Farewell to the Moon

Fourteen months after the Lunar Incident...

With a soft sigh, a unicorn mare used her magic to close the book in front of her, floating it back up on the shelf where it belonged. In the city outside her office, Verity could hear an alarm going off, summoning help from any nearby heroes that could spare the time.

Heroes... The thought caused her to look out the window, before shutting it to muffle the noise and going to prepare for bed. As she normally did, Verity paused, examining herself in the mirror in her room. Her mane and tail were a deep brown, carefully braided, while her coat was a pale green. A single, curled, golden question mark rested on her flank as her cutie mark, and her horn... Broken. Not that it impaired her basic magic, but it served as a constant reminder of the past.

   *            *             *

Emerald eyes fluttered open, taking their time to get used to the bright light in the white room. A twitch of her ears and a tilt of her head at a noise brought to her attention the fact she could move. That was new. First her head moved, surveying the room she was in, full of foreign instruments and devices. Then her neck, and shoulders. The motions seemed smooth, natural, but completely brand new.

After several moments, she stumbled to her hooves, wobbling like a newborn filly. One step lead to another, and after nearly getting tangled in the soft blanket she had been wrapped in, the unicorn was walking, slowly gaining confidence at the motions. Once the novelty of moving around had worn off was when she started to notice other things. Colors drew her attention, contrasting with the otherwise monochrome décor. A flashing light in particular was amusing, disappearing and reappearing randomly.

Her reflection in a polished, curved piece of metal caused her to halt, tilting her head this way and that when she realized the form mimicked her movements. She pressed her nose up close, nearly going cross-eyed in an attempt to see it, but smelled nothing that hinted of another pony. Pulling away once more, she stuck out her tongue, examining the distorted image.

Bored of that, she walked back towards where she had woken up. There was only the small bed and blanket, though there were others arranged at even intervals. She was alone, though. Were there others? That thought nearly startled her. Others. There had to be others, somewhere. Should she go find them?

"Ah, you're awake, Gilded Knight." Her ears perked up again, turning her attention to the source of the voice that halted her train of thought. An earth pony stood there, coat white and eyes a cold blue behind his glasses. "Follow me."

At his words, the young mare trotted along behind the stallion without much difficulty. His words, though she had understood them, had her thinking again. Could she speak like that? How did a pony manage it? He lead her to another room, where there were others her age - two other mares and three young stallions - and they all lacked a cutie mark. They stared at Gilded Knight, curious at the last member of their group, until an older mare stomped once with a foreleg to get their attention.

"Now that you are all here, your training may commence." Her voice was sharp, demanding they listen. And listen they did, as she took charge of their schooling. Gilded Knight and her siblings would spend hours on end in the otherwise empty room, listening to Amber Shine.

The first weeks were spent drilling into their minds how to read and write, though it seemed more like forgotten skills than something they didn't already know. After that, they added mathematics into their studies, though Gilded Knight didn't care much for that. History and legends of Equestria was incorporated after a month, and she found herself reading the tales of heroes and villains even after Shine had dismissed them for the day. Spells and combat training followed, a tough pegasus stallion taking over for what Shine couldn't teach them there.  And finally... games. Most notably, chess, though they were taught a variety of other strategy games to sharpen their wits.

"Knight!" A sudden cry drew her attention, and Gilded Knight's eyes snapped up from the pages of her book. In front of her stood her unicorn sister, Ebony Wraith, red eyes bright and cheerful. "Rook and Runner want to race, gonna to join us?"

"Ms. Shine asked me to finish this book before class tomorrow..."

"Aww, she always gives you extra work! Come on, just one little race?"

"I can't, maybe after I finish, though!" But Ebony's ears drooped a little as she nodded, trotting off to leave her sister alone. Only moments later did Knight watch her siblings race through the same room, the pegasus teasing the earth pony and the unicorn as he gained the lead. With a sigh, Knight went back to reading, promising herself that next time, she would join in.

* * *

Verity shook her head, settling down into bed. Had she ever joined in the fun? Every chance she had, their teacher and guardian had stepped in, assigning her more work or sending her for more practice. Spells were drilled into her head, offensive and defensive, and she hadn't quite understood why at the time. What was wrong with her tonight, dwelling on these things?

Burying her face into her pillow, the unicorn sighed. It would bring nightmares, and now she didn't want to sleep. She didn't want to think. Verity just wanted peace, and with the distant chaos, that seemed unlikely.

* * *

Armor was fitted to her lithe form, and Gilded Knight shifted uneasily. Out of her siblings, she was the only one there, and it made her feel unnaturally lonely. For the past several months, they had spent nearly all their time together, as they were trained and raised. But their schooling was over, they had been told, and now it was time for them to get to work.

