The Everfree: a place of unrestrained freedom.
In a land where everything from the daily patterns of weather, to even the movement of astral bodies, adhered to a pre-planned schedule designed to ensure maximum efficiency from the environment, the Everfree forest stood out as the bastion of the true, unyielding strength of nature: a place where Mother Nature was free from the shackles with which the ponies of Equestria sought to entrap her. Even from a distance it was impossible to mistake the thick, dark band of the Everfree for anything other than what it truly was: a place that desired not the artificial influence of equine life. At its borders the very outer-most trees stood like sentinels of timber; silent wardens whose arching branches, draped in thick, heavy foliage and moss, served to obscure the hidden depths of the forest from those who would've attempted to divine what secrets lay hidden in its depths.
A pall of arcane energy hung over the forest; a shawl of ancient, weighted magic that seemed to cause a disquieting in the soul, filling the hearts of all those who dared to breach the interior with a pervasive, constant sense of fear, of wrongness. There was something about that magic, something that hinted at calamity and doom. For those who lacked witch-sight, this sense of impending catastrophe manifested itself through the wrongness. But for those who possessed the aethereal talent, and dared open their minds to the unrestricted power that flowed through the dense woodland, the very air itself echoed with the dying rings of an ancient cataclysm, the final death-throes of a great battle that had sundered the tranquillity of the woods, and twisted the remains into the wild, and uncontrollable entity that would come to be known as the Everfree.
It was within this primeval forest that Shining Armour found himself, the captain of the Celestial Guard forging his path forwards through the thick, tangled undergrowth. The Everfree was a dark place even by day, the canopy overhead blocking most of the light from reaching the forest-floor. But by night the place became consumed by shadows, the only illumination coming from the rare beams of silver moonlight that filtered through from above, painting everything about them in pale, monochromatic tones. In a way, the precious beams were beautiful in their rarity, their pallid light serving to portray the frightening aura of the Everfree in a new light, but Shining Armour had no time to consider the gentle magnificence of Luna's illumination; he was on a mission.
Being captain of the Celestial Guard, Shining Armour was charged with much more than simply the defence of the royal sisters. To him fell the duty of protecting the nation of Equestria and her citizens. True: he lacked the raw power of the mighty alicorns. And true: he didn't wield the epic abilities of the Elements of Harmony. But where others could not succeed, he was charged with delivering victory. As powerful as Celestia and Luna were, they were politicians, not soldiers. Yes they had lead the nation on campaign before, against the tyranny of the Sombra's Crystal Empire, and the mind-twisting madness of Discord's chaos, but in all instances their talents were employed at the culmination of each campaign, when the armies of Equestria came into confrontation with an opponent who couldn't be broken by the mere application of military force. In essence, they were glass cannons: immensely powerful in aethereal abilities, but easily shattered when faced with arduous physical challenges.
The same could be said for the Elements of Harmony; his sister Twilight and her five friends. Though they bore powers that had been old when the world was young, the Elements were treasures of the state, assets that could not be deployed lightly. The selection process for an Element was a mysterious affair, something that not even the royal sisters truly understood. There could be a gap of centuries between the death of a bearer and the selection of a new one, and as a result the current wielders were simply too valuable to be marched to the front every time a foreign enemy reared its head. Not only that, but eight individuals, no matter how strong their magical abilities, could never wage a war on their own. Battles were won with soldiers. Sieges were conducted with artillery batteries. Weapons were wielded by the common trooper. It was simply a matter of fact that the maintenance of a permanent military force was necessary to ensure the nations safety, and as such, whenever a threat to the nation revealed itself, it was in Shining Armour and his soldiers that the ponies of Equestria invested their trust.
But tonight was different.
Though he'd led mass-charges of hundreds of soldiers. Though he'd been the first through the breach when they'd invaded the hives of the changeling swarm. Though he'd duelled with dragons and parried the blades of demons, Shining Armour had never been alone in his endeavours. No colt was an island, and such was especially true for a commander and his troops. Without ponies to command, all his tactical knowledge, all his strategic acumen, was useless. Without a captain to lead them, the fighting strength of the armed forces was worthless, nothing more than a disorganised rabble of blind colts who would swiftly fall to the predations of the enemy. Thus were the two positions symbiotic, one being unable to survive without the other.
Yet tonight there were no soldiers, and Shining Armour marched alone.
Suddenly the blinding tangles of the Everfree parted, Shining Armour emerging from his thoughts to find the undergrowth had yielded to a tunnel of open space. Looking to the ground beneath him, Shining Armour saw that the tangling vines and clumped brambles of the forest floor had given way to the crack paving-stones of a crumbling road, weeds sprouting up through gaps between the split stones. Stretching away to his left and right were the remnants of a cobblestone road, lit by a thin beam of moonlight that ran down its centre. Roughly ten meters wide, the trees on either side of the road towered above it, their branches forming an arch overhead, though they didn't quite stretch far enough across to encapsulate the passage completely, the road seemingly akin to a warren that had been burrowed through the living matter of the forest. The captain allowed a faint grin of victory to pass over his muzzle.
Pausing for a few moments, Shining armour gazed up at the gap in the branches above him. Above the canopy, the moon hung as a fat sphere of silver, the captain utilising the astral bodies position in the sky and comparing it against the mental map in his mind in order to confirm his bearings. Though he'd been briefed on his route of entry by Princess Celestia, who had already informed him that he would have to use the decrepit highway, Shining Armour knew that in the depths of the Everfree there was no room for error: one small mistake and he could end up trekking in circles for the rest of his natural life. Finding himself to be on course, the captain turned to his left, his muzzle pointing northwards, and continued on to his destination: the Royal Ruins.
A secret kept hidden from the public, and only revealed to a bare minimum number of state officials, the Royal Ruins were the earthly remains of what had once been one of the greatest structures in existence. In a time before the construction of Canterlot, and the Nightmare Heresy, the royal bloodline of Equestria had reigned from deep within the seclusion of the Everfree, in a castle that had taken over a century to build. There had been stored vast archives of data, the wealth of the nation, and innumerable relics of historical and political importance. Not only that, but buried beneath the crumbling structure were a honey-comb of catacombs and buried vaults, locked and sealed with powerful arcane wards. Within each was a held an item of vast aethereal powers, treasures of antiquity whose origin and purpose had long since been lost.
