Luna gripped Thule tight as he removed his fangs from her neck. He hadn’t bit her, not yet. He didn’t want to escalate things too quickly after just arriving. Plus, Luna was already thoroughly enjoying herself. She held onto him like a life raft in a raging ocean. Luna barely had any room to move when Thule pinned her wings to her sides, then locked his own wings behind her. Thule reasoned her behavior was due to being locked away without companionship for that long thousand years. He knew he could never survive so long without the company of another. That... and with living so long, he was very, very experienced. It only made sense Luna was enjoying herself.

Thinking about it, that was something that always amused Thule. He was old, having Saros’ bloodline granted him a long life. But he was nothing compared to Luna and Celestia. They’ve been around for ages. Yet... Luna didn’t present herself as an experienced mare under the sheets. As a ruler of many clans and covens of bat ponies, Thule knew political posturing. It was entirely possible Luna was hiding her true skills and knowledge as she would anything else, but he doubted it. What reason would she have? Perhaps her reclusive nature explained it, perhaps it was that simple. Despite that, it didn’t mean Luna lacked for playfulness or some measure of skill.

Thule felt teeth sink into his neck. Luna let out a low purr and adjusted herself on top of him.

“Who’s the bat pony here?” Thule whispered with a chuckle.

Luna poked her head out from under Thule’s wing and bit him again, “You are, but I’m not just some submissive mare you can charm, little colt...”

Thule raised an eyebrow and trailed his hooves sensually down Luna’s back. She let out a small gasp when he took a firm hold on her moon, “Little colt...?”

She grinned, and began to slowly rock her hips, “I remember you when you were just a little thing. You were so cute... and you were afraid of me.” she said with a giggle.

Thule let out a sigh. He might have gotten angry if that bit of mane covering one eye wasn’t making her so sexy right now. “You were scary... and loud...”

Luna stopped her motions and frowned, “I was, wasn’t I?” She laid down against Thule again and cuddled closer to him, “That’s part of why ponies didn’t like me.”

Thule pulled her forward and stared at her, “No, it’s not. They didn’t like you for the same reasons they didn’t like me... we’re different.”

Luna cracked a small smile and let a single tear fall from her eyes, “Yes, and you’re a bit of an asshole.”

“A bit of an asshole?” Thule asked.

Luna didn’t have time to respond. Thule wrapped his forehooves around her wings, pinning them to her sides again. He leapt into the air and landed back on the bed with a small bounce of the mattress. Luna was at his mercy and enjoying every second of it. Thule slowly sank his fangs into Luna’s neck and squeezed her. She let out a gasp, but not in pain. He pulled his fangs out and examined the bite, no blood. That was the thing with Luna, no matter how deep he’d bite, never any blood. He wondered if that was the case for all alicorns.

Luna moaned and shivered at Thule’s aggressive gesture. She smiled as he let her down, then shoved him back so hard he fell over. “Naughty little colt.” Luna scoffed.

Thule was taken aback. He grinned at first, but it quickly faded as Luna flapped off the bed and whipped her mane to the side. She slipped on a small bath robe and tied her mane in a ponytail.

“I give you the best night you’ve had in one thousand years, and this is the thanks I get?” Thule asked with a nervous laugh.

Luna cracked her neck and stretched her wings. She opened the door to the beach and gave him a sidelong glance, “I’m going for a walk, you’re just going to let me go all by myself?”

Thule flipped out of the bed without a second thought and grinned. Luna rolled her eyes and trotted out to the beach with him close behind. The waves gently lapping at the shore were something Luna enjoyed, it felt soothing against her bare hooves. The moon was obscured by ever growing stormclouds. That was something she was not used to in Equestria, weather changed much quickly here near the ocean than back home.

Luna stopped and turned to Thule, who had remained silent, “Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Thule asked innocently.

“You know what!” Luna snapped, “I wasn’t ready for that, you can’t just bite a princess.”

He paused, then raised a hoof, “If I had announced it, the experience wouldn’t have been the same. You smiled before shoving me...”

Luna’s brow furrowed and her eyes turned white, “We weren’t ready...”

Thule became more cautious after hearing Luna slip into the old dialect, “I only thought it would bring you pleasure.” He knelt and touched his forehead to the sand, “I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

Luna’s eye’s returned to normal and she sighed, “You didn’t hurt me... get up, Thule.” She shook her head trailed her eyes across Thule’s body, “You just caught me off guard.” She sat on her haunches and looked down, “This is something I’ve never been good at. I’ve never been able to just... do it. I’m not like my sister or Desalia, I don’t have that posture and presence. That confidence. I’m not a mare like they are.”

Thule frowned and ran a hoof through his mane. He knew exactly what she was talking about. Luna was different from the other alicorns. Aside from Cadance, and the newly ascended princess, she was the smallest in stature of all the others. To some it might be insignificant, but those who believed that, have never stood in an alicorn’s presence. They radiated magic and the confidence of ages. Thule was an alpha, in every sense of the word. He was at peak physical condition for what his age would allow, and he was taller by a head than most other bat ponies. He ruled over several clans of his people. He got there by political scheming and assassinations, several of the latter he performed himself. When he finally died, history would likely remember him as a prominent figure, in one manner or another. Yet, despite all that, Thule felt every bit a child when in the presence of every alicorn he’d ever known. That was partly why he reacted the way he did when Luna called him a little colt. He didn’t enjoy being reduced to such a helpless thing. But... if Luna felt similarly around her sister and the others?

Thule picked up Luna’s chin and offered a genuine smile. “You might not be a mare like they are, but you’re still a mare, and a beautiful one.”

Luna looked up at him and shook her head. “You’re just saying that.”

Thule groaned and wrapped a wing around Luna, “I don’t like getting all sappy like this. But I want to tell you something.” He felt Luna lean against him, and took that as a sign of approval. “I remember meeting you for the first time. We all were told a princess was coming. But not just any princess, the Princess of the Night. The princess who presided over the time in which we could thrive. The one who guided the beautiful moon across the sky.”

“Guess I was a big deal in some places, too bad your people always wished to live away from ponies.” Luna lamented.

Thule ignored her negativity for a moment and continued, “The time when I first saw you I was a little foal. Do you remember?”

Luna looked up at him and nodded, “Your parents and others were introducing the kids to me. You were near the very back, trying to stay hidden. You were a runt back then.”

