The human looked upon the fishing village as the Golden Stallion smoothly travelled across the water. They had only been traveling for a few hours down the Equestrian coast but if they wanted to get to the Dark Kingdom then they would have to walk through thick jungle. The fishing village was an interesting case according to Rose, being owned by the Griffon Kingdom but laying far within the Equestrian border. This made it a spot where many ponies and griffins both ate meat, the ponies in the area being able to handle it after several years of doing so.

At first the logic behind how the ponies would be able to eat meat was lost on the young man until the sanguine mare had pointed out how magic could change many things, including biology for different creatures. It made sense that the ponies would have their diets changed if they lived this far away from any other town or city, meaning fish was the most abounded food source.

The fact that these ponies needed to eat meat was lost on the guards and sailors of the Golden Stallion however, the captain having puked at the smell of smoked chicken salmon (as the human liked to call the it). It was amusing for both human and bat pony to watch the herbivores get more sick from the smell of fish than the sea, Osiris having gone to his room below deck to hide from the strong smell.

Once the ship stopped by the docks were the man greeted with a satchel of dried and salted fish, more food for their journey that they would need. Nathaniel tasted some of the dried fish and had to bite back a moan, the taste almost making him drool. The nice food was a good distraction for why they were really there, what was at stake. The black haired teen gave some raw fish to the wolf and some dried fish to Rose as they walked down the rows upon rows of fishing huts, the largest one most likely belonging to the village leader.

While most of the huts were either painted green or grey were the large hut painted a crimson red, a crest of a silver anchor resting on its roof. An old looking griffon stepped outside and watched them all, Osiris having left the ship once he realized it was either the smell or the jungle. Silver Page was the one of them drawing most attention from the surrounding ponies and griffins, her demonic horns almost more interesting to the villagers than the human next to her.

Nate thought the griffon that had exited the hut looked to old to lead a village, having ruffled grey feathers with certain bald spots on his body. The human also noticed how one of the village leader's eyes seemed to almost be milky white, indicating that he was either blind on that eye or almost blind. The teen also didn't like the amount of scars ridding the elder's body, like he had served in some sort of army. The most noticeable ones were several on his black beak, one starting above his white eye and stopping by his neck, a long one starting from his side and ending by his left back leg and one on his right wing. What made the damages even more noticeable was the constant limping the griffon did.

The elder walked up to them and eyed Nathan, Blaze and Silver with suspicion before looking to two "normal" ponies of their group. It was a strange bunch that had walked into the fishing village after all, wearing Equestrian colours and armor but being made up from very different creatures.

"I was told that a group would come by needing supplies, I was not told this group would be guardians" The elderly griffon said and flicked his eyes to a medallion Rose pulled out, representing a moon.

"We serve Princess Luna of Equestria as her protectors and representatives. We will not be in your village for long, just give us the supplies already payed for and we will be on our way" The mare said, the village leader eyeing the group.

Nathaniel felt a bit jealous of not having been given the same kind of medallion, the damn thing seemingly being recognized by not only the elder but also the ponies and griffins around them. He guessed it was another piece of influence Celestia didn't consider him worthy of yet. Another reason for him to dislike the princess and her never ending paranoia. Not everything in the fucking world was out to get her dammit.

"The letter said nothing of a wolf, demon or ape. The toll to pass through is ten bits per pony, but these aren't ponies! You've given me forty bits for a group of five where three of them are strange beings. I will let you pass through if you give me, let's say sixty more bits, thirty per creature" The griffin said, holding out one of his talons with a hungry look in his eyes.

"And there's the famous griffin greed.." Osiris muttered under his breath, the scout already not liking this journey.

As they spoke with the elder had the people of the village came out to watch, some hippogriffs and foals pointing at the succubus and human with laughs. The young as well as the adults of the small settlement watched the group intensely, some of them looking a bit like guards, wearing swords and armor.

"And if we don't pay?" Rose asked with a dangerous tone, the elder narrowing his eyes.

"Then there might be trouble, guardian" The old griffon hissed, the guards slowly making their way towards them.

"Are they trouble Master Obsidian?" One of the guards called to the elder.

"I don't know yet, are you?" The elder apparently named Obsidian said with a glare at Rose, holding out his talon in her face.

The human had enough of the elders greed, grabbing Valkyrie and slamming the ancient war-hammer's handle into the ground. The magical discharge from the blow forced the guards to back off and the populace to scream in fear. The village leader tried to run before Rose grabbed him by the collar and pressed his face against her own. The ice cold glare in the sanguine's eyes made the human shudder.

