The Shadow Bolts: Glory to Luna!

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!