Thule cleared his throat and glanced down at Luna, “Yes, well... some things have certainly changed. But please, do continue.”

Luna smirked, “I saw you shying away from me, and I admit it bothered me a little...”

“Really?” Thule asked, genuinely surprised.

“Oh yes,” Luna said with a nod. “Oh goddess, it’s all coming back to me now. I levitated you over and you squirmed in my field the entire time. I sat you in my lap and asked what was wrong. You couldn’t even speak you were so timid.”

“Do you remember how you placated me?” Thule asked.

“I conjured a small star from my mane and morphed it into a sphere, in the shape of the moon. I gave it to you to play with, and as something to remember me by.” Luna said.

Luna felt Thule shift next to her. He produced a small pouch sealed with ornate gold lining. He handed it to her without a word. Luna slowly took the pouch and opened it. A small faded grey orb lay in the center of her hoof. Tears formed in her eyes and her lips began to quiver.

“When Polaris came to conscript us, I resisted. Not just because he challenged me openly in front of my people. But because I knew we couldn’t win, even then.” Thule said with a heavy sigh, “After Polaris defeated me, I returned to my chambers and tore them apart in rage. I’d lost in front of everypony. Because of my failure, several parents would never see their colts and fillies again. The war would claim many of their lives. But that wasn’t all. I personally didn’t want to serve a monster who would only rage and send me off to die with some stupid decision. That, and I hated Polaris and Aldus...” He paused, then pointed at the bauble, “Then, in the ruins of my drawers, I found this. I had almost forgotten about it. I picked it up and remembered that day. I remembered the warmth and care in your eyes as you held me. I remembered you letting me play with your mane so much that it became incredibly snarled, but you didn’t care. I remembered what you whispered before letting me go, ‘I’ll be with you in your dreams, should you ever need me.’ When I did need you, you were there.”

“Thule...” Luna said as tears began to fall.

“I picked up my blades and made a vow that day. I vowed that no matter how you looked, or how different you sounded, I would look into your eyes upon first seeing you. If I saw you were still there, if you were still you, I would serve. I vowed whoever you ordered me to kill, would die.”

Luna wiped tears from her eyes and pushed her head into Thule’s chest, “I- I don’t know what to say.”

Rain began to fall from the gathering clouds as lightning arced across the ocean. Thule lifted his wing above his princess and picked up her chin, “You’re more a mare than nearly all the mares I’ve ever been with. You don’t need to beat yourself up all the time. Nor do you need to feel guilty about our time tonight. It’s just a harmless bit of fun. Fun, I might add, you seemed in dire need of.”

Luna playfully pushed Thule away and looked up, “I suppose we’d better get back.”

Both rushed back to the cottage and dried off while Thule hurried to shut the door. The wind began to assault the house and brought torrents of rain to smash against it. He had to admit, this type of weather was not common where he was from in the deciduous forests far away in northern Equestria.

“Is this a monsoon?” Thule asked while Luna dried her mane.

“Don’t know,” Luna said, “I hope it doesn’t last the night.”

Thule noticed that the sheets of their bed had been changed while they were gone. How odd. He’d have to thank the maid for being so thorough... and also ask how exactly she knew what they were doing...

Thule trotted to the door and opened it to leave, but Luna stopped him. “Where are you going, mister?”

“Well, we’ve had our fun. I’ve opened up to you and have been far too sensitive. I was going to go back to my room.”

Luna blinked and swished her mane, “I don’t recall giving you permission to leave.”

“I was just-”

“I recall wanting you here for the entire night. I don’t recall changing my mind. Now come to bed.”

Thule was still getting used to be ordered around like this, but coming from Luna, he enjoyed it. He climbed in bed and opened a wing for her. She climbed in and pulled it around herself.

“I love it when you give me orders like that,” Thule whispered into her ear, “If you want any more of my services... the night is young.”

“I’ve had enough for one night, Thule. Just shut up and cuddle me.” she said with a small giggle.

Thule rolled his eyes and sighed in lament, “Fine...”

Later into the night, the storm had kicked up and was battering the cottage with gale force winds. The trees outside were bent in half and the waves crashed loudly to shore. Thunder boomed overhead and shook the cottage with each clap. Several hooves shuffled through the hall outside and stopped at Princess Luna’s door. The door cracked open and several fillies and colts stepped inside.

Thule twitched in his sleep and sensed intruders, he bolted upright and unsheathed a blade. The children only saw an intimidating figure with piercing red eyes. Screams ripped Luna out of her dreamscapes and she woke with a start. The children were tripping over themselves trying to scramble out of the room.

“Children...” Luna muttered through half lidded eyes. The foals kept clawing at the door and ignored her. “Children... Children!!!”

They froze in place and turned to face Luna. “Umm... hello, princess,” one of the colts muttered as he stepped forward to speak for the group. “I’m Swift, Swift Wind.”

Luna leaned forward and offered a gentle smile, “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

Another boom shook the cottage. The foals pressed themselves against the floor  as nearby trees brushed against the windows.

“The storm, I see...” Luna said with a chuckle, “And you all wanted to stay with me for the night?”

The children nodded in unison, which earned a giggle from Luna. Thule turned to her and shrugged his shoulders, “They need you? It’s just a storm, they’ll be fine by themselves.”

Luna raised an eyebrow and leaned within inches of Thule’s muzzle, “Oh really? I seem to remember a Sarosian colt who wet the bed from thunderstorms...”

Thule glared at Luna and whispered, “That-never-happened.”

Luna grinned mischievously, then opened her wings to the foals, “Come to bed, little ones. Let’s all get to sleep.” The children didn’t move, most of them were fixated on Thule. Luna noticed he still had his blade out. “Thule, dear. You can sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Excuse me?”

“The children are scared, I’ll sleep with them here. You’re too big to fit, so go sleep on the couch.” Luna repeated.

Thule let out a defeated sigh and forcefully sheathed his blade. He looked at the foals and grumbled before hovering away..

The children ran to the bed and jumped for joy, until another thunderclap and they were stuck to Luna like magnets. She shushed them and laid down on her side. The foals nestled themselves under her wings, and in the middle against her back. Several nestled under her twinkling mane, while others pulled her forehooves around them.

