Equestria's Midnightby Snake StaffChaptersPrologue: The Shadow FallsPonyvilleCanterlotPrologue: The Shadow Falls100 years ago, the Shadow fell… Once, they say, Equestria was a fair land. Ruled over by two benevolent alicorn princesses, Celestia and Luna, the ponies were happy and prosperous. If the old tales are true, the sisters guided their subjects for untold centuries in the paths of harmony and peace. Then Izrador came. Nopony alive could tell you where he came from. The Order of the Shadow tells us that he descended to this world for his own inscrutable reasons, desiring to mold it to his grand and incomprehensible designs. They say he sealed the world of Equus away from those beyond that none of his jealous rivals might interfere with his great plan. According to them, Izrador has always been the ruler here, and anything else is just delusional propaganda by doomed malcontents. What with literacy and most storytelling being outlawed and all, most fillies and colts don’t grow up hearing anything different. Don’t tell anypony I told you this, but some of the older storytellers mention a different version of events, supposedly passed down from the princesses themselves. They say Izrador fought a war with the other great spirits of the universe, gods many call them. He lost, and was cast down to our fair world in ruin, meant to be sealed away beyond all means to escape deep beneath the earth. According to this version, he used the last fragments of his power to corrupt his own prison, cutting Equus off from the rest of the universe and stranding himself here with us. The princesses, the story goes, felt the newcomer’s arrival and the world’s cutoff from the cosmos. They ventured out to confront this new being and find out its intentions. Izrador, weakened badly, fled from them, hiding himself in the deepest and most hostile parts of the far north. Eventually, unable to find him, the duo resolved to leave the newcomer be as long as he merely hid himself away and work to restore the connection between our world and the others. This was a mistake for which they would pay dearly. For hundreds of years, Izrador recovered what strength he still possessed, slowly reaching out to touch the minds of those closest to his frozen haunt. Some tribes began to whisper of a spirit, a creature they dubbed the Shadow in the North. From time to time, the royal alicorns attempted to find or contact this creature, but always he eluded them as only a shadow knows how. After centuries of waiting, the dark god found his opportunity for revenge in the form of a clan of outcast minotaurs. Exiled from their warm homelands for unspeakable crimes committed in a species civil war, they dwindled as frostbite and starvation claimed their toll. When a spirit entered the dreams of their shaman to promise them survival, power, and revenge if they served, and a frozen grave if they did not, it was an easy choice to make. In time, these exiles became the first orcs: a race that’s been our bane for as long as anypony remembers. Skip forward a hundred years or so. The princesses started getting an inkling that something was wrong up north, and not being fools, connected it to the shadowy creature lurking there for so long. Investigating, they found an army under construction, surviving in underground lairs in places no creature was supposed to be living. To make matters worse, demonic spirits, wendigoes, soared freely among the creatures, feasting on their hate. Izrador finally confronted the duo openly. They say the battle shook the earth and flattened forests. Shocked at the power that he had been concealing and unable to defeat him in open combat with an army at his back, they fled back to Equestria. This prematurely revealed the dark god’s hand, and he launched his invasion immediately, gambling on surprise and the ponies’ passive culture. Yeah, hard to believe, I know, but hear me out. Ponies in those days were so unused to violence they might as well have been pacifists. Most hadn’t ever handled a weapon in their lives, much less gone to war. The orcs were outnumbered and less organized than Izrador had planned, but they hit Equestria like an avalanche. Thousands of ponies were butchered in brutal massacres by an enemy they hadn’t known existed before substantial opposition appeared. The first war took five years, and it didn’t end until the princesses themselves led their armies to battle and broke the Shadow’s forces. Even then, evicting the enemy’s remnants from Equestria took a decade and a half of campaigning. In the north, the Izrador and what was left of his army holed up, the ponies in no position to attack them. After the war, the princesses founded military forces to combat against the Shadow’s return while they continued their efforts to penetrate the veil enveloping Equus. Celestia founded the Order of the Day, Luna the Order of the Night. The size of the Royal Guard was more than quadrupled from prewar figures. The northern provinces of Equestria were reorganized into the Crystal Kingdom, a militarized barrier state with the ongoing mission to protect the rest of the nation in the future. A famed war hero was named ruler of the new nation. What? Get to the point? You’re right, this is taking too long. Can’t be seen. Centuries passed. Skirmishes, raids, and occasional campaigns defined the period. Celestia and Luna became less and less involved in Equestria’s day-to-day affairs as the land grew, focusing instead on studies into the depths of archaic magic. Izrador’s second major invasion occurred nine hundred years after the first. Apocalyptic in scale, the war that followed lasted three decades, almost destroying the Crystal Kingdom in the process. Unlike the last campaign, neither Celestia nor Luna took to the field, both leaving the running of the war mostly to their generals. In the end, the entirety of the Orders of Night and Day combined to face the enemy at the kingdom’s capital. The siege ended when the orc hordes lost cohesion after a prolonged assassination campaign against their leaders by the Order of the Night. The main army was subsequently able to drive them away the enemy. With the Crystal Kingdom in ruins and plagues left behind by the Shadow running rampant, Equestria declined. Orcs raid resumed sooner and in greater strength than after the prior war. Preoccupied with recouping their own losses and rebuilding, the Crystal Kingdom tightened its patrols to include only the most important routes and communities, leaving only local militia and occasional members of the Orders to defend those ponies who had settled beyond. Slowly but surely, more and more outlying towns were destroyed, Izrador’s territory expanded. Cults of the Shadow wormed their way into the remaining frontier communities when the saw that their leaders couldn’t or wouldn’t defend them. Throughout it all, Celestia and Luna grew, if anything, more distant. They were convinced that if they could bring down the barrier surrounding our world, Izrador himself could be destroyed and that all else was a temporary solution, at best. If the princesses were so distant, how did they pass down this tale? I’ll get to that. During this time, Celestia decided that breaching the barrier might require additional alicorn assistance. Lacking any other members of her kind beyond her sister, she created an academy for gifted unicorns, seeking an ideal aid. After years of searching and training numerous apprentices, she finally found what she was searching for in a unicorn called Twilight Sparkle. A magical prodigy from a young age, more than two decades of Celestia’s tutelage eventually enabled Twilight to transcend her mortal form and become an alicorn, whereupon she was dubbed princess and made equal to the two royal siblings. Now, this is just a theory mind you, but I think this is where the roots of the end came from. Luna had just witnessed her sister elevate a subject to an equal within what to her was a very short time. She had many servants, an order sworn to her, and as many assistants as she could want, but no students. Now the dynamic between her sister and herself had been disrupted by a third alicorn. To make matters worse, Luna had had only cursory involvement in Twilight’s training, while Celestia had been very close. Twilight was almost unconditionally loyal to Celestia, meaning that whenever the sisters disagreed, Celestia always had an extra vote. No longer was compromise necessary. This is just so much guesswork, though. Anyway, the beginning of the end came with the loss of Sombra. A well-known war leader of the Crystal Kingdom, descended from the line of the original ruler, he was famed for taking the fight to the enemy. After one too many expeditions into the north to eliminate orcs, he vanished. You may know him as the Dark General, leader of Izrador’s armies. How he got that way nopony knows, but at the time he was just thought dead. It was another blow to an already weakened nation. A handful of years after Sombra vanished, the orcs struck anew in full force. This time, they already seemed to know every