The palace above had once been just as incredible, an epic structure of elegant, fluted towers and cavernous, light filled halls. The walls were said to have been decked with tapestries from as far away as Saddle Arabia, each depicting a pivotal moment of Equestria's history, whilst the marble floors had been covered in thick, luxurious carpets of scarlet red. Golden filigree had covered every sculpted surface, every decorative statue had been carved with such accuracy they could have been alive, and the surrounding gardens had been riots of colour, flower beds springing to life with breath-taking colour, whilst the air had filled with the scents of summer pollen and the discourse of the nobility. Truly, the ancient palace had been a magnificent place, a testament to the power of the royal bloodline.
And yet for all its past glory it was no more than a ruin.
When Princess Luna had succumbed to the whispered predations of Nightmare Moon, her alter ego taking possession of the royal mare's body and plunging Equestria into three centuries of civil war, the ancient palace had been at the epicentre of the conflict, for that was where Queen Nightmare Moon based her court, driving the solar princess from the palace and pushing her forces to the brink of defeat. It was only three hundred years later, after thousands of innocents had been slain and the memory of the sun's light nearly forgotten, that Celestia had managed to return: single-hoofedly penetrating the arcane wards that enshrouded the structure and battling through the occupying garrison before coming face to face with the creature that wore her sisters skin. In a final confrontation that had brought the palace crumbling to the ground around them, the two demigods had traded aethereal blows that would have shattered a mere mortal. Thrice Nightmare Moon had nearly ended her opponents life. Thrice had Celestia's holy light nearly banished the Night-terror from the mortal realm. Yet it wasn't until Celestia finally realised, on the verge of death, what truly needed to be done, that she'd secure victory with her final sanction: the Elements of Harmony.
What followed was now a part of history; the banishment of Nightmare Moon and the prophecy of her return confined to esoteric tomes in the archives of the new Canterlot palace. Yet not once in the millennium since her disappearance and eventual return had Celestia ever returned to what would come to be known as the Royal Ruins, instead shunning the place and allowing the Everfree to reclaim the rubble, choking the structure in a new layer of plant-growth. The palace, the relics, and even records of what occurred there sealed away for only those elect few to bear knowledge over. Nothing dwelled amongst the ruins now, save only the ghosts of the past, and the eternal, haunting legacy of a conflict that had ripped the nation apart.
Yet now Shining Armour hunted for something amongst those ruins.
Only mere hours ago he'd been preparing to retire in his chambers, to get some much-needed rest and dream of his bride-to-be, yet barely had the door to his cell been closed before the sharp report of an armoured hoof against wood had given him cause to open it again. Upon being informed that the solar princess requested his presence, Shining Armour had made his way to the throne room to discover his ruler upon the chamber's balcony, gazing out across the Everfree as the cold night air whipped through her pastel mane. As ever, the sight of his ruler had inspired awe within the captain, the solar princess radiating an aura of authority and benevolence that none in her service dared to question. It had been upon that balcony, with a bent knee, that Shining Armour had been delegated his task, assigned the mission that had brought him to this twisted, shadowed place.
Something was stirring amongst the Royal Ruins, something powerful and ancient.
Though the Everfree was silent all around the captain as he made his way up the cracked road, Shining Armour could sense that beyond the meagre light of the moon, creatures stirred in the shadows, watching him with hungry, predatory eyes. As wild as the forest was, it was no surprise that within its depths could be found creatures that had long died out in other regions of Equestria: Manticore's, Chimera's, Hydra's, and all manner of beasts that had long been immortalised in mythology. From the very first moment that he'd entered the forest, passing from the light of the moon into its hidden, shadowed depths, Shining Armour had been wary of being attacked, constantly alert for any sign that one of the beasts would be attempting to make a meal of him. Yet two hours had passed, and still not one of the creatures had revealed themselves to him. In fact, the Everfree was incredibly silent, with nary a sound carrying through its depths.
It was as if the whole forest were hushed, every creature recognising that amongst them stalked a predator with capabilities far beyond their own.
Ahead of him was a small ball of silver light that grew larger with each step he took: the end of the tunnel and his destination. Shining Armour felt something tense in his heart as he approached, a knot of trepidation forming in his stomach. He was by no means under-equipped for his mission, clad head to hoof as he was in the golden armour of the Celestial Guard: every plate of protective metal covered in swirling spirals and elegant patterns of flowing geometrics, with the venerable weapon Starlight Wrath strapped to his flank, its twin heads glinting an icy cyan in the moon light. Yet he knew that in the battle to come, his gear would come second in the fight for his survival. It was his skill with a blade he would have to rely on, his innate agility, and his own determination to succeed. The Everfree was an unholy place, saturated with raw power that twisted the bodies of any who dwelled within for too long; most likely whatever creature he was about to face would represent one of the greatest challenges of his marshal career.
At last he arrived at the end of the tunnel, emerging out onto a crumbling viaduct which spanned a yawning chasm. Beneath him was a fast flowing river, its waters reduced to white froth as it raced over dagger-edged rocks. On either side of the ravine were sheer-face walls of grey granite, twinkling with minuscule mineral deposits. On the other side of the bridge, whose road was partially collapsed in several places, stood the entrance to the Royal Ruins: a monolithic gate way between two fat towers, the rusted portcullis partially dropped, making the structure reminiscent of the gaping maw of some great leviathan predator. Beyond the gateway was nothing but ink-black shadows, the ruins interior hidden from view. Shining Armour took a few moments to gauge the situation, his keen eyes scanning the ruined battlements above in search of any signs of habitation. His skin crawled with the unsettling sensation that he was being observed, yet no watcher made themselves evident. Preparing himself to press forward, Shining Armour took Starlight Wrath from his armoured flank, the twin heads of the venerable weapon flaring with arcane power as he took it in his grip.
