Night Guards

by Raugos

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna, Original Character, Bat Pony, Royal Guard, Adventure
Length: 75244

The origins of Luna's personal guards.

At first glance, Princess Luna's charioteers might appear to be little more than Royal Guards dressed in festive apparel for Nightmare Night. However, there is far more to the story than that - the Night Guards once played a pivotal role in the history of Equestria, and have sacrificed more for their beloved princess than most ponies are even aware of.

Published 2011-12-26 21:27:07 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-06 15:52:17 UTC

Chapter 1

Night Guards: Chapter 1

It was just past evening in the land of Equestria, and Hammer and Anvil, personal guards of Princess Luna, were more than a little troubled. They were trotting down the hallway alongside her Royal Highness, towards Princess Celestia’s throne room.

“Ah, your Highness, are you certain this is wise?” Anvil asked. Luna didn’t seem quite like herself as of late – she’d been sleeping poorly, that much was obvious, and in no small part due to the incredible eighteen hours that she would spend researching and practicing in the Royal Library’s arcane arts wing – each day, every day, for the last fortnight. The princess’ face was a little gaunt, but her eyes still retained their intense spark of determination, along with a new, burning fierceness that he had not noticed before. He wondered how she was still able to keep going like that – he’d been up keeping watch with Hammer for as long as she had worked, and he was quite sure that he looked nowhere near as alert as she. He glanced at his fellow guard, but could see no apparent weariness. Well… that did not count. Hammer thrived on duty – he’d probably eat it if he could.

“Anvil, of all my subjects, you and Hammer are the only ones I would truly consider my friends,” Luna replied. She stopped and turned to them with a beseeching expression that one might have considered unseemly for royalty. “Please, support me in this. You’ve seen the spell – you know it works. This time, perhaps my sister would be more willing to consent.”

Her request was met with silence. Anvil was uncertain of what to say – the last time Princess Luna had had a discussion of this nature with Princess Celestia, the request for a temporary, Equestria-wide reversal of daily and nightly activities had escalated into a heated debate about interrupted agriculture, shortly before degrading into a verbal spar that he’d been able to hear even through the thick oaken doors to the throne room. Princess Luna had left distraught and in tears, followed by an equally upset Princess Celestia. The blue alicorn had consequently applied herself to her tax figures and legislations to the exclusion of all else, and Celestia’s apprentice had to spend a whole day of coaxing and comforting to convince Luna to leave her chambers and socialise once more. That is, until she started working her new research project. Whilst he could understand her desire for a little appreciation for the Night Sky, her efforts were beginning to border on obsession, if it was not already. According to the palace servants, Princess Luna was sporting a rather short temper in the past few days, snapping at anypony who attempted to interfere with her business or draw her away to engage in what she called ‘frivolous activities’.

“Well… perhaps,” he tentatively answered. “Begging your pardon, but can it not wait for a few days? You have not been resting well, and the spell appears to be really taxing – especially if you mean to cast it all over Equestria.”

Anger flashed on Luna’s face for a moment, and Anvil flinched inwardly. But the fierceness was soon gone, to be replaced by conviction. “I have waited long enough for this; my mind is made up. I am merely going to present this compromise to my sister, so you may rest easy in that I’m not going to exert myself until I’m ready.”

“Yes, your Highness,” Anvil replied.

Luna sighed. “Please, not in that tone. Subjects are aplenty, but I have few enough friends in this place.” She dipped her head slightly in apology (which would have been scandalous enough for nobility) and said, “I’m sorry. The past few – wait, how long has it been?”

“Two weeks,” Hammer supplied.

Luna kneaded her forehead with a hoof. “The past two weeks have been most harrowing. I’m aware that I haven’t been myself. All I ask is that you bear with me until this audience is over. When Celestia grants her approval, I promise I will get proper rest. Nevertheless, I thank you for your honesty.” She then looked at Hammer. “And what about you – what are your thoughts on this matter?”

“My opinion is of no consequence,” the guard Pegasus said blandly.

“It is to me,” she replied. “And I want more than your opinion; I want advice, if you have any.”

Hammer seemed taken aback. “I’m just a guard; it would be unseemly for you to seek counsel from me.”

Luna rolled her eyes. “Very well, be that way,” she huffed, raising a hoof and placing it on Hammer’s shoulder, saying, “I hereby dub thee my royal court jester. Now give me your opinion, your princess commands it!”

Anvil could see Hammer’s mouth curving into a tiny smile, and instantly realised what he had been up to. He pouted. “Oh, but I wanted to be your court jester. I would make a far more entertaining one than my stone-faced friend here, what with my stunning personality and refined sense of humour. And I certainly have no qualms about giving my opinion, unsolicited or otherwise.”

“That’s exactly why she does not want you as her court jester,” Hammer deadpanned. “All those years by your side, and I still find you about as amusing as mould growing on a cake; you would bore the entire court to tears.”

He put a hoof to his armoured chest. “Oh, you wound me. I’m not that bad, am I?”

“I shed a tear for every worthy jest you make.”

Anvil frowned. “What – wait, you never cry.”

“Exactly.” Hammer somehow managed to look smug and indifferent at the same time.

Luna giggled, and Anvil gave her a little smile. She returned it and added, “Thank you, I needed that.”

Before he could shut him up, Hammer said, “Tis our duty.”

The princess narrowed her eyes. “And you just spoilt the moment,” she chided.

“Allow me, your majesty,” Anvil piped up. He slapped the back of his companion’s helmet with a wing. It was more of a token gesture than anything; he might as well have hit a pillar for all the effect it had. Hammer did not even blink. Instead, he turned his head and simply looked at him nonchalantly, as if he was contemplating a rather fascinating patch of rust on his helmet. Anvil stared back and gave him his best insolent grin.

“Very well, that’s enough, children,” Luna said in mock exasperation, and then succumbed to another fit of giggling. “Stars above, what would I do without the two of you?”

Anvil put a hoof to his chin. “Celebrate, I think. We’re probably the reason the court loves to gossip so much about your, ah, non-familial relationships. Look at us – you keep a living statue and a… well… me as your everyday companions.”

The moon princess waved his words aside with an imperious hoof. “Oh, I do not doubt that.” Her mouth then stretched into a grin. “But you are my personal guards, and I would still prefer your company to the endless, thinly veiled petitions for royal favours that the dear nobles are so keen to bless me with.” She resumed trotting. “Come now, my sister awaits my presence.”

That’s more like the princess I know, Anvil thought.

“One more thing,” Luna added, “There will be no need for you to wait outside this time – I wish to have you by my side when I speak to Celestia.”

* * * * *

As they entered the throne room, Anvil nodded at his fellow guards stationed by the side of the great doors. Even though they all wore enchanted armour that changed their coat to a pure white and their hair to various shades of sky blue, anypony spending time around them for long enough would eventually begin to recognise a few faces. They returned his greeting in kind. Within the throne room itself, stood Princess Celestia and her apprentice, Summer Cloud. Anvil discreetly waved at the grey-coated unicorn with his wing, but she merely rolled her amber eyes. Ouch.

With little preamble, Luna dove right into the matter at hoof, explaining what it was that she intended to do, and asking if she could do it with her sister’s blessing. Her sister listened intently, calling for a pause every now and then only to ask her a question or two. At some point, the moon princess demonstrated her latest spell with the assistance of Summer Cloud – by conjuring up a little potted plant and turning the colour of its green leaves into a deep, greenish blue. By the end of it, Luna was sweating slightly from her magical exertion, and Summer Cloud appeared a little worn.

“There, did I not tell you it was possible?” Luna asked, her features still rapt with enthusiasm.

Princess Celestia was silent and looking at nopony in particular – apparently deep in thought. That was not a good sign. Anvil could see that Luna’s enthusiasm was already beginning to wilt. Eventually, the white alicorn gently shook her head, saying, “I’m sorry, sister. But I cannot give you my blessing for this – not today, at any rate.”

Luna closed her eyes and hung her head. “You were right,” she whispered. As she did so, Anvil thought he heard the sound of laughter echoing through the palace walls – a rich, dark laughter that rang with amusement and triumph – but when he tried to focus on it, it seemed to fade from his senses. Suddenly, he wasn’t even sure if he had actually heard it at all. But a quick glance at the others told him that they’d heard something, too. Summer Cloud and Hammer were looking about in confusion, and Princess Celestia looked as if she’d just seen a ghost – or heard one. Luna was the only one who didn’t seem to have noticed. She raised her head, and when she opened her eyes, her face was contorted with anger and frustration, and her fierce eyes were turned towards at the regal white alicorn.

“Tia… why? Why are you doing this to me?” Luna cried. “All I want is a little appreciation for my Night, is that so much to ask? Just to prolong the night for a few days, to show the ponies what they often take for granted…”

Princess Celestia shifted uncomfortably, but continued to cast quick glances about the throne room, as if half of her thoughts were focused on something else. Even her voice sounded distracted. “Sister, that’s not the reason I must ask you to reconsider. The spell – ”

“The spell works,” Luna snapped. “I can make the trees live on moonlight; neither the land nor our farms nor our subjects would suffer, so why do you still object? Does that not address the issue of our last debate?”

Celestia seemed almost hesitant. “I know it works, Luna. But to cast it all across Equestria – the complexity coupled with the magical drain… it could be dangerous.”

Luna was dumbstruck for a moment, but quickly recovered. Her voice took on a new tone, a low and dangerous one. “So, now your main objection is that I’m too weak to perform this spell? Must you always be suffocating me with your protection? Am I to lie in your shadow like a good little pony for all time?”

“Luna, even if we both – ” the white alicorn began, but was quickly cut off when the moon princess’ eyes flashed brightly and continued to glow with a fiery blue light.

“Don’t you ‘Luna’ me, sister,” the blue alicorn growled, with tears streaming down her cheeks. “You staved off my request on the grounds of morality. When that was no longer an issue, you brought up livelihood of our subjects. And when that was in turn dealt with, what did you do? You coddled me – as if I was a filly playing with magic for the first time in her life!”

That seemed to get the sun princess’ full attention, and when she had taken in her sister’s words, she became distraught. “Sister, I had not realised how much resentment you’ve harboured over this matter. Please understand, I’ve always done what I thought was best for you – I never meant to belittle your abilities.”

“Love is a convenient shield for you, is it not? Discord said as much.”

The Immortal Trickster? Anvil thought. What does that marble statue have to do with all of this?

Celestia’s eyes went wide. “Discord? When did – ”

“When he tested us both. Do you not remember? When he whispered in my ear that you were an overbearing sibling, intent on protecting me from the world in spite of myself, to never let me rise up as an equal, I found it easy enough to dismiss it as nothing but a desperate lie.” Luna sniffed and shook her head. “But over the centuries, I began to see the pattern. You were always taking on the greater share of our royal duties, delegating the less dangerous tasks to me. All for my own good, it would seem. This refusal of yours is just another grain of sand on the beach of white lies you’ve made for me.”

“Discord… he – oh no,” Celestia whispered. “He’s tainted you. Fight it. Search your heart, Luna. You know that his words are false. I know that you are stronger than him!”

“Tainted me?” When Luna chuckled, Anvil’s hair stood on end – that didn’t happen very often. “He touched me; that much I will admit. But he merely hastened the inevitable. If I didn’t realise it now, I would have realised it sometime in the next thousand years.” Blue sparks and wisps of black smoke began to creep over her body.

Princess Celestia recoiled, and a fearful look crept onto her face. “Sister,” she pleaded, “Don’t do this. Don’t let him take you!”

“More don’ts… always more don’ts,” Luna spat. “And, no, Discord is not ‘taking’ me. This is my choice.”

Anvil watched with morbid fascination as her mentor trembled and shook. First, her entire body changed, growing in size until she was as tall as her elder sister. He could hear her bones cracking and grinding as she grew, and the agony on her face revealed just how much it must have hurt. Her mane and tail ignited and were quickly consumed in blue flames – only to reappear, purple and translucent and aglow with stars like a night sky. A blackness began to spread over her coat, snaking over her form like ink spilled in water, until she was entirely jet black save for her cutie mark. Silvery-blue armour plates materialised on her head, chest and hooves. And at the end of it, Luna hung her head low with eyes shut tight, drew a deep breath, and let loose a blood curdling howl of anguish and frustration. When she opened her eyes, they had slit pupils – the sort that might have belonged to a dragon.

As the echoes of the dark alicorn’s howl slowly faded, the great doors to the throne room burst open, and Anvil turned and saw a dozen fellow guards rushing in. Their jaws dropped when they saw what was before them.

Celestia and her apprentice were dumbstruck as well, and tears were forming in the alicorn’s eyes.

Oh, horse apples, this can’t end well. “Ah, Princess Luna?” Anvil asked.

“I’m here, worry not.” the dark alicorn murmured. She sounded older – and more authoritative.

“Miss Cloud, run,” Princess Celestia said. “You two, get her to safety.”

Anvil tried to obey, but his legs refused to move. Summer Cloud also seemed rooted in place. And when the dark alicorn fixed an appraising gaze on him, he found it difficult to think coherently.

“Would you abandon me too?” Luna asked softly. “Does our friendship mean so little to you?”

“I – but… I…” he could think of nothing to say. Princess Luna was his friend, even if she was also royalty, but was this new alicorn the same? Those eyes… they were so different – they were cold and stern and unforgiving. But… was that a hint of uncertainty in there as well? He had often seen that troubled look in her eyes. But she blinked, and it was gone. He turned to Hammer for help, but for once, bewilderment was plainly written across his companion’s face, and he seemed to be preoccupied with thoughts of his own.

Luna’s dark face hardened. “I ask again, whom do you serve?”

Hammer shook his head, apparently in an attempt to clear his mind, and said in his usual calm voice, “My duty is to the Princess of the Night.”

With that said, Anvil could feel all of their eyes turning on him. Well, you always did like being the centre of attention. But that didn’t make him feel any better, and it certainly didn’t make it any easier. Being a royal guard always meant being loyal to the princesses, but it had never occurred to him that he would one day have to choose between them. Either way, he was going to be a traitor. The only question was whose sense of betrayal he would be more able to bear. He took in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. “I serve you, Princess Luna.”

The dark alicorn cracked a smile. “Well, there you have it, dear sister. It is said that we were meant to rule together – does that still hold true for you? Or must I – how shall I put it? – take my share of regency by force?”

Princess Celestia frowned. “Luna, whatever it is you wish to do, let us settle it between ourselves. Do not bring any of our subjects into our quarrel.”

“You are in no position to set terms,” Luna snapped. “It is all or nothing, sister. Equestria will be mine to rule, and the only question is whether you would choose to surrender it peacefully.” She snorted, and a jet of blue smoke erupted from her nostrils. “However, I warn you – do not tempt me. I am not in a charitable mood, and the prospect of an Eternal Night grows more attractive with each passing minute.”

“No. I will not let that happen, even if I must arrest my own sister to prevent it,” Celestia intoned. She nodded towards the rest of the guards, and they quickly formed a circle around them. Anvil recognised a few faces, and some of them actually looked troubled that they might have to fight friends, but for the most part they made it plain that they had every intention of obeying the white alicorn.

Luna looked swept her gaze to each of the surrounding guards and chuckled. “Oh please, by the time my personal guards are done with your poor foals, they’ll be crying for mercy. These two are more than a match for your paltry dozen.”

We are? Anvil was grateful for the vote of confidence, but he was quite certain that Luna was overestimating their abilities – by several miles.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I do not doubt the prowess of your friends, but do not delude yourself – they cannot defeat this many. Leave them out of this, sister. Nopony has to get hurt in our quarrel.”

“Killjoy,” Luna quipped. “But in all seriousness, I’m under no delusion. Once I have levelled the playing field…”

Anvil heard a crack of thunder, right before he felt something really hot strike his back. He gasped just as Hammer grunted in surprise. The heat spread into his spine and lanced through his bones, and a second later, he felt pain. “Yearrghh!” he cried. It was as if there was lightning flowing through his veins and fire spreading over his skin, and he could hear the crick-crack of shifting bones as the sensation spread throughout his body. He felt restless and full of energy and ready to buck something to pieces. It only lasted a moment, though. When the sensations faded, Anvil realised that he was crouching and breathing heavily. He began to rise, and then he noticed that his coat was no longer enchanted to look the pure white of the royal guard. It had become an ashen grey. Hammer was staring at him, and he too was similarly altered. His eyes were yellow, with slit pupils similar to the dark alicorn’s. Their armour had also been changed to various hues of silvery purple and midnight blue, and their tails matched the latter. But the biggest change was in their wings – they were now dragon-like, having thick membranes stretched between wing-fingers and scales in place of feathers. Anvil flapped them experimentally – yes, they were definitely real.

“Like them?” Luna chuckled. “I made them myself.” She then shot a smug grin at Celestia. “Still feel confident about the odds, sister?”

Some of the royal guards had looks of horror or disgust on their faces, and a few had even started to back away, but the white alicorn remained unmoved. If anything, Anvil thought she seemed angered at what Luna had done to them.

“You leave me no choice.” Princess Celestia stomped a hoof on the floor, and the resulting boom was far louder than any sound somepony her size should have been able to make. It was as if a giant gavel had slammed onto an equally gigantic desk. Everypony flinched, except for Luna and Hammer. “Guards of Everfree, evacuate the palace – protect the civilians!” she thundered, before vanishing in a flash of light.

“So, an Eternal Night it shall be.” Luna smiled at Anvil and Hammer and gestured graciously towards the dozen or so royal guards surrounding them, “Enjoy yourselves, and meet me in the Tower of Harmony once you’re finished with these foals.” She, too, vanished using a teleportation spell, but not before sparing a disdainful glance towards the white guards.

When she was gone, everypony was still for a moment. Anvil stared at his former allies, and they stared back, unsure of what to do. Then, one of the pegasi whom he recognised as Hazel Hock stepped forward and said, “Hammer, Anvil – I don’t know what in all of Equestria that creature has done to you, but if that really is you, we can try to have you restored once we’ve dealt with the threat at hoof – provided that you come quietly.”

Anvil and Hammer exchanged looks. “No,” they replied in unison.

Hazel looked as if they’d just said that the moon was green.

“That ‘creature’ has a name,” Anvil elaborated, “Her name is Luna.”

“They’re being controlled…” somepony murmured.

“Now, wait a mome – ” Anvil began, but was abruptly cut off when Hazel roared, “Charge!” He barely had time to even blink before the guard had reared up, surged forward and rammed his head into his chest. There was enough force behind that blow to send him crashing into a wall – but it was not enough to incapacitate him, even though he was sure that there was a dent in the stonework that would match his form perfectly. It still hurt, but not quite as much as it should have. He rose back onto his hooves, and realised that Hazel had been the only one to attack. The rest were staring at him, dumbstruck. Luna really does not foal around with her magic. Hazel hits really hard – I should be crying by now.

“Ah, are you quite certain we cannot negotiate the matter?” Anvil smiled awkwardly.

“Of course we can,” Hammer stated. He then proceeded to ram Hazel in the same manner. The guard crashed and made his own imprint on a wall, but did not rise.

As if by magic, all doubt disappeared from the faces of the royal guards. The world became a blur as Anvil was swarmed by half a dozen armoured pegasi, receiving bucks from every direction. There was no more room for thought – Anvil lashed out with his wings and bucked at them whenever they came into striking distance. The first three he struck were knocked senseless, and the remainders were quick to switch to more evasive combat. He took to the air after them – but they had him flanked, and would swoop in to land a blow only when he was distracted with somepony else. In spite of all their efforts, their blows did little more than give him bruises, and they were rapidly losing heart. Mistakes were made, and he made them pay dearly for each one.

Eventually, he had only one opponent left. To his credit, the guard did not flee, but instead tried to collide with him in mid-air – presumably in a desperate attempt to slam him into the pillar behind his back. Anvil easily dodged his attack and slapped him with a wing – hard. The guard promptly slammed onto the floor and skidded several feet before coming to a halt at the doors to the throne room.

Anvil hovered to the floor and examined their hoofwork. Pegasus guards lay bruised and battered all over the place, in varying states of shock and consciousness. Some were moaning. Hammer was sporting a black eye and panting softly, but otherwise looked more or less unharmed. There were feathers everywhere. He turned to his friend and snapped, “Ah, horse apples, we might have avoided this – where in Equestria did you learn to ‘negotiate’ like that?”

Hammer shrugged and dusted himself off. “Time is short, and you would have talked them half to death before anything could be settled.”

Before Anvil could think of an apt response, a shaking voice cried, “What have you done?” It belonged to Summer Cloud.

“What was expected of us,” Hammer answered blandly.

A dull thud and a crack of thunder shook the palace. The princesses were fighting somewhere upstairs, and Anvil was certain he knew where. He trotted up to the unicorn and said, “Summer, listen – just leave this place. It’s not safe now.”

“Of course it’s not safe; nopony is safe from you two! You’ve hurt these ponies – they were your friends!”

“Leave her – we’re wasting time,” his companion reminded him.

Anvil rubbed his forehead – he had the beginnings of a most exquisite headache. “See, here – I’m confused as well, I don’t know what to think right now. But I do know that you shouldn’t be here. It sounds like the princesses are bringing the sky down around our ears.” As if on cue, a dull explosion sent tremors through the palace.

Summer Cloud frowned. “And what will you do? Are you going to help her?”

“I don’t know… I’ve betrayed one princess already – I don’t think I can betray another. We have to help Luna.”

Summer shook her head. “No, you won’t.” So saying, she leaned forward and touched her glowing horn to his head. The greenish aura around her horn intensified, and for a moment Anvil felt as if something was probing around inside his skull. And then things became truly confusing. He began to see colours and rapid flashes of light that had nothing to do with the illumination within the palace. He scrunched his eyes tight in an attempt to shut out the disorienting display, but quickly realised that he could still ‘see’ them. Or hear them, whatever. Another dull boom reverberated through the palace, and it was accompanied by a blindingly intense burst of colourful ‘light’ inside his head. He collapsed to the floor and covered his ears – it did no good, his stomach was starting to churn.

Anvil heard his friend say, “What the…” just before he heard Summer cast another spell. Hammer grunted in surprise and toppled to the floor almost as quickly as he had.

“Ooh, sweet Celestia,” Anvil moaned. He opened his eyes and instantly regretted it when his stomach tried to empty itself. Stupid light, why won’t it stop – all those horridly colourful flashes and streaks and glares… Somewhere nearby, there came the gurgling sound of somepony decorating the floor with his past meal.

“Thank you, cutie mark,” Summer Cloud quipped, before galloping away. As the sound of her hooves receded, so did the lightshow inside his skull. Little by little, his stomach stopped churning and his sense of balance recovered.

“Defeated six guards each – but beaten by a filly…” Hammer half-groaned-half-muttered as he wiped his mouth and got back onto his hooves.

“Say no more – we’ll never hear the end of it.”

They made their way through the palace hallways to the Tower of Harmony, gradually progressing from trotting to galloping to flying as they recovered from their nauseating experience. They passed several confused nobles and servants on the way, but aside from the few mares who screamed at their appearance, nopony attempted to hinder them. Every now and then a tremor would reverberate through the stone and marble of the palace, and they grew in strength as they approached the base of the tower. As they surged up the stairwell at full flight, Anvil noticed fractures and scorch marks marring the stonework. The princesses were apparently holding nothing in reserve. When they burst into the solar of the massive tower, they found a dumbstruck Summer Cloud sitting on her haunches in shock, staring at the warring alicorns in the centre of the room. The solar was ruined – the walls and floor were cracked and scorched, and some sections had collapsed altogether, revealing the night sky without. A gust of wind blew in, sweeping up torn book pages and cinders. Even with the wind, the heat in that place was intense – Anvil was already starting to sweat, and he was hesitant to go any closer to the princesses – especially with Celestia’s mane ablaze like that.

As they watched, a bolt of lightning arced from Luna’s horn to strike Celestia. But the sun princess deflected it with a plume of fire from her mane, sending it streaking towards a bookshelf which promptly exploded into splinters and ash. From the look on her face, Anvil could tell that the princess was weary - her shoulders slumped, her legs shook, her chest heaved, and her crown was askew.

“Getting tired, sister?” Luna chuckled. “Here, have some more.” Another white-hot bolt arced from her horn. Celestia grimaced, but managed to deflect it again. This time the bolt struck the star-scaped, domed ceiling and sent bits of painted stone and sparkling gem fragments crumbling to the floor. Both alicorns ignored it. They’re ignoring us, too, Anvil realised.

“Don’t… make… me…,” Celestia panted. “I… I don’t want to hurt you, Luna.”

Luna raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “What? Surely you jest. You do know the definition of losing, right? I’ll give you a hint – it is what you are experiencing right now.” She smiled wickedly.

