Chapter 11: Tacet Nox

Tristan

I was in my room, my thoughts zipping through my head about the events half an hour ago. I made sure to bring the bodies with me and ordered two cultists to hang them over the training yard with the word ‘disobeyed orders’ written boldly above what remained of their heads.

I would not have a repeat incident with any of the prisoners. I would later talk to Nightmare Moon about installing surveillance wards or something similar around the prisoners so either one of us or a future captain or lieutenant could keep an eye on them and the guards with them. I shook my head and walked out of the room, after asking around for the location of Nightmare Moon I later found her in the castle's main dining room.

Nightmare Moon sat at the head of the table a meal of salad, bread, red wine, and most surprisingly a few types of meat, something that I never saw very many ponies aside from some pegasi and threshals partake in though I did not mention it.

“Welcome, I was going to send for you but that is besides the point, take a seat and you can request what you would like from the chefs. Though I have one question, one I failed to ask after the scan. How would you like to be addressed?”

I took a seat to the right of Nightmare Moon on the side of the five chair long table. “Just call me Master Chief or Chief in front of others and Tristan only if we are alone I rather not share that name with just anyone.”

Nightmare Moon nodded and in that moment a griffin chef approached and asked what I would like. I requested a steak, salad and some water. The chef quietly walked off.

Nightmare remained quiet for several minutes taking bites of her meal before swallowing a bite of her steak and speaking, “Well then Tristan, I imagine you came here of your own accord for more than just idle chat so what is on your mind, you are my advisor and have played a large part in the overthrowing of Celestia as such you may speak freely.”

It was odd being called by name after so long the last memory I had of someone calling me by name was fuzzy and muted at best. I shook off the odd feeling and spoke what was on my mind. “I went to the dungeons to check on Celestia. Given my history with her I was not too far away when I heard screaming , as such I ran to investigate.”

The griffin came back with my food and water and set it before me then promptly left. I took my helmet off with a hiss that caused Nightmare to look up, she looked at my face with expected curiosity that I ignored in favor of continuing my story. “I found the two stallions that were supposed to be guarding her torturing her for fun, they are now dead, their remains hanging in the middle of the training yard.” I nearly growled out the last half of the sentence.

Noticing my own rising temper I took a breath and managed to push some of it back well enough to keep a level head and continue. “Anyways I want a scrying ward or some equivalent put up at Celestia’s cell and the cell holding the would be bearers as you call them. As well as better lighting and a way for you, myself and perhaps some future guard captains to view what is going on in those wards at any time. Celestia and I are not friends but I will not have guards trying to take advantage of the prisoners ever again, if I had come any later Celestia would have been in worse shape if not dead.

It was only after I was done speaking that I started eating my meal, the food's taste muted in the wake of the day’s events.

Nightmare Moon

Nightmare Moon did her best to keep her face from contorting into looks of disgust and astonishment, she was not nice nor good by any stretch of the imagination but she did have some lines that she never crossed and torture for the sake of it was one of them. After hearing Tristan out she thought about what he recommended for her to do. She felt Luna’s mind stir and feared Luna would regain control if she received news that Celestia’s mental condition lead to suicide or create a situation in which a similar being to herself will be created in Celestia’s mind but potentially much worse.

“I will do better than that, Tristan. After she recovers I will move Celestia to her former room. Of course it will be covered in powerful wards to prevent escape, and she will keep the magic, strength and wing inhibitors. Further I will put in wards to let myself and you through a scrying lens, to watch Celestia and any guards posted there. Finally I will have you move to occupy a room directly next to hers so that when you are not busy training future guards, doing missions or advising me you may keep watch over her and hopefully make her feel safe. Do you find this agreeable?”

Tristan nodded his head before continuing to eat the meal before him.

Celestia

Celestia woke to the beeping of monitoring machines and the creek of a door opening, a sliver of fear found its way into her mind, events repeating themselves in her head. She forced herself to look at whoever just opened the door. To both her relief and disdain it was Nightmare Moon and The Demon that stood over her.