Thule rolled over and set his sword down underneath the couch and turned in for the night. He needed rest for the meetings in the morning.

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

Frost ducked into another room filled with mirrors. Most of which were on display against the walls. He crawled under some old furniture and boxes while making sure he wasn’t followed. No sooner had he controlled his breathing, he heard a heavy object sliding across the floor. Frost peaked under the cloth of the bed and saw Gari slither into the room. She looked around and passed by one of the mirrors. When she did, Frost saw something that made him do a double take. The reflection in the mirror was not a cobra. It wasn’t even a snake. As she slithered by, Frost saw long slender legs of a pony. It looked like a very tall mare with a red or purple tail, it was too hard to tell.

Frost was about to investigate an exit strategy when he felt smooth coils quickly wrap around him. Before he could do anything he was yanked from the bed and playfully whipped around.

“Stop... I think I’m gonna be sick,” Frost muttered.

“Oh sssso sorry, little pony.” Gari hissed with laughter. She brought him in front of her hood and flicked her tongue across his snout, “I thought you’d do better than thissss.”

Frost squirmed in her grip. It wasn’t so tight to cause pain, but snug enough that he had trouble moving. He muttered something, but made it inaudible so Gari had to bring him closer. When she did, Frost blew frigid breath across her face. Stunned, Gari let Frost fall while she hissed in irritation. He ran to the door, thinking he could escape the room. He could have teleported, but conserving magic was a top priority. Unfortunately, conservation had it’s drawbacks. Before Frost got to the door, Gari slammed it shut with her tail and dropped loops of coils on top of Frost, trapping him again. This time she squeezed harder, making it difficult to breathe. She lowered her head down and glared at him.

“They don’t call you Frost for nothing I ssssee,” Gari mused while moving her head around him.

“Yeah. Come closer and I’ll give you another taste...” Frost threatened.

“A tassste?” Gari queried with a sly smile, “What an excellent idea...”

Gari raised Frost into the air above her head, she adjusted her coils such that he was dangling upside down.

“Gari... what are you doing?” Frost asked with a nervous laugh.

“Having a taste, like you suggessssted,” she answered. “Poniessss are my favorite, and you’ll be safe inside my sssstomach.”

“You can’t eat me!” Frost shrieked, “I- I’ll cause indigestion. Selene and Rixis won’t be happy!”

“Sssselene and Rixis are the ones who told me to keep you out of trouble. Sssso that’s what I’m going to do. Down the hatch...”

Gari’s mouth opened incredibly wide, revealing a cavernous black hole that stretched at least twenty paces to the ground, and the rest of her body. Frost felt the coils holding him let go, and he summoned his magic. He swore he felt her tongue start to wrap around him before disappearing.

He reemerged and made another break for the door. Frost tried to teleport outside, but nothing happened. He panicked and saw coils moving in his periphery. He jumped out of the way and ran behind more furniture. He tried to teleport again, this time just above to the second level of the room. Again, nothing. Soon, Frost was surrounded by blue coils. Gari positioned herself, then lunged at him with surprising speed. Frost closed his eyes and reacted on instinct. He casted a spell Aldus had shown him when they first started training. It was a basic one that didn’t require nearly as much magic as teleporting.

Frost erected a small bubble around him and expanded it outward five paces in all directions. It stopped expanding just as Gari slammed into it. Her body folded together like a slinky as the momentum carried her into the barrier. Frost fell over laughing as Gari recovered.

“That looked like it hurt,” Frost said with a chuckle while running a hoof through his mane, “You should just let me go. I can keep this up all day.”

Gari hissed angrily, then reared back. She fanned her hood menacingly and spit green venom onto the barrier. The venom clung to the shield and started to eat through it like acid. Gari spit more onto the barrier until it was completely covered. Frost tried to reinforce it, but realized he was losing magic as some of the venom dripped onto him. He remembered from Discord’s fight with Rixis the power of Gari’s venom. As the last of the shield collapsed, Frost dodged to the side, but was slammed by a stream of green slime. The venom clung to Frost like thick mud. He felt the magic leaving as the slime weighed him down. He collapsed to the floor, helpless prey.

Gari slowly slithered up to him and brandished her fangs. “What were you ssssaying, little one?”

“Please don’t eat me...” Frost pleaded. The venom was practically sludge, it was so hard to move. But it didn’t hurt, that was the strange thing. Frost figured it would at least sting or hurt in some way.

Gari opened her mouth wide and descended on Frost. He closed his eyes and waited for it, but nothing happened. A small nudge caused Frost to open his eyes. Gari kissed him on the cheek and tilted her head to the side.

“You’re a good pony, Frost.”

Her voice changed again, this time it sounded deeper. “How do you know that, you barely know me?” he asked.

“Oh, but I do know you, Frost.” Gari said with confidant gleam in her eyes, “You’re just like Kethona. You have anger and hate, but you don’t let it rule you. When it comes time to act, you know which emotions help you, and which ones harm you. You put trust in one that could easily turn on you, but that didn’t matter. You believed in her.”

“We’ll see how that turns out,” Frost grumbled while thinking of Silth.

“Yes, we will, won’t we?” Gari agreed. “I’m not going to eat you, not when you have so much left to live for. Besides, she’s going to need you in the times ahead.”

“Who?” Frost asked.

Gari only smiled touched her tail to Frosts head. The venom fell off of him like water, and he was free to move around again. She lowered her head and motioned for him to get on. Frost laid down atop Gari’s hood and gripped the folds as she began to move.

“She’s going to need you, and you’ll need her. But enough about that. Let’s find that other delicioussss colt. If I can’t eat you...” she teased.

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

“So what’s it gonna be, lad?” Gargarensis asked with a grin, “How about’ a war hammer?”

Pyrite raised a hoof and was about to respond when he was swept off his feet by Saros. She flew with him over to the smaller weapons and whispered in his ear, “I think it’s better we start of with something small. What do you think of these?”

Gargarensis rolled his eyes and blew steam from his snout, “A strength weapon would be your best option. You might be a pipsqueak now, but I think you’ll be growing into a beast when the time comes.”

Pyrite chuckled as Saros playfully prodded his muscles, “Don’t listen to him, you’re plenty strong now, cutie.”

Pyrite stepped away from Saros and picked up the flanged mace again. He swung it a few times and examined the handle. It was too big. Saros knelt down and looked at it. Pyrite held it it out to her, prompting her to take it. “What do you think?”