Pausing long enough to mutter a prayer to Faust, Shining Armour stepped out onto the bridge.
The crossing was treacherous, the stones beneath him giving out several times when he put his hoof down on a stone no longer strong enough to support his weight; the block plummeting from the bridge into the rapids below. After fifteen minutes he was stood within the shadows of the gatehouse, slowly edging into the darkness. His initial penetration of the ruins was slow, the captain giving himself a few minutes to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Although it would have been easier to simply ignite his horn to illuminate his path, Shining Armour knew that doing so would give away his position, both physically from the light it would give off, and via the aethereal ripples utilising his magic would create; there were more than a few predators in the Everfree who could track and sense the use of the magic.
His eyes finally adjusting, Shining Armour took a few small, tentative steps deeper into the shadows, his ears flicking as the echo of his hoofsteps rang through the abandoned, dust laden halls of the ruins. For a few tense moments the captain waited with baited breath, waiting in silence to see if anything stirred in response to his entrance, but after a full three minutes of nothing but absolute silence he determined that for the moment he was alone, and began to press forwards into the waiting shadows.
Truthfully, Shining Armour didn't quite know what he was searching for, what manner of threat had brought him out into the depths of the Everfree in the dark of night to go hunting through the Royal Ruins. Celestia hadn't been very specific within him, stating only that the presence she detected was hungering for something, and that it would not stop until that hunger had been sated. Perhaps it was a changeling swarm, he theorised as he passed from the gatehouse into a long cavernous hall, moonlight spilling in through shattered stained-glass windows. It had already been confirmed the insectile species shared something akin to a hive-mind, and it wasn't uncommon for large gatherings of the species to generate a formidable aethereal presence.
Beneath his hooves, the rotten scarlet carpet gave way to the hefty weight of his armoured hooves, his progression leaving a trail of circular tracks in the dust-laden floor behind him. Between the large windows on either side of the halls towering walls hung banners which fluttered in the faint drafts that made their way through the shattered panes. A changeling swarm was certainly a viable option, yet nowhere could be find the tell-tale signs that accompanied changeling activity. Changelings never congregated in a swarm unless they were forming a new hive, but whenever that was the case they left behind plain evidence: chitinous honey-combs filled with their slime-filled gestation pods and excavations as they sought to extend their hive below the earth's surface. Not only were these signs lacking, but nowhere was there any evidence that another creature had stepped within these walls in generations. Surely if a swarm was here the dust covered floors would be criss-crossed with tracks like his own, yet the thick coating of particulates lay undisturbed, save for his own passage.
No, it wouldn't be changelings he would have to face.
Reaching the far end of the hall Shining Armour turned back to gaze down its length, the only sign that any living thing had passed by being his lonely tracks in the dust. Shining had no qualms with facing the enemy if it was required of him, after all it was his duty as a soldier to meet in battle those who threatened the nation he served. But still, the stallion couldn't help but wonder why he specifically had been tasked with rooting out whatever threat had made its lair amongst the ruins. Had he been met with a changeling infestation, Shining knew there was no way he alone would have been able to deal with the problem. Even a basic changeling hive comprised of two hundred individuals at the least, and though drones were by no means the deadliest opponents, in a swarm they could drown the opposition through sheer weight of numbers.
If it really had been a changeling hive, the captain thought as he slowly pushed open the double wooden doors at the end of the hall and proceeding forwards into yet another vast chamber, then why hadn't he been deployed with a platoon of the Celestial Guard? Far be it from him to question the judgement of his superior, but Shining Armour knew that dispatching a single individual such as himself to deal with what could potentially be a deadly threat wasn't exactly the best of notions. The captain wasn't under any illusions as to his own capabilities; he was perfectly aware that there were other out there far more qualified for a mission such as this. After all, his own sister was an Element of Harmony, and he did serve under two sisters who'd been in existence for thousands of years. If what was stirring amongst the ruins really was such an issue, why hadn't the Elements, or one of the princesses gotten involved?
The second hall was actually larger than the first; its roof higher, and the banners on the walls were more grandiose, though the passage of time had ruined their elaborate stitch-work. Roughly halfway down its length was a junction were another hall interceded with the one he was currently in to create a large cross-road; the atmosphere all about him deathly still. Approaching the intersection, Shining Armour stood at the centre of the cross-roads, slowly looking about himself. Whatever he was hunting for, it seemed that it was not yet aware of his presence. He took a deep sniff of the air, his nostrils filling with the heavy scent of dust. A trained solider, Shining Armour had long since learnt how to use his sense of smell to pick out the scent of the enemy, yet he could detect nothing in the heavy air, and for some reason that frightened him more than he imagined it would.
A loud slamming echoed from behind him.
With reflexes that had been honed through hours of intense training and discipline, Shining Armour spun about himself, Starlight Wrath raising into a guard position across the front of his body. At the end of the hallway, illuminated in a spot light of silver moonlight, the doorway he had passed through had slammed shut, the air around it made murky with kicked-up dust. Though a draft was flowing through the ruins, Shining Armour knew from both the weight of the door and the breeze's strength that it would have been too weak to close the door with its own force, and since it was unlikely that the doorway would have simply closed with such power on its own, he was only left with one conclusion: something had slammed that door.
An loud creaking emanated from behind him, not the same resounding impact of the closing door, but the shrill squeal of rusted hinges slowly being pulled open. Once more spinning, Shining Armour turned to face the other side of the hallway, his teeth gritted whilst his heart-rate began to increase, blood pumping through his body as he geared up for combat. At the end of the hall rose an elaborate staircase, a wide flight of stairs rising up five steps before terminating in a broad dais, upon which it split into two curved flights on each side, a statue of a rearing alicorn between them, both of which rose another thirty steps before reaching another dais against the wall, a large, gaping doorway set in its centre, the double doors within slowly opening of their own accord.
From beyond the portal shone the most baleful, haunting blue light.
