Children of the Night

Chapter 10

Reports

Frostmane, and her seven Unicorn friends, had marched all the way back to the barrier. Only two Pegasi and one Earthpony had accompanied them. The rest of the one hundred and seventythree survivors, had stayed in Ponyville for treatment. Their sparks were still strong enough to last a few days, hers however was almost depleted. Using her special talent, which she had originally discovered by making iced sweets, outside the barrier had used much of her magic. Her right foreleg, which was in a cast thanks to Ponyvilles healers, didn't help much either. This should have been a glorious return home, but the moment they had stepped through the barrier, she felt more like a beaten dog. Sure they had driven the changelings out, and the citizens of Ponyville were more then happy to help them, but it had really been a defeat. In three hundred years, Frostmane had never once been afraid of a fight, nor had she lost a single member of her squad... Tonight, they had left over half their forces dead bodies behind. It just didn't sit well with her, to leave them like that, but what choice did she have? There had been no way to transport them....

Interrupted in her thoughts, Frostmane noticed that somepony was speaking to her. It was Moonsinger. Her expression was worried, but also excited. What was she saying? Frostmane had to pull herself together to focus on the other mare.

"Could you... repeat that?"

"Well, I was just asking how it went. Is mother still in Ponyville, organizing the defenses? I have already organized a troop of nine hundred Ponies, to go and help with that. If we play our cards right...."

But suddenly Moonsinger stopped, noticing the tears in her friends eyes.

"You... no... you didn't... loose?"

Frostmane nodded, but immediately spoke again, to cut off any blame Moonsinger would want to dish out.

"It was a trap. They where hiding in the archives beneath Ponyville. When we attacked them in the townsquare, they swarmed us. We had to almost overuse our gifts just to survive... and even then most of us didn't manage... Before you ask.. no we are not the only ones. The ones that were to heavily wounded are still back in Ponyville.... one-hundred-seventy-three made it out alive. The town is free, a barrier has been established, and they are eager to help us."

"So... mother is still helping them? Also I will immideatly get a group together to bring the injured and dead home..."

Moonsinger tried to busy herself, not wanting to hear the next words that came out of her friends mouth.

"Mother... has been captured...."

Moonsinger stopped her rambling, and stared blankly at Frostmane, as if she had just suggested to throw a party for the Changelings.

"You...your kidding, right? Just like that one time.... you and Orange Candy told me there was a Cockatrice in the kitchen...."

Moonsinger said, more speaking to herself then to Frostmane. She could understand Moonsinger. She herself felt like breaking down and crying, but had stayed strong for her friends. Finally, after a few long minutes that felt like an eternity to Frostmane, Moonsingers eyes came back into focus. They began to glow and she tried to run past Frostmane, right out of the barrier, but she didn't get far. Frostmane let her mane lash out at Moonsinger, not freezing her, but capturing her in a cold embrace.

"What are you doing? Let me go! Let me go you stupid mule!"

"Since you are upset, a feeling I can more then relate to, I will just pretend that I am temporarily deaf to your words. You must realize, that we would have pursued them, if we had the possibility. But all of us were heavily injured, and most dead. Had it not been for our mothers gifts, we would all be dead by now.YOU may be stronger then most of us, but charging into Canterlot, where they most likely took her, all by yourself is a death sentence. I will NOT allow you to go and get yourself killed. As of now, we must do the last thing our mother asked of us, and that is securing Ponyville, or it will be taken over before the sun sets today!"

Moonsinger struggled in Frostmanes mane, unable to use her magic, since the magical mane silenced it's victims by cutting them off from the mana around them. She knew all that... She KNEW what her friend was telling her, which didn't ease the pain in her chest one bit. Her mother had returned after so long, and now they had failed her... They had disappointed her... SHE had disappointed her... SHE had let her down.