defense, every strategy, every weak point before a battle began. They poured over the Crystal Kingdom, finally annihilating it after so many generations of trying. Then they moved on to Equestria proper. It’s important to remember that while the periphery of the nation had been suffering badly, the interior had existed in comparative luxury. Little violence, long lifespans, plenty of food, and few enemies. Is it any wonder they had grown soft? The campaign was swift and merciless, with most resistance falling to the Shadow’s army in weeks. The enemy’s numbers seemed endless, and many feared the end had come. With the Dark General closing in on Canterlot, the princesses were finally forced to cast aside their long isolation and openly lead their Orders again. Princess Twilight left the city to oversee defenses along the nation’s western flank, while the sisters remained in the city to plan its defense. When at last the enemy arrived at Canterlot, the ponies inside made ready for a long siege. The royal siblings themselves donned their ancient armor and prepared to lead the defense personally. They flew out to thunderous cheers from their subjects. And yet, before they had so much as touched the enemy, Princess Luna ran Princess Celestia through from behind, horn piercing her heart. That was the signal. The Order of the Night turned on its comrades en mass, killing hundreds of defenders and throwing the city gates wide open. With Luna at their head, Izrador’s forces sacked Canterlot within a single day. From there, the task was easy. Luna and Sombra had little difficulty in subduing the scattered remnants of Equestria’s armies, knowing as they did their every leader and move. Princess Twilight managed only to escape with some vestiges of the Order of the Day, the Royal Guard, militia fighters, and even some honorable members of the Order of the Night. She was somehow able to control the Everfree Forest making it into the last fortress of resistance. They say she hides there to this day, trying now only to keep the light from dying out entirely. If what I heard is true, she's the one who's been trying to get these stories told. As for Luna, she was crowned the Nightmare Queen of a reforged Canterlot. Equestria is hers to rule. Sombra holds the Crystal Kingdom. And above them all lies Izrador and his Order of the Shadow, the church that governs us all. Orcs occupy our lands. Our people are enslaved. The Shadow rules, and our world is his. PonyvilleThe creature moved through the grey morass, eyes vigilant for the lights it craved. It didn’t know what it was or what it had been, if it had ever been anything else. All around it was merely a shapeless, misty grey blur. All it felt was the gnawing hunger that permeated its very being, driving it to seek out the lights. There! In the distance. A light, dull and dimmed by the endless grey, but visible to the creature nonetheless. It didn’t need any encouragement to move as quickly as it could go. The light grew and grew in its vision, golden rays leading the creature to its food. The light was moving but slowly, much too slowly. The creature pounced, drawing the light into itself. Images flashed through the creature's mind, but they meant nothing to it. It consumed the light in its entirety, reveling in the brief reprieve from the endless craving that defined its existence. Then the moment passed, and the creature was hungry again. … “All praise to Izrador, the Shadow, He whose reign shall be forever!” lead Nightflower, Legate of the Order of the Shadow. “All praise,” chanted back the population of Ponyville. It was midnight, the time of Izrador’s service. Anypony not present would soon find cause to regret it. “All praise to the Dark God, He who sees all, knows all, and rules all!” “All praise.” “All praise to He to whom we owe everything!” “All praise.” “To Izrador, we offer our lives!” “Our lives.” “Our service!” “Our service.” “Our souls!” “Our souls.” “All praise!” “All praise.” “All praise!” “All praise.” “ALL PRAISE!” “ALL PRAISE!” “All hail,” Nightflower half-whispered, abasing herself before the sacred symbol of the Horned Skull affixed to the high wall of the Temple of the Shadow. The rest of Ponyville quickly joined the light blue unicorn in bowing, from her fellow unicorn legates and acolytes to the lowliest earth pony menial slave. A few moments passed in near-silence as the civilians awaited the order to get up again. Nightflower allowed them to wait, savoring the moment as she felt the slightest touch of her god’s attention on the congregation. Then it was gone, and she signaled the rest to resume their feet. “And now,” she intoned in her best solemn voice, “The time has come. Five weeks it has been. Five weeks since the sacred rite. Now we once again prove our devotion by offering that which Izrador prizes above all else: the blood of a traitor.” She looked out, to see if anypony was reacting. She was almost disappointed that nopony was – it made dissidents easier to identify. Two acolytes waited by a small cloth-covered basin in the floor. At the Legate’s approach, they slowly removed the cloth, folded it, and set it aside. Inside the basin was a small pool of utterly black reflective liquid, its surface completely devoid of even the slightest ripple or blemish. One of Izardor’s Black Mirrors, set to drain the magic from the land. And now, it required blood. “Bring in the prisoner!” A pair of guards filed down the main aisle of the temple, dragging an elderly green pony behind them. Bound and gagged, she could do little but glare angrily at her tormentors. Nopony so much as gasped or whispered when they recognized the well-known and loved matriarch of many of the local farms, so well-conditioned were they. Not a few had seen their own friends and family go the mirror before. “Granny Smith,” Nightflower declared, magically amplifying her voice to boom throughout the Temple of Shadow. “Nine days prior, you objected to the amount of food the Shadow required of you. To compound your sin, you struck at a Legate.” At this, the audience did gasp. To strike a Legate was unthinkable, the act only of the suicidal and insane. Those who knew the old pony better questioned how she would have survived as long as she had had she genuinely been so foolhardy, but kept such thoughts to themselves. “A Legate is the ultimate representative of the Dark God to his subjects! To strike at a Legate is to strike at Izrador himself! And for that...” Nightflower paused. When she spoke again her voice was much lower, more hissing, “There can only be one penalty.” The guards dragged their prisoner to the base of the Black Mirror. Granny Smith didn’t bother to struggle; it would have done no good, and put her family in even more danger besides, if that was possible. Her bare throat hung over the mirror, ready to drop her life’s blood into the depths. “But Izrador is not without mercy,” Nightflower continued, “And as such, I offer the family of this traitorous scum a chance to redeem itself.” She took the sacred dagger from its anointed resting place, the sharpened obsidian glinting in the pale light of the temple’s blue torches. “Applejack! Come to me!” she called into the crowd. Slowly, reluctantly, an orange earth pony made her way out of the crowd and down the aisle. Eyes followed her every step of the way as she climbed the steps to the sacred alter of the temple. The more superstitious among them would later swear they saw the space where Horned Skull’s eyes would have been following her. The whole way, she never took her eyes off her own hooves – a wise precaution. “Y’all called, ma’am,” she said, her head and ears deferentially low. Nightflower nodded. “You are a loyal subject of Izrador, are you not?” “Yes ma’am,” Applejack replied, still not glancing up or at her grandmother. “And you know your place in the divine order of things?” “Yes ma’am.” “And you do not object to the sacrifice of your traitor grandmother to the Shadow?” Applejack’s eyes briefly wavered, stealing the glance at Granny Smith before settling back on her hooves. “… No ma’am.” Nightflower nodded, looking satisfied. “Good. Then I grant you the honor of cleansing your bloodline of treachery. You will be the one to end her life.” That got a reaction. Applejack’s eyes shot wide, and she almost looked up into the Legate’s eyes, before checking herself at the last second. “What?! But I…” she trailed off briefly, then swallowed. “I-I ain’t qualified! I can’t do any of them rituals or-” Nightflower cut her off, bending down slightly to address her. “I assure you that all will be well in hand. I simply felt that an upstanding citizen of your stature should have the opportunity to purge the rot from your family. Are you saying that you do not wish for it?” Applejack swallowed, hesitating. Nightflower whispered so softly that the earth pony could have sworn it was magical. “And I should hate to imagine what might happen if it transpires that the corruption goes deeper than one member. You have such a lovely brother and sister. It would be such a shame.” Applejack swallowed again, then finally nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks. Nightflower smiled. “It gladdens me to know that your heart is true.” She turned to the acolytes behind her. “Begin!” The unicorns began chanting, their horns uniformly glowing a dark grey. In a language very few ponies outside the Order of the Shadow knew, they sang praises to Izrador, offering him the blood he had commanded. They chanted long lists of his names in demonic tongues not even they understood. They spat blasphemies at the false deity Celestia, and thanked Izrador for bringing the world enlightenment. Nightflower listened contentedly, enjoying the power she could feel in their words, and relishing what was to come next. “Now,” she whispered, placing the dagger in Applejack’s hoof. “Do it now.” The earth pony looked at the obsidian, hesitating, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. “Do it!” Nightflower hissed more impatiently. “I… I… I….” Applejack was openly choking back sobs. “Now!” Tears ran down Applejack’s cheeks like a waterfall. Shutting her eyes tight, she placed the blade along her grandmother’s throat. She couldn’t bear to look at her. The old mare’s expression wasn’t anger, disappointment, or even fear. It was just a calm, almost lifeless acceptance. She might have been dead already. Then Applejack slit her throat, and she was. … The sun slowly rose above Ponyville. Pale, weak, and sickly-looking, its rays barely pierced the cloud layer seeming to hang perpetually above that benighted community. The town nonetheless gave thanks for the meager light and warmth it offered them. With the sun came some measure of safety from the ever-lurking Fell, the orcs, and of course, their masters. Most ponies had been asleep since the past night. One had not. Applejack barely managed to limp out of the meager farmhouse door, mane ruined, eyes dry and bloodshot from a night of crying. Big Mac had been in the temple, but he hadn’t said a word to her all night, just stared sadly. That had only made her feel worse. At least he’d done something about Apple Bloom, who had been too young to be present. Applejack might have been thankful for small mercies if she weren’t so utterly consumed with grief and self-loathing. She looked at the Apple Family’s old barn, picturing herself hanging from a noose from its rafters. After what she had done, the notion was attractive. “Don’t do that,” said the all-too-familiar voice in her head. “Why not?” Applejack managed between sobs. “And shut up! Can’t y’all see I’m tryin’ ta mourn here?” “Because so many others depend on you as well. Your family, your friends, us. We need you, Applejack. We need you to be strong.” “Strong? STRONG?! Y’all don’t know the meanin’ a the word strong! I had to sacrifice my own Granny! What the buck you ever done, huh? Safe in that there forest a yours! What have you ever lost?!” “More than you know,” said the voice, now more subdued. “Just shut up already.” “No. You need attention. Without me, you might do something foolish in your emotional state.” “Y’all think I’m an idiot?!” “I think you’re angry. Angry at Nightflower for what happened. Angry at me for not bursting in and stopping it. Angry at yourself for what you did. I think you might just go charging off to try and kill her if I leave you be.” “And why shouldn’t I?” “Because that would be foolish in the extreme. She’s well-guarded, in her place of power, and a powerful Legate besides. And even if you somehow did it, what do you suppose would happen next? You’d die. Then your entire family would be executed. Do you want more of their blood on your hands?” Applejack had no answer. “And then your farm would be burnt to the ground. The other ponies would be forced to toil even harder and longer, and give up more food. Another Legate would come here to replace her. You would solve nothing, and breed only more misery. Is that what you want?” “N-no.” “Good. Now please, stop imagining yourself committing suicide.” “You ain’t the boss a me!” “No? As I recall, you swore eternal loyalty to me when you became one of my Avatars.” “Shut up!” “No.” “I’m not just some lackey for y’all to order around! If I wanta end it, I’m gonna! What’s the point a existin’ when you’ve done what I’ve done?” “To fight this.” “Then let me fight! All y’all ever want me to do is watch n’ wait, watch n’ wait. Sometimes I move ponies to the Everfree, and that’s it! I didn’t sign up fer this just to sit here in silence as everypony suffers and dies! If yer so big and powerful, then help me!” “I promise you that I am doing all I can. Even now, I’m already working on more than a dozen other tasks at once.” “Well when is “all I can” gonna involve getting ‘round to savin’ this town?!” “Applejack, I work weeks without sleep just to save this forest.” “Well, good fer y’all! In case y’all haven’t noticed, me an’ mine don’t exactly live there! We’re stuck here! Why should I go on workin’ for y’all when y’all are too busy with yer precious trees to protect us?!” “For the same reason you came to me in the first place: for the sake of the future. Before you do anything rash, think of what it will mean for the future.” Applejack sat outside the farmhouse, deep in thought. Eventually, she spoke to the voice again. “Can y’all… Can y’all at least take Applebloom an’ Big Mac? Keep ‘em safe? I just… can’t think a losin’ them too.” “I wish I could, but… If they disappear but you stay, your cover will almost certainly be blown. I know Nightflower threatened them last night, she’s far too cunning to fail to connect the dots if they’re suddenly gone.” “Then… can y’all take just Apple Bloom? I can’t just let her grow up in a place like this?” “I’ll see what I can do. That’s all I can promise for now.” Applejack nodded. “Thanks, Twilight.” CanterlotCanterlot. Once a city of the royal diarchs, it was now abundantly clear that there was only one ruler of the land. By the order of Luna, the Nightmare Queen, the city had been rebuilt after its sacking in the Last War. The buildings now sported the queen’s colors: night black, with glittering white gems artfully embedded in tasteful patterns. In its own way, the city was beautiful. More important was a difference only a unicorn could sense: that alone of Equestria’s sizable cities, magic flowed freely in Canterlot. None of Izardor’s Black Mirrors drained this land, a fact for which the city’s unicorns gave deep thanks to their queen. Orcs were banned from the city, the Order of the Night serving instead to secure it. Both of these things did not serve to endear the city and its queen to the rest of the Shadow’s forces, but the dark god himself seemed to tolerate the arrangement. For the moment, at any rate. … “May the Night Court come to order! Order!” shouted Sounding Trumpet, Queen Luna’s royal announcer. The assorted nobles, commanders, and Legates had been busy chatting, plotting, and making deals as they awaited the ruler’s arrival. To the extent that he was heard at all, he was generally ignored. “Order! The Queen approaches! Order!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. That got everypony’s attention well enough. The chatter dulled to a low whisper, and then nothing at all. The unicorn stallion cleared his throat and waited. Moments passed, and then he raised a horn to his lips and blew. A long, low note rang over the expectant ponies. “Make way! Make way for Her Majesty Luna, the Nightmare Queen, Lady of the Night, Duchess of Canterlot, Slayer of a Thousand Foes, Lady-Marshal of the Order of the Night, Ruler of the Celestial Bodies, Regent of Izrador, She whose reign is forever! All hail!” Silence fell as the stallion’s voice died off. A chill drifted through the throne room as the assorted dignitaries backed away from the rich blue-silver carpet in its center. The queen required a clear path to the throne. All eyes settled on the massive double doors, some in anticipation, others in fear. Not a sound could be heard from beyond, but anypony with even the slightest magical senses could feel what was coming. Without warning or pretense, the doors of the throne room flung themselves open. Anypony foolish enough to have gotten too close would have been crushed, though this time at least nopony had. Two armored unicorns stepped through. Members of the Queensguard, an elite unit of the Order of the Night selected for prowess physical and magical, as well as loyalty, they were ever with their sovereign. Behind them walked the last of the pureblooded alicorns. Towering above even the largest stallion, her coat was the inky black color of a moonless night. Her majestic, flowing blue main glittered with the stars of her sky. Her long wings were folded neatly at her side; her sharp, polished horn reflected the torchlight. She wore elegant slippers of glittering blue glass, a blue-black brooch decorated with replicas of her finest constellations, and a silver crown decorated with beautifully-carved blue diamonds. At Luna’s appearance, the entire court, dozens of ponies, wordlessly dropped to their knees before their Nightmare Queen. Lady Rarity stood not far from her husband, Prince