sky clung to her body like a net, her tail limp and lifeless as well. The mare whimpered and whined, her teal eyes ever so often to reveal fear and panic before closing again. Her body seemed so thin compared to how she had looked the day before, and to make it worst could Nate see the black veins all over her body.

"Luna.." He croaked out, his throat sore.

One of the ponies noticed him speaking and hurried over, looking over his body before nodding. The mare ran off and swiftly came back with some disgusting smelling liquid. The man tried to pull away his head from the stuff but it was forced down his throat, the aching in his body lessening. Something else that the liquid changed were the man's connection to his magic, the feeling of the energy having been weak before but now feeling like it was stronger.

"Tell the others Guardian Sol is awake. He can be moved to his room but that I want him in bed for the remainder of the journey" She said to a nearby guard who saluted and walked off.

"W-What happened?" He asked her, the mare turning to face him.

The pony had a green mane and yellow coat, her head were adored with a white hood. She wore beyond that white robes that made her look like a nurse, if said nurse were a deadly assassin at the same time. What stood out the most however was her eyes and teeth, her mouth filled with fangs and her eyes carrying all the colours of the rainbow.

"The Empire was lost Guardian Sol, but the mad lieutenant were banished with it" She said and eyed his stomach, looking to see if the wound had opened up again.

"And, Luna?" The man asked, the healer turning sad for a moment.

"Without your help she would be dead. But she's barely holding on, fighting against the poison at every moment. She cannot stay on the ship, she won't make it without magical aid" She responded and looked to Luna, surrounded by two other mares in white robes and hoods.

"Who are you then?" The green eyed teen asked the yellow coated mare, her eyes fixating at his.

"Healer Nightingale, brought on board to help the princess with my sisters. We in the Order Of Healing are sworn to help whoever needs our aid, may that creature be a princess or human" She said and looked to the alicorn, Luna shivering.

"I didn't hear about you during our travels" He stated, keeping his vision at the sick mare, digging his fingers into the bed.

"There are only a few of us Guardian Sol, enough to be of use but not enough to be commonly known. The princess not knowing of our order or not being trusting of us is normal" Healer Nightingale said.

The man nodded and looked to the side, not wanting to look at Luna as she started to cough again. It pained him to watch her shiver and cry, to watch her body trashing on the bed before going still only to start up again a few moments later. Nathan closed his eyes and breathed slowly, hoping to meditate, hoping that he could seek some sort of escape. It only became worse.

Luna's aurora were black and oily, seemingly tainting the air around it. It screamed 'Death' at him and the teen held back a sob, the corruption screaming through the ethereal plane. It made him break focus and scramble out of bed, his entire body crying out in protest. He couldn't be near that, that dark thing sucking Luna's soul dry couldn't be there. He was hyperventilating, leaning against one of the walls. His sight became unfocused and he pulled his knees to his chest.

Not until Nightingale forced something down his throat did he calm down, the strange bitter liquid making him relax. Nathaniel were put back into his bed by two guards, the mare from the Order Of Healing frowning at him. Her eyes held both worry and disappointment.

"I said you need rest Guardian Sol. Using magic after you depleted your reserves, twice, is not resting. Nor is it resting moving about. I need you to lay down and sleep, I will do everything I can to help the princess. Once you wake you'll be in your own quarters and everything will be fine" She promised, the relaxing feeling in his body spreading to his head, making him fall asleep.

Rose's POV

I looked at the older unicorn stallion, Starswirl having been reading through more books in an hour than I had in my entire life. He had been wearing a grim focused expression as he read, trying his best to find some sort of cure or a way to sloe down Luna's illness. So far he hadn't found anything, Crystal Sword's words being the only thing we could rely on.

"We need to get the princess home soon. The healers we picked up said she's as good as dead unless we find a cure" I said through gritted teeth, there having been delays due to one of the new towers.

The structures meant to protect Euqestria and the Griffon kingdom from the mutants were already complete. The grand towers going all the way across the sea. They were meant to protect two nations, but instead had the griffins in the tower slowed down our progress, demanding to search our ship. It wasn't until the Lord Protector showed them his badge of office and his weapon that they left, the guards on the ship having sighed in relief. Why had there only been griffons? Weren't it a joined watch-force?