"You will not get a single bit more from the crown you greedy chicken" She said with a sneer.

"Your princess will hear of this you damn bloodsucker! I will have you all imprisoned!" Obsidian yelled, his fear seeping through his vain attempt at confidence.

"Celestia will not care, because we're here on the behalf of princess Luna. Now you either let us pass peacefully or I will have Nathaniel try out his weapon on you, and I promise you, it will hurt" The mare growled, throwing the elder back.

It took a moment for the griffon to collect himself, but with a growl he signed for the guards to back off. The entire village looked at them with disdain or fear, but for the group that didn't matter. Or at least it didn't matter to the three guardians and one wolf. Silver Page on the other hand seemed to shy away from the looks, keeping tight to Osiris side.

"Leave and do not come back! We don't like your kind here demons!" Obsidian finally yelled, Rose glaring at him.

"We will return, until then you will allow the Golden Stallion to be in your harbor. If we come back and find out you have hurt that crew in any way I will use my full authorization as a guardian to send soldiers here and take the village by force. Is this understood?" Rose said with a deep growl, the elder nodding quickly as he saw her fangs and almost glowing eyes.

With the problem taken care of the group pushed into the lush jungle right behind the village, the bat pony leading the charge with a determined expression. The human could clearly see how important Rose found this mission to be, not that he found it any less important. Yet the thoughts of the mission was slightly drowned out by the man's surprise and excitement over the power his new weapon held. But Nathan quickly pushed it below the surface for now, confused slightly over what Rose had said.

"Can you actually get the army to take the village?" He asked her and she gave him a slight grin.

"No, not without Luna or Celestia's approval. Nor would us taking the settlement be seen kindly by the griffin king. But they don't need to know that" The sanguine said as they started their trek into the jungle, the sounds of the village soon swallowed up by the large trees.

The jungle itself reminded Nate a lot of one he'd seen in pictures back on earth. The trees had thick branches and trunks, the long and wide green leaves almost covering all the sunlight in the forest. There was wines hanging from some trees, some purple and others green. Rose actively avoided the purple ones so the human followed her example. Osiris
accidentally rubbed his side against one and jumped away swearing loudly. They seemed to burn you if touched.

Nathaniel saw however how Silver wasn't affected when she touched the wines. The succubus seemed to have no problem walking on every plant they came across while Rose and Osiris avoided them like the plague. The man saw some purple dotted brown mushrooms on the trail they followed, the ground beneath them walked on so many times that a path lead through the jungle. Nathaniel tried to poke them with his boot but was pulled away by Rose.

"Poisonous, don't even touch them. Those are some of Discord's less friendly creations.. Not deadly but extremely painful" The mare explained.

"What are they called?" The man asked, looking at Silver as she simply sniffed on one of them and then ate it.

"Painshrooms, not a very creative name but one that perfectly explains what they do" She said and watched as Silver spat one out.

"They smell sweet but taste horrible" The royal envoy informed them, the sanguine mare looking at her in disbelief.

"Yes they do.. And I guess poisonous substances doesn't affect demons" Rose said before hurrying down the trail to catch up with Blaze and Osiris.

"How long will it take until we reach the capital lord?.." The former maid asked Nathan.

"Two days perhaps? It was a lot of jungle on Luna's map. And call me Nathaniel, I'm not a lord of anything" The human responded and headed down the path with the succubus following.

"Then what are you? I have never seen such a creature as yourself" Silver Page asked and looked over him, trying to remember if Crystal Sword had ever spoken with such creatures.

"I am a human. As far as I know I'm the only human on this planet, so I am not surprised you don't know what I am" He responded with a small smile.

"How did you become a Guardian Nathaniel?" Silver asked him, the man starting to tell his tale.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man looked into the orange flame of the campfire, the darkness setting over the jungle quite quickly. They had been walking for several hours before Osiris declared they would need to set up camp. The human had been quite relived that he could put down the heavy bags he had been carrying, helping the others with making a ring of stones. Once the fire had been lit started Osiris with making traps. The scout placed them around the camp to warn them of predators and catch small game for his two omnivore friends.

Their new succubus companion surprised them all by starting to sing in some ancient language, her beautiful singing voice filling the camp. The words almost put the man in a trance, his eyes fixated at the mare as she sang. Once Silver was done she looked surprised herself at even knowing the words, growing quiet for a few seconds before the teen clapped his hands at her performance. His reaction spread to his companions who also gave the succubus praise. The only one missing was Blaze, the wolf having wandered off to hunt.