Blueblood, as the queen entered and the doors sealed themselves behind her. They too abased themselves before his distant relative, their eyes low to the floor. Awe and fear chilled her blood. Inside Rarity’s mind, somepony else had a very different reaction. “Traitor,” Princess Twilight’s voice hissed. “Murderer. Kin-slayer.” Rarity almost winced. It was always this way in Luna’s presence. Twilight Sparkle might have been busy at all hours of day and night, but she always found a way to spare a fragment of herself to watch the Nightmare Queen through her Avatar’s eyes. Even the smallest piece of information could prove vital. And not once in all Rarity’s years had she been able to look at the other alicorn without voicing her hatred for her. Rarity always feared that Luna might somehow hear, however many times Twilight had assured her that it wouldn’t happen unless she tried channeling her own power through Rarity’s form. Luna proceeded down the carpet to her throne, not even seeming to look at the crowd around her. Two guards preceded her, two followed. In all her years she had never been without guards in public, a fact Twilight had attributed to her keen awareness of the dangers of betrayal. She sat herself down on the throne slowly, gazing imperiously down on her subjects. She allowed the moment to linger before gesturing to Sounding Trumpet. “All rise!” he yelled out, blowing his horn again. “Queen Luna will now hear your petitions.” Slowly, the assembled audience got to its hooves. The chattering from before was gone, replaced by utter rapt attention. Luna nodded to Sounding, and his horn glowed as he held a long scroll in front of his face. “Lord Blinding Light, Her Majesty will now hear your petition for redress of grievance against Legate Ivy Heart.” The indicated stallion stepped out of the crowd. An older, light orange specimen, he wore a well-tailored shirt and coat in purple and green, his house colors. “Your majesty,” he bowed low before regaining his hooves and beginning his speech. “Our house has served you and Izrador for generations. You know well that we have always been loyal, always contributed to the war efforts, always rooted out traitors wherever we have found them-” “We would appreciate it if thou wouldst get to thy point. We have much work to do this night.” Nopony knew why the queen insisted on speaking in such an archaic manner, nor why she had forbidden others from doing so. All they knew was that it was her will, and thus it was so, Lord Light was clearly somewhat flustered at being interrupted, but quickly came to the conclusion that most of the ponies had: if Luna did not wish to indulge in the usual court theatrics, she must be very impatient and irritable indeed. A wise pony wouldn’t wish to draw her ire. He cleared his throat, sweating slightly and tugging at his suddenly too-tight collar. “Of course, Your Majesty. My grievance is this: during a recent inspection of my family’s iron mines, Legate Heart confiscated over a score of earth pony slaves from my servants without explanation or compensation. Iron production subsequently fell by over twelve percent, forcing me to open my reserve stock to meet quota. I shall have to do so for at least another week until the replacements I purchased arrive. I seek compensation for the lost slaves, iron, and production.” “And in what form dost thou seek thy compensation?” “Your Majesty, I ask that-” What Lord Light was going to ask Rarity never found out, for he was yet again cut off. This time, the interruption came from the doors bursting open and a soft purple unicorn storming in. The court gave a collective gasp at such raw impudence, and Luna narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the intruder. Any other pony would have been put to death on the spot for such insubordination, but Grand Legate Flashfire was the Order of the Shadow’s highest representative in Canterlot. She was known to be somewhat eccentric and usually avoided court, meaning that whatever had driven her here must be important. “Speak,” Luna said, “What doth thou wish?” Flashfire shook her head. “Not I. Our master would speak to you.” Luna’s eyes went wide, then narrowed to slits. “Out,” she demanded, her voice dangerously low. “Out, all of you.” Lord Light was utterly befuddled. “But, Your Majesty-” The Nightmare Queen turned to stare at him. He ran from the court with his tail between his legs. Rarity, in the crowd with the others, was already being seized by a will that wasn’t her own. “I have to hear this. Izrador himself speaking to the traitor-witch? The sheer value of this conversation is beyond measure.” “But I’m not sure even I can hide from-” “Do it!” came the princess’s voice, in a tone that brooked no argument. When Rarity looked, her feet had already started trying to wind their way out of the stampeding court ponies. She ducked, dodged, bumped, apologized, and generally found a path free with all the grace that could be expected from her. She didn’t see where her husband had gone, for which she was a little sorry. He was such a nervous wreck. If his “auntie” hadn’t intervened, a unicorn of such low magical talent almost certainly would have wound up sacrificed to a Black Mirror. His position and very existence were totally dependent on the good will of a volatile mare he knew full well was willing to kill even the closest of relations. It would be enough to drive anypony crazy with fear. Still, her duty to the world’s future came before her sympathies to the stallion she had wed. If Princess Twilight wanted to hear this conversation, Lady Rarity would do her utmost to make it so. She made her way through the castle corridors until she found her usual small, out of the way storage chamber. She shed her outer lair of finery, even mussing her exquisitely-groomed mane. Underneath was a far simpler brown outfit, one often worn by menial castle servants. A small illusion concealed her horn from casual view. She wished she had the time and materials to die her coat a less vibrant color, but she hadn’t a moment to spare. In her servant disguise, Rarity climbed a set of stairs to the level above the castle’s throne room. On the way, she had to dodge a pair of patrolling guards, silence an enchantment of detection, and hide herself beneath a bed in a servant’s quarters. Not many ponies knew it, but there was a tiny crack in the ceiling of the throne room that, with a little encouragement, had worked its way to the corner of the servant chamber. Thanks to the room’s odd acoustics, Luna’s propensity for loud speech, and Rarity’s own naturally keen hearing, by pressing her ear to the corner the white unicorn could just barely make out what was being said below. All she heard was the sound of one set of hooves hitting the stone floor over and over – presumably, the Nightmare Queen was pacing. Rarity held still for several minutes, heart steadily beating faster as she imagined all the scenarios in which she might be caught. She was a spy, not a fighter, and the longer she stayed here the greater the odds became that somepony would wander in and capture her. She could call on a portion of Twilight’s power if needed, but that would expose her utterly. Still, the princess was adamant that Rarity hold her position until they had heard what was about to be said, and so she did. Without warning, a spasm wracked Rarity’s body. She rolled away, flailing wildly, flecks of spit flinging from her open mouth. If her vocal cords had been working, she would have screamed. As it was, she kicked out and spasmed hard. She hit the bed and floor, making plenty of noise. Just as suddenly as they had started, the fits ended, and Rarity was instead enveloped in the sensation of extreme cold. She shivered, feeling like she was in a blizzard without the slightest shelter or heat. “He’s here,” even Twilight’s voice was tinged with fear, “Listen, quickly!” Slowly, mustering all the willpower she possessed, Rarity dragged herself back to the spot and pressed her ear to the ground. “-canst thou not just send Sombra to do it? He is thy general, let him handle such a lowly task.” “He has disappointed me of late.” Rarity felt like she was about to die. The voice she heard drove her to abase herself even as light and warmth seemed to disappear around her. “This wast not our agreement, Izrador. We have more than fulfilled our end of the bargain. We are a queen, not an errand-foal.” “A queen would control her subjects.” “We do control our subjects!” “Perhaps that explains why no less than three of them are eavesdropping on us at this very moment?” Rarity’s blood chilled. Of course, how could a mere roof hope to hide her from a god? She’d be found, captured, dragged before him to have her soul flayed and her secrets pried out and… “Get out of there! Now!” Twilight’s voice snapped Rarity back to reality from her very vivid imaginations of the tortures she would endure. She had just begun moving when Luna spoke again. “Bah! ‘Tis merely the court gossips! A few nights in chains should teach them some respect!” “…As you say.” When the guards stormed in moments later to arrest her, Rarity could have sobbed with relief.
