Twilight felt a hoof gently shaking her awake. She rolled over and flopped a forehoof over towards where she expected the white mare to be beside her, but she wasn’t there. She padded her forehoof around trying to find trace of her, but there was none.
“Celly …” she muttered blearily.
She felt a tickle of warm breath across her muzzle, as Celestia who was standing by the side of their joint bed, bent her head down to give her lover a gentle kiss.
“Ummmmm” she licked her lips longingly and fluttered an eyelid open to see a pair of purple eyes framed by white fur and a multicoloured mane looking back at her.
For the first time since she had moved in with Celestia in the Royal Castle the Sun Princess lacked the contented smile that reflected the feelings of her true love. Twilight sensed something was wrong and immediately drew her dreamy thoughts into sharp focus.
“What’s happened, Celly?” she asked lucidly, not five seconds since she had uttered her first barely comprehensible words of the day from behind the protective barricade of sleep. She was now fully alert; a fighter’s reaction to danger.
“Twilight” said the Sun Princess with evident concern in her voice “I must ask you to check something for me.”
“Sure, what do you need?”
“The time, Twilight. What time is it, please?”
The lilac mare rummaged around her night stand until she found what she was looking for – an enchanted timepiece that could be magically synchronised to anywhere in Equestria on command. She looked at it, then at the drapes, then back again and shook the device to hear if anything had broken loose inside. Next, she double checked that it was set to Canterlot Standard time, then looked back at the drapes again, then finally back to Celestia.
“It should be day” she said simply.
“I fear that the day I dreaded may now be upon us, Twilight” she whispered.
The lilac mare gasped, “What? You mean …”
“Yes Twilight, Luna has not lowered the moon and I cannot raise the sun.”
“But last time that happened, she turned into Nightmare Moon!”
“Come with me” said Celestia with more assertiveness than Twilight had heard her use in her presence ever before “We must prepare to take the most difficult decision of our lives.”
Celestia strode purposefully out of their bedchamber with Twilight a short distance behind, still attaching a few of the symbols of her office as she followed along briskly. She opened the door from the Royal chambers and barely acknowledged the two guards snapping to attention at her arrival, her eyes alighting upon her aide, a bespectacled unicorn of considerable experience who had shown himself to be dependable under every event that had befallen Equestria in his time.
He stood alert, sensing something in the offing and was not in the least surprised when Celestia reeled off a list of actions for him.
“Summon the generals and the key teachers from the School for Gifted Unicorns. Ensure they are roused soonest and have them muster in the Briefing Room as soon as you can please, there is no time to lose.”
He acknowledged his orders and turned on his heels smartly to put them into action.
The two Princesses then strode off purposefully towards the Briefing Room via the kitchens to request a buffet breakfast for those who would be joining them shortly, with enough tea and cake for double the number of attendees. They walked in silence, Celestia focusing on the enormity of the decision to be taken and Twilight looking up hopefully through every window they passed to get a glimpse that the moon may be showing signs of coming down, but it was not to be.
They entered the deserted briefing Room, magically lighting the torches in the wall sconces and the candles hiding behind intricately carved shards of finest crystal in the chandeliers that hung suspended overhead.
“Twilight …” began Celestia “What would you do?”
“Gosh, that’s a big decision Celly” she replied, “But I guess I’d start by sending Luna a scroll by dragon mail asking her what’s going on.”
“Done that already - no response.”
“Well” said Twilight trying to skirt around the obvious conclusion “Perhaps she’s been taken ill and she can’t do it right now? So, I would send down a pegasus from the Royal Guard to find out and report back.”
“Done that too. In fact, I sent two; both of whom know Spike and could stop by your castle to get him to send me a dragon mail, saving them the time taken to fly a return journey.”
“Let me guess, you’ve heard nothing?”
“Yes, and I should have got something by now.”
“She … she couldn’t have turned, could she?” questioned Twilight in a resigned tone, finally unable to entertain any other conclusion.