The white alicorn suddenly drew herself up, and for a moment it seemed that all of her weariness had melted away. She glowed almost as bright as the sun, and Anvil had to shield his eyes and squint to see what was happening. Even Princess Luna seemed stunned by the change – worry creased her brow.

“I had hoped not to resort to this,” Celestia thundered, her voice rippling with energy, “but if the Elements of Harmony are what it takes to stop you, then so be it.” Her horn blazed with a fiery light, and six brightly coloured gemstones of various shapes broke loose from the sculpted ceiling and began to circle around her. They glowed with the energy that the Sun Princess was suffusing into them, and then… they simply fell to the floor and shattered into a thousand glittering pieces. The sun princess’ jaw dropped, and all her weariness seemed to return at once. Her radiance faded and her fiery mane snuffed out and reverted to its usual form as she slumped to the floor in shock. “What… what did you do with them?” she gasped.

Luna put a hoof over her mouth in mock surprise. “Oh dear, it seems that I’ve been a very naughty pony,” she snickered.

“You…”

“I did. Where you’ll never find them.”

“But how – ”

“It pays to plan ahead.”

Plan ahead? Anvil thought, That’s not a good sign…

But his train of thought was interrupted when Luna fearlessly strode towards the sun princess, until they were face to face. She smirked, and added, “As much as I would like to continue humiliating you in battle, I do so despise having to damage my palace in the process. So, I ask – do you yield?” She assumed a more regal pose and began to trot in a slow, triumphant manner around her weakened opponent. “You’ll get to retain what little dignity you have left, and I get to save on the costs of repairing what we break.” She glanced about the ruined solar and tapped a hoof on the floor. “This thing isn’t cheap, you know.”

There was no answer. The white alicorn didn’t even look at her sister.

“Allow me to sweeten the bitter meal. If you yield, I’ll promise not to banish you from Equestria. Oh, and I’ll even leave your silly statue intact.”

More silence.

“Fine,” Luna huffed. “I won’t harm any of your subjects, either. Not even that pathetic numbskull of a princeling who had the audacity to slap my rump last year. You have my word.”

Celestia hung her head. “Yes, I yield,” she whispered with downcast eyes.

The dark alicorn shook her head. “Goodness, even in defeat, you can be such a haggler. Maybe you should be the one managing all the taxes.” Her mane stretched out like a fluid curtain and enveloped her sister, glowing a little as it flowed over her body. There was a gust of wind in the tower, and her mane rippled with it before reverting to its normal length. Celestia was gone.

Summer Cloud gasped, and it was then that the black alicorn turned her attention to them.

“Well, Summer Cloud, my dear sister’s apprentice – have you nothing to say?” Luna snapped. She was wearing a thin scowl, the sort that could curdle milk.

Anvil put a steadying hoof on Summer’s shoulder, for it seemed like she was ready to faint, but she only recoiled from his touch and fled down the stairs, taking the steps two or even three at a time. He called after her, but he knew it was pointless. The way she saw it, she was only fleeing from monsters. Three monsters in the shape of ponies who had once been pleasant acquaintances, if not friends.

“It is settled – she has chosen treason,” Luna stated. She then trotted over to Hammer and Anvil, smiling graciously. “Well done. I knew I had chosen wisely when I first selected you as my personal guards.”

Since it spared his strained mind from thinking for the moment, Anvil gave in to formality and knelt before her, as did Hammer. “Long live the Princess,” they chimed.

The dark alicorn gestured upwards with a hoof. “Rise, my friends. Tonight you have proven yourselves, and you have earned my trust. Come, there is much to do – we must secure my hold on the kingdom tonight, beginning with this palace. Those who would not submit to me must be dealt with.” She then spread her wings and launched herself into the air, exiting the Tower of Harmony through one of the collapsed sections of the wall. Hammer and Anvil followed suit, and as they soared over the palace grounds, Luna pulled up close and added, “Oh, and from this night forward, you may call me Nightmare Moon.”

Chapter 2

Night Guards: Chapter 2

Anvil was feeling unusually comfortable where he lay. He opened a bleary eye, and was greeted by the sight of a polished marble ceiling sculptured with a depiction of pegasi and unicorns playing under the sun. This isn’t the barracks. It took him a while to remember that he was no longer in his bunk, but instead in one of the chambers usually reserved for distinguished guests. Nightmare Moon – no, Luna – had offered him and Hammer more extravagant quarters as befitting their recent promotion to Champions of the Night Guard. Hammer had declined and remained in the barracks, but Anvil had seen no harm in accepting her offer. He’d always wondered what it was like to sleep on a rich pony’s bed, complete with thick, fine-woven covers and down pillows. And now I know. Anvil stretched slowly, savouring the caress of the warm, smooth, soft fabric and pillows. He could practically feel the laziness seeping into his hide – small wonder the nobles were always so… relaxed. He looked out of the open window and caught sight of the almost-full moon changing its hue from a luminescent blue to silver. It was Luna’s substitute for the daily cycle of night and day, with blue representing ‘night’, and silver, ‘day’.

With a groan, Anvil quickly crawled out of bed before its softness could tempt him further. Comfort was well and good, but it had a tendency to dull perfectly sharp guards – it was like keeping iron tools in water. As it were, he was lucky that his old habit of rising at dawn was enough to keep him from slacking – this time. He’d have to apologise to Luna and move back to standard hay before it got to him. He looked wistfully at the bed. How I will miss you.

Before donning his helm and barding, he could not help taking a look in the mirror, as he did almost regularly since the night Luna seized the throne. Even without his armour, he still looked the same as he did after Luna had worked her magic on him, complete with dragon wings and slit pupils. Unlike the enchantments on the old royal guards, his and Hammer’s appeared to be permanent. Scars from battles and his metalworking days were gone, and he wondered whether his eyes would ever be a sky-blue again, or his coat a bright orange. The slit pupils certainly looked more formidable, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to look like that all the time… Never mind, there was no point in thinking about things beyond his control. He fitted on his armour without further delay and left his quarters soon after.

He found Hammer in the moonlit training yard, supervising some forty-odd recruits for the royal guard. After Luna’s coup, most of the royal guards had refused to bend knee to her, and she’d had them thrown into the dungeons. Those that eluded capture had fled and gone into hiding.

“You look tired,” the big pegasus commented, “Rich pony’s bed too hard for you?”

Anvil stifled a yawn. “Too nice, actually. Suddenly six hours doesn’t feel quite enough for me. It’s tragic, really.”

His friend gave him a look.

He snorted. “Yes, yes, I should listen to you more often.” He switched his gaze to the recruits, looking for an excuse to change the subject. Captain Volley, one of the few who remained to serve Luna, was amongst them, demonstrating close-quarter combat with a rather nervous volunteer. They were fairly young, and if Anvil was to give an honest opinion, conscripts might be a more apt term for them – their Night Guard armour hung somewhat loosely on their skinny frames, and the appearance-altering enchantments did little to make them more imposing. If anything, it made some of them look like skinny, grey bats. And their flailing version of hoof-to-hoof combat made it plain that they were quite unsuitable to be royal guards so soon. But then again, it was either that or have the entire palace grounds guarded by the meagre dozen or so guards remaining – himself and Hammer included.

“Where did these fellows come from?” he asked. “I thought the Houses of Cloudsdale were running out of young ones to send to the Guard.”

“They’re not all from Cloudsdale. Some are from Everfree and the rest are from the outlying towns,” Hammer replied.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t have thought that there were so many pegasi living on – ” Anvil began, but stopped short when he noticed that he’d not been paying proper attention to detail. No wonder he’d thought something was unusual about them – almost half of the recruits were unicorns. He cleared his throat and resumed, “I see you’ve made some changes to recruitment practice.”

Hammer nodded. “After what Summer Cloud did to us? I’m not letting that happen again. Besides, it would do the cloud lords some good to learn that their sons aren’t the only ones who can serve in the Guard.”

“Does magic mix well with hoof combat? We don’t exactly have anypony skilled in both over here.” He absentmindedly tried to scratch his mane through his helmet. “Hayseed, I don’t think there’s ever been a unicorn in the Guard before.”

Hammer gave a non-committal grunt. “We might as well start. I’ve sent a missive to the Arcane Academy. If we’re lucky, the Headmaster will spare us somepony who can train these fellows. As for mixing it with physical combat, we’ll make it up as we go along. There’s bound to be some creative minds amongst them.”

“Does Luna know about this?”

“I do, and I most certainly approve,” a regal voice said behind them.

A regular pony might have jumped in surprise, but anypony who’d served for long enough in the guard would have gotten used to the moon princess’ habit of appearing behind ponies’ backs. Apparently her transformation hadn’t changed that. Anvil and his friend calmly turned around and bowed. “Your Highness.”

“Rise, and walk with me,” she commanded Anvil. To Hammer, she simply said, “Carry on. I want these recruits fit for duty before the full moon.”

“Your Highness, that’s only a few days away,” Hammer stated.

Luna’s mouth curled down slightly. “Is there a problem? There won’t be enough of you veterans to watch over the upcoming Night Festival, and I certainly will not have the citizens of Everfree being watched over by stable colts dressed in armour.”

“I will not lie – they’re very raw.” As if to prove the point, there was a loud yelp from the training yard. It seemed that one of the recruits had accidentally twisted his sparring partner’s wing. After sparing the trainees a glance, Hammer continued, “I will do what I can to prepare them, but I cannot promise that they will become able soldiers in that time.”

The dark alicorn scowled, but Hammer didn’t flinch and patiently awaited her response. Finally, she said, “Very well, do what you can. At least make them look presentable. The last thing I need is to look like I’m surrounded by incompetence.”

* * * * *

“Where are we going?” Anvil asked.

“To the dungeons. I have a special task for you,” Luna said as they trotted side by side through the halls illuminated by the new glow-worm lamps. “We’ve captured another Celestial loyalist, and I want you to be the one to interrogate her.”

That surprised him. There were still plenty of ponies in who were less than happy with Nightmare Moon as their new leader, not to mention that whole part about the Eternal Night. Most were what she called ‘rabble-rousers’ who did little more than complain and gossip, but there were some stronger-willed ponies who were actually attempting to incite rebellion amongst the citizens of Everfree. A large number of them were former royal guards, and not to be taken lightly. The rabble-rousers were easily quelled by Luna’s remainder of the guards, but the real troublemakers were always gone by the time a Night Guard could reach the scene. There were far too few of them to keep watch over the entire city. Anvil slowed in his trot. “Wait, you mean… we’ve actually caught somepony who is part of the chain of command?”

“If not privy to their plans, she is at least certain to have knowledge of their hiding places. One of the guards caught her trying to sneak into the library. She managed to incapacitate him with magic, but then she had the misfortune to run into me. Oh, the look on her face was priceless. She really should have known better than to try to skulk around during my reading hours.” Luna chuckled with glee.

“The library? That’s an odd place to break into. And how did she get into the palace in the first place?” Anvil almost felt like kicking himself when he realised that that second bit was a rather stupid question.

But, apparently Luna was in too good a mood to pin it on incompetence. “Apart from the fact that you’re all stretched thin patrolling the palace? She had snuck up from the lower gardens. She was filthy, and I could smell the moss and damp on her hooves. As to the former, there’s plenty of knowledge hidden in the library. No doubt she believed that there was something in there that could be used to further their plans.”

“Well, it’s good that she was stopped, then. But why me? I’m not exactly the most likely to… ah… scare the information out of anypony.”

“Because I believe that there are ways to acquire her knowledge other than simple intimidation. Her connection to you is one such path.”

Anvil felt his brows shoot up. “Connection?”

“I suppose I should actually tell you who she is – she’s my dear sister’s apprentice, Summer Cloud.”

“Oh…” He froze in his tracks.

“And you are besotted with her, are you not?”

Anvil felt himself go red. “I… well… it’s a little one-sided. I’m not so sure she feels the same about me.”

Her luminescent mane shifted, and its flowing tip curled under his chin. It felt surprisingly smooth and warm as it lifted his face to meet her eyes. “Good enough for me,” she said. “Use it to your advantage. If recent events have shaken her trust in you, regain it. Then find out what you can about the loyalists. Anything that will help me put a stop to their nonsense. I have enough trouble adjusting Equestria to the Eternal Night without having to deal with rebellious subjects.”

He nodded wordlessly, and she released her grip on his chin. And before he could think better of it, the words were out of his mouth, “Your Highness, aren’t you worried at all that Summer Cloud might use my… affection to her own advantage?” Stupid pony, your mouth shouldn’t be quicker than your brain.

Luna looked as if she’d just been pelted with a snowball. She tensed up, and fixed him a stare that might have put a cockatrice to shame. He blinked innocently. A moment of silence passed, and then a smile cracked her features and she began to laugh. Anvil nervously laughed along. When she was finished, she nudged him forward with a wing to continue their trot down the hall. “Oh, you’re such a tease. You’ve already proven your loyalty to me. Besides, if you really did turn on me, I could always feed you to a hydra – there are hatchlings in one of the bogs, and they do get oh so hungry at times.”

Anvil hoped she didn’t hear him gulp. Luna would never do that, but he wasn’t too sure about Nightmare Moon. And he definitely wasn’t certain that Summer Cloud wouldn’t be able to sway his perspective on the matter.

The dark alicorn had apparently picked up on his nerves, for she scoffed and playfully patted him on the head. “It was a jest, Anvil. I can practically hear you sweating.” Then, her mirth subsided and her tone grew serious. “But truly, if you believe you’ve done something that might be considered the slightest treachery on your part, you can always come to me and confess. Imagine how much less furious I would be learning of it from you rather than from somepony else.” With that said, she offered him a reassuring smile as they made their way to the dungeons.

* * * * *

The Everfree Palace was built atop a cliff, overlooking a ravine that had been eroded by the force of a sizeable river. Whilst most of the palace structures sat on fairly even ground, some of it was hewn directly into the face of the cliff, below ground level. The library was one of them. And others still were actually inside the cliff – or underground, depending on how you looked at it. And that was where Anvil was being led. They had descended from the old barracks, down and through a series of disused stairwells and dank tunnels. If not for the faint glow from the moon princess’ mane and the luminous mushrooms, it would all have been in pitch black darkness. By his estimation, the dungeon went as deep as the palace was tall.

At the end of the passage was a large oaken door guarded by another member of the Night Guard, who promptly bowed to the dark alicorn when she approached. Anvil recognised Ripple Dew and greeted him with a slight nod when he had risen.

“How may I serve, your Highness?” the guard asked.

“This is my Champion – no doubt you recognise him. From now on, he has my leave to enter and leave the dungeon as he sees fit, and you will provide him with whatever he needs to carry out his interrogation. He may speak to any of the prisoners, but the deepest arcane cell is off limits – nopony may speak to my sister but me. Is that clear?”

Ripple Dew eyed him over and nodded. “Understood, your Highness.”

Luna turned her attention to Anvil and said, “This is where I leave you; other pressing matters need my attention. Remember what I told you.”

“How long do I have?” he asked.

She snorted out blue smoke in response. “So long as you do not tarry, I see no reason to put undue pressure on you. But remember – every passing day is one more day for those traitors to plot against me.”

So, not very much pressure at all, he thought at the back of his mind. He bowed in response, and she began her walk back up to the more pleasant parts of the palace. Turning to Ripple, he smiled and said, “Lead the way. I’ll have a few words with the new prisoner.”

The guard produced a set of keys to unlock the great door, and they both entered without further ado. The inside was much more spacious than the tunnels might have indicated – indeed, it was also more pleasant. The stonework was nice and dry, for a start, and the place was lit with proper torches and braziers. And it was surprisingly clean. As dungeons went, this was probably one of the nicer ones. Off to one side was the supply room, complete with a shaft and pulley system that brought food and supplies from the upper levels. Ripple Dew led him past this and the currently deserted guardroom, past another locked door and into the dungeon proper. As they trotted past the cells occupied by the former royal guards, Anvil couldn’t help averting his eyes. He had no doubt that he’d recognise many of them. Whispers of “Traitor” and “Monster” and the like drifted past his ears, and a few even spat at him.

“Pay them no heed,” Ripple murmured. He didn’t even flinch when somepony flung mouldy hay at him.

“How do you stand it?” asked Anvil, once they had passed the occupied cells. He wiped his face with a hoof and it came away sticky. As much as he tried to tell himself that he couldn’t have brought himself to betray Luna, the fact remained that he’d betrayed his other princess, and possibly those who supported her as well. Speculating about what they might think of him often drove him to distraction.

“I often wonder about that myself,” Ripple Dew replied. “But what’s done is done. Nightmare Moon has claimed the throne, and for better or worse, it’s not my place to say. These things have a habit of sorting themselves out in the end.”

It was a quick trot the rest of the way to Summer Cloud’s cell. They found the grey mare curled up facing a far corner, presumably asleep. Ripple was just about to strike the bars to wake her, but Anvil caught his hoof and shook his head. The guard raised an eyebrow, but relented and said, “If you need anything, come find me,” before heading back the way they’d come. When he was gone, Anvil turned his attention to Summer. It had occurred to him on the way here that she might not have been treated gently when she was captured, but a cursory inspection of her resting figure allowed him to dismiss those concerns. If anything, it was a bigger surprise that she was dirtier than the cell itself. There was some muck on her hooves, and generous smears of grime on her grey coat and turquoise mane and tail. Her braids were also getting scruffy. Luna was right – the damp and earthy smell told him that she’d been down in the ravine below the palace.

For a while, it was all he could do to watch her, but he eventually worked up the courage to speak.

“Summer?” he tentatively asked.

“My friends call me Summer. You may call me Miss,” was the terse reply.

So she wasn’t asleep, after all. “I just want to talk for a while.”

“No. Go away.”

And we’re off to a wonderful start. Anvil sighed. “Summer, I’m sorry about what happened. I know that Luna has done some… unsavoury things in the past few days, but I don’t believe that it’s entirely because she’s evil, or whatever it is that the loyalists are calling her now.” After a pause, he added, “Please?”

Summer rose and trotted closer to the bars, then sat on her haunches and looked at him with a resigned expression. “Well, you certainly don’t need my permission. Talk.”

Anvil had prepared a whole cartload of excuses for his prior actions to coax her into a more cooperative mood, but now that she’d actually decided to listen to him, he suddenly found his brain fresh out of ideas on where to start. Summer Cloud continued to look at him expectantly. He opened his mouth, then closed it when nothing came out. Those amber eyes of hers seemed to stare right into his soul. She was getting bored – he could tell. He began to sweat. This really isn’t how an interrogation is supposed to work. It was if a parasprite had gotten into his brain and was happily munching away on anything that remotely resembled a coherent sentence.

Eventually, Summer simply snorted and rose to all fours. Just as she was about to turn away and possibly ignore him for the rest of the session, he blabbed, “Luna asked me to find out what you know about the loyalists.” Mentally, he was kicking himself. Horse apples, I’m terrible at this.

The unicorn mare was giving him a funny look, with narrowed eyes and furrowed brow. Whether in surprise or suspicion, he wasn’t sure. Probably both. He gave her an awkward grin to match the ensuing silence. A moment later, she raised an eyebrow and said, “Are you sure you know how an interrogation works? Information is supposed to go the other way.”

He scratched his helmet. “Yes, well, it didn’t come out quite as I intended. I’m new to this, you know.”

The tiniest smile curled her mouth before disappearing, and she shook her head and sat back down. “Care to try again?”

This time, he settled on asking something that had been nagging at the back of his mind. “What spell did you use on us that time? It was… interesting.”

“You know that I teach others in the use of magic; it’s my special talent.” Summer Cloud tilted her head towards her cutie mark of a spiralling swirl of stardust, and continued, “It was a magical empathy spell – it allows others to see and feel magic the way I do, and the reverse, as well. When it comes to teaching, words can only do so much.” She glanced around, as if afraid of being overheard, and trotted up right to the cell bars. She then beckoned him closer.

Curiosity piqued, Anvil brought his face within whispering distance. And when Summer’s horn began to glow, he realised that he’d made a mistake. “Here, I’ll show you,” she said. A green spark arced onto his forehead, and ‘Ooh, clever girl,’ was his last thought before he got to relive the nauseating multi-coloured display of lights in his head. It wasn’t as bad as he remembered, but it was still enough to make him curl up on the floor, clutching his head and wincing. The unicorn carried on with her lecture as if nothing was amiss. “I’m channelling a little illumination spell right now, and what you’re experiencing is a mental manifestation of the sensation of my magic. Every unicorn has this sense in varying degrees, but for those who have no affinity for magic – namely, you – the experience would be highly disorienting. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Anvil didn’t answer. He was too busy keeping his stomach under control.

“Oh, don’t be such a filly,” Summer huffed. “It shouldn’t be that bad – you wouldn’t be sensing the Princesses’ spells like last time, and whilst I am well versed in magical theory and spellcraft, sheer power is something that I lack. Besides, the severity lessens with each successive encounter.”

Anvil heard the sound of Summer’s spell dissipating, and the lights in his head and behind his eyes faded away, allowing him to slowly get back on all four hooves. He pouted at her and said, “Well, that was… educational. But was the practical demonstration really necessary?” His freshly unsettled stomach seemed to gurgle in agreement.

Some of the unicorn’s former animosity returned. “You were asking for it. You betrayed my teacher, assisted Nightmare Moon in taking over, supported her in this Eternal Night business, and then act surprised when I don’t treat you nicely?” As if to emphasise the point, she swept her gaze across the iron bars between them, and then towards the corridor that led to the deepest part of the dungeon. “And she has imprisoned her own sister in this place – my mentor is allowed no visitors, no letters, and the only time she sees another pony’s face is when the warden delivers her food!” Summer shook her head in disbelief. “Do you honestly believe she is working for the good of Equestria?”

“What I believe doesn’t – ”

Summer reached out with a hoof and stifled his words. “No, stop. That’s an answer that Hammer would give, and we all know what he’s like when it comes to giving his opinion. I want to hear your reason for following Nightmare Moon when it is so obvious to everypony else that she’s changing things for the worse. The birds don’t sing anymore, it’s always cold and dark and gloomy, and anyone who dares to speak out is quickly arrested by your Night Guard ruffians, Champion.” She spoke that last bit as if it was a dirty word.

Anvil stared at the floor as he racked his mind for an answer.

“And it looks like you need to hear your own reasons as well,” the grey mare quipped. “I want to believe that Everfree is under the protection of guards who can tell the difference between right and wrong.”

“Well…”

“Nightmare Moon hasn’t done anything for the good of Equestria yet, has she?”

“No, not yet,” Anvil sighed. And it was then that the answer came to him. For all her grand speeches about bringing about the glory of her night to Equestria, there were instances when he’d seen her distracted and uncertain about what she was doing. She would sometimes wander the halls with a brooding expression, fiddling with an abacus and murmuring to herself. It was an old habit of hers, one that betrayed her state of nervousness. Her appearance might have changed, but he could tell that she was also the old Luna he knew – different, yet somehow still the same. He drew himself up and met Summer Cloud’s appraising eyes, adding, “But I still trust her, and so does Hammer.”

“Elaborate, please,” the grey unicorn said.

“It’s not exactly a short story.”

Summer rolled her eyes and lay on the floor, settling into a more comfortable position. “I’m in no hurry. And last I checked, you’re quite fond of talking.”

Anvil settled down as well. He took off his helmet and laid it by his side. “Alright, you asked for it. Don’t blame me if I talk your ears off.” At the sight of her un-amused expression, he chuckled nervously and continued, “I haven’t told you about how Hammer and I became her personal guards, have I?”

She shrugged. “I only know that your skills in metalworking were considered valuable, and must have influenced the decision to draft you into service.”

“Well, it’s a little more than that. We were recruited because it would have been cheaper for the Guard to have its own blacksmiths. The Cloudsdale master smiths are not known for generous pricing.” Here, he tapped his helmet for emphasis. “And then came along two young, unassuming, ground-loving pegasi metalworkers who weren’t too fussy about how many bits you paid them.”

“But you no longer work at the forge.”

He waved a hoof vaguely in the air. “I’m getting to that – it wasn’t until after we’d finished our basic training that we got to know Luna properly. There was this particular season when one of the far-out mining towns had ceased to send iron to Everfree, and runners sent to them were not returning. Luna decided to investigate the matter herself, and she just happened to take Hammer and myself as her escorts.”

“Are you referring to Cobbleville?” Summer interjected, “I didn’t know you were both there when it happened.”

“Heh, it was before you knew us, and we don’t talk about it much.”

“Why not? What happened there was far from ordinary.”

“Firstly, Hammer. Secondly, I almost met a rather ignoble end that day, so it’s not exactly a fond memory.” He paused as he sifted through his recollections, then shook his head and chuckled. “Horse apples, we went in there expecting some trouble, but not quite that much...”