As the squealing creak died away, echoing away into nothing, Shining Armour kept his attention fixed on the open doorway, ready at a moment's noticed to leap into action. Every muscle in his body was tense, coiled like a spring and simply waiting for the command to fire away. Starlight Wrath glowed an icy cyan, the anima spirit within registering its wielders tension and channelling more stored aethereal energy into the twin heads, causing faint wisps of blue lightning to flicker across its surface. The minutes stretched out, time seeming to drag by as Shining Armour simply waited; waited for the moment to attack and deal a dolorous blow. He was no fool he knew that if he were to investigate the source of light then he would be at a disadvantage, and have to fight on his opponents terms, assuming that it wasn't simply a trap designed to ensnare him and preventing him from fighting back.
Instead the captain maintained his position, knowing that if he could draw whoever had open the doors out it would be a fair fight. Yet it had already been ten minutes, and still the light beckoned, ebbing and flowing in an almost hypnotic fashion. There was something about it that drew Shining towards it, some indefinable quality that made he want to approach, to be bathed in its gentle glow. Though the rationale part of his mind insisted that he hold his position, Shining knew deep in his gut that he had no choice but to go forth and investigate. It was clear his opponent would not come to him, and the longer he waited the longer the enemy had time to plan their next move.
With no other options available, Shining Armour lowered Starlight Wrath and marched forwards. When he reached the staircase he promptly began his ascent, each armoured step deafeningly loud on the marble stair case in comparison to the absolute silence of the hallway. Passing the alicorn statue, Shining only gave it a cursory glance at most, noting that there was something oddly familiar about the vacant, yet tranquil expression it wore. Regardless, now was no time for him to be inspecting works of art, and the captain abandoned the notion of familiarity in a heartbeat. Finally coming to the upper most landing, he took a few moments to steel himself for what was about to come.
It was odd, he realised, how simply being on his own changed his whole outlook on the situation, Had his soldiers been here they would have been stacking up against the entrance, each ready to do their part to ensure the success of the mission. There was something comforting about the reassuring knowledge that no matter what the odds, he still had somepony watching his back. Yet now he was alone, nothing more than a single stallion against an opponent he had yet to even lay eye on. His isolation, the knowledge that should he fall there would be none to witness his final fate, filled Shining armour with both a sense of fear and relief. Fear due to the fact he was about to step into the unknown, and relief due to the fact that, in an bizarre way, he wasn't under any pressure to die the valiant hero.
Taking a final breath, he swung round the doorway's column and into the radiance of the blue light.
He was in yet another hall, the scarlet carpet still beneath him and the banners still hung from the walls. Yet this time it was different, in comparison to the other two chambers he'd already passed, what he had now entered was nothing short of epic in its proportions. Above the roof had collapsed entirely, letting the silver, waxen light of the moon pour down upon him. Twinkling against the vastness of space, the night sky was alive with thousands of winking diamonds, each a gem of pure starlight. Though the roof had completely caved in, the stained glass windows that lined the walls were still in perfect condition, with nary a scratch on their multi-hued surfaces. Upon each was a magnificent representation of ancient ponies of great importance, and in the closest window Shining Armour was able to make out the form of Star-swirl the Bearded with but a single glance. Taking in each detail in mere moments, Shining Armour finally focussed on the shallow dais that rose at the end of the hall, upon which was mounted a throne, occupied by the luminous form of a Luna Goddess.
Wait... what?
Shining Armour did a double take as he realised he wasn't alone. Yes, he'd known that his opponent would be waiting for his within this chamber, but for some reason his mind had to reprocess the implications of what that actually meant. Even from this distance he could tell she was divinely beautiful, her sleek, toned frame giving off a gentle cerulean light that seemed to emanate from within her being, contrasting sharply with an ink black coat, whilst her mane was similar to that of Princess Luna: a single, free-flowing mass of dark blue, speckled with twinkling lights reminiscent of stars. She was clad in plain, dark blue armour, the only ornamentation present being the crescent moon icon that adorned the chest-piece. A pair of ice cold eyes, thin slits like those of a dragon, watched him with frigid dispassion, the mare's expression aloof, and haughty. Shining Armour found himself enraptured, unable to look away the terrible beauty of the creature before him as a cruel smile slowly passed across her muzzle.
Then she simply flickered out of existence.
The only warning Shining Armour received of the incoming attack was the faint breath of wind on the back of his neck that accompanied his assailants movements. Ducking into a forward roll, Shining Armour clattered loudly against the floor as he barely dodged the near fatal blow, feeling his opponents blade whisking through the fine hairs of his tail. Bringing himself back to an upright position, Shining performed a half turn, Starlight Wrath flashing up into a guard position on instinct. Before him stood the mare who had been sat on the throne, though now he was so much closer her beauty seemed more radiant, more terrifying. The cruel smile still graced her muzzle, revealing dazzling white teeth, disturbingly accompanied by a pair of razor edged fangs.
Floating before her was an Arcane Blade of ultramarine energy, speckled like her mane with pinpricks of light. The weapon gleamed with a deep inner light, bathing both Shining Armour and the Luna Goddess in its dark, twilight illumination. In reply Shining Armour's grip on Starlight Wrath tightened, a growl creeping from the back on his throat, deep and menacing.
"Nightmare Moon."
The Luna Goddess giggled gently. "Shall we dance?"
The Arcane Blade slashed forward in lightning quick thrust, Shining Armour only just being able to turn away the blow before it could pierce through his armour. Spinning to built momentum for his next attack, the captain leapt forward, Starlight Wrath coming round in a heavy-hoofed blow that threatened to sheer through the relatively thin, ornamental plating worn by the Night-terror. The blow never connected, instead as it closed with its target the weapon came into contact with what felt like a sphere of pure force, the protective bubble repulsing the attack with such force that it sent Shining Armour flying a good ten or so meters, landing bodily before scraping a further three meters across the ground, dust and sparks flying.