"That was beautiful miss" Osiris said and took out some liquor, drinking some of it before before Rose snatched it.

"You should sing more often!" The sanguine said with a grin and took a swing of the bottle, gulping down half of it like it was nothing.

"What language even was that?" Nate questioned her, taking the bottle from the bat pony who responded with an annoyed 'hey!'.

"I'm not sure.. It just is there, in my head. I think it's something else he did to me.." The demoness mumbled and looked to the side.

Nathaniel had been briefly told by Rose what mare had been through. The sanguine hadn't known all the details, but she honestly didn't want to. From what he could understand had the mare been a normal maid until Sombra had grabbed her, turning her into a demon. Silver hadn't suffered any real physical damage from it, but her mind would take time to heal.

"I think it sounded beautiful at least" The man said with a small smile, making the royal envoy turn to him.

"Thank you" Silver said with a smile of her own, laying her head on the ground.

"Rest up, we'll need to move before sunrise. Tomorrow we either keep a good pace or.." The bat pony said, not needing to mention what would happen if they fail.

The man nodded and laid down, using one of the bags as a pillow. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep to the sound of the crackling fire. His dreams were filled of fire and laughter, the combination making him remember Sombra. The dreams quickly turned into nightmares for the young human, one in particular standing out. The dream had Luna hanging from the moon, screaming in pain as the black tendrils she hanged in tried to pull her apart. The black inky things reached all the way up to the princess satellite, like she was bound to it. Nathan ran and ran to get to her, to help her. But she was always to far away, always just out of reach.

The man awoke with a gasp, sitting up and holding his sweat covered head. The nightmare was still fresh in his mind, Luna's scream so real. Nate got up and looked around camp, seeing his companions fast asleep. Blaze had returned during the night, the wolf opening its eyes and yawning. Nathaniel's trusted beast got up and walked over to his owner, licking the human's hand. Nathan just sighed and petted the wolf's head, looking into the woods.

"I'll get more firewood, stay and guard the camp" He said to the wolf who nodded, laying down once again.

The human headed into the woods, picking up branches and sticks as he went. The only sound in the jungle was a few birds, an owl like sound being near their camp. He enjoyed the cool air of the Equestrian night, the slight cold helping him wake up. It was something he'd notice since he came to Equestria, that the air was so clean. Even in the dragon lands had it been better in some large cities on earth. At times he just wanted to drink it, feeling his lungs being filled with the cold air of the night.

It was then the man heard a branch snap, turning to the origin of the sound. Nathaniel didn't quite see what could have made the sound, but he was pretty certain he didn't want to know. Strange noises in the woods was never a good sign, especially in a jungle on a planet filled with fantasy creatures. The teen backed away and turned around, only to look into the open maw of some kind of beast. The man slowly looked up to face whatever had sneaked up on him, his breath growing shaky.

It was large, most likely two meters tall and two meters wide. Its body was covered in black fur, with some white spots on its head. It held six legs, the front legs having claw like appendages to grip onto things while the others lacked this feature. The head reminded him of an armadillo, with the fur there looking like armored plates. Its blue snake like eyes watched him with hunger, all six of them, three on each side. The long snout of the creature was split open like some sort of flower, revealing teeth at all four "petals" of its face. In the middle of the opened snout was a hole with rows upon rows with teeth in it, reminding him of a shark. The worst thing however was the three round tongues slowly slithering their way out of the beast's maw, followed by a great shriek.

The man had gotten a bit more tanned skin with all his months out in the sun, but he still grew a white pale. With a scream he ran from the beast, dropping the firewood collected. The beast shrieked once more and ran after him, it snout's four halves once again forming once solid structure as it ran after the teen. The claws of the beast tore into trees as it ran, shredding them.

Nathaniel dove under a fallen tree to put an obstacle behind him and the monster, the thing simply jumping over it. He could see the embers of the campfire further ahead screaming at his friends to wake up. It was all he had time doing before the monster was upon him, slamming him into the ground. He yelled out in pain and fear as the three tongues started to wrap around his head. The things held down one hand on his back to keep him still, the pressure making him scream in pain. The smell of death that came from the beasts open mouth made the teen hurl, grabbing a hold of the tongues and pulling on them.

It was made clear quite quickly for the man that it wouldn't work, feeling the tongues trying to drag him back into the teeth filled hole. Nathan was filled with adrenaline and fear, holding out one of his hands and closing his eyes. It was surprisingly easy for the teen to focus with a large monster trying to eat him.