Prologue: The Shadow Falls100 years ago, the Shadow fell… Once, they say, Equestria was a fair land. Ruled over by two benevolent alicorn princesses, Celestia and Luna, the ponies were happy and prosperous. If the old tales are true, the sisters guided their subjects for untold centuries in the paths of harmony and peace. Then Izrador came. Nopony alive could tell you where he came from. The Order of the Shadow tells us that he descended to this world for his own inscrutable reasons, desiring to mold it to his grand and incomprehensible designs. They say he sealed the world of Equus away from those beyond that none of his jealous rivals might interfere with his great plan. According to them, Izrador has always been the ruler here, and anything else is just delusional propaganda by doomed malcontents. What with literacy and most storytelling being outlawed and all, most fillies and colts don’t grow up hearing anything different. Don’t tell anypony I told you this, but some of the older storytellers mention a different version of events, supposedly passed down from the princesses themselves. They say Izrador fought a war with the other great spirits of the universe, gods many call them. He lost, and was cast down to our fair world in ruin, meant to be sealed away beyond all means to escape deep beneath the earth. According to this version, he used the last fragments of his power to corrupt his own prison, cutting Equus off from the rest of the universe and stranding himself here with us. The princesses, the story goes, felt the newcomer’s arrival and the world’s cutoff from the cosmos. They ventured out to confront this new being and find out its intentions. Izrador, weakened badly, fled from them, hiding himself in the deepest and most hostile parts of the far north. Eventually, unable to find him, the duo resolved to leave the newcomer be as long as he merely hid himself away and work to restore the connection between our world and the others. This was a mistake for which they would pay dearly. For hundreds of years, Izrador recovered what strength he still possessed, slowly reaching out to touch the minds of those closest to his frozen haunt. Some tribes began to whisper of a spirit, a creature they dubbed the Shadow in the North. From time to time, the royal alicorns attempted to find or contact this creature, but always he eluded them as only a shadow knows how. After centuries of waiting, the dark god found his opportunity for revenge in the form of a clan of outcast minotaurs. Exiled from their warm homelands for unspeakable crimes committed in a species civil war, they dwindled as frostbite and starvation claimed their toll. When a spirit entered the dreams of their shaman to promise them survival, power, and revenge if they served, and a frozen grave if they did not, it was an easy choice to make. In time, these exiles became the first orcs: a race that’s been our bane for as long as anypony remembers. Skip forward a hundred years or so. The princesses started getting an inkling that something was wrong up north, and not being fools, connected it to the shadowy creature lurking there for so long. Investigating, they found an army under construction, surviving in underground lairs in places no creature was supposed to be living. To make matters worse, demonic spirits, wendigoes, soared freely among the creatures, feasting on their hate. Izrador finally confronted the duo openly. They say the battle shook the earth and flattened forests. Shocked at the power that he had been concealing and unable to defeat him in open combat with an army at his back, they fled back to Equestria. This prematurely revealed the dark god’s hand, and he launched his invasion immediately, gambling on surprise and the ponies’ passive culture. Yeah, hard to believe, I know, but hear me out. Ponies in those days were so unused to violence they might as well have been pacifists. Most hadn’t ever handled a weapon in their lives, much less gone to war. The orcs were outnumbered and less organized than Izrador had planned, but they hit Equestria like an avalanche. Thousands of ponies were butchered in brutal massacres by an enemy they hadn’t known existed before substantial opposition appeared. The first war took five years, and it didn’t end until the princesses themselves led their armies to battle and broke the Shadow’s forces. Even then, evicting the enemy’s remnants from Equestria took a decade and a half of campaigning. In the north, the Izrador and what was left of his army holed up, the ponies in no position to attack them. After the war, the princesses founded military forces to combat against the Shadow’s return while they continued their efforts to penetrate the veil enveloping Equus. Celestia founded the Order of the Day, Luna the Order of the Night. The size of the Royal Guard was more than quadrupled from prewar figures. The northern provinces of Equestria were reorganized into the Crystal Kingdom, a militarized barrier state with the ongoing mission to protect the rest of the nation in the future. A famed war hero was named ruler of the new nation. What? Get to the point? You’re right, this is taking too long. Can’t be seen. Centuries passed. Skirmishes, raids, and occasional campaigns defined the period. Celestia and Luna became less and less involved in Equestria’s day-to-day affairs as the land grew, focusing instead on studies into the depths of archaic magic. Izrador’s second major invasion occurred nine hundred years after the first. Apocalyptic in scale, the war that followed lasted three decades, almost destroying the Crystal Kingdom in the process. Unlike the last campaign, neither Celestia nor Luna took to the field, both leaving the running of the war mostly to their generals. In the end, the entirety of the Orders of Night and Day combined to face the enemy at the kingdom’s capital. The siege ended when the orc hordes lost cohesion after a prolonged assassination campaign against their leaders by the Order of the Night. The main army was subsequently able to drive them away the enemy. With the Crystal Kingdom in ruins and plagues left behind by the Shadow running rampant, Equestria declined. Orcs raid resumed sooner and in greater strength than after the prior war. Preoccupied with recouping their own losses and rebuilding, the Crystal Kingdom tightened its patrols to include only the most important routes and communities, leaving only local militia and occasional members of the Orders to defend those ponies who had settled beyond. Slowly but surely, more and more outlying towns were destroyed, Izrador’s territory expanded. Cults of the Shadow wormed their way into the remaining frontier communities when the saw that their leaders couldn’t or wouldn’t defend them. Throughout it all, Celestia and Luna grew, if anything, more distant. They were convinced that if they could bring down the barrier surrounding our world, Izrador himself could be destroyed and that all else was a temporary solution, at best. If the princesses were so distant, how did they pass down this tale? I’ll get to that. During this time, Celestia decided that breaching the barrier might require additional alicorn assistance. Lacking any other members of her kind beyond her sister, she created an academy for gifted unicorns, seeking an ideal aid. After years of searching and training numerous apprentices, she finally found what she was searching for in a unicorn called Twilight Sparkle. A magical prodigy from a young age, more than two decades of Celestia’s tutelage eventually enabled Twilight to transcend her mortal form and become an alicorn, whereupon she was dubbed princess and made equal to the two royal siblings. Now, this is just a theory mind you, but I think this is where the roots of the end came from. Luna had just witnessed her sister elevate a subject to an equal within what to her was a very short time. She had many servants, an order sworn to her, and as many assistants as she could want, but no students. Now the dynamic between her sister and herself had been disrupted by a third alicorn. To make matters worse, Luna had had only cursory involvement in Twilight’s training, while Celestia had been very close. Twilight was almost unconditionally loyal to Celestia, meaning that whenever the sisters disagreed, Celestia always had an extra vote. No longer was compromise necessary. This is just so much guesswork, though. Anyway, the beginning of the end came with the loss of Sombra. A well-known war leader of the Crystal Kingdom, descended from the line of the original ruler, he was famed for taking the fight to the enemy. After one too many expeditions into the north to eliminate orcs, he vanished. You may know him as the Dark General, leader of Izrador’s armies. How he got that way nopony knows, but at the time he was just thought dead. It was another blow to an already weakened nation. A handful of years after Sombra vanished, the orcs struck anew in full force. This time, they already seemed to know every defense, every strategy, every