Barely had the stallion climbed back to his hooves before the Night-terror was upon him, the dark glow of the Arcane Blade seemingly everywhere at once. It lunged forwards in another thrust, Shining Armour moving to dodged, only for the blade to wink out of existence and appear directly before him, falling down in a fierce slash that forced Shining Armour to make a desperate parry, leaving his flank exposed. He yelled as a bolt of energy impacted into his side, sending scintillating daggers of numbness coursing through his right hind-leg, rendering the limb useless. Barely a minute into combat, and already on the back-hoof, Shining Armour back-peddled, slowly pulling away from the Luna Goddess that stood between him and the exit, towards the throne-dais that remained at the back of the hall.
Content in the knowledge that her prey wasn't going to be able to effect an escape any time soon, Nightmare Moon was content to allow the colt before her to last a few moments longer, letting him scramble for a zone of safety that was little more than a figment of his imagination. On the other side, Shining Armour's mind raced as he tried to calculate his next move, limping backwards even as Nightmare Moon crept closer; her gait slow and unhurried. With a hind-leg useless he had lost practically all his mobility, meaning he would now have to rely on a static-defence pattern in order to ensure his continued survival. Yet doubt seeded the captains mind. Already his opponent had proven that she possessed a greater level of mobility, and her skill with the Arcane Blade meant that there was no guarantee his static-defence would prove effective. A knot tightened in the captains stomach, some instinctual, primeval part of his mind suddenly realising he was most likely going to die here.
Funny really, in every instance he'd contemplated his inevitable demise he'd never considered the idea of dying alone. There was something romantically heroic about his possible fate: a lone soldier facing impossible odds in the name of duty and honour. But the notion provided him with little consolation. Whenever he had considered death during combat, he'd always imagined falling at the height of battle, his battle-brothers by his side as he led the forces of Equestria against the enemy without. Truthfully, Shining Armour didn't want to die until he was old, passing away peacefully in his bed, surrounded by his foals and grand-foals and great grand-foals, and with his wife by his side. Yet he realised that what was about to come was inevitable, whether or not he fell here or in a hundred years , it would be of little consequence. He was fated to die anyway, and if it was here that he met his fate then he would do so with his head held high and Starlight Wrath in his grip. Oddly, as he accepted the notion, Shining Armour felt a strange sense of relief enter him, as if some great burden had been lifted from his soul.
Nightmare Moon continued to approach, her Arcane Blade floating just before like some malevolent harbinger. Raising Starlight Wrath into an attack position, Shining Armour took a deep breath and launched himself forwards into a final, desperate assault.
Though his right hind-leg was completely numb, the stallion threw himself forwards at full force, his teeth grit as the numbness sent pinpricks of agony up his right flank. Slamming Starlight Wrath down with all the energy he could muster, the captain growled as Nightmare Moon simply side-stepped the blow, her own blade moving with impossible swiftness to lash out across his left flank. Another wave of numbness swept through his body, Shining Armour gasping for breath as ice began to crawl through his body. With both his hind-legs now paralysed, the captain seized Starlight Wrath in his telekinetic grip, but the venerable weapon was heavy, and even as he focussed on lifting the axe before him, Shining Armour could feel his vitality slipping away, cold leeching into his body from the minor wound on his flank.
Losing focus, a wave of dizziness washed over the stallions consciousness, causing him to stumble blindly and release Starlight Wrath. The weapon clattered loudly against the marble floor, its bearer following shortly after as he collapsed before the ruined throne, his heart slowly to a crawl whilst he gasped for breath. Grinning with victory, Nightmare Moon approached her defeated adversary, gripping the colts body with her telekinetic abilities and rolling him onto his back, fore- and hind-legs spread-eagle against the chilled floor, bound by bands of black energy. Shining tried to resist, willing his body to move, to respond to his commands and get back to his hooves, to fight back. But the power seemed beyond him; an iciness was slowly filling his body, spreading out from the shallow cut in his flank, working its way up his body. As it reached his heart the stallion made a shallow gasp for air, his chest barely moving with each breath.
Four minutes, he'd barely been engaged in combat for four minutes, and already he was defeated. Gazing up through the shattered ceiling with glassy eyes, Shining Armour once again felt that odd sense of relief fill him. In a way, it was calming to know that it was nearly over, that in only a few minutes he would be beyond any possible suffering. The warriors instinct in him screamed that this was not how he should die, that as a soldier of Equestria, captain of the Celestial Guard, it was his duty to die with a weapon in his grip. But that voice was slowly fading, the ice filling his core drowning it out, muffling it until there was nought but silence in his mind. As Nightmare Moon stepped over his body, fore-legs placed on either side of his head, the captain looked up to his conqueror with a passive, tired expression, simply waiting for the end.
From this angle her beauty was striking.
There was something about the way she was framed by the moonlight, a black goddess of the night bathed in silver light that ran over every perfect curve and stunning feature of her body. Her aethereal mane blended perfectly with the night sky above, the points of light set within it seeming to blaze even more brightly so close up. Even her cold eyes seemed like gems, their unique tint alluring and magnetising. Perhaps, in another life, he could have worshipped such a being, but as Nightmare Moon brought her blade down slowly, resting the very tip of it under his chin, Shining Armour did little more than wait for her to finish the job. Grinning, the Night-terror leaned in to him, coming closer and closer until her muzzle was a few short millimetres away from the tip of his right ear; her breath frigid against his coat.
"You have done well... tribute." Her voice was powerful. Not in its volume or tone, but there was something about it, some hard-to-articulate inflection, that told volumes of the speakers abilities, of what she was truly capable of. "Others have displeased me, to their... discredit... of course, but I must admit..." The Night-terror pulled herself back to her full height, towering over Shining Armour like a titan of the ancient world. "You have impressed me. I believe you shall be... adequate for my needs."
Nightmare Moon leaned in once again, her muzzle just brushing against Shining Armours barrel as she took a deep inhale, taking in his scent, the faint traces of sweat, fear, and adrenaline. As she sighed with satisfaction, her ice cold breath washed over the captains coat, causing him to twitch slightly. The mare above him slowly drew her muzzle up his barrel and back to his own muzzle, letting out an appreciative groan as she took in the scent of a red-blooded male. Shining Armour twitched as something tickled at his senses, something that stimulated the stallion's instinct within his soul: the tell-tale scent of arousal. The Night-terror's tongue gently lapped at his cheek, tasting the salty residue of sweat on his skin, absorbing more of his musk.