The first of the generals jostled into the Briefing Room and Celestia acknowledged their prompt response, but Twilight was so overcome with her feeling of melancholy that she ignored them as they all filtered around her. She had been the one who, when barely more than a filly, had stood up to the full wrath of Nightmare Moon to release Princess Luna, and now, this. It seemed like an act of the utmost betrayal and she was having trouble reconciling it with her knowledge of the Princess since her release.
Celestia took to the podium and looked at the attentive faces before her. All had an inkling of what was wrong and what could be expected, but as she looked out, something struck her.
“Gentlemen, thank you for your prompt response, but tell me, where is the Night Guard?”
There followed an embarrassed silence broken by her aide shuffling his hooves nervously.
“You had had a bad day and were very tired” he faltered “I thought it could wait until the morning…”
“What happened?” interrupted Celestia slowly and clearly, leaving him in no doubt as to the severity of the situation.
His ears pinned back in submission as he fought back the urge to whimper under such a focused glare from the most powerful pony he had ever met, but knew he had to tell her and tell her now.
“They all answered the call to be with their Princess in the Castle of the Two Sisters …”
“Do you mean to tell me that Canterlot lies unprotected at night?” she asked, incredulous.
“It only happened this evening, your Majesty …”
Even as he stumbled over his excuse, he knew it sounded lame. He should have called for her to be woken, but now all he was waiting for was the floor to open up and swallow him whole.
Celestia radiated a quiet seismic rage felt by everypony in the room, even the most battle hardened among the generals feeling weak at their knees.
“Right” she stated, turning to go back to her podium, “Right.”
Several dishevelled unicorns in various states of unpreparedness chose this moment to stumble in to join the immaculately presented generals from the Royal Guard and tripped over each other's capes trying to find seats while the generals looked on, some sharing discreet smiles and shaking their heads or rolling their eyes as the chaotic performance unfolded.
Barely waiting for them to get seated, Celestia outlined the situation. Suddenly even the bleariest of eyes blinked to alertness. A short discussion ensued, but there really wasn’t any choice – they had to travel south and confront whatever problem, or pony had fixed the moon in the sky.
“We need to commandeer a train” suggested a voice “To take our army down.”
Celestia flinched – with the Night Guard gone, the Royal Guard would be hard pressed, but certainly while the pegasi could fly, the unicorns and earth ponies would have to be transported somehow.
“Trains won’t run” came another voice “No engineer could see the track ahead at night. At that speed, hitting an unseen obstruction such as a fallen tree would be disastrous.”
Celestia twitched. Her army, already half its planned size had at a stroke been reduced by a further two thirds, and the pegasi remaining wouldn't be able to see well in the darkness.
“The Crystal Empire!” chimed in Twilight “They have a brightly coloured aurora that lights the midnight sky! Celestia, do you think you could create something similar this far south?”
For the first time since entering the Briefing Room, the Sun Princess felt the merest whiff of optimism.
“Yes Twilight” she pondered thoughtfully “I did do it once before, you remember don’t you? The Winter Sun Celebration at Vanhoover?”
“Er, Celestia” said Twilight looking a little askance “Vanhoover hasn’t hosted the celebrations in over a hundred years, probably more like two hundred …”
“Details, details, Twilight. The point is I can do it. It won’t be bright enough to drive a train, but it might be sufficient for the pegasi of the Royal Guard to fly by. Excellent idea, Twilight!”
“Generals: form layered defences around Canterlot with the earth ponies and unicorns and prepare all pegasi for immediate inspection; we don’t know what we’re facing, but I seriously doubt it will get better if we wait!”
The generals and unicorns scattered for the exits and Twilight moved up onto the stage to give her marefriend a reassuring nuzzle.
“You handled that well, Celly” she said closing her eyes and allowing a smile to spread across her face “A little adversity really brings out the leader in you.”
In return she felt a gentle kiss as the white mare tucked her neck round to give a tender embrace.
“Come Twilight, it would serve us well to get our armour on.”
“What about the spell?”
“I’ll save that to the last minute; I want to give our adversaries as little time as possible to see what we’re up to.”