Saros looked at it and shrugged, “Not my style, little guy. Too big, too slow. No finesse.”

“Oh!” Gargarensis shouted behind them, “No finesse? There’s plenty of finesse, just not the kind you’re used to. What does the little cub have there?”

Pyrite was wrapped up in Gargarensis’ long tail and deposited on the crafting table. The smith spread his hands and bent over. “That mace, huh?”

Saros flew up and landed behind Pyrite. She sat down four other flanged maces and wrapped a wing around him in reassurance. “Don’t rush him, there’s a lot of weapons here to think about.”

Gargarensis grunted, “Well, while he’s thinking, here.” He reached over to a shelf and picked up a bundle between his two talons, “Forged to your specifications. Rixis even admired the red one. I do love my work, even if it’s for pig stickers like that.”

“The red one?” Saros asked with an anxious smile.

She opened the bundle and gasped. A straight sword forged in rare red material with a slightly curved tip sat next to a blade as dark as the night. A dagger, with a tip that looked like it could suck the life out of whatever it touched.

“Wow...” Pyrite muttered in awe.

“Eee!!” Saros shrieked in joy. She picked up Pyrite and held him bonecrushing hug. She lifted off the table and spun in the air so fast it almost made him sick.

“Saros... can’t breathe!” Pyrite wheezed.

She settled back on the table, then smirked at the smith. Saros flew up to him and hugged his cheek, “I love you, Gargy. This is the best work you’ve ever done. Such a sweetie pie!”

“Alright! Alright!” he said while swatting her away, “I’m glad you like them. Now, little cub, what’s it going to be?”

Pyrite examined the maces and picked up his favorite. He hefted it over his shoulder and swung it hard. The momentum almost took the weapon away from him, but he was able to recover from the swing.

“This weapon...” Pyrite said, “It can’t leave here, can it? I can’t take it with me?”

Saros and Gargarensis looked at each other, “No,” Saros replied, “It stays here, we’re not of the living, but you still are.”

Pyrite frowned and sat on his haunches, “I figured...”

“Hey,” Gargarensis said while leaning down. He offered a reassuring smile. “You dream, right?”

“Yeah, why?” Pyrite asked.

“Well there you go!” Gargarensis said with a laugh. “You can come here and train with the weapon then!”

“Really?” Pyrite asked.

“Really,” Saros said while fluttering down beside him. She laid on her stomach and examined the maces. “So, what’s it going to be?”

Pyrite picked up his favorite of the ones in front of him, “Well, I like different things about all of them. I don’t know which one is best.”

“Kid, Rixis told me to take care of you. The big guy wants you fitted, so that’s what I’m gonna do. What did you like about each of them?” Gargarensis asked.

“Well, this one had a grip that’s too big.” Pyrite said while pointing to the first mace. “But this one is too long. I like the design on this other one. So, maybe do something with this one?” Pyrite asked.

Gargarensis wound his tail around Pyrite and suspended him over a can of paint. “Hold your breath, little cub.”

He dropped Pyrite into the can and swished him around a bit, then levitated him out and into his palm. He pulled the liquid off with his other claw, and formed a cast of his entire body.

“Woah...” Pyrite exclaimed while examining his image in the mold. “Do I really look like that?”

The image before him was a well toned colt that looked like he could pull the horns off a minotaur.

“Well...” Gargarensis considered, “Yeah, sure! It’s just to help when I nail down the specifics.”

“I really appreciate all of this,” Pyrite said. He looked up at Gargarensis and extended his hoof. “Thanks, but can I just ask for one more thing?”

Gargensis touched a single talon to Pyrite and shook, “Sure, what is it?”

“The color, can you make it silver?”

Gargarensis threw back his head in laughter, “You got it, cub, To match your coat.”

A hissing sound brought Pyrite and Saros’ attention to the door as Gari poked her head in. “What’ssss going on in here?” she hissed with a laugh.

Frost teleported over to Pyrite and ruffled his mane, “What are you doing, buddy? Getting fitted for war?”

“He’s not the only one, kiddo.” Saros said while twirling a dagger. She extended her hoof and shook with Frost. “Call me Saros, and you are?”

“Frost, it’s pleasure.” he said with a smile.

Selene entered the room from a portal in the wall. Rixis followed behind her and smiled at the foals. Selene trotted forward and collected them in her mane. “It’s time I returned you two home.”

Frost raised an eyebrow, “Are you not coming with us?”

Selene shook her head, “I’m going to remain here with Rixis for a while. We have a lot to catch up on. My children will continue to look after you, I promise.”

“You’re leaving again?” Pyrite asked with frown.

Selene smiled and kissed Pyrite, “I’ll be right here, and I’ll be watching you all. Besides, you’ve made some new friends who will help you be strong. Tell Aldus I’ll be gone for a while.”

“What are we supposed to say?” Frost asked.

Selene nuzzled him and opened two portals behind each foal, “Just tell him I’m doing some soul searching.”

She slowly moved her tendrils through the portals and deposited Frost and Pyrite on a bed, their eyes snapped shut the moment their heads hit the pillows. The coils lovingly caressed the colts before disappearing back through the portals. Just as the portals began to close, Saros slipped through and leaned down over the sleeping foals. Her eyes glowed intense red as she playfully whispered, “It’s probably best that you two keep our little visit to yourselves for now, okay?”

Frost and Pyrite murmured their replies, spurred to answer by Saros’ potent night powers.

“Good boys,” she said with chuckle, then disappeared through the portal just as it closed.

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

Pyrite awoke the next morning and rolled over on his side. He was glad Frost was there with him, even though he didn’t remember how they got back from that other world. But he did remember hearing Saros whisper something in his ear. That he should stay quiet about their little meeting. Pyrite didn’t mind that at all, in fact he’d rather the next time he saw her he’d be cured, whenever that was. After thinking about his vampiric condition, as if on cue, he made the mistake of rolling over to the other side. Blinding light bombarded his pupils and caused a sharp pain to travel up the back of his head. Pyrite literally hissed and pulled the sheets over his head in a fit of rage. He was about to get up when he heard the door open, and the silent flaps of gryphon wings. This whole night powers thing Saros was talking about did have it’s benefits. Normally he never would have heard Iris sneaking up on him.

