Children of the Night

Chapter 15

Shock - awakening

The stallion felt exhausted, even so he had just woken up. His eyes felt heavy, and he did not know where he was. All his thoughts were hazy and confused, while he tried to remember something as essential as his own name. Then it finally came to him....

"My name... is Shining Armor... captain of the royal guard... Unicorn devison...."

But why was he where he was? And where was he in the first place? He couldn't remember. His whole body ached, as if he had tried to run a marathon. The air around him smelled sweet, but still a little sour. Everything was warm, and cozy.... He wanted to go back to sleep, but then a female voice adressed him. He had to really concentrate, to hear what it was saying, but understood it eventually.

"So you have finally awoken, in your sleep you have much spoken. You were hurt pretty bad, your sister would be verry sad."

Then it came to him like a lightning bolt. He jolted up, his eyes wide open.

"Twilight! Cadence!"

Shining Armor clutched his right flank, only to find it bandaged. A few steps away, a zebra mare stood with her back to him, while she was stiring the contents of a giant pot with a wooden spoon.

"Who... are you?"

She turned around to face him. Her mane was styled in a way he had never seen before, also could he not make any sense of her Cutiemark.

"I am Zecora do not fear, to heal you I am here. When I found you, you were bleeding. Couldn't eat for weeks without spoonfeeding."

As his heartbeat accelerated, it all came back to him. The invasion, the fight with Chrysalis, the escape through Everfree...

He remembered these last few moments, before he had passed out from bloodloss and exhaustion. His barrier had fallen, and the Changelings had come, charging right at him. But then... something had been poured over him, and the Changelings just passed him, as if he wasn't even there. One of them actually had bumped into him, looking confused.

"But... how come they didn't kill me?"

The Zebra chuckled, and pointed a hoof at a bottle on one of the rooms many shelfs. On it, was here Cutiemark.

"That substance carries my scent, for protecting others it is ment. Changelings would never do me ill, Chrysalis it would kill. They rely on their noses verry much, so I could save you with this liquids touch."

"So, I guess I have to thank you for saving my life, but why do the Changelings leave you alone? Why would Chrysalis kill the Changeling that dared to harm you? And what about the Princesses?"

"Chrysalis owes me her life, I hoped she would for peace now strife. Luna and Celestia reached the garden, more I won't say, I beg your pardon. Moonsinger will be here soon, you will leave before the setting moon."

"Who is Moonsinger?"

"Moonsinger is your Princesses daughter, to the Changelings she will bring the slaughter. I pitty the ones she will meet, for all that awaits them is defeat."

"Daughter? Princess Celestia has no daughter."

The Zebra chuckled and shook her head.

"It is Luna I do mean, it's no wonder you havn't seen. Moonsinger is faithfull and has an ideal, but there are hard things she has with to deal."

Shining Armor thought for a moment. So this Moonsinger was coming to get him, and take him somewhere. If this Zebra trusted her, then that should be good enough for him. She had saved his life afterall.

"So where will this Moonsinger fellow take me? Is there even a safe place left in all of Equestria?"

"I will say no more, there is somepony at the door."

With that, Zecora simply ignored any more questions Shining Armor threw after her. He didn't know what to make of it, but then again, he didn't really have a right to complain. She DID save his life, so he shouldn't let his eagerness to learn what had happend while he was out, disturb her work.

When the door swung open, Shining armor saw nothing but blackness, until two eyes came into view that shone like the moon itself. For a moment he thought that he was facing princess Luna, but it was a light brong Unicorn mare that entered the room, with dark brown ears and a cresent moon Cutie....

"WHAT?"

He excalaimed, pointing a hoof at Moonsingers flank. She snorted, and threw him an annoyed glare, before adressing Zecora respectfully.

"Is it ready master Zecora?"

"Yes indeed, I have a bottle of what you need."

"But... I have to tell you something... I might have to use my special talent verry soon."

The Zebra was so shocked, she almost let the bottle she was about to hoof over to Monnsinger fall to the ground. With a stern look, she faced the mare while placing the bottle in her saddlebags, instead of hoffing it to her.

"Never you must make this mistake, only destruction will be in your wake. Never stop taking your potion, or dark things you set in motion!"