"Solaris Mico!!!" Nathan screamed and a bright light erupted from his left hand, forcing the creature to back off.

The thing screamed in pain and held its smoking face, the spell having a similar effect on the monster as it had on Sombra. Nathaniel didn't bother to use more magic, now knowing it the thing was simply slowed down or actually hurt. The human ran once again towards the camp, a large fire lit in the middle of it. He could hear Rose screaming his name and pushed on, hearing the monster run after him once more.

The ponies and wolf awaited him with branches lit on fire, throwing one to the scarred teen. Nate caught it and turned around to see the beast advancing on their camp. It shirked and spat as it rushed them, its heavy arms coming down in an attempt to crush the human. Before it could so however was Osiris already by its side, the incredibly fast earth pony having coated his dagger in something that allowed it to burn. The flaming blade was brought into the beast's side and it gave a pained whine, a sound that made their bones shake.

Rose was next, batting at the damn thing with a flaming branch. Tuffs of fur caught on fire from the two guardians attacks with fire, making the thing scream in more pain but also making it more aggressive. The monster kicked Osiris onto the ground and slashed Rose's chest with one of its claws. The sanguine screamed in pain and fell to the floor, clutching her wound as Osiris got up and circled the beast.

Blaze growled and pounced at the monster, digging his teeth into one of its legs. The wolf immediately let go and puked, his body seemingly rejecting the black blood of the beast. The creature used that moment to swat the wolf away like a fly, sending Blaze skidding across the ground. The wolf quickly got up but kept away from the monster, growling and barking at it.

Nathaniel slammed his burning branch into the monster's face, the creature screaming in pain but continuing to walk towards the human. It slammed one of its hands into the man's chest, sending him flying backwards. He landed with a groan and looked up to see the beast pick up Osiris, chucking the stallion up into a tree. It then set all its eyes on the man, starting to run towards Nate.

The green eyed teen felt with his hands around him and realized he'd landed on their equipment. His hand found the long handle of Valkyrie with a shout of determination Nathaniel rolled out of the way. The beast descended on the place the man had been moments before, its claws digging into the dirt. With the monster's side showing Nathan swung the great war-hammer with all his might, the weapon light as a feather but harder than steel.

The impact sent the creature flying through two trees with a magical discharge following its wake, the green explosion of light looking a lot like vertical a mushroom cloud. The human panted loudly and watched with horror as the beast got up, the thing looking at them all with hatred before it ran off, black blood dripping from its sides. The cursed liquid from the beasts made the plants it landed on die and turn grey.

With knowledge that the thing was gone could Nathaniel breathe out, landing on his knees and dropping the war-hammer. He could see in the corner of his eye Silver Page, peeking out from a bush, looking scared half to death. The succubus saw them all injured and gasped, rushing over to see if they were ok.

"What. The. Hell. Was. That. Thing." Nate said and got up with a stumble.

"It was a damn RootEater kid! You found yourself a special one that eats meat apparently!" Osiris yelled from the tree as he tried to get down.

"RootEater? RootEaters are the size of a cat!" Rose yelled at the scout as she got up, holding her bleeding chest with a grimace.

"Well it seems like this one didn't want to obey rules" The earth pony grumbled as he got out of the tree.

Silver ran over to Rose with bandages and alcohol, the mare pouring some straight into her wound without screaming. The sanguine grabbed the bandages and with the succubus help started to patch herself up. Nathan just looked at her in awe for being able to even get a drop of liquor near the wound without falling to the floor in pain. The bat pony was not weak by any standards.

"We need to pack all our things and move again. We cannot risk that thing coming back" Osiris said and the human nodded, starting to force things back into saddle bags and his own bag. It didn't take long for him and the golden furred stallion to pack it all, Silver helping Rose with the wound.

"I can heal it for you" The human said to the injured mare who shook her head.

"Not here. Once we're a safe distance from that thing" She said and grabbed her saddle bags, hurrying towards the path.

With the group ready to go they all hurried down the path, making sure to look around for the dangerous creature. The human and his companions held no desire to be a midnight snack for the damn beast. Rose lead the way through the jungle even with her wound still bleeding, the bandages a clear red. The man tried to convince her several times to stop so he could heal it but the mare kept refusing, telling him to save his mana.

