The Shadow Bolts: Glory to Luna!

Chapters

Storm Rising (Prologue)
The Sound of Thunder
Gathering Shadows
Night Eternal Cometh

Storm Rising (Prologue)

Before we begin let me say that this is not a copy or plagiarism of Brambleberry’s Story of a Similar Subject This Story is set in a different time with different characters. So play nice in the Comments...........or The Shadow Bolt Legion will have a new List of Assassination’s to complete. Also I don't want any of this Luna/Celestia faction crap to be spammed here!

As She read the Transfer request Princess Luna felt something strange gnawing at the back of her skull that for some reason made her want to read the Document, which one of her assistant's would have normally handled, but she had an inner urge to read this unorthodox letter.

Royal Equestrian Armed Forces Transfer Request

Date of Request: November 12, 1002

Date of Acceptance: November 16, 1002

Name: Strike, Thunder

Height: 6, 8

Age: 25

Sex: Male Stallion

Rank: Lieutenant General Grade 8

Former Position of Duty:

Royal Equestrian Defense Force

Lieutenant General Thunder strike was in charge of Operations at The Experimental Changeling Weapons Development

Facility. He oversaw Day to Day operations there until he suffered an injury inflicted by one of the Changeling prisoners.

Rendering His Left eye blind and his face scarred. He was removed from his duties here after he was caught trying to exact revenge on the Changeling prisoner that cost him his eye.

Reassignment:

The Lieutenant General has requested to be part of the Royal Guard Force. His psych exam shows that he is extremely loyal to his superiors and would follow any orders given to him. He has also passed the entrance test and is overly qualified for this posting, and normally this request would have been rejected due to his previous "incident" but it was approved by a Higher Level Exec by the Codename of Sunburst.

Sunburst has stated that Lieutenant General Thunder Strike is to be promoted to Full General and shall be in charge of Luna's personal Security Force. He is under no circumstances to have any role in Celestia's Protection.

Sunburst has also stated that General Thunder Strike shall be allowed to choose three colonels to help him in his daily duties. He will have all of Luna's guards at his disposal and he will be given a spending budget to be assigned by Operative:

Stratos at a future date.

Received by: Operative: Phantasm

Approved by: Exec: Sunburst

Reviewed by: Operative: Sandstorm

As she read the document for the third time her mind went racing with thoughts. Who is Exec: Sunburst and why did they let this "Mad Pony" be our head of Security, When did everyone become so secretive, and Who was This Thunder Strike and where did his loyalties lie?

As these thoughts raced around she knew that her sister had something to do with this.

Soon she would get these answers and more from Tia at dinner tonight.

Lieutenant General Thunder Strike stepped off of the royal train that brought him to the wonderful city of Canterlot which would be his new home for as long as his assignment lasted. It was past sunset so no one was at the station except the ticket sales pony. He noticed he was the only passenger getting off at this station and when he saw the trio of shady looking ponies he instantly knew why he was the only one.

One of the Trio gave a simple wave of the hoof to the train and it sped off to its next stop. He slowly approached the trio noting that each was a Unicorn in a black suit and tie with some agent styled glasses obscuring their faces. The one who waved the train off simply said "That's far enough Mr. Strike". Thunder strike stopped his advance and stared nervously at the strange trio all the while thinking to himself "Is this it am I going to the Dungeon, or am I being taken somewhere where I’ll never see the light of day again?" The Pony on the far right asked "Do you know why you have been transferred here Mr. Strike?" Thunder gave a Simple "Yes I'm here to serve as head of security for Princess Luna". The right pony threw him a packet of dossiers. "This is Princess Luna Study up a little bit before you meet her". Then the center pony finally spoke up and said "You have been given a second chance Mr. Strike and there are those who want to see you fail, but we are here to see you are successful in protecting Luna from any threats that present themselves". " If it proves we are wrong then we shall see to it that you will have never existed and no one will remember you or anything you've done for Equestria".The Left pony said as the trio turned away "We will be watching you Mr. Strike make sure not to disappoint us." All Thunder could muster was a "Who are you ponies?" The Center one Turned and answered "We are part of the Circle" Then Turned and Walked away into the night disappearing in to the shadows of the castle grounds.

He picked up the dossier and thought to himself this would be more than a simple assignment he would be protecting a princess one of two rulers of Equestria, and this mysterious "Circle" would be watching every move he made. He thought to himself "What have I gotten myself into?"

Luna walked to the main dining chamber of the castle after her duty of raising the moon was done. So those sun loving pony folk could sleep through her wonderful night! It infuriated her sometimes that no one was ever around to enjoy the night with her or even stay awake long enough to enjoy it. Her Older sister Celestia "Tia" for short was the co-ruler of Equestria and she raised the sun and lowered it each day. Luna sometimes had strange thoughts in the back off her mind that everyone hated her night because the day was so wonderful! Sometimes she was able to push these thought out of her head, but tonight with all that was going on she couldn't help but expand her feeling of sadness to that of envy which turned back to nothingness as she used her magic to open the giant ornamented dining chamber doors. "Hello Luna how did you sleep today?" "As good as any other night sister" Luna said this with slight bite directed towards her sister. "Is there something bothering you sister, you can tell me anything that's on your mind." "Well Sister we would appreciate if somepony would tell me when I was going to get a new Head of Security especially one with a history." "Oh I'm sorry about that Luna but it was in your best interest and I didn't think you would mind." As Luna sat down she noticed Tia had already started on the pastries without even touching any of the salad or fruit. She thought "Would Tia ever stop this appalling addiction to baked sweets within the next 500 years?" "Luna did you hear me?" Surprised she sputtered out "Yes sister and we are fine with your decision" knowing that she hated each word as it left her mouth. The dinner went on without much more conversation except the occasional compliment to the pastry chef. As soon as Luna was finished she excused herself and went to the throne room so she could see to the duties of the night. Tomorrow her new Head of Security would be ready to start work.

As she thought more and more about him she could feel the back of her skull begin to throb again with each throb she swore she could hear someone saying "Soon My Pet we shall have what we want most". She shook off the crazy notion of hearing voices in her head and sent one of her lunar guards to get her a cup of water with some headache medicine. When he returned she took the medicine but it had no effect and the voice simply stated "I am a part of you, there is no cure for me."

As soon as it said this the pain stopped and the voice didn't say another word for the rest of the night. So when she lowered the moon and Celestia raised the sun her duties were done until that night. So she deiced it was time for some sleep. As she passed the corridors leading to her bed chamber she saw the guards walking to their posts for the days and the early starter ponies that wanted to get a jump on their work today passing by. She thought "Why couldn't these same ponies have the same attitude towards her night that they had for Tia's day!" Soon she arrived at her bed chamber she used her almost spent magic to open the huge wooden and gold trimmed door. She closed it behind her and not even a second after the door was closed did she feel the pain at the back of her head explode into a million stampeding stallions. The Voice returned this time with a Sly and demanding tone. "My pet it is time for us to Stretch our wings, you may rest....for now!"

Luna struggled to stay conscious all the while shouting back at the voice. "Get out of my head you vile monster!"

This time the voice increased the pain so much Luna dropped like a potato sack. As she slowly lost consciousness the voice spoke to her one last time."Monster…I’m no Monster I’m just a part of you Luna." Luna pleaded with the voice "Please leave me alone." It said one last thing to her before she lost consciousness. "We aren't leaving so soon pet, we have so many plans for this place just rest now pet we shall handle our business while you do so." The Princess's form changed in a matter of minutes from a light blue mane, a thin young body, beautiful eyes, and a lovely smile to a dark blue mane, fangs, evil eyes, and a sinister smile. The new being stood up and gave an evil cackling that would have brought most stallions to their knees. "Finally I'm Free to conquer this world and its Inhabitants!"

"All shall soon know the Name of the Queen of the night Nightmare Moon!"

I Hope you guys enjoyed the Prologue to the Shadow Bolt series I will be writing. Stay tuned for updates.

Criticism is always accepted.

[Edit] Got rid of Spelling and Grammatical errors [Edit]

The Sound of Thunder

This is Chapter 1 of the Shadow Bolt series.

Brace Yourselves.....The Comments are coming.

There was a faint sound of a storm approaching from the eastern horizon. No doubt the Canterlot Weather Patrol would catch it before it would get within 50 miles of Canterlot. The Lieuteneant General stretched his dark black wings, he had decided against donning the formal dress uniform since he would most likely get a new uniform. He had stayed the night with a friend who he knew from Basic training, his friend had left the service a few years ago to become a business pony. He straightened out a bit more as he approached his goal. The Royal Castle located in the Center of the regal city of Canterlot home to the social elite and the Royal Princesses.

The Lieutenant General walked towards the imposing visage of the royal castle of the twin princesses all the while thinking of those strange ponies from the "Circle" and what would happen to him if he failed his tasks. He reached the front gate and was stopped by a pair of unicorn guards. "Stop right there and state your name and business here" " I am Lieutenant General Thunder Strike reporting for my assignment as Princess Luna's Head of Security." "Oh I'm so sorry General I didn't mean to impede your duties we were not expecting you so early today!"

"Thats quite alright guardsman, I'm just trying to get a head start on the job." The guards quickly opened the gates for the General and gave him a salute which he instantly responded with his own salute. As he entered the castle grounds he noticed nothing out of the ordinary just a few worker ponies here and there. As he entered deeper into the castle he came upon the main courtyard. His eyes were greeted with the sight of over 200 guardsmen bearing Luna's royal crest. Then they noticed him and their senior officer shouted "Officer on Deck!" to which each of the 200 guards saluted their new commanding officer.

Thunder strike gave them a crisp Salute back and an "at ease". They all stayed where they were but lowered their salutes.

The Senior officer walked towards him at a brisk pace "Greetings General Thunder Strike I am Major Stalwart Heart the senior officer of Luna's guard and i would like to be the first to congratulate you on the Promotion to General." "Hello Major Stalwart I am here to take command of Luna's personal security force." He thought for a second then said "Wait Major I think there has been an error I'm not a full general I'm just a Lieutenant General." "Oh sorry sir this is the order of your promotion and new position." Stalwart handed him the document stating all the previous information he read it very carefully.

Order of Reassignment:

Lieutenant General Thunder Strike is hereby reassigned as Princess Luna's Head of Security and is guaranteed all the rights appropriate to that position.

-Access to all Restricted areas of the castle.

-Access to Princess Luna's Chambers.

-He will attend all of the Royal events and meals alongside Celestia's Head of Security.

-His own Personal Guardsman squad for his own protection.

-His own Personal Quarters on Castle Grounds.

A budget will be Sent to the General each year by Operative: Stratos.

Lieutenant General Thunder Strike is to be given the commision of a Full General as soon as he reports for duty.

He will also be allowed the choice of three guardsmen of the rank of Colonel to be part of his Command Staff.

The General will report to Luna after he is given a tour of the castle grounds and briefed on all threats towards Luna only.

The General has been given a room in the east wing of the castle near the Princesses own chambers.

As soon as All of these tasks are completed the Senior officer of Luna's guard known as Stalwart Heart will take the General to meet with Celestia's Head of Security.

