Shades of the Pastby NecroesphereChaptersPrologue: PromisesChapter 1: AwakenChapter 2: Plans UnfoldPrologue: PromisesCaution: I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. All credit goes to our friends at Hasbro. Please support the original franchise. Prologue Promises “Princess Luna where are we going?” Night Blade questioned, his gravelly voice booming around the walls of the tunnel. The tunnel walls dripped with water and mold was beginning to grow, filling the air with a musky scent. Black Paladin ignored the smell as he shadowed Luna, closely followed by Night Blade and Galeful Knight. They had all been woken up earlier that evening by the princess herself and had been told to put on their full regalia. “We art leading you to a secret chamber. You shalt rest for the next few years,” Luna told them, keeping her voice down. She stopped in front of a large metal wall with strange and mysterious symbols inscribed into it. Black Paladin would have loved to study the symbols if they had the time. Galeful Knight seemed to not realize the wall was there as he crashed into it sending off a resonating boom. “What is behind this wall princess?” Galeful Knight asked as he readjusted his helmet. His light blue mane fell out a bit, revealing the three white streaks. It hung to his shoulder and looked like he had just flown at top speed. Galeful Knight stumbled into Night Blade, leaning against him. “That was painful. Ouch!” “Maybe next time you shall watch were you are going,” Night Blade growled at him, shaking his brown mane and stepping into the torchlight. He stood taller than Galeful Knight and wore bronze armour. He wore a large scythe on his back that resembled the same scythe on his cutie mark. Even though they often acted like they hated each other, Black Paladin knew that those two were the closest of friends. “Art you done?” Luna questioned the two friends. They both nodded and she turned around, staring at the door. Her horn began to glow as she summoned up her magic. The door gave a similar glow as it shook in its frame and slowly scraped open, sending off a cloud of dust. Paladin sneezed, dust drifting down on top of him and the others. He shut his eyes and heard the door rumble opening. When he opened them he saw a large, cavernous chamber with windows near the ceiling. Old archaic Pony history hung on the walls, seemingly continuing through even events that had happened only few days past. Black Paladin was surprised to see that the paintings were magically continuing on their own. A small glow could be seen were the painting was continuously growing, sketching out a new picture that Paladin could not discern. The process was spectacular as the little glows changed color and outlined different things. “Princess Luna, what is this room?” Black Paladin asked stepping into the room. He kept his stance wide, nervous of the ancient magic around him. Ancient magic was something that even the Princess herself did not often mess with because it could often be chained with magical traps and enchantments. Paladin once saw a young guard be burned to death by carelessly walking into a forbidden area. “This room is the Chamber of History. But the wall art is not why we hath brought thee here tonight,” Luna said as she strode toward the center of the room where three green crystals glowed eerily. Black Paladin followed closely behind her while Night Blade and Galeful Knight examined the walls, unaware of the crystals. “Wait, is that us?” Galeful Knight questioned when he spotted a trio of ponies with armour and cutie marks exactly like theirs. Black Paladin spotted the painting realizing that Galeful Knight was correct for once in his observations. It portrayed the trio in a battle with griffon assassins who were after Luna and her sister, Celestia. It ended as was to be expected, yet not without it's marks. Paladin bit his tongue, suppressing the memory. “Indeed ‘tis thee,” Luna answered concentrating her magic on the crystals, opening them. “It is a recording of thou becoming blooded for the first time. The very same day we proclaimed thou Shades of the night and allowed thou to use magic to blend into the shadows.” “That ritual?” Black Paladin thought to himself, remembering that day well. He had never felt so afraid and proud at the same time. It was the day all three of them had received their cutie marks. It was Black Paladin’s cutie mark that had made the largest impression on Luna. His was a cross of two swords that symbolized war magic. He had since then spent most of his nights learning how to wield his war magic and had found that he was an extremely competent warrior. “We know Black Paladin,” Luna spoke from behind him. “That day opened many paths for the future but it still was a day of greatness. We discovered a great many things about thee, as well as brought thou under our wing. Thou have been faithful to us since that day and we admire thy dedication.” “Princess Luna, what are these crystals exactly?” Night Blade asked as he inspected one of them. Black Paladin was thinking the same thing as he inspected another one. He had never seen a crystal like this in his studies and he was trying to figure out what it did. They were a bright shade of green, but were brighter than any emerald he had seen. It was six sided with the front opening faced toward the metal door. Black Paladin stepped onto the front side trying to look into the crystal. Inside, the crystal was hallow, yet there was magic that radiated from the sides, making Paladin feel tired. He pulled out, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He would remember to get more rest once this ritual was done. He put his hoof onto the lip of the door, testing the toughness of the mineral. “Do not step into that yet,” Luna warned as she continued her spell on the crystals. “It is not yet ready for thee.” “Princess,” Night Blade began, “is something wrong? This entire night has been strange and now you are casting spells on crystals. I know we are to keep ourselves unknown to the rest of Equestria, but I do not understand what is going on here. Are we going to reveal ourselves soon to everypony?” “Soon, Night Blade, soon thou shalt see what we art doing,” Luna sighed as she finished her spell. “We have spent many years raising thee, hoping that thou would never learn the art of war but it was impossible to stop. Now my little ponies, we ask you to sleep as we try to sort out some issues with the Griffin Kingdom that you may have raised.” “What?” All three of the gasped at the same time. The room was silent for what seemed like an eternity before Black Paladin spoke up. “So this has nothing to do with the growing jealousy of your sister I am assuming?” He gazed at her waiting for any give away of truth but not spotting any. He kept his head bowed and fought against showing his emotions, which was still a struggle for him to do. “Black Paladin. We promise it has nothing to do with a growing jealousy of our sister. Where did thou come up with such an absurd accusation?” Luna took a defensive step back before slamming her hoof down. Black Paladin backed away, keeping his own ground. “Scrying magic,” Black Paladin reminded her pointing at his horn. “We shall sleep as long as you promise to wake us within ten years. We will see you then I believe.” “We shall try to wake thou in ten years. We cannot be exact with our timing though so it may be off by a month or so. But thou hast our promise,” Luna answered her question looking at the doorway. Black Paladin did the same and realized that eventually somepony would be looking for her since she should be on duty at this moment. “Ok princess, I shall go first then,” Night Blade spoke up, stepping into the closest crystal. It shut itself quickly with a burst of smoke and a blast of magic energy. Night Blade could be seen inside, floating in a magical web that seemed to keep him suspended in time. His eyes were shut and he seemed to be sleeping. Black Paladin looked into the crystal, attempting to identify the magical energies within. “Good night young Night Blade,” Luna said, turning to the other two ponies. “Who shall be next?” “I will go!” Galeful Knight exclaimed jumping into his crystal. This caused him to be upside down when the crystal shut itself, leaving him sleeping in an awkward position. If there was anypony that Black Paladin knew who would willingly jump in with zero information it would be him. “Well Black Paladin?” Luna looked at her last student. “Art thou ready to sleep?” “Princess,” Black Paladin began, “are you sure this is the best thing to do?” He glanced apprehensively at the final crystal in the center. Luna seemed confident in the crystal keeping them safe for the time being, but Black Paladin wasn’t sure if he wanted to trust it. “Black Paladin, thou need fear nothing,” Luna soothed him. “We art sure that the crystal is safe and will not do anything harmful to thee.” “What about you princess?” Black Paladin questioned her. “Who will protect you while we sleep? Who shall keep you company when the night becomes lonely?” He worried about her safety more than his own life and he wanted her to know that. He did not want to leave the princess alone by herself in the world. “Maybe I can stay with you and protect you from harm.” He glanced eagerly up at his princess, hoping to find some consoling or comforting look. He was met with a cold glare. “Black Paladin,” Luna commanded, “we ask thee to sleep. You will do so. This matter is not open