"Guardian Thorn I know full well that Luna is at death's door, which is why I am trying to find another cure that doesn't involve traveling for more than a week" Starswirl responded, breaking me out of my train of thought.

We were both standing in his study, the sky metal weapon laying on the table in the middle of the room. The war-hammer had been extremely useful at the Crystal Empire, it's power alone would have helped Nathaniel. I shivered as I thought about the moments we dragged him through the snow, the sled he had laid on being soaked in blood. Seeing his and Luna's pale bodies had been a sight no liquor could fix.

"If that water is Luna's only chance then we must take it" I said firmly, holding strong to that we needed to make the trip.

"She'll not survive a week of waiting, or even longer if there are delays!" The old wizard huffed, slamming a book shut.

"We'll be quick, in and out. If you send me and Osiris then we will be back before the week have ended" I said, trying my best to convince him that there were no other way.

"..Then you will run and not stop running until you're back with the cure" He finally said, a smile gracing my muzzle.

"Thank you Arch mage" I responded, leaving the room with a tired Starswirl behind to start packing.

Nathaniel's POV

He looked up at the roof with a sad expression, the sounds of seagulls annoying him. There had been a bowl of some sort of meat left for him next to the bed but Nathan hadn't touched it, not having done much since waking up. Nathaniel were still feeling the effects of having 'read' the corrupted Luna, the image of her normal strong self deprived of all strength and being sucked dry by the illness making him shiver.

He hadn't known before what to feel if one of his captors were on death's door, but Luna were a friend. She had kept him safe the best she could, making him feel as comfortable as possible and despite all treated him like an equal, like a friend. She had been one of the lights that showed him him the way and he would not see her die to that damn Major's vile magic.

The young man stood up and got dressed, heading out the door to be met with Osiris. The stallion shook his head and pointed to the room Nate had just exited, his brown eyes meeting the human's own green ones. It was a starring contest for a while before the stallion finally sighed.

"You need more rest kid. No being can handle a beating like that and be expected to work directly after it" The golden furred pony said.

"I want to be near Luna. I want to be there like she has been there for me" He replied, Osiris sighing again.

"Listen Nathaniel, I know what you want to do, give back to her after all she's given you. But right now is all she needs that special water, something me and Rose will be gathering in the Dark Kingdom" The pony responded, looking to the side.

"I will come with you. I have rested enough" Nathan said, Osiris poking his stomach hard enough to make him hiss in pain.

"That is not healed, it's not even close to it. You cannot come kid, for your own safety. You almost died on us you know, we don't want that to happen again" The stallion said, forcing the human back into his room.

"Rest, eat and sleep. That is all you should worry about at the time being" Osiris sighed, closing the man's door.

With a sigh Nathan did as ordered, picking up the bowl and eating the chicken tasting fish. It made him feel a bit better getting some food into his stomach, happily devouring what was left of the meat. But even with his hunger satisfied couldn't he focus on anything but Luna, her pale face burnt into his head.

It were a lot to ask of a man to not grow attached to those around him, meaning that if Luna died than more than just Celestia would grief her passing. The mere idea of the mare taking a final breath finally made the human get up, punching the wall in anger. Time and time again he hit the wall, his ragged breath and angry tears being all he could hear and see for many seconds.

"Fuck this" Nathaniel said and left the room, his body still aching but his mind steadfast with his objective.

Osiris spotted him the same second the human left the room, standing in his way. The pony stood in front of the stairs leading up to the deck, light shining down from above. It made the disproving scowl on the stallion's muzzle show right away.

"Kid, get back into bed" He said and the green eyed man shook his head.

"No. I will help you, I will see this through. It's my duty to protect Luna, both as a friend and as her guardian" The human said, looking deeply into the stallion's eyes.

"..If you come with us you're gonna carry that damn hammer, wear actual armor and not just cloth, be quiet during our audience with the empress and you will not strain yourself. Do we have a deal kid?" Osiris finally answered with a sigh, a smile spreading over Nathaniel's face.

"Deal" He responded, his smile turning into a grin.