She had a history of doing this with Pyrite. Iris would sneak up on him at unsuspecting times and capture him. What followed was tickle torture for a solid five or six minutes, which Pyrite had a difficult time escaping. But now... things would be different.

Pyrite looked through a crack in the sheets and saw Iris raise her claws and cautiously approach the bed to grab him. He waited for just the right moment, then turned and leapt straight at her.

“Rawr!” Pyrite mockingly yelled as he dove at Iris with outstretched forehooves.

Iris was not prepared for what jumped out at her. Her feline fur stood on edge and her feathers twitched. In the heat of the moment, all Iris saw was a silver pony lunging for her throat with red eyes and small fangs. Her training from Kathe and fight or flight instincts took over. She swiftly maneuvered to catch Pyrite by the throat, then let his momentum take her into a spin. Coming out of it, she threw him into the wall across from the bed. As soon as Iris let him go, events happened in slow motion. She watched him sail through the air, legs flailing, and impact the wall hard enough to leave a small crack.

Pyrite yelped as he fell to the floor in a heap. Pain registered through his body, but mostly from his shoulder and right forehoof. He winced as tears came to his eyes.

The impact was enough to wake Frost, who sat up and surveyed Pyrite’s position by the wall. He saw Iris hovering nearby and put two and two together, even though it didn’t make sense at all.

“What was that?!” Frost shouted at Iris.

Iris looked at Frost frantically, “I don’t- I didn’t mean-”

She stopped when Pyrite got to his hooves and limped out of the room. Tears now flowing free down his face. He tripped over the door, but quickly got up ran away over the hills.

“What’s the matter with you, Iris?!” Frost yelled, while he climbed out of bed. “He was just playing around.”  

Iris was still uneasy about Pyrite’s appearance, “I- I don’t know, he just startled me and I reacted.” Iris touched down and shook her head, “He’s really pale, his eyes are red, and I thought I saw...”

“What?!” Frost asked.

“Fangs...” Iris whispered.

“Pfft,” Frost scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous, you were just seeing things. I was with him last night and I didn’t notice anything like that. Look, I don’t know what came over you, but you better go find him right now. I’ll go get Ciaran for when you come back.”

Iris stopped Frost as he went to leave, “Frost... I would never-”

“I know,” he said with a sigh. Frost turned around and put a hoof on Iris’ shoulder, “We can talk about it later, just find Pyrite.”

Iris breathed a sigh of relief, then nodded. She turned around and tore out of the room as fast as she could. She climbed high into the air and surveyed the surroundings. After thinking it over, she had a pretty good idea of where Pyrite was. Iris headed in that direction immediately, she couldn’t believe what she’d done.

Pyrite slumped over against a tree and tried to stop crying, but it wasn’t working. He was just trying to play with Iris, why did she do that to him? Was it something he did? Pyrite trotted over the large pond nearby and looked at his reflection. He was pale, almost all of the color in his face was gone. His eyes were even more red, and when he opened his mouth he noticed small fangs starting to grow.

He realized why Iris was scared. It made sense now. He was a monster, it was too late. Saros was wrong, Thule couldn’t help him now. Pyrite looked at his sides for a moment, half expecting wings to suddenly appear. It probably wouldn’t take long. Pyrite looked at his hooves and slapped the water in anger and despair, anything to get rid of his image. The sound of flapping wings was heard behind him as Iris touched down a few paces away.

Pyrite sniffled and waved her away with a hoof, “Go away, I’m a monster!”

Iris was still devastated by what she had done, and was on verge of crying herself. But when Pyrite turned around and looked at her, she broke down. Pyrite’s face was stained with tears, his eyes were even more red from crying, and he was shaking.

“No, Pyrite. You’re not a monster. You’re a sweet little earth pony.” Iris said while taking a step toward him.

“You’re wrong! Just stay away before I bite you!” Pyrite screamed as he broke into a run.

Iris lifted off the ground and gracefully landed in front of him. She stretched her wings out as far as they could go and forced him to stop. “Pyrite, I know you would never hurt me, and I should have never hurt you.” she said while tears streamed down to her beak. “I didn’t realize what happened until after. I’m sorry, so very sorry.”

Pyrite slowly looked up at the sobbing gryphon and wiped some of the tears from his eyes. He trotted forward and hugged one Iris’ legs. “I love you, Iris.” Pyrite said while pressing his head into her leg.

Iris looked down and gently picked Pyrite up. She fell to her haunches and hugged him tight, letting him wrap his hooves around her neck. “I love you too, Pyrite. My precious little brother. I’ll never do that again, I promise.”

Pyrite nuzzled his head against Iris’ feathers then pushed away. Iris sat him down then looked at him with a grave expression. Pyrite wasn’t sure if she was angry with him again. “What’s wrong, Iris?”

Iris sat down on all fours to be near Pyrite’s level, “In my lands, in my culture, to harm someone’s family directly is a serious crime. A crime which results in retribution. What happened to you, Pyrite? How did you get infected with this?”

Pyrite rubbed his eyes and played with his mane, not wanting to show Iris where he had been bitten. “It happened when I was with Polaris. We were going to see Thule and-”

“Thule?!” Iris shouted while standing up. “He did this?”

“Not exactly, but his blood is different from other bat ponies.” Pyrite said. “What happened was-”

“I knew there was something I didn’t like about that bat pony,” Iris snarled. “All of this was because of him...” she said while raking her claws across a nearby stone. “He’ll pay for what he’s done.”

Before Pyrite could stop her, Iris rocketed into the air and flew back toward the cottage. Pyrite shook his head. Things were only going to get worse. There’d been conflicts like this before in his family. Sometimes his friends would fight and things would spiral out of control. He couldn’t let that happen. Plus, Thule still needed to remove the blood.

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

In the backyard behind the cottage was a  secluded clearing nestled between a few patches of trees. A table was set up there along with various refreshments and some food. Aldus and Rigel sat at the table waiting for the meeting to start. Polaris arrived after a few minutes and took his seat.

Aldus stared at Rigel with an irritated grimace. Rigel wore island attire, that of a light shirt and sunglasses. Polaris and Aldus wore the same, it was strange having a meeting that was so... casual. However, the attire was not why Aldus was bothered.