to discussion, nor was it ever for that matter. Now sleep, and we shall wake you when the time is right.” “Yes princess,” Black Paladin bowed. He hesitated on the edge of the crystal looking back at the princess, who only waved her hoof for him to continue. He took in a deep breath and took a step into the crystal. It was warm inside and he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. He tried to fight back a yawn but was unsuccessful as he felt a wave of magic wash over him. He turned, trying to catch one last glimpse of Luna before he slept, but she was surrounded by a cloud of darkness. He tried to fight the magic but failed as he felt his eyes begin to close. He could only watch as the cloud enveloped Luna, though he could not tell if it was a dream or if it had actually happened. He would not figure out until he awoke again. ................................................................................................ “What art thou?” Luna gasped the cloud as it swirled around her. When the crystal that Black Paladin now slept in closed, it had sprung from a window, quickly surrounding her. “Oh Luna,” the cloud cackled, “We are you. You are us. We are the side of you that wishes to fulfill the wish of a night eternal. Do not try to fight us for you cannot win.” “Black Paladin and the others can stop thee foul daemon,” Luna shouted at the cloud. She began the spell but was cutoff when the cloud jumped into her body. Luna shuddered as she felt herself transform, the cloud slowly taking over her conscious. She grew taller, her bones growing faster than they should, hurting her. “Do not fight us Luna. We still require your form, but even if you fight us, we shall still prevail over you,” The cloud laughed to itself. Luna felt fangs grow, forcing out the teeth that had previously been there and a flow of blood seeped down her chin. The pain would have been unbearable, but Luna could no longer feel anything. “Please,” Luna begged the cloud, “stop.” She only heard the cloud laugh as it forced her into her own subconscious. “Pitiful child,” The new Alicorn sneered. “Nightmare Moon has won, and shall force the night to last forever. We only need defeat that weak Celestia.” Nightmare Moon left, closing the metal door behind her leaving the three crystals containing the ponies in the dark. She didn’t intend to come back for them soon if ever. Chapter 1: AwakenChapter 1: Awaken Luna felt a jolt of realization hit her as she rose from her bed. A memory had stirred in her dreams of three ancient warrior ponies who were guardians of her night. She knew that they were tied tightly to her destiny, but she could not put her hoof on who they were. Maybe something in the old part of Canterlot castle would yield some answers. “Luna, it is time for you to begin raising the moon,” Celestia interrupted her thoughts as she barged in. Luna felt a bit annoyed at her sister’s constant interruptions since the royal wedding of almost a month ago. “Tia, I think it is a bit too early,” Luna responded looking at the thing ponies called a clock. It pointed out that the time was about 5:30 in the afternoon. It was too early for the moon to rise, and Celestia should have known that herself. She had raised the moon herself for over 1000 years without Luna’s help. “Is it? I feel like the moon should be early today,” Celestia mused before chuckling. “I guess it is a bit too early. Anyway, how was your sleep?” “It was fine. I guess,” Luna answered, just a bit confused by her sister. “Why do you ask?” “It is the 1002 year anniversary of you turning into Nightmare Moon.” Celestia exclaimed at her sister, smiling like it was the best thing ever. Luna was angered at her sister for feeling like it should be a day for celebration. With a jolt, Luna remembered what happened that fateful day. About Black Paladin and Night Blade and Galeful Knight. About the promise she had made and had failed to keep but not of her own free will. “Black Paladin…” Luna murmured to herself. “What was that Lulu?” Celestia asked, invading Luna’s personal space. Luna leapt backwards out of her bed trying to ignore that her sister had just jumped into her bed. “Nothing dear sister. I should go get something to eat before I go attend to the court then,” Luna waited for her sister to leave so she could get ready for the night but Celestia didn’t seem to get the hint. “Um, Celestia, can you leave? I’d like to get ready.” “Oh yes. Sorry Lulu,” Celestia giggled as she left. She closed the door leaving Luna in solitude and privacy to sort out her thoughts. Luna sighed as she trotted over to her dresser and levitated a brush, running it through her mane. She wished this was the first time she had seen her sister act like this when she woke up, but sadly it wasn’t. It was probably the fifth or sixth time since the wedding that she had woken up to find her sister in her room. “Black Paladin, I wish I had never made you sleep. You could have prevented the Nightmare Moon incident and kept the world safe when I could not,” Luna whispered to herself. As she finished brushing her mane, she slipped into her silver slippers and levitated her chest plate over her head. Finally, she put on her tiara before walking out onto her balcony. She drew in a deep breath as she stretched her wings out to their full wingspan before diving off into the air. She enjoyed doing this when she was feeling stressed or if she needed to feel adrenalin rushing through her body. She pulled up so she could get a bird’s eye view of Canterlot. Very few ponies knew of this experience, even among the pegasi, who were forbidden to fly through the castle airspace. Luna knew exactly were the entrance area was hidden, but she was still trying to remember the exact well that hid it. She landed in an ancient, overgrown garden that had been boarded up long ago except for one door that led straight back to the castle. She took a deep breath in, smelling the musty air that had not changed in over 1000 years. She glanced around the garden, noticing that there were three wells spread out in the garden. On top of the farthest well sat a massive boulder, which was out of place compared to the other two wells. Luna strode to it, levitating the boulder off with a small fraction of her strength. With a massive shudder, the boulder moved and the well sank into the ground. A large, cavernous passageway opened in front of her, weaving deep into the ground. She levitated and lit an old torch that was held in a brazier near the entrance of the passage. With a deep breath, she began her long descent into the passageway that would yield her final goal. She saw cobwebs strung around throughout the passageway and at times had to use her magic to clear out a few of them. She shuddered whenever she passed one of her ancient magical barriers, remembering the magic that was allowed when she last came down here. Many ponies had created spells to control another’s mind or to shatter armies. The presence of Dark Magic during the period was overwhelming and she wondered why Celestia hadn’t outlawed the use of the magic earlier. They had been at war with the Griffon Kingdom at the time though so that could have been a reason. Even Black Paladin had dipped into that darkness and developed magic that would have made even Discord run for cover if he used it. Black Paladin was the last of his kind who possessed black magic and the ability to wield it effectively. He was not the strongest of unicorns in this time, but his magic could easily best most of them. Twilight Sparkle would have loved to ask him a lot of questions on the time period and his magical abilities. She noticed that she was nearing the great metal door that had sealed the three in many centuries ago. She focused her mind, trying to remember how to open the magically sealed door that stood before her. There was no way in Equestria that her strength or magic could force the door out of the way normally. The door required an ancient ritual to open it the second time it was to be used. A ritual of blood. Luna gulped as she levitated a jagged rock over to her from the ground while she slid one of her slippers off. She tried not to think about her grim task as she used the rock to draw her blood, the golden ichor of deities. She winced at the pain of the cut but quickly put her hoof against the metal door, the freezing surface offering some relief from the cut. The ancient door rumbled in its frame as it slowly slid open, revealing an ancient room that felt more like a crypt that anything else. Every last torch in the room had long since gone cold, the magic of the torches dissipated with the ponies that had cast them. Only the magic that kept painting Luna’s life continued to work at a normal pace, having completed three circuits since Luna had last entered the chamber. Luna cast out her magic, lighting the torches throughout the chamber to light it up, but the light sent an eerie glow from the three crystals that stood in the center of the room. Inside each crystal was a pony of varying height and weight. They each wore armour and weapons that were kept in prime condition, thanks to the magic that was infused to the crystal. Luna felt a tugging at the back of her mind, reminding her that it was time for the moon to begin to rise and for night to replace day. With little effort, Luna moved the moon and set it on its normal pace through the night sky, as well as the stars. Luna turned her attention to the crystals in the center of the room, deciding