They had been walking for over an hour before the sanguine finally stopped for a break, Nathaniel not even asking for permission before starting to heal her. The teen could feel the strange dark feeling around the wound that he'd felt from Luna once she was brought into the castle. The damn beast had left corruption in Rose's wound.

The mare must have noticed his look and shook her head. She simply stood up as a green light closed the wound, the thing would be leaving a scar. Rose smiled and touched it, not feeling the same pain. The sanguine looked relieved to remove the bandage, tossing the blood soaked rags to the side.

"It won't affect me Nathan, I'm immune" She informed the man, Nate looking a bit skeptical.

"How are you immune? Luna is a freaking goddess and not even she could stand against the corruption" He exclaimed.

"The princess hold the blood of an Alicorn kid, not the blood of a demon" Osiris said as he watched the trees around them.

"We don't know if it's demon blood Osiris" Rose said and the stallion rolled his eyes.

"Um, can we please start walking again? I don't feel safe out here.." Silver Page said and Blaze seemingly agreed with her, whining and gesturing to the path.

The three guardians agreed and they all continued down the path, the sun slowly rising above the trees. The light helped some in the dark jungle but for most parts it was still hard to see for Nathaniel. He didn't like the idea of traveling in a forest with creatures like that, beasts infected with the same disease as Luna. The reminder of his friend screaming in pain made the human walk faster. They had a goal, they would not fail.

Lord Protector Silver Wing's POV

I looked to Spectral Vision with a frown. The mage had refused to leave Broken Orchid's side, stubborn as a mule. I told him she would be fine with Crystal Sword watching over her, but of course he refused to listen to reason. The young stallion was fussing over her almost as much as her brother before I ordered him to pack, making him grow cold and distant again.

I knew he held a grudge over me leaving the mare behind, a decision I was not proud off. But he did not know the burdens of command, not like me and Violet Shield knew them. My commander had been angry when I ordered her to pack once again, telling her of Celestia's request. She insisted that we should write letters to the families of the fallen first, but I knew there was not much time for that. Where the princess wanted us to go we went.

The one most confused by the order was Minted Surprise however, the stallion thinking that we could relax for a couple of days and watch over the sick princess. I told the youngest of our squad that we were not Guardians, but diplomats and a strike force. We didn't hold any duties to protect Luna now when she was back in the castle and even if we did we would still have to finish our assignment.

Spectral was the most pissed off about us going to watch over the construction of the towers and fortresses over the Celestial sea, not seeing the mutants remotely as a threat. While I fully agreed that the tribes of mutants were to disorganized to be a real threat it was still a symbolic gesture to keep them away from the seas, showing our allies that we had their backs and all that.

Though I had heard of the tribes growing more and more aggressive, hinting at some kind of military structure being built. I didn't even know if they had chosen a leader yet, not having requested reports of such activity in the far south. The most immediate threat to our nation had been the crystal empire, which is why Celestia sent me there. It was not my duty to care about what the Dark Kingdom or Griffins did about the savages, but I guess it was now.

The ship we had been given was named the Spellbinder. It had once been one of Princess Platinum's private ships, but with the mare over sixty years old and almost senile had the it been given to the military without much resistance. The vessel was written in Spectral Vision's name, my expert on magic having upgraded the old cruise ship with his own salary. I still didn't understand why he wanted to own the damn thing so badly, but I had allowed him purchase it, now being his but still being part of the Equestrian military.

The Spellbinder was relatively small for a ship, only requiring around seven ponies to maneuver and maintain it. With Spectral's spells and runes it only needed one, the captain. The stallion had used his skills to improve the ship expertly. The thing was smaller than the Golden Stallion, a brig of respectful size, yet it could take a lot more damage before sinking. My scout had ensured that the wood was strong before carving runes into all the sides of the ship. The things glowed everything from yellow to red and almost hummed as the ship sailed across the water.

The runes he'd implemented into the ship were made to not only work as shields but also as extra hooves. Some runes helped unrolling the sail when needed to then drag it back up. Others seemingly just helped the captain of the vessel concentrate on certain tasks, like sharpening his focus or telling him of dangers below the surface. Yet one of the more impressive features of the ship was the captains quarters, where Spectral slept.

The young purple furred unicorn had put thousands of bits into the ship and that was even more clear when one looked at his personal quarters. In the middle of the largest room on the ship was a war table, yet not like the ones the princesses would have in the castle or on their journeys. Where Celestia or Luna would mark political or military things of interest would Spectral mark down locations with magical or spiritual value.