Celestia's POV

I hurried down the old halls, my guards barely keeping up. My heart beat hard as I saw the letter Starswirl had sent to me, the old wizard informing me of Luna's condition. I felt sick to my stomach and had just wanted to cry when I read it, every word describing her pain filled state. She was dying, my sister was dying.

My hooves hit the stone even harder as I sped up towards the gates, the crew of the ship having been spotted in the woods by my scouts. As I ran I could only feel like the world had started to cave out under me, two kingdoms gone in under a month and Luna stabbed with a blade of corruption. It was like the world had only been pretending to be at peace for all this time, accumulating all evil to be released upon us as some sort of punishment.

Once I reached the gates I saw her. I saw her pale weak body shuddering, even if she was covered by so many blankets that she should have been sweating. I saw her once teal eyes held a yellow hue to them, the two orbs that had once contained the spark of life only Luna could produce. Now all I saw within her eyes were a wish to die.

"Get her to the healers. NOW." I said firmly, the guards hurrying to pick up my sisters shaking body.

Starswirl approached me slowly, looking at Luna as she were quickly carried away to the healers. My old teacher seemed to open his mouth to speak, but slowly closed it. Some part of me knew what he wanted to say, that there was some quick way to get her help, that we just needed some sort of spell o fix her. But his eyes told me all I needed to know.

"She needs water from that temple, doesn't she?" I asked, Starswirl nodding.

"All other ways have failed. While I could purge Broken Orchid of the corruption thanks to it not reaching her heart I couldn't help Luna, because it was there it began" He said and I only nodded slowly.

It was then I saw them, Luna's guardians. They looked like they had been through a storm of swords, holding cuts and bruises all over their bodies. Guardian Sol were the worst however, the human walking like each step hurt. His eyes focused on my sister as they carried her away, only leaving her once they took her inside into the castle. He had bandages all over his body, some of the wounds looking near fatal while others were mere scraps.

"How did you let this happen?" I asked, my voice filled with anger.

"Princess Celestia we were not prepared fo.." Guardian Thorn started, going quiet as I raised my hoof.

"Let him respond" I said, my eyes not leaving the human.

"Are you blaming me for this!? How the fuck was I supposed to know any of this would happen!?" Nathaniel said, anger and confusion part of his voice.

"You were let out on the premise that you would protect Luna. You have failed miserably in that regard and gotten her injured!" I growled, slamming my hoof onto the ground.

"I have almost no training! How am I supposed to fight against someone that was trained by your military!? Somra or Fury or whatever he wanted to be called is on you!" He yelled, my glare turning cold.

Did he dare to say this was my fault? I had made Fury an example for all in the military by showing there was only humiliation in case they went against orders. If I had simply let him go then they wouldn't have seen an example, they would see a martyr.

"You had every tool at your disposal to prove yourself. I let you out because Luna said you were up to the task, that you could be a guardian. I see now that she was wrong, your failure might have costed her life" I told him, my mind flashing images of my brother, his mad grin and horrific laughter.

'I will not loose them both..' I thought, the human growling.

"Princess with all due respect was Guardian Sol not the only one to fail at this task. Both me and Guardian Thorn could not bring down Sombra, or rather Lieutenant Fury. I understand you must be upset over what has happened to Luna but you cannot blame the kid for this! He pulled her out of Sombra's dark little throne room and almost died in an attempt to fight the mad mage" Osiris voice suddenly said, my eyes flicking to the earth pony scout.

"There is a difference Guardian Osiris. The human were given a chance to prove himself worthy of freedom and that my fears were nothing but baseless assumptions. But he has not proven himself by bringing home my sister on her deathbed!" I said, my voice growing more and more angry.

The human had failed, as had his friends. But it was his failure that hurt the most, his failure to protect my sister when she had trusted him so. It felt like some sort of betrayal, like he had wanted this to happen. Why would he fail, when he had been bestowed with so much power from an unknown origin and given a weapon of legend? I refused to accept that this were meant to happen, that my sweet little sister was meant to die from the worst disease known to ponykind.