* * * * *

“All of the houses are empty, your Highness. Stripped clean as well – anything that isn’t nailed down is gone,” Hammer reported when he returned from his search.

“What about the town hall and inns?” asked Princess Luna.

“The same,” Anvil replied. He looked around nervously. There was something disconcerting about the place… it was as if everypony had suddenly decided to just up and leave the place with all of their belongings. But then, it would have made sense only if the carts had all been taken as well – but those had clearly been left behind. There weren’t even any tracks in the dirt roads to indicate recent use. A strong breeze began to blow through the village, and it made eerie howling noises as it passed through doors and windows left ajar. He stomped his hooves in an attempt to shake off his nerves.

“That just leaves the mine,” Luna concluded.

Cobbleville was situated at the foot of a sizeable mountain, and the mining tunnel leading downwards into its depths was quite steep. As the three of them trotted down into the darkness, with Luna’s illumination spell as their only source of light, it became obvious that something was very wrong. The rail tracks for the mining carts were mangled in several places, and the tunnel floor and walls were furrowed with what looked like claw marks. Even more disconcerting was the fact that some of the tunnel’s supporting beams were cracked and splintered. From then on, it became a simple matter of following the damage – they ignored all other branches that were intact.

It wasn’t long before they reached the end of the tunnel – or, rather, what was supposed to be its end. Instead they found that its end had collapsed entirely, leading into a great emptiness beyond. As they stepped through the collapsed section, Anvil thought he noticed a pair of gleaming orange dots in the darkness. They were distant, but distinct enough that he was sure of their presence. “Your Highness…” he warned.

Luna froze, as did Hammer. Slowly, she eased off her light spell, until they were left in complete darkness. Except for the orange dots – they did not go away.

“Well, that can’t be good,” Anvil murmured.

The three of them stood still in the blackness, watching. Then, the dots blinked.

“Definitely not good,” Hammer agreed.

“Prepare yourselves,” Luna whispered, moments before she conjured a new globe of blue light. It was far larger than the previous one, and instead of hovering on the tip of her horn, it flared upwards into the darkness above, growing as it ascended. With the light it provided, Anvil could see that they were in an enormous dome-shaped cavern that was several hundred feet high and at least several thousand feet across the bottom. They had probably reached the heart of the mountain. Luna’s globe stopped and hovered at the top of the dome, where it continued to bathe the cavern in a steady, blue light. And right in the middle of the cavern was a full-grown, dark-scaled dragon, sitting atop the largest pile of everyday belongings that Anvil had ever seen. There were cooking pots, wheelbarrows, working tools, furniture, and a host of other objects that one could find in the average peasant’s house.

He whistled. “That’s quite a collection.”

“I would worry more about the dragon,” Hammer growled.

The dragon eyed Luna’s light globe suspiciously, then returned its gaze to them. It spat out a glob of purple flame in warning, but remained on top of its hoard. When the three of them didn’t run away, it bellowed, “Leave. Now.” Anvil had to admit that he was inclined to comply with its request, but stood his ground only because Luna and his friend had so far shown no sign of any intention to flee.

“Look – at the far side,” the moon princess intoned. Anvil squinted, and saw dark, moving shapes in the dimness beyond the dragon’s hoard. The villagers. They were huddled together in large groups amongst the rocky formations on the ground. There was no mistaking it; the dragon was holding the entire town captive.

Luna fearlessly strode forward and addressed the dragon in a voice amplified by magic, “Dragon, we mean no disrespect. Please, allow our fellow ponies to go free, and we will leave you in peace.”

Jets of smoke burst out of the dragon’s nostrils, and it crouched possessively over its mountain of stuff. “No. Mine.”

“We have no interest in your hoard. We just want our friends back,” the moon princess called out once more. “Please, there cannot be much food down here; the ponies will not last long if you do not let them go. They will gain you nothing.”

“They sometimes go up, then bring food down for them and things for me. They all belong to me,” the dragon retorted. Its eyes narrowed, and then it reared up on its hind legs and spread its wings, roaring, “Leave, before I make you!”

“I think he’s starting to like us,” Anvil muttered.

“Is… is your friend well?” Luna’s voice was tinged with concern.

“Just ignore him, your Highness,” Hammer advised. “Whatever he has, it’s incurable.”

“Very well.” Luna began to trot towards the dragon, eyes intent upon it. “I want the two of you to guide the townsfolk back up the tunnels. Here, take these.” As she spoke, a pair of light globes flared out of her horn and hovered alongside them. The dragon, apparently fed up with the invasion of its privacy, leaped up from its hoard, flapped once or twice, and then landed with a crash that shook the ground and raised a cloud of dust. It had effectively halved the distance between.

“Is this wise?” Hammer asked as they warily advanced. “We would be a better match for the dragon all together.”

The dragon inhaled, and Anvil had only the briefest of moments to wonder if his armour would be any good against dragon-fire before it unleashed purple inferno in their direction. But the flames never reached them. Instead, the blast was split in half by a blue, translucent magical barrier and surged to either side of them. In its wake, it left the rocks smouldering and glowing red.

“I don’t burn easily; you do,” Luna snapped at them. “And I cannot constantly shield you in a fight.”

“Point taken,” Hammer conceded.

“Go. And if any ponies are lost, you’ll answer to me,” she warned.

Anvil echoed his friend’s sentiment, and without further delay, they both broke off and soared to either side of the dragon, careful to keep a safe distance. Looking back, Anvil could see Luna taking to the air as well. The distraction nearly cost him dearly, as a plume of fire appeared right in his flight path – he barely had enough time to tuck in his wings and drop below it. Eyes on the dragon, foal.

“Leave them, beast. Your quarrel is with me!” Luna thundered. Anvil heard a crash and the sound of splintering wood and tortured metal, followed by a roar of pain – the princess had apparently thrown something from the dragon’s hoard at it. Something heavy. Whatever it was, it did the job well – Anvil was able to reach the townsfolk unimpeded, as was Hammer. The light from the flare hovering by his side shone upon frightened faces, dishevelled and filthy and weary from their captivity.

“Get up, ponies, we’re leaving!” he yelled.

They didn’t need telling twice. As one, the crowd of ponies got up on all fours and began to canter towards him. There were children amongst them, but thankfully they were all old enough not to be a serious hindrance to their speed. He hovered close to the ground, and began to lead them in a wide curving path that would take them back to the tunnel, sticking close to the side of the chamber to keep their distance from the battling dragon and alicorn. He glanced upwards, and saw Luna leading the dragon in a chase around the upper half of the dome. All the while, thunderclouds were forming inside the cave, presumably through the princess’ efforts. He could see her eyes glowing a menacing white, even from this distance. The dragon roared and vented another jet of flame at her, missing only by a few tail-lengths. The townsfolk gasped.

“Watch where you’re going and don’t slow down!” Hammer shouted.

And that was when a hoarse voice cried, “Sirs… please… not so fast!”

Oh, hayseed. Anvil called for the crowd to stop, and quickly darted to the back of the crowd, where he found Hammer crouched next to a wheezing old mare and an equally winded, elderly stallion. There was another explosion of flame above, and the crowd flinched. “Sirs, we… we cannot. Our hearts… can’t take it,” the old stallion panted.

“Just leave us,” the mare wheezed.

“That won’t happen,” Hammer stated. He promptly tossed his helmet to the ground, hefted the mare and gently shifted her onto his back, making sure that she had a somewhat rudimentary grip on him, but without hindering his wings too much. “Hang on, and bite my mane if you have to,” he added.

Anvil took the cue and did the same for the old stallion. Before long, they had gotten the crowd moving again, with him in the lead and Hammer bringing up the rear. The stallion was lighter than expected, but he was still heavy enough to slow him down. As they approached the tunnel, he spared another glance to the scene above. Black thunderclouds swirled around the top of the dome and crackled with streaks of lightning. Luna was still leading the dragon on a wild chase, but the dragon’s aim was improving. Even with her aerobatics and the cloud cover and the occasional teleport, every now and then she would be engulfed in the dragon’s fire-breath. She would then emerge from the flames, smoking and covered in soot, and Anvil did not doubt that it was taking a toll on her. Her flight was growing erratic and she was slowing down. It might not be long before the dragon could get within biting distance.

When they finally got the crowd to the tunnel, the next problem became apparent. The ponies had no lamps, and upon closer inspection, it was plain that the unicorns amongst them were in too poor a condition to provide reliable light throughout the full length of the tunnel. Only Hammer and he had the glowing orbs, so one of them was still going to have to lead the way. Worse still, the steep incline was going to be a problem for the elderly pair they were carrying. When Anvil voiced his concern, Hammer simply said, “I’ll take the oldster. You help the princess.”

“Are you sure?” Anvil asked, as he helped to position the couple across Hammer’s back, with their forelegs dangling on one side, and their hinds on the other.

“I’ll manage. Go help her,” his friend grunted.

He responded with a nod and surged upwards to the battle. The dragon was now snapping at the princess, who was only barely able to avoid its jaws each time with a quick dodge. What is she doing? Without further thought, he poured all his strength into pumping his wings, gaining speed with each beat. As he got closer to his target, he felt the static charge from his swift flight building up in his hair and feathers. The dragon’s form loomed larger by the second. There was a burst of light as it breathed fire, and a sharp cry from Luna. Then, Anvil stuck out his front hooves – and slammed into the dragon’s cheek. Just before the impact, a jolt of electricity leaped from his hooves to the dragon, and just after, there was a ringing in his ears as he received the full blast of the dragon’s roar of pain.

Time to hide. He darted into the clouds, hoping that his blow would provide the princess with the time she needed to do whatever she’d been planning. And then, there was a blinding flash as a blast of fire came his way – through the clouds. He swerved away, but the flames still managed to sear his tail and lick his left wing. Fearing further damage to his feathers, he folded his wings and dropped like a stone. The words ‘How could it see – ’ were just beginning to form in his mind when he noticed Luna’s little ball of light still flying by his side. Oh.

The ground was fast approaching, and as he spread his wings to brake, he prayed that his feathers weren’t too badly damaged by the flames. The sudden deceleration nearly twisted off his wings, and the damaged feathers on the scorched one sent him into a downward spiral. Oh, hayseed. He somehow managed to level out his rapid descent, but he still hit the ground with a lot more force than was good for him. He crashed, somersaulted, rolled, and somersaulted again, before skidding on his chest to a halt. Not long after, he heard the heavy thud of the dragon landing nearby. Oh, hayseed. Groaning and coughing up dust, Anvil rolled onto his back and saw the dragon looming over him. It growled and raised a foot – a really big one. An inarticulate squeak escaped Anvil’s mouth as all his muscles slackened. But before the dragon could bring its foot down, he heard the moon princess’ thunderous voice: “That’s enough!” He looked up, as did the dragon, and saw the all of the dark clouds in the entire cavern swirling like a cyclone, right before a multitude of lightning bolts shot out of its centre and struck the dragon from nose to tail. It didn’t even have time to make a sound before it collapsed to the ground.

So that was what Luna had been up to the whole time – she’d been conjuring a lightning storm. She landed by his side, panting heavily and trembling a little. Her coat was stained black with soot, and Anvil thought he could see the tips of her wing feathers smouldering. Up above, the sphere of light and the storm clouds were already beginning to dissipate. “Can you stand?” she asked gently. “I’m spent, so I will not be able to mend anything at the moment.”

Anvil tried to rise, but fell back with a yelp. He was bruised and aching all over, and he smell the stink of his charred hair and feathers. The moon princess sighed and hefted him over her shoulder, as if he weighed little more than a filly. As she did so, he felt a little dampness where his hind legs brushed against her body. “Oh dear,” she murmured.

Anvil caught a whiff of it and grimaced. I thought it felt a little cold there… “Ah… I beg your pardon, princess. In my defence, that dragon was about to squash me flat. Tell me, if I had been turned into an interesting painting on the floor, would you have had me framed?”

Luna chuckled, and he began to giggle hysterically.

* * * * *

“Princess Luna killed a dragon?” Summer clouds jaw was hanging.

“No, it was just unconscious. Those things are ridiculously durable.”

The grey unicorn shook her head in disbelief. “Anyway, was that all you wanted to tell me?”

Anvil frowned. “Wasn’t that all you needed to know? Luna could have easily commanded us to help her defeat the dragon before getting the townsfolk to safety. Horse apples, we were ready to do just that – she had to tell us to do the opposite whilst she distracted the lizard. And she even carried me all the way back up the tunnels when she could have made me walk. I was hurt, but not that badly. And, of course, let’s not forget that she did it in spite of my… state of cleanliness.”

Summer Cloud was thoughtful for a moment. “I’ll admit – that’s a side of Princess Luna that I hadn’t known.” “But,” she raised a hoof, “you’re staking the welfare of a great many ponies on your belief that Luna and Nightmare Moon are one and the same. Are you really going to risk that much?”

It was his turn to shake his head. “I cannot be fully certain, but I have seen signs that she is still the Luna we know. And if nothing else, she deserves the benefit of the doubt, after what she did for the ponies of Cobbleville. And… she did save my hide.”

Summer’s expression was resigned, and perhaps a little sad. “I hope your faith in her is not misplaced – for all our sakes.”

* * * * *

Anvil realised that he was feeling a little worn when he was let out of the dungeon. We must have spoken for hours.

“Just a few words, eh?” Ripple Dew quipped as he unlocked the door, “I shudder to think of what a long speech must be for you, then.”

“Would you like to find out?” he retorted with a weary grin.

“Hah! No, thank you. Anything else you need?”

“Yes. Get Summer Cloud a tub, some soap, and plenty of hot water. She’s in dire need of a good bath.”

Chapter 3

Night Guards: Chapter 3

As the night cycles passed, Anvil continued in his efforts to coax Summer Cloud into yielding information on the locations or plans of the Celestial loyalists. With little success. For the most part, the grey unicorn did not outright refuse to talk about the renegades, but neither did she give anything that could actually be used against them. She would sometimes mention their reasons for doing what they did – but they were mostly reasons that he could have fathomed on his own – the Eternal Night; Nightmare Moon’s usurpation; her hostility towards any dissent – just to name a few. Then, there were the occasional stories about how some peasants were treated poorly when they were suspected of harbouring loyalists. All in all, he was making very little progress. Sooner or later, he was going to have to report his lack of success to Luna, but he feared the possibility that she might resort to harsher measures. No other loyalists had been captured since Summer Cloud, which meant that all of Luna’s frustration would have only one reasonable target. The notion was starting to keep him up at night.

On the evening of the Night Festival, Anvil and Hammer found themselves summoned to the royal library, where they found Luna bustling around in the arcane arts wing. She had converted a section of it into something that resembled a mix of a garden, an apothecarium, and a magical workshop. A single clerestory window admitted blue moonlight into the room, which, in addition to a few candle stands, provided sufficiently bright light for the alicorn’s work. There were mortars and pestles and bowls filled with substances of varying colours and textures placed atop several sturdy worktables, along with piles of books and uncased scrolls. Potted plants and little trees were interspersed between the tables, and they were all arranged to form a single, large space in the middle of the room for the alicorn to stand and pace whilst she worked. But most interesting of all were the features of the vegetation she was growing.

“Are those things… infected with something?” Anvil asked. The plants’ leaves were greenish blue from Luna’s alteration spell to make them subsist on moonlight, but he’d already seen that before. What was new was the fact that there were little nodules popping out of the twigs and stems. They seemed to have a wet, filmy coating, and upon closer inspection, he could see that they were actually transparent and filled with reddish-orange fluid. Some of the little trees even had larger globes of the stuff that hung loose from branches – like slimy, giant egg sacs.

“Is that how they really look; diseased?” Luna questioned as a frown creased her brow, “Do you even know what purpose they serve?”

If your highness would like us to guess,” Hammer ventured, “I would have thought that you were trying to make the trees inedible.” The big pegasus was peering at one of the closer specimens. When some of the nodules suddenly pulsed, his nose wrinkled slightly and he added, “Those things look like they might give pause even to a parasprite.”

“Can parasprites even get bellyaches?” Anvil wondered aloud.

Luna scowled. “I suppose you are right. They do look revolting, don’t they?” She trotted over to a table laden with tomes and rapidly flipped through a few pages of a musty volume titled Botanicum Arcana. “Using glow-worms was a mistake – too soft; too slimy. Perhaps fireflies would provide a much better template, even if the colour range is limited…”

Anvil and his friend watched silently as she worked and muttered to herself. At length, she began to channel a spell that enveloped the plants in a deep blue aura of magic. Their branches twitched and flexed, and amidst the sound of their rustling leaves, there was the slightly disgusting, squelching sound of the slimy lumps shrinking and scabbing over. When the princess was done, the nodules looked less like shiny pustules and more like insect plates – somewhat like a beetle’s shell, and roughly about the same size. Overall, the effect was that the plants looked as if they had grown clusters of unusual scales, scattered all over their branches.

“My subjects have been complaining endlessly about the darkness – as if the stars and moon weren’t sufficient for their needs. Petition after petition for the sun’s return… And those loyalists have been trying to use their discontent to incite rebellion,” Luna explained as she worked. “Well, perhaps it is time for a gesture of goodwill – the common folk want light, and they shall have it. Not the crude eyesore that is my sister’s sun, but a more subtle, elegant source of my own devising… Behold!” As she said that last word, the magical aura around her horn flared brighter than before, and the potted trees shivered for several seconds, after which their ‘scales’ began to glow with a soft, greenish yellow light. Luna then pulled drapes over the window to shut out the moonlight, and conjured a little draft to blow out the candles. The effect was breath-taking. Each tree looked as if it was a night sky in itself, with little yellow stars dotting its stems and spreading out in fantastic patterns over its branches, in stark contrast to the deep colour of its foliage. But the difference between these miniature constellations and the night sky was that they glowed brightly enough to serve as lamps – living, growing ones.

Anvil realised that his mouth had formed a little ‘o’, and Hammer’s expression was so impassive that he could tell that even his friend was impressed. Luna smiled when she saw their reactions. It was almost the same sort of enthusiasm that he’d seen when she’d presented her new spell to Celestia that fateful night.

“Well, it looks like you’re going to put the candle-makers out of business,” Anvil commented. He prodded one of the glowing nodes, but quickly withdrew his hoof when the lights pulsated. “…That is, if they’re safe. They don’t feed on the blood of innocents or some such, do they?”

“What – no, of course not!” Luna snapped, seemingly appalled at the idea. But she suddenly grinned wolfishly and added, “But I suppose I could make them feed on yours, if you like.”

“If you do, I would like to keep one, Your Highness,” Hammer piped up. “I’d feed it every day.”

Anvil rolled his eyes. “I’m touched by your devotion.” Turning back to Luna, he said, “I suppose you intend to cast the spell all across the land like last time. Do you require the unicorns of the Night Guard to assist?”

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Concerned about magical fatigue, again?” She lifted a dark-coated foreleg and examined her hoof, saying, “You know, one of the perks of this form is that such spells are no longer a strain. But, to answer your question – no, I need no such assistance. The rest of Equestria can wait. For tonight, my gift will be solely to citizens of Everfree.”

“Come,” she added, striding purposefully towards the library’s exit, “the Night Festival will soon begin, and it would be a shame if we failed to attend.”

* * * * *

The Night Festival was held in Everfree’s common gardens, some distance from the palace and in the heart of the city. It spanned several acres and was filled with grassy knolls, little groves of fruiting trees and flowers, and the occasional slab of decorative pegasus architecture. A massive, ornate stone dais stood in the middle of the garden – circular in shape with wide steps spreading out and down from its centre, and scattered around it were the stalls of vendors as they catered to the culinary wants of the attending ponies. Glow-worm lanterns and colourful banners hung from every tree. It was a little chilly, but a few strategically placed braziers settled any possibility of complaint.

Luna was sitting on some resplendent cushions and rugs at the top of the dais, with Hammer and Anvil standing watch by her side along with six of the newly-trained recruits. From this vantage point, Anvil had a reasonably broad and unobstructed view of the gardens, except for some places where an unusually high knoll or grove of trees blocked his line of sight. Ponies from all walks of life had been invited to the Night Festival, but from what he could see, the attendees consisted mostly of the nobles and the rich folk from Everfree. There were substantially fewer of the common city folk, and even less so of the farmers and traders from outside the city. At least, that was what he surmised from their appearances – most were far too well-groomed to be peasants. And all along the boundaries of the gardens were stationed the rest of the Night Guard recruits, and Anvil was relieved to see that they were looking the part. Their training had paid off, it seemed.

Once the appointed time came, a fanfare of trumpets silenced the crowd, and Luna rose to all fours. Her magically amplified voice rang out across the garden, “Citizens of Everfree and travellers from without, I welcome all of you to Equestria’s first Night Festival.” She paused for a moment to allow the cheers to die down, then resumed, “Long have I waited for this time; when ponies, high-born and common alike, would come together in celebration of the Night – the other half of our lives that we have so often taken for granted.” She paused again, and looked out at the sea of faces watching her in awe. Anvil silently noted that there was no lack of fearful respect amongst them as well, though. Then, Luna spread her wings wide and boomed, “But, I’m certain you did not come to hear me give speeches. So, enough talk – the night is yours to celebrate!” As the last words left her lips, several multi-coloured flares shot up from behind the dais, whizzing into the sky, and when they exploded, the crowd was treated to a brilliant display of enchanted fireworks. Fiery phoenixes and dragons of every colour of the rainbow soared and cavorted in the starry sky, in addition to the regular starbursts and fizzing lights. The crowd cheered wholeheartedly this time, and Anvil saw Luna beaming happily – possibly for the first time since her transformation. If this was the crowd’s reaction to Luna’s personally designed fireworks, he wondered what it would be like when she finally revealed her enchanted firefly-trees.

Sometime after her opening speech and display of fireworks, the attending bards and musicians began to take turns leading ponies in song and dance and playing uplifting tunes and melodies. Through it all, Luna sat serenely on her place atop the dais, watching the festivities with little sign of merriment. It almost seemed like her initial joy had already worn away. If anything, she seemed deep in thought, and Anvil found himself wondering whether she was even enjoying herself. It was almost like a performance – as if her participation in the festival was only a show for her subjects. Well, she does have a lot on her shoulders. Or, rather, it looked like she was… cultivating the crowd – like how a carpenter would work on furniture; or a blacksmith his tools. It might have been his imagination, but at the moment it didn’t seem very unlikely that she was treating this festival of hers more like a project rather than an actual heartfelt celebration.

“That’s close enough,” Hammer called out.

That shook Anvil out of his musings. At the bottom of the dais was a heavily bearded, richly-attired unicorn, with a thick cloak on his shoulders and gold and silver medallions on his chest. He knelt low, medallions clanking as he went, and awaited Luna’s permission to speak.

“What is it?” she asked.

The unicorn rose, and hesitantly said, “Pardon me for the intrusion, Nightmare Moon. Duke Escutcheon of House Blueblood, at your service – if I may say; you look absolutely stunning, and this is without a doubt the most wonderful celebration that I have had the pleasure to attend in a long time.” When the moon princess didn’t give any sign of annoyance or displeasure, he beamed cordially and continued, “Furthermore, if I may be so bold… it would give me just as much pleasure if Your Majesty would preside over my daughter’s wedding the next – ”

“This isn’t an audience chamber,” Hammer interjected. “The princess will hear your supplications at the appropriate time and place.”

“No, it is fine,” Luna sighed. “I am willing to make this night an exception. Let him approach.”

“As you wish.”

Duke Escutcheon bowed his thanks and trotted partway up the dais, stopping at a respectful distance, just slightly farther from Luna than her guards. He then shot an indignant look at Hammer before addressing her, “Your Highness is most generous. Well, come next spring, my daughter will wed – ”

Anvil stopped listening. Whatever the noble wished to say, he doubted he would have much interest in it. Unless matters of unforeseen foal-births or exploration endeavours were concerned, the conversations of nobles were rarely engaging. A discreet glance told him that Luna’s interest was already waning, and she was entertaining him merely as a matter of formality. He tried to focus on his duty and watch over the crowd instead. Unfortunately, Duke Escutcheon’s little conversation with Luna had started a trend amongst the rest of the attending nobles, and before long, there was a line of them queuing up for their turn to shower the bemused alicorn with praises and petitions. Apparently, they had all been waiting for the first pony to test Nightmare Moon’s temperament, and since the duke still had his head firmly on his shoulders, they had all probably arrived at the conclusion that she was unlikely to bite their heads off. Inwardly, he sympathised with the sheer tedium that Luna must be experiencing. Eventually, though, the tide of nobles did stop and Luna was able to watch the festivities without harassment.

Hours passed and the celebration wore on without any sign of dying down. However, once they were drifting into the wee hours of the night, it was time for it to draw to a close. Luna simply stood up and struck the stone dais with a hoof, and waited silently as the crowd quietened down. The musicians ceased their music, and one by one, the attending ponies stopped whatever they had formerly been occupied with and diverted their attention to her. Luna said nothing until the breeze was the only sound heard and the misting breaths of ponies the only movement to be seen.