“Really... I suppose we should have expected this.” Aldus said with a sigh. He cracked open a drink and began gulping it down.

Rigel simply shrugged, “Luna’s not here yet, not like we’re starting anything.”

“Yes...” Aldus said with a roll of the eyes, “But she’s allowed to be late, she’s the princess.”

“Where is she?” Rigel asked.

Polaris poured himself a drink and motioned over to the far end of the cottage, “The children were scared of the storm last night and sought comfort from Luna. She was happy to oblige. Last I saw they were having breakfast with the foals. Luna wanted to hear about their dreams.”

“Children take priority,” Rigel said while he kicked back, “We can afford to wait a while.”

“Yeah, I guess.” Aldus admitted.

Rigel got out a deck of playing cards and raised his eyebrows to Aldus and Polaris. “How about a game or two with some friendly wagers?”

After a few games, Rigel had a sizable pile of bits in front of him, and a couple of salty courtiers across from him. Princess Luna trotted into the clearing wearing some sunglasses and a light fabric dress. Marigold followed, wearing similar garb, yet hers was much more suggestive. Rigel noticed and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Wow...” he said while slipping the bits into a coin purse.

“Like what you see, boys?” Luna said while sharing a chuckle with Marigold.

The stallions stood and bowed to their princess. “Ravishing as ever,” Rigel said with smirk.

As they sat down, Aldus finally saw Thule exit the cottage and begin to make his way to the table.  Thule wore the same light island attire as the rest of the courtiers, only with a very thick pair of sunglasses. Aldus assumed they were custom made to shield his eyes from the very bright sun. Thule approached the and offered a curt bow to Princess Luna and Marigold.

“You’re late,” Aldus snapped.

Thule took off his glasses and rolled his eyes, “Well, tomorrow I can be on time, but you’ll be stupid forever.”

Aldus stood up with a spell ready in a flash, while Thule remained still and smirked.

“Boys...” Luna warned in a stern tone. Both stallions slowly turned to Luna, who was shaking her head in disapproval. “I swear, some of the foals I had breakfast with are more mature than you are.”

Aldus relinquished his magic and sat down with a grunt. He poured his glass so full of alcohol it overflowed onto the table. After that, he began to gulp the whole thing down.

Thule stepped forward to sit, but not before offering another snarky remark. “Quite the heavy drinker over there... that won’t fix stup-”

Something brown and white slammed into Thule so hard it almost took his head off. He was knocked back with such force he bounced off the ground like a stone skipping across water. He stopped after hitting the base of a palm tree and crumpling to a heap.

Princess Luna stood up shocked. While the others were fixated on Thule, Rigel scanned the skies for the attacker. It didn’t take him long to see the little gryphon circling overhead. She touched down across the clearing from where Thule had stopped.

“What just happened?” Margold asked to anypony.

Iris turned around and looked at the courtiers for a moment. Each of them were momentarily stunned by her actions. Except for Aldus, who smiled and raised his glass in a toast of approval.

Thule slowly got up and touched a hoof to his face. Upon examining it, he saw blood. The Sarosian looked up to see the young gryphon standing defiantly in front of him.

Iris stood her ground and stared down Thule. She had struck him as hard as she could, and still he was able to stand up? As he assumed his full height and spread his wings, Iris found herself taking steps backward. His piercing gaze locked onto her and didn’t let go. Her breathing became labored, each breath being harder to take. She didn’t notice she’d ceased stepping backward, and now stood stock still.

A feral high pitched scream erupted from Thule as he exploded from the ground and closed the distance between them in seconds. His blade was out in a flash and arced to the side to open Iris’ throat. Luckily for her, it clashed off another blade as Polaris teleported in front of Iris and deflected the blow away. The moment Polaris appeared in front of her, Iris felt herself be grabbed from behind and pulled aside into a roll. Rigel held her protectively as he tumbled clear of the fight.

“Iris! Are you okay? Snap out of it!”

Iris came out of the daze and realized she was shaking. She looked up at Rigel and hugged him. “R-Rigel... he did it... he turned him into a monster!”

“What? Who did what now?” Rigel asked in bewilderment.

Iris forced herself to stop shaking and screamed at Thule, “You bit Pyrite! You turned him into one of you!”

Thule jumped back from Polaris and looked around him at Iris, “I didn’t bite anypony! How dare you accuse me of turning somepony in front of Princess Luna. I’ll skin you alive!!”

“No you won’t,” Polaris said while stepping in front of Thule again.

Princess Luna touched down amidst the fighting stallions and motioned for them to calm down. “Boys, put your weapons away.”

Thule’s eyes lowered in intensity and he reluctantly sheathed his blade. After he did, Polaris did the same. Luna trotted over to Iris, who was still being comforted by Rigel. She had started crying. Luna wasn’t sure of the reason why. Was it because of Thule, or because of what she was yelling about?

Aldus teleported next to Thule and smirked up at him, “If it turns out you’ve bitten anypony here, I’m going to rip off your wings.”

“Just try it,” Thule growled, “And I didn’t bite anypony!”

“Alright alright,” Luna said, “Let’s all calm down. Now, Iris, what are you talking about?”

Iris wiped her tears away and shook her head. Rigel nuzzled her feathers and gave her a reassuring smile, “It’s okay, answer Princess Luna.”

“Pyrite and I were playing this morning and he jumped out at me. He had red eyes and small fangs. His coat was less silver and more pale white...” Iris said.

“I see,” Luna said as she looked at Thule.

“I hurt him,” Iris whimpered, “When he jumped at me I just reacted and threw him into the wall. I didn’t mean to, it just happened.”

Rigel sat her down and lifted her face with his hooves, “Hey, it’s okay. We’ll figure this out...”

Iris latched onto Rigel’s neck and cried buckets into his shoulder and mane, “He did this, Rigel. He’s got to pay!” she shouted.

“Shh... we’ll get to the bottom of this... don’t you worry.”

Luna looked around and saw Pyrite hiding behind a tree in the shade. “Pyrite, sweetheart. Come here, it’s alright.”

Pyrite slowly limped into the clearing. He made it about a quarter way across before Marigold swooped in and scooped him up. Luna looked at him and gave Thule a grave expression. As for Thule himself, he was still very angry and glaring at Iris. Which was starting to make Rigel upset.

“Princess Luna,” Pyrite began, “Can I please speak with Thule?”