I always found it interesting how he carved his own weird wooden figures and placed them on the map, the figures representing the "feel" of the place,, even if he had never been there. Beyond the war table there was shelves filled with books on magical theory and artifacts, most of them secured with rope and similar things to not fall over in a storm or battle.

The artifacts varied from old swords used by some former world leader to red crystals whispering to you. Said crystal was kept in a special compartment, apparently hindering it from "growing", whatever that meant. There was at times I wondered if Spectral was more knowledgeable on magic than the arch mage, seemingly having an answer to most things even if he couldn't do them on his own.

My thoughts about the stallion and his ship was disturbed as we finally set out towards the seas, heading towards the first watch tower a few miles away. The journey would be quite quick with the Spellbinder compared to other ships, but that didn't mean it wouldn't take a few hours to get there.

The scout my mind had been focused on were quite busy checking over the ship so that all things were correct, not wanting to leave anything to chance with his favorite vessel on the line I suppose. Minted Surprise helped him with whatever he ordered and I allowed it, knowing this ship was the scout's domain and not my own. Violet Shield had decided to fall asleep below deck, leaving us alone with the silent sea around us.

"Sir, do you think the princess fear about the griffons will prove true?" Minted asked me as he carried some rope to Spectral that quickly tied it around the mast.

"It's possible. They seemed to be more on edge when we passed through with the Golden Stallion, but if they are planning something it won't be more than an attempt to take some fishing villages on the coast. They don't hold the magical expertise to break down our walls or defend themselves against our mages" I informed the private who saluted in response.

"If those damn pigeons try to attack some of our fishing villages again I will personally roast them" The white maned unicorn grumbled as he fixed things with the rope and I shook my head.

"With the princess having formed a proper alliance through building a few watch towers I am certain they wouldn't want to shake the peace. Beyond that wouldn't they earn much out of a betrayal, not with the Dragons on our side" I informed my squad.

"I suppose your right my Lord" Scout Vision said before heading up to the helm once again, sterring us towards our destination.

"I will rest for a few hours, keep eyes on the sea private" I ordered Minted who saluted once again as I headed below deck.

The ship was filled with crates of Star Swirls strange papers and inventions Spectral had been given, his former mentor thinking the scout had a better use of them than him. While the gesture had been kind were some of the things to strange to ever work. The best example that came to mind was one of the wizards most famous proposals, flying ships. The mere idea was so strange and unheard of it had been dismissed by most of his fellow scholars, not that it had any effect on him bribing it up with different ambassadors.

The old mage had so many strange ideas in his younger days, now most of them were Spectral's, the young stallion tasked with finding use for them. While I didn't doubt some of the arch mage's inventions would be useful (like the idea of sewage) couldn't I for the life of me see the reason with flying ships of spoons mixed with forks. I just let my mind rest as I found a room and laid down on one of the beds, letting sleep embrace me quite quickly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would wake to the sound of Violet yelling my name. I got up in one fluid motion and headed out from the room, past the boxes with oddities and up to the main deck. The same second I went up the steps I could hear the sound of many voices from far away, my ears flicking at the noise. When I finally showed myself I saw Private Surprise looking upon the great tower that had been built with the help of both armies.

I was impressed by how sturdy the tower looked, the stone so polished it didn't look like blocks but rather like one large piece of a mountain. I could see a few windows at the top of the tower where a few griffins had stuck out their head to see our ship approach the small port at the base of the structure. We lowered our anchor and and the wooden platform required to step onto land.

The tower was a long wide cylinder with a even larger square on top. The tower rested on a large stone platform that the port was attached to. We were greeted by a earth pony stallion grinning widely. He bore the armor of a soldier but not the posture of one. It seemed being far away from our more strict captains and commanders had made them either too relaxed or lazy.

"Welcome Lord Protector to tower Ygrid! Named after the Griffins gods of war you see" The white coated stallion said with a smile and shook my hoof as I got off the Spellbinder.

"I've come to see how the construction of the towers and fortresses are going. But from what I see you are done" I said and eyed the tower with some suspicion.

"All the structures have been done for a few days. What remains are some tests and to name the commander of each structure" The stallion told me with another smile.

"I will have to check up on the other buildings, but thank you for telling me" I replied and turned around.

"I hope that the princess will feel better soon. We all heard she is very sick from the griffin supply ships" The soldier said and I nodded very slowly, hurrying up on deck.

"Squad. War room. Now." I said simply and moved inside, the ponies following me.