that awakening all three of them at the same time would most likely be the best choice at the moment. She knew that opening these crystals only required a voice activation command from Luna, but she was beginning to have second thoughts of awakening them. Finally, the promise she made all those years ago forced her to use the Royal Canterlot voice to open the crystals. “NIGHT BLADE, GALEFUL KNIGHT, AND BLACK PALADIN. YOUR PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT DEMANDS THAT YOU AWAKEN TO SERVE AGAIN!” She yelled hearing the echo ring through the tunnel behind her. When Luna’s commands finished echoing around the chamber, three sets of eyes slowly opened, each an eerie shade of green matching the crystals. Before Luna could register the actual color of each set of eyes, the crystals exploded into green clouds of smoke depositing the ponies inside onto the stony ground. “Ouch!” One of them shouted. “Talk about a rude awakening.” There was a large bang as one of them was dropped onto their head after having slept upside down. Luna recognized the voice as Galeful Knight, a dark blue pegasus that was a trickster and often fast spoken. Luna remembered that he had tripped into the crystal and had slept upside down for the entire time, which would explain why he had shouted out. “What happened?” A familiar gravelly voiced boomed from the left. Night Blade jumped forward, out of the smoke only to find Luna standing in front of him. “Princess Luna,” he bowed, “it is good to see you again.” “It is good to see you as well young Night Blade,” Luna smiled to herself, feeling as though Night Blade had grown bigger in the crystal. He had always been the tallest stallion, standing to the height of Luna’s chin. But the grey earth pony now seemed to stand eye level. Galeful Knight flapped his wings and sent smoke flying all around the chamber as he stirred up the air. Luna covered her nose, smelling rotten eggs and sulfur from the cloud. The smoke cleared up as Galeful Knight gave one final flap, sending it spiraling towards the windows and into the passage. He chose to hover above the ground so he didn’t feel dwarfed compared to his companion Night Blade. Along the shoes of his armour were blades that would shoot out when he clicked his hooves together, making him a dangerous enemy in close quarters. He smiled at Luna as he flew closer and landed on Night Blade’s back. “Hello my dear princess,” Galeful Knight chuckled. “That was an interesting way to get up in the evening.” “It is good to see that you still have your humor Galeful Knight,” Luna snickered as Galeful Knight did a few loops in his place. She looked around the room, trying to find Black Paladin but was surprised not to find him standing where his crystal was. She finally spotted him pacing next to the wall, looking at the artwork. She smiled to herself as he watched the magic work its way along the wall. “Princess, it is good to see you again. I believe that as last agreed, we are ten years in the future. How goes the war with the Griffon Kingdom?” Night Blade asked casually pulling his massive scythe off his back sending Galeful Knight back into the air. Luna realized they believed it was ten years later like she had promised them. “Obviously we ponies are winning.” Galeful Knight said landing back on top of Night Blade’s back, earning a playful swish from Blade’s scythe to get him off. “Night Blade! Galeful Knight!” Black Paladin boomed from the wall. “The war is over. Long over. Luna, what year is it?” Luna gulped when she realized that he would have known where the painting would have been when he had last been awake. So he would have been able to guess the time change easily. “Nothing seems to get past you Black Paladin,” Luna sighed to herself. “1000 years. That is how long you three have slept.” “What?” All three of them gasped. Galeful Knight dropped off the back of Night Blade and onto the floor. Black Paladin seemed to be unaffected by this news as he drew closer to Luna. “Perhaps we should leave this dreary room. 1000 years tends to allow one to despise the room he was kept in,” Black Paladin spoke, his emotions unreadable. His eyes were like stones and seemed to fall into a black abyss. Luna gulped, unsure of how to react to one of her closest friend’s harsh reaction. Black Paladin began walking out of the chamber, followed closely by Night Blade and Galeful Knight. Luna strode after them, closing the chamber as she left. “Let me explain you three!” Luna shouted after them. Night Blade and Galeful Knight both stopped though Black Paladin disappeared into the shadows. “Paladin.” “Where are you going?” Night Blade asked the shadows. Luna was unsure of where he had gone, his magic would easily allow him to remain hidden from even her. “I am not going to stay here. I am going to find my own answers,” Black Paladin stated, his form appearing for the briefest moments in the light of the entrance. Luna had no idea what he had meant by that statement and she shook thinking about what he planned. “Are you going to explain yourself Luna?” Galeful Knight huffed floating above her. “I want to see the world. It would be a lot of fun to see the change in history just like you princesses have.” “Wait? You aren’t angry with me?” Luna asked startled. She had expected all three of them to be angry at her, not just Black Paladin. Night Blade had a smile on his face. “I am fine with the time as long as Gale has my back,” He chuckled to himself. Luna smiled at the pair who had one of the closest bonds she had seen. Those two acted like brothers even though they were not connected by blood. They cared for Luna like a sister also since the day she had pulled them off the street. “That is good. A lot has happened the years you spent locked in that room. I myself was not here for those years myself.” “What do you mean?” Night Blade questioned. ... Black Paladin breathed the fresh air glad to be free of that dungeon. The garden around him was overgrown and full of rotten plants and rats. The walls looked ancient as if no pony had walked these halls in centuries, while only one passage was actually open. He tried to cast his scrying magic, but again his magic failed to work for him. Paladin felt as though the crystal was responsible for his inability to cast any magic. He decided to find his way through to the new area of the castle to meet the Princess of the Sun, Celestia. He planned to explore more magic after being locked away from the world for so long. But first he needed help from one of the princesses. Mainly one who did not want him a secret. Chapter 2: Plans UnfoldChapter 2: Plans unfold Black Paladin snuck into the garden, seeing two guards posted in the doorway and no other defenses as far as he could tell. Near the center of the royal garden he saw an alabaster Alicorn with a pink, green, blue, and purple mane waving in a cosmic wind. With her was a unicorn stallion wearing the regalia of captain, lacking his helmet. Next to the stallion sat another Alicorn that was smaller than the first but was an unknown to Paladin. He crept closer spotting six other ponies with the Princess. One mare was lavender and wore her mane in a traditional fashion. She was a unicorn of some power as Black Paladin tasted the magic in the air. Beside her sat another unicorn mare, white with a beautiful mane and dressed up in a gown that almost made Paladin lose focus. He quickly recovered unsure of what to think of the unicorn. Another pony, a pink one with cotton candy for a mane, or a mane that looked like cotton candy, Black Paladin couldn’t be sure, was hopping up and down in glee. She was doing it on her hind legs which confused him, seeing as how she wasn’t a unicorn. A cyan pegasus was rolling around on the ground next to her, laughing, her mane a rainbow of colors that seemed dyed but Black Paladin wondered how anypony could make it so neat. An orange earth pony grabbed the pink pony by the tail, bringing her back down to earth. The orange pony wore a strange hat and seemed really strong, especially her hind legs. Black Paladin noted that he should not sneak up behind her or risk getting bucked into next week. The last pony he saw was a yellow pegasus who hid behind the lavender unicorn. She was pretty but seemed timid. She was also staring straight at Black Paladin. “Twilight…” She said, poking her friend. “Yes Fluttershy?” Twilight asked looking at the yellow pegasus. All the ponies stopped talking to see what the pegasus said. “What is it?” “Eyes,” She shrieked hiding behind Twilight. Black Paladin had no idea how she could have spotted his eyes, or even noticed he was there. “What do you mean eyes dear?” The white unicorn asked confused, glancing toward Paladin’s position. He knew he shouldn’t be hiding. He had intended to reveal himself soon anyways before the night grew old. “I believe she means my eyes, unicorn,” Black Paladin said, dropping down from his tree into the group. “I believe introductions are in order.” “I would say so,” Celestia said standing up. The unicorn in armour seemed to be on alert, though it was for a good reason. “Who exactly are you, and why are you wearing the rank of general armour?” “Wait, this is a general’s armour set?” Paladin asked, looking down at his armour. “Luna never told me what type of armour I was wearing. I just reinforce it with magic to keep it in such pristine condition.” He noticed he was going off a bit and straightened up. “I am sorry for that. My name is Black Paladin, a