“My little ponies, it gladdens my heart that so many of you have taken the time to attend the first Night Festival in Equestria’s history.” Luna smiled warmly and continued, “And it makes me gladder still to see you enjoying yourselves.”

“Yeh… Nightmare Moon... is best princess!” an inebriated pony half-yelled, half hiccupped.

Luna looked somewhat scandalised at the interruption – her ears twitched and her eyes narrowed – but chose to ignore it when the culprit’s neighbours quickly stuffed a potato in his mouth and discreetly helped him to stagger away. She regained her initial warmth and carried on, “I have witnessed the passing of many seasons and generations – rivers have carved plains into valleys and hills have grown into mountains in my lifetime. And yet, in all my years, I have never seen ponies appreciating the night in the way you have.” Luna looked up at moon the stars above and then swept her gaze to the crowd before her. When she spoke again, she sounded like she was holding back tears. “My faithful subjects, I am honoured to be your princess. Although I have risen to the throne under less than auspicious circumstances, I hope that a time will come when you would come to love me for who I am, and not what I am.”

With that said, Luna sat down once more. At first, nopony made a sound. But then a mare amongst the commoners whooped, and before long the entire crowd was cheering along with her. And over the sound of their voices, Anvil heard Luna’s little mumble; “As you once did for my sister.”

Suddenly, an exceptionally loud whistle pierced through the cheers, and a ripple of silence spread through the crowd. Faces turned to a bulky, greenish brown-coated earth stallion dressed in a cloak – he had a hood over his face, and only his muzzle and beard was visible. “I’m afraid, Nightmare Moon,” he called out in a gruff voice, “that you are addressing the wrong ponies with your fancy celebration and pretty words.”

Luna quickly stood up. “What is the meaning of this?” she demanded.

“I could ask you that myself, Your Highness. Tis a strange time for one to be celebrating,” came the nonchalant reply. The crowd gasped.

There was a steely look in the dark alicorn’s eyes. “Stranger, you have seconds to answer me before I have you thrown out of the city, so choose your words quickly and carefully.”

Anvil frowned as everypony waited for the earth stallion to reply. Too much accent on the ‘Your Highness’ part. The pony was probably distorting his own voice. Trouble was in store for them, and from the looks of things, there was going to be a lot of it.

The stallion trotted forward a few steps, and those nearest to him hastily backed off, as if they were expecting Luna to chuck a lightning bolt his way. He took off his hood, and Anvil found himself squinting – he thought he looked familiar…

“What I meant was that the ponies you should be speaking to are not here,” the stallion said. He took a few seconds to look at the ponies around him before addressing Luna once more, “The ponies who really need your attention are the farmers and woodcutters and foragers – and I see none of them here. Not a single one.”

Luna scowled. “It is understandable that not everypony will be able to attend.”

“Then go out to them, and see for yourself what this Eternal Night of yours is doing to their lives!” he shouted. As the last words left his mouth, he reached into his cloak and pulled out a little brown something that he held up for everypony to see. It was a turnip – a very shrunken and sickly-looking one, with black spots all over its withered leaves.

“Too cold to grow food, and too cold for ponies to be out tending the fields,” the stallion continued. He then turned to the ponies around him and repeatedly jabbed a hoof in the direction of various individuals. “And you rich ponies are next. You, you, and you. You all sit here enjoying yourselves with your vast stores of food whilst the poor suffer. Perhaps you don’t realise it, but your food does come from somewhere – and it will not last forever.” He then turned his eyes back to Luna. “So, Your Majesty, explain this to them, and see if they are as quick to love you as these sycophants.” So saying, he unceremoniously lobbed the turnip at the dark alicorn.

Quick as lightning, Hammer intercepted the turnip and slapped it away with a wing. More gasps came from the crowd. Anvil and the rest of the guards around the princess spread wings and prepared to seize the earth pony for his impudence, but Luna stopped them in mid-hover with a quick, soft “No, wait.” They settled back to the ground once more, but watched him warily.

“It’s barely the end of the summer, and you say that the crops are dying?” Luna asked. “Even with the constant night, it should not be that cold.”

The stallion shrugged. “I don’t know why – all I know is that it is cold, and it is killing the crops. It’s colder out there than it is in the city.” “But…” he added, and this time his voice dripped with derision, “you wouldn’t know that, would you? You haven’t even taken the trouble to leave your city and see what your night is doing to the rest of Equestria.”

“You speak true; I have not visited any of the settlements, so I will allow your insolence to go unpunished – this once. But don’t test my patience,” Luna answered. “I will look into the matter, and I will see that it is alleviated with all due haste.”

“Or, you could just raise the sun, Your Highness,” the stallion suggested.

“Hear, hear!” another voice shouted. Everypony turned to look at the speaker, and it turned out to be a pegasus stallion dressed in plain clothing. Anvil tensed up when he saw him. Pale blue coat, orange mane, notched right ear. Drizzle Sky. Former royal guard and known Celestial loyalist. And then it hit him – the first stallion was Hazel Hock, hiding his wings under that cloak – he had simply let his beard grow and used a false voice. There were former royal guards hiding amongst the crowd, and they were up to something. Hayseed, this is going to get unpleasant…

But before he could say anything about it, Luna answered tersely, “No. The night will remain for now. Who do you think you are, to presume to tell your princess what to do?”

Hazel Hock ignored her question, and yet another pegasus pony in the crowd – whom Anvil was unfamiliar with, but was certain used to be in the Guard – shouted out, “Would you like to know who really likes your Eternal Night? Thieves and bandits! The never-ending darkness makes it so much easier – farmers are finding their stores broken into, and traders are set upon as they journey through the wilds.”

Thunder rumbled in the sky when Luna angrily replied, “That will be dealt with when the Night Guards have sufficient numbers to watch over the lands. If you want somepony to blame, you can ask why those of the Royal Guard shirked their duty when I claimed the throne. They left Equestria in a difficult state, and those who dared to undermine my rule are only making things worse – the Night Guards cannot both protect the common folk and deal with these rebels at the same time with such small numbers!”

“But that’s not the worst part!” a fourth pegasus cried out, as if Luna hadn’t said a word. “The worst part is that the thieves are ponies who have never once stolen a thing in their lives – until your eternal night forced them to. Food is short – ponies can’t work much in the dark, and the old and young are suffering in the cold. Most of the time, the thieves caught are just as desperate as those they try to rob.”

Ponies in the crowd began to murmur, even the nobles. Luna simply stared. Though, it was hard for Anvil to tell whether her silence was due to deep thought or plain shock. There had been plenty of petitions in the cycles since the beginning of the Eternal Night, but none of them had reported anything this serious. It was a disturbing possibility that circumstances might have become so bad for the outlying villages that they were unable to cry for help. Or they might have, but to the wrong ponies. The loyalists.

“You see, this is the princess you now serve,” Hazel Hock said, this time addressing the crowd and the guards, “This isn’t Luna; this is Nightmare Moon. The one who has imprisoned your former ruler – her own sister! – and claimed the throne for herself. She cares not for you, and has no true sense of love. I ask you – where is the love in this Eternal Night of hers? Even now, she refuses to end it even after hearing of the plight of others. Princess Celestia would never have allowed such suffering to continue!”

The murmuring of the crowd increased in volume.

“Princess, if you wish us to silence them, giving the order now would be ideal,” Hammer stated. Anvil and the rest of the guards looked to her for the command, but it didn’t come. Her mouth opened just a little, but no sound came out. She was hesitating.

“Long live Celestia!” Drizzle Sky shouted.

“Long live Celestia!” another pony took up the cry.

A rotten vegetable flew and landed by Luna’s hooves, and then things got truly out of control. One after another, ponies started taking up the chant, though it was hard to tell whether it was because they were all loyalists or just members of the crowd who had been swayed by their speech. Or perhaps some had simply had too much to drink and were participating in what they thought might have been part of the festival. Regardless, the loyalists had effectively riled up a fair lot of ponies against the alicorn. More of them had begun to lob food and dirt at her, so Anvil and his fellows had to stand in the way and deflect or take the hits instead.

“Ah, anytime now, Your Highness,” he said, looking back to Luna.

Her face was impassive, but those eyes of hers were seething. They were starting to glow, and another clap of thunder was heard in the sky above. “Guards, arrest them,” she commanded. “But you two wait here. Keep an eye out – there’s more to this display than mere defiance.”

Hammer whistled sharply, and motioned for the Night Guards to move in and seize the loyalists. All except one, whom Anvil instructed to fly back to the palace to call for assistance from the few veterans left in Luna’s service. There was no telling how many loyalists were in the crowd, or how many of them were battle-worthy, but he was sure that the freshly trained guards right here were likely to be outmatched by the former Royal Guards. Especially since Luna had told him and Hammer to hold back for now.

Night Guards watching from the boundaries of the garden stormed in to help, and they along with the six by Luna’s side dove into the crowd, which broke apart at their approach, leaving the loyalists standing their ground. Anvil counted at least sixteen of them. Sixteen against twenty. Scuffles broke out between them and some over-enthusiastic individuals in the crowd, but his attention was focused on the fights between the loyalists and the Night Guards. Unfortunately, their rawness showed, and in spite of greater numbers, the former recruits were quickly beaten and subdued. Only a few of them managed to put up a proper fight, but it was mostly because they were unicorns, and so had surprised the loyalists with unconventional magic. But there was only so much they could do against those who had the advantage of years of experience. Magic alone wasn’t enough. Before long, all of the Night Guards were pinned to the ground in various undignified positions by their opponents.

“Terrible, just terrible. Are these the best you could come up with?” Hazel Hock muttered with a pointed look at Anvil and Hammer. He then squared his shoulders and hovered above the crowd. “Everfree’s new guards cannot even protect themselves against the old, so how can you expect them to protect its ponies against criminals of the darkness? I tell you – the thievery and banditry are only going to get worse with time.” He then pointed a hoof at Luna. “All under her rule – is that truly what you want?”

“Bite your tongue, loyalist whelp,” the moon princess spat. “You will leave this place now, or suffer my wrath. Whether you like it or not, I am the true ruler of Equestria!”

“And I am… unimpressed,” Hazel deadpanned. Many in the crowd seemed stunned by the impudence of his response, and those who had already put some distance between themselves and the loyalist began to sidle even farther away, whilst others turned their gaze to Luna, expectantly awaiting her retaliation.

Luna’s horn began to crackle with energy, but Anvil quickly said, “He’s goading you, Your Highness. They want you to show violence in front of the crowd.”

“Then you go. Teach them humility,” she snarled. “And don’t be gentle.”

But Anvil hesitated, and so did Hammer, it seemed. There was something off about the way in which the loyalists were going about their business. They were practically setting themselves up for capture – that is, if the recruits had been better trained – or if he and Hammer joined the fray. Not very strategic. They had both easily defeated that number before, and they could do it again.

The loyalists started jeering and hurling more insults their way, but did little else. It appeared that they had no intention of dealing the first blow.

But amidst the crowd, Anvil noticed that some hooded ponies were discreetly ushering the pockets of the festival’s attendees out of the gardens. They were preparing for something, and it was dangerous enough that they were unwilling to risk having a crowd around. Come to think of it, it was strange that they were standing or hovering close to the ground, when practically all of them were capable of combat in flight… Horse apples. Flight. Distraction. They’d been watching the wrong ponies.

“Anvil – up!” he heard his friend’s voice, and there was a whoosh of air as the big pegasus took to the sky. There was enough uncharacteristic urgency in those two words of his that Anvil launched himself into the air without even trying to see what had caught his attention. It wasn’t the most dutiful thing to leave Luna so abruptly, but he was sure that if Hammer thought it necessary, it was for a good reason. As he climbed upwards in the wake of his companion, he searched the skies. Even though there was no shortage of clouds, with the brightness of the moon and stars, there was going little place for a pegasus to hide. At least, not from trained eyes that had been enchanted to suit the night. And then... he saw it – a flashing light too big and inconsistent to be a star. His heart pace quickened when he realised that it was a pegasus flying at exceptional speed – diving down towards Luna on the dais. There was a glowing cone of static energy around him, centred on his outstretched hoof, and sparks of lightning danced around his body and left a trail of white smoke in his wake. And it looked like he had every intention of slamming all of that energy right into the princess. The screeching roar of the pegasus ripping through the air grew as he approached with incredible speed.

It all happened in a few seconds – Hammer had taken to the air first, and so was the first to attempt to stop the rogue pegasus. He tried to tackle the pegasus at an angle to avoid a direct collision, but Anvil saw that he had misjudged the speed at which the pegasus was diving, and missed and was caught up in the turbulence left in his wake. There would be no chance of his friend catching up to the rogue after that.

And now it was his turn. Instead of trying to take the pegasus at an angle, he decided to take the direct approach. There was no time to come up with a strategy or to perform fancy manoeuvres. At that speed, the rogue was unlikely to be able to change direction. All Anvil needed to do was to get in the way... and find out just how durable Luna’s alteration spell had made him. He put on a burst of speed and surged upward. Hayseed, this is going to hurt. He saw a bright flash of lightning as the rapidly approaching pegasus filled his world. He gritted his teeth, and just before the impact, he was treated to the split-second sight of surprise and dismay on the pegasus’ face – those eyes must have been the size of dinner plates, with pupils contracted to pinpricks.

Surprisingly, he didn’t feel a thing. There was only a dull, heavy thump.

* * * * *

The next thing he felt was bone-jarring agony in his forehead, neck, spine, and chest. All of the important parts, as it were. And he was falling, with his face to the sky and his back to the ground – along with the unconscious rogue pegasus, who was in free fall just a few feet above him. Dimly, he realised that it was not a stallion, but a mare, with a yellow coat and pure white mane. Pretty… Up above was the point at which they must have collided – there was an expanding ring of white electricity that was sweeping the clouds away to form a circle of clear night sky, like a giant hole to the heavens. Anvil blinked.

* * * * *

And the ring was suddenly that much farther away. He saw Hammer diving after him, but there was still quite a distance between them… and he was still in free fall. And his helmet was obscuring his view and squeezing his aching skull. With much groaning and whimpering, he managed to pull the dented thing off and let it loose. Then, there was the next matter of not splattering on the ground. After righting himself with a little bit of flailing, he was finally in a position to slow his fall, but his wings were limp and fluttering uselessly in the rushing air. Move, you lazy things! They refused to obey. He could see the ground fast approaching. He blinked.

* * * * *

And the distance to the ground was halved. He could distinctly make out the forms of ponies in a confused panic below – figures rushed here and there, and fights were breaking out. The reinforcements. Finally. He grimaced – the pain was still excruciatingly fresh, and his wings still refused to do anything particularly useful. He blinked again.

* * * * *

And saw the ground rushing up to meet him. Well, this looks familiar. He braced himself for the impact, but instead felt a sudden, rapid deceleration and tight pressure on his body as a blue magical aura enveloped him. Luna. He saw her below, horn aglow and wings beating as she climbed to meet him. A pair of loyalists tried to tackle her, but they were easily repelled by a casual, almost lazy fork of blue lightning.

“Anvil, speak – can you hear me?” she said anxiously.

“Err…”

* * * * *

And he was suddenly lying on his side on the stone dais, with Luna crouching over him. Amidst the sounds of brawling ponies and unicorns casting magic, he could hear Hammer and Hazel Hock shouting commands to their charges. He then realised that he was having fainting spells. He couldn’t remember landing – or taking his armour off.

“Hold on, we will get you back to the palace,” Luna assured.

Anvil tried to say ‘I’m alright’, but all that came out was a croak.

The dark alicorn put a hoof to his mouth. “Rest now; let my healing spell run its course.” Her expression then hardened. “As for the loyalists… they wanted violence, and they shall have it, the foals. It’s time I ended this nonsense.”

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and it began to rain. Anvil shook his head – he was feeling terribly dizzy, but at least the agony had lessened. However, he tensed up again when somepony moaned behind his back. He flipped over to his other side – not without some effort and pain – and saw the unconscious form of the rogue pegasus that had slammed into him. He surmised that Hammer or Luna must have saved her from the fall, too. Amazingly, she appeared to be unhurt, except for a foreleg that was bent at an unnatural angle. Or perhaps it wasn’t that amazing, and he was just delirious. After all, she had been the one flying downwards, and was somewhat protected by the shockwave in front of her. If things had been the other way around and he’d been the one to do what she had done… a broken leg might be the least of her problems. Almost absurdly, he found himself wondering whether this incident was going to ruin Luna’s plan to reveal her enchanted trees. He really did want to see what a whole grove of those would have looked like…

Some seconds later, Anvil stopped trying to move and just let everything flop onto the ground. Mind and thoughts included. He was tired, and for the time being, the stone dais was the most comfortable thing in the world. Sweet Celestia, this floor is amazing. He gave in to the blackness with the crackling sound of lightning in his ears and the taste of rain and dirt on his lolling tongue.

Chapter 4

Night Guards: Chapter 4

“Get up, blockhead; I need you to fend them off!” Luna shouted from the tower.

Anvil groaned and rose to all fours, spitting mud out of his mouth as he did so. He felt scarred with cuts and bruises, and wanted nothing better than to crawl into a dark place and go to sleep. Preferably someplace dry, with plenty of ale at hoof.

But… he was honour-bound to obey his princess. After the Night Festival, the rebels had decided to simply assault the palace, and Anvil and Hammer had been hard pressed to keep them at bay. Or, rather, he was having a difficult time. Glancing upwards, he could see his friend flying back and forth, bashing aside any pegasus who attempted to enter through a window or balcony. Hammer didn’t even seem to be tiring from the exertion. And from her tower, Luna was merrily tossing out lightning bolts at any who dared to come close. He, on the other hoof, was tasked with defending the lower portions of the palace from attack, and had endured quite a pounding from wave after wave of angry pegasi.

More loyalists were approaching, and Anvil spread his wings to take flight. He flapped – once, twice, but nothing happened. He felt so very heavy. He tried again – harder, this time, but the result was the same. His hooves barely lifted from the mud they were caked in.

“Lazy pony, I told you to move!” Luna yelled once more. “Don’t fail me now!”

Anvil gritted his teeth and poured all his remaining strength into getting himself out of the mire that he was in. The mud was ridiculously thick and heavy and sticky, and his wings were having no effect on providing any lift whatsoever. After muttering a frustrated expletive, he looked over to see what the matter was – and felt his jaw drop. His wings were gone, and only a pair of nubs was visible on his back.

“Well, look at that, a pegasus without wings!” a voice hooted from above.

Looking up, Anvil saw the loyalists flying in slow, lazy circles around him. Other snide remarks were made, in addition to one about the dubiousness of his parentage, and the lot of them began to laugh. Some even gathered clumps of thunderclouds and began to stomp some rain down on him. He tried to run away, but found that he was still stuck in the mud.

“Well, that is unfortunate,” Luna said. She was right next to him.

He gaped at her. “Ah… your highness, something’s wrong. It’s – ”

She rolled her eyes as she cut off his words. “Congratulations, you are now an Earth pony, and I’ll have no such ponies in the Guard. You are released from my service.”

“What? But how – ”

She scowled and waved a dismissing hoof at him. “Off with you, now.”

There was a sickeningly squelchy sound at his hooves, and Anvil realised that he was sinking into the ground. He struggled with all his might, shifting his weight from one hoof to another in an attempt to free at least one of them, but to no avail – the mud was relentless. When he was up to his neck, he tried to utter a tacit plea for help, but only succeeded in letting sludge pour down his throat. He began to choke.

* * * * *

Anvil gasped, and awoke to darkness. Or, at least, that was what he initially thought. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, he realised that he was back in the bed of the guest chamber that he’d vacated sometime before. Silver moonlight was pouring in from the balcony and windows, and a statue was standing right next to his bed.

“Bad dreams?” Hammer queried.

“Of a sort,” Anvil confirmed, after thumping a hoof on his head to ensure that he wasn’t still dreaming. Not one of his brightest ideas, though – there was still a dull ache in his skull. Another thought occurred to him, and he hastily checked for the presence of his wings. Thankfully, they were still there; safe and sound, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

“How long?” he asked.

“A night and half again,” his friend replied.

“Only?” He recalled that his injuries were more than simple bruises. He flung off his blanket and gave his body a cursory examination. He then flexed and stretched his limbs and muscles, but found little to complain about apart from a few slightly sore spots and a minor headache. Luna’s healing spell had truly worked wonders on him – he would have expected to have taken weeks to recover, even with his altered body.

“You can thank Luna when we see her,” Hammer stated. “She had been visiting you every few hours, whenever she found the time.”

Anvil remembered the Night Festival, and suddenly sat bolt upright. “What have I missed?”

“Later,” the big pegasus said. “Sleep some more – Luna’s orders.”

Anvil squared his shoulders and put on a petulant face. “Oh, but I feel fine, really. I would hate to keep her waiting on account of my sleep.”

“I could break a leg for you, if that would ease the guilt.”

“You’re almost as bad as the healers, you know,” Anvil moped. “Nopony trusts a patient, not even if he’s the Champion of the Night Guard.” He put on his best woeful face.

Hammer was thoroughly unmoved. “My heart bleeds for you,” he said flatly. Then, making his way towards the door he added, “Luna left for the villages a few hours before this silver moon. She should be back by the time you are ready.”

“Nothing you can tell me, at all?”

His friend shook his head. “It will only keep you up. Now, if you would excuse me, I have to send my condolences to the princess.”

“What happened?”

“You’re back on your hooves.”

Anvil snorted and grudgingly lay back down on the pillows. Even after Hammer had left, he still felt inclined to be a little rebellious. But that was before he started snuggling back into the blanket – the warm softness started lulling him away… Horse apples, I really shouldn’t be getting used to this. Reluctantly and in spite of himself, he began to drift off.

* * * * *

Some hours later, Anvil, Hammer and several royal pages were standing watch on one of the grand balconies, awaiting Luna’s return from her visit to the outlying settlements. It was chilly on the balcony – even through his newly replaced Night Guard armour – the breeze had a distinct bite to it, their breath fogged easily, and once or twice he thought he saw some snowflakes drifting in the wind. And down in the courtyard below, the trees rustled with the wind’s passing, and some of them were beginning to shed their leaves. Bucketsful at a time, it seemed. Far too early for that.

As they waited, he busied himself with digesting the news on events that had transpired whilst he was incapacitated. According to Hammer, once Luna had deigned to join the fight herself, the loyalists were quickly routed, and quite a few of them had been taken prisoner. Amongst those tossed into the dungeon was the rogue pegasus that had knocked him out, and a few other former guards. Unfortunately, none of them appeared to be high-ranking loyalists, and as one they had all refused to yield any knowledge of loyalist hideouts – even with the looming threat of Luna’s anger. If what some of the Night Guards said was true, the moon princess had been substantially less than gentle with her magic in subduing her attackers. Sprained wings and limbs were aplenty, as well as lightning-scorched hides and manes and tails. Somepony even had broken bones – although it was unclear whether it was because of a physical blow or a magical one – the victim had been quite unforthcoming with the details.

Before long, Anvil spotted Luna gliding towards the palace at a leisurely pace, silhouetted against the looming blue moon. All seemed well for a moment, but as she drew nearer, it became apparent that things hadn’t gone very well for her visit. She was silent when she landed, and Anvil noticed that there was frost on the leading edges of her feathers just as she folded her wings.

“Greetings, Your Highness, I trust your journey went well?” one of the pages said.

Luna didn’t seem to hear. In fact, she appeared not to have taken notice of them at all – she wordlessly strode past them without even sparing a glance. Her eyes stared straight ahead, towards the room’s exit, and she made no effort to undo the massive bar that locked it. The double doors glowed blue, and shuddered for a second before the bar cracked and splintered. She then simply barged through the now unlocked doors, trampling over the mangled remains of the bar. Anvil and Hammer exchanged looks and quickly trotted after her, and behind them followed the nervous pages.

They followed her past the royal chambers and the feast hall, through several corridors and down several flights of stairs. Anvil guessed that she was heading for the library, which was her usual haunt since her transformation. Servants along the way made themselves scarce, and in the narrower places, ponies who happened to be in Luna’s intended path made little effort to hide their haste in getting out of her way. Her countenance undoubtedly boded ill for anypony who happened to be an obstruction, whether intentionally or otherwise.

For the most part, nopony said a word, but when they were only a corridor away from the library, one of the royal pages finally found the courage to speak up.

“Your Highness – is there anything we can do to assist you?”