Drawing herself back up once again, Nightmare Moon shivered, a faint tremble running through her body as sensations she had not felt for millennia once again rush through her, responding to the presence of one who could provide the satisfaction she craved as a true mare. Turning with slow, unhurried movements, Nightmare Moon reversed her position, so that her hind-legs were positioned each side of Shining Armour's head. With the new vantage point afforded to him, Shining Armour had a clear view of the Night-terror's glistening sex, previously hidden from sight by her tail, but now exposed for him to witness in person.
The pair of black lips at the entrance to her sex had swollen with her arousal, the faintest sliver of pink flesh visible within. It was clear from the built up of viscous fluid that leaked from the Night-terror's flower just how aroused she truly was, and even as Shining Armour watched a single droplet of the liquid fell to lightly patter against his muzzle. On some base instinct, Shining's tongue flickered across his muzzle, wiping away the liquid arousal and dispersing the taste of his conqueror across his tongue. The liquid itself was hot, almost to the point where it was unbearable, and at complete odds with the frigid aura that surrounded the mare. As Nightmare's essence slowly filtered into his system, Shining felt a faint under-current of arousal begin to build up within him, drawn out from the depths of his soul by the presence of a willing mare. Almost as if she could sense the growing lust of the stallion beneath her, Nightmare Moon let out a faint, mocking giggle, her sex winking at him.
"It has been so long..." Nightmare Moon began, one of her fore-legs gently stroking the inside of Shining's thigh with slow rhythmic movements, each time coming within tantalising reach of his sheathed stallionhood, so close he could feel the cold that emanated from her coat. "For over a thousand years we have been without companionship; lacking a male who can satisfy our needs. We have bid the stallions of this realm to come forth as tribute to their Goddess, so that we may test their metal and see if they are worthy of doing us service." The mare lowered her head, the very tip of her muzzle skirting Shining's sheath, causing the stallion beneath her to twitch, his cock beginning to engorge from the scent of her arousal and the physical stimulation.
"Many have come: Farmers, scholars, even warriors such as yourself, tribute. But each has failed to meet our... requirements." Moving from Shining's thigh, Nightmare Moon's hoof began to teasingly rub along the growing length of his cock, coaxing it from its sheath. "We are a mare in need, but only those who are truly stallions may be given the privilege of pleasing a Goddess such as ourselves. You, tribute, you are the first stallion in over a millennium who shall have the honour of fucking Nightmare Moon." As if the primal beast of instinct within him had been listening with rapt attention, Shining's cock final reached its full, impressive length, twitching with each heart-beat. Grinning, Nightmare Moon began to gently stroke the stallionhood before her, her grip feather-light, yet teasing the captured male beneath her to no end. "We shall ride you until our needs are satisfied, and you shall surrender to your Goddess your seed. Should you perform well, we shall be sure to reward you finely for your service..." Grinning a wicked smile as she heard Shining Armour groan, Nightmare Moon finished by leaning into the throbbing stallion hood before her and slowly lapping at the tip.
"But first, we shall test your skill."
Nightmare Moon abruptly lowered her rump, planting her dripping sex firmly against Shining Armours muzzle. Lowering her whole body, the Luna Goddess sighed in content as she felt the warmth of the males body contrast sharply with the twilight chill of her own. Beneath her, Shining Armour took a deep inhale of her arousal, the pheromones of a mare in need filtering into his body and blurring the distinctions in his mind. Though the mare's teasing had already done a fine job of silencing any resistance he still clung to, a small voice at the back of the captains mind still screamed to him how degrading the current situation was. He was a warrior on a mission, not a stud for a creature that had sown Equestria with discord. Yet even as the inhibition cried out it was muffled further by the delectable fragrance of Nightmare Moon's sex. Opening his mouth, Shining Armour's tongue gently lapped at the mare's outer petals, slowly working at her need as he acclimated to the body atop him.
When the Night-terror felt the captured stallion beneath begin his work, she allowed a breathy moan to pass her lips; near silent, but to the aroused stallion held in her grip it only served to enhance the experience. Her grip tightening slightly, the mare increased the frequency of her strokes, revelling in the closeness of the stallions erection. After a thousand years of denial, with only her own two hooves to satisfy her needs, the sensation of a real male finally giving her the attention she craved, deserved, filled her with the sweetest bliss. She moaned again as she felt the stallions broad, flat tongue begin to enter her core slightly, parting her lips ever so delicately to tease at her inner being. The mare returned-in-kind, her strokes becoming more forceful, whilst her over hoof drifting to the stallions twin orbs, tenderly kneading it, stimulating the production of the seed she would soon accept into her being.
A daze had settled heavily over Shining Armours mind as he pleasured the mare atop him, his tongue pushing deeper in the Night-terror's sex until it had reached its maximum extent. A long, feminine moan accompanied the movement, a slight wiggle of Nightmare Moon's rump tell him to push onwards. Through the daze, Shining Armour was able to make out little other than the fierce heat of the mare's inner being, the taste and scent of her arousal, and the gentle, rising pleasure that emanated from his cock with each stroke administered by the Luna Goddess. All serve to spur him on, the voice of resistance finally crumbling to nothing as he felt the tip of his cock enter the surprisingly warm, moist hollow of his conquerors muzzle, her velvet tongue swirling around his flesh. With his muzzle firmly planted against the mare's flower, Shining Armour was unable to vocalise his gratitude, the deep groan he released instead translating into a faint vibration through his tongue, teasing the soft flesh of the Night-terror's core.
The mare's inner muscles began to slowly tighten as her pleasure mounted, the muscles within clenching and tightening as they sought to fully secure what they perceived to be the cock of a reciprocating stallion, trying for all their worth to hold it secure and milk the stallionhood of its precious seed. As her own pleasure grew, so too did the administrations delivered to the cock held in the mare's grip, each stroke delivering a sharp, teasing spike of sensation to the stallion's mind, though never quite enough to bring him to a climax. She was teasing him, Shining distracted realised, holding him on the very cusp of orgasm, but denying him the opportunity to pass through into nirvana. The tightening of the mare's insides was making it difficult for his tongue to continue stimulating her velvet flesh, but if the moans of delight the mare was giving off were any indication of her true state, Shining Armour formed the suspicion that she was not far from her own release.