Celestia stood on the battlements, visible only to the massed pegasi in the courtyard below by virtue of a few strategically placed torches flickering in a playful night breeze. Beside her stood the slightly smaller form of Twilight Sparkle.
“My Royal Guard; the bravest of the brave. We are all about to be put to the test. Ahead could be danger and some of us may not return, but I know that whatever is in wait for us I cannot think of a finer body of guards to be alongside when we face it together. But first, a little illumination.”
A yellow aura sparked from her horn and shot off into the night sky where it exploded a few moments later with a suspended multicoloured curtain of light blue, pink and yellow shimmering lights. The pegasi all gasped and then as one gave a loud cheer, looking up to their leaders, the strangely ethereal lights sparkling off their battle armour. Next instant, the two Princesses had leapt into the air and the ranks of pegasi followed in well-rehearsed precision.
“Next stop Ponyville” said the white mare, resigning herself to her destiny.
Silhouetted against the backdrop of a subtly changing curtain of flowing light, a caped unicorn stood on the battlements of the newly restored Castle of the Two Sisters. He could sense the oncoming storm and basked at his insolent ease, scanning the sky more out of curiosity than concern.
“My King” said the dark mare beside him, “Penumbra is tired, I shall put her to bed.”
“No. Let her share in our forthcoming success.”
“My Sister must not be underestimated. Neither should her partner; she may be young, but she stood up to Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, vanquished Tirek …”
“She has already crossed me” he growled “I have something special in mind for her.”
“Penumbra should be in bed.”
“Do you question me?”
“No, my King.”
He turned his head to look at the midnight blue mare, her green eyes smoking purple against the darkness.
“I sense they are close now” he narrated, turning back to face the shimmering aurora and licking his lips at the prospect of crushing his last real opposition before claiming Equestria as his own.
”Your Majesty!” cried a lookout “The sky – look in the sky!”
He strained to see what the lookout had alerted him to. Flying towards them like a swarm of bees, uncountable numbers of black dots had suddenly appeared.
“It begins” he muttered to himself.
Hosts of Night Guard on the walls all looked out, trained on the sight approaching them, none feeling any remorse about the prospect of facing their former colleagues and friendly rivals coming for them. Had they been free to think, they would have at least had second thoughts, but as it was they had been programmed to fight and protect their king.
The Royal Guard knew that they could expect a fight and were all grateful for the shimmering light in the sky that at least allowed them to see what or who they would be fighting. Each would have to come to terms with the awful realisation of turning on former friends, but they knew that the fate of Equestria was at stake and that there would be no room for sentiment.
A dark cloud of arrows flew into the air from behind the castle walls, breaking like a wave over the advancing pegasi and raining down as a deadly hail. A number of Royal Guards in their polished armour tumbled from the sky; some falling straight down while others twisted in wide arcs, others in tight circles, spinning inexorably downwards. Orders were barked out to those armed with bows or crossbows to return fire and their response was immediate, any remaining concerns about hurting their former colleagues washed away as the fresh images of falling Royal Guards burned behind their eyes. The exchange of fire began.
Sombra braced his forelegs and posed resolutely, rumbling a deep laugh as he watched the carnage play out. His enslaved army held the advantage being protected behind fortifications while their adversary remained completely exposed in the air.
He had managed to play everypony and now he was on the verge of realising his ambitions of total conquest. He toyed with whether he would have Celestia executed or enslave her mind for his twisted entertainment as he had done with her sister; he had already decided that the young lilac Princess would not have such easy options and would be made to suffer at his hoof, begging to be freed from the immortality that would otherwise seal her eternal torment.
The thought made him laugh more. It was all coming to fruition and nothing was going to stop it happening. The Crystal Empire had given him a taste of excess and shortly he would enjoy enslaving the whole of Equestria.
Volleys of arrows and crossbow bolts zipped through the air making sinister hissing noises as they passed a little too close. Sombra stood proud, his distinctive silhouette standing out darkly against the multicoloured sky. He didn’t care that he was making himself a target - he had conjured a forcefield around himself and gloated in his invulnerability; his side was pressing home their advantage.