Up till then, Luna had been trotting at a brisk pace with downcast eyes, but at the sound of the page’s voice, she seemed to become more alert. Her neck straightened and she held her chin up once more, and her pace gradually slowed, until she stopped altogether and slowly turned to face them. The page waited patiently – but the sweat beading on his forehead betrayed his discomfort. The silence stretched, but the princess still said nothing, quietly giving each one of them appraising looks. Under that gaze of hers, Anvil felt his own disquietude heightening.

“Yes, I suppose there is something you can do – get out of my sight,” Luna muttered.

“Your Highness?” another page inquired, “There are several matters that require – ”

“Do not make me repeat myself. Away with you!” she snapped. Her pupils were narrowed to slits, her mouth was set in a rather unpleasant downwards curve, and her mane and tail seemed to shift and shimmer with irritation.

The pages immediately stuttered their apologies and hastily backed away, before turning tail and cantering off without looking back. Anvil inclined his head in submission, as did Hammer, and was just about to retreat when the moon princess shook her head and said, “No, wait. You two may stay, if you wish.”

“As you command,” Hammer replied.

Luna snorted. “As you wish; not as I command.” Her expression had already softened somewhat, although the worry lines on her brow were still quite plain for all to see. Then, she seemed to take proper notice of Anvil.

“You look much better tonight,” she said.

Anvil flexed his wings and managed a small grin. “My friend tells me that I have a good caregiver. I owe her much – again.”

Luna remained unsmiling. “Well, it is comforting to know that there is at least something I can manage with any semblance of competence.”

“Ah… Your Highness, what is troubling you?”

She averted her eyes for a moment. “I have been to most of the settlements, and what Hazel Hock has said is true – the farther it is from Everfree, the colder it becomes.” She paused in thought for a moment, then shook her head in disbelief. “It is almost snowing on Equestria’s borders – snowing! It cannot be so soon, not even with night. Something is amiss – this cannot be the fault of my Eternal Night – it cannot be my fault alone!”

“Have you consulted the – ”

Luna promptly cut him off. “The Arcane Academy is no help in this matter. As far as they are concerned, the cold cannot be the work of pegasi or unicorns. And I need no fortune teller to say that many of them believe I am the one to blame – they just dare not say it to my face, the cowards.”

“They were no help at all?” Anvil asked. “Considering how the masters pride themselves on their supposed vast knowledge of magical history…”

“Wild theories and plain nonsense was what I received. Hermit alicorns, unicorn or pegasus prodigies, abominable snowmares… nothing worth listening to. And the more credible ones were highly unlikely.”

Hammer pricked his ears. “What might those have been, Your Highness?”

Luna shook her head and waved a hoof in dismissal. “Never mind – it is not important. I have better things to do than to investigate every old mare’s tale that came out of their mouths. If anything, they were likely just trying to show something for all the time spent in that academy of theirs – or to hide the fact that they so badly wanted to say that I am the one responsible for this unfavourable climate.”

When she was finished, the princess took in a deep breath and sighed heavily. “They also spoke true when they said that the crops were dying – I saw hoarfrost in every field, and not even half of the food grown is remotely edible. There is little time – I must find a way to remedy this, either by counteracting this vile weather with magic, or finding a spell to force trees to produce food regardless of the climate.”

“Perhaps,” Hammer said slowly, “it is time to let it go.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed. “I dislike the direction in which this conversation is heading.”

“The sun would help.”

“I told you – my night is not the cause of this!”

The big pegasus didn’t falter. “That is not in dispute, Your Highness, nor is it the issue. But the fact remains – the sun will help with the cold and the crops, no matter whose fault it is. And the ponies would probably thank you for it.”

“Thank my sister, you mean. The sun is hers, not mine,” the moon princess said sourly. Then, she gave a dry chuckle and added, “Odd that such advice would come from you – what happened to the pony who said it would have been unseemly for me to seek counsel from a guard?”

Hammer kept his eyes level with the alicorn’s. “You raised my position, and thus my responsibilities.”

“For once, I am inclined to agree with him, Your Highness,” Anvil piped up. “Equestria could use the sun’s warmth – even if only for a while.”

Luna shook her head. “No,” she said, and she shook her head again. “No – I will do anything for Equestria, but do not ask that of me. I have stood in the shadow of my sister for ages, receiving only the crumbs of the adoration and love and respect that our subjects blessed her with. Ponies have spent lifetimes basking in the glory of my sister, and shunning my darkness at the same time.” She began to pace. “Can you imagine enduring the fear and unease of an entire generation of ponies? What about ten? – A hundred? To listen to the cries and wails of colts and fillies whenever the lights go out, and to hear their parents hush them by telling stories of friends playing in the summer sun – to see their fears put to rest by the simple lighting of a candle and a promise that the sun would rise with the morn… As if the sun is a cure for the darkness; as if my sister is the cure for my disease.”

Anvil could find nothing to say to that. And his friend was either equally stumped, or he was keeping it to himself. Luna scrunched her eyes shut, as if holding back tears, looked at them miserably, and continued, “I will say this – I will not be the one to light the candle for the crying children. I will not be the one to condemn my own nature. I will not become my sister.”

With each sentence, her voice grew in strength and resolve, and it was with barely suppressed frustration that she cried, “And these loyalists… they flit around spreading fear and dissent – like old mares telling the children tales of monsters in the dark to keep them from staying up late.”

Absent-mindedly, the moon princess grasped a nearby marble statue of a guard pony with her magic, ripped it off its foundations, and brought it hovering at just above her head height. She then looked each of them in the eye and asked, “Do you know what happened when I tried to reassure the farmers that I would do everything in my power to save their livelihoods?”

Her magical aura on the marble statue grew in intensity, and the stone began to shudder and crack.

“They ran from me. The children screamed,” Luna spat.

The statue fractured further and collapsed explosively, and the remnants haphazardly ground together into a mess of jagged marble that was no longer recognisable as a pony. Chips and dust rained to the floor.

“They hid from me in their homes, and the children only screamed louder when I made some light to show them that I was a pony, and that I meant no harm.”

The fragments shuddered, too, and there was the torturous screeching sound of rock being ground and crushed. Fragments that were trapped between larger ones burst into powder, and were then compacted into the hovering mass.

“When I tried to reason with them, the older ones cried ‘Celestia save us!’ and other superstitious drivel.”

The mass of marble fragments compacted even more, until they had all coalesced into a spherical shape. The cracks in its surface retreated and began to fade away, and the entire mass started to shrink as well, grinding and screeching all the way. It was enough to convince Anvil that even rock could scream in agony.

“It was much of the same in every farmstead, and these loyalists are the ones responsible,” Luna intoned, voice suddenly suffused with deadly calm. “They have turned my own subjects against me.” She then let the remains of the statue drop to the floor. It was now a perfect sphere, complete with a glossy, unmarred surface, and it produced a very solid crunch when it hit the floor, which promptly cracked. The dark alicorn eyed it for a moment, then returned her attention to them. “They will not see the sun for a time yet, and they most certainly will not see the wonder of my firelight trees. Once, they might have been given to the ponies of Equestria as a gesture of goodwill, but the loyalists have ensured that it will be seen as an attempt to placate – to pander to the whims of traitors.” Jets of blue smoke blew out from her nostrils. “And I am weary of negotiating with traitors.”

“Err, would it not be best to first – ”

“These traitors call me a tyrant – they do not know the meaning of the word.” Luna levitated the crushed statue once more and rotated it slowly, whilst inspecting it as if it were some precious gem that a jeweller was appraising. She continued, “Well, if they are so convinced that I am one, then perhaps it is time I lived up to their expectations. That little display of ‘violence’ that they saw in the festival was nothing – they have little idea of the restraint I have shown all this time!”

After that last word, she flung the marble sphere off to the side. She had merely turned her head and tilted her horn slightly, without the littlest hint of effort, and yet the solid ball flew as if it was thrown by a giant – it punched a hole clean through several feet of stone wall and flew into the darkness without. Thankfully, the ravine was the only thing on the other side of that wall, and not a place where anypony was likely to be wandering about – otherwise he or she might have had a most unpleasant surprise. Ouch. There was the sound of splintering wood as the ball crushed some trees and a loud splash when it finally bounced into the river.

When Anvil and Hammer said nothing in reply, the moon princess turned her back to them and continued on her way to the library, this time at a much more sedate but deliberate pace. She called out to them, “My research will take some time, and I do not wish to be disturbed. For the time being, you will both be in charge of royal matters – I trust you will know better than to do anything disagreeable or foalish in my absence.”

* * * * *

Attending to royal duties was more tedious than Anvil could ever have imagined. Well, that was not entirely true – he’d stood watch as the princesses themselves carried out their tasks of managing taxes, sealing and maintaining allegiances with noble houses, and listening to the needs of the inhabitants of Equestria. But the difference was that he could always focus on keeping watch instead of actually listening and thinking continuously. This time around, his duty involved listening to a lot of nobles, as well as the mumbled counsel of half a dozen royal advisors. After an hour or so of such tedium, he felt that, were he to be made royalty, he would immediately abdicate without a second thought. On the other hoof, Hammer seemed to take to the task without much complaint – or, at least, none that was visible. He did however seem to be preoccupied with thoughts of his own for most of the time.

When it seemed like the task was never going to end, Anvil was spared from further boredom when one of the Night Guard recruits interrupted an audience by barging into the chamber unannounced. The unicorn seemed somewhat nervous and agitated – he looked quite skittish, and Anvil thought he could see sweat just beneath his helm.

The newcomer bowed his apology to the scandalised duchess present, and briskly saluted Anvil and Hammer. “Apologies for the interruption,” he began, “but there is a matter that needs your immediate attention.” The unicorn then glanced at the others in the chamber and opened his mouth to add something, but seemed to think better of it.

Apparently, Hammer knew a mute request for privacy when he saw one. “Very well,” he said to the guard, then turned to the others and addressed them, “I’m sorry, Duchess Trottingham, but we must continue at another time – unless you would agree to settle the matter with Her Highness’ officials.” “Councillors, if she is so willing, you may listen to her and bring the matter to us when we return.”

So saying, Hammer followed the recruit out of the chambers and into the corridor without. Anvil trotted after them, and once they had shut the doors and the nervous unicorn had ascertained that they were safe from unwanted ears, he advised, “You really should take a moment to settle down before bringing news like that – the house lords get rather nosey and jittery when they are not privy to ill news, and anypony can see that you are less than happy with what you have to tell us. You shouldn’t be sweating like that in this cold.”

The former recruit cleared his throat and replied, “Yes sir.”

“On with it, Cumber,” Hammer said.

At first, Anvil was surprised that the big pegasus was familiar with him, then he recalled that his friend had overseen the training of the recruits. Now that he thought of it, Cumber seemed somewhat more relaxed in Hammer’s presence, although something was obviously still troubling him. The fellow kept shifting his stance, and he didn’t seem to stop sweating.

“It’s Summer Cloud,” Cumber said. “Ripple Dew told me that she has information for you – she’s finally willing to talk.”

“Useful information, I hope,” Hammer replied. “The princess is hardly in a mood for false leads.”

“Err – she said that it was meant for your ears alone.”

“Mine, or Anvil’s?”

“Both of you, sir.”

“Oh?” Hammer’s gaze bored into Cumber’s eyes.

The smaller unicorn bit his lip and added, “Yes, that is all I know. I’m just repeating what I was told.”

Hammer didn’t seem convinced. However, he did say, “That will do; back to your duties, then.”

Cumber saluted and took off with rather more speed than was appropriate. When he was out of earshot, Anvil turned to his friend and inquired, “Quite the interrogator, aren’t you? – was that really necessary? Did he give you trouble in training?”

“Feeble bucks – but that’s not the issue. Something was making him nervous.”

Anvil looked his big friend over and rolled his eyes at that second bit. “Oh, of that, I have no doubt.”

Hammer flicked his tail and shook his head. “No, there is something else – he knows about it, but he is not telling us.”

“Are you certain?”

“We won’t find out by standing here. Time to pay your mare friend a visit.”

Anvil nodded, and they made haste to the dungeon. As they glided on the cold, still air through the corridors, he clarified, “I might add; she’s not a mare friend. Not yet.”

“If you say so.”

* * * * *

The flight down into the dungeon proved uneventful, unless Anvil considered the tension in the air to be something noteworthy – which he did. When Ripple Dew opened the doors for them, he noted that the guard seemed uncharacteristically alert – boredom or casual indifference was usually written on his face instead. Indeed, Hammer and he were actually spared the verbal abuse that was often directed at him whenever he trotted past the cells of the former royal guards, and he highly doubted that it was because of his friend’s presence. Some of the hitherto empty cells had gained occupants since the Night Festival, and he had expected a less than cordial greeting from them as they trotted by. After all, most of the newcomers were swathed in bandages after being gripped and flung around like ragdolls by Luna’s powerful magic. The unluckier ones were sporting scorched, featherless wings as a result of unfriendly encounters with the princess’ lightning bolts.

But regardless, most of the prisoners were strangely silent and attentive – seemingly content to glare at or observe them from the corners of their eyes, as if they were waiting for something to happen. Or perhaps wishing that we would drown in a chamber pot. Inwardly, Anvil wondered if there had been any drastic alterations made to the dungeon’s management that might have produced such a change in their behaviour. He made a mental note to ask Ripple Dew about it later.

When they reached Summer Cloud’s cell, they found the grey unicorn sitting on her haunches expectantly. “Nightmare Moon hasn’t been very reasonable, has she?”

“What do you know of it?” Hammer asked.

Somepony in the next cell snorted, and a new voice muttered, “Enough to tell that she is unlikely to save Equestria anytime soon.”

Anvil started a little, then trotted over to the adjacent cell. His eyebrows shot up when he saw who had spoken. Yellow coat; scruffy, pure white mane; bright green eyes. The rogue pegasus. She was performing cartwheels in the confines of her cell, apparently in the midst of a wing exercise routine. When she caught sight of him standing at the bars, she dropped back onto the floor and blurted, “Oh, it’s you.” She then inspected him, and with a frown, said, “You look quite well for somepony who should be crippled.”

Anvil remembered that aerial feat of hers. It was almost enough to make his bones ache again. “You are an impressive flyer. What’s your name?”

“White Wind. Served under Captain Volley.”

A royal guard. And a former trainee of the Night Guard’s own captain, no less. Her name was unfamiliar, though – she had probably been in the batch of youngsters who had just completed their training prior to Luna’s coup.

“Summer’s told me much about you,” White Wind announced. “And I’m surprised that you aren’t on our side – I would have expected the heroes of Cobbleville to stand up for the ponies of Equestria.”

“You should know that Luna played her own part in saving Cobbleville.” Hammer pointed out. He had also trotted over to White Wind’s cell.

The captive pegasus shrugged. “Except that now she’s the dragon instead of the saviour.”

From her own cell, Summer Cloud added, “The poorest and weakest of Equestria – the ones who need her the most – are not going to receive what they need in time. It won’t be long before the cold and darkness destroys the last of the crops, and then…” there was a slight pause at this point, as if she dreading what she was about to say, “…and then, ponies are going to die. Not trees, not animals. Ponies.”

Anvil was a little torn as to whom he should reply first, but White Wind had apparently picked up on his indecision, for she spread her wings once more and resumed her exercise. As she executed successive barrel rolls whilst remaining stationary in the air, she said, “Don’t mind me. Summer has important words for you, and I’ve taken enough of that time.”

With that settled, they returned to Summer Cloud. “Luna will not let it go that far. Whatever you may have heard, she does still care about ponies,” Anvil said.

“Specifically, she means to care for them her way,” Summer retorted. “Not the way they need, but the way she wants to.” She shook her head, then whispered, “I hope that Celestia can forgive me for saying so, but your Luna is delusional.”

“That’s… quite a strong term.”

“It is apt,” she insisted, staring him straight in the eyes.

As much as Anvil hated to admit it, Summer Cloud’s assertion had some truth in it. Luna was not blind to the reality of the situation, and neither was she evil or delusional, but it had become obvious that she was being very… selective of what she chose to accept. Any solution to Equestria’s troubles that involved either Celestia or the sun was disregarded and completely beyond compromise. It was disturbing to think that she might refuse to resort to those measures until Summer’s prediction came true.

“That’s not what you meant to tell us,” Hammer stated. “There’s a reason you wanted to keep this from the ears of everypony else.”

“You must understand that at least for now, she is not fit to – ”

“Spare us,” the big pegasus interrupted, “What do you propose?”

Summer Cloud seemed genuinely surprised. Anvil suspected that she must have prepared quite the speech in anticipation of resistance from his stoic friend. In fact, he himself had not expected the quickness at which he had asked for her proposal. She blinked once, then twice, then said, “Well, that was – never mind. I would not have thought to convince you so quickly.”

“You haven’t,” Hammer replied. “But something needs to be done, and for the moment I do not care from whom the suggestion comes.”

“Then, I will not waste your time,” the grey mare answered, and she slipped into her teaching demeanour, complete with the slightly speculative tone of voice and light-hearted pacing. “Nightmare Moon – Luna – is not herself at the moment. Unicorns can sometimes experience a phenomenon wherein excessively strong emotions can cause involuntary magical surges and physical transformation. And if the transformation is conducive to further emotional stress, the change can be self-perpetuating.” Here, she paused for breath. “Now, it stands to reason that alicorns can be affected by the same – only on a greater scale.”

“And how are we to change her back?” Hammer asked.

Summer put a hoof to her chin. “In this state, unicorns usually exhaust themselves after a while, but since Luna’s transformation only seems to have made her stronger…” She shook her head. “Regardless – the point is that she is unlikely to recover on her own. Celestia herself was about to restore her, but Luna had anticipated the attempt...”

“The Elements of Harmony,” Anvil concluded.

“Correct.”

“One problem,” he pointed out, “Luna hid them away. And as far as I know, she hasn’t told anyone, nor retrieved them from their hiding place.”

“That is where my plan comes in. I know someone who can find them.”

“This pony must be very enlightened,” Anvil said. “Who and where?”

“Better question,” his friend interjected, “How did you come across such an informant? I doubt this pony is a cell mate, and you have never left this place.”

“I met him before I was caught.”

“And why did he not share the knowledge with you?”

The grey mare frowned. “He had his reasons, and he refused to share those with me, either.”

Hammer seemed to think for a moment before replying. “That will do for now. So where is he?”

“He resides in the lower gardens.”

Anvil recalled that Summer had been wandering about the lower gardens sometime before she had been caught. As far as he knew, there was little down there but the river and some trees and marshy vegetation, unless one counted decorative sculptures, but those could hardly provide much in the way of intelligent conversation. Oh, and there was mud – lots of it. Not a likely place for a pony to live in.

“Must be quite the hermit,” he commented.

“Of a sort,” she replied. “But there is something you should know – I will need to cast a spell on you before you can speak to him.”

“Ah… and what sort of spell would that be?”

They grey unicorn rose to all fours and trotted over to the bars. “Come closer. I think you will be familiar with this one.”

“I’ve heard enough,” Hammer stated. He then turned and began to make his way back to the exit, but Anvil put a hoof on his shoulder and whispered, “Wait.”

“Ten seconds,” his friend offered.

“Well… I trust her… and so should you.”

Hammer blinked. “Is that the best you can do?”

“Ten seconds. What were you expecting?” Anvil retorted. He then sighed and pulled him closer to whisper, “She knows better than to lose our trust at a time like this – I doubt she’d want to have the suffering of others on her conscience if we don’t meet this informant on account of some silly spite on her part. Besides, I’ll go first, and you can decide what to do if she really does try some nonsense on me.”

Hammer nodded, and Anvil trotted back to her cell bars. “Now I’m really curious about this friend of yours,” he said, “Why in the world would your spell be needed to speak to him?”

“He’s not a friend, and he… doesn’t speak.” That was the only explanation she offered before she cast the spell on him.

The wave of nausea was familiar this time, but it only lasted a moment, and the display of lights in his head was tolerably in one ‘corner’ of his mind, instead of all over the place and ‘blinding’ his thoughts like the last two times. He swayed a little, but managed to stay on his hooves and gave Hammer a reassuring grin. When it was the big pegasus’ turn, Anvil was slightly annoyed that his friend showed no sign of discomfort apart from a creased brow, a few rapid blinks and a quick shake of the head. Considering the fact that he had experienced the spell one time more than his friend, it was almost unfair that Hammer seemed to be more used to it than he. He flicked his tail and decided that the thought was not worth pursuing.

“The empathy spell would last only for an hour or two – so it would be best if you went down there immediately. And when you acquire the Elements, you will have to bring them back to me,” Summer advised. “I had studied a reasonable amount of their history as a novice, and I believe that I know enough to provide them with a catalyst spell to begin Luna’s restoration.”

“You seem well prepared,” Hammer commented.

She shrugged. “There is little else to do in this place.”

“Fair enough, but that doesn’t explain how you know so much about what has been happening outside.” The big pegasus then approached her as closely as the bars allowed and added, “And Ripple Dew is under strict orders not to converse with prisoners.”

The unicorn’s eyes widened. “Well, he – he is not the only one in here. The servants do speak amongst themselves when they come to clean up the place…”

“We can worry about servant gossip another time,” Anvil piped up. “For now, I think we have far more interesting things to do.”

His companion seemed inclined to disagree, but dropped the subject anyhow. With that settled, they turned and began to make their way back to the exit. But as they trotted off, Anvil slipped a glance at Summer Cloud from the corner of his eye and spotted her letting loose a little sigh of relief. At first, he thought that she might have been hiding something, but then decided that perhaps she was just plain nervous, since her plan very much amounted to all of them committing treason in Luna’s eyes.

When he stopped at the dungeon’s entrance to ask Ripple Dew about the lack of verbal abuse from the prisoners, the veteran simply chuckled and said, “Hah, they grew weary of it – makes the mouth dry, you see.”

* * * * *

If the chill of the air in the palace was considered uncomfortable, then the dampness from the river and the little waterfalls coming off the cliff simply made the flight into the lower gardens a bleak affair. Droplets of chilly water had formed and clung to Anvil’s wings, and he could feel the wetness slowly seeping into his coat. He’d have quite a time drying off his armour later, lest the metal rust into uselessness.

The lower gardens were often enshrouded in a nearly perpetual fog, and the pale blue light from the glow-worm lanterns that were strapped to their saddles only succeeded in penetrating it slightly – moonlight was practically non-existent down here. Old stone benches and water fountains dotted the area, as a reminder of olden days when the river was young and had not yet carved its way into the gardens. Since then, thick clumps of reeds had grown into the rivulets that had encroached into the garden from the main river. Shrubs and small trees grew on the bits of elevated soil or gravel that were safe from running water, with their trunks and roots mostly covered in a thick layer of crisp, bristly green moss. Frogs sang in the darkness, and somewhere in the fog, beyond the reach of the lamplight, there was the sound of something splashing around in the river.

With a few powerful strokes of their wings, they were able to temporarily clear away a fair portion of the fog – just enough spot the entrance to the cave that Summer Cloud had mentioned. It was a triangular crack in the base of the cliff wall, just about high and wide enough to admit an alicorn with folded wings. They entered it one at a time, with Anvil bringing up the rear, and when he spared a moment to look back outside, the fog had swallowed the garden up once more.

“Somepony must really like his privacy. I doubt he gets many visitors,” Anvil murmured. Beyond the fact that her informant lived here, Summer had refused to volunteer any more details and simply told them that they would know why when they finally saw him.

Hammer grunted his assent.

The inside of the cave was as much as anypony could expect – excessively damp, with a slight reek that reminded one of marsh mud, and a generous helping of grit and filth on the walls. A short tunnel led deeper into the cliff, and it was roughly the same size as the entrance. Strangely enough, the tunnel had a fairly even floor of carved rock, which suggested that it was meant to be accessed by ponies, although it was beyond Anvil why those who made it hadn’t bothered to make the place a little more accommodating whilst they were at it. He inspected the floor closely, and saw that there were three sets of hoofprints in the grime on the floor – one belonging to his companion, and the other two, probably to Summer Cloud when she had first come and gone. When one of his wings brushed against the wall and came away smeared, he quietly groused to himself. Small wonder she needed a bath.

The end of the tunnel opened up into a circular cavern – one large enough for thirty or so ponies to comfortably fit in, and high enough to accommodate a decently sized tree. They no longer needed to walk in single file, and so they stood side by side as they inspected the cave’s interior.

Mushrooms were growing everywhere, and in the centre of the cavern stood a filthy stone object that showed signs of a recent attempt to get it cleaned – there were patterns of remnant grime on its surface where hooves had scraped it all away, in addition to the random hoofprints on the ground at its base. It looked strangely familiar at first, until Anvil realised what it actually was. A long, flexible body. Mismatched appendages. Draconic tail. Stone.

“Well… he’s not a pony,” Anvil declared.