Mere moments later, as his tongue brushed against what felt like a small patch of slightly toughened muscle just within her entrance, Shining's suspicions were confirmed. With a sharp, high-pitched squeal, Nightmare Moon achieved her climax, the first administered to her by a reciprocating partner in over a thousand years. The euphoria that flooded her mind was stronger than she remembered, her sex clenching like a vice around the stallions warm tongue as a deluge of liquid arousal left her being, flowing past the invasive tongue and down the throat of the captured stallion. For a subjective eternity long, continuous waves of pleasure washed over her being, her tender sex twitching with glee, whilst her teats, long since stiffened by her arousal, began to ache pleasurably.
The mare continued to pump at the cock held in her grip, though still she denied her partner his own climax. She was a Goddess, a being beyond the comprehension of mortal minds, and as such it was her own needs that were of priority, not those of her stud. Beneath her, Shining Armour let out a faint grunt, his hips trying and failing to buck upwards into her grip: the rising tide becoming too much for him to take. Briefly, the sadist within her considered simply teasing the stallion all night, keeping him in a constant state of denial even as he serviced her own needs. But the call of her body, the sheer need she felt for a stallion to penetrate her, was too much, she couldn't deny herself any longer.
It was finally time to be fucked.
Rising off Shining Armour, Nightmare Moon cooed as the cold night air brushed against the tender sex of her flesh. Though she hadn't been denied release in her millennium of isolation, there was something about receiving such pleasure from a partner that always heightened the experience, made it more fulfilling. As she lifted away, Shining Armour gasped for breath, enraptured in the fragrance and taste of the mare as he gazed up at her winking flower, droplets of arousal dripping onto his muzzle and rolling down the Night-terror's hind-legs. Turning, Nightmare Moon brought herself face-to-face with her stood, her half-lidded eyes alluring and seductive, alive with smouldering lust.
"You have done well, tribute," she began, her eyes closing and her body trembling as a faint draft stimulated her sex, causing her to let out a mute whine. "You have please us greatly, and we are pleased by the offering of pleasure you have proffered to your Goddess. In return, we shall now grant you the honour of mating with our being, of filling us with your seed, and sating your own desires. Slowly lowering her hind-legs until the very tip of the stallions cock was flush against her sex, Nightmare Moon took a moment to revel in the glorious sight of the bound male squirming beneath her, the pleasure he felt at once the worst agony and the greatest ecstasy.
"We are going to enjoy this."
With one swift, single motion, Nightmare Moon took the stallions cock deep within her being, drawing his flesh into her sex until their hips met; a loud, unrefined moan of sheer lost leaving her muzzle as she finally felt the presence of a male inside her after a millennia of forced abstinence. In her mind she had longed for this moment for hundreds of years, contemplating how she would break her unwilling chastity. She had been tempted to take it slow, to revel in delight as her stud slowly entered her, and filled her with his flesh; very tempted indeed. But the impulsive, greedy nature of taking him all at once, of feeling him split her apart and push straight into the very centre of her being, was something she couldn't resist, and as she felt the stallions cock twitch deep inside of her, Nightmare Moon knew she had made the right choice.
For several long, euphoric minutes, the Night-terror simply savoured having a cock inside her, the sensation of his inner walls clenching desperately around it, milking the cock of its seed. Looking down at her stud, the mare revelled in the look of both arousal and faint pain that marred his features. It must have been torture for the poor colt, to be brought so close to the cusp of orgasm, and allowed to penetrate the sacred depths of his Goddesses body, yet still be denied his release. When she had first come into possession of her host's body, Nightmare Moon had spent many long nights blissfully tormenting the guards: repeatedly bringing them to the very brink of euphoria, yet denying them each time; their agonised groans and pleas for mercy exciting her to no end. Old habits tended to die hard though, and the Night-terror couldn't resist tensing the muscles of her inner walls, nearly climaxing again simply from the pained, breathless expression that crossed her tribute's muzzle.
Finally granting her captive mercy, Nightmare Moon began to slowly lift herself up the hard, throbbing length of Shining Armour's cock, her inner walls desperately clenching at the stallionhood, trying to pull it back within her. Climbing to the very tip, the mare wiggled her rump teasingly before forcefully dropping herself down again, a half-scream leaving her throat as a sharp lance of pleasure raced up her spine. The sudden rush proved to be the end of her restraint, and, taking a deep breath, the Night-terror began to truly ride her stud, lifting and dropping her rump again and again with harsh force, seeking with every repetition to push Shining Armour right into the very core of her being. With each drive into the mare's depths, Shining Armour gasped for air, his chest rising and falling rapidly, whilst within his flesh his heart pumped blood at a manic rate.
In the captains mind, all worldly distinctions had utterly collapsed: his existence no longer defined by the five separate senses of touch, taste, sight, scent, and sound, but instead reduced to a conglomerate mass of all combined. He was able to discern little other than the sight of the mare riding atop him, each thrust accompanied by a bone deep twist of pleasure as he hilted within her. The taste of her arousal was still strong on his tongue, which flicked out to lap at the sticky residue of the Night-terror's climax that still coated his muzzle. To his ears, her moans reverberated in the sweetest cadence, each gasp and squeal dicing his arousal onwards, whilst the fragrant, heavy scent of her dripping arousal swirled all about him, his nostrils flaring as he took more pheromones in with each snorting breath.