"Your former Major stole his son's kingdom and used its power against us! None of us could have done anything! Starswirl wasn't even there until after Luna was stabbed! The same with your Lord Protector! Why am I given this shit when you made me into a slave and took me from my home!" Nathaniel yelled and lashed out with a magical shock-wave, my guards raising a shield and growling at him.

"Slave? You have been given a very luxurious life compared to a slave you ungrateful child! Not only have you failed to protect Luna you think you can attack me?" I questioned, our fight seemed to make the sanguine mare afraid.

The tension in the air was growing to a boiling point, the human letting his hand grab a hold of his sword. My guards held their spears ready and I started the spell, ready to shock him until he cried for mercy, until he begged for forgiveness for allowing my sweet little sister to get hur..

"Both of you stop!" Rose Thorn suddenly yelled, her voice making the human grow quiet and derailing my train of thought.

"We do not have time for this! We of the Lunar Guardians will get the water needed to save Luna's life" The bat pony said with an exasperated breath, the man nodding.

"Celestia, I hate you. But I see your sister as my friend, someone who promised to free me once we returned. She has made me feel safe and comfortable, she even gave me a damn constellation. I understand why you're so angry, but do you think I'm not angry enough at myself? That I doesn't see this as a failure? I swore an oath to protect her, an oath I kept close to heart. See this as some sort of apology, give me a chance to save her!" He pleaded.

I could see in his eyes that he was desperate, one hand holding the handle of his sword tightly. I wondered if this human even knew how we would free him from the servant spell, if he'd even researched enough. This could just be another trick, another way the world would give me false hope to later crush it. I had made a mistake with my brother, it had cost me dearly. What if I made a mistake now as well? If I lost Luna how would I move on? How would I live?

"..One more chance to prove yourself worthy human.." I finally said, Nathaniel's face lighting up with hope.

"Fail me, and I will throw you back into the cell. Now go and get supplies, you will leave as soon as possible" I said, walking off to speak with Starswirl.

The man had gained my sister's trust, even after everything. Yet when she had needed him the most he had failed her, failed to think ahead and failed to take notice of things around them. How was I supposed to react? From the arch mage's reports and Luna's letters had the human seemed to be acting like he was supposed to, not being too rude nor causing too much problems. But he had been given a job, a mission. Protect my sister at all costs, and even with his best efforts she was still dying.

I knew that his fellow guardians had a role to play in the failure, as did the Lord Protector. They had been given the tools to act and destroy such evils, yet my best trained soldier couldn't see any of it coming, my arch mage had remained on the ship even if he should have gone with them, Luna had requested the hammer to be left behind and Fury stirring up the citizens were very surprising.

So why did I want to blame the human? Why when it all seemed like bad luck or the will of the universe did I want it to be so badly his fault, treating him like it was his fault. Deep down I knew why, because if I couldn't blame anypony else, then I would blame myself.

Nathaniel's POV

The man packed as many supplies as possible, making sure to be prepared for the journey ahead. His body still hurt, reminding him every time he stretched for an object in the kitchens or bent over to pick up dropped paper. Nathaniel was not gonna fail at the assignment given, that meant all things needed to be planned ahead. Rose had given him a list of things they needed from the castle and Osiris had instructed him to be quick about thing, they didn't have much time.

Blaze was happily following Nathan around, the wolf helping him carry stuff like a book on magic and some apples. They would only have a week's time to get the water back to Luna, which meant they had to make haste. They would travel with the Golden Stallion for as long as possible until they would be forced to wander through a jungle. Once they finally reached the capital city of the dark kingdom would Rose contact her sister, vouching for the group so they would be able to get inside.

When they entered the city would their Guardian rank hopefully be enough to convince the guards to lead them to the empress, who was the only one that could allow them to take water from the Temple Of Shadows. Nathan didn't particularly enjoy the idea of having to meet another ruler but if it was to save Luna's life then he would do it.

Once the human reached the guardians sleeping quarters it felt like it had been ages since he had seen the door, his rune still carved onto it. Nate simply opened it to be greeted to the sight of Osiris and Rose packing knives and daggers among their supplies. It was almost a calming sight seeing them together where it had all started, but the situation pushed him to act quickly.

"I have the stuff we need" He said and placed the food and paper on the ground.