Chapter 6

Night Guards: Chapter 6

So cold…

Anvil would never have imagined that being frozen solid could be such a lucid experience. He could still see, still hear, still think. The first two were significantly dulled, but they were definitely within his capacities. Illumination was still provided by the lamps – although they were probably half buried or encased in ice as well. And he could hear the thumping of his heart; it was unnaturally loud in his ears.

Then, he realised that he wasn’t breathing. Panic rose in his chest, but was quickly replaced by curiosity when he noticed that he didn’t seem to need it – at the moment, anyway. There wasn’t any of the usual burning in the lungs, or the overwhelming urge to start gasping for air. He just… didn’t need to breathe, apparently. But of course, the lack of suffocation didn’t mean that he wasn’t uncomfortable. Aside from the cold that was gradually gnawing into his bones, there was the matter of not being able to blink. Or even move his eyeballs. He was literally staring at the same spot the whole time – with the constant stinging in his eyes and the dreadful feeling that they might shrivel at any moment. If he ever got out of this mess, he would never take blinking for granted ever again.

Speaking of getting out…

He strained against the ice, but nothing happened – that was expected. But the sudden sense of being trapped wasn’t – it was a primal, frantic feeling, however small and far at the back of his mind, that he might not be able to free himself, ever. It was because of the ice – it was almost like being squeezed in the paw of a dragon, and the memory of his near demise in Cobbleville Mine mixed with his entrapment was enough to stir his panic once again. He began to struggle – or tried to. He was so properly frozen that he could not move to gain any momentum – he couldn’t throw his weight around, he couldn’t gain leverage – he was well and truly stuck. His heart began to race.

No! Not like this!

Stupid pony – calm down! Deep breaths… Right, no breathing – he forgot.

Time was running out, though. He might not need to breathe at the moment, but there were other things to worry about – the windigos, for a start. He stilled his mind, and focused on thinking of a way to free himself.

One step at a time. His head had to come free first. Then, his chest. Just one movement, in one direction – flailing around would only waste strength. And it was likely that he would only have one chance at it – he wasn’t sure if he would have the endurance to keep at it for long. Especially since breathing was out of the question.

Once his heart had slowed down a bit, he strained against the ice once more – attempting to bend his neck downwards and curl into a ball to break the icy grip on his chest. He only hoped that the ice was a layer around his body, and not a solid block. Slowly at first, but little by little he began to pour his strength into fighting his crystalline prison. There was a tiny crack – yes! – and he redoubled his efforts.

Don’t celebrate yet, keep at it…

But the seconds wore on, and his strength was dwindling. And although the creaking sounds proved that something was happening, it was still not enough. Anvil couldn’t even tell if any chunks had broken off, or if there were any new cracks and weaknesses in the ice that he could exploit. Horse apples – it’s not going to end this way! He’d had enough – he threw in all of his reserves, ignoring the protests of his burning muscles and pounding heart. He could feel the ice trembling, and a crack streaked across his field of vision like a lightning bolt. More cracks followed, and in his mind, he was roaring with all his might. But… it still wasn’t enough. He could give it no more, and he was still held fast, albeit with the ability to wiggle one foreleg slightly.

Oh, hayseed…

Now he needed to breathe – and couldn’t. His head started to swim, and his sight and hearing became even duller. He started to drift off, with strange throbbing sounds in his mind punctuating each wave of fatigue. It was almost as bad as listening to a noble reciting his lineage… His heartbeat seemed to get louder, though – pounding hard in his chest as if it was trying to snap his ribs. And it seemed to grow more violent by the second, until it was almost like getting bucked in the chest. Wait… He felt a dull thud and heard a loud crack. His mind was too muddled to know why, but he was absurdly happy about that. He felt another impact, and his head shifted slightly to one side. Another two or three followed, and he felt something crumble away from his face and chest.

“Grargh!” Anvil cried, and he suddenly found the strength to break free of the remnants his icy shell. He flailed wildly for a second, shaking off chunks of ice and blowing the offending slurry out of his nostrils and gasping for breath. He then spent the next few moments yawning and blinking gratuitously, and he enjoyed every eye-watering second of it. Blinking – who knew it could be such a pleasure? And the air; it felt surprisingly warm – like standing in the sun, even though he could see that the place was still covered in snow.

“Satisfied?” somepony asked. Anvil sneezed and turned towards the speaker. It turned out to be Hammer. He was panting, and behind him lay the shattered remains of his own prison.

“My thanks,” Anvil mumbled as he scooped up his helmet and donned it. “I could almost kiss you.”

Hammer gave him a look and simply said, “Pass.” He then began to scrabble at the frost and ice on the ground. He was after the glow worm lamps – partially frozen and buried under frost and snow. After catching his breath, Anvil followed suit, and before long they had recovered their only source of light. Thankfully, the lamps seemed to have shielded the worms from harm, and they were glowing as bright as ever.

They exchanged glances, and cautiously made their way into the cavern out of which the windigos had come. Once he was inside, Anvil suddenly became aware of the alarming possibility that the stone door could roll shut and trap them inside – after all, it had opened of its own accord once the magical seal had been removed. He voiced his concern, and they quickened their search. The place was like a tomb – rectangular in shape, with walls of black rock coated in a thin layer of ice. It didn’t take long to see that there was no place to hide anything; the ice was fairly transparent, and there were no tiles, secret hollows or hidden buttons or levers. And worst of all… no Elements of Harmony – just plain, carved rock. It was no hiding place – it was a prison for the windigos, and probably had been all along. Discord had played them for foals.

“The snake lied,” Anvil muttered as they hastily exited the tomb.

“Yes. Very shocking.”

Anvil sneezed. Now that he had been free of the ice for some time, the air was starting to lose the illusion of warmth. And he felt a twinge of guilt when he saw the eight frozen forms of the royal guards, with varying degrees of surprise and alarm written on their faces. It would have been rather comical, if he hadn’t been in the same position a few minutes ago. He trotted up to Hazel Hock and peered at him – he could almost imagine those blue eyes following his movement.

“Should we?” he asked.

Hammer shrugged. “Doesn’t matter – we will, anyway.”

Without further ado, the big pegasus began to pound on one of the frozen guards, beginning with the head and working his way down. Anvil did the same for one of the others. Those they freed first were initially inclined to be suspicious and guarded, but were quickly convinced that freeing their companions was higher on the list of priorities. They could all start fighting again later, if they still felt like it. Breaking ice was tiring work.

One by one, the loyalists were freed – most slumped to the ground with weariness, but Hazel and two others were quite alert after breaking out, albeit a little shaken. Once the last pony was free, Hazel Hock barked an order, and the royal guards surged into formation whilst he darted into the cave. He returned barely a moment later and joined his companions, with an ominous expression on his face. They were seemingly back to where they started – facing off against each other, Night Guards against Royal Guards. Except that this time, half of them were shivering, and it was unclear what exactly they were supposed to be fighting for, if not the now-missing Elements of Harmony. Both sides eyed each other warily, with no pony inclined to make the first move.

This is ridiculous.

“Ah… can we all agree to remain civil for the time being?” When nopony answered, Anvil slumped onto his haunches and waved a hoof lazily. “Fine, if you still intend to capture us, make it quick. I’ll have you know, though; you’re going to have to carry me. I’m too tired to fly.”

“Besides,” he added, when he saw that they were still being stubborn, “I believe we have bigger problems at hoof.”

The floodgates broke. A couple of loyalists thumped down on their haunches as well. Hazel looked outraged at first, but when he had whirled around to give them a tongue lashing, another three of his band were already sitting on their haunches.

“Sorry, sir,” one of them said apologetically, “but the traitor may have the right of it. Those things are headed to Everfree, and we may have to conserve our strength to make it back in time.”

“Windigos…” one of the others muttered, “I never thought I would see one of those in my lifetime. I’ve heard so many stories…”

“Updraft, now is not the time for more of your crazy – ” another loyalist interjected, but was in turn cut off by Hazel Hock.

“Now that we don’t have the Elements, I don’t suppose those stories say anything about defeating them?”

The one called Updraft looked thoughtful. “My nan used to say that they could only be defeated by love and friendship. Laughter and singing would drive them away as sure as fire melts snow.”

Silence followed his words. Everypony stared incredulously at the guard, then at one another. Anvil was certain he knew what was going through their minds. The notion was absurd.

“Laughter.” Hammer said flatly.

“Singing…” Hazel added.

Updraft shrugged. “Tis what I was told. They feed on misery and hate, so the opposite hurts them.”

The two big pegasi shared a look, and both firmly said, “No.”

“Heh, the second one is worth a try,” somepony piped up, “Thunder Gale’s singing is fit to drive a dragon from its hoard.”

Some sniggering followed the remark, and lean pegasus, presumably Thunder Gale, scowled disapprovingly at the culprit. “At least I can sing,” he retorted, “You can’t even carry a tune.” Somepony else laughed at that.

“Focus, everypony!” Hazel barked, but it was already too late. The tension between them had been severed, and his order was only half-acknowledged.

“Can we assume that we have a truce for the time being?” Anvil tentatively inquired.

Hazel gave him a sour look, spared a glance at some of his shivering subordinates, and then grumbled, “Fine, you’ll have your truce – at least until those things are dealt with. After that, I’m tossing you into the nearest dungeon.”

Anvil ignored the threat. “You’ll even call off the coup, I hope?”

“No such luck,” came the reply. “Count yourselves lucky that you’re not worth the effort, for now.”

“Has it not occurred to you that we want the same thing? We want to end this; we want to help bring Luna back.”

The pegasus guard scowled. “Don’t patronise me. Your own words condemn you – Luna is always foremost in your thoughts, isn’t she? Never the ones she is harming.” He shook his head. “Equestria is having its rightful ruler back, and it will not be on your terms.”

“It appears that it might not be on yours, either. The statue’s already had half his way with this mess.”

Hazel froze, then fixed him a suspicious look. “Statue?”

“You know; the spirit of chaos and disharmony.”

More blank staring, and this time the other guards were doing it too.

“As in, Discord?” Anvil suggested, with a raised eyebrow.

“I fail to see the relevance of the draconequus. It’s a statue.”

“Err…” he could find nothing to say to that. Summer Cloud is playing games of her own, it seems. And he could see it in Hazel’s eyes – the loyalist thought him a liar.

Hazel backed away a little, and without breaking eye contact, addressed his subordinates, “Back to the palace – go.”

“Wisest thing you’ve said all night,” Hammer replied, and broke into a gallop for the exit. Anvil scrambled after him, and just a split second later, he heard the thundering hooves of pursuit. He spared a glance back, and was dismayed to see Hazel and the others rapidly gaining on them. It appeared that they were going to have themselves another scuffle – one second, Hazel was a tail length away, slightly off to the side; the next, he was within biting distance, and after that… the big guard was galloping beside him. And it was then that he realised it wasn’t a pursuit; it was a race – a race home to Everfree.

* * * * *

Being buffeted around by arctic winds was not on Anvil’s list of enjoyable pastimes. The moment he had left the protection afforded by the gap, the veritable blizzard without had nearly smashed him back into the face of the mountain. As it turned out, the wind had picked him up like a ragdoll and flung him into the nearest cluster of pines, and he’d emerged only after receiving a sound whipping from the skeletal branches. Heh, what’s a few more bruises and scratches? The others had also been taken by surprise – there were cries of alarm, but as far as he could tell, all were able to adjust accordingly to the new turbulence, for they were soon all visible once more, battling the storm in formation. Small blessings – can’t have too many of those these days. He did not relish the thought of having to haul any injured pony all the way home.

As much as Anvil would have liked to outdistance the loyalists on the race home, it seemed that their paces were evenly matched – aggravatingly so. If one group tried to outfly the other, the extra burst of speed would be so costly that the lagging party only needed to wait for the inevitable exhaustion in order to catch up. Such attempts had been made several times, but in the end, everypony had made an unspoken agreement to conserve their energy and fly steadily. At least, as evenly as their consciences allowed – the windigos had had a substantial head start on them, and ponies’ lives were at stake.

After an hour of urgent flight, Anvil had seen all he needed to conclude that embarking on the draconequus’ little ‘quest’ was amongst the least commendable things he’d ever done. The sky was roaring with the force of the blizzard, and the land was blanketed in a layer of snow that shone a pale blue in what little moonlight had made it through the clouds. Every now and then, coming from somewhere in the distance, he could hear the eerie shrieks and howls of the winter spirits as they wreaked havoc with Equestria’s weather. He thought he even saw them at times, whirling and dancing around in the storm, taunting him and his companions.

Once they were over settled land once more, they dropped lower to the ground, trading speed for a better view of the towns and villages below. It was not encouraging. Each and every one they spotted was practically buried in snow, and only the ones with larger buildings had any sign of inhabitants. The rest had half-faded tracks to mark the passage of ponies that had retreated to more sheltered places like caves or thick groves after their homes had been wrecked by the roaring winds. Hazel Hock shouted an order, and four of the loyalists broke away from their group and angled off in various directions. Anvil had been too far away and the wind too loud for him to make out the exact words, but he surmised that those four had been told to either render assistance to the ponies below, or to get help from wherever the rest of the loyalists were hiding.

He did feel guilty for not doing the same for the villagers, and was almost disgusted by his quickness to take solace in the reality that there weren’t enough of them, loyalist or otherwise, to help all of the settlements at once – they would be better served if Luna was swiftly alerted to the threat in order to deal with the windigos. However, it appeared that the spirits were more interested in shaping the landscape to their own chilly designs than in securing their newfound freedom – as they drew closer to Everfree, he could see that they were taking their sweet time circling the lands and spreading the blizzard in their wake. It was as if they weren’t even aware that they were former prisoners, and that their efforts at redecoration were soon to draw the attention of those who might have the power to bind them once more. At least, Anvil hoped that ignorance was the case – indifference implied that nothing could be a threat to them… and that was not a comforting thought.

Still, it was inevitable that the windigos would reach Everfree, and by the time Anvil and the others had the city in sight, the spirits were already spiralling around its outer reaches, raining snow and hail down upon its inhabitants, and each cycle brought them closer to the palace at its centre. The loyalists surged forward, and Anvil and Hammer pumped their wings to match their pace. Hammer broke off towards the library, whilst Anvil tailed Hazel who was heading to the old barracks, and presumably the dungeon beneath it. As irksome as it was, he could not follow the other three loyalists who had split up and gone to various sections of the palace.

Anvil had no way of knowing if the coup had already begun, but on the off chance that it hadn’t yet, alerting the rest of the Night Guards was a good place to start. He saw the great doors of the barracks swing open to admit Hazel, and nearly sprained his wings braking when a dozen other pegasi and unicorns poured out – they did not look friendly. He slowed to stalling speed and dropped like a rock, narrowly missing a tackle from one of the pegasus loyalists. He swung around and dodged another two more attempts, and then beat his wings for all he was worth, making a frantic dash for the nearest balcony. There was a buzzing sensation in his hindquarters, immediately followed by a rapid deceleration. Anvil looked down and saw his body half-enveloped in a multi-coloured aura. Unicorns. He thrashed in mid-air, and felt the hold on him loosen. He grunted and thrashed some more, until only his tail was caught in the magical grip. One final jerk and a mighty beat of his wings, and he was free – at the cost of half of the hair on his tail. Barely a second later, he heard somepony rapidly approaching from behind, and bucked out wildly. He felt his hooves connect, but dared not look back. Instead, he plunged forward and crashed through a stained glass window. The loyalists did not follow, but the sounds of intelligible curses and shouted orders did.

Luckily for him, he had crashed into the grand ballroom, which was at the moment unlit and unoccupied. Horse apples. The coup had already begun. And at the barracks, he’d spied a couple of ponies in the throng who had been wearing Night Guard armour. After catching his breath and checking that the glass cuts were fairly shallow, he discarded his lamps and cautiously opened the doors, flying as quickly and silently as he could towards the royal library, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. He couldn’t avoid being seen altogether, though, but at least the servants who did see him discreetly kept out of his way. In the wing above the library, he found two Night Guards making their rounds. Peering round a corner, he identified them as Flicker and Tailwind – former recruits; unicorn and pegasus. They looked especially bored – hardly the sort of behaviour that ponies in the midst of treason were likely to exhibit. Unless they were really good actors, but that was doubtful. He slipped out of the shadows and flitted over.

“Wha – oh, err, greetings, sir.” The unicorn and pegasus immediately straightened up when they caught sight of him. Good, they’re not overly surprised.

“Where’s Captain Volley?” Anvil demanded.

“Isn’t he in the old barracks? I heard that the officers were all summoned there,” Flicker answered.

“Err… and weren’t you the one who summoned them?” Tailwind looked somewhat confused.

Hayseed. “Go find any others who aren’t attending. Tell them to gather in the library, or to remain with the princess if they find her anywhere else.”

“Sir? What are we to tell them?”

“That Princess Luna commands it. And be on your guard; there are enemies in our midst – if anypony redirects you to the barracks, say yes, but do not go there. I cannot say more here. Go!”

The two guards saluted and sped off, leaving Anvil to wonder whether he had taken an unnecessarily big risk. Still, he judged those two clever enough to recognise trouble if they saw it. Without further delay, he spiralled down the stairwell to the library, wondering just how exactly he was supposed to explain everything to Luna. However, his thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sounds of a brawl down below. Stupid pony – stop dreaming and watch where you’re going. There was a resounding thud and a muffled groan, followed by silence. When Anvil reached the bottom of the stairwell, he found Hammer standing over the battered body of an unconscious pegasus in Night Guard armour. The notched right ear gave him away, though. Drizzle Sky.

“Lucky find,” Hammer commented.

“He wouldn’t think so,” Anvil replied.

“Why are you here? Where are the others?” the big pegasus inquired as they proceeded with rolling Drizzle up in a convenient nearby tapestry.

“They’ve taken the barracks.”

His companion frowned. “How many?”

“Ah… all of them, I believe.”

The hallway to the library bore marks from Hammer’s struggle with Drizzle Sky, who had apparently been ‘guarding’ the doors. Torches had been knocked from their sconces, tapestries had been dislodged, and the carpet that stretched the length of the corridor was torn in several places. As they raced to the doors, Anvil’s eyes flitted to the hole in the outer wall, through which Luna had smashed the marble statue not half a night ago. He ground his teeth. I hope she’s in a listening mood.

After cautiously pushing the doors open, they found the library shrouded in darkness. Thick curtains had been draped over the grand clerestory windows, and it appeared that all of the candles had long since gone out and remained un-replaced. It didn’t take them long to find the princess, though. A little ways in, light was spilling out of the arcane arts wing, and they saw the dark silhouette of the alicorn slumped over a pile of books on the floor. There were puddles of wax beneath the candle stands, but the enchanted trees all around provided all the light they needed. They rushed to Luna’s side, but found that she was only asleep, snoring gently.

She proved to be a light sleeper, though, for she woke at the slightest touch. “What is it? I told you; no pony is to – ” she began irritably, but started and sat bolt-upright when she realised who had woken her. “You – where have you been?”

Where should I start?

Hammer brushed past him and said, “We’re short on time, Your Highness – Everfree is in danger.”

Luna looked as if she would have liked to give them a more thorough tongue lashing, but relented anyway. “Very well – speak,” she commanded.

But before they could say more, a tentative “Hello, is anypony here?” rang out from the darkness of the library. A moment later, a band of two dozen or so night guards cantered into the yellow light. Flicker was leading them, and he paused to bow to the dark alicorn before panting, “All we could find, sirs. Some… the others went to the barracks. Couldn’t stop them.” Anvil noted that those present were mostly recruits. He recognised only two or three veterans.

“I require answers – ” Luna began, with a most severe expression.

As if on cue, the otherworldly shrieks of the windigos pierced through the stillness of the library, un-muffled by the thick curtains over the windows. Some of the night guards looked quite unnerved, whilst the moon princess was staring out one of the bare windows. “ – a lot of them,” she finished, distractedly. She then snapped out her reverie and gave Anvil an expectant look.

“Windigos, Your Highness,” he supplied.

“This… this explains much.” Luna began to pace, excitement visibly growing. “The cold, the crops… everything.” She paused, then added with a frown, “And raises many questions as well…”

“There’s one other thing. Hazel – ” Anvil didn’t hear the rest of Hammer’s words. They were drowned out by the sound of a hundred glass windows shattering, followed by the howl of the wind as snow and ice poured into the library. Shelves and thousands of books crashed to the floor, adding to the chaos. Instinctively, everypony huddled together and braced themselves against the indoor blizzard. When things had died down a little, everything was covered in frost.

Princess Luna shook herself and glared out the nearest window. More shrieks came from without, and one of the shimmering spirits streaked past, leaving a glittering, frosty stream of mist in its wake. She then turned to all of them and said, “Night Guards, evacuate the palace – I want no pony unskilled in combat to be anywhere near this place.” “And you,” she added, focusing on Anvil and Hammer, “We will speak more, later. We have an axe to grind.”

“Wait – ” Anvil began, but then the world exploded in a flash of light.

A split second of nothingness – and the world exploded again, back into existence. Anvil blinked and shook his head. Never liked teleporting. Hammer and Luna were by his side, together with four unicorn night guards who looked as if they couldn’t quite decide whether to be proud or worried that they were hoof-picked by the princess to fight alongside her. They were atop the palace’s highest turret, opposite to the ruined Tower of Harmony. Black clouds hung churning over the outskirts of Everfree, swollen and infused with hail and flashes of lightning, but the sky directly above the city was clear and starless, with the full moon right at its centre – a cold, blue sphere in the eye of the storm. And up above, galloping on thin air, were the three howling winter spirits. Dark spots were coalescing in the air between them, growing larger by the second. Anvil squinted. They look like – oh, hayseed.

Melon-sized hailstones fell screaming towards them. Anvil crouched and sprang to the side to avoid being brained, but the icy chunks never hit the floor. Instead, they shattered harmlessly against the translucent bluish dome that Luna had conjured over them. The shield vanished, and they were showered with frost.

“Winter Spirits,” Luna thundered, voice amplified with magic, “I am going to count to three, and you had best be gone when I am finished. If one of you so much as sprinkles another snowflake on my land, I’m going to make you rue the day you first drew breath.”

The windigos ignored her and continued to gallop in a great circle, high above.

“One.”

The spirits carried on. Anvil felt a chill creeping up his legs, and started violently when he realised that it was ice. The floor was frozen, and his hooves were stuck. Hayseed, not again! He hurriedly wrenched one hoof away. One of the unicorns swore.

“Two.”

The ice continued to spread. Luna’s frown deepened, and her horn began to glow. A second later, Anvil felt warmth emanating from the floor, and sighed as the ice melted away. His unicorn companions seemed equally relieved. When he glanced upwards, the windigos were no longer galloping. They’d drifted much closer to the turret and were silently observing them, barely a hundred feet away.

“Three,” Luna breathed. The windigos shrieked in defiance, and blew forth a howling blast of frigid air that glittered with ice crystals. Anvil flinched, but only felt a shower of warm water. He blinked and shook droplets of water off his wings.

Steam was coming off the dark alicorn’s horn, and she was grinning at the winter spirits. “I have been idle for too long; I’ll take great pleasure in teaching you a lesson.” She then spread her wings and said, “Hammer, Anvil; with me – we’re going to play a little game.” “And you,” she added with a sidelong glance to the unicorns, “I want barriers for my champions – strong ones.” With that said, she sprang into the air.

Anvil took to the sky after her, and felt static in the air as a translucent sphere materialised around him. Through the corner of his eye, he spied Hammer surrounded in a similar sphere of a different hue. As they gained height, the windigos let loose another blast of frost, and Anvil couldn’t help cringing as he watched pointy shards of ice bursting into white powder on the magical shield, just inches from his face. Please don’t break, please don’t break… A moment later, the air ahead of him was clear once more, and he saw Luna retaliate with a bolt of lightning. It struck one spirit squarely in the face, and the other two scattered when it screamed its fury.

Anvil saw an opportunity, and took it. He surged upwards and tumbled to deliver a blow with his hind hooves. The lack of resistance so surprised him that he nearly stalled – there was a splash of coldness, and suddenly he was on the other side of the windigo, and chilled to the bone.

This… this complicates things.

* * * * *

The world was a blur. Anvil couldn’t remember how long they’d been fighting in the air. Dodge, buck, drop, rise, dodge again… His barrier had long since been whittled away, and Luna had ordered the exhausted unicorns to retreat, lest they collapse entirely. Hurting the windigos was difficult enough without adding unconscious unicorns into the mix.

The spirits were more spirit-like than previously thought, and could not be harmed by physical blows – it was like bucking thin air. Cold air. In response, Luna had tossed another enchantment on them – their hooves now crackled with purple electricity, and they were finally able to do some damage. That is, if blackening their hides a little counted as damage. The spirits were still as fast and energetic as ever, despite the blows that they successfully landed. Anvil could see no end to the aerial battle any time soon. It was dragging on and on and on.