A familiar pressure began to build at the base of his shaft; a tightening in his orbs that told him he was reaching the end of his tether. Accompanying him on the final sprint to the finish, Nightmare Moon let out a particularly sharp moan as she forced herself down once more onto the stallions shaft, her inner walls coiling about his cock with such force she had some issue raising herself again. The sensation building in her sex; the repeating, pulsing waves of ecstasy that radiated from her sensitive flower every time Shining Armour hilted within her, were the most glorious sensations she'd experienced in a millennia, her mind welcoming their return joyously as she felt her core finally reach the very brink, held precariously on the edge of nirvana. Beneath her, Shining Armour took a sharp breath as he too reached the verge. The two locked eyes, Nightmare Moon savouring the fear, awe, and lust she saw in those cyan spheres, before with a final, vicious drop, she plunged Shining Armour into her core and held him there.
A sharp cry ripped itself from Shining Armours muzzle as he finally reached his climax, every muscle in his body tensing as ribbon after ribbon of his seed shot upwards into Nightmare Moon's eager sex, the mare's inner walls clenching fiercely at him, seeking to draw out every last drop of his essence from his body. Gazing up at the Luna Goddess, Shining Armour was held enraptured by the pure beauty above him; the silhouetted form of a euphoric Nightmare Moon against the backdrop of the glorious night sky forever imprinting itself upon his memory. Nightmare Moon screamed her joy to the moon above, squealing in delight as she felt her captive's hot seed enter her body, his essence within her a feeling that she had pined for ever since her banishment. For too brief an eternity, the two being were held in ecstasy, before finally Shining Amour had nothing more to give, and the Goddess, exhilarated, satisfied, and exhausted, finally collapsed atop him, breathing heavily.
"You have... served your... Goddess... excellently, tribute," the Night-terror panted, struggling to regain her breath. her sex was tender, and the physical rush of her climax had taken a lot out of her. Gazing upon the exhausted face of her captive stallion, his eyes struggling to remain open and attentive, even as slumber beckoned, Nightmare Moon placed a hoof upon his cheek, cupping it gently and leaning in to whisper into the colts ear: "Should we ever be in need again... we shall find you..."
≤ΘΘΘ≥
The sun was beginning to creep over the horizon, rising from its daily slumber by the summoning calls of the one who bid it to share the true radiance of its light with the globe beneath it, so that life might continue to grow and prosper.
Stood upon the balcony of the throne room, Celestia, Life-flame to the kingdom of Equestria, watched at the dawning rays of the astral body caressed the land, awakening the populace to another efficient, productive day of work. For thousands of years she had been charged with the duty of raising the sun, and for thousands of years she had stood sentinel and the approach of dawn, watching the world emerge from the darkness of her sisters night and into the brightness of her own day. Innumerable times she had witnessed the event, yet there wasn't a dawn that passed when Celestia didn't feel a sense of melancholy settle over her soul. Perhaps it was how the rising of the sun always brought to her mind the allegory of a new dawn washing clean one's sins, or perhaps it was simply because it was one of the few times in her ever hectic schedule that she was actually alone.
On the matter of sins, many were the digressions of the Solar Princess. From the moment of her birth, the nation of Equestria had been the number one priority, above even the satisfaction of her own needs and desires. For the safety of the ponies of her realm she had ordered wars, butchered her enemies, and even banished her own sister; a nation was only as strong as its ruler, and for Equestria to survive she had to be the strongest ruler of all. There was a reason that the ponies of Equestria awoke to a realm of happiness and prosperity each day, and that was because for their sake she committed deeds that would sicken the minds of others, things that in her realm were worthy of capital punishment.
But she was a princess, and it was her duty to sacrifice her own life for those of the populace.
Truthfully, when Nightmare Moon had first made contact, the thoughts of that cold entity filtering into her mind from the aether, the first instinct Celestia had felt had been the need to kill. A thousand years ago, the Luna Goddess had nearly brought an end to Equestria and her own life, and the return of such a cruel, dispassionate entity wasn't something she had been willing to risk. Even when Nightmare Moon had made her case she remained sceptical, never truly being able to place her trust in one who had tried to take her life, but the Night-terror had known which cords to pull, how to elicit sympathy from the Solar Princess, and in all honesty, Celestia would have been lying if she claimed not to sympathise.
The touch of a male was something that she hadn't experienced in millennia, and something that she longed for. Every day, she knew, couples awoke together in love and bliss, their two lives united by the bonds of love that drew them together and the instinctual drive of nation to divide and multiply, to procreate. Such pleasures had long been denied to Celestia, for that was the price of authority and power, and there had been more than a couple of times she had considered abandoning all her regal responsibilities to simply run wild and express her own needs, to pleasure a stallion and have a stallion pleasure her. Several times she'd actually come close to achieving the act, but inevitably her conscious would always realise how much damage her selfishness would cause, and force her to back down.
A flash from behind her signalled that the captain of her guard had finally been returned, as Nightmare Moon had promised. Giving the sun one final glance, Celestia turned from the balcony and re-entered her throne room, her eye swiftly settling on the white form that lay at the base of her throne. When Nightmare Moon had requested a stallion from her half-sister, Celestia had at first been incredulous. But after hearing the entities pleas, sympathy had gotten the best of her, and she had selected her captain to serve as tribute. Truthfully, she had sent Shining Armour because if she were in the same position, he would have been her own personal choice. Strong in body and will, the unicorn had drawn the attentions of his ruler more than once, and though he was engaged to her niece Cadence, she had dreamt more than a few fantasies cantered around the solider and his muscular form.
The exhausted pony stirred in his slumber, his tail idly flicking slightly as he dreamt. Knowing that the activities of the night would have surely worn out his stamina, it was the simplest thing for the Solar Princess to teleport the captain down to his quarters. She would see to it that he was excused from duty for the next few days, and given plenty of time to rejuvenate himself before being brought back into active service. Sighing, Celestia climbed the staircase to her throne and took a seat, waiting for her courtiers to arrive and the monotonous daily ritual of government to commence. Glancing out one of the magnificent stained-glass windows to her right, she was just able to make out the dark mass of the Everfree in the distance, a flicker of jealousy dancing through her mind as she envisioned the satisfied Nightmare Moon withdrawing from the rising dawn to slumber and reminisce on her conquest. Making a face, Celestia shook her head and turned her mind to the itinerary of the approaching day, but not before a single thought made itself prominent in consciousness.
Lucky bitch.