Suddenly a scream from behind broke into his smug self-satisfaction and he turned to see Luna bending over the slate blue filly who was writhing on the ground making frantic gasping noises, eyes wide in fright.
“What … ?” he fumed, angered to be interrupted in his hour of victory.
As Luna looked down at the arrow protruding from the neck of her foal, she felt herself fighting against the subconscious hold that had been controlling her actions for months. As compassion and empathy started to flow back into her body, the smoke dissipated from her eyes and she suddenly took stock of the situation with a clear mind. They were under attack by the Royal Guard and her daughter lay at her hooves in desperate need of immediate medical attention!
She gave Sombra a stare that froze him to the spot, in a split second conveying to him in no uncertain terms exactly what she would do to him as soon as she had ensured the safety of their daughter, her daughter. She could see it all now; how he had tricked her into conceiving his foal, using her to get him accepted into Court, the murder attempt when they were forcing the magical monsters back into the Everfree and the story he devised to cover his tracks.
“Penumbra!” he called as Luna set to work removing the arrow and trying to stabilise her daughter’s breathing.
“You!” shouted Luna, lifting her head briefly to vent her venom “You caused this!”
“No! She is my daughter too!”
“Not any more” she shot back “Not any more. You arrogant fool - did you not realise that your forcefield only covered you? You drew the enemy's fire towards our position leaving her undefended - you may as well have had her hold up a big target!"
Sombra blanched.
The pegasi were at the castle, but strangely the Night Guard had ceased their hostilities and were laying down their arms, their eyes no longer smoking as their thinking became clearer and they too began to figure out what was going on.
Luna worked feverishly to save her daughter, but her breathing had become more laboured and each breath rattled as she struggled to breathe through the blood filling her lungs. A dark sticky puddle spread out on the ground around the young filly while her mother tried every combination of magic and first aid techniques she knew to stop the tally of losses that night rising by one more, the most precious pony in the world to her.
Sombra turned back to where the combat should have been taking place, but instead he saw the combined forces of the Royal Guard and Night Guard advancing on him. Too late he realised that he had allowed himself to be torn away from maintaining the enslavement spell that had made the Bat Ponies do his bidding. The hold was broken and he would not be able to reinstate it across so many ponies all at once. He looked again and saw at the head of the advancing army two alicorns flying straight at him with murderous looks on their faces.
He cast one last sad look at his daughter and then leapt over the castle wall, casting a spell that caused crystals to rise up from the ground and carry him safely away like a surfer on the crest of an animated geometric wave. All those present heard a final roar of frustration as he disappeared into the distance and then he was gone.
Penumbra’s eyes had rolled back and her pulse was fading, her breathing a grotesque rasping sound.
“Do not die my little one!” beseeched Luna, her horn continuing to direct blue magic over the filly “Please do not die!”
Even though Luna had been at the side of Sombra as they commanded the aggressor forces, nopony who saw her desperate actions could bring themselves to act or even speak against her and all stood back in respectful silence as she held her foal in a nursing position, tears streaming down her muzzle.
The rasping noise finished as the filly's depleted body gave up the unequal fight and she stopped breathing. Luna buried her muzzle into her daughter’s tender form and sobbed uncontrollably, throwing her head back and wailing piteously.
“Sister” she heard through the fog of her grief “Sister, let me help.”
A yellow aura reached out to the filly and suddenly the limp body took a deep gasp of air and started coughing violently. Luna held her tightly and rocked gently back and forwards then lifted her head up slowly to see a pair of caring purple eyes looking back at her.
“Thank you Celly” she whispered, more tears welling up in her eyes.
The slate grey filly looked up too and Celestia saw her for the first time with normal pony eyes, teal like her mother’s, all traces of her father’s influence expunged following her near death experience. She also saw something she had never seen before, a smile on the filly’s face, just for her.
Celestia folded her legs gracefully underneath her to join in a hug with her sister and her niece.
“It’s alright” she said soothingly, leaning in to give Penumbra a kiss “We’re all one strong family now.”
THE END