shade employed by Princess Luna. I am also 1015 years old I believe.” “What?” Every pony asked him. They all had confused looks on their faces, even Princess Celestia. “Black Paladin, do you have knowledge of the black magics?” Celestia asked hesitantly. Paladin realized that his knowledge and dabbling in dark magic may cause him some problems in this time period. “Is that going to cause some problems?” Black Paladin asked as the two guards entered the clearing weapons drawn. Paladin would have preferred not to draw his own hidden sword on them, but he would need to think of something if all went south. “Twilight, I think you and everypony else should leave.” Celestia told every pony in the clearing. “Yes Princess.” Twilight blinked. “Come on girls, let’s leave these two alone.” The six ponies left leaving the guards, the captain, the second Alicorn, and Celestia alone with Black Paladin. “Now, you will answer the question or I shall flay you, Black Paladin,” The princess growled, her eyes flashing green in anger. “Changeling.” Black Paladin jumped back grabbing his sword in his magic, finding his magic had gained some energy back. He launched a magical blast to revert the changelings to their normal form. All of them were changelings, even the guards. “Well, well, well,” The largest changeling, the one who had impersonated Celestia, chuckled. She had a mane that was silver and looked more like a torn piece of silk that anypony could look through. She stood taller than Celestia, by about two hoofs taller. Her carapace stretched around her neck, making it look like she also wore the royal regalia of the princesses. Entirely, she was quite menacing and seemed very dangerous. “It seems you are more capable with normal magic as well. Only that lavender mare that just left has been able to use that magic effectively. Well done.” “Sister stop toying with him,” Another large female changeling told her. Black Paladin had encountered the changelings before, and knew they feasted on love, but he was surprised to see the Queen Chrysalis still lived. She had been impersonating the other Alicorn. “Who are you then?” Black Paladin asked the changeling Celestia. “If that is Chrysalis over there then you are some pony who ranks higher than even her.” “You draw that conclusion yourself?” The changeling chuckled. “You are smarter than I believed for one so old. If you must know, I am Queen Sycaris and I am the older sister to Queen Chrysalis. I rule the changelings while my sister acts as commander of our forces.” “Sister, just do it,” Chrysalis sighed to Sycaris. Sycaris looked over at her sister before blasting Paladin with a green energy bolt that froze his body. He struggled to move but none of his muscles seemed to work, and whatever she had done had also caused his magic to drain. He was helpless. “You, go retrieve those six back here,” Sycaris snapped at the one of the changeling guards who bowed before changing back into a pony in a flash of green fire. He galloped off while the other changeling drew a rope from his belt and quickly tied up Black Paladin before putting an inhibitor ring on his horn in case he had a magical discharge. “Drag him to the dungeon,” Chrysalis snapped at the changeling who had just tied up Paladin. “We will keep him comfortable.” “Now where would Lulu be?” Sycaris looked around the garden. Little did she notice, though Paladin had, a dark blue shadow floating above the trees watching the entire exchange. ‘Go Gale, warn Luna.’ Black Paladin thought to himself seeing Gale fly off. He would not get to know what happened next as the butt of a spear connected with the back of his head, blacking him out. ... “By the moon,” Galeful Knight whispered as he hung low over the trees flying back to meet Princess Luna and Night Blade in a designated area. They had wanted him to scope out the area because Celestia was known to be a prankster and Luna didn’t want to walk into a trap. What Gale had just seen was far beyond any practical joke he had known of. “Princess Luna, it is good to see you again,” Galeful Knight heard an unknown mare voice. “Are you going to the moonlight picnic tonight? It is going to be a lot of fun.” Galeful Knight waited in a tree to see who the other ponies were and what had happened to Night Blade. He was given an answer when a cyan pegasus landed right in front of him. Both of them jumped at the other falling from the tree into the group. “Who are you? Why are you creeping on us? Are you a spy?!” The pegasus asked from on top of him. Galeful Knight couldn’t seem to force her off, which was surprising. He had been pinned by a mare that had no training like he had. “Rainbow Dash, please remove yourself from my friend,” Luna told the pegasus. “Wait, your friend?” Rainbow Dash looked confused from Luna to Gale. “Yes, his name is Galeful Knight, and he does have weapons similar to Night Blades’. It would be for the best that you let him up before he gets angered.” “I am not angered, just irritated.” Gale retorted to Luna’s comment. He felt Rainbow Dash float off him and he jumped up into the air after her. He felt a mouth clench his tail as his blades flashed out at the pegasus. He glanced back to see Night Blade keeping him from doing something stupid. Rainbow Dash was in a similar state as an orange pony had her tail and was holding her back. “My word!” Rarity gasped as the blades flashed closest to her. “Rainbow Dash, apologize.” Applejack commanded through the rainbow tail. “Why?! He started it!” “Did not! You landed in my tree.” Gale snapped at her. Gale saw her glare coldly at him and try to lunge again. Both Night Blade and Applejack moved a few inches closer as the two gunned at each other. “Rainbow, this is unnecessary. Galeful Knight seems quite civilized.” Rarity pointed out to the pegasus. “We will settle this later,” Rainbow Dash huffed landing. “Gale, stand down,” Luna commanded him, keeping her voice stern yet fair. “That is not proper behavior for this time. Do you not remember what I told you?” Galeful Knight thought back to an hour ago when Luna had revealed the events that had happened. About her being imprisoned on the moon for the exact amount of time they had spent in that chamber. The two had quickly forgiven the Princess of the Night when she had explained everything. They had no reason to blame her for actions that she had no control over. “Yes princess. I understand.” Galeful Knight said, floating onto Night Blade’s back, his normal haunt. Night Blade barely noticed he was there, and once commented that he was little more than a fly. Gale believed that Blade used him for exercise because he never actually snapped when he kept doing it. “You six, Princess Celestia would like you to return to dinner.” A guard stated as he entered the clearing. “You are also expected Princess Luna.” “You!” Gale shouted launching himself at the guard. “Changeling!” “Gale, you need to calm down,” Night Blade commanded dragging him off the guard. “Excuse us sir.” “Galeful Knight, what are you talking about? He is just an average guard. How could he be a changeling?” Twilight asked him. Galeful Knight launched back at the guard, knocking him off balance sending him spiraling through the air. The guard snapped into a hover, insect like wings keeping him afloat. He looked back, losing focus and reverting to his base form. The changeling let out a hiss of frustration. “What?” Luna gasped walking over to the changeling. “Where is my sister?” “That’s just it. All the ponies not including these six in the clearing ahead are changelings. They have Black Paladin!” “But we beat the changelings a month ago,” Twilight exclaimed. “How could they be here now?” “You need to spill the beans,” Rainbow Dash rushed the changeling. “He has beans? I want some!” A pink pony chuckled. “Pinkie, I thought you already had an entire cake?” Rarity sighed to the pony. “Maybe we should make a bean cake!” Pinkie exclaimed smiling widely. “How would that taste though? We could have hot sauce on it also. Oh it sounds so yummy!” Galeful Knight cast her a questioning look though he caught sight of Twilight who seemed to make it out that this was normal for Pinkie. “I believe we should get out of here first. Most likely the others are getting suspicious of us at the moment,” Luna explained. To prove her right, Celestia herself walked around the bend to find them standing around the changeling. “Well, this is unfortunate,” Celestia-Sycaris exclaimed. “But it can be easily reconciled. Guards, capture them now.” “Night Blade, Galeful Knight. We should get out of here now,” Luna said as the halls around them filled with guards. “Take the girls and get out of here. I’ll hold off my sister.” “I cannot allow that, Princess Luna,” Night Blade said as he galloped past, grabbing her. “We are all getting out of here now. We need at least one princess to keep the day and night in balance.” The six other mares seemed to be divided, half following Night Blade, while the rest followed Gale down the hallway. Only a yellow pegasus was left and they all noticed. “Come on Fluttershy! Move those wings!” Rainbow shouted at her. Galeful Knight spun in flight, leaving Night Blade dragging Luna and rushed back to Fluttershy. He landed in the mix of guards, causing them to scatter. He snatched Fluttershy up causing her to squeal as he flew towards a lavender unicorn. “Get them!” Celestia shouted, losing her concentration, revealing her true form. “It isn’t even midnight, and we have to save pony kind again,” Gale chuckled to himself. “Never a dull moment.”