weak point before a battle began. They poured over the Crystal Kingdom, finally annihilating it after so many generations of trying. Then they moved on to Equestria proper. It’s important to remember that while the periphery of the nation had been suffering badly, the interior had existed in comparative luxury. Little violence, long lifespans, plenty of food, and few enemies. Is it any wonder they had grown soft? The campaign was swift and merciless, with most resistance falling to the Shadow’s army in weeks. The enemy’s numbers seemed endless, and many feared the end had come. With the Dark General closing in on Canterlot, the princesses were finally forced to cast aside their long isolation and openly lead their Orders again. Princess Twilight left the city to oversee defenses along the nation’s western flank, while the sisters remained in the city to plan its defense. When at last the enemy arrived at Canterlot, the ponies inside made ready for a long siege. The royal siblings themselves donned their ancient armor and prepared to lead the defense personally. They flew out to thunderous cheers from their subjects. And yet, before they had so much as touched the enemy, Princess Luna ran Princess Celestia through from behind, horn piercing her heart. That was the signal. The Order of the Night turned on its comrades en mass, killing hundreds of defenders and throwing the city gates wide open. With Luna at their head, Izrador’s forces sacked Canterlot within a single day. From there, the task was easy. Luna and Sombra had little difficulty in subduing the scattered remnants of Equestria’s armies, knowing as they did their every leader and move. Princess Twilight managed only to escape with some vestiges of the Order of the Day, the Royal Guard, militia fighters, and even some honorable members of the Order of the Night. She was somehow able to control the Everfree Forest making it into the last fortress of resistance. They say she hides there to this day, trying now only to keep the light from dying out entirely. If what I heard is true, she's the one who's been trying to get these stories told. As for Luna, she was crowned the Nightmare Queen of a reforged Canterlot. Equestria is hers to rule. Sombra holds the Crystal Kingdom. And above them all lies Izrador and his Order of the Shadow, the church that governs us all. Orcs occupy our lands. Our people are enslaved. The Shadow rules, and our world is his.
PonyvilleThe creature moved through the grey morass, eyes vigilant for the lights it craved. It didn’t know what it was or what it had been, if it had ever been anything else. All around it was merely a shapeless, misty grey blur. All it felt was the gnawing hunger that permeated its very being, driving it to seek out the lights. There! In the distance. A light, dull and dimmed by the endless grey, but visible to the creature nonetheless. It didn’t need any encouragement to move as quickly as it could go. The light grew and grew in its vision, golden rays leading the creature to its food. The light was moving but slowly, much too slowly. The creature pounced, drawing the light into itself. Images flashed through the creature's mind, but they meant nothing to it. It consumed the light in its entirety, reveling in the brief reprieve from the endless craving that defined its existence. Then the moment passed, and the creature was hungry again. … “All praise to Izrador, the Shadow, He whose reign shall be forever!” lead Nightflower, Legate of the Order of the Shadow. “All praise,” chanted back the population of Ponyville. It was midnight, the time of Izrador’s service. Anypony not present would soon find cause to regret it. “All praise to the Dark God, He who sees all, knows all, and rules all!” “All praise.” “All praise to He to whom we owe everything!” “All praise.” “To Izrador, we offer our lives!” “Our lives.” “Our service!” “Our service.” “Our souls!” “Our souls.” “All praise!” “All praise.” “All praise!” “All praise.” “ALL PRAISE!” “ALL PRAISE!” “All hail,” Nightflower half-whispered, abasing herself before the sacred symbol of the Horned Skull affixed to the high wall of the Temple of the Shadow. The rest of Ponyville quickly joined the light blue unicorn in bowing, from her fellow unicorn legates and acolytes to the lowliest earth pony menial slave. A few moments passed in near-silence as the civilians awaited the order to get up again. Nightflower allowed them to wait, savoring the moment as she felt the slightest touch of her god’s attention on the congregation. Then it was gone, and she signaled the rest to resume their feet. “And now,” she intoned in her best solemn voice, “The time has come. Five weeks it has been. Five weeks since the sacred rite. Now we once again prove our devotion by offering that which Izrador prizes above all else: the blood of a traitor.” She looked out, to see if anypony was reacting. She was almost disappointed that nopony was – it made dissidents easier to identify. Two acolytes waited by a small cloth-covered basin in the floor. At the Legate’s approach, they slowly removed the cloth, folded it, and set it aside. Inside the basin was a small pool of utterly black reflective liquid, its surface completely devoid of even the slightest ripple or blemish. One of Izardor’s Black Mirrors, set to drain the magic from the land. And now, it required blood. “Bring in the prisoner!” A pair of guards filed down the main aisle of the temple, dragging an elderly green pony behind them. Bound and gagged, she could do little but glare angrily at her tormentors. Nopony so much as gasped or whispered when they recognized the well-known and loved matriarch of many of the local farms, so well-conditioned were they. Not a few had seen their own friends and family go the mirror before. “Granny Smith,” Nightflower declared, magically amplifying her voice to boom throughout the Temple of Shadow. “Nine days prior, you objected to the amount of food the Shadow required of you. To compound your sin, you struck at a Legate.” At this, the audience did gasp. To strike a Legate was unthinkable, the act only of the suicidal and insane. Those who knew the old pony better questioned how she would have survived as long as she had had she genuinely been so foolhardy, but kept such thoughts to themselves. “A Legate is the ultimate representative of the Dark God to his subjects! To strike at a Legate is to strike at Izrador himself! And for that...” Nightflower paused. When she spoke again her voice was much lower, more hissing, “There can only be one penalty.” The guards dragged their prisoner to the base of the Black Mirror. Granny Smith didn’t bother to struggle; it would have done no good, and put her family in even more danger besides, if that was possible. Her bare throat hung over the mirror, ready to drop her life’s blood into the depths. “But Izrador is not without mercy,” Nightflower continued, “And as such, I offer the family of this traitorous scum a chance to redeem itself.” She took the sacred dagger from its anointed resting place, the sharpened obsidian glinting in the pale light of the temple’s blue torches. “Applejack! Come to me!” she called into the crowd. Slowly, reluctantly, an orange earth pony made her way out of the crowd and down the aisle. Eyes followed her every step of the way as she climbed the steps to the sacred alter of the temple. The more superstitious among them would later swear they saw the space where Horned Skull’s eyes would have been following her. The whole way, she never took her eyes off her own hooves – a wise precaution. “Y’all called, ma’am,” she said, her head and ears deferentially low. Nightflower nodded. “You are a loyal subject of Izrador, are you not?” “Yes ma’am,” Applejack replied, still not glancing up or at her grandmother. “And you know your place in the divine order of things?” “Yes ma’am.” “And you do not object to the sacrifice of your traitor grandmother to the Shadow?” Applejack’s eyes briefly wavered, stealing the glance at Granny Smith before settling back on her hooves. “… No ma’am.” Nightflower nodded, looking satisfied. “Good. Then I grant you the honor of cleansing your bloodline of treachery. You will be the one to end her life.” That got a reaction. Applejack’s eyes shot wide, and she almost looked up into the Legate’s eyes, before checking herself at the last second. “What?! But I…” she trailed off briefly, then swallowed. “I-I ain’t qualified! I can’t do any of them rituals or-” Nightflower cut her off, bending down slightly to address her. “I assure you that all will be well in hand. I simply felt that an upstanding citizen of your stature should have the opportunity to purge the rot from your family. Are you saying that you do not wish for it?” Applejack swallowed, hesitating. Nightflower whispered so softly that the earth pony could have sworn it was magical. “And I should hate to imagine what might happen if it transpires that the corruption goes deeper than one member. You have such a lovely brother and sister. It would be such a shame.” Applejack swallowed again, then finally nodded, tears dripping