Order Given by Operative: Sandstorm

Order Approved by Exec: Sunburst

Order Reviewed by Operative: Ironsides

As He read the last line a sudden smile graced his lips as he saw all the "Privileges" he was guaranteed with his new job and title. He saw the titles and signatures of the ponies who had approved this order and thought back on the strange trio. "Could they have had some hand in his promotion?" "Um excuse me Sir but I have strict orders to give you a tour of the castle grounds after you have been given your new orders." "Oh yes right, Can you have somepony take my things to my new room Major?" "Yes Right away sir, Now if you will follow me we shall begin the tour of the castle."

When Luna awoke she was in her bed and it was morning already."What a strange dream that we had last night we must stop eating those pastries Tia likes so much before bed." As she got out her bed she noticed that her wings were sore for some reason as if she had gone sleep flying last night. "Hmm we might have to go see the Royal Chiropractor later today." She donned her Royal armor and brushed her teeth and her flowing star filled mane. She exited her chambers and went to her office to recieve her daily "Royal Duties" as she walked down the halls of the massive castle she could feel a slight tingling at the back of her skull that lasted for only a second then went away as quickly as it appeared. " We might have to also visit the Royal Physician later also." She reached her office and used her magic to open the medium sized wooden doors. She passed by her assistant Time Stride who as always handed her the "Royal Duties" List. Time Stride was a very small unicorn mare, her coat was a color similar to Luna's she had worked for Luna for about three years. In those three years they had grown to become very good friends. "Good Morning Princess Luna how did you sleep?" "We slept rather well Stride how about you?" "Well I barely slept I kept hearing some Pegasi cackling last night as they flew over the castle." "Rather strange We shall have the guards look into it at once." She went to sit in her huge leather chair dominating most of her office. She scanned the List rather quickly untill some unknown urge forced her to reread it with care.

Princess Luna's Royal Duties for November 17, 1002

-Attend a meeting at Ponyville pertaining to a sudden increase in dragon sightings at 11am.

-Future Flyers of Cloudsdale Graduation Ceremony at 1pm.

-Recognize New Head of Security General Thunder Strike at 2pm

-Attend opening ceremony of the Royal Bakery at 3pm.

-Attend the new..............................

She drifted off into thought as she read the list."More Dragons in PonyVille don't those vile lizards ever learn?, Why couldn't they find someone else to attend that FFOC ceremony instead of her?" Suddenly She realized "Our New Head of Security is here?" Time Stride how long has General Thunder Strike been here?" "At least an Hour Princess he's attending to his new duties right now." " Well we shall certainly enjoy meeting such a pony who's only task is to guard us." Luna wondered how a pony with such a background could have gotten so far without help from this "Sunburst" and their associates. "Um Princess its 10:30 shouldn't we be leaving for the meeting in PonyVille?" "You are right Stride we shall summon the royal chariot at once!" She gave one last Look at the list and read the signature at the bottom "Sincerely Your Sister Celestia" She hated being told what to do by her sister. She used her magic to burn the paper to nothing but a smoldering pile of ash then she calmly walked out with Time Stride.

"Thats the end of the tour sir shall I take you to your quarters since the Princess is still out?" "No thank you Major I wish to explore some more on my own you are dismissed Major Stalwart." He turned and began walking away from the major "But Sir I'm supposed to take you to your quarters if Luna hasn't arrived by the end of the tour!" "Major I said your dismissed now you can decide should it be an order or a court-martial for not following that order?" " I'll be back to get you for your Meeting when Luna arrives General" the major about faced and left the general to his own thoughts. "Hmm I think I should read that dossier about Luna before I do anything else" He found a nice quiet spot in the royal garden to plant himself for his reading.

He made sure that anyone that was too close found a new spot to enjoy their day at. He finally sat down and opened the strange dossier of Princess Luna.

This Dossier is intended for General Thunder Strike any other pony that has viewed this document shall be punished severely by the Royal Intelligence Agency.

SUBJECT: Princess Luna

Age: Undetermined

Height: 7,1

Sex: Mare

Species: Alicorn

Occupation: Co-Ruler of Equestria

Allegiance:Undetermined (Possibly to Herself)

Family: Princess Celestia (Assumed only Family)

Princess Luna younger sister of Princess Celestia and also the Co-ruler of Equestria.

Luna is a very shy and awkward pony. She has often been represented as semi-evil by the populace of Equestria though no proof has been found of these claims of sinister misconduct. Although some view her as evil there are those who can see that she is just a misunderstood pony looking for simple friendship. The Princess is known to only have one friend and that is her personal assistant Time Stride. This friendship has been going on for a few years since Time Stride was hired. There is no other information on any other "relationships" the Princess may have with other ponies. Although it is highly doubted that anyone is closer than Time Stride. None of the Agencies Operatives have been able to get close enough to the Princess to gain her trust, or the trust of Stride. That is why you General are to become friends with the Princess and make sure she is safe for as long as you serve her. If this is not understood then Operative: Scribe will be able to help remind you of any "misunderstood orders". Operative: Scribe will also be your go between pony during your assignment here at the castle.

To contact Scribe all you need to do is leave a Signed letter from yourself in the Royal Library and Scribe will contact you via letter. You will never come into contact with an Operative in active field duty so do not try to find or expose Scribe.

That is all For now General You may continue with your tasks for the day. We will be in contact soon.

Written by: Operative: Phantasm

Approved by: Operative: Scribe

Reviewed by: Operative: Stratos

As the General finished reading the dossier he noticed about an hour had elapsed. So he set the dossier next to him so he could think awhile about what he just read, suddenly an earth pony dressed like the trio he met earlier walked over to him grabbed the dossier and calmly walked away turning only to say one thing " I was never here and if you follow me you will be dealt with!" Then he turned and kept walking away. "Who are you!" His question went unanswered as the pony he assumed was a part of the "Circle" vanished into the Royal Garden. The General had little time to contemplate this sudden occurence when a Guard approached him "General Thunder Strike, Major Stalwart has requested you presence in the main lobby so he can take you to your meeting with Princess Luna." " Ah yes I was wondering when she would return tell the Major I will be right there." The General got up and began making his way towards the nearest entrance of the castle. He thought once more "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Princess Luna we must hurry or we will miss your meeting with General Thunder Strike." Luna and Stride galloped down the hallway towards Luna's office barely avoiding the guards and passerby's. They finally reached Luna's office before the General arrived. "Phew remind us to never let an FFOC member challenge us to a race Stride." "Well you sure showed those cadets how to fly!" They entered the office and prepared for the General's arrival. Luna noticed the ashes were still there and quickly swept them into a trash bin. Once everything was in order Luna finally sat down for the first time that day without being pestered by somepony who wanted something from her. " One of these days we are going to ask Tia for a day off from the royal duties." "Princess Luna I hear hooves approaching I think this is the General." Sure enough a knock came from the other side of the door. Stride sat up at her desk and gave the knocker a simple "Come in" which Luna quickly gave her a look of disapproval for not being more formal. Major Stalwart and General Thunder Strike entered Luna's office and they were both greeted by Time Stride "Hello how may I help you both?" "I am Major Stalwart and this is General Thunder Strike he is here to meet the Princess as he will be her new Head of Security." "Well then you have arrived just in time for your appointment, Come this way please." She led them to Luna's office door and she used her magic to open them. "Princess this is General Thunder Strike your new Head of Security and you already know Major Stalwart." "Welcome General Thunder Strike I am Princess Luna the person you will be protecting." "A pleasure to meet you Princess I look forward to the job ahead." "If you'll excuse me General I must return to my duties but I'll send someone by to take you to your room." "Thank you Major I appreciate all the help you have given me today." "Stride why don't you show the Major out while we and the General get started." "Yes Princess" Stride turned away and walked the Major out of Luna's office closing the doors behind her. " So General why don't you have a seat and tell me about yourself." " Well Princess I was the former Commander at the E.C.W.D.F. until I had an accident with one of the Changelings we had been using to test our weapons..............

"Well General I have to thank you for stopping by and letting me get to know you better." " The pleasure is all mine Princess Luna" " Oh General you can call me Luna since I know i can trust you." The General suppressed a slight blush as he never had gotten a compliment from royalty before. The Princess noticing this "What is wrong General did we upset you somehow?"

"Oh no Princess its just that I've never gotten a compliment from a Princess before." "Oh well then we are glad to compliment such a great stallion as yourself." "Thank you Princess you are so kind." Suddenly Stride came in looking like a wreck. "Princess I'm sorry to interrupt but Celestia wishes that you accompany her to the opening of the royal bakery!" "Oh I'm sorry General I must cut our meeting short but we can finish this later at dinner tonight." " Oh that's quite alright Princess I understand you are a very busy person." Luna quickly got up and Walked out of the room Stride in tow. The General got up after a few minutes and walked out into the hallway turning to make sure the office was closed. When he was satisfied he signaled one of the guards stationed near the office. "Excuse me guard but can you take me to my quarters in the east wing?" The Guard simply nodded and escorted the General to the east wing. The General thought back on the days happenings. "How had that "Circle" pony get past Castle Security?" "How did they know where he was?" "Which one of the guards or castle workers was Operative: Scribe?" All these questions made him a little worried "Was the "Circle" here to kill one of the Princesses?" His thoughts were interrupted "Sir we have reached your new quarters, is there anything else I can do for you?" "No thank you Soldier, Wait actually can you bring me a list of all the Colonels present in the Castle and Canterlot?" "Yes sir I will have the list delivered here when it is finished." "Thank you Soldier and what is Your name?" " I am Lieutenant Determined Reserve."

"Well thank you Lieutenant I will see you to it you are well Rewarded for your help." " Thank you General" Determinded Reserve went to look for the list for the general. The General turned back to his room and him being a pegasus he had to use his wings to open the doors. The doors opened to a large room of royal banners and the Sound of a Hundred Officers Shouting "Surprise!" He fell back on his haunches as the Surprise party burst into life around him. The First of the officers he recognized as Major Stalwart came up to greet him "Welcome to your Surpise Party General!" The Major walked up and placed a party hat on the General's head."Well I was certainly surprised, I didn't expect a party from you ponies!"

"Here Let me introduce you to some of the Other Castle Staff sir"

The Major walked him over to a couple of Pegasi party-goers. "Sir these are Colonels Stealth Light and Defiant Flame." They both turned to greet their new officer. "Hello General I am Colonel Stealth Light and I'm in charge of Technological Weaponry at the castle."

"Greeting General I am Colonel Defiant Flame and I'm in charge of Training the new recruits." "Well its nice to meet both of you I am General Thunder Strike and I will be in charge of Princess Luna's Security Force." Stealth and Defiant both looked at each other with looks of embarrassment "We're sorry sir we did not realize you were our new Commander we just heard about a new officer being here on Official Business." " That's quite alright I don't expect everyone to know me by name or appearance on the first day." They both shared a look of relief as they would not be in trouble. "Hey General come over here I have to introduce you to a certain Unicorn I know!" "If you'll excuse me I am being introduced to everyone."