Moonsinger flinched at her teachers stern face. She had learned alot from Zecora, but she had never seen her this.... worried? Yes, there was not hint of anger in her eyes, but only worry. After a few moments the two discussed the transport of the injured guard captain. Moonsinger had known of his whereabouts the night after her mother had returned to the garden, but had not told anypony since even her friend and teacher was uncertain of his survival. Now however, he seemed to have recovered enough to accompany her to the garden. She trotted over to him, extending a hoof in greeting.

"So you are Shining Armor, huh? I can't wait to see Goldshields face when she sees your actually alive."

"Goldshield? Is she ok? What about the other guards and the Princesses?"

Monnsingers face darkend.

"Your other comrades are fine.... They await you in the garden. Celestia is.... in Ponyville and our mother...."

"Mother?"

"Yes... well... you might call her Princess Luna, but for us, she is our dear mother."

"So what about Princess Luna? Is she hurt? Has anything happend to her, and if so is there a rescue being planned? If not we have to get on it right away!"

Moonsinger smiled. She had never seen any of the other daylight Ponies react that way, when her mothers danger was mentioned.

"Maybe they really do have changed."

She thought to herself before answering the flood of questions, the other Unicorn was now directing at her.

"Yes, something did happen to her... We don't know if she is ok, or if she is hurt. No we don't have a rescue operation going right now, but we are working on it. At the moment, the Changelings outnumber us too much, so we have to free other towns, to raise our numbers. Yes I would like to charge right into Canterlot myself, and bust her out, but that is not possible at the moment. The elements of harmony? As far as our information goes they were captured, but have somehow... escaped? We don't know for sure. All we know is that their cells actually disappeared. Even our source couldn't tell us more then that. Yes we are looking for them. Princess Cadence? Well she is in Ponyville. She arrived this morning. But can we please get going? I want to get to the garden before moon set, so I can get some sleep during the day for a change. My sleeping rythm is all out of synch!"

Shining Armor tilted his head.

"Sleep during the day?"

"Oh! Yeah... there is no way of you knowing this, but now come on, let's be on our way. I can explain to you while we walk."

With that, Shining Armor got to his hooves unsteadily, and soon collapsed to his knees without being able to take a single step. Throwing a glance over at Zecora, Moonsinger sighed and levitated him at her side.

"I guess I'll just have to carry you then. Zecora is not really used to long term visitors, and she's already getting all grumpy."

"Grumpy I am not getting, but sleeping on the floor is upsetting!"

Moonsinger chuckled. She knew exactly where to push to get her teacher to snap.

"Verry well then master, we will go now. Thank you again for taking care of my problem."

"It is nothing I may say, but begone now it soon is day."

A few minutes later

Moonsinger was trotting quietly through the forest, while levitating Shining Armor beside her. The stallion was impressed that she was able to hold his weight this long, and she didn't even start to break a sweat.

"So... what was that problem you were talking about back there? Has it to do with your special talent and that potion?"

"Well... I guess since you saw the exchange, I can't deny it. But I must ask you to keep it a secret. Yes this is a potion to supress my special talent. Before I came to know master Zecora, I caused quite a fuss with it every now and then, since I have problems controling it. But ever since I started to study under her, and taking this potion, my live has been relativly normal."

"What is your special talent then?"

"That buddy, is none of your buisness!"

She snapped at him.

"But I am a royal guard. I need to know, since that Zebra mentioned it might be dangerous!"

Moonsinger sighed. She had hoped he hadn't heard that part of the conversation.

"I... control the moonlight, whenever I sing..."

"The.. moonlight? So basicly the same as princess Luna? That would explain your Cutiemark then."

"No... I.... hurt ponies with it. Whenever I sing..."

She looked up at the full moon.

"... the moons rays get concentrated on the area I am in... They start piercing everything around me. I can't control WHAT or WHO they hit, but they do... In the past I always left the garden, when the urge to sing became overwhelming. You see, if you don't use your special talent in a long time, you get an irresistable urge to do it... I hurt some of my best friends when I discovered my special talent, while singing in a school play. I never want to see that happen again!"

"But... that kind of power..."

"Is only for Alicorn? Well your right, it is."

Shining Armor looked at Moonsinger, dumbstruck. Again he inspected her body, but there were no wings to be found.

"But you..."

"Have no wings, exactly. But there are actually three ways of becoming an Alicorn. One of them is, if your magical ability is too strong, for your body to handle, so it naturally ascents into that of an Alicorn. That potion is also dampening my magical ability. I don't know why exactly, but supposedly I am the first Unicorn, or anypony for that matter, that doesn't want to become an Alicorn. There are just too many risks involved, so I dampen my own magic, to keep my body from changing."