down her cheeks. Nightflower smiled. “It gladdens me to know that your heart is true.” She turned to the acolytes behind her. “Begin!” The unicorns began chanting, their horns uniformly glowing a dark grey. In a language very few ponies outside the Order of the Shadow knew, they sang praises to Izrador, offering him the blood he had commanded. They chanted long lists of his names in demonic tongues not even they understood. They spat blasphemies at the false deity Celestia, and thanked Izrador for bringing the world enlightenment. Nightflower listened contentedly, enjoying the power she could feel in their words, and relishing what was to come next. “Now,” she whispered, placing the dagger in Applejack’s hoof. “Do it now.” The earth pony looked at the obsidian, hesitating, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks. “Do it!” Nightflower hissed more impatiently. “I… I… I….” Applejack was openly choking back sobs. “Now!” Tears ran down Applejack’s cheeks like a waterfall. Shutting her eyes tight, she placed the blade along her grandmother’s throat. She couldn’t bear to look at her. The old mare’s expression wasn’t anger, disappointment, or even fear. It was just a calm, almost lifeless acceptance. She might have been dead already. Then Applejack slit her throat, and she was. … The sun slowly rose above Ponyville. Pale, weak, and sickly-looking, its rays barely pierced the cloud layer seeming to hang perpetually above that benighted community. The town nonetheless gave thanks for the meager light and warmth it offered them. With the sun came some measure of safety from the ever-lurking Fell, the orcs, and of course, their masters. Most ponies had been asleep since the past night. One had not. Applejack barely managed to limp out of the meager farmhouse door, mane ruined, eyes dry and bloodshot from a night of crying. Big Mac had been in the temple, but he hadn’t said a word to her all night, just stared sadly. That had only made her feel worse. At least he’d done something about Apple Bloom, who had been too young to be present. Applejack might have been thankful for small mercies if she weren’t so utterly consumed with grief and self-loathing. She looked at the Apple Family’s old barn, picturing herself hanging from a noose from its rafters. After what she had done, the notion was attractive. “Don’t do that,” said the all-too-familiar voice in her head. “Why not?” Applejack managed between sobs. “And shut up! Can’t y’all see I’m tryin’ ta mourn here?” “Because so many others depend on you as well. Your family, your friends, us. We need you, Applejack. We need you to be strong.” “Strong? STRONG?! Y’all don’t know the meanin’ a the word strong! I had to sacrifice my own Granny! What the buck you ever done, huh? Safe in that there forest a yours! What have you ever lost?!” “More than you know,” said the voice, now more subdued. “Just shut up already.” “No. You need attention. Without me, you might do something foolish in your emotional state.” “Y’all think I’m an idiot?!” “I think you’re angry. Angry at Nightflower for what happened. Angry at me for not bursting in and stopping it. Angry at yourself for what you did. I think you might just go charging off to try and kill her if I leave you be.” “And why shouldn’t I?” “Because that would be foolish in the extreme. She’s well-guarded, in her place of power, and a powerful Legate besides. And even if you somehow did it, what do you suppose would happen next? You’d die. Then your entire family would be executed. Do you want more of their blood on your hands?” Applejack had no answer. “And then your farm would be burnt to the ground. The other ponies would be forced to toil even harder and longer, and give up more food. Another Legate would come here to replace her. You would solve nothing, and breed only more misery. Is that what you want?” “N-no.” “Good. Now please, stop imagining yourself committing suicide.” “You ain’t the boss a me!” “No? As I recall, you swore eternal loyalty to me when you became one of my Avatars.” “Shut up!” “No.” “I’m not just some lackey for y’all to order around! If I wanta end it, I’m gonna! What’s the point a existin’ when you’ve done what I’ve done?” “To fight this.” “Then let me fight! All y’all ever want me to do is watch n’ wait, watch n’ wait. Sometimes I move ponies to the Everfree, and that’s it! I didn’t sign up fer this just to sit here in silence as everypony suffers and dies! If yer so big and powerful, then help me!” “I promise you that I am doing all I can. Even now, I’m already working on more than a dozen other tasks at once.” “Well when is “all I can” gonna involve getting ‘round to savin’ this town?!” “Applejack, I work weeks without sleep just to save this forest.” “Well, good fer y’all! In case y’all haven’t noticed, me an’ mine don’t exactly live there! We’re stuck here! Why should I go on workin’ for y’all when y’all are too busy with yer precious trees to protect us?!” “For the same reason you came to me in the first place: for the sake of the future. Before you do anything rash, think of what it will mean for the future.” Applejack sat outside the farmhouse, deep in thought. Eventually, she spoke to the voice again. “Can y’all… Can y’all at least take Applebloom an’ Big Mac? Keep ‘em safe? I just… can’t think a losin’ them too.” “I wish I could, but… If they disappear but you stay, your cover will almost certainly be blown. I know Nightflower threatened them last night, she’s far too cunning to fail to connect the dots if they’re suddenly gone.” “Then… can y’all take just Apple Bloom? I can’t just let her grow up in a place like this?” “I’ll see what I can do. That’s all I can promise for now.” Applejack nodded. “Thanks, Twilight.”
CanterlotCanterlot. Once a city of the royal diarchs, it was now abundantly clear that there was only one ruler of the land. By the order of Luna, the Nightmare Queen, the city had been rebuilt after its sacking in the Last War. The buildings now sported the queen’s colors: night black, with glittering white gems artfully embedded in tasteful patterns. In its own way, the city was beautiful. More important was a difference only a unicorn could sense: that alone of Equestria’s sizable cities, magic flowed freely in Canterlot. None of Izardor’s Black Mirrors drained this land, a fact for which the city’s unicorns gave deep thanks to their queen. Orcs were banned from the city, the Order of the Night serving instead to secure it. Both of these things did not serve to endear the city and its queen to the rest of the Shadow’s forces, but the dark god himself seemed to tolerate the arrangement. For the moment, at any rate. … “May the Night Court come to order! Order!” shouted Sounding Trumpet, Queen Luna’s royal announcer. The assorted nobles, commanders, and Legates had been busy chatting, plotting, and making deals as they awaited the ruler’s arrival. To the extent that he was heard at all, he was generally ignored. “Order! The Queen approaches! Order!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. That got everypony’s attention well enough. The chatter dulled to a low whisper, and then nothing at all. The unicorn stallion cleared his throat and waited. Moments passed, and then he raised a horn to his lips and blew. A long, low note rang over the expectant ponies. “Make way! Make way for Her Majesty Luna, the Nightmare Queen, Lady of the Night, Duchess of Canterlot, Slayer of a Thousand Foes, Lady-Marshal of the Order of the Night, Ruler of the Celestial Bodies, Regent of Izrador, She whose reign is forever! All hail!” Silence fell as the stallion’s voice died off. A chill drifted through the throne room as the assorted dignitaries backed away from the rich blue-silver carpet in its center. The queen required a clear path to the throne. All eyes settled on the massive double doors, some in anticipation, others in fear. Not a sound could be heard from beyond, but anypony with even the slightest magical senses could feel what was coming. Without warning or pretense, the doors of the throne room flung themselves open. Anypony foolish enough to have gotten too close would have been crushed, though this time at least nopony had. Two armored unicorns stepped through. Members of the Queensguard, an elite unit of the Order of the Night selected for prowess physical and magical, as well as loyalty, they were ever with their sovereign. Behind them walked the last of the pureblooded alicorns. Towering above even the largest stallion, her coat was the inky black color of a moonless night. Her majestic, flowing blue main glittered with the stars of her sky. Her long wings were folded neatly at her side; her sharp, polished horn reflected the torchlight. She wore elegant slippers of glittering blue glass, a blue-black brooch decorated with replicas of her finest constellations, and a silver crown decorated with beautifully-carved blue diamonds. At Luna’s appearance, the entire court, dozens of ponies, wordlessly dropped to their knees before their Nightmare Queen. Lady Rarity stood not far from her husband, Prince Blueblood, as the queen entered and the