The General walked off in the direction that the Major had called from to meet another one of Stalwart's friends. As he approached he noticed Stalwart with a Cyan Unicorn mare who was wearing a wonderbolts uniform. He thought to himself "Strange I didn't know there were unicorns in the wonderbolts." "General may I introduce you to my friend Crystal Dawn I'll just let you two get acquainted while I mingle." Major Stalwart sauntered off to another group of Pegasi and Earth ponies. " Hello General I am Captain Crystal Dawn of the Wonderbolts 12th Unicorn Division." " What an Honor to meet a Wonderbolt I had no idea there was a Unicorn Division?" "Well the Unicorn Divison is only station here at the castle so not very many ponies know about us." " Well then what is it the Unicorn Division does here at the castle?" "Hold on General I think its your turn to introduce yourself!" The General noticed how her green eyes stood out from the rest of her face. "Oh Im sorry I just wanted to know more about the Unicorn Division, but anyways I am General Thunder Strike and I am in charge of Princess Luna's Security Force." Dawn had a look of astonishment on her face. "So your the new Head of Security, wow I expected someone a little more rough and tough." She had a slight blush starting to form on her cheeks." Oh were you expecting someone who lost both their eyes in combat and had rippling muscles from head to hoof?" The general mused at his own expense. "No no thats what I meant General, I just expected someone a little older looking and not someone so young and handsome." She was really blushing now. "Please call me Thunder Ms. Crystal Dawn." "Well then why don't you just call me Crystal then?" Their eyes met and they both had an instant connection. "So Crystal what does such a beautiful Wonderbolt like you do to entertain yourself around this place?"

"Oh I didn't expect you to be a fun lover General." Major Stalwart decided to come back and check on the two."So how are you two getting along?" They both looked at him and he saw the looks they were giving him. "Oh I see well that was quick, but I'll have to excuse the General he has to meet some more people." The General gave him a questioning look. "I do?" "Yes General there is a ponie who would like an audience with you over some recent happenings, Dawn you can come to if you would like I think it might pertain to your Job too." "Well if it pertains to castle security then I will accompany you." The trio walked out of the party to a side room down the hall. Where a member of the Canterlot Unicorn foot patrol squad was sitting between a couple of Pegasi guards. The grayish Unicorn looked like he had been through hell, his armor had dried blood splattered all over it. "Sergeant Silent Night tell the General and Captain what you told me." The Sergeant looked spooked like he had seen Discord himself. "Well we were...um...on patrol in the Southern Business District when we heard somepony scream." He shuddered as he recalled what happened. "Its ok Sergeant take your time." "We heard the scream and then my buddy Specialist Swift Kick said it came from the Old Royal Bakery." "So we galloped as fast as we could over to the Abandoned Bakery when we got there it was such a..a..a Heart wrenching scene." He started to whimper a little but kept talking. "We saw a Giant Black Pony flying off from the bakery's alley it let out an evil cackle before it disappeared into the night." "So we ran over to where it took off and saw...t..two guards lying on the ground covered in blood." "Both were part of the C.U.F.P and were already dead before we got there." "The first we recognized as Lieutenant Salty Spritz and he had his neck savagely ripped open as if something was eating him." Everyone let out a gasp as Silent Night continued. "The Second was a new recruit Private Gear Head, he had been decapitated and his neck was crushed by a hoof." The whole group had to resist the urge to vomit. "Then we heard the Cackling coming from down at the end of the alley...we both looked up and saw two evil purple eyes staring at us." Crystal Dawn fainted as he mentioned the perpetrator, but she was caught by the General and the Major before she hit the floor. They laid her down on the nearby couch. The Sergeant stood to see if he could help but was instantly sat back down by the guards at his side. "Is this really necessary General, I am being treated as if I was the one who killed those ponies!" "Sorry Sergeant until we figure out what happened you will need to remain where you are, now if you can please continue." The Major stayed with Dawn while the General went back to listen to Silent Night. "When we saw the eyes I yelled at them and said Are You Responsible for this!" They responded in what sounded like a mare's voice." "We are the one who vanquished your foolish comrades who thought they could arrest us!" "Come out of there or we will have to drag you out!" "Ha Ha Ha You would threaten us you silly fillies!" "The eyes then disappeared and the Black pony shot out at full speed closing the distance between us in a few seconds." "It spoke only four words to me "You Shall be the Messenger" then It turned and grabbed Swift bye the horn and threw him out into the street." " It approached me and said "Tell General Thunder Strike we shall be meeting soon" then it struck me over the head rendering me semi-conscious." " I heard Swift attack her but it sounded like It grabbed him and then......It sn...snap...It snapped his horn off!" At this the Sergeant collapsed into a sobbing mess of dried blood and bruises. "Guards take him to the Barracks and have him cleaned up!" " Yes General!" The General turned towards the major who wore a face of sheer shock at the whole incident but, he quickly collected himself. "The Morning Patrol found him in the alley with the Lieutenant and the Private as he said they were." " There was no sign of what happened to Specialist Swift Kick, except for a blood splatted in the street." " Has the Site been contained Major?" "Yes General we have a C.U.F.P squad and a forensics lab team there also." "Has Princess Celestia been notified?" "Yes General she has and she wants you to go and Inspect the Site at once." "What about Princess Luna?" " She is still off performing her Royal Duties."

"Ok Major you stay here and When Crystal Dawn wakes up tell her where I went and that I'll be back soon." "Sir should I tell her what happened after she fainted?" "No tell her that its under control I will fill her in when I get back." "Also make sure the Party-goers understand I had some business to attend too." " Yes Sir and there is also a Chariot waiting to take you to the crime scene." " Also Major tell the Captain to get a Some her finest Unicorns to start patrolling Canterlot's streets looking for this Black Pony!" "Yes Sir I'll take care of it at once." The General turned and walked out of the side room back into the main hallway past the unknowing party-goers. He walked out of his room and went into the hallway where there were two guards waiting to escort him to the waiting chariot. "Sir Princess Celestia would like a personal report when you return from the site." "Very well she can expect when I get back" They walked down the halls towards the main gate where the chariot waited. Once he got there he saw that there was one of the "Circle" Ponies in the chariot waiting for him. "General I reccomend you leave the questions to me and get in." He did as the pony said. The Chariot took off towards the Southern Business District. "General I am here only by my own accord and the "Circle" does not know I have contacted you so I hope you can keep a secret, I am *Operative: Scribe*." The General gave him a look of Surprise as his passenger revealed himself to be an Operative none the less but Operative: Scribe the one tasked with watching the General from inside the castle. "The accident you are going to investigate is nothing of the sort it was intended to gauge your reaction." "Wait did the "Circle" plan this whole thing?" " No General the "Circle" had nothing to do with these deaths." " The "Circle" has no knowledge of the perpetrator or why they would be interested in you." "So the all knowing "Circle" doesn't know something?" "Its not that simple General the "Circle" doesn't know everything just the important things that effect Equestria's security." "If you'll excuse me General I have over stayed my welcome." Scribe simply used his magic to teleport away but not before saying. "Be very careful General I wont be able to contact you anymore." Then just like that he was gone in the blink of an eye. The lead guard pulling the chariot turned around to address the General. " General we are approaching the crime scene, the News Ponies are already milling about wanting answers, what should we tell them?"

" I'll tell them what needs to be said when we land." " As you wish General." The Chariot came to a landing just outside of the Guard Cordon and he was instantly surrounded by News ponies wanting to get the scoop of a lifetime. "General Thunder Strike is there any news on what happened last night?" " At the moment no comments or interviews will be allowed." The News Ponies still pressed on trying to get as much as they could out of him. "What exactly happened here last night General?" "As I said no comments will be made at this time!" The General hurried as fast as he could into the News free Cordon. The News Ponies tried to get through but were stopped by the guards. "General Thunder Strike over this way!" He directed over to the alley by a Magenta mare with a really crazy looking hair style. "Hello General I am Investigator Magenta Pie." "Hello Investigator Pie what do you have to tell me about what happened here?" She looked sad about what she was going to have to tell him. "Well Sergeant Silent Night was right about everything that happened." "We found the Lieutenant and Private both dead with the Private's head found back farther in the alley." " Did you find any sign of Specialist Swift Kick?" "Not yet Sir, but we think we found his.....Horn and it looks like whoever did this just snapped his horn in half then left it but took him." The General felt a sudden sadness for the Sergeant over the loss of his friend. "Did you find anything to help identify this Black Pony?" "Well we did find some Black feathers near the Private's head we're sending them in for testing." "We also found a letter for you, it hasn't been opened yet since it was addressed to you." She handed him a small blood covered envelope with a strange symbol as the seal. He opened the letter and read it to himself.

Dear General Thunder Strike.

I am guessing by now you have seen our work we did with your two guards. We will not do that again if you will do us one favor.

We would like to meet you and you only. If you agree you will not tell anyone what was in this letter and you will pretend it was just nothing and burn the letter. If you don't agree these killings will continue until you meet with us.

The Meeting Place will be 1 hour after your dinner with the Princesses and it will be in the Royal Garden.

Oh and If you decide to set a trap then be prepeared for the fight of your life.

Yours in Darkness, N.M.

He thought to himself. "What could "N.M." stand for?" He quickly folded the letter and put in his pocket.

"So General what did it say?" He thought for a moment about telling her the truth, but that would mean the killings would continue so he did as the letter instructed. "Magenta who else knows about this letter?" "Just me and you General" "Well for the safety of Equestria lets keep it that way or you'll have a talk with the Dungeon Master." "I understand perfectly General but what about Princess Celestia doesn't she need to know about the letter." "No Magenta I'll handle this letter personally." "Is there anything else that needs my attention before I return to the castle Magenta?" "Yes what do we do about this mysterious Black Mare?" "I'll have more foot patrols posted near the castle, but I want you to post some undercover ponies to see if they can find something about her." "As you wish General." "Investigator Magenta Pie I hope you understand our agreement completely because I will not speak of this again." "I understand perfectly General." "Well now thats all settled I am returning to the Castle to give Celestia a report on the situation." He turned away from the mare and walked back out to his chariot where the News Ponies were waiting like hungry sharks. "If I am Impeded on my way to give Celestia a report on the situation then those that have impeded me shall answer to Celestia herself why I was late!"

The Ponies quickly scattered making a path for the General to get to his chariot. He got into the chariot and closed the door just as the News Ponies rushed to ask more questions. " Guard take me to the Castle!" " Yes General Thunder Strike." They rocketed off into the now approaching sunset. The General question his actions he took to make sure the letter was never heard of. "Did I really have to threaten her? Would she tell anypony about what just happened?" All these thought rushing to and fro in his already clouded mind. "Would Celestia buy his lie about there being nothing of interest?" " What would Princess Luna think if she knew her General was already getting himself into trouble?" He pushed these thoughts aside as the chariot came down for a landing in front of the castle. He disembarked and headed for Princess Celestia's Throne Room. He heard hoofsteps behind him and turned to see the Major and Crystal trying to catch up with him. "General what happened at the site?" " Nothing new tell the castle guards to keep watch over Silent Night I fear he may be in danger." Crystal piped up next. "General I did as you asked and there are about 5 squads on patrol right now." She moved closer to him now. "The Major told me how you caught me and how you didn't want me to know more about the murders for fear I might worry myself to death." She gave him a small smooch on his cheek which caused both of them to blush. The General decided to whisper his response back. "Oh my Captain I didn't know you felt that way since this is still only our first day meeting each other." She turned to the Major. "Major can you give me and the General some time to talk please?" He looked relived at being spared from the Love Fest. "I will be in the Northern Barracks if you need me General!" He quickly about faced towards the Southern Barracks obviously going that way so as to not make things awkward. "General I think if you would like to get more of this love you'll just have to take me out to dinner." "Well I think that can be arranged, how is this wednesday at around 6pm?" "That sounds wonderful General I look forward to it." " But if you will excuse me I need to attend to some Patrol Rotations." "I hope you have a wonderful night Captain" She turned off towards a side hallway obviously still a little shaken from what she just did." The General looked a little too long at her walking away and he didn't notice the Guard he was going to run into. CRASH............