The reason for bringing food was obvious, they would need to eat along the way. The paper however was for personal reasons, Nathaniel planning on writing down his own spells and how he felt when using them. The first spell he wanted to write was the healing spell, the ability incredibly useful to him. The healing spell had saved his life his first days in the strange land, meaning that if he gave himself a shortcut when it came to casting it that the man would walk away with his life from a fight more easily.

"We have managed to get a hold of reliable weapons and water, the guards will move it onto the ship" Osiris said and headed past Nathaniel with a bag, Rose grabbing the food.

"Some of this will spoil quickly, but the dry meat should keep us alive long enough" The sanguine mare said and looked at the human, Nathan having seemingly disappeared deep in thought.

"Are you ok Nate? I mean, after everything that has happened.." She started only to be silenced by the teen's raised hand.

"I'm fine Rose. What matters is that we get that water for Luna" He responded and looked towards the hallway leading to the garden doors.

"You have a few minutes to relax, so go do so. We need to clear up some things with the guards and give them our recollection of what happened" The mare said with a small smile, the human walking off to gather his thoughts.

Silver Page's POV

I looked away from the mare in front of me, Healer Nightingale's eyes fixated on my own. Her presence seemed to be relaxing for the others in the crew, but she just made me feel like a trapped animal, ready to lash out in any seconds to protect myself.

"So the former Lieutenant did this to you miss?" She asked me, her hoof touching my horns as if to make sure that they were real.

"Y-Yes.. Can you fix it? Can you make me normal again?" I asked, feeling some hope forming in my chest.

"No I cannot. What has been done is permanent, I know many ways to fight against the dark disease, but this is not it. Your demonic features are part of you know miss Page, whether you like it or not" She said, my ears folding over my head.

His corruption couldn't be washed away, he had destroyed me. His vile thoughts and perverted pleasures had turned me into this damn monster from old legends. I couldn't help but cry, knowing there was no way for her to make me myself again, that his touch would be part of me forever.

"Please don't cry Silver. I know this must hurt, but you can still live. What has been done to you have changed you, yet you will be able to forge a new path forward, I promise you that" The healer told me with a smile giving me a light hug.

"What would that be? I don't know much of anything.." I mumbled

"You can learn things, become something more than a maid or lust demon. I told somepony about you and he promised to have a solution" Nightingale said to me, confusion filling my head.

"Who?" I asked her only for King Sword to enter the room, the tall stallion looking at me with a kind smile.

"Hello Silver Page. I remember seeing you in the halls of the castle, cleaning diligently" He told me, trotting up to my shivering body.

I wanted to bow, but it just didn't feel right. He was no longer king, he was once again Grand Duke Crystal Sword. My hesitation didn't go unnoticed, a slight frown on his muzzle. If it was from my lack of bowing or that I had wanted to wasn't clear. However his face became more friendly again in a second, looking at my new demonic features.

"I cannot leave my sister as she recovers, but I need someone to bring a message to my aunt in the capital. I do not trust the group going there enough to give them information of this kind, nor would the Empress accept the message from the human. She doesn't like Equestria much and as that group is Guardians of Luna will she possibly see the message as fake" The former king explained to me, slowly making me understand what he wanted.

"My lord are you certai.." I started only for him to silence me with a raised hoof.

"You carry the blood of the old ones now. Your words will be enough to convince my aunt to read and believe the message" The stallion said, handing me a sealed letter with a stamp of black ink on it.

"You will be my representative before the empress and the princesses court. By the right assigned to me at birth I hereby declare you a royal envoy of the Dark Kingdom" Crystal Sword said, the healer giving me an encouraging nod.

The shock from being given such a title passed through me like a storm, it didn't seem real. I had been just a lowly maid, working quietly and efficiently to make my King's castle look perfect for any occasion. Now I was being given an honor my friends would have died to get their hooves on? I couldn't do anything but hug him and thank him over and over again, the stallion looking around with slight discomfort at my sudden touch.

Nathaniel's POV

He let another deep breath leave his lungs, feeling like the silence around him was wrapping around him like a blanket. The man had meditated for a few minutes in front of the mishmashed statue in the gardens. The snow had started to melt, leaving puddles at certain placed and wet snow at others. It was relaxing, not feeling anything but himself with his magical "eye".