Nightmare Moon was the first to speak, “Well once you recover some more you're getting your old quarters back. Of course you will still be my prisoner, just in a much nicer cell.”

NIghtmare Moon whispered something to The Demon before leaving to which he nodded. The Demon stayed in the room leaning against the wall next to the door.

It was The Demon that broke the silence, “The troops guarding the Elements will be reevaluated there will not be any repeat incidents.

Celestia could only give the Demon a weak nod.

Celestia’s first night was spent reliving her own helplessness, as the two cultists took their time inflicting as much pain as they could sometimes the nightmares would force her to watch her student undergo the torture instead, a group of cultists cackling as they watched Twilight scream in agony and Celestia’s pleas for them to stop.

After the first night in the castle infirmary, Celestia woke up screaming the guards charged into the room frightening her further Celestia’s eyes darted wildly around the room in tune with her rapid breathing and roaring heart. The Demon ran into the room followed by a doctor. He demanded the guards and the doctor to leave immediately.. When Celestia and the Demon were the only two in the room he sat down on the floor next to her bed. Some time later Celestia was able to calm herself down.

From that day the Demon would come to the infirmary and they would speak about some mundane topic be it weather, or just some new restaurant that opened up. Anything to keep her mind free from the memories and to ease the inevitable nightmares, it seemed to work.

A month passed by with doctors checking up on her, commenting on how quickly she was recovering. At the end of the month the doctors gave Celestia a clean bill of health.

Tristan

I started searching around the room for anything that the Cultists could have missed when looking for hidden doors or weapons. This garnered a curious look from Celestia that I ignored. My search brought me to Celestia’s bed. I felt for any hidden doors or buttons and just as I was about to call it good I spotted an uneven bump on the head board. I paused then lifted up the cover revealing a very familiar sword.

“Seems that the Cultists missed something after all.”

I lifted the Sword from the compartment and took it out of the scabbard the hilt was a midnight blue with some runes across the crossguard, the pommel was a round circle with writing in Old Equestrian a language identical to Latin, It said ‘tacet nox’ or Silent Night, the one that she used to fight me before I was turned to stone. I took the blade out of the scabbard and the familiar sheen of blue Alicornium reflecting off my visor.

“You missed Luna greatly don’t you.” I put the blade back in the scabbard then looked at Celestia.

“Yes I did and still do but it seems I will be cursed to see her other half and reminded of my shortcomings, all because of my own mistakes.” Celestia sat on a chair looking out the tower’s window.

I nodded but stayed quiet, once again forced to remember what I had done just to find out I could never get back home. I put Tacet Nox on my waist adjusting the strap to fit around my armor. Shaking my head of the dark thoughts once more I took a glance towards Celestia and left the room the magic of the wards tingling a little as I passed through.

After a while of asking for the location of the princess's personal armory I stood in front of it. The magic protecting the lock sealing the doors shut was overwhelmed by the energy sword’s power, though cutting the lock took the weapon’s entire charge and rendered it useless for at least a day. Once the doors were opened I looked around the room, a layer of dust covering everything, ancient armors and blades started to rust after hundreds of years of neglect. The only places unaffected were where Celestia’s personal armor and blade rested. I took the plain Alicornium blade I found on the cultist and placed it on the weapon rack in front of me keeping Tacet Nox on my waist.

Once more I drew Tacet Nox, the blade humming with magical enchantments letting the wielder summon the blade to their side once more, something that Luna used quite often when I disarmed her, barring when I was just about to make the killing blow. A second enchantment let it be used as a magic conduit by Luna, something useless to me and the final enchantment gave the blade a sort of awareness. An awareness that I felt even when I was just looking at the blade. It seemed oddly accepting of me, though magic had always been odd and fickle.

I put Tacet Nox in its scabbard once more, placed it in the armory and headed to the training yard, it was time to start looking for leaders in the group to train.

Author's Note

Well another chapter is out sorry for the length but it just felt like a good place to end the chapter.