The General quickly picked himself and the Guard up. "I'm sorry about that guard I wasn't watching where I was going." The guard already knew what the General had been paying attention to. "Its quit alright sir I understand you have other things on your mind."

The General picked up his pace towards Celestia's Throne Room.

As he approached he noticed that the normal guards were gone and were replaced by Two Pegasi Wonderbolts. They noticed him and spread their wings blocking his path. "Halt State your name!"

"I am General Thunder Strike I am here to deliver my report to the Princess." They closed their wings and opened the doors for the General to pass. "The Princess is expecting you General"

He walked into the vast ornate room where both sisters would sit at their designated time's he arrived about 30 mins before the switch would come. "Welcome General Thunder Strike I hope your first day hasn't been ruined by that horrible "incident" that I asked you to look at?" The General gave a bow to the Princess and then sat on his haunches. "No Princess today was a very exciting first day." "Well then Lets get this report out of the way so Luna can raise the moon, then we can eat." " Well Princess there is not much new except that they found Specialist Swift Kick's horn snapped in half." The Princess looked distraught over this dreadful news. "Well what have you done to make sure Luna is safe just incase this crazy mare decides its time for a royal snack?" "I have doubled Luna's security and Castle security, also I have asked that Captain Crystal Dawn send out some of her Squads to patrol the city." This seemed to bring back a slight smile to her face. "That's excellent news General, now the citizens can sleep peacefully tonight knowing someone is watching out for them!" " There is one other thing, this mare was reported to be about as tall as a full grown Alicorn Mare." This made the Princesses smile disappear again. "Well thats impossible General unless you can find me an Alicorn Cloner." "I think your sources are mistaken General, are you sure it wasn't just a large pegasus, or an extremely talented Changeling?" "If it was a Changeling, no one would have been killed so brutally, instead we would just find a bunch of brain washed ponies!" "Well keep your eyes peeled for that giant Black Mare Pegasi!" "I'll try my best Princess."

Suddenly the seriousness of their conversation washed away from Celestia's face as she looked at the clock adorning the nearby wall. "Oh look at the time Luna should be here by now to raise the moon?" At this realization there was a commotion outside and the doors suddenly burst open. "We are sorry we we're late sister, we just got finished at a charity event for the new orphanage in Manehattan." "Oh that's fine Luna me and General Thunder were just talking about what happened today." Luna rushed over to the throne to relive her sister so she could raise the moon. "We'll just wait on you then we'll head over to the Dining Chamber." Luna sat on the throne and the whole room instantly went from gold banners and royal white walls to purple banners and dark blue walls. Luna warmed her magic up a little bit then pointed her horn at the sky she used her Night magic to start the moon on its ascent through the now night sky. She began panting after the extreme amount of magice and stamina used up from doing such a feat of raising a celestial body through the sky.Celestia turned to address her sister. "How are you feeling Luna?"

"We are alright sister just a bit tired" Luna had some other things she would love to tell her sister but now was not the time or place for such a show. Celestia decided it was time to go. "Well shall we get going, that dinner's not going to eat itself!" Luna got up from what was now her throne and followed Celestia towards the Dining Chamber with the General in tow. "Oh silly me I almost forgot, first we have to drop by the office I have Steadfast Watch doing some extra work there!" The walk over there was silent they stopped by Celestia's office to pick up Her Head of Security, Brigadier General Steadfast Watch. "Well now that everyone's accounted for we can head over to the Dining chamber." The group reached the Dining chamber and were met by another pair of Wonderbolts who gladly opened the doors for the princess's and their Generals. The smell of fresh fruit and baked goods made everyone's mouth water. The Princess's took their respective seats at the opposite ends of the table with their generals right next to them ready for anything. They finished the standard royal prayer over the food then sat down. Celestia was the first one to reach for the Pastries. She took half of the mini cake's and eclairs only when she was finished did she offer some to the others. "Would anypony like some pastries?" Luna whispered just loud enough so that only General Thunder Strike heard her. "Anymore sweets and the Royal Flank won't fit in that throne." The General had to suppress a slight chuckle. "What was that Sister?" "Oh nothing Tia." Luna gave the General a look like she was about to burst into a laughing fit. Steadfast decided to change the subject. "So General how goes the investigation into the recent murders?"

"Not fairly well since our only witness is still recovering from the whole ordeal." "Well then what have you done to spread awareness of this threat to the public?" "I will at the moment take no steps to alert the public as it would cause a panic." Steadfast looked a little surprised at the Generals response. "But how will the public know to take extra security measures at night?" " We will simply put out an alert that some stray Timber Wolves have been sighted inside the City." Princess Celestia decided to join now. "What an excellent idea General the Timber Wolves would certainly make anypony stay inside for the next few nights!" Steadfast had a dumbfounded look on his face at Celestia's approval of the General's plan. "We agree this would be an excellent plan, but we think there should be curfew just so the thrill seekers don't get any ideas!" Celestia looked slightly annoyed at her sister's over use of the Royal "We". "Luna Must you always use the Royal "We" so much?" Celestia's words looked like they rubbed Luna the wrong way. "Tia it is part of what makes us a Princess, even if you have forsaken the Old ways We have not!" Celestia was about to apologize but Luna didn't give her time to, she just got up and stormed off. The General got up to follow. "General can you talk to her please, it seems she has been rather angry at me for the past few months?" "I'll do my best Princess!" The General rushed out after the Night Princess. He ran after the sounds of Luna's sobs.

He finally caught up to her when she had to rest. "Princess what's wrong?" She looked up at him with her already puffy eyes. "Its everything Thunder, for starters everyone thinks that we are some sort of evil witch, they worship Celestia while they run from us in terror, and no one ever appreciates my nighttime!" The General looked surprised about all the problems the princess was having. "Well Princess if you would like I could help you change their opinions of you, and we could also talk to Celestia about how you are treated by the citizens!" She had a smile for a second, but it quickly disappeared with the sound of approaching hoofsteps. "Is everything alright sister?" Luna wiped the tears away so Celestia wouldn't see them. "Yes everything's alright I just need to go for a walk, would you join me General?" "Of course I will Princess!" Celestia not really understanding what just happened wanted to know more but before she could ask they both were walking towards the garden. She decided to go back and finish the rest of those wonderful pastries.

As they both walked Luna told the General all of her problems and how Celestia has never been any help at all. The more they talked the General realized how much pain Celestia had caused Luna. "Princess why not confront Celestia about these problems?" "Thunder are you crazy that would just give her more ways to dismiss us from power!" She went on to explain all the times she had done that exact thing and how Celestia had used it against her. The General now knew how Luna felt whenever Celestia was around and wanted to talk or do something. "Princess I think I understand how you feel now." As if these were some sort of magic words Luna embraced the General in a bear hug. "Hnnnngg.....Pr..Pr..Princess your choking me!" She released him before she caused some unfortunate harm. "Finally someone understands us!" The kept walking and talking until they reached the garden. Suddenly Luna felt that pain in her head accompanied with the familiar voice. "Rest now Pet we have Our Future Business to take care of!" Luna suddenly passed out hitting the ground like a sack of rocks. "Princess Luna answer me are you alright!" Suddenly the Princess's features began changing. She went from a medium sized purple Alicorn Princess to a huge black Alicorn wearing Royal Battle Armor. The General stepped back in utter shock as his eyes were trying to confirm what he was thinking. Suddenly the mass began to stir. This thing stood up to its full height and stared down at the General with its piercing purple eyes. "You understand us General, better than even Luna's assistant!" He slowly began to back away from this strange mare. "Do not walk away from your Queen when she is addressing you!" He stopped in his tracks. He managed to utter a single statement. "What do you want with me?" She looked disappointed at him not knowing already what she wanted. "We want you to help us General, You will be our Crusader of the Night!" He couldn't believe his ears,the former princess was asking him to be her Crusader of the Night, whatever that meant. "As you already know of our sister's unfair treatment of Luna, we want you to help us rest control of Equestria from her and Plunge this nation into Night Eternal!" All of the clues suddenly linked together. "You killed those three guards and wrote me that letter!" "You are correct General we wrote the letter intended for you, but we only killed two guards the third has agreed to help us in exchange for his life!" The General felt like he had been hit with a dual edged spear. Specialist Stealth Kick was alive but he was this things servant.

Suddenly a group of ponies in the "Circle" standard dress surrouned him. The first one approached the Black Alicorn and bowed, then he turned towards the General. "General I am *Exec Sunburst** and I am the Leader of the Circle of Night, our sole purpose was to make sure the Prohpecy of the Night came true and you became the Herald of our Queen!"* " The rest of the ponies there began some strange chant about the night. This chant made the General realize all the injustices and wrongs Celestia had commited to all of Equestria and especially her own sister Luna. "So General will you join your Queen in bringing about the eternal night?" He looked to all the faces in the circle and then to his new Queen. "Yes I will become your Herald and bring about the Eternal Night!"

Suddenly black clouds of magic surrounded him and he could feel the energy rushing through his body changing him into The Herald of Nightmare Moon. When the clouds dissipated he was wearing a black Wonderbolts uniform with a special golden mohawk styled mane on top of his head. His new Queen turned to address her new Herald. "You shall no longer be known as General Thunder Strike but You will now be known as The Shadow Bolt Supreme Commander Unyielding Inferno!" The newly christened Unyielding Inferno turned to his new Queen. "What does my Queen command of me?""You shall Collect the two Colonels you have met today and bring them before me!" He turned to go and do what was commanded of him. He flew like a shadow through the castle's hallways evading the detection of all the guards and staff. First he entered Colonel Defiant Flame's room and snared him in the black magic coursing this veins. The Colonel awoke with a fright as he was being dragged out of his room into the night. "Whats going on, Guards! help!" His words fell on deaf ears as the magic was blocking out all his protests. "Just wait and you'll see Colonel!" He turned towards where he knew Stealth Light rested at night. Inferno snatched up Stealth Light in much the same manner as he did with Defiant Flame. Then he took his captives back to the garden where his Queen still waited. When he got there the Circle of Night had disappeared back into the night. He dropped the two colonels in front of Nightmare Moon. She instantly summoned the black clouds and they surrounded both of the colonels. "You both shall now serve me in the new age of Darkness!"

When the black clouds retreated the first to be seen was Defiant Flame he wore the same uniform as the general but his mane was silver instead of gold. "You Shall now be known as Commander Defiance, and you will be Unyielding Inferno's Second in Command!" Defiance bowed to his new Queen. "As you command my Queen!" The next to appear out of the cloud was Stealth Light. He wore the same uniform as the previous two but his mane was bronze. "You Shall be known as Sub Commander Retribution!" He bowed as well. "As you command my Queen!" The two newly recruited generals took their spots next to Unyielding Inferno. Then Nightmare Moon turned to address her new minions. "Tonight we begin the Crusade against Celestia's Tyrannical Sunlight empire!" She turned to fly out of the Capital of Canterlot for the last time. "Come My Shadow Bolts we need more recruits to fill our ranks!" She took off into the night followed by the three Shadow Bolts.