Even with the healer telling him not to use his magic for a while Nathaniel couldn't resist, the human once again finding peace with his magical abilities. However the same second he had started to feel truly relaxed another presence pressed against his mind, not feeling like anything else he'd "seen" before. Luna and Celestia seemed to radiate power when he concentrated on them during mediation. This just felt, wrong.

"What a delight! The one who feeds Celestia's fears and ego finally returns" A voice suddenly called out in his head, the man mentally pulling away.

"What the hell?" Nathan said and opened his eyes, looking at the weird statue in front of him.

"You are not the only one she's betrayed you know. I was just minding my own business then suddenly zap! Condemned to a stone prison" The voice said with a dark mutter, Nate's mark glowing from the sheer power of the thing pressing itself onto his mind.

The thing's voice seemed to hold some sort of hidden glee, a sort of amusement in a dark corrupted mind. Whatever the statue was it couldn't be normal, if it could speak with him so easily and make him feel like a bolder had been pushed onto his shoulders.

"Who are you?" The teen asked the presence and looked upon the statue with confusion.

"Why I am Discord of course! The lord of chaos!" The voice said like the human had just asked the most stupid question in his life.

"How can you even talk? You're a statue" Nathaniel said and the voice chuckled.

"Oh this? Just a simple use of chaos magic. I doesn't work all the time and can only touch the minds of those with enough power, but it can bring the most sweet of results" Discord's voice said with another dark chuckle.

The human was not gonna lie, the voice was making him afraid. It had so effortlessly pushed its way into his mind and didn't seem to want to leave. Its words about Celestia having betrayed it made him feel some sympathy for the creature, the idea of the princess pushing all things she didn't like under the rug made his blood boil, closing his palms into fists.

"Why would she she turn you to stone then?" Nate asked him and shivered, it felt like the air grew cold.

"Celestia feared my power, like she fears your power" Discord growled, adding the last part which made the human growl as well.

"I hate her" The green eyed man said and the chaos spirit chuckled in response.

"Oh I feel like we're going to be the bestest of friends" Discord said with yet another chuckle before suddenly pulling away, the statue once again a statue.

Luna's POV

I felt like my body was on fire. My eyes stung and my muscles felt to stiff to move. I could hear singing of voices far away, their dark giggles adding to the despair I felt over their melody. I knew what was moving through my body, wreaking havoc on my magic and mind. The corruption was so much worse than anything I could ever have imagined, making me feel like death was a good solution to the problem.

I could hear the healers walk around me, the ponies voices hard to make out but their solemn tones was all I needed to hear. I was dying, wasting away to an illness that only a few had ever woken up from. It hurt so much, laying there not being able to do anything as my body slowly gave up. I gave a pained whimpered, so unlike my normal self. I didn't feel any strength, not even when I felt my sister standing next to me. Her light was somewhat soothing, but her own sadness dampened it, lessened its impact.

"Oh Luna.." I heard her say, her voice cracking lightly as she embraced me.

I wanted to return the hug, I wanted to tell her I loved her. But my mouth wouldn't open and my mind couldn't find the words. I just cried, my sister's embrace holding me close for a long time. Finally when she let go I felt that the pain had lessened a little bit, even if it was only for a minute.

"I'm so sorry my sister. I couldn't keep you safe, I couldn't keep either of you safe.." Her muffled voice said, it broke my heart to hear Celestia's voice filled with such sadness, such hopelessness.

This wasn't her fault. She couldn't have known, she couldn't have known. I wanted to ease her pain, I wanted to make sure that she didn't blame herself again. I could feel the fear that had lingered in her heart ever since Discord went mad, I could feel it growing, enveloping my sister's judgement. She used to be so happy, so calm. She used to not fear anything.

I wasn't sure when she left, the disease making hard for me to tell the time. All I knew that one second was Celestia's light there, like it was hiding at the corner of my eye and then it was not. I still couldn't force myself to open my eyes, my eyelids feeling so heavy and my eyes wouldn't stop stinging.

