Knights Rising

POV Luna

A guard walked up to Shining Armor. He told him something then Shining excused himself. Cadence looked puzzled. A few minutes later Shining came galloping back into the room. "There's been a battle at the barrier. Luna, you'll want to see this." He said with watery eyes.

I rose from my seat and followed him through the palace. We came to a guarded room. He opened the door and we entered. It was a large room, empty except for a large black crystal laying on its side. Shining used his magic but it behaved oddly. It flowed from his horn into the crystal. A glowing red symbol appeared on the crystal and you could make out the shape of a pony inside it. "Shining w-where did you find this?" I asked my eyes started to water as I thought about the pony who's cutie mark had appeared.

"A little bit after dawn there was a report of strange weather to the southeast of the barrier. When the guards got there they saw the end of a battle. Spears littered the ground outside the barrier. In the middle of it all was an armored being. In a blast of what I was told could only be described as black fire it destroyed a hundred shadow ponies we didn't even know were there. After the blast this crystal was laying where that being had stood. Magic can't be used on it or near it without it taking the magic away. The weirdest thing is that it only takes what you try to use no more. It even takes flight magic from pegasi. If they are too close it sucks the magic out of them. I've never heard of anything like it." Shinning Armor looked at the ground. "It's been a decade since they left Luna. What if they're alive out there somewhere? Who or What is in this crystal has a connection to at least Bolt..."

"Shining... we don't even know that's in there. It could be the reason why..." Tears welled in my eyes as old memories and feelings rose to the surface.

"It was reportedly using a scythe like Bolt's. Red lightning was seen at the battlefield. The only person I've ever heard of that has anything to do with red lightning was Bolt. For Celestia's Flank it's the reason for his name..."

"So he's not the first to control red lightning! He's not the..."

"Luna, Cadence told me about the two of you and what happened to you after he disappeared. This could be your chance to find him, to help him or find out what happened all those years ago. Are you just going to give up on him again when there's a lead staring you in the face? Are you just going to forget about that night in the cabin? Yes, I know what happened. Don't worry it stays between us. His Niece, Will you keep her in the dark about her uncle? She's your student but sooner or later the truth will be found out. This could lead you to him, he has a right to know. I would want someone to tell me if I was in his position..." Tears streamed down my face as Shining left closing the door.

There was so much I had wanted to tell him that day but I chose to wait till after he came back. if I had told him maybe he wouldn't have left. He would have stayed and been safe by my side. No, he wouldn't abandon his mission... For the next hour I thought about the past and what could have been. Slowly sleep took me...

A dark wasteland shrouded in mist and darkness surrounded me. Where am I? "Odd I normally don't see anyone here while I pay my bribe."

Turning around I saw a large cloaked figure. He was about my sister's height maybe even taller. "Who are you?" I asked.

"Now there's a question I've often asked myself while I'm stuck in here. Am I a hero or the monster? A peacekeeper or the destroyer? Good or Evil? Let us see?" He said and pointed a hoof off to the right. Floating slabs of black glass came in between us. Images appeared on them. "I think I'll start when fate abandoned my friends and me. A simple expedition to look for a lost civilization. We even knew its exact location. It couldn't have been an easer mission. We made a few friends along the way and they joined us on our expedition. We found what we had set out to find. It was a ruined city forgotten by time. The more we explored the city the more we began to feel uneasy about it. Tables were still set, tools half made dropped on the ground. Then we came across a message, one that chilled us to our bones."

The image in front of me changed from ruins to a open field with a cliff on the other side. Carved into the cliff was a message. 'Run she's coming! She took the others and now she wants us! Her monsters are out in the forest! We're trapped she knows it and she's toying with us!!! Run while you can!!!' Claw marks cut deep into the cliff side.

"After such a long time we had told ourselves that who ever they were talking about was long dead. That what had happened to them was long over. We were so foolish, so reckless. We should have run maybe we would have gotten away... That night we made camp in the city. Although we told ourselves that it would be fine, the threat was long gone we still set up defenses and posted guards. It was useless, we stood no chance against what was there. No chance against the same ancient horror that had taken the ponies in the city. A draconequus known as Shadow Empress. She took us one by one. Locked us up and used us for her experiments. For the first couple of years we hoped that someone would come and save us but after the first of us started dying we lost all hope. She toyed with us. Five years in that hell then those of us that were alive still we tried to escape. She found us. We weren't going back, not alive. There were seven of us when the blood bath started. she sent her monsters to wear us down. Only three of us survived the onslaught. She came then, I charged her. I cut off her arm, but she grabbed my wings and ripped them out. My comrades freed me and attacked again and again. Then when everything seemed to be going in our favor she started to laugh. Fire shot from her mouth vaporizing them and taking my leg. I put everything into my last attack. I ripped her head from her shoulders. Although the battle was won we had lost. As the darkness took me I could only think of my love that I had lost long ago as I looked up at the moon. That was the first time I had to pay my bribe. For an entire year I was imprisoned in this place..."

"Please can I see your face?" I asked I feared who could be under that hood. He raised a hoof and lowered the hood. my breath caught in my throat as the slabs moved out of the way. "Bolt," I said as I lunged at him."

I wrapped my hooves around his neck and held him close. "Luna, I'm not imagining this am I?"

"No, it's me Bolt, it's me." I sobbed as I nuzzled his braided mane. "I've missed you so much..."

"Luna, you can't be here. You shouldn't be here!" He pulled back his eyes were wide. "You must leave here now."

"W-why do I have to leave?" I asked starting to worry. He sounded scared. He looked me over and worry was etched into his face. It his battle worn face. I already didn't like the small almost invisible scars that were on his face. He could have easily have been a model with his beautiful face. I'll admit it was a rugged beauty like looking out at a scenic mountain range, but it never failed to send my heart aflutter.

"Luna if you're here then my prison is taking your magic. Leave, get out of here before it takes too much!" He said then he grabbed me and threw me hard.