"Something feels off Silver. They shouldn't know about Luna, even with the griffins here having stopped us a few days prior. I don't like how that stallion didn't even seem to know we'd been here briefly before, like he was never here when it happened" Spectral Vision said and I nodded.

"Agreed. The only way our soldiers here would know of Luna is though outside sources, but if that source comes from across the ocean.." I said with a grumble.

"It would mean someone must have informed the Griffin Kingdom about the princess suffering from the corruption, when only a few actually know this fact" My scout said.

"That means spies, and good ones at that. Celestia only picked trusted servants to know about Luna being sick, and even then were all guards and servants sent away so Luna could be brought inside without anypony seeing her" Violet chimed in.

It was becoming more and more clear that something was wrong. I didn't know just what it was yet, not with so many questions still unanswered. I knew our fleet was currently in the far west, clearing up the pirates and bandits having taken that coast from us. But I didn't feel safe with them so far away, several days having to be spent for them to travel back.

"Act like nothing is wrong for now. Send a letter to Celestia that she needs to call back as many soldiers as she can, if she haven't already given the order. I feel like something bad is coming" I said with a mutter and the private saluted, hurrying off to write a letter and attach it to a raven.

"Let the gods look upon us in favor, we will need it" The commander said and I could only nod, feeling like eyes were watching me at every corner.

Nathaniel's POV

"It's close" Nathan said, sitting on his knees.

"We're close to the capital now, we shouldn't stop" Rose responded to the meditating human, her eyes scanning their surroundings.

He wanted to say something in response, maybe tell her that they needed the damn thing dead before it hurt someone else. But he didn't get the chance, a loud shriek echoing over the jungle. Nate didn't need any encouragement to get up and start running, his companions already a few meters ahead of him. They all had been walking for hours before finding the body of a deer, the thing mauled by something. After "looking" at it with his magic had the man confirmed the feeling of corruption within it, all of them keeping some distance to it.

They had found many signs of the creature on the path after that, more dead animals, claw marks on trees, bits of black blood and actual RootEaters keeping away from said signs. The teen liked the small cat sized RootEaters more than their corrupted cosine, the smaller ones having green fur and a snout that couldn't sprout open like a flower. They also only had four normal legs, which made their six pair of eyes one of the more weird things about them.

It had been close to mid day when the man had wanted them to take a break and meditate, looking around at their surroundings using his magic. As expected they were now running, the creature having been more closer than it had seemed. Nathaniel didn't like the sense of panic it brought running from a creature that could easily squish him, even with a weapon blessed by a goddess on his back.

They ran for what felt like several minutes before finally seeing a break among the foliage, light pouring in from the outside. Blaze was the first to run out from the jungle with the two mares following him. Nate and Osiris broke out of the jungle's grasp just as the monster were starting to catch up to them. The human and stallion ran for their lives as the thing broke through the jungle, its snout open as it shirked.

The rode to the capital city was a simple dirt road over grassy plains. The city itself was surrounded by a great wall made out of black rock, it seemed to reach at least twenty meters in height. The grass around them seemed to a very bright green but grew a lot darker the closer to the Dark Kingdom's capital you got. The road they currently stood on lead to a grand gate made from black wood, currently open.

As they ran down the road with the monster running after them seemed the guards in the city sound some kind of alarm and all that was outside rushed towards it in fear. The monster screamed in frustration over its prey unwillingness to die so it leaped towards Nathan. One of its long tongues wrapped itself around the human's left hand and pulled him backwards, sending him onto the ground. The man were pulled against the open maw of the beast and with a detriment yell he grabbed his sword and cut of the tongue in one great fluid motion, black blood raining over him.

The monster screeched in pain and backhanded the human, sending him flying before hitting the grassy ground with a roll. His sword landed a few meters away from the teen, forcing him to grab Valkyrie from his back and take a defensive position. His companions were now further away, Rose, Osiris and Blaze running towards him while Silver looked frozen in complete fear. They stopped in their tracks as the man held up his hand. Out of all of them was he the only one with a weapon that could end this quickly. Beyond that didn't he want Rose to get hurt again or for anyone else to become mauled by the monster.

"Come on then you ugly son of a bitch!" He yelled at the corrupted RootEater which shirked in response and ran for him.

The impact between Nathan and the beast was a rough one. Even with Valkyrie to block the damn thing did it still send the human back a few meters, the beast running for him the same second he came to a stop. Nathaniel had enough at that point, tilting his body to the side and swinging the war-hammer at the beast just before it reached him. The hit once again created a minor magical explosion that sent the beast into the ground, tearing up a lot of grass.