It might have been hours or it might have been minutes but when I felt a hand rest upon my head and pet me I almost cried out in joy. He was alive, Nathaniel was alive. I could feel him next to me, not like normal when he was like that of a large bonfire for my spectral eyes, he was more like a dimly lit candle. It hurt to feel him so weak, it even more knowing he'd gotten to that point partially thanks to me and my sister.

"I'm sorry Luna.." He said, his hand sliding away from my head.

"I was meant to protect you and instead you got hurt.." His voice mumbled, his feeling of anger, sadness and being distraught hitting me like a bolder.

He felt responsible for this? I couldn't even try to make sense of it all. My human had stood by my side, done everything asked of him and when he finally was meant to protect me he had stood his ground. Nathaniel hadn't failed me, the young man hadn't failed anyone.

"I promise you that I'll bring back the cure for this disease. I will not fail you again, not after all you've done for me.." The man said, kissing my forehead before walking away.

I knew that something bad was coming, I could feel it. My sister and Nathaniel were both emotional wrecks, both of them holding so much anger and sadness inside them. They where heading for a collision course for each other, and I would not be there to stop it. I would not be there to find common ground between them when we need it the most. Perhaps brother was right, the world was coming to an end. If it was through darkness or fire however I could not say.

In my own darkness I felt as if I was watched, a dark feminine chuckle making my skin crawl. I saw two eyes that reminded me of my own, but they were wrong, like that of a snake. They didn't belong in the world of the waking, nor did they belong in my head. I shuddered as a voice echoed through my head.

"Isn't the darkness, beautiful?~" A female voice filled with malice called out, making me whimper with fear.

Nathaniel's POV

He left Luna's chambers in a hurry, the human not wanting the image of Luna's weak trashing body in his mind. The princess fur had started to grow darker, her once dark blue fur now more black. She had refused to open her eyes in her pained whimpers, but he could only assume they looked far worse now than ever before. The disease was taking the princess's life so quickly, draining her of all life. It pained him to see her like that.

The man hurried down the halls, Blaze appearing on his side. The wolf had been quipped with what looked like armor, the thing flexible enough for the wolf to move. The armor was made out of what looked to be some kind of hardened wood, said wood making up small plates that formed an armor around the wolf's back and stomach.

"Who manged to get that on you?" The human asked with a small smile, the sight of the wolf in warrior like get up amusing for the man.

"Who do you think kid? Rose isn't going near those damn teeth" Osiris voice called down the hallway, the earth pony stallion hurrying up to catch the wolf.

"Why armor?" Nate asked, Blaze hiding behind his legs from the stallion.

"Because otherwise we might die more easily. You do know the purpose of armor kid" Osiris said with a deadpan stare.

"His fur can literally absorb magic" The man countered and headed down the hallway, trying to find the front gates.

"But not blades" The golden furred stallion said and backed off as Blaze growled at him.

"It seems he doesn't like wearing that thing" Nathan stated and the wolf growled in response.

"That dog of yours likes that armor about as much as you like your magical chains kid" The stallion responded as they walked up to the gate.

The three protectors of Luna walked out to the snow filled landscape, water pouring down from the roof as the sun melted the cold substance. Nathaniel hoped that they would return before the first flowers bloomed, so Luna would be able to see them. The man tensed just thinking about how much pain she had to be in.

"We'll help her kid" His companion promised to him and he nodded stiffly, seeing Rose talking with a strange mare wearing black robes.

Her fur was a deep red from what he could see of her legs and her tail was that more of a demon than a pony, holding a heart shaped tip. Her hood seemed to be held up by something on her head, most likely horns from what he had seen so far. Her long black mane and yellow eyes made her stand out in the white wet woodland landscape.

"Guardian Sol, Guardian Osiris. Let me introduce you to the dark kingdoms newest envoy, Silver Page" The sanguine said and nodded her head the the demonic mare. ¨

"H-Hello" She responded, her robes twitching like they were hiding something on her back.

"She will join us for our journey, with her own mission of delivering a message to the empress of the Dark Kingdom. She has been given permission by Celestia to go with us and will not slow us down" Rose said with a loud clear voice, giving the new envoy a slight bow before ordering the cart to move.