"But isn't that dangerous? I mean drugging your body like this."

"True... It is painfull at times and there ARE sideeffects, but I won't discuss them with you. My lovelife surely is no danger to your princess."

Shining Armor looked her right in the eye to see if she was serious, but other then a slight blush, he didn't see anything there. She wasn't lying about the "sideeffects" being none of his buisness. Clearing his throat he tried to change the subject to a less emberassing topic.

"So.. ehm... What is that garden you keep talking about?"

Moonsingers eyes brightend.

"It is the most beautiful place you can imagine. It is inside a barrier our dear mother created over one thousand years ago. I was one of the first ones to...."

Moonsinger went on, describing the garden to Shining Armor, and explaining the barriers effect on it's inhabitants. He couldn't help but smile, when she described everything to him. It sounded like the perfect place to live, to him. Soon he had also understood why they called princess Luna, their dear mother. His smile widend. What Moonsinger told him, sounded exactly like the Princess Luna he had come to know. His mind trailed off to a night, shortly after Lunas return from the moon.

The Princess of the night had stood on the observation tower, after having raised the moon, when Shining Armor had found her. She was looking over Equestria, and tears were glistening in the corners of her eyes.

"What's wrong princess? Are you hurt?"

She had had turned around, looking a bit startled, that somepony was there with her.

"No... ehm... We are just... thinking."

"Alright your highness. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know."

He had turned around, to complete his tour, but the Princess had called out to him.

"If..... if you don't mind... would you mind talking with us for a while? We have been away for a thousand years... We know nothing of this world."

They in fact had talked all night, without him noticing. He had told her all about the modern Equestria, while she told him of friends she had a thousand years ago, that were now long dead. She told him of Starswhirl the bearded, and Clover the clever, princess Platinum and general Stormwind.... When the sun had finally risen at the horizon, the princess had thanked him. After that, they had talked almost every night, until, one night, the princess had not been on the observation tower.

"Armor?"

A familiar voice pulled him out of his thoughts. As he looked up, a tearfull Goldshield was already charging right at him, knocking him out of Moonsingers magical embrace, and right to the floor.

"Wha.... Goldshield! Stop that... ouch!"

The earthpony mare first hugged him, and when she had been sure it was really him, risen her foreleg and gave her friend and fellow captain a hard smack to the face.

"How DARE YOU! I thought you were DEAD! Where have you been you useless numbskull? WHERE?"

She cried in his chest as she kept shouting, until Moonsinger seperated the two with her magic.

"Now, now Goldshield. If I didn't know any better, I would think you had a crush on Shining Armor. Let the poor guy rest. Some of the enforcers can take him to Sagitarius, since there is the closest hospital."

Whiping her face with one hoof, and blushing slightly, Goldshield nodded. Moonsinger waved a group of enforcers to her side, who took the injured Shining Armor between them. Even when they left for Sagitarius, Goldshield never once left his side.

"She really acts like she is his marefriend.... But isn't he married to that princess Cadence?"

Moonsinger wondered. Here in the garden, marriages were a little different from the outside world, that she knew. Monogami was actually pretty rare. Most married cuples had lovers. Her gaze followed the group of leaving ponies, as she shook her head. Inside the garden, things like this were ok, but outside, most ponies would surely not tolerate such a thing. Moreover, his wife was a princess. Not that it would have mattered to anypony in the garden, that she was, but the fact remained.

Twilight Sparkle and the others sat around a table, Fluttershy had summoned with her newfound magic. As a precaution, they had found out, Discord had not simply made the doors to their cells disappear, but shifted to rooms themself deeper into the mountain of mount Unicornia. Once Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had located Twilight and Pinkie, they had teleported themself into their cell, startling their two friends. But in the end, Fluttershys magic had been able to remove the silencer on Twilights horn. She had then, set to work to find their other friends, and carved paths to them through the rock of the mountain. Applejack, all four legs in casts now, was looking a little sleepy, what Twilight chalked up to the fact that they had given her strong painkillers. The earthpony had been screaming as if they were impaling her, when Fluttershy and Twilight had rebroken the partially healed bones, and set them right. Good for them, the medical supplies Discord had summoned, also contained pain killers and anti biotics.

"So girls... What are we to do now?"

She asked, adressing all five of them. Pinkie Pie, her hair still unusually flat, raied a hoof and slammed it down on the table.