As Moonsinger broke out in tears, Frostmane let go of her, embracing her long time friend with her hooves instead. While Moonsinger cried and bawled like a foal, who has it's favorite toy taken away, a familiar white Allicorn closed in on the pair. The other survivors had already moved on. Some to get medical treatment, some just didn't want to be present when Frostmane broke the news to Moonsinger.

"What is all this commotion about? Moonsinger, have you seen Luna? I had to set the moon for her, and I'd like to know why she has neglected her duties."

Moonsingers eyes fixed on Celestia. Her eyes burned with rage, even so she kept her gift under control. She broke free from Frostmane, and pointed a hoof accusingly at Celestia.

"YOU! This is all YOUR fault! Hundreds of us have died, and mother has been taken prisoner!"

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke, and slowly approached the Allicorn that dwarfed her in size.

Celestia did not fully understand what Moonsinger had just said. Luna captured? How could that be? Sure Luna was not as strong as her, but surely she would not fall that easily. And what was that about dead Ponies? Had Luna finally acted, as she had prompted her for several days?

"What do you mean Moonsinger? I don't understand? What happend?"

"I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPEND! MOTHER WAS TIRED OF YOU NAGGING HER TO START THE OFFENSIVE! SHE TOOK FIVEHUNDRED ENFORCERS AND LEFT FOR PONYVILLE, WHERE THEY RAN INTO A TRAP! SHE HAD TO OVERUSE HER MAGIC TO TURN THE TIDES, AND THAT WAS WHAT GOT HER CAPTURED!"

Celestia was stunned for a moment. Sure she had tried to press Luna to start the offensive. Now, in the early stages of her defeat, she hoped that the Changelings would still be disorganized and easy to overwhelm... That Luna had fallen into a trap however indicated otherwise. Chrysalis already had her forces in order, and was preparing the defenses. That was bad news indeed. That her sister had been captured, did not help in the slightest. What would Chrysalis do with her? The most logical outcome would be, that she executed her sister as soon as possible, weakening the pair considerably....

She looked at the Unicorn mare that stood before her... She was definitly enraged, and surely she was the target of that rage. Celestia could more then understand that feeling, but they would have to act cautiosly from now own. Chrysalis would foresee more attacks, and maybe even start an offensive against them. As much as it hurt Celestias heart, she could not afford to burn her way to the Canterlot dungeons and free Luna. She alone would maybe be able to do just that, but she would arrive there in a weakend state. Then she would be an even easier victim for Chrysalis....

"We must make haste and fortify Ponyville. While I go and oversee the procedure, we need to look for volunteers in the garden. Our current forces, are just not enough."

"Who do you think you are, telling US what to do? I thought I made it perfectly clear the first time you tried this: WE.DO.NOT.AKNOWLEDGE.YOUR.AUTHORITY! In our mothers absence, I am second in command. And my authority is not given by royalty or some rank, but I EARNED it. They TRUST me!"

Frostmane put a hoof on Moonsingers shoulder, prompting her to turn her gaze from Celestia. She shook her head in resignation.

"Moonsinger... She is right. Even mother told us, that securing Ponyville is important. You should listen to her, even if it is just this once."

Moonsinger, shook her head in denial. She knew that Celestia was right, but that fact enraged her even more. That fivehundred enforcers had almost lost a battle, only showed that their forces were more then outnumbered... They needed volunteers, if they wanted to win this, or Chrysalis would surely retaliate against the Garden...

Celestia saw that Moonsinger was trapped between two options... She could either listen to her, and do what she had said, or she could refuse and do things her way. That would most likely result in even more Ponies getting hurt, or even worse.

She sighed... She had to convince Moonsinger that what she was saying, came from experience and was therefor the right thing to do, or at least a thing to consider.

"Moonsinger.... Has Luna... I mean your mother, ever told you about our time before we became council members?"

"What does this have to do with anything? I..."

"Follow me. I need to talk to you in private... I never wanted to reveal this to anypony, but I guess a situation has arisen, where you need to know."