"Soon All of Equestria shall know Night Eternal!

Authors Notes

I have to give a big thanks to *BrambleBerry** for letting me use the name of Colonel Stealth Light and Commander Defiance!*

I would appreciate any and all Criticism! Chapter two should be out by around Thursday!

I was trying out a new Writing Application when I wrote this so tell me if I should just keep it like this or should I change it?

I am also looking for alot of OC's to put into the next chapter so put them into the comments with their description and what rank you think they should have. (except for the top three ranks!) I need at least 10!

And yes I know the Romance part was horrible I will do better in chapter 2!

Stay Thirsty My Friends!

Gathering Shadows

This is Chapter 2 of The Shadow Bolt Series.

The Shadows are Planning and Plotting be wary Young Pony!

The Regal Alabaster Alicorn decided not to wait any longer, she used her magic to lower the moon for the second night in a row.

Celestia had started to worry about her sister's disappearance after she didn't show up last night to raise the moon.

She also noticed that General Thunder Strike and Colonels Stealth Light and Defiant Flame had also gone missing.

She turned to address her task force she put together whose command staff consisting of Captain Frost a medium sized ice blue pegasi with an alternating blue and ice blue mane. Her sister Corporal Dawn an extremely tall dark blue unicorn with a solid ice blue mane. They would lead a contingent of Specialist Pegasi and Unicorns to find Luna and her missing staff.

"Captain Frost you have been briefed by Lieutenant General Steadfast Watch on your task have you not?" "Yes Princess Celestia we have been fully briefed on the situation!" "Good then you also understand the importance and the level of secrecy that must be kept during this mission?" Captain Frost thought back to the General's exact words "If you don't come back then we will have your existence to Equestria erased!" She was jolted back into the present by the Princess's statement. "So do you understand the risks you are taking Captain?" "Yes Princess we understand all of the risks involved!" Frost had hoped not to ever have to participate in a "No-Return Scenario" mission. The Princess gave them all an encouraging smile before she sent them out. "Good Luck My Little Ponies and return Safely with My Sister." Captain Frost turned to exit the Princess's Throne room with her sister close behind. As soon as they were out of ear shot of the Princess the sisters began to talk about their plans and where to search. "I think we should search the City first!" "Excellent Idea Dawn take your Unicorn Squad to the Western Business District and I will take my Pegasi Squad to the Market!" The sisters exited the Castle with their respective squads and headed for their assigned areas.

Oblivious to the two sets of eyes watching them. The two crept out of their hiding spots to get a better view of the situation. The moonlight was barely enough to illuminate both of the Stallions. Who were there to carry out their master's bidding.

They both bore the same cutie mark of a skull with two wings coming out of its head.Their uniforms exactly alike except for their different manes.

They were Unyielding Inferno's second and third in command. Commander Defiance turned to address his comrade Sub-Commander Retribution.

"Sub-Commander Retribution You shall take the Unicorn Squad and bring them to Unyielding Inferno!" Retribution answered with a simple nod then disappeared back into the shadows. Defiance watched as the Unicorns marched out of the castle gates in standard parade formation with an abnormally tall unicorn at its lead. Soon enough he spotted Retribution moving like a specter from one shadow to the next. He knew Retribution would be successful because if he wasn't he would never make it to Celestia's Dungeon. Defiance returned his attention to the now airborne Pegasi Squad which was in a V-Formation being led by a small ice-blue Pegasi. Deciding the time was right for him to start his part of the mission. Defiance retreated farther back into the shadows before launching himself into the night sky. He ascended to cloud level and found a nice dark cloud that he could use to shadow the Pegasi. The Pegasi flew towards the Market area which would make it harder for Defiance to capture the Pegasi in public.

The V-formation slowed and landed in front of a large apple stand they split up into groups of two to search for their target. Frost told all of the Pegasi to meet here by the apple stand when they finished. Frost decided that since they were in a public place so she wouldn't need a full escort. So she chose Lieutenant Crescent Moon and Corporal Quick Thought. Both were very easy to be around and well disciplined. She decided to check by the New Age Art stands since Luna loved art..................

After a while of searching Frost decided to head back to gather up her Pegasi to check the next area. As neared the meeting point she noticed that all the nearby stands were closed and there wasn't a Pegasi Guard in sight. "Corporal Quick thought what do you think happened here?" The Egg Head soldier examined the scenery with a very scrutinizing eye then came to a conclusion. "Captain it looks like there was some sort of struggle and it looks as if the rest of the Squad was on the losing side." Frost began to think of all the possible enemies that would attack a Royal Contingent in the Capital City.

When Suddenly a pony dressed in a black Wonderbolts uniform with a Silver mane approached the trio. Crescent Moon stepped in front of him blocking his path to the Captain. The pony simple swatted the Lieutenant out of the way with one hoof. Crescent went flying like he had been hit by a bull into a nearby stand. Quick Thought decided against such a direct route. "Halt you have assaulted a member of Celestia's Royal Guard and you must pay the consequences!" The Pony stopped and turned towards Quick Thought. "You dare address me servant of that solar monster!" The Pony summoned a black magic aura around Quick Thought "You shall now know the Power of The Shadow Bolt Legion!" Before Quick Thought could even utter a word the aura crushed his body into nothingness. The pony turned towards Frost. "I am Commander Defiance and You and that Oaf who tried to stop me shall be coming with me!" All Frost could think of was at that moment. "What have you done with the rest of my Squad!" "Your Pegasi will be brought around to our side of thinking Captain, now stop stalling and come along quietly!" Defiance turned towards Crescent Moon and grasped him with a black aura that would keep him incapacitated. Frost decided there was nothing she could do so she had to listen to him. "Fine you Win I Surrender." He grasped her with the same aura and walked out of the market towards a larger black magic aura that held the rest of her Squad. He merged both aura's so he could carry them back to his Commander. Frost hoped her sister was alright with her Unicorn Squad. Defiance picked up the aura and decided to see if Retribution was successful with his task. He hoisted the aura into the air as he took off in the direction that Retribution should have been.

Retribution stalked the Unicorns for the past hour making sure to keep out of the range of their magic detection spells.

The tallest Unicorn told the Squad to split up into groups of two. This would make Retribution's job much easier. He started with the low ranked ponies first making sure not to fatally wound any of his captives. Once he had incapacitated the rest of the Squad he finally approached the tall unicorn and her guard. Her guard charged him which was foolish on his part. Retribution sidestepped him then gave a quick uppercut to his face which knocked the foolish guard on his back. The tall Unicorn used her magic to try and restrain him but he simply waved her magic grasp off. He used his black magic to teleport in front of her which surprised her enough so that she lost her concentration. Which he took full advantage of by grabbing her horn and overloading it with his magic. The sudden surge of magic into her horn. caused her to collapse like a sack of apples. She looked at him before passing out. "Who are You?" He sneered at her. "I am the Retribution for all the crimes your Tyrannical Leader has caused upon this land!" Her eyes went wide as she heard what drove his madness. She passed out after this revelation leaving Retribution to collect his prize. Retribution gathered up the rest of the unconscious Unicorn Squad and placed them in a special magical aura that would keep them from using their magical abilities. When he finished he felt the approach of Defiance and turned to talk to his commander. "Commander Defiance I have completed my mission and have captured all of the Unicorn Squad!" The Commander landed next to Retribution. "Good work Retribution you and I are to return to the base with the captives and bring them before Unyielding Inferno." "Yes Commander but what shall we do if somepony comes to look for these Squads?" "That was already accounted for, these ponies were on a secret mission to find Luna."

"No one will know that these ponies have been take besides the Princess and her most trusted advisers!" "Now no more questions we must return to base before dawn!" At this both took off leaving the destruction behind for Celestia to clean up.

The Two Shadow Bolts flew out of Canterlot without even a single alarm being raised. They were using a special spell that masked their magic footprint, rendering any attempt at finding them useless. They were soon out of the city and nearing the edge of one of the outlying towns. As they flew some of their captives had begun to wake up and had begun to attack the magical aura surrounding them to no avail. The Shadow Bolts simply increased their speed so that the commotion wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. They were at the edge of the Everfree forest in a matter of minutes, their new bodies had allowed them to fly faster than anypony who had ever lived. Soon a giant dome of the black magical aura appeared and opened for the group to enter without any hesitation both of the Shadow Bolts darted inside the dome. Before them stood a castle made of obsidian with stone walls surrounding it. The captives all looked like they had seen a specter. For before them stood the mythical "Castle of Obsidian Tears". It was called this because of all the conquerors who tried to take this castle each ended up as a part of the obsidian castle to be used as a warning to any enemy that dared to attack. All of Equestria thought the castle lost during the Invasion of the Gryphon Empire in the year 512. Its previous Owner was a Nightmarish Mare that went by the name of "Death's Kiss". She terrorized the nearby towns for 10 long years until she was defeated when Celestia and Luna found her secret castle. The new owner Nightmare Moon had turned the place into the Shadow Bolts Headquarters and her Capital form where she would spread her "Night Eternal" The Two Shadow Bolts landed in the courtyard of the castle where Supreme Commander Unyielding Inferno awaited their return. They set the defeated ponies down and removed the magic that bound them. Inferno walked in front of them and each of them was forced to bow for him. "All of you have forgotten your true leader and have chosen that Solar Tyrant to rule!" A sly grin appeared on his lips, making the ponies tremble with fear at what he had planned. "For these actions against your true Queen you shall become members of The Shadow Bolts and serve your true leader Nightmare Moon!" When he said this they all shared the same look of fear and shock on their faces. He motioned towards Defiance and magical chains bound each of the ponies. Captain Frost decided to speak up. "You can't make us serve anyone you....you foul snake!" He looked amused at her defiance to him. "Since you have decided to oppose me you shall be the first of many to become a Shadow Bolt Captain Frost!" She stood her ground and didn't move even when he came closer to her. Then he stopped and raised a hoof at her. Black magic began to cover her body as she screamed for Mercy. "Ah what an excellent idea Captain!" When the screaming stopped and the cloud dissipated the new Frost stepped out and she wore the same uniform and cutie mark as the others. Her mane was the same design as the others also except it was still an ice-blue with blue streaks in it. Inferno came closer to address his new recruit. "You shall now be known as Captain Merciful Splendor of the Shadow Bolt Legion!" She bowed to Inferno and then she asked he had in mind for the rest of the Ponies. "The rest of these ponies shall become Loyal members of the Shadow Bolt Legions!" Dawn looked at her sister in horror, she had become a Shadow Bolt but the same fate wouldn't befall her. With a surge of magical energy she broke free of her captors and attacked Unyielding Inferno. She launched a volley of magic fire balls at him. Which he quickly blocked and then he sent a small cloud of black magic at her.