Once the belts had been tightened, Knight was nudged through a door and down a hallway. She had been told where to go, what to do, but momentary panic froze her hooves in place. Only when she recalled he would be angry if kept waiting did she slowly make her way towards the door. A knock was responded to with a cold “Enter,” and after gathering her nerves, she followed the order.

There stood her master in the shadows, the large black alicorn shrouded in his power, with one of her siblings on either side of him. The twin earth ponies wore armor that seemed heavier than her own, one black and one white, and they both watched her in silence. Knight bowed low to him, and he nodded slightly, her fear and nervousness melting away.

“Gilded Knight. You alone out of your siblings will be a hero for Equestria. It is my will that you aid in protecting the cities from those who seek chaos, and report to me your experiences. Do you accept the duty you were destined for?”

“Yes, my Master.” She lowered her head, answering without thinking. It was almost instinctual, the desire to obey his commands.

“Very well. Tonight shall be your first night of this duty. Be careful.” Another bow to him, and she was dismissed. In hindsight, it seemed almost silly for her to be afraid of their Master. After all, he had granted them this life.

   * * *

“No, no, no...!”

Nearly falling from bed, Verity refused to let her thoughts go farther than that night. Instead, she focused on little things for the time being. Getting a glass of water, finding a snack. Brushing out her mane again. Deciding which book to read. Anything at all she could do to avoid the memories, and sleep. Out of sheer curiosity, the unicorn began to research any spells that would alter memories themselves, though her book selection was limited. Perhaps when it was open, she would have to make her way to the library.

Several hours later, though, she couldn't help it when she passed out on the book she was reading, exhausted...

* * *

A sharp cry of surprise escaped Gilded Knight as the burst of magic knocked her back, scorching her armor. Digging her hooves in, she braced herself and recovered, horn already glowing with her counterspell. Her attacker gave a smug smirk, which quickly disappeared as the white orb of energy enveloped him. His wings failed him and he fell to the ground, struggling to get back on his hooves. Another blast kept him down, though, and Knight made sure he stayed pinned as he was arrested.

A sigh escaped her, and she began to walk away, aiming to find another battle. A filly bounded up to her, though, brown eyes wide with fear and admiration – the unicorn recognized her as one of those that had been threatened by the rogue pegasus.

“Miss Gilded Knight! That was amazing! Thank you!” Her voice squeaked, and Knight gave a soft chuckle.

“That's what heroes are for, little one. Now go on, it's getting late.” She responded, nudging the filly towards her mother with a grin, watching the little pony trot off. Hearing her question her mother with “can I be a hero when I grow up?”, Knight's smile faded and she felt something twist in her chest – what was that emotion? Why did it hurt? Shaking her head slightly as if to clear her thoughts, she summoned her magic and leapt from the street, glowing wings supporting her as she drifted upwards. After several moments, she decided on a roof to land on, trotting gently along.

Her thoughts were distracting, so she attempted to focus on listening for more alarms, or cries for help. The night was usually full of them, but had been slowly dwindling as of late. Heroes must have been growing in number, while the destructive ponies were steadily being contained. Perhaps her Master would send her elsewhere for a short while.

"There you are!" A call startled her, and Knight spun around to find another pegasus - this one navy in color, with sharp, pale blue eyes. Recognizing him as another hero, she relaxed, giving him a smile.

"Ace, sorry. I was side-tracked and completely forgot."

"Aww, no worries, Knight! There was a rather nasty fight I got caught up with downtown." He dropped to the roof next to her, trotting along as she began to continue her walk. "So, just a rumor, but I hear there's a hide-out of villainous ponies somewhere around Canterlot."

“A... hide-out?” Her helm helped hide her confusion and worry – if such a thing existed, that would make their duty somewhat more difficult. Who knew how many enemies could be hiding there, working together? If there were to be a coordinated attack by those with chaotic intent, the city would suffer more damage than it already had. The only saving grace so far was the fact that the heroes outnumbered the destructive ponies and could often intervene quickly.

“Don't worry, it's only a rumor!” He laughed, more to calm the mare than anything. “Even if it's true, they won't last long!”

“I suppose so... Just in case, be careful? To be ambushed...” Worry was clear in her words, as the pair leapt gracefully to the next structure, and the emotion itself was concerning. Her Master had often ordered she didn't get too close to other ponies, but Knight couldn't help it. She wanted -  no, needed – to be close.

“Trust me, if I find this hide-out, I'm bringing you with me! You have no choice!”

“Wh-what?! That's not fair!” But they were laughing as they paused, both looking to the damaged moon in silence for a moment.

“How about a race, to the far tower?”

“A race?”

“Yeah! Come on, it'll be fun!” She hesitated, looking over her shoulder. A burst of magic from one of the lower streets prevented her from answering, and instead she sighed.

“Maybe later, looks we have more trouble.” With that, the ponies were off, for another long night of fighting those that would disturb the peace.