Dumbfounded, and a little curious about her mothers past, Moonsinger followed Celestia back to the Inn. On there way there, the pair did not speak a single word. To her it seemed like Celestia was struggling against her better judgment. It seemed that she did not want her to know, what she was about to tell her, but saw no other way. As they reached Celestias room on the upper floor, the Princess of the sun settled on her bed, and gestured to Moonsinger to make herself comfortable.

"What I am about to tell you, you must NEVER reveal to anypony else. It is your mothers and my greatest secret. We swore, when we became Alicorns, never to tell anypony. Now I will have to break that oath...."

Moonsinger nodded in agreement. No matter what Celestia had to say, she wouldn't be swayed to listen to her.

"Very well... You know, that there was a war between the races, some time before Discord ruled? Ok. At that time, your mother and I served in the army. In the forces of the Unicorn republic to be precise. Luna was part of special operations, and she was good at what she did. Her nickname in those days were.... Bloody Shadow.... Her dark coat made it almost impossible for enemies to discover her in the dark, and the moment they did, it was already to late. She never enjoyed what she did, but that doesn't change the fact that she barely ever got injured, once high command ordered her to assasinate another Earthpony or Pegasus Commander.... I, on the other hoof, was part of high command, mission planning division. They called me Fog of War.... That was due to my uncannie ability, to foresee what our enemies were about to do, and position our own forces so that they could ambush them easily. Sometimes I would have some of our soldiers act as bait, to draw in the enemies main force, but the missions I planned, barely ever failed. Luna never had much for planning. She was always the one who would return to the base, freshly washed and her armor polished. She never once returned bloody. She always washed herself, and polished her armor in a stream that ran just outside our base. Her nickname was given to her, after a soldier once saw her bathing. According to what she told me later, the whole stream had turned red, and all he could see in the dim Moonlight, was a shadow that was scrubbing off upstream.... You see... I have experience with a situation like this. I know what to do, even so I am no great fighter. I may have more raw magical ability then Luna, but she can overtake me with her experience. What caused Discords rule... was the only mission we ever attempted together, and the only one that failed utterly... We were already councilmembers, and had heard a rumor that a cult of fanatic Unicorns, was trying to perform a ritual, to return the world to it's state of war and chaos. We decided to put a stop to that, and ambushed the cultists as they were performing their ritual. We did stop them, but an incomplete spell is always dangerous. The embodyment of Chaos... Discord was born. Our immunity to his magic comes from the fact, that we were present the moment he stepped out of the spell... Now you know... our darkest secret, and WHY we attempted to use the Elements of Harmony, even though they were considered dark magic at the time...."

Moonsingers muzzle stood open. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Her mother... this gentle and reliable Pony, a special operations mare? An assassin, no less?

"You're lying! Mother would never...."

"I TOLD you, she didn't like it, and she always felt sick for several days after. I can't count how often I went to her room to comfort, and care for her. For days after a mission she would not be seen in public. Around the other soldiers she always acted tough, and as if none of this could get to her, but deep inside, she never got over it. It was a time of war... A time I had hoped nopony would have to see ever again!"

Moonsinger looked down... number three of her mothers rules, was:

"Never kill another being, unless you have to. And if you have to, do it quick so your opponent does not suffer. Only bad Ponies fight to make their opponents suffer."

She had always heeded those words, as had all her brothers and sisters. Did some of those rules actually come from a the time her mother was a Special Operator? Now that she thought about it, it made sense. And if that was true then.... it was for the best to let her aunt at least have a say, when it came to mission planning. She looked up again, directly into Celestias eyes.

"I can't say I believe you completely, but I guess your help in planning will be beneficial for all of us. But everything you plan, and every "order" you give, must come through ME first."

Celestia nodded.

"I wouldn't have it any other way...."

Within the hour, one thousand three-hundred enforcers made way to Ponyville, while another one hundred made their way to the other settlements to look for volunteers...