Luna had realised it too, and was growing reckless. She flew aggressively, focusing on one particular spirit in the hopes of wearing it down, throwing bolt after bolt of lightning at it. And the other two were taking advantage of her single-mindedness; they had her flanked, and it fell to Anvil and his friend to constantly harry them and prevent them from properly ambushing the moon princess.

Weave in, weave out – dodge, buck, drop, rise… It was almost becoming like a dance routine. A long, tiring one.

But then… somepony broke the routine. The leading windigo suddenly accelerated upwards at a sharp angle, and Luna matched the manoeuvre perfectly. Anvil and Hammer… not so much – they could not react so quickly.

But the other windigos could – and did. They stormed past Anvil, right up to the moon princess who had not yet realised that there was nopony left to guard her back. One charged from behind, and her decision to conserve magic by maintaining a barrier only in her front turned out to be a mistake. The windigo formed an icy boulder with its breath and bludgeoned the dark alicorn – her barrier flickered for a second before it disappeared entirely. The crackling enchantment on Anvil’s hooves fizzled out, too. Unprotected, the moon princess was then caught in the middle of three cone-shaped blasts of freezing breath, and Anvil and Hammer were too far away to help. Luna fell from the sky, encased in a huge ball of crystalline ice. And it was heading right his way – he barely had enough time to swerve aside, and could only watch in morbid fascination as the frozen mass crashed right through the roof of the Great Hall. A large cloud of dust rose from the crater as tiles and masonry tumbled in. Half a moment later, Anvil felt a chilling whoosh of air as the three windigos surged past him and into the ruined Great Hall. They had completely ignored him and his companion.

Anvil followed them in, but dared not engage. Instead, he merely darted off to the side and watched from behind the pillars. Even Hammer did the same – not the most chivalrous thing in the world, but it had become obvious that they could do little harm to the spirits without Luna’s help. So, they watched.

The windigos circled in the air above the cracked mass of ice, oblivious to the debris raining from the shattered roof above. They continued to breathe blast upon blast of frost on the trapped alicorn, and the ball grew and grew… until it practically a mountain of jagged, glassy ice, almost reaching to the broken vaulted ceiling. It was only then that the windigos calmed down, and they began to hover serenely over the mound, whispering to themselves in little gusts as if they were contemplating the merits of a fine work of art.

There was no sign of Luna. Anvil waited, but as the seconds passed, there wasn’t so much as a flicker of light from within. There was so much ice… he couldn’t imagine what it must be like to have the weight of a mountain bearing down upon her.

Sweet Celestia… no… Anvil was never one to be prone to rage, but at that moment, he felt a stirring in his heart; a fiery heat coursing through his veins; a redness colouring his vision – he wanted to hurt somepony, and the three winter spirits were right there, mocking him with their casual indifference, gloating over their success. He found strength in a place he never knew he had.

“Anvil…” Hammer warned.

“Spare me,” he growled back. He didn’t care if he got himself in a fix again; he just wanted to make the spirits sorry for what they’d done – even if it meant kicking and screaming in their faces until he was just another ice cube in the blizzard. He flew out of cover, with one hoof pointed forward, feeling the build-up of static energy as he gained speed. The windigos took notice and breathed at him. When he felt ice crusting over his body, he vehemently thrashed in mid-air and felt a rush of elation when the ice crumbled away. Not this time, you little hayseed. He roared in defiance as he shrugged off another blast, seething from within, and felt a satisfying crack of electricity when he slammed all his built-up static energy into the windigo. He angled off to make another round, but a spiky cluster of ice suddenly erupted from the ground, and he ploughed right into it – smashing the thing into a hundred fragments. The pieces rained on the floor as he spun out of control and crashed head-first into a pillar. He saw more stars than he could count. You really like doing this, don’t you?

Dazed and bleeding, Anvil struggled to his hooves, turned around, and found himself face to face with one of the windigos. Behind it, he spied Hammer harassing the other two – dodging their breaths and bucking debris at them in turn. The spirit in front of him snorted, and he returned his attention to it, noting with a tickle of amusement that there was a tiny scorch mark on its side, and a fresh one at that – it was still smoking. Not quite as good as Luna’s magic, but still… “Got you,” he wheezed. He threw an insolent grin at the windigo, and spat out a broken tooth onto the floor beneath its fore hooves. He then took off his helmet and flung it into the spirit’s face. It passed right through, and clattered off somewhere behind. The windigo didn’t even blink. It only rumbled softly and drew breath. Anvil closed his eyes.

Instead of the blast he’d expected, he heard a deep crack. He opened his eyes, and saw the windigo with its face turned towards the ice mound, hoofing at the ground nervously. The others were similarly distracted, and he saw Hammer taking the opportunity to get behind cover once more – his armour was covered in icicles, and one wing was bent at an unusual angle.

He heard another crack, followed by a rumble. Luna. There was a light coming from the depths of the mound, flashing a bright, angry purple. He felt his grin slowly return. Massive fractures appeared on the surface, and the whole thing began to shudder. And just then, it occurred to him that standing around like a simpleton was an absolutely brilliant idea. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? Stupid pony, move! He was just about to duck behind a pillar when a concussive wall of air slammed into has back, followed by sharp, bruising shards. He was thrown forward and buried under a pile of icy debris. He came up coughing and spluttering, and when he turned to the remains of the mound, he had to lift a hoof to shield his eyes from Luna’s radiant form. The aura around her faded after a moment, but lightning continued to crackle in her eyes. She raised her horn skyward, and a silver beam of light shone down from the moon above.

For a moment, all was quiet – even the windigos seemed mildly curious. Luna stood still as a statue, staring at the moon. Anvil squinted – things were twinkling in the moonbeam – high up, but they were drawing closer. A faint whistling became audible, and it grew until it became a high-pitched, fireworks-like screech. His heart leapt when he saw the twinkling things transform into six little falling stars – each with glittering trails of a different colour. So that’s where she’s been keeping them. At the same moment, the windigos seemed to have realised what was in store for them, for they screeched and began to pelt the dark alicorn with ice shards and frosty wind. Luna ignored them all – their attacks simply bounced off the newly conjured barrier around her. In the aftermath, there was a substantial snowdrift in a ring around her, and the Elements of Harmony whipped down in a rapid series of fwip-fwip-fwips. Once at shoulder level, the brightly coloured crystals began to circle around her, shining brightly.

And for the first time, Anvil saw worry written on the windigos’ faces. The moon princess gave them a toothy grin. “My turn,” she said with great relish. Anvil couldn’t recall Luna having teeth that sharp…

There was a bright flash – and Luna was engulfed in a cloud of purple mist that closely resembled the appearance of her mane. Anvil glanced around, expecting her to reappear and ambush the spirits, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the mist reached out with three smoky tendrils and wrapped around the ghostly forms of the windigos. They shrieked in alarm. He could see them struggling in the grip of the misty cloud, and steam was coming off them wherever they were in contact with it. One of them broke free and spat icicles into the centre of the mist, but the cloud simply contorted and opened up an empty space in the middle. The icicles shattered harmlessly on the stone floor. That’s… new. Anvil realised that Luna wasn’t hiding in the purple mist – she was the mist.

A second later, the mist contracted and coalesced back into the dark alicorn, along with the six Elements of Harmony. She was chuckling gleefully. “Like it?” she mocked, “Well, have some more.” Purple lightning forked from her horn and struck each windigo. The nearest spirit was thrown against a wall, and the impact left a circular spatter of frost on the masonry. Another was smashed out a glass window, and the last was blasted backwards into the sky. There was a panicked shriek which grew fainter by the second – it seemed that the one thrown out the window had had enough, and was beating a hasty retreat. The other two weren’t quite ready to give up, though. They encircled Luna, and attempted to freeze her once again. She merely huffed and conjured a barrier that rapidly expanded into a concussive sphere of force, thrusting back anything that wasn’t nailed down. Anvil received a face-ful of frost and was thrown off his hooves.

“Get. Out. Of. My. Home!” Luna roared – each word was punctuated by a crack of thunder, and each crack came with a searing bolt that lashed the windigos. One spirit fled through the hole in the roof, screeching in pain. But the other, the one that had been smashed into the wall, tried to flee through the doors to the Great Hall. It turned out to be a mistake. Luna transformed back into mist and reached for the spirit with massive claws. The windigo failed to avoid her. There was a hissing sound, like water landing on searing-hot metal, and steam began to come off the windigo in clouds. Anvil shifted uncomfortably as he watched it struggle in Luna’s grasp – she refused to let go. And then… it began to scream. It was unlike any sound that he’d heard before – a piteous howl that made his heart shrink and his resolve falter. A few minutes ago, he would have been quite eager to torture the spirit himself, but now that he was witnessing it… He wanted nothing more than to cover his ears and shut out the terrible noise. The spirit couldn’t even scream properly from the pain – its cry was frequently interrupted by irregular gasps and choking noises.

He gritted his teeth. This… this is wrong.

“Your Highness!” he cried. The cloud that was Luna appeared to have heard him, but instead of releasing the windigo, it raised the misty arm and ground it into the floor. It then reverted to Luna, who stood tall over the now withered form of the winter spirit. Electricity crackled on her horn, and she began to lower it…

“Your Highness, you have defeated them – perhaps that is enough.” Hammer appeared from behind a pillar, limping slightly. “Besides,” he added, pointing a hoof up, “you have an audience.”

Anvil followed the direction of his hoof, and groaned inwardly when he saw faces peering over the edge of the broken ceiling. Wonderful – now they choose to make an appearance. Even before he’d finished thinking, the doors burst open, and more loyalists in royal guard armour poured into the room. There must have been over fifty of them, and amongst their ranks were a few night guards.

Luna’s eyes darted around wildly, and then she growled, “What is the meaning of this?” She stomped a hoof, and the impact sent a resounding boom throughout the palace. “Guards!” she thundered.

“They cannot help you now.” Hazel Hock trotted forward. “Your guards have been arrested for treason against the crown. Even as we speak, they are being sent to the dungeons.”

Luna didn’t seem to hear. “Don’t just stand there, foals, do your duty!” she snapped at those garbed in dark armour.

“They’re not yours, Nightmare Moon – they never were.”

That seemed to get her attention. She was dumbstruck, and she began to stare at one guard after another, as if she had just only noticed their presence. The windigo was momentarily forgotten, but it did not move from its place – it simply lay there with its chest heaving slowly. Luna grew increasingly agitated.

“To me,” she said.

“Your Highness…”

Luna threw him a look. It was… difficult to read. Was that hurt he saw in those eyes? Or was it anger? Maybe a mixture of both. He sighed and mentally hung his head. Until my liege release me... coward. He flitted to her side, and Hammer limped over a few seconds after. They were surrounded.

“My own guards…” she said stiffly, as she surveyed their opponents. “There will be no mercy for traitors.” The glow on her horn intensified, and the loyalists tensed for combat. Anvil grimaced. Where does it end?

“Enough,” somepony whispered. It was softly spoken, but it carried on the air as well as any shout, echoing throughout the ruined Great Hall.

Anvil knew that voice. So did Luna – the energy around her horn guttered out, and she exhaled slowly and deliberately, staring straight past the line of loyalists before them. A radiant figure trotted forward, and the throng parted as she approached. Her hooves and horn were like hot embers, her mane like calm, smokeless flames – but her eyes were sad.

“That is enough, Luna,” Princess Celestia whispered.

Chapter 7

Night Guards: Chapter 7

“That is enough, Luna,” Princess Celestia whispered.

“You…” the moon princess seemed at a loss for words. Her lips moved, but no sounds came out. She spun round, took in the faces of the ponies surrounding her, and turned back to the sun princess. “Ripple Dew was one of yours, wasn’t he?” she accused, “Your little pawns have been very busy tonight.” The Elements of Harmony shimmered, and her horn’s magic re-ignited.

“Guards, you had best leave, now,” the white alicorn intoned. “My sister and I have unfinished business to conclude.”

Luna snorted. “Yes, guards, by all means.” She looked at each one in turn, and her glances lingered longest on those still wearing dark armour. “I am so disappointed in all of you…” Lightning crackled on her horn.

Celestia stepped forward. “No. I do not care whose side they are on – you will not draw any other pony into our quarrel. There has been enough suffering already.”

The dark alicorn offered her a twisted smile. “A duel, again? You might recall that our last battle went rather poorly for you.” She tossed her mane and added, “And this time, I have the Elements of Harmony.”

“We might both be able to use their power,” Celestia conceded, “but ever since that night, you heart has been anything but in harmony.” She tilted her horn forward, and a golden aura enveloped the coloured crystals, right before they flitted over from the dark alicorn to her own side. When she saw Luna’s surprise, she shook her head and added, “They have only one steward now, not two.”

Luna’s mane writhed and shimmered angrily. Anvil had the impression that it was itching to strangle something. “You will need more than a few pretty gemstones to stop me,” she snarled. “The next time we meet, numbers and magic will not be in your favour.”

Her horn glowed brightly, and Anvil felt the weightlessness that precedes teleportation. A flash of light, then darkness, followed by what felt like a load of bricks being dropped on his head. When the world exploded back into existence, it was spinning, and once he’d taken a moment to quell his churning stomach, he realised that they were still in the Great Hall.

Well… horse apples.

Just then, there was the rapid clip clop of hooves, and an out-of-breath Summer Cloud came galloping from down the corridor and skidded to a halt by Princess Celestia’s side. “It… it is done, Your Highness,” she panted.

“What has been done?” Luna demanded. She was still reeling from her failed spell. Her horn was smoking, and her coat looked like it had been dragged through a bramble bush.

“I have had the palace warded against teleportation,” the sun princess explained. “No pony comes or goes.”

One of Luna’s ears twitched. “Summer Cloud, you little rat, I should have had you banished when I had the chance!” The grey unicorn didn’t answer, but neither did she avert her eyes. She just looked… regretful, but she also seemed resolute.

Luna spun round, but they were surrounded. She looked up, and saw just as many loyalists hovering above the hole in the wrecked ceiling, blocking any escape. Anvil saw her mouth tighten – she was going to do it; she was going to fight. She spread her wings, and the aura on her horn, which had been somewhat passive after the failed spell, crackled and spat purple sparks. The loyalists readied themselves, but Celestia did not. In fact, she was merely gazing pointedly at him and Hammer. Summer was doing the same.

Ah… hayseed. He knew what that look meant.

“Your Highness…” Anvil put a hoof on Luna’s shoulder. She started and her flesh twitched at his touch, and he realised just how tense she was at the moment. “Perhaps… perhaps it is time to let go.”

Luna’s eyes narrowed, but she did not take them off her sister. “I do not follow.”

“This is not a battle we can win,” Hammer clarified.

Celestia added, “Luna, I know that deep down, you still have Equestria’s best interests at heart. But you cannot help your subjects when your heart is so choked with turmoil, when your judgment is so clouded by resentment.” She sighed. “Please, I ask this of you – let me use the Elements to undo your transformation. It is very much like a splinter in your wound – the wound in your heart. You cannot heal unless it is removed.”

“And you…” Luna said in an undertone, turning to Anvil and Hammer, “you would both agree with her?”

“If it matters to you, then my answer is yes,” Hammer said simply. “And if not; your subjects would still best be served by agreeing to this.”

“I feel the same, Your Highness. Equestria has been through enough – it must end here.”

Celestia nodded. “They speak true, sister. And it will be easier and quicker if you do not fight it. Will you let me help you?”

They waited. The dark alicorn folded her wings, closed her eyes, drew in a long breath, and released it slowly. Her horn’s aura faded, and her mane stopped writhing. Then, she opened her eyes – there were wet with tears.

“No,” Luna whispered.

Silence followed.

“No,” she repeated, louder and longer.

Some ponies began to back away slowly.

“No!” she howled. “I am not some disease to be cured; I am not an ailment to be remedied – I am your sister, your other half! I will not suffer the humiliation of submitting to you again!”

Movement caught Anvil’s eye – the windigo. For every word Luna spoke, it seemed to grow more alert, less feeble.

Princess Celestia took a step forward. “Sister, I am not trying to change you,” she pleaded, “But your magic has – ”

The dark alicorn snapped her wings wide open and dropped into an aggressive stance. “No!” she roared, and the palace shook and dust rained from above. “If you force this ‘cure’ on me, I will call down every comet… every star… every lightning bolt… even the moon itself – I will bring them all down upon this pathetic Equestria of yours, until there is nothing left but ash and dust!”

The windigo raised its head. Wisps of frost drifted out of its nostrils, coalescing into a narrow sliver of ice on the ground before it, two or three inches long. Nopony else seemed to have noticed. He remembered Updraft’s words; “They feed on misery and hate.”

Hayseed. “Luna – ”

“Don’t you ‘Luna’ me, foal.” There was a sudden tightness around his throat, and Anvil found himself lifted off the ground. Startled, he flailed uselessly in the air as she drew him closer. A garbled sound escaped his mouth as Celestia cried out something he didn’t quite catch. His friend was being similarly throttled. When they were face to face with the moon princess, she glared at them. There was a trickle of tears under each narrowed eye.

“My friends call me Luna,” she whispered.

Anvil was violently thrown backwards. He bowled over the line of loyalists, tumbled once on the floor, then slammed into a pillar and collapsed into a battered heap upside down. He heard a second impact somewhere off to his side. Groaning, he rolled himself upright and raised his head slowly, grimacing. His dented armour was pressing painfully against his ribs. He had cut a line clean through the ranks of the loyalists – some of them were still down; the rest were staring at him and Hammer. He saw Luna fold her wings and turn her face away.

“ – And you are not my friends,” Luna finished.

The windigo’s sliver of ice was now a sizeable shard – a really sharp one. Anvil saw the spirit raise it off the floor and tilt it towards her neck, ever so slightly… “Luna!” he shouted. Celestia uttered a similar cry.

The shard whizzed to her throat, but stopped halfway when a deep purple aura engulfed it. Luna glanced at the projectile as if it was a mild annoyance and swatted it aside with a foreleg. Then, before the windigo could flee, Luna’s mane had twisted into dragon’s claws and wrapped around its neck. “Admirable attempt,” she mocked, “but not quite enough.” She began to squeeze.

The windigo didn’t make a sound – it simply writhed and squirmed, wide-eyed and bleeding drops of water.

“Luna, stop this. You’re killing it!” Celestia cried.

The dark alicorn gave her a scathing look. “What of it? These spirits are the ones responsible for starving our subjects – their winter is the cause of all our troubles. Ridding Equestria of them would only help.”

“It is not something we do,” the white alicorn answered. “Please, do not cross this line.”

The windigo was fading – Anvil could easily see through it now. It was withering away. Luna paid it no heed, but continued to stare down her sister. “A small price to pay, I think.”

Celestia spread her wings and her eyes and mane blazed. “Luna. Let it go.”

“What a dilemma. I lose if I do; I lose if I don’t.” Luna put a hoof to her chin. Her mane continued to throttle the spirit. “Hmm, I say… no.”

The sun princess frowned. Luna grinned, and loosened her grip. A ragged gasp escaped the windigo, but a second later, the claws around its neck tightened once more, choking off its cry. She was toying with it.

“Enough!” Celestia thundered. “Release it immediately!”

“Or what?”

“Don’t make me do this, Luna. I don’t want to hurt you.” A golden aura pulsed on her horn as she advanced.

“You already have.” The moon princess lifted the spirit up, and it looked like she was about to smash it to the ground like a glass bauble. Her mane whipped down…

There was a bright flash, and a thundering blast of fire burst forth from Celestia’s horn. It was as thick as a pony was tall, in the shape of a beam, and there was a small explosion when it collided with Luna and sent her flying. She crashed into a wall and was buried under a pile of debris shaken loose by the impact. There was a smoking, red-hot path on the floor from the heat of the fiery blast. Anvil saw the windigo drift away, up and through the hole in the roof, thin and transparent as a stream of smoke.

“Guards,” Celestia repeated, “leave, now!”

Most moved to obey her. A few, Anvil included, couldn’t help watching as the debris pile shifted, and Luna rose with dust and ash dripping off her like water. Her coat and feathers were smouldering, and her silvery blue armour was scorched. She coughed up a little cloud of smoke, then fixed Celestia a menacing grin.

“So you do have a spine, after all,” she mocked. Purple lightning arced from her horn towards Celestia, but dissipated into tiny branches of electricity when it met her barrier. But before the white alicorn could retaliate, Luna had already transformed into a starry cloud and was surging straight towards her at breakneck speed, just inches above the smouldering line on the floor. The sun princess shot another blast of fire at her, and for a second Anvil thought that Luna might be evaporated by the flames. His fear proved unfounded, though, for Luna passed through the inferno unharmed, even through the golden barrier, and reverted into an alicorn once she was inside. She seemed to savour the shock on her sister’s face for a second, right before she scorched her in the chest with multiple thunderbolts. Celestia convulsed, then collapsed onto the floor.

“Princess!” Summer Cloud cried. Anvil saw her leap out from the cover of a pillar and galloped to her mentor’s side. Celestia urged her away, but the grey mare refused, and took up a defensive stance beside her – horn aglow and teeth gritted, ready for battle.

“Touching,” Luna quipped. “But it will gain you no quarter, no matter how pathetic a challenge you present.” She brought her wing low in preparation to swat Summer aside…

Anvil wasn’t sure how hard Luna would hit, but it would not be gentle. He struggled up, and began a panting, stumbling sort of gallop towards the Summer Cloud. Too slow. Too far. He realised that when he was just a few feet away. But then, he saw Hammer appear and shove the grey unicorn out of harm’s way. The big pegasus took the blow instead, and flew a short distance before tumbling away on the floor. He didn’t rise, but simply lay there, breathing heavily. Anvil skidded to a halt.

Luna was stunned. Or rather, she looked as if she couldn’t decide whether to be pleased or horrified. That was all the time Celestia needed. Before the dark alicorn realised it, she had already drawn herself up, with the Elements whirling in a circle around her. When Luna shook herself out of her reverie, she received a fireball to the face, followed by another to the chest when she stumbled backwards. The moon princess growled at her sister, and sent forth a continuous, crackling beam of purple lightning. Celestia met it with an orange fire-beam of her own, and the floor glowed an angry red where the two collided. A ball of flame and lightning was growing in the middle. It started at the size of a melon, but in a few seconds, it had swollen to the size of a carriage. Gouts of fire and lightning sputtered from it, and the ground trembled as it continued to grow.

Not good!

Anvil rushed to Hammer’s side, where Summer Cloud was attempting to help him back onto his hooves. She was struggling under his friend’s weight, so he went to his other side and slung one foreleg over his own shoulder. Time was short. The ball of energy between the two warring alicorns was already as big as a house.

“You need to lose weight,” Anvil grunted as they hobbled away.

“Grow some muscles,” Hammer retorted.

“You two shut up,” Summer snapped.

There was no time to look back. The moment they got behind a broken pillar, the ball exploded. The shockwave cracked pillars and sent loose masonry flying, turning them into deadly missiles that punched holes in the walls. Summer Cloud managed to deflect a few pieces that flew forth when loose bricks exploded against other objects. Even so, it was a miracle that they were not seriously harmed. The heat on either side of the pillar was scorching. Lightning arcs danced in the air.

A moment later, the fire and sparks subsided, and when Anvil peeked around the half-melted pillar, he saw the two royal sisters still facing off, glowing brighter than ever in their conjured barriers. Celestia’s mane was an angry inferno, and Luna’s was a seething dark cloud. There was a crater between them, with a great shaft of moonlight shining down through the now non-existent ceiling.

“Well, this will be interesting,” Luna said with a frown. “But the Elements won’t save you; I can match anything you care to use against me.”

Celestia shook her head. “That may be true, but only against my magic – the Elements of Harmony have power of their own, and they will act only against you.” She closed her eyes, and the Elements stopped spinning around her and hovered at wing height. Their glow intensified.

The moon princess looked like she had been about to retort with something derisive, but Anvil never got to hear it. The first word had hardly left her mouth before she was ensnared by six multi-coloured streams of magic. They encircled and twined themselves around her, until she was practically trapped in a whirling, rainbow-tornado.

But that lasted only for a few seconds, for a blinding flash of purple light burst forth from the tornado, shattering the streams of coloured light from the Elements. When the brilliance faded, Anvil could see the dark alicorn once more – but she was still suspended in the air by a few strands of rainbow light, flailing wildly. Her dark colouration seemed to be peeling away in several places, like old paint, revealing her original deep blue hue beneath. And it looked like it hurt. She screamed when a sizeable patch of blackness peeled off one side of her face and dissolved into wisps of dark smoke. She opened her eyes – and one of them had a round pupil. Anvil’s heart leaped. Luna?

“Release me – now!” she screamed, still in Nightmare Moon’s voice.

“Don’t fight it, sister, please!” Celestia cried. A streak of golden light connected her horn to the Elements, which in turn were binding the moon princess.