The five of them walked towards though the woods in relative silence, heading towards the docks where the Golden Stallion waited on them. He knew that failure was not an option for them, that Luna's life hanged in the balance. They would move quickly to the dark kingdom and not fail their princess, no matter how rough the road got.

Celestia's POV

I looked to Silver Wing with tired eyes, the stallion frowning at the request I had made. His eyes held a great bit of confusion and uncertainty I didn't blame him for, my request had been a strange one for a Lord Protector just having arrived home.

"You want me to go where Princess?" Silver asked me, his wings twitching lightly.

"I want you to go and see the joined effort of our and the griffins soldiers, I need eyes on what's happening there. With the changeling kingdom gone have we lost our largest spy network, that was no coincidence" I said, biting back a growl.

"If I go and oversee the soldiers I would leave you with only your own guardians to defend both yourself and Luna. My priority is your safety your majesty" He said, his eyes scanning my own.

"No. Your priority is to follow the orders given to you Silver, and you will follow them. Go to the fortresses and towers being built across the sea, find out what the world is planning with our greatest spies gone" I ordered him and with a reluctant salute he marched off, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

'A storm is coming, and I don't know how to stop it' I thought for myself quietly.

King Guto's POV

I looked upon my troops with glee, their training complete and their spirits raised after sacking the changelings. They had been glad to bring home a few as brood mares, seeing the ability to take on any form as very enticing. I was still angry about how a few of the princesses were alive, having been able to flee or been in other nations during the time of the attack. But even with a few heirs alive it didn't matter much, they couldn't rebuild or unite their kind fast enough to realize what was happening.

The idol's sweet whispers echoed through my mind, making me shudder in pleasure and almost drool. It's promises and decades of planning were finally coming to fruition, my father and grandfather would be proud. I was interrupted being showered in power from the idol from a knock on my door. My royal chambers held a large balcony for my messengers to land on but even they knocked.

"Open the damn door" I snapped at the being interrupting such a great moment.

The door opened to reveal captain Steelbeak, the albino griffon walking inside and bowing. His black armor contrasted heavily with his white feathers, but I didn't care. As long as the captain killed our enemies I wouldn't even think about tellling him to find better gear.

"The weapon and main ship is ready your majesty. We only await a clear sign from our spies that the barricade is finished" Steelbeak said and stood up, my eyes returning to the idol of boreas.

"Good, we will destroy those damn ponies once and for all" I said and his eyes sifted for a second, uncertainty?

"What of our own ponies my lord?" He asked me, I could almost hear the idol's sweet chuckle at the captains question.

"They are loyal to our nation and our army, nothing captain" I responded, even if I saw a much more beautiful sight in my head, all half-breeds and ponies running for their lives.

"Very well your majesty. I will continue to request ships of our builders and have our army hurry up with building the barricade" He said before leaving the room.

I laughed as he left, Steelbeak's naivety being so amusing. I would wipe out those pathetic ponies, both home and over the sea. They had corrupted our blood with their own, leading to abominations like my son. My father had taught me one thing and thing only, never trust a pony. I would do more than just that. I would fulfill my family's dream of conquering the world, I would finally make our nation the most powerful one in the world. The low humming from the idol in the room only strengthened that promise, its power filling me once more.

I felt a bit of anger over loosing the crystal empire to some fool, the city having been strategically placed. Had it not disappeared then my troops would have had a place to regroup and then marched south, heading straight for the sisters new city and then their castle. Or at least one of the sisters. My spies had told me that the princess of the night was dying, which suited my wish for chaos even more.

Soon we would march upon all of the western kingdoms, taking them one by one. I could almost see my grandfather's grin at the mere thought. But thanks for the idol we were now here, without it having asked for a single price. The magical artifact was truly amazing, its knowledge filling my mind. Why would I ever want it to stop? With this power they would burn, with this power they would ALL burn. My cackling laughter filled the castle as I thought about it, not even seeing the idol glowing a dark red.

Author's Notes:

Thank you so much for reading chapter 14! The story hit a large milestone with this chapter, namely 100k words. Next milestone will be the next chapter which will mark the halfway point of this story!