Prologue: PromisesCaution: I don't own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. All credit goes to our friends at Hasbro. Please support the original franchise. Prologue Promises “Princess Luna where are we going?” Night Blade questioned, his gravelly voice booming around the walls of the tunnel. The tunnel walls dripped with water and mold was beginning to grow, filling the air with a musky scent. Black Paladin ignored the smell as he shadowed Luna, closely followed by Night Blade and Galeful Knight. They had all been woken up earlier that evening by the princess herself and had been told to put on their full regalia. “We art leading you to a secret chamber. You shalt rest for the next few years,” Luna told them, keeping her voice down. She stopped in front of a large metal wall with strange and mysterious symbols inscribed into it. Black Paladin would have loved to study the symbols if they had the time. Galeful Knight seemed to not realize the wall was there as he crashed into it sending off a resonating boom. “What is behind this wall princess?” Galeful Knight asked as he readjusted his helmet. His light blue mane fell out a bit, revealing the three white streaks. It hung to his shoulder and looked like he had just flown at top speed. Galeful Knight stumbled into Night Blade, leaning against him. “That was painful. Ouch!” “Maybe next time you shall watch were you are going,” Night Blade growled at him, shaking his brown mane and stepping into the torchlight. He stood taller than Galeful Knight and wore bronze armour. He wore a large scythe on his back that resembled the same scythe on his cutie mark. Even though they often acted like they hated each other, Black Paladin knew that those two were the closest of friends. “Art you done?” Luna questioned the two friends. They both nodded and she turned around, staring at the door. Her horn began to glow as she summoned up her magic. The door gave a similar glow as it shook in its frame and slowly scraped open, sending off a cloud of dust. Paladin sneezed, dust drifting down on top of him and the others. He shut his eyes and heard the door rumble opening. When he opened them he saw a large, cavernous chamber with windows near the ceiling. Old archaic Pony history hung on the walls, seemingly continuing through even events that had happened only few days past. Black Paladin was surprised to see that the paintings were magically continuing on their own. A small glow could be seen were the painting was continuously growing, sketching out a new picture that Paladin could not discern. The process was spectacular as the little glows changed color and outlined different things. “Princess Luna, what is this room?” Black Paladin asked stepping into the room. He kept his stance wide, nervous of the ancient magic around him. Ancient magic was something that even the Princess herself did not often mess with because it could often be chained with magical traps and enchantments. Paladin once saw a young guard be burned to death by carelessly walking into a forbidden area. “This room is the Chamber of History. But the wall art is not why we hath brought thee here tonight,” Luna said as she strode toward the center of the room where three green crystals glowed eerily. Black Paladin followed closely behind her while Night Blade and Galeful Knight examined the walls, unaware of the crystals. “Wait, is that us?” Galeful Knight questioned when he spotted a trio of ponies with armour and cutie marks exactly like theirs. Black Paladin spotted the painting realizing that Galeful Knight was correct for once in his observations. It portrayed the trio in a battle with griffon assassins who were after Luna and her sister, Celestia. It ended as was to be expected, yet not without it's marks. Paladin bit his tongue, suppressing the memory. “Indeed ‘tis thee,” Luna answered concentrating her magic on the crystals, opening them. “It is a recording of thou becoming blooded for the first time. The very same day we proclaimed thou Shades of the night and allowed thou to use magic to blend into the shadows.” “That ritual?” Black Paladin thought to himself, remembering that day well. He had never felt so afraid and proud at the same time. It was the day all three of them had received their cutie marks. It was Black Paladin’s cutie mark that had made the largest impression on Luna. His was a cross of two swords that symbolized war magic. He had since then spent most of his nights learning how to wield his war magic and had found that he was an extremely competent warrior. “We know Black Paladin,” Luna spoke from behind him. “That day opened many paths for the future but it still was a day of greatness. We discovered a great many things about thee, as well as brought thou under our wing. Thou have been faithful to us since that day and we admire thy dedication.” “Princess Luna, what are these crystals exactly?” Night Blade asked as he inspected one of them. Black Paladin was thinking the same thing as he inspected another one. He had never seen a crystal like this in his studies and he was trying to figure out what it did. They were a bright shade of green, but were brighter than any emerald he had seen. It was six sided with the front opening faced toward the metal door. Black Paladin stepped onto the front side trying to look into the crystal. Inside, the crystal was hallow, yet there was magic that radiated from the sides, making Paladin feel tired. He pulled out, blinking the sleep from his eyes. He would remember to get more rest once this ritual was done. He put his hoof onto the lip of the door, testing the toughness of the mineral. “Do not step into that yet,” Luna warned as she continued her spell on the crystals. “It is not yet ready for thee.” “Princess,” Night Blade began, “is something wrong? This entire night has been strange and now you are casting spells on crystals. I know we are to keep ourselves unknown to the rest of Equestria, but I do not understand what is going on here. Are we going to reveal ourselves soon to everypony?” “Soon, Night Blade, soon thou shalt see what we art doing,” Luna sighed as she finished her spell. “We have spent many years raising thee, hoping that thou would never learn the art of war but it was impossible to stop. Now my little ponies, we ask you to sleep as we try to sort out some issues with the Griffin Kingdom that you may have raised.” “What?” All three of the gasped at the same time. The room was silent for what seemed like an eternity before Black Paladin spoke up. “So this has nothing to do with the growing jealousy of your sister I am assuming?” He gazed at her waiting for any give away of truth but not spotting any. He kept his head bowed and fought against showing his emotions, which was still a struggle for him to do. “Black Paladin. We promise it has nothing to do with a growing jealousy of our sister. Where did thou come up with such an absurd accusation?” Luna took a defensive step back before slamming her hoof down. Black Paladin backed away, keeping his own ground. “Scrying magic,” Black Paladin reminded her pointing at his horn. “We shall sleep as long as you promise to wake us within ten years. We will see you then I believe.” “We shall try to wake thou in ten years. We cannot be exact with our timing though so it may be off by a month or so. But thou hast our promise,” Luna answered her question looking at the doorway. Black Paladin did the same and realized that eventually somepony would be looking for her since she should be on duty at this moment. “Ok princess, I shall go first then,” Night Blade spoke up, stepping into the closest crystal. It shut itself quickly with a burst of smoke and a blast of magic energy. Night Blade could be seen inside, floating in a magical web that seemed to keep him suspended in time. His eyes were shut and he seemed to be sleeping. Black Paladin looked into the crystal, attempting to identify the magical energies within. “Good night young Night Blade,” Luna said, turning to the other two ponies. “Who shall be next?” “I will go!” Galeful Knight exclaimed jumping into his crystal. This caused him to be upside down when the crystal shut itself, leaving him sleeping in an awkward position. If there was anypony that Black Paladin knew who would willingly jump in with zero information it would be him. “Well Black Paladin?” Luna looked at her last student. “Art thou ready to sleep?” “Princess,” Black Paladin began, “are you sure this is the best thing to do?” He glanced apprehensively at the final crystal in the center. Luna seemed confident in the crystal keeping them safe for the time being, but Black Paladin wasn’t sure if he wanted to trust it. “Black Paladin, thou need fear nothing,” Luna soothed him. “We art sure that the crystal is safe and will not do anything harmful to thee.” “What about you princess?” Black Paladin questioned her. “Who will protect you while we sleep? Who shall keep you company when the night becomes lonely?” He worried about her safety more than his own life and he wanted her to know that. He did not want to leave the princess alone by herself in the world. “Maybe I can stay with you and protect you from harm.” He glanced eagerly up at his princess, hoping to find some consoling or comforting look. He was met with a cold glare. “Black Paladin,” Luna commanded, “we ask thee to sleep. You will do so. This matter is not open to discussion, nor was it ever for that matter. Now