Luna nodded and followed him over. “Explain this,” Luna said in a toneless command.

Pyrite looked up at Thule and first opened his eyes wide, then his mouth to show the fangs. Thule raised an eyebrow and bent down to examine him more closely.  

“He’s been bitten, my blood now courses through his veins.” Thule said with a nod. “Pyrite... that’s your name?”

Pyrite nodded, “Yes sir, I’d like you to remove the gift. I want to be cured.”

Thule was surprised, if only momentarily. “You want me to remove ‘the gift,’ who called it that?” Thule asked while sitting down in front of Pyrite, “The one who bit you, was it a filly? One about this high?” he raised his hoof in the air a few paces above the ground. “She had red eyes and a mane similar to mine?”

“Evening Rose...” Pyrite said, “She found me one night while I was traveling with Polaris to meet you. She lead me away and danced with me. She seemed really nice, then she bit me.” He looked at the ground then shook his head, “I think she was going to carry me off somewhere, but Andromeda came looking for me and stopped her.”

“Eve...” Thule snarled, “My stupid, idiot daughter.”

“Your daughter bit him?” Aldus asked, “You just let your children go around biting ponies? What are you teaching these kids?”

“No, I don’t just let them do that,” Thule said in a dangerous tone. “As Luna knows, the bat ponies who carry my blood, the Sarosians, aren’t to feed on other ponies... though there are occasionally exceptions...” Thule slipped Marigold a glance before turning back to the courtiers.

“What exceptions would those be?” Aldus asked.

“Criminals who try to plunder our colonies and are dumb enough to get caught, along with other miscreants. But that rarely ever happens.” Thule said, then turned to Marigold and Luna, “When an adult Sarosian bites somepony, they can control whether or not they wish to turn them. It’s a special power within our blood... a... type of venom, if you will.” Thule looked down at Pyrite and frowned, “Children cannot control this, and will turn whoever they bite...”

“Fine,” Luna said with a stern glare, “Tell us how you’re going to fix this.”

Thule bent down and reassuringly rubbed Pyrite’s shoulder, “I’ll remove my blood and you’ll be back to normal. The process is far along, but I can still stop it. Just don’t make any plans tonight. It might take a while.” He stood up and bowed to Luna, “As for Eve, she will punished... severely. I’m deeply sorry this happened to Pyrite.”

Luna sighed and nodded, “Very well, we can put this ordeal behind us. But first, Iris... I think you owe Thule an apology.”

Aldus and Rigel both looked shocked, but quickly changed their demeanor when Luna glared at them. Rigel let Iris down and nudged her forward with a wing. “Come on, let’s go. I’m right here, no need to be afraid of him.”

Iris looked at Rigel with eyes like ice, “I’m not afraid anymore.” She stepped forward and spread her wings so the tips barely touched the ground. With a deep bow Iris touched her beak to the grass, then looked into Thule’s piercing red eyes, “I’m sorry I hit you like that, Pyrite tried to tell me the situation but I didn’t listen. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.”

Thule smirked and offered a bow of his own, though not nearly as low, “Jumping to conclusions is a very gryphon thing to do, from my experience.” Thule said with a chuckle, he observed the stern disapproving looks of his fellow courtiers and couldn’t hide his grin. “But I will say it’s rare for me to be caught off guard like that. Had you been attempting to kill me, I might have been in trouble. Apology accepted, Iris. But I warn you, payback can be a bitch...”

Rigel stepped in front of Iris and spread his wings. “If you so much as lift I hoof, I swear-”

“We swear...” Aldus interjected after appearing next to Rigel.

“Oh relax, Hurricane,” Thule said with wave of his hoof, “It’s a joke... I’m not going to hurt anypony, I swear to Princess Luna herself. Now, If you’ll excuse me, I need to begin preparations for the ritual tonight.”

Pyrite’s eyes widened, “The ritual?”

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

Frost and Iris sat together and watched Pyrite eat his dinner. They were in Frost’s room sitting by the bed. Most of the other courtiers had gone about doing their business after the ordeal was settled. Thule had left to prepare the ritual and took Marigold with him. They were waiting for her to come get Pyrite so they could begin. Ruby came to see her baby brother earlier. She had been on the neighboring island working with Antares and Blue Bell to control their new form with Firebrand and Stormcaller. She took the news very hard, and was advised to wait until the ritual was over. Princess Luna personally consoled her after she heard the news.

Iris leaned on Frost and swished her tail back and forth. She wondered if it was a good idea to have Pyrite eat right before it happened, but Thule insisted. He said he’d need all the energy he had. The door creaked open as Ciaran slipped inside and relinquished her disguise. She laid down behind Pyrite and stroked his mane reassuringly.

“How you holding up, sweetie?” she asked.

Pyrite burped and looked up at her, “Okay, I guess. But I’m nervous...”

Ciaran nodded, “I understand. But this is what happens when you let a bat pony bite you instead of changeling. We don’t turn ponies into changelings after bites.” she said while playfully nibbling at his neck. “You’ll be ok.”

“Are you sure you don’t want us there with you?” Iris asked with frown.

Pyrite shook his head, “Thule said it’s best that not many come, it’s something best done alone.”

A knock on the door signalled the arrival of Marigold. She stepped inside and smiled at Pyrite, “It’s time, sweetie. Let’s go.”

Iris immediately got up and took Pyrite in a death grip, “I love you!” she whispered. Pyrite returned the hug as Frost appeared next to her.

“You’re strong, buddy. A lot stronger than me. You’ll get through this, and we’ll be waiting when you do.”

Pyrite nodded and slowly trotted over to Marigold. Not one to waste time, she scooped him up and placed him on her back before taking off into the night.

“Where are we going?” Pyrite asked over her shoulder.

Marigold flew toward a medium sized cloud bank and pointed ahead, “Right here, don’t worry. I’ll be there with you the whole time.”

“But Auntie Marigold, how will I stand on the clouds?” Pyrite asked as he started shaking a bit.

“We’ve got everything taken care of, Aldus will see to that.” she said with a smile.

Marigold touched down on the cloud and noticed an altar had been formed from the cumulus. There were three crudely erected walls on the other side which Thule emerged from and stretched his wings. “Evening you two, lovely night isn’t it?”