She launched a blast of pure magic at the cloud, suprisingly it dissipated. This made Inferno mad, but he quickly returned to his evil smirk. "Merciful Splendor in order to solidify your postion in the Legion you must kill this Servant of Celestia!" Merciful Splendor didn't give the command a second thought. She turned towards her sister and sped towards her at full speed. Splendor knocked her sister down and pinned her. Dawn couldn't bring herself to attack her sister even if she was being controlled by Inferno's magic. "Any last words you treacherous sister of mine?" Dawn began to tear up as she knew her sister was going to surely kill her. "I will always love you Frost." At this Splendor raised her hoof over Dawn's head. Dawn accepted her fate and smiled as the hoof was brought down on her head. The blow to her head was enough to cave in her skull ending Dawn's life. Splendor stood back up and wiped her hoof on Dawn's corpse, not even caring that she had killed her sister. Inferno walked forward to congratulate his new Captain. "I am glad to see I can trust my soldiers with any task I give them." Splendor turned towards him and had a smile on her face as she was being complemented for killing her sister in cold blood. The others saw this and were mortified as their last hope died with Dawn's last breath. Inferno turned back to the others and summoned another cloud big enough to enclose the two squads. Their screams of agony were muffled when the cloud covered them. When it was done the cloud dissipated into the air, revealing the newest of the Legions Recruits. Inferno motioned towards Defiance, and the chains that had previously bound them were gone with a single motion. The two groups of Shadow Bolts bowed to Inferno their new commander. He now had one squad of 31 Unicorns and one squad of 32 Pegasi which would bolster the legions numbers. "Captain Merciful Splendor you shall have command over the Pegasi squad *"Shadow Flight"** and you shall report to me from now on!"* She looked at him and gave her own evil grin. "Thank you Commander I shall not disappointment you!" "You and your squad are to patrol the forest surrounding the castle for anymore *"Recruits"** that can be found!"* Splendor and her squad took off immediately exiting the magic barrier that covered the castle. Inferno turned to the Unicorns he walked through them looking for the strongest stallion. Finally he stopped in front of a large Unicorn stallion. He was a brown stallion with broad shoulders and very sturdy legs to carry his body, even with such a young and strong body his mind was being torn apart by what he had seen. The stallion tried to back away from Inferno, but his chains wouldn't even budge. "Tell me prisoner what is your name?" The Unicorn looked fearfully at Inferno, but finally decided to speak up. "I..I..I am Staff Sergeant Bronze Shield." Inferno had that grin on his face again. "Well Bronze Shield how would you like to be a part of the Shadow Bolts?" Bronze Shield's eyes shrank back into his skull as he was being offered a position in the Shadow Bolts. "Do I have a choice?" "No not really I just wanted to see how you would react." As he said those words the cloud returned and covered all the unicorns. The first to emerge was Bronze Shield with his new uniform and his brown mane, the only sign of what he used to look like. The cloud dissipated and revealed the new Shadow Bolt Unicorn squad. "Bronze Shield You will be known as Captain Iron Hammer of the Unicorn squad *"Magic's Wrath"** do not disappoint me Captain!"* Iron Hammer bowed to the commander and the rest of the Unicorns did the same. "What is our first mission Supreme Commander?" There was a delightfully evil twinkle in Inferno's eyes. "Remain here for now and bolster our defensive capabilities!" Iron bowed once again to his commander. "As you wish." Iron turned and left with his squad to reinforce the walls and add some more defensive capabilities. Inferno felt very satisfied he had already gained more soldiers for his master's war with Celestia.

Soon they would be able to begin recruiting publicly and he wouldn't have to keep brainwashing the ponies. Commander Defiance came forwards with another pony that was unconscious. "Sir what should we do with this one?" Inferno tired from converting the others decided this pony could wait. "Throw him in the Dungeon I will get to him later!" Defiance flew off with Crescent Moon who would be getting an extended "Vacation". Retribution approached him next. "Supreme Commander the Queen of the Night has commanded your presence in her Throne Room!" Inferno thought that she would be giving him a congratulation for gathering the first of many soldiers. "Did she say what it was about?" Retribution looked scared by his question. "I dare not question the Queen she could have me killed with a single thought!" "Very well then I am going to meet the Queen." Inferno took off and flew towards the center tower. It was the most dominant feature of the castle with its solid obsidian exterior and huge windows that oversaw everything. The center tower was designed as a bunker for anypony who had lived there. Now it was the Center of Nightmare Moon's power and the Shadow Bolts Headquarters. Inferno entered the main doors constructed of the finest iron and gold that Equestria could offer. He used a teleportation spell to get to the throne room quickly as he didn't want to keep his Queen waiting. He appeared in her throne room which had her banners hanging from the ceiling and the walls. She sat on her throne constructed of a rare black obsidian found only in the belly of dead volcanoes. She noticed his approach and gave her best smile that a Queen of the night could give. He stopped in front of the throne and bowed to her. "Rise from your feet our loyal servant!" He raised himself up and stood at attention. "Why has my Queen requested my presence?" "We have a mission for you Unyielding Inferno, it is about time that our Enemy knew of our Empire of the Night!

Princess Celestia tried to rest on her throne for the first time today. She had been hard at work trying to uncover the reason for Luna's sudden disappearance. "Why would my sister leave without saying something first?" "Did I do something to make her leave?" "Where were Thunder Strike and his Colonels?" "Had they all left together, or had someone taken them?" Theses answers were lost to such a wise and experienced Alicorn.

When Celestia heard from Steadfast that both Squads had been taken she knew something or somepony was causing all this mess. She had lost her two best squads to some unknown enemy. The only trace left was the crushed body of a Corporal Quick thought that she was able to pull out of a black magical aura but she had been too late. He had been dead for over 5 hours so the Perpetrators would have been long gone. She had her assistant send out a letter to the family to inform them of his death. She would have to close the market so the Royal Engineer Corps could get to work fixing the damage. The Royal Military branches had also voted to put Canterlot under Martial-Law for an undetermined amount of time. She of course said "Yes" but told them to be careful not to anger any of the Citizens. The Royal Equestrian Army was given full control over the city at Celestia's behest. They would begin Enforcing Martial Law in a few hours. So She would have to make a Public Announcement explaining why she authorized such an action. As she thought about these problems some strange feeling began creeping down her spine like she was being watched. She rose from her throne and walked around looking for anypony that was snooping around her throne room. But nopony was even close to her besides her personal guards. Still the feeling persisted, she finally decided it was just her sleep deprived mind playing games with her. She walked over to the main chamber doors and addressed the guard on duty which happened to be Captain Straight Arrow "Captain Straight Arrow I am going to lay down for awhile will you please direct anyone who needs my help to my or Luna's assistants." "Yes Ma,am!" She turned and used her magic to open the doors out into the main hallway. She walked to her room, on the way she passed many of the Royal Army personnel setting up their operations center in the nearby Conference chambers. None of them noticed their Princess passing as they were too busy with their tasks. She continued down the hallway until she reached her corridor. She opened her chamber doors and walked inside. Once inside she felt like all the worries in Equestria didn't matter until she got some sleep. She removed all of her Royal armor and laid them on her dresser. She examined her Solar Inspired room for anypony that was watching her. She once again found nopony in sight. Finally satisfied she walked over to her bed and pulled back the Sunny Sheets. She got into her bed and began to drift off into a well needed sleep. As soon as she was asleep a black magic cloud appeared and a pony walked through it before it disappeared once again. The Golden maned Unyielding Inferno had stalked the Princess using the powers granted by his Queen. Now he was to do as Nightmare Moon had commanded and reveal themselves to Celestia and her servants.

He used a spell that Nightmare Moon had taught him, It would temporarily make Celestia's magic useless on him until he was finished. Then he approached his Queen's hated enemy who was fast asleep. He could have quickly ended this whole thing with a simple strike to her temple, but that would as his Queen had said "A Sly and Cowardly way to end the conflict!"

He removed his uniform and donned the clothes of his former identity of General Thunder Strike so as not to startle her too much. Then he nudged the Princess until she awoke. She rolled out of bed and opened her sleepy eyes to see the General. She almost jumped out of her skin when she saw him. Then she quickly hugged him and began her flood of questions for him. "Where were you General?" Where are your Colonels?" "Why is Luna missing?" He raised his hoof to stop her. "Princess Celestia I am only here to tell you of recent actions against you that you can't possibly understand!" She looked confused at his tone at her, but she listened to him. "Only a few days ago I learned the truth about Luna." "She told me the ways you had humiliated her and tortured her already fragile psyche!" Celestia looked hurt at his revelation, but she let him keep going.

"Luna then revealed her inner self Nightmare Moon and her task to destroy you and all that you stand for!"

"That night Nightmare Moon offered me a place by her side as Supreme Commander of her Shadow Bolts!" Celestia began to power up her magic and was about to restrain him. "Oh don't try any magic I have a spell that protects me while I am here, and Besides I am just here to deliver this information." She sat back down so he could finish his message, but kept her magic ready just in case. "She gave me new powers to accomplish any task, I was given the new name of Unyielding Inferno and before I could assume my position I was tasked with re-appropriating the two Colonels for our cause." "They were also given new powers and places of power in the new Empire." "The two squads you sent out to find Luna were ambushed by the Colonels and brought back to our base." "Nightmare Moon has tasked me with giving you this information so that you know what is going to happen to you and your servants!" He decided now was a good time to remove the disguise, so he donned his uniform again. "She also wanted you to know that Luna is a part of her now!" He turned to exit the bed chamber. "How do you plan to accomplish this revolution with only two squads and one Alicorn against a whole nation?" "As we speak a squad of Pegasi is out gathering recruits for the Shadow Bolts from your loyal citizens!" He turned to face her. "Thank you for your time Princess." He gave her an evil smile then a black cloud swallowed him up and he had vanished. "How could this happen I thought the rumors of her having an evil streak were just that rumors!" Celestia sat back in her chair she now had to prepare for a war against her sister and her Shadow Bolts. "Guards!" A Wonderbolt Guard peeked in to see what was wrong. "Guard get me the Heads of the Military and the Wonderbolts Commander!" "Yes ma, am I will do so at once!" The guard left immediately to get together the requested people. Celestia went to put on her Royal armor so she could appear before her subjects. "How could I have not seen this coming?" "Was I too Embroiled in my Royal duties to notice Luna's strange behavior?" This day was just full of questions that she couldn't answer. She brushed her celestial mane and walked out into the hallway so she could get her response to this Nightmare Moon threat ready.

As Unyielding Inferno had said their was a squad of Pegasi known as "Shadow Flight" scouring for new recruits.