sleep, and we shall wake you when the time is right.” “Yes princess,” Black Paladin bowed. He hesitated on the edge of the crystal looking back at the princess, who only waved her hoof for him to continue. He took in a deep breath and took a step into the crystal. It was warm inside and he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. He tried to fight back a yawn but was unsuccessful as he felt a wave of magic wash over him. He turned, trying to catch one last glimpse of Luna before he slept, but she was surrounded by a cloud of darkness. He tried to fight the magic but failed as he felt his eyes begin to close. He could only watch as the cloud enveloped Luna, though he could not tell if it was a dream or if it had actually happened. He would not figure out until he awoke again. ................................................................................................ “What art thou?” Luna gasped the cloud as it swirled around her. When the crystal that Black Paladin now slept in closed, it had sprung from a window, quickly surrounding her. “Oh Luna,” the cloud cackled, “We are you. You are us. We are the side of you that wishes to fulfill the wish of a night eternal. Do not try to fight us for you cannot win.” “Black Paladin and the others can stop thee foul daemon,” Luna shouted at the cloud. She began the spell but was cutoff when the cloud jumped into her body. Luna shuddered as she felt herself transform, the cloud slowly taking over her conscious. She grew taller, her bones growing faster than they should, hurting her. “Do not fight us Luna. We still require your form, but even if you fight us, we shall still prevail over you,” The cloud laughed to itself. Luna felt fangs grow, forcing out the teeth that had previously been there and a flow of blood seeped down her chin. The pain would have been unbearable, but Luna could no longer feel anything. “Please,” Luna begged the cloud, “stop.” She only heard the cloud laugh as it forced her into her own subconscious. “Pitiful child,” The new Alicorn sneered. “Nightmare Moon has won, and shall force the night to last forever. We only need defeat that weak Celestia.” Nightmare Moon left, closing the metal door behind her leaving the three crystals containing the ponies in the dark. She didn’t intend to come back for them soon if ever.
Chapter 1: AwakenChapter 1: Awaken Luna felt a jolt of realization hit her as she rose from her bed. A memory had stirred in her dreams of three ancient warrior ponies who were guardians of her night. She knew that they were tied tightly to her destiny, but she could not put her hoof on who they were. Maybe something in the old part of Canterlot castle would yield some answers. “Luna, it is time for you to begin raising the moon,” Celestia interrupted her thoughts as she barged in. Luna felt a bit annoyed at her sister’s constant interruptions since the royal wedding of almost a month ago. “Tia, I think it is a bit too early,” Luna responded looking at the thing ponies called a clock. It pointed out that the time was about 5:30 in the afternoon. It was too early for the moon to rise, and Celestia should have known that herself. She had raised the moon herself for over 1000 years without Luna’s help. “Is it? I feel like the moon should be early today,” Celestia mused before chuckling. “I guess it is a bit too early. Anyway, how was your sleep?” “It was fine. I guess,” Luna answered, just a bit confused by her sister. “Why do you ask?” “It is the 1002 year anniversary of you turning into Nightmare Moon.” Celestia exclaimed at her sister, smiling like it was the best thing ever. Luna was angered at her sister for feeling like it should be a day for celebration. With a jolt, Luna remembered what happened that fateful day. About Black Paladin and Night Blade and Galeful Knight. About the promise she had made and had failed to keep but not of her own free will. “Black Paladin…” Luna murmured to herself. “What was that Lulu?” Celestia asked, invading Luna’s personal space. Luna leapt backwards out of her bed trying to ignore that her sister had just jumped into her bed. “Nothing dear sister. I should go get something to eat before I go attend to the court then,” Luna waited for her sister to leave so she could get ready for the night but Celestia didn’t seem to get the hint. “Um, Celestia, can you leave? I’d like to get ready.” “Oh yes. Sorry Lulu,” Celestia giggled as she left. She closed the door leaving Luna in solitude and privacy to sort out her thoughts. Luna sighed as she trotted over to her dresser and levitated a brush, running it through her mane. She wished this was the first time she had seen her sister act like this when she woke up, but sadly it wasn’t. It was probably the fifth or sixth time since the wedding that she had woken up to find her sister in her room. “Black Paladin, I wish I had never made you sleep. You could have prevented the Nightmare Moon incident and kept the world safe when I could not,” Luna whispered to herself. As she finished brushing her mane, she slipped into her silver slippers and levitated her chest plate over her head. Finally, she put on her tiara before walking out onto her balcony. She drew in a deep breath as she stretched her wings out to their full wingspan before diving off into the air. She enjoyed doing this when she was feeling stressed or if she needed to feel adrenalin rushing through her body. She pulled up so she could get a bird’s eye view of Canterlot. Very few ponies knew of this experience, even among the pegasi, who were forbidden to fly through the castle airspace. Luna knew exactly were the entrance area was hidden, but she was still trying to remember the exact well that hid it. She landed in an ancient, overgrown garden that had been boarded up long ago except for one door that led straight back to the castle. She took a deep breath in, smelling the musty air that had not changed in over 1000 years. She glanced around the garden, noticing that there were three wells spread out in the garden. On top of the farthest well sat a massive boulder, which was out of place compared to the other two wells. Luna strode to it, levitating the boulder off with a small fraction of her strength. With a massive shudder, the boulder moved and the well sank into the ground. A large, cavernous passageway opened in front of her, weaving deep into the ground. She levitated and lit an old torch that was held in a brazier near the entrance of the passage. With a deep breath, she began her long descent into the passageway that would yield her final goal. She saw cobwebs strung around throughout the passageway and at times had to use her magic to clear out a few of them. She shuddered whenever she passed one of her ancient magical barriers, remembering the magic that was allowed when she last came down here. Many ponies had created spells to control another’s mind or to shatter armies. The presence of Dark Magic during the period was overwhelming and she wondered why Celestia hadn’t outlawed the use of the magic earlier. They had been at war with the Griffon Kingdom at the time though so that could have been a reason. Even Black Paladin had dipped into that darkness and developed magic that would have made even Discord run for cover if he used it. Black Paladin was the last of his kind who possessed black magic and the ability to wield it effectively. He was not the strongest of unicorns in this time, but his magic could easily best most of them. Twilight Sparkle would have loved to ask him a lot of questions on the time period and his magical abilities. She noticed that she was nearing the great metal door that had sealed the three in many centuries ago. She focused her mind, trying to remember how to open the magically sealed door that stood before her. There was no way in Equestria that her strength or magic could force the door out of the way normally. The door required an ancient ritual to open it the second time it was to be used. A ritual of blood. Luna gulped as she levitated a jagged rock over to her from the ground while she slid one of her slippers off. She tried not to think about her grim task as she used the rock to draw her blood, the golden ichor of deities. She winced at the pain of the cut but quickly put her hoof against the metal door, the freezing surface offering some relief from the cut. The ancient door rumbled in its frame as it slowly slid open, revealing an ancient room that felt more like a crypt that anything else. Every last torch in the room had long since gone cold, the magic of the torches dissipated with the ponies that had cast them. Only the magic that kept painting Luna’s life continued to work at a normal pace, having completed three circuits since Luna had last entered the chamber. Luna cast out her magic, lighting the torches throughout the chamber to light it up, but the light sent an eerie glow from the three crystals that stood in the center of the room. Inside each crystal was a pony of varying height and weight. They each wore armour and weapons that were kept in prime condition, thanks to the magic that was infused to the crystal. Luna felt a tugging at the back of her mind, reminding her that it was time for the moon to begin to rise and for night to replace day. With little effort, Luna moved the moon and set it on its normal pace through the night sky, as well as the stars. Luna turned her attention to the crystals in the center of the room, deciding that awakening all three of them at the same time