"I say we go out there and make them pay!"

She said, causing all her friends to stare at her in disbelief. That was so unlike the cheerfull party pony, that even Twilight was a little taken aback.

"Now, darling, we can't do that. We might have the elements, thanks to Discord, but we are still only six mares. I think it would be best if we try to find Princess Celestia, and see what we can do afterwards."

"As much as I don't believe I am saying this, I agree with Rarity. I mean, Fluttershy has already confirmed that Princess Luna is kept in the old mines beneath us, but there is just no way we can fight our way there, not with my wings like THIS!"

Rainbow flapped her tiny wings for emphasis.

"But how are we to find the princess? Neither Fluttershys nor my magical senses reach farther then the outskirts of Canterlot, and I can't sense her aura anywhere in the vicinity."

"Well Twi, ah guess we mahbe should not act yet anyway. Look at us. All of us are hurt. Give us some time to heal up."

Applejack said, sounding more then she was mumbling to herself, then adressing any of them.

"Ehm.. I... uh... We should... try to free Princess Luna...if you don't mind."

Fluttershy stated, her face half hidden beneath the table. She clearly was uncomfortable with her new appearance.

"I actually would like that... I mean, if we could find a way to get down there..."

"Wait! There IS a way."

Pinkie of all ponies said.

"We are deep in the mountain now. And Fluttershy said that Luna is not far away from us. In fact, right beneath us! Couldn't you two carve a way into the mines, to the cavern she is in?"

"Actually Pinkie, that is not a bad idea. If we can bust Luna out, then we can fight the Changelings from within Canterlot. Having another spellcaster, alongside me and Fluttershy, wouldn't hurt either."

Twilight gave Rarity a glance. Her friend let her head hang. Fluttershy hadn't been able to let her horn regrow, nor to heal her eye. These injuries had been inflicted by magic, and hers wasn't powerfull enough to heal them... If there was any chance to do so, it would be to wait until Discord broke out of his stone prison once again.

Luna was feeling weaker by the second. Her cell, was now almost filled with pure black magic. The last few sparks of her dark purple Unicorn magic, and her pale white Alicorn magic were slowly fading. Four days, she had not eaten anything, nor had she slept a single second. He mental defenses were crumbling fast, and without access to the moon, she had no means of replenishing her Alicorn mana....

"I told you.... you had your chance... you will be consumed...."

"You... will not succeed..............."

But Luna could feel the dark tendrils of Nightmare Moons mind already enveloping her own. She had lost... She had thrown everything she had against Nightmare Moon, and it hadn't been enough.... With a last scream of agony and defeat, Luna collapsed to her knees, being now completly enveloped in Nightmare Moons black magic, her body began to transform, once again. There was no fighting it. She had done her best, but all she could do now, was preserve her mind. She shall not allow the shadows to devour her. Her mind had to stay seperated from it. If she was eaten... then there was no hope for her anymore....

Nightmare Moon took a deep breath. It felt good to finally be the ruling persona in this body again. Even so it was weakend, it would be more then enough to do what she had in mind. After her escape, she would find that petty insect, and crush her beneath her hooves. A single shread of what was once Princess Luna, remained in her mind, but she didn't care. The Princess might have shielded the last rest of herself against her influence, but no matter how much time she had to recover, would never be able to banish her out of her mind ever again. Not on her own atleast.

She snorted. The elements of harmony... if their bearers were still alive, she would have to find them, to eliminate the threat. With a little bit of concentration, she turned herself into mist, floating through the window in the ceiling of her prison. There stood two Changeling guards, that were startled at her appearance, as she reformed her body. But just as she wanted to crush them for their impudence of imprisoning her, a large chunk of the ceiling fell down upon them. She could not believe her eyes, and stood there in shock for an awkward moment. Out of the hole in the ceiling, came all six bearers of the elements of harmony, wearing their embodiements.

Twilight finished the spell, that had carved the tunnel they intended to use to free Princess Luna, carefull not to destroy to many of the rocks. They would have to close it up after them, if the suceeded. She had insisted they took the elements with them, just in case something happend, which they had not anticipated. And then it happend. The last rock fell, and the six friends, entered the chamber in which they thought princess Luna was imprisoned. Twilight was so shocked at what she saw, that Applejack almost slipped out of her magical grip. Instead of the princess of the night, they had hoped to find, the six were once again, face to face with Nightmare Moon....