doors sealed themselves behind her. They too abased themselves before his distant relative, their eyes low to the floor. Awe and fear chilled her blood. Inside Rarity’s mind, somepony else had a very different reaction. “Traitor,” Princess Twilight’s voice hissed. “Murderer. Kin-slayer.” Rarity almost winced. It was always this way in Luna’s presence. Twilight Sparkle might have been busy at all hours of day and night, but she always found a way to spare a fragment of herself to watch the Nightmare Queen through her Avatar’s eyes. Even the smallest piece of information could prove vital. And not once in all Rarity’s years had she been able to look at the other alicorn without voicing her hatred for her. Rarity always feared that Luna might somehow hear, however many times Twilight had assured her that it wouldn’t happen unless she tried channeling her own power through Rarity’s form. Luna proceeded down the carpet to her throne, not even seeming to look at the crowd around her. Two guards preceded her, two followed. In all her years she had never been without guards in public, a fact Twilight had attributed to her keen awareness of the dangers of betrayal. She sat herself down on the throne slowly, gazing imperiously down on her subjects. She allowed the moment to linger before gesturing to Sounding Trumpet. “All rise!” he yelled out, blowing his horn again. “Queen Luna will now hear your petitions.” Slowly, the assembled audience got to its hooves. The chattering from before was gone, replaced by utter rapt attention. Luna nodded to Sounding, and his horn glowed as he held a long scroll in front of his face. “Lord Blinding Light, Her Majesty will now hear your petition for redress of grievance against Legate Ivy Heart.” The indicated stallion stepped out of the crowd. An older, light orange specimen, he wore a well-tailored shirt and coat in purple and green, his house colors. “Your majesty,” he bowed low before regaining his hooves and beginning his speech. “Our house has served you and Izrador for generations. You know well that we have always been loyal, always contributed to the war efforts, always rooted out traitors wherever we have found them-” “We would appreciate it if thou wouldst get to thy point. We have much work to do this night.” Nopony knew why the queen insisted on speaking in such an archaic manner, nor why she had forbidden others from doing so. All they knew was that it was her will, and thus it was so, Lord Light was clearly somewhat flustered at being interrupted, but quickly came to the conclusion that most of the ponies had: if Luna did not wish to indulge in the usual court theatrics, she must be very impatient and irritable indeed. A wise pony wouldn’t wish to draw her ire. He cleared his throat, sweating slightly and tugging at his suddenly too-tight collar. “Of course, Your Majesty. My grievance is this: during a recent inspection of my family’s iron mines, Legate Heart confiscated over a score of earth pony slaves from my servants without explanation or compensation. Iron production subsequently fell by over twelve percent, forcing me to open my reserve stock to meet quota. I shall have to do so for at least another week until the replacements I purchased arrive. I seek compensation for the lost slaves, iron, and production.” “And in what form dost thou seek thy compensation?” “Your Majesty, I ask that-” What Lord Light was going to ask Rarity never found out, for he was yet again cut off. This time, the interruption came from the doors bursting open and a soft purple unicorn storming in. The court gave a collective gasp at such raw impudence, and Luna narrowed her eyes in annoyance at the intruder. Any other pony would have been put to death on the spot for such insubordination, but Grand Legate Flashfire was the Order of the Shadow’s highest representative in Canterlot. She was known to be somewhat eccentric and usually avoided court, meaning that whatever had driven her here must be important. “Speak,” Luna said, “What doth thou wish?” Flashfire shook her head. “Not I. Our master would speak to you.” Luna’s eyes went wide, then narrowed to slits. “Out,” she demanded, her voice dangerously low. “Out, all of you.” Lord Light was utterly befuddled. “But, Your Majesty-” The Nightmare Queen turned to stare at him. He ran from the court with his tail between his legs. Rarity, in the crowd with the others, was already being seized by a will that wasn’t her own. “I have to hear this. Izrador himself speaking to the traitor-witch? The sheer value of this conversation is beyond measure.” “But I’m not sure even I can hide from-” “Do it!” came the princess’s voice, in a tone that brooked no argument. When Rarity looked, her feet had already started trying to wind their way out of the stampeding court ponies. She ducked, dodged, bumped, apologized, and generally found a path free with all the grace that could be expected from her. She didn’t see where her husband had gone, for which she was a little sorry. He was such a nervous wreck. If his “auntie” hadn’t intervened, a unicorn of such low magical talent almost certainly would have wound up sacrificed to a Black Mirror. His position and very existence were totally dependent on the good will of a volatile mare he knew full well was willing to kill even the closest of relations. It would be enough to drive anypony crazy with fear. Still, her duty to the world’s future came before her sympathies to the stallion she had wed. If Princess Twilight wanted to hear this conversation, Lady Rarity would do her utmost to make it so. She made her way through the castle corridors until she found her usual small, out of the way storage chamber. She shed her outer lair of finery, even mussing her exquisitely-groomed mane. Underneath was a far simpler brown outfit, one often worn by menial castle servants. A small illusion concealed her horn from casual view. She wished she had the time and materials to die her coat a less vibrant color, but she hadn’t a moment to spare. In her servant disguise, Rarity climbed a set of stairs to the level above the castle’s throne room. On the way, she had to dodge a pair of patrolling guards, silence an enchantment of detection, and hide herself beneath a bed in a servant’s quarters. Not many ponies knew it, but there was a tiny crack in the ceiling of the throne room that, with a little encouragement, had worked its way to the corner of the servant chamber. Thanks to the room’s odd acoustics, Luna’s propensity for loud speech, and Rarity’s own naturally keen hearing, by pressing her ear to the corner the white unicorn could just barely make out what was being said below. All she heard was the sound of one set of hooves hitting the stone floor over and over – presumably, the Nightmare Queen was pacing. Rarity held still for several minutes, heart steadily beating faster as she imagined all the scenarios in which she might be caught. She was a spy, not a fighter, and the longer she stayed here the greater the odds became that somepony would wander in and capture her. She could call on a portion of Twilight’s power if needed, but that would expose her utterly. Still, the princess was adamant that Rarity hold her position until they had heard what was about to be said, and so she did. Without warning, a spasm wracked Rarity’s body. She rolled away, flailing wildly, flecks of spit flinging from her open mouth. If her vocal cords had been working, she would have screamed. As it was, she kicked out and spasmed hard. She hit the bed and floor, making plenty of noise. Just as suddenly as they had started, the fits ended, and Rarity was instead enveloped in the sensation of extreme cold. She shivered, feeling like she was in a blizzard without the slightest shelter or heat. “He’s here,” even Twilight’s voice was tinged with fear, “Listen, quickly!” Slowly, mustering all the willpower she possessed, Rarity dragged herself back to the spot and pressed her ear to the ground. “-canst thou not just send Sombra to do it? He is thy general, let him handle such a lowly task.” “He has disappointed me of late.” Rarity felt like she was about to die. The voice she heard drove her to abase herself even as light and warmth seemed to disappear around her. “This wast not our agreement, Izrador. We have more than fulfilled our end of the bargain. We are a queen, not an errand-foal.” “A queen would control her subjects.” “We do control our subjects!” “Perhaps that explains why no less than three of them are eavesdropping on us at this very moment?” Rarity’s blood chilled. Of course, how could a mere roof hope to hide her from a god? She’d be found, captured, dragged before him to have her soul flayed and her secrets pried out and… “Get out of there! Now!” Twilight’s voice snapped Rarity back to reality from her very vivid imaginations of the tortures she would endure. She had just begun moving when Luna spoke again. “Bah! ‘Tis merely the court gossips! A few nights in chains should teach them some respect!” “…As you say.” When the guards stormed in moments later to arrest her, Rarity could have sobbed with relief.