would most likely be the best choice at the moment. She knew that opening these crystals only required a voice activation command from Luna, but she was beginning to have second thoughts of awakening them. Finally, the promise she made all those years ago forced her to use the Royal Canterlot voice to open the crystals. “NIGHT BLADE, GALEFUL KNIGHT, AND BLACK PALADIN. YOUR PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT DEMANDS THAT YOU AWAKEN TO SERVE AGAIN!” She yelled hearing the echo ring through the tunnel behind her. When Luna’s commands finished echoing around the chamber, three sets of eyes slowly opened, each an eerie shade of green matching the crystals. Before Luna could register the actual color of each set of eyes, the crystals exploded into green clouds of smoke depositing the ponies inside onto the stony ground. “Ouch!” One of them shouted. “Talk about a rude awakening.” There was a large bang as one of them was dropped onto their head after having slept upside down. Luna recognized the voice as Galeful Knight, a dark blue pegasus that was a trickster and often fast spoken. Luna remembered that he had tripped into the crystal and had slept upside down for the entire time, which would explain why he had shouted out. “What happened?” A familiar gravelly voiced boomed from the left. Night Blade jumped forward, out of the smoke only to find Luna standing in front of him. “Princess Luna,” he bowed, “it is good to see you again.” “It is good to see you as well young Night Blade,” Luna smiled to herself, feeling as though Night Blade had grown bigger in the crystal. He had always been the tallest stallion, standing to the height of Luna’s chin. But the grey earth pony now seemed to stand eye level. Galeful Knight flapped his wings and sent smoke flying all around the chamber as he stirred up the air. Luna covered her nose, smelling rotten eggs and sulfur from the cloud. The smoke cleared up as Galeful Knight gave one final flap, sending it spiraling towards the windows and into the passage. He chose to hover above the ground so he didn’t feel dwarfed compared to his companion Night Blade. Along the shoes of his armour were blades that would shoot out when he clicked his hooves together, making him a dangerous enemy in close quarters. He smiled at Luna as he flew closer and landed on Night Blade’s back. “Hello my dear princess,” Galeful Knight chuckled. “That was an interesting way to get up in the evening.” “It is good to see that you still have your humor Galeful Knight,” Luna snickered as Galeful Knight did a few loops in his place. She looked around the room, trying to find Black Paladin but was surprised not to find him standing where his crystal was. She finally spotted him pacing next to the wall, looking at the artwork. She smiled to herself as he watched the magic work its way along the wall. “Princess, it is good to see you again. I believe that as last agreed, we are ten years in the future. How goes the war with the Griffon Kingdom?” Night Blade asked casually pulling his massive scythe off his back sending Galeful Knight back into the air. Luna realized they believed it was ten years later like she had promised them. “Obviously we ponies are winning.” Galeful Knight said landing back on top of Night Blade’s back, earning a playful swish from Blade’s scythe to get him off. “Night Blade! Galeful Knight!” Black Paladin boomed from the wall. “The war is over. Long over. Luna, what year is it?” Luna gulped when she realized that he would have known where the painting would have been when he had last been awake. So he would have been able to guess the time change easily. “Nothing seems to get past you Black Paladin,” Luna sighed to herself. “1000 years. That is how long you three have slept.” “What?” All three of them gasped. Galeful Knight dropped off the back of Night Blade and onto the floor. Black Paladin seemed to be unaffected by this news as he drew closer to Luna. “Perhaps we should leave this dreary room. 1000 years tends to allow one to despise the room he was kept in,” Black Paladin spoke, his emotions unreadable. His eyes were like stones and seemed to fall into a black abyss. Luna gulped, unsure of how to react to one of her closest friend’s harsh reaction. Black Paladin began walking out of the chamber, followed closely by Night Blade and Galeful Knight. Luna strode after them, closing the chamber as she left. “Let me explain you three!” Luna shouted after them. Night Blade and Galeful Knight both stopped though Black Paladin disappeared into the shadows. “Paladin.” “Where are you going?” Night Blade asked the shadows. Luna was unsure of where he had gone, his magic would easily allow him to remain hidden from even her. “I am not going to stay here. I am going to find my own answers,” Black Paladin stated, his form appearing for the briefest moments in the light of the entrance. Luna had no idea what he had meant by that statement and she shook thinking about what he planned. “Are you going to explain yourself Luna?” Galeful Knight huffed floating above her. “I want to see the world. It would be a lot of fun to see the change in history just like you princesses have.” “Wait? You aren’t angry with me?” Luna asked startled. She had expected all three of them to be angry at her, not just Black Paladin. Night Blade had a smile on his face. “I am fine with the time as long as Gale has my back,” He chuckled to himself. Luna smiled at the pair who had one of the closest bonds she had seen. Those two acted like brothers even though they were not connected by blood. They cared for Luna like a sister also since the day she had pulled them off the street. “That is good. A lot has happened the years you spent locked in that room. I myself was not here for those years myself.” “What do you mean?” Night Blade questioned. ... Black Paladin breathed the fresh air glad to be free of that dungeon. The garden around him was overgrown and full of rotten plants and rats. The walls looked ancient as if no pony had walked these halls in centuries, while only one passage was actually open. He tried to cast his scrying magic, but again his magic failed to work for him. Paladin felt as though the crystal was responsible for his inability to cast any magic. He decided to find his way through to the new area of the castle to meet the Princess of the Sun, Celestia. He planned to explore more magic after being locked away from the world for so long. But first he needed help from one of the princesses. Mainly one who did not want him a secret.
Chapter 2: Plans UnfoldChapter 2: Plans unfold Black Paladin snuck into the garden, seeing two guards posted in the doorway and no other defenses as far as he could tell. Near the center of the royal garden he saw an alabaster Alicorn with a pink, green, blue, and purple mane waving in a cosmic wind. With her was a unicorn stallion wearing the regalia of captain, lacking his helmet. Next to the stallion sat another Alicorn that was smaller than the first but was an unknown to Paladin. He crept closer spotting six other ponies with the Princess. One mare was lavender and wore her mane in a traditional fashion. She was a unicorn of some power as Black Paladin tasted the magic in the air. Beside her sat another unicorn mare, white with a beautiful mane and dressed up in a gown that almost made Paladin lose focus. He quickly recovered unsure of what to think of the unicorn. Another pony, a pink one with cotton candy for a mane, or a mane that looked like cotton candy, Black Paladin couldn’t be sure, was hopping up and down in glee. She was doing it on her hind legs which confused him, seeing as how she wasn’t a unicorn. A cyan pegasus was rolling around on the ground next to her, laughing, her mane a rainbow of colors that seemed dyed but Black Paladin wondered how anypony could make it so neat. An orange earth pony grabbed the pink pony by the tail, bringing her back down to earth. The orange pony wore a strange hat and seemed really strong, especially her hind legs. Black Paladin noted that he should not sneak up behind her or risk getting bucked into next week. The last pony he saw was a yellow pegasus who hid behind the lavender unicorn. She was pretty but seemed timid. She was also staring straight at Black Paladin. “Twilight…” She said, poking her friend. “Yes Fluttershy?” Twilight asked looking at the yellow pegasus. All the ponies stopped talking to see what the pegasus said. “What is it?” “Eyes,” She shrieked hiding behind Twilight. Black Paladin had no idea how she could have spotted his eyes, or even noticed he was there. “What do you mean eyes dear?” The white unicorn asked confused, glancing toward Paladin’s position. He knew he shouldn’t be hiding. He had intended to reveal himself soon anyways before the night grew old. “I believe she means my eyes, unicorn,” Black Paladin said, dropping down from his tree into the group. “I believe introductions are in order.” “I would say so,” Celestia said standing up. The unicorn in armour seemed to be on alert, though it was for a good reason. “Who exactly are you, and why are you wearing the rank of general armour?” “Wait, this is a general’s armour set?” Paladin asked, looking down at his armour. “Luna never told me what type of armour I was wearing. I just reinforce it with magic to keep it in such pristine condition.” He noticed he was going off a bit and straightened up. “I am sorry for that. My name is Black Paladin, a shade employed by Princess Luna. I am also 1015 years