The squad had hit the outlying villages that were closest to the forest. Each village yielded between 50-100 new recruits that were to be taken back to be Indoctrinated. Once the outlying villages had been raided Defiance would put together a squad of 10 Shadow Bolts to reoccupy the village. This method of capture and occupation gained the Legion 5 village outposts in as few as 3 hours. Defiance had decided to visit each of the new outposts personally to asses their defensive and offensive capabilities. He left the castle barrier and flew out into the night towards the closest village he was accompanied by his escort of 4 Shadow Bolt Corporals. He flew quickly to avoid any air patrols Celestia would surely be sending. When he got to the first outpost he landed near the town center. The Shadow Bolts stationed here were busy preparing the outpost for more personnel and weaponry. He was approached by a Unicorn Captain they appeared to be in charge at this outpost. "Commander Defiance welcome to Outpost 1 I am Captain Accurate Shot!" He gave Defiance a welcoming smile. "Captain tell me what are the defensive capabilities of this outpost so far?" "Well Commander we haven't had long to work but we have set up some weapons emplacements." "What about the rest of the town Captain?" "We have converted two buildings into barracks and the school house is serving as the command center here." Defiance was pleased at this ponies work in only a few hours. "Very good Captain make sure you have the outpost ready by tomorrow because your reinforcements will be coming tomorrow!" "Yes Commander we will have everything ready for the new reinforcements!" Defiance satisfied with this Outpost took off for the next on his list. The next outpost happened be a small guards post which gave them some well needed weapons, and some more guards to recruit. When he reached the guards post he was greeted with a firefight. He saw that the squad of Shadow Bolts sent here to secure this post were pinned down inside the barracks. The attackers were a patrol of 2 Pegasi and 3 Unicorns. Defiance landed behind the patrol and sent some magic fireballs at the Unicorns while his Pegasi escort had a dogfight with the other Pegasi. Only one Unicorn turned to return fire at Defiance so the others could keep the squad inside the barracks pinned down. Defiance decided to summon some backup so he could end this fight quickly. While behind cover he activated a teleportation spell that summoned "Magic's Wrath". He turned to Captain Iron Hammer and pointed to the group of guards. Hammer knew what he meant and positioned his squad to overwhelm the group. They quickly began firing on the guards, killing the three Unicorns in a frenzy of fireballs. The squad then began firing on the 2 Pegasi in the sky. The Pegasi seeing their ground support reduced to ashes decided to retreat. Defiance let them go so that they could spread word of the Shadow Bolts victory over the guards. He turned to Iron and his squad. "Iron Hammer you and your squad are to protect all the villages under Shadow Bolt control in this area!" "We will do as you command Commander Defiance!" He then left with his squad to secure the 3 villages that surrounded the post.

As soon as he left Defiance was going to order another push forward to the nearest town which would have been PonyVille.

He gathered up his escort and was about to return to the base when one of the Shadow Bolts that was in the barracks came galloping up to him. "Commander wait the Supreme Commander has a message for you!" Defiance halted his exit so he could receive the message. "Supreme Commander Unyielding Inferno has ordered the halt of any Offensive maneuvers and instead ordered all outposts to focus on fortifications and establishing extensice supply routes!" Defiance was deeply annoyed by his commanders unwillingness to continue the assault while they clearly had they the advantage. "Thank you for telling me this, you are free to return to your duties." The Shadow Bolt returned to his duties. Since there would be no more Offensive maneuvers Defiance decided to head back to the castle. Once there he would confront Inferno about his order to halt the advance.

Unyielding Inferno had returned from his mission and had reported the results to Nightmare Moon. His Queen was pleased with Celestia's reaction so much that she burst out into a fit of evil laughter. Once she was done she congratulated him on his successful mission. Then she ordered an immediate halt on all Offensive maneuvers being conducted. He asked her why but she dismissed him from her presence. He walked out to the communications center that had been constructed to communicate to the outposts. He entered the structure and was greeted by a young mare. "Hello Supreme Commander how may I help you?" He looked at the mare and handed her the written order of Nightmare Moon. "Send this message out to all Field units immediately!" She looked the letter over and began sending it via the magic mail system. "It should be reaching the nearest outpost in a few minutes, Sir!" He turned and walked out of the communications building to oversee the castle retrofit. The Queen had ordered five artillery cannons to be placed in the courtyard. She also wanted MG nests placed onto the inner and outer walls. He walked over to the Chief Engineer Design Flaw. "Engineer Design Flaw tell me how goes the retrofit?" Design Flaw wasn't affected by Inferno's unexpected visit, but he gave he gave the report on the progress to Inferno while he was still face deep in his work. "Well the first cannon has been installed but the second.....................

When Crescent moon awoke he was in a dark room made of some sort of purple stone. On closer Inspection he realized he was in a cell. Then he remembered the events leading up to his capture. He felt the fear for Frost welling up inside his heart.

Had that Shadow Bolt killed her or had something worse happened to her and Quick Thought? Soon he heard hoofsteps approaching his cell. "Hello who's there!" He saw a figure walk up to his cell but he couldn't see their face. "Welcome to the Dungeon Lieutenant Crescent Moon!" Moon looked around once again and saw the bones of other ponies who had been locked up here so long ago. "What have you done with Captain Frost and Corporal Quick Thought!" The figure turned away and light a magical torch and then turned back towards him. He was shocked by the sight. "I am just fine Lieutenant, sadly Quick Thought didn't see eye to eye with my Commander!" He shrank back as his world began to collapse, he had lost both of his good friends and there was nothing he could have done to stop it. "Do not worry, for soon you too shall be part of the Shadow Bolt Legion!" He tried not to cry in front of her but a few tears managed to escape. He turned towards her with seething rage in his eyes. "I'll never join you and your sick twisted masters!" She burst into laughter barely able to keep from falling over. "You have no choice in the matter, you will join us whether you want to or not!" She then extinguished the torch. "The next we meet Crescent Moon it shall be as comrades once again." He turned his back on her and refused to play along with her sick game. She left him there in his cold cell all alone, where he would await the inevitable indoctrination. He began to cry over his lost friends Frost and Quick Thought. He eventually fell asleep in his dark cell deep within the bowels of the castle.

Nightmare Moon pondered on all of tonight's accomplishments. "What a wonderful Night, we have captured a few our sisters villages and a guards post!" "The Shadow Bolts numbers have risen from three to over five-hundred in as little as four hours, what will the next attacks bring for us!" She decided that it was best to wait for each outpost to be fully secured before she pushed on without strong defenses and supply routes. She surveyed the throne room which had her banner's hanging from the ceiling and some of "Death's Kiss's" old paintings still hanging on the walls every few feet stood one of her personal guards The newly created "Dread Knights" each one was a force to be reckoned with. They stood taller than most ponies except Inferno. They were all Pegasi with a red mane and solid black coats. Even though they were Pegasi they had two demonic horns sprouting form their skulls. Their bodies were mountains of muscles, they had to be big enough to stop any threat to their Queen. Each Knight was handpicked by Nightmare Moon herself. She examined the rest of the room and felt the power that her throne room commanded from anypony who entered it. "Guards leave us for we wish to plot in privacy!" The guards left the room without as much as a grunt. She turned towards the main window behind her throne. She could clearly see the Moon going throught its rotation for the night. It was source of all her power and what would allow her to bring about Night Eternal. "I am so close to the power that I can taste it!" "Just a few more nights and I shall have enough power to bring about Night Eternal!" "Our sister can do nothing to stop us from conquering her precious ponies!" She let out an evil cackle that would have made any stallion sole himself. "Equestria shall no longer have their precious Sunlight to protect them from me!" "I shall rule Equestria as Queen over all with nothing to challenge my power!"

Authors Note:

This took way longer than expected. It was meant for Thursday but that didn't work so I released it on Sunday.

I have to give a big thanks to TheWizard for the use of his characters Dawn and Frost.

(Sorry Dawn had to Die)

I am still accepting any OC's that people wish to be added to the story. Just give them a rank thats lower than captain since I already have a bunch of captains, and what side you want them to be on.

The next chapter will probably be out the same time next week if nothing comes up.

Be warned there are only going to be two more chapters till the next Shadow Bolt Book begins!

If you notice anything wrong with the Story please feel free to message me.

Criticism is always wanted and accepted.

Proofreading is for BABY MEN!

As always a Big Thanks to BrambleBerry for the use of Defiance and his Inspirational story "Sunsets's Last Glow"

Night Eternal Cometh

Chapter 3 of The Shadow Bolt Series

Nightmare Moon shall reign over all of Equestria forever!

Unyielding Inferno had finished his inspection of the castle defensive emplacements, which lasted until the sun had begun its journey to the sky. He walked away not feeling the need for any sleep or food at all. The benefits of being infused with Nightmare Moon's magic, you had no need for anything except for the Moon's revitalizing beams. He decided to examine the new recruits that had just arrived. He trotted over to the barracks and found about 200 Shadow Bolts being trained by a few Pegasi and Unicorns. He noticed these recruits didn't have the typical magic aura that the first Shadow Bolts had. Only the first of the Shadow Bolts had been infused with Nightmare Moon's magic. The rest were simply turned by either Unyielding Inferno, Defiance, or Retribution. Each of the recruits stood at attention as they were being briefed on the latest news. Inferno decided to step in and see how good these recruits were. He trotted over to the trainer and his recruits. The trainer stopped what he was doing and instantly saluted his commander. "Officer on Deck!" Each recruit copied the trainer's salute to Inferno. Inferno returned the salute. "What can I do for you today Supreme Commander?" "I think I would like an example on how well these recruits can fight!" The trainer selected the biggest Pegasi stallion out of the group. The Pegasi came forward and had an arrogant grin across his face, he stepped into the small sparring ring. Inferno stepped forward with no emotion on his face at all. The trainer walked over to tell them the rules of the fight. "Ok the Supreme Commander wants a show so we're gonna give him one!" "This will be a simple match, first one to be rendered unconscious loses. I don't want any kicks to the testicles or any mane tearing! Are the fighters ready?" They both nodded their approval with the rules. The trainer looked at Inferno. "Please go easy on him, I've already lost ten to sparring already." Inferno gave him a wink. "I'll try my best to stay under control!" the trainer took one last look at the both of them then raised his left hoof in the air. "Fight!" The Pegasi came barreling towards Inferno, He sidestepped the charge and came back with a kick to the Pegasi's ribs. The Pegasi fell over and clutched his side, Inferno approached him. "Do you yield?" The Pegasi looked at him with determination burning in his very soul. "No!" With this he got up and swung at Inferno with all his might. Inferno dodged this and grabbed the Pegasi's arm then twisted it out of the socket. The Pegasi screamed in pain but he kept up his assualt. He turned around quickly and landed a back hoof kick to Inferno's face. Inferno felt the hoofs hit him but felt not even the slightest bit of pain. The Pegasi was shocked that his kick did no damage at all. Inferno wasted no time. He grabbed both of the dumbfounded Pegas's wings and instantly began to bend them. You could here the bones snapping and breaking under the skin. Finally the Pegasi started to falter. Inferno bent a little further and he got the result he was hoping for. The Pegasi screamed at the top of his lungs before collapsing into a pile of broken bones and flesh. Inferno wiped the dirt from his coat and walked over to the trainer. "Apparently you need to train these recruits in some basic combat!" The trainer didn't look suprised at the Pegasi's defeat. "Of course Supreme Commander I will begin at once!" "Very good, Carry on soldier." Inferno walked off to see how the other trainers were doing. The trainer turned to his recruits and pointed out two Unicorns. "You two take him to the Medical Center!" They both jumped into the ring and grasped the Pegasi with their magic. They began walking him over to the Medical Center. The trainer turned to the rest of them. "Ok I need two more ponies who want to practice their fighting skills!.............

The recently promoted General Steadfast Watch stood in front of his four squads of Wonderbolts. Celestia would soon put the sun to rest for the day. Tonight would be a full moon Celestia chose this night for their counter-attack when he asked her why she simply stated. "This is the only time we will be able to stop her before she is at full power." He shook his head free of past thoughts and set his mind to the task ahead. He went the through the squads checking their equipment and their objectives.