Marigold deadpanned Thule as Rigel and Aldus flew in and landed. Aldus trotted over to Pyrite and hoof bumped him. “Ready to walk on some clouds like a cool pegasus?!”

“Yeah!” Pyrite said with a smile.

Aldus conjured a blue ring and placed it over Pyrite’s head. He lifted him off of Marigold and passed him through the ring twice, then let him fall. Pyrite bounced on the cloud like it was a trampoline. Rigel bounced over and ruffled his mane. “Don’t think you were going through this alone. We’ll be right here the whole time.”

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Thule said, now standing at the altar. “This process might be... intense.”

“We can take it,” Aldus replied with a roll of his eyes.

“That’s just it...” Thule said while coming to stand in front of Aldus and Rigel, “Pyrite could do some things, say some things he might not want you to hear.”

“I thought you said this would be easy,” Rigel said with an edge in his voice.

“I never said it was going to be easy,” Thule clarified, “Just that I could remove the blood, so without further delay, let’s get this started.”

Thule turned to Pyrite and sat him on the altar. “So what’s going to happen?” Pyrite asked.

“Glad you asked,” Thule replied with a wink. “Remember when I said that I’d remove my blood? Well, there’s a problem...”

“What problem?!” Aldus and Rigel snapped.

“It’s not my blood that’s inside Pyrite. Eve is my daughter, so it is my blood, but it’s diluted. It’s not my blood.” Thule pressed a hoof to his chest for emphasis.

“So...?” Marigold asked.

“The process is far along, her blood has had time to integrate with Pyrite’s body. If I just removed Eve’s blood I might cause permanent harm to Pyrite. But, there’s a way around this: my own blood. I bite Pyrite, my blood purges Eve’s and I remove that instead.”

Rigel nodded in understanding, but Aldus was not convinced. “What’s the catch?”

Thule frowned draped a wing around Pyrite, “Normally it takes a great length of time for a pony to turn when bitten by a Sarosian. However, I am a pure blood, and my blood is power. It varies from pony to pony, but it could merely be hours for somepony to turn from my blood. And Pyrite here-”

“-Is already in the process...” Aldus said, his voice laced with melancholy.

“Correct, my blood may cause him to turn quicker. But as long as the draining process starts immediately, he should be fine.”

Marigold leaned against Rigel and wrapped one of his wings around herself, “This is horrible...” she whispered to him. “How did this happen?”

Rigel looked down at her and offered a hoof, “I don’t know, but I’m going to talk to Polaris and find out. I promise.”

Thule massaged his wing against’ Pyrite’s back, “Did you understand all of that, kiddo? Want me to explain it again?”

Pyrite rubbed his hooves together, it was cold this high up. He wasn’t used to it. He found himself withdrawing further into the folds of Thule’s wing for warmth. “I’m good, Thule. I think I’m ready.”

“Excellent.” Thule said with a gentle smile, “Let’s get this show on the road.” He lifted up his wing and allowed Pyrite to slip through back onto the altar. Thule produced a ceremonial dagger and made a small cut to his own right hoof. “As the elder presiding over this ritual, I offer my blood and greetings.” Thule extended his hoof to Pyrite and bent forward a bit, “Shake my hoof...”  he whispered with a playful smile.

“Oh...” Pyrite said and shook with Thule. He appreciated the disarming tone and gentle playfulness Thule was displaying.

“Before we begin, we remember that it was Saros who shared the gift with other ponies, thus creating our race. She shared this only with those who wished to have it. Pyrite Glint, before I act, I shall ask, do you wish to reconsider? Do you wish to retain these powers?”

“No.” Pyrite quickly answered.

“Very well,” Thule replied and approached the altar. He noticed Pyrite’s shivering and gently picked him up, “With what comes next, you won’t feel the cold anymore. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m not going to lie, Pyrite. This will hurt, a lot. Here... bite down on this, it’ll help.” he produced wood cylinder and placed it Pyrite’s mouth. Thule’s eyes began to glow intense red, he leaned down to Pyrite and saw the fear in the colt’s eyes, “You’re strong, Pyrite. I’ve lived long enough to know character in ponies when I see it. You’ll get through this. When you do, I’ll make it up to you. We’re both going to take a trip back to my colony and get an apology from Eve.”

Pyrite appreciated the kind words, “Thanks, Thule. That means a lot.” he muttered through the wood.

“No problem, now let’s see what you taste like. I’m gonna count to five, ready? One, two, three-”

Pyrite groaned as Thule’s long fangs sank into his neck. The wood cylinder dropped from his mouth as a molten hot sensation spread throughout his neck. He winced as Thule moved away and gently returned him to the altar. Things began to get foggy and red as he watched Thule motion for Aldus to come forward. He placed magical restraints on Pyrite’s hooves as his body began to shake. Thule produced the dagger and made four cuts to his hooves. Two at the wrists and two at the ankles. He adjusted the altar so Pyrite was now somewhat upright which allowed the blood to drain when it was time.

His body felt like it was on fire. He opened his mouth and wailed in pain, but didn’t realize how loud he screamed. Thule placed the cylinder in his mouth and Pyrite bit down hard. He could vaguely see the others standing around him. They were staring at him, judging him. They thought he was weak, that he couldn’t take this. Pyrite began to get angry as his eye’s turned as red as the blood coursing through his veins. He looked at Rigel and Marigold, then saw another figure beside them. It was another bat pony. He knew her, it was Saros. She was the one responsible for all of this. He hated her, he wanted to do horrible, horrible things... until she spoke.

“Pyrite... “

Her voice was like silk on the wind, it calmed him and banished the anger to the corners of his mind. But with the anger gone, the pain was intense, it was unbearable. Tears streamed down his face as Saros stepped up beside the altar. Pyrite’s eyes fluttered open and closed as he tried to focus. “I- I can’t...” he muttered through clenched teeth.

“Yes you can, Pyrite.” Saros cooed. “Take my hoof, don’t listen to the anger.”

Pyrite’s eyes closed again, when he reopened them, Saros was hugging him and pleading, “Stay with me, Pyrite. Listen to my voice.”

Marigold buried her face in Rigel’s wing as the scene took place before her. Pyrite spit out the wood and screamed at the top of his lungs. He shouted violent threats to all of them, even Iris and Frost.

“We’re in for a long night...” Aldus whispered to himself.