The battle between the monster and human grew more and more intense for each time it rushed Nate. The black haired man doing his best to deflect any attack or side step it entirely. It didn't give him many opportunities to hit it, but for each strike the teen delivered with Valkyrie the monster grew weaker, its attack s not carrying the same ferocity. They both came to a stand still with the ground below them torn up form the fighting, Nathaniel breathing hard while the monster looked at him with hatred.

The beast gave off a great shriek before making a final desperate rush, heading straight for the human with its claws ready to impale him. Nathaniel gripped a hold of the handle's end with both his hands, pulled the war-hammer behind his head and then used all his strength to bring it down on the monster's head. He could hear and feel the head crush under the war-hammer, more black blood coating his clothing. The thing spammed for a second before growing still, finally dead. It was like with the deer back in the woods, quick and simple kill.

With a pant he pulled back the war-hammer and rested on its weight, sinking down onto his knees. Nathan felt as Rose and Osiris rushed up and hugged him with laughter, his two friends as satisfied as him with his victory over the monster. Blaze ran up to them but refused to go near the blood soaked human, but at least he gave him some encouraging barks. Even Silver Page joined them, the mare showering him in praise over saving their lives.

After the man grabbed his sword they headed for the gates, the things being opened slowly to reveal a large mass of ponies. The guards climbing down the walls looked at them all in amazement, some whispering about the royal envoy, seeing her demonic features. It didn't take long for the ponies to start stomping their hooves down into the ground, cheers and applauds ringing out among the crowd.

A bat pony stallion dressed in red armor hurried up to them bearing a surprised smile on his face. His grey mane and coat made him fit in among the black and grey buildings around them with red highlights. As they looked around they could see all from towers to houses all around them, the city seemed enormous. The stallion noticed Rose's medallion and grinned, lifting a fore arm and motioning to the crowd and city.

"Welcome to the city of Garthram Guardians of the night!" He yelled over the applauding ponies.

The amount of praise thrown their way was almost too much for the man, but only almost. The human raised Valkyrie into the air and grinned, this victory being one of his first in this land of magic. He really hoped it wouldn't be the last.

Celestia's POV

I looked at the letter sent by the lord protector with a sigh. Something was happening in the world, a new age was upon us, I could feel it. I felt a headache coming on and I got up from my throne, waving off my guards. I needed to see Luna. She hadn't been getting better with light magic near her. She refused to open her eyes, claiming the light stung like a thousand swords dragging across her skin. She'd said that during one of her more lucid episodes, she mostly just trashed and moaned in pain.

I felt tears in the corner of my eyes as I opened the door to the chamber she was placed in. Her mane clung to her body like seaweed and her breaths was raspy. She'd been forced to eat and drink by the unicorn healers, one miss Nightingale very knowledgeable in how reducing pain. But even with some of the best medical care one could get in the known world were she still dying, slowly fading away each day.

My hoof ran over over Luna's head as she whimpered, my gaze holding nothing but sadness. She used to laugh so beautifully and live her life to the fullest. Now she lied on her deathbed, and I could do nothing but watch. I prayed to any god that wanted to listen for her Guardians success, that they would bring back the water needed to save my sisters life. I stood by her side for several minutes before finally pulling away and walking out of the room, heading to the gardens.

My small journey took me to Discord's statue, looking upon the petrified darconequus. I wanted to do anything, smash it, send it away, cover it with a blanket or teleport it to the sun. But I knew it would have no use, I knew deep down doing any of those things wouldn't help my sister.

"Ohhhh! Have you finally come to visit me Celestia? I do have to say it have been a while since we last spoke" The mad god said with his normal happy tone.

"She's dying. Luna is dying" I said, my voice and head low.

"Well that's one way to ruin a good mood" Discord said through my mind with a put off tone of voice.

"Don't you care?" I asked, anger slowly building up inside my chest.

"Of course I care! What do you take me for, a monster? But what do you want me to do about it when I'm made out of rock? Or have you come for a barging? Oh that is so unlike you Celestia" He said and I growled deeply.

"There will not be any barging with you Discord, never again" I said darkly and walked away from the statue, a last whisper ringing out through my head.

"We will see Celstia.. We will see.."

Author's Notes:

HALFWAY POINT AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

I actually got here, I'm fifty percent done. Hot damn I didn't think I would get here before Christmas. Thank you all for reading the chapter and for all of you that have been sticking with the story so far!