Each squad was given a task to complete before the military moved in to combat the Shadow Bolt's main force. The first squad was tasked with regaining control of the Guards Post that had been captured by a Silver maned Shadow Bolt. He had been given permission by Celestia to do anything necessary to soften up the Shadow Bolts before the military rolled in their main forces. The guards that had escaped told the General that when that Shadow Bolt arrived he had summoned more soldiers that quickly slaughtered their Unicorn ground support. They barely made it out alive as they then turned their magic on them. The First Squad was composed of 11 Wonderbolts each had been outfitted with a shoulder mounted Light Machine Gun and was given a small satchel charge for breaching the Post. The Second Squad was tasked with Eliminating the the Squad of Unicorns that Intelligence has spotted making patrols around the villages and the guards post. 9 Pegasi in Second Squad were given Smg's for the more covert action. The other two Pegasi were given Snipers for Overwatch when the Shadow Bolt's were engaged. The Third Squad was tasked with Killing or Capturing The Silver Maned Shadow Bolt. Each of these Soldiers was given shock sticks to effectively counter his long range attacks. They would have to get in close before They were noticed in order to complete their objective. The Fourth Squad was tasked with eliminating the Rogue General who was now known as "Unyielding Inferno". These Pegasi were the strongest and brightest of the bunch, they had to be if they were going to take down the Shadow Bolt Supreme Commander. This Squad would have 12 Pegasi as Steadfast would be assisting Fourth Squad. Each member of Fourth Squad was given a pair of silenced weapons of their choice. Steadfast took one last look at these young mare's and stallion's each knowing fully that they might never return. He then gave his final speech before they would carry out their Operation. "Many of you know of the recent betrayal of the Rogue General Thunder Strike." None of the soldiers moved a muscle. "Thunder and his minions have captured three villages and one of our guard posts, along the way they have slaughtered many a guard and anypony who didn't comply with his twisted ideals!" He poured all his emotions into this speech. "Today we are going to bring these Traitors to justice and bring an end to this Night Rebellion!" The Soldiers burst into cheering. "When this night is over we will have Thunder Strike in chains or his head on a silver plate!" As he said this the Sun was replaced by the moon which signaled the beginning of the Operation. Each squad quickly assembled their gear and headed towards their mission locations. Steadfast departed with his squad and they headed for a spot that Intelligence had picked for them to wait for Inferno. The other three squads didn't know that they were to be bait to lure out Inferno or his Second in Command. Steadfast was saddened with his choice to sacrifice the squads, but it had to be done to spare the rest of Equestria. He looked at his squad once more, he would probably lose more than three squads before the night was over. If he failed tonight then nopony would be safe from the real danger that has hidden itself away in the forest. Unbeknownst to the rest of his squad his secondary objective was to locate the main base of the Shadow Bolts. This night would decide Equestria's future and Steadfast would not fail his nation or his Princess.

Iron Hammer and his squad "Magic's Wrath" had been on constant alert for the past two days they hadn't even encountered a single Soldier of Light. He had decided earlier to head back to the guards post for their scheduled check-in with HQ. The short hike back to the guards post took little over two hours, by the time they got there the moon was already high in the sky. Iron approached the recently constructed gatehouse so he could enter. When he looked inside he didn't see anypony there, which was strange since a Shadow Bolt never abandons his post. He ordered his squad to move up and take positions on both sides of the gate. Iron reached inside the gatehouse window and flipped the gate controls on. The gate came to life as it was hoisted up to allow entrance to the base. Iron looked inside and saw the entire base staff on the ground mortally wounded or already dead. "Squad move up and assist the injured!" Iron looked for the Captain in charge here, he found what he assumed was the Captain's head. It was a shredded mess his face had a giant gaping hole through it as if some had taken an entire hoof and stuck it into his skull. He looked around for anypony that wasn't seriously injured to answer his questions. He found one Shadow Bolt leaning against an ammo crate. "What's your name soldier?" The Shadow Bolt looked on the brink of death as the magic could be seen visibly seeping from his cuts and gashes. "M..M..My N..Name is Lieutenant D..." Iron realized this pony didn't have much time left so he had to hurry him up. "Forget the name kid, What happened here and who did this?" The pony opened his mouth to answer when something zipped past Iron's head into the ponies head. Iron dove for cover as the Sniper fired another shot that barely missed him. "Everypony get to Cover!" He looked out from his cover to see his squad diving for cover in the nearby buildings. "Does anypony have any idea where the sniper is!" He heard somepony yelling something but couldn't make it out. Then he realized what the pony had been saying. "Incoming!" He saw two squads of Pegasi rushing from hidden positions around the base. They began to suppress his squad with their machine gunnners while the light soldiers tried to flank them. "All Shadow Bolts Engage the Enemy!" As he said this he saw one of the guards pull out a detonator and look towards the barracks. He shouted but was too late. The barracks went up into a fireball killing the 5 Shadow Bolts and the wounded inside. Iron quickly unleashed his magic on the Pegasi. He grabbed its wings and ripped them off with no effort at all. The Pegasi screamed in pain which made his comrades come running. Iron threw the Pegasi into the flames that had killed most of his squad. "Squad regroup on me!" In an instant four Shadow Bolts appeared around him. One turned to him. "Sir we have to get you out of..." He never finished the sentence. The Sniper had moved to a new position to get a better shot at Iron and his men. Iron saw two more of his men go down from Sniper fire. His last Shadow Bolt turned and tried to make it to a dead Pegasi's machine gun. He didn't make it very far before he was mowed down by the advancing squads. They turned their weapons towards Iron Hammer but didn't fire. He saw them part to make way for a larger pony. This larger pony turned out to be Princess Celestia. She stopped just in front of her soldiers. "Hello Staff Sergeant Bronze Shield." He looked surprised at her knowing his old name. "I am here ot offer you a chance to make up for your crimes against Equestria!" He removed his surprised expression and replaced it with a look of confusion. "Your offering me redemption even though I was sworn to kill you and your servants!" Celestia a little saddened by his oath he had to take kept looking directly at him. "Yes I know Nightmare Moon has used her magic to corrupt you so your actions are not your own." He thought about this for a second, then came up with his response. "All Hail the Glorious Nightmare Moon who shall bring about a new era of Night Eternal for all!" He continued shouting the same phrase over and over. Celestia saw there was no saving him, she turned to the ponies beside her and gave them a silent nod. Then She turned and left before they started. Iron Hammer stood his ground as he was being surrounded on all sides. He shouted one last thing before he was killed. "I am sorry my Queen I have failed you!" He lowered his head in shame. They opened fire on Iron tearing his body to pieces. With each volley some of his magic essence would escape and dissipate into nothingness. When they stopped all that was left of his body was a smoking corpse riddled with bullet holes. His corpse fell to the ground as the magic drained from his life less body. Celestia had hoped she could save him but she knew that Nightmare Moon was a very powerful magic user and her spells would control them until they died. Celestia arranged for each and every Shadow Bolt to be pardoned of his or her crimes if they were captured or killed. She surveyed the carnage that had been wrought throughout the whole base. It wasn't so long ago that these ponies had been happy and didn't have a thing to worry about. Now through her sister's twisted magic they were forced to fight and kill for her. She glanced at the moon. She needed to hurry up this Operation if they were going to make it to Nightmare Moon before the moon hit its peak. "All Squads move on to the next village the Military should be arriving soon to give us some assistance!" The squads gathered their survivors and marched out of the base with Celestia and her special guard unit in tow. She could hear the faint sounds of the Army and its Tanks getting closer. She would have to hurry if She was to finish this task without Luna getting hurt in the process. She looked over to the squad leaders who were busy arranging their units. "We must Quicken the advance if we are to find the Shadow Bolt Headquarters!" The squad leaders instantly began yelling at their troops to move faster. Celestia looked at the moon once more, it was almost at the peak of its journey.

Unyielding Inferno had finished testing the troops and was going to the armory to see how the newly "liberated" weapons were being used. He had not even gotten halfway there when he felt the sudden surge of magic. His body was filled with magic he had previously used to convert some of the first Shadow Bolts. He knew something was wrong, either they were dead or Celestia had found a way to wash his magic off of them. The Final stream of magic came with a signal that only one pony could have sent. Iron Hammer had sent Inferno a warning of Celestia's attack on the post and that she was heading for him. Inferno didn't even mourn the loss of his Soldiers as the Supreme Commander he had no time to do so. He opened his wings and darted for the communications building. He burst through the doors and rushed over to the communications officer. The officer jumped to attention when Inferno came in, but Inferno sat him down immediately. "Send out an Immediate alert to all Outposts of an imminent attack from Celestia's forces!" "Also make sure that all Patrols return to their stations at once!" The officer looked like he was going to fall out of his chair. "We have no time for this foolishness now send the message or I shall personally execute you!" The officer scared back into reality quickly began sending the message to all Outposts and patrols. Inferno rushed out of the building and flew towards his Queen's tower. When he reached the throne room, she was there waiting for him. "We already know of the Iron Hammer's defeat at our sister's hands." "We want you to gather all of your soldiers at your disposal!" "Then you shall stop Celestia before she can reach the castle, It is important that she not make it here!" "Now Go and do as we command!" Inferno bowed and flew out as quickly as he came in. One of Nightmare Moon's Hell Knights approached her. "My Queen for your safety we have prepared a chariot that shall take you to safety should the need arise." She looked down from her black obsidian throne and gave the Knight a stare that could melt through any metal. "Have you lost faith in our Herald?" The knight looked up at his Queen almost expecting to be drained of his magic. "No my Queen, I am just preparing the chariot if your herald should in fact fail his mission." She replaced the stare with a look of evil satisfaction. "You are a wise thinker, your attention to such an outcome has just guaranteed you a life of eternal servitude!" He started to back away as she said this, but it was too late. She lashed out at him with her magic and lifted him into the air. He screamed as he was being turned into stone. "You will serve us until the end of time itself!" She set the new stone guard near her throne. She placed a spell on the statue that would keep him alive until she needed his services. She returned to her thoughts about what she would do first when "Tia" was dead or banished. She glanced behind the throne to the giant window that was now filled with the visage of a nearly full moon. Once it reached its peak it would become a full moon, at which point Nightmare Moon would have enough magic to start her Night Eternal. "Soon Tia we shall have your head on a platter!" The moon kept on its slow ascent as Nightmare Moon waited for the moment when she would be the strongest Alicorn in Equestria. The Death Knights began gather around her to protect her when she was most vulnerable. She could feel the power swelling inside her. The moon reached its peak and with it came her ultimate power she had wanted for so long. The Dark Magic filled every part of her body and flooded her senses. The sudden surge of Dark Magic caused her to lower the cloak that had been protecting the castle. She didn't even care as she knew nothing could stop her with all that power she had. "Rejoice for the Night has come to stay forever!" Nightmare moon sent out her magic to stop the moon's descent. Her magic was now strong enough to stop the moon and hold it at its peak for as long as she wished. "I shall Rule for all Eternity as the true Queen of Equestria!"

Authors Note:

This Chapter was hell since I had been reading other stories and they made me want to write everything over but I had to resist.

I would really like to know how this story is! Is it good, bad, or awesome? (Probably awesome!)

I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who let me use their characters in this story so far. I am still looking for more Shadow Bolts or Wonderbolts to add. Oh and would anyone want to give the Death Knight who was turned into a statue a name?

Other than that the next chapter will be the last of BOOK ONE. Then Begins BOOK TWO!!

[NEW] I need a pony who would be willing to proofread chapter 4 to see how good it is so far ! [NEW]

Also I will at one point edit all the chapters to remove all the Errors. It just takes awhile to do so just be patient.

Also Don't Forget to show some Support by hitting that THUMBS UP button down there!! (It makes me feel loved!)