old I believe.” “What?” Every pony asked him. They all had confused looks on their faces, even Princess Celestia. “Black Paladin, do you have knowledge of the black magics?” Celestia asked hesitantly. Paladin realized that his knowledge and dabbling in dark magic may cause him some problems in this time period. “Is that going to cause some problems?” Black Paladin asked as the two guards entered the clearing weapons drawn. Paladin would have preferred not to draw his own hidden sword on them, but he would need to think of something if all went south. “Twilight, I think you and everypony else should leave.” Celestia told every pony in the clearing. “Yes Princess.” Twilight blinked. “Come on girls, let’s leave these two alone.” The six ponies left leaving the guards, the captain, the second Alicorn, and Celestia alone with Black Paladin. “Now, you will answer the question or I shall flay you, Black Paladin,” The princess growled, her eyes flashing green in anger. “Changeling.” Black Paladin jumped back grabbing his sword in his magic, finding his magic had gained some energy back. He launched a magical blast to revert the changelings to their normal form. All of them were changelings, even the guards. “Well, well, well,” The largest changeling, the one who had impersonated Celestia, chuckled. She had a mane that was silver and looked more like a torn piece of silk that anypony could look through. She stood taller than Celestia, by about two hoofs taller. Her carapace stretched around her neck, making it look like she also wore the royal regalia of the princesses. Entirely, she was quite menacing and seemed very dangerous. “It seems you are more capable with normal magic as well. Only that lavender mare that just left has been able to use that magic effectively. Well done.” “Sister stop toying with him,” Another large female changeling told her. Black Paladin had encountered the changelings before, and knew they feasted on love, but he was surprised to see the Queen Chrysalis still lived. She had been impersonating the other Alicorn. “Who are you then?” Black Paladin asked the changeling Celestia. “If that is Chrysalis over there then you are some pony who ranks higher than even her.” “You draw that conclusion yourself?” The changeling chuckled. “You are smarter than I believed for one so old. If you must know, I am Queen Sycaris and I am the older sister to Queen Chrysalis. I rule the changelings while my sister acts as commander of our forces.” “Sister, just do it,” Chrysalis sighed to Sycaris. Sycaris looked over at her sister before blasting Paladin with a green energy bolt that froze his body. He struggled to move but none of his muscles seemed to work, and whatever she had done had also caused his magic to drain. He was helpless. “You, go retrieve those six back here,” Sycaris snapped at the one of the changeling guards who bowed before changing back into a pony in a flash of green fire. He galloped off while the other changeling drew a rope from his belt and quickly tied up Black Paladin before putting an inhibitor ring on his horn in case he had a magical discharge. “Drag him to the dungeon,” Chrysalis snapped at the changeling who had just tied up Paladin. “We will keep him comfortable.” “Now where would Lulu be?” Sycaris looked around the garden. Little did she notice, though Paladin had, a dark blue shadow floating above the trees watching the entire exchange. ‘Go Gale, warn Luna.’ Black Paladin thought to himself seeing Gale fly off. He would not get to know what happened next as the butt of a spear connected with the back of his head, blacking him out. ... “By the moon,” Galeful Knight whispered as he hung low over the trees flying back to meet Princess Luna and Night Blade in a designated area. They had wanted him to scope out the area because Celestia was known to be a prankster and Luna didn’t want to walk into a trap. What Gale had just seen was far beyond any practical joke he had known of. “Princess Luna, it is good to see you again,” Galeful Knight heard an unknown mare voice. “Are you going to the moonlight picnic tonight? It is going to be a lot of fun.” Galeful Knight waited in a tree to see who the other ponies were and what had happened to Night Blade. He was given an answer when a cyan pegasus landed right in front of him. Both of them jumped at the other falling from the tree into the group. “Who are you? Why are you creeping on us? Are you a spy?!” The pegasus asked from on top of him. Galeful Knight couldn’t seem to force her off, which was surprising. He had been pinned by a mare that had no training like he had. “Rainbow Dash, please remove yourself from my friend,” Luna told the pegasus. “Wait, your friend?” Rainbow Dash looked confused from Luna to Gale. “Yes, his name is Galeful Knight, and he does have weapons similar to Night Blades’. It would be for the best that you let him up before he gets angered.” “I am not angered, just irritated.” Gale retorted to Luna’s comment. He felt Rainbow Dash float off him and he jumped up into the air after her. He felt a mouth clench his tail as his blades flashed out at the pegasus. He glanced back to see Night Blade keeping him from doing something stupid. Rainbow Dash was in a similar state as an orange pony had her tail and was holding her back. “My word!” Rarity gasped as the blades flashed closest to her. “Rainbow Dash, apologize.” Applejack commanded through the rainbow tail. “Why?! He started it!” “Did not! You landed in my tree.” Gale snapped at her. Gale saw her glare coldly at him and try to lunge again. Both Night Blade and Applejack moved a few inches closer as the two gunned at each other. “Rainbow, this is unnecessary. Galeful Knight seems quite civilized.” Rarity pointed out to the pegasus. “We will settle this later,” Rainbow Dash huffed landing. “Gale, stand down,” Luna commanded him, keeping her voice stern yet fair. “That is not proper behavior for this time. Do you not remember what I told you?” Galeful Knight thought back to an hour ago when Luna had revealed the events that had happened. About her being imprisoned on the moon for the exact amount of time they had spent in that chamber. The two had quickly forgiven the Princess of the Night when she had explained everything. They had no reason to blame her for actions that she had no control over. “Yes princess. I understand.” Galeful Knight said, floating onto Night Blade’s back, his normal haunt. Night Blade barely noticed he was there, and once commented that he was little more than a fly. Gale believed that Blade used him for exercise because he never actually snapped when he kept doing it. “You six, Princess Celestia would like you to return to dinner.” A guard stated as he entered the clearing. “You are also expected Princess Luna.” “You!” Gale shouted launching himself at the guard. “Changeling!” “Gale, you need to calm down,” Night Blade commanded dragging him off the guard. “Excuse us sir.” “Galeful Knight, what are you talking about? He is just an average guard. How could he be a changeling?” Twilight asked him. Galeful Knight launched back at the guard, knocking him off balance sending him spiraling through the air. The guard snapped into a hover, insect like wings keeping him afloat. He looked back, losing focus and reverting to his base form. The changeling let out a hiss of frustration. “What?” Luna gasped walking over to the changeling. “Where is my sister?” “That’s just it. All the ponies not including these six in the clearing ahead are changelings. They have Black Paladin!” “But we beat the changelings a month ago,” Twilight exclaimed. “How could they be here now?” “You need to spill the beans,” Rainbow Dash rushed the changeling. “He has beans? I want some!” A pink pony chuckled. “Pinkie, I thought you already had an entire cake?” Rarity sighed to the pony. “Maybe we should make a bean cake!” Pinkie exclaimed smiling widely. “How would that taste though? We could have hot sauce on it also. Oh it sounds so yummy!” Galeful Knight cast her a questioning look though he caught sight of Twilight who seemed to make it out that this was normal for Pinkie. “I believe we should get out of here first. Most likely the others are getting suspicious of us at the moment,” Luna explained. To prove her right, Celestia herself walked around the bend to find them standing around the changeling. “Well, this is unfortunate,” Celestia-Sycaris exclaimed. “But it can be easily reconciled. Guards, capture them now.” “Night Blade, Galeful Knight. We should get out of here now,” Luna said as the halls around them filled with guards. “Take the girls and get out of here. I’ll hold off my sister.” “I cannot allow that, Princess Luna,” Night Blade said as he galloped past, grabbing her. “We are all getting out of here now. We need at least one princess to keep the day and night in balance.” The six other mares seemed to be divided, half following Night Blade, while the rest followed Gale down the hallway. Only a yellow pegasus was left and they all noticed. “Come on Fluttershy! Move those wings!” Rainbow shouted at her. Galeful Knight spun in flight, leaving Night Blade dragging Luna and rushed back to Fluttershy. He landed in the mix of guards, causing them to scatter. He snatched Fluttershy up causing her to squeal as he flew towards a lavender unicorn. “Get them!” Celestia shouted, losing her concentration, revealing her true form. “It isn’t even midnight, and we have to save pony kind again,” Gale chuckled to himself. “Never a dull moment.”