Luna gritted her teeth, and the blackness on her hide expanded until it covered her whole body once more. Celestia’s eyes widened, but she continued to channel the power holding her sister captive.

“That does not bode well...” Anvil commented.

Summer Cloud was gaping. “She’s… she’s actually resisting the Elements. Nopony should be able to do that!”

More specks of blackness burned away from Luna’s face, but the edges continuously renewed themselves, like mould creeping over a damp surface. Her left eye still had a round pupil. She screamed again, and a faint blue aura came to life on her horn. “You will not take me like this!” she spat at Celestia. “Release me now, or you will regret it, foal!” Thunder rumbled in the sky above, but no clouds appeared.

“Care to tell us what she is doing?” Hammer said, glancing at Summer Cloud.

She scowled at him, but turned her attention to Luna anyhow. “I don’t know…” she began, as her own horn glowed green, “It feels… unnatural.”

The dark alicorn thrashed violently as another myriad of dark patches burned off, only to regrow themselves. Her tears were boiling away and drifting off as steam.

Celestia was crying, too. And she winced when Luna howled – a particularly large patch of her coat had torn away. “Luna…” she sobbed, “don’t make this any harder… I can’t bear to see you like this.”

“I believe you can – else you would not even try doing this to me,” Luna snarled through gritted teeth. “Fine, if you want Equestria back so badly – you can have it, and may you rot in it!” A bolt of lightning streaked up from her horn into the air high above, where it split into a thousand branches and arced all across the sky.

Summer Cloud screamed and dropped to the floor, trying to cover her head with her fore hooves. The ground began to tremble, continuously.

Hayseed. Anvil crouched by her side. “What’s wrong?”

“The – she… she’s doing something to Everfree!” the grey unicorn stuttered between wracks of pain.

Then Anvil realised that Summer hadn’t been trying to cover her head – she was trying to blot out her magical sense. Luna must be channelling some truly powerful magic to hurt Summer Cloud like that.

She let loose another short scream. “Somepony make her stop!”

“Luna, what are you doing?” Celestia cried.

“Watch,” the dark alicorn replied.

The tremors stopped. Then… a tree root suddenly burst out of the ground behind Anvil. He bucked out in surprise, and the gnarled thing wrapped itself around his hind leg. He uttered an expletive and wrenched his hoof away. Another root burst out of the ground. Then, thorny vines came writhing out of cracks in the walls.

“Take her up!” Hammer growled.

Without hesitation, Anvil put both forelegs around Summer Cloud’s chest and dragged her into the air, away from the twisting roots and vines. His pegasus friend then hobbled off, thrashing and bucking and biting at any plants that tried to ensnare him. He watched helplessly as Hammer made agonisingly slow progress to one side of the Great Hall, where the piles of debris from the roof seemed to be out of reach of the nasty vegetation. Summer Cloud was still grimacing and twitching in his hold as she endured the effect of Luna’s spell on her magical sense. There was no sign of other guards, loyalist or otherwise, save for the occasional cries of alarm ringing from somewhere off in the hallways.

Below them, Princess Celestia was still caught up in the magical struggle against her sister. Any vines or roots that reached her were quickly incinerated by the heat from her blazing mane and tail. But something else was different, too. The Elements no longer glowed in their usual colours – they were fading; losing their brilliant hues and turning a dull grey. Luna was still channelling the bolt of lightning into the sky, and her dark coat was still burning away in patches and re-growing itself.

“Please…” Celestia whispered.

Luna’s half-grin half-grimace was almost unbearably difficult to watch. “I can… I can do this… all night,” she snarled between breaths. “But your… precious Elements… cannot.”

For a moment, it seemed as if Celestia had lost the will to fight, for her shoulders slumped and her magical aura faded until it was barely a glimmer. She glanced about in a panic, as if she was looking for something, then her gaze lingered for a moment on the moon above. She then shut her eyes for a second, and when she opened them again, they were filled with conviction once more. Her golden aura returned, stronger than ever, and a silvery beam of light lanced upwards from the floor beneath Luna, straight up to the moon. It was as wide as an apple tree was tall. The moon princess’ coat ceased to burn away, but then it suddenly seemed as if a great wind was howling up from beneath her, lifting up her mane and tail and even the hairs on her coat. Anvil could see bricks and stones whipping upwards as if they were no more than grains of sand.

Luna stopped channelling her spell, and the creeping roots and vines stopped moving – surprise was written all over her face. As she glanced about her surroundings, the blackness overtook her entire body once more, and her one round pupil reverted to its more dragon-like form. Dirt and dust kept swirling and flying up past her, within the beam of light, straight to the great blue orb above. She looked up, and her eyes widened in shock. A second later, her pupils shrank in fear. “You – you wouldn’t...”

“I’m sorry,” Celestia whispered.

Luna shut her eyes. “So be it. I will not forget this, sister.”

A great white light engulfed the dark alicorn, and Anvil had to turn away to avoid being blinded. He heard a mighty whooshing sound, like the winds of a hurricane, and when he looked back, Celestia was standing alone in front of an empty, barren crater, surrounded by charred vines and the six inert Elements. Each had become a grey, stony orb with a small projection on it that resembled the shape of the gemstone it had been.

Luna was gone.

“Anvil, please put me down,” Summer Cloud tentatively said. “I believe it’s safe, now.”

He obeyed wordlessly, and realised just how weary he was when he felt her sliding out of his embrace. He nearly dropped her the last ten feet. Once on the ground, the grey unicorn rushed to the sun princess’ side. Anvil himself tottered listlessly over to a slope of rubble by the wall, where Hammer was slowly plucking thorns out of his hide.

“Did you see?” he asked his friend.

The big pegasus spat out a large green thorn. “I did.”

Just then, royal guards were returning into the ruined Great Hall – some came from the corridors, others flew in through windows or the non-existent roof. Many seemed flustered, and some looked like they had experienced the nasty vegetation that Luna had called forth. A few of the loyalists came over and surrounded Anvil and Hammer, though they did keep their distance. One of them sped over to Celestia and said, “Your Highness, we must leave Everfree. The city is overgrown with these – ” here, he looked at several cuts on his flank smeared with green sap and shredded leaves, “trees… these trees are attacking ponies. And Thunder Gale says he saw some wolves – made out of bark. And other dangerous creatures as well; they’re swarming all over the city.”

That seemed to shake Celestia out of her bleak outlook. “Get everypony out of the city, then,” she commanded, “Get all the carriages and take as many as you can straight to Canterville – the mountain should be high enough to provide safety. And I want at least half of the Guard stationed here to protect those who cannot go by air.”

“And what about those two?” the guard asked with a sidelong glance at them.

“They will help you escort them to safety.”

“Ye – Your Highness, are you certain? We cannot spare anypony to ensure they don’t flee.”

“They won’t; they’re better than that,” Summer Cloud answered.

“I agree.” The sun princess gave them a baleful look and added, “But to put your fears to rest; if they do try to escape, I will personally hunt them down and make them regret it.”

The guard nodded and shouted their way, “Get moving, then. On your hooves!”

Hammer took a moment to struggle up and allowed himself to be herded off. Anvil took to the air with the others instead. As they headed out to the city, he turned his gaze skyward. The moon was no longer blue – it had returned to usual silvery grey. But this time, there was a shadow on it, in the shape of a horned mare’s head and chest.

One of the royal guards slapped him with a wing and snapped, “Watch where you’re flying!” Anvil corrected his course, but kept his eyes on the moon. He felt something trickle down to his mouth. He licked his lips, and tasted salt.

* * * * *

The past two days had been truly harrowing. The first mostly involved pulling sky carriages filled to the brim with earth ponies and unicorns, all the way from Everfree to Canterville. Large as it was, the town was still getting positively crowded, and once they had determined that the lower lands outside of Everfree were safe, ponies had started spreading out and down from Canter Mountain. The next day in Everfree was worse – some ponies had chosen to hide themselves rather than trust their safety to the guards, and were then in need of rescue when their surroundings had become overrun with nasty plants and critters. Anvil was certain that he had received every kind of bite, scratch and cut imaginable in the fights to reach trapped ponies.

And to make things worse, there were some parts of the city where sky carriages were out of the question. Trees and brambles had sprouted up all over the city, right through the pavement, and the stronger ones were even capable of wrecking entire houses. And many were like nothing anypony had seen before. Hammer mentioned some apple trees whose branches crackled with electricity, their fruits striped with every colour of the rainbow – nopony had dared to taste one, though. Then there were those gnarled, leafless trees that kept trying to lash at anything that moved with their whip-like branhes. But at the end of it all, they had finally managed to get all the stragglers out of Everfree City. On the second night, when everypony was safe in Canterville, they were both locked in the cellar of the town hall, in a makeshift cage of iron bars and oak boughs, with only a few candles for light.

Still, it was a better situation than Anvil could have hoped for – Celestia had been kind enough to mend the wounds of the guards at the end of each day, Night and Royal alike, so there was little that he could complain about, all things considered.

The next morning, Anvil was unceremoniously awakened with a bucketful of water to the face. He spluttered and shook himself, and found Princess Celestia and Hazel Hock standing outside their cage. After the initial groggy blinking, he really had to work hard to keep a straight face – the leader of the loyalists had blundered into a patch of innocent-looking blue flowers on their first day of rescuing… and had turned into a mare overnight. A rather attractive one, by the looks of him – her. Hazel coloured, too, and it did not matter if he… she wore the enchanted guard armour; the nutty brown colour remained, and the condition had defied all attempts to remedy it, magical or otherwise.

“You look dazzling today,” Hammer deadpanned.

The pegasus mare in royal guard armour gave him a dirty look. “That had better be addressed to Her Highness.”

The mare-ish, high pitched voice was too much. Anvil felt a snigger coming on and hastily turned it into a cough.

“What am I to do with you?” Celestia said aloud, to no one in particular.

“Nothing less than exile, were it my choice, Your Highness,” Hazel suggested.

Anvil and Hammer grew silent. They had known this day was coming – everywhere they went, no matter who or how much they helped, ponies often glared daggers at them, and those were the nicer ones. They’d had dirt and rotten food lobbed at them from time to time, especially when they slept. And it didn’t matter that they were amongst the rest of the guards, nopony moved to help them. And the worst part was when those trapped in Everfree actually tried to flee from him and his friend rather than the trees or creatures that were actually trying to hurt them. Luna’s enchantment still remained, beyond even Princess Celestia’s ability to undo, and their dragon-like wings and eyes were clear reminders of what the moon princess had wrought in her time as sole ruler of Equestria. And those ponies were just on the outskirts of the city – the countryside ponies outright refused to come anywhere within a hundred feet, unless it was to hurl insults and filth at them. They came rather close to a revolt at one point, and after that, Celestia was forced to keep them out of sight when they were not on rescue duty. The ponies of Equestria were demanding justice, and with Luna gone, the sun princess was probably going to have to appease them with him and Hammer – soon.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Exile?”

“Several ponies have died in Luna’s winter – that’s what the country folk are calling it now. Your subjects are out for blood, Your Highness. Keeping these two around will do no good – unless you intend to let them get stomped to death sooner or later.”

The white alicorn didn’t answer.

Hazel Hock pressed on. “Princess, I know how you feel about Luna, but her guards – ”

Celestia waved him to silence with a wing, and gave him a stern look. “Have you ever banished your only sister to the moon?” she asked, eyes tearing up slightly. When he didn’t reply, she continued, “No? Then do not claim to know how I feel.” She paused as Hazel bowed in apology, then added with a sidelong glance at Anvil and Hammer, “But you are right. There must be consequences for treason.”

They awaited their fate.

“Have you nothing to say for yourselves?”

“No.” Hammer replied. Anvil kept silent.

Celestia turned to Hazel and said, “Gather everypony in the town square tomorrow – as many as the place can hold, but I will want at least one representative from each settlement. Please go and make the arrangements.”

The pegasus mare bowed and took off. When Hazel was out of sight, Celestia’s horn glowed, and Anvil’s soaked coat was suddenly dry. “I’m sorry,” the princess said, “I know that whatever you did, you acted out of love for my sister, and that you tried to dissuade her even when she would not see reason.” She averted her eyes. “This will be your last day. I have notified those who were known to be close to you – if anypony visits, it will be your last chance to say farewell.” With that said, she turned and left them in the gloom.

* * * * *

A rotten tomato sailed through the air and splattered on Anvil’s nose as the crowd roared and jeered. His wings were pinned to his sides with thick ropes, the manacles chafed, and the chains clinked noisily with his every step. He heard an unsavoury squelch and caught a whiff of rotten egg. He turned slightly and saw the greenish-orange yolk dripping from Hammer’s face. The royal guards flanking them marched on without concern, and simply shoved them forward whenever they slipped or stumbled as they were bombarded with decaying vegetables.

This carried on for quite a while as they were led through Canterville to the ledge overlooking the town. A stage had been hastily constructed on it, and when they reached the top, they found Princess Celestia waiting there. She gestured them forward to the edge, and when they took their places, their chains were removed. Anvil could see the entirety of the town below, along with the vast crowd of ponies who were to witness their punishment. It was a rather sunny day. Princess Celestia trotted forward to the edge, and raised both wings. The crowd’s voices stilled.

“Citizens of Equestria,” she called out, “These two pegasi stand before you accused and found guilty of treason. I have thought long and hard on the consequences of their actions, and have decided that there shall be no lenience for those who would choose to serve a single pony, even a princess, over the wellbeing of their fellow ponies.”

Everypony held their breath as they waited for the sun princess to continue. She closed her eyes, took a slow, deep breath, and sighed. When she finally announced their sentence, the crowd roared in approval.

With her speech ended, Celestia turned to face them. “Farewell,” she whispered.

Hayseed. Anvil wasn’t certain, but he had a sudden feeling that there was something he’d forgotten.

* * * * *

Summer Cloud trotted down the steps to the lower gardens as quickly as she could. Almost everypony was busy hauling as much as they could out of the Treasury and Royal Library, and the rest were keeping watch, protecting the scribes and servants from anything that tried to attack them. There would be enough time – she just had to avoid dawdling. With every step, she felt her chest tighten and her eyes moisten.

She was crying by the time she reached the bottom. Hammer and Anvil – they were gone. She had come to see them the night before, had begged them not to tell the princess about him. That was her responsibility – it could not be anypony else’s. They were all traitors in their own way. How could everything have gone so wrong?

It should have been easy enough; Hazel Hock would have followed Anvil and Hammer to the location of the Elements whilst she and Ripple Dew freed Celestia and the imprisoned royal guards. Hazel should then have wrested the gemstones from them once they had broken the magical seals… except that they didn’t even find them. The loyalist commander had told her everything – the mountain, the windigos, Anvil’s ‘babbling nonsense about Discord’… That part was actually her fault. She should have told the others about the draconequus’ involvement, instead of cooking up a false story about leaving a magical doppelganger posing as their informant in the cave, along with a spell booby trap that would sap their strength without their realising it. If she hadn’t lied, then perhaps Hazel might have chosen to enlist Anvil and Hammer’s aid instead of fighting them half the way back to Everfree. Maybe…

So many maybes… so many lies. She hadn’t even told anypony about Discord yet, even after all that had happened. Especially after all that had happened. But still… A sob escaped her. Anvil and Hammer were gone, now. How much of that was her fault? The last words they ever heard from her were “Please don’t tell Celestia.” She hadn’t the courage to face them when she made her plea, and had fled before they could even answer. Some farewell she had given them, when they had tried their best to help her in the end. She wasn’t even sure if she would have visited them if the princess hadn’t told her about their sentence.

She stomped a hoof, thoroughly disgusted with herself. When it squelched into thick mud, she realised that she was already in the lower gardens. It had changed beyond recognition – the pegasus architecture was gone, there were plants with bulbous, orange glowing leaves everywhere, and something was splashing around in a pool in the middle of the garden. She did not linger, but quickly conjured a light globe and hurried into Discord’s cave. As she made her way through the narrow tunnel, she sensed the usual random, chaotic, crackling sort of magic emanating from the statue. But… something felt a little different.

She found Discord’s apparition perched on his statue when she entered the cavern, grinning like an idiot.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my favourite unicorn – I have you to thank for the unbelievable amount of chaos in the past week!” He sniggered. “Oh my, I can’t stop thinking about the look on little Luna’s face when she saw the windigos. And when Tia was about to send her to the moon – priceless!”

“You lied!” Summer shouted. “You said you would show them where the Elements were!”

Discord crossed his arms and pouted. “Well, so much for a little gratitude… I said I would help them find the Elements, and find them they did – perhaps just not in the way you were expecting.”

“By unleashing a blizzard on unsuspecting ponies? What were those windigos doing in there in the first place?” Summer’s temper was fraying, but she didn’t care anymore.

“Oh, I simply had them locked away when I was putting Equestria under new management. They were amusing enough for a time, but they kept freezing my chocolate milk.”

She blinked, anger momentarily forgotten. “Choc… chocolate milk?”

“Tis a most wondrous beverage. Sadly, you ponies have yet to discover it.”

Summer mentally brushed aside the distraction and glared at him. “Those winter spirits have ruined so many ponies. Half of Equestria is starving already!”

“Well, that part was unintentional, actually. I’m surprised that the spirits were able to feed on the emotions of so many from that distance. My, my, Luna must have been making them quite miserable, unless she was the one feeding the windigos all by herself – her feelings have been deliciously dark for quite a long while.” He sidled over to her side and whispered in a conspiratorial manner, “I’m rather proud of her, to be honest. Just imagine what a villain she will make when she finally returns!” He sniffed and wiped away an imaginary tear. “My little Woona’s all grown up – and it only took a few centuries.”

Summer flared her horn and sent a wave of cave filth over the apparition. Nothing happened, of course, with him being insubstantial. It was an unsatisfying gesture, and he seemed more amused than anything by it.

“Temper, my dear. Whatever would your teacher say?” he chided. “Using your magic for such petty acts.”

Magic. That was when she realised what felt so different about the draconequus’ statue. There was a different sort mixed with the reddish-orange chaos within, a calmer, deeper, ‘bluer’ sort. Luna’s sort of magic. She then knew what exactly he had done when he had ‘weakened’ Anvil and Hammer for the loyalists.

“You stole her enchantment... you said you were only going to remove it...”

“Well, it did seem terrible to waste perfectly good magic.”

Summer sensed the tiny cracks on the statue’s chest. They were small – thinner than a hair’s breadth, but they ran deep, and with the Elements of Harmony rendered inert by what the princesses had used them for, the outcome was inevitable. She took a step backward, and the blue, glowing apparition grinned.

“Oh, there is nothing to worry about, I assure you,” he said as he hovered back onto his statue. “It won’t happen in your lifetime.”

She shook her head. “Celestia will stop you.”

“She is welcome to try – if you tell her, of course.”

“I will.”

There was that smirk again. Discord leaned forward and rested his chin on a paw. “Somehow, I do not think you will. You went behind her back and conspired with her old enemy – nay, her old sweetheart, against her own sister – an act which ended in the release of three very unfriendly winter spirits, along with the starvation of several thousand ponies plus the complete destruction of her beautiful and very expensive palace. Oh, and need I mention the part where she sends her own sister to the moon?”

“That wasn’t my – ” Summer stammered, but was cut off.

“Perhaps, perhaps. But will she see it that way? Do you see it that way?”

“She… But I – ” Words failed her.

There was a rumble from above, and the cavern trembled. Discord eyed the ceiling curiously, and with the air of one commenting on the weather said, “It would seem that this new forest is growing a delightful personality of its own. It would be unwise for you to linger.”

“Why would you care?” she spat. She raised loose stones on the floor and sent them flying at the statue. They clattered off harmlessly. “You don’t care about anything or anypony!”

The draconequus was suddenly quite pensive. “That is the nature of chaos.”

“Why?” Summer cried, “Why would you do this to us? What is the point of it all?”

Another shrug. “Chaos is pointless. That’s the whole point.” A second later, the solemnity was replaced by his usual infuriatingly cheerful demeanour. “But on to less dreary subjects – run along, Summer Cloud. Everfree is promising to be a very interesting place to study, which I recall is one of your favourite pastimes. Serve Tia well, and let the future deal with me when the time comes. There is nothing you can change, now.”

Her mind was numb. She didn’t even know why she had bothered to come back here. Closure, perhaps, but even that had been denied her. She should never have followed the faint magical trace when she first heard the draconequus laughing on the night of Luna’s transformation. Summer Cloud turned and fled.

“Do mind the blue flowers on your way out,” Discord called after her. “They can be rather amusing.”

Epilogue

Night Guards: Epilogue

Most ponies these days believe that we can do no wrong. That is not true. We are mortal too, but we live on a different time scale. And the burden we bear is this – a mistake lasting only a moment in our lives can last a lifetime for somepony else. Our capacity to inflict suffering is vastly disproportionate to our capacity for self-control, imperfect as we are. There are times when –

“Luna, may I come in?” A single knock on the door followed.

Risen already? She glanced out the window and saw the rays of the sun reaching into her room. How long had she stayed up past sunrise? She hastily set aside the quill and ink and buried her journal under a copy of Canterlot: A Thousand Years of Tradition.

“You may,” she answered.

“What are you doing so late in the morning?” Tia asked as she trotted in.

“Preparing myself,” Luna replied. Nightmare Night was fast approaching, and she wanted to be ready before presenting herself to Ponyville. Since her first time there, after she had been restored by Twilight Sparkle and her friends, she had grown as she recovered from the magical regressing effects of the Elements. She hoped to at least carry herself in a manner more fitting of her current stature, especially since she was the one who had ‘invented’ the occasion for the festivities – if indirectly. It was somewhat absurd to think that anypony would make a holiday out of that night – she still had sleepless days when she recalled what she had done to Equestria. The memories were crystal clear, including the parts when she was Nightmare Moon. Still… if Tia thought it would be best for her to make an appearance on that particular night, she would do so.

Her sister chuckled. “Luna, this isn’t a diplomatic visit like the ones you’ve just been to. These aren’t griffons or dragons – they’re ponies like us. Just be yourself.” She looked pointedly at the thick volume on top of her journal and added, “And about that book…”

“Tia, you did promise to let me manage this on my own.”

Another chuckle. “Very well, if you wish it.”

Luna pouted. That smile was a little too knowing for her taste. Almost as if she was expecting her to make some blunder. It was probably a private jest amongst the palace ponies – she had been away from civilisation for too long. Well, she was going to brush up properly on local traditions to avoid any mistakes of that sort.

“Sister, do… do you have a moment?”

Luna could see that something was bothering Tia – she always shifted her wings like that when she had something weighing down on her mind. “What is the matter?” she asked.

“Can you walk with me to the old armoury? We will talk on the way.”

“Very well.” Luna set her books aside and trotted after her sister.

* * * * *

The first few minutes of their walk were filled with silence. Luna waited patiently – her sister would only speak when she was ready, and not before. She allowed her thoughts to wander instead, and her gaze shifted to the view outside, through the row of windows as they trotted past them. Rolling hills and green valleys lay in the land far below, with a little river winding its way through them all. An old view that she remembered from an age long ago, though the valleys had grown deeper since that time.

“Luna, I’m sorry,” Tia said when they were close to the armoury.

She rolled her eyes. “We have spoken of this before – I am the one who should be apologising, not the other way around.”

The white alicorn shook her head. “Not that. I was speaking of something else. I… I have been waiting for the right time to tell you, but it simply never came. It was too early when you were first restored to us, and then you were busy catching up with a thousand years’ worth of knowledge, and when Discord returned…”

Him. Luna’s mood soured at the very thought of the draconequus. It was too bad that she had been away when the snake broke out of his prison; she would have been eager for the opportunity to give him a taste of what she had put her subjects through in her time as Nightmare Moon. Still, she tried to put him out of her thoughts, as it appeared that he was not the subject of Tia’s concern.

“Do you remember Anv – ”

“Of course I do.” That was another thought she did not want to deal with. Not at the moment, anyway. It was… too painful.

“You’re not my friends.” – those were the last words she ever said to them. And Summer Cloud; she had cursed her own sister’s apprentice a sneak and a traitor… And they would have taken those last words of hers to their graves. Apart from Tia, everypony else she knew would be long gone by now – and even if they weren’t, she doubted they would hold her in high esteem. Asking after them would have been almost pointless.

“I know that it can be difficult for you to adjust – Equestria has changed much since you were gone, but you do not have to go through it alone.”

Luna blinked. That was quite a switch in subjects. Tia, what are you up to?

“We’re here,” her elder sister announced when they stood before a pair of great iron doors set in the inner wall of the palace. The doors parted, and they trotted into the darkness within. With a simple spell, they had conjured two sufficiently bright globes of light to hover by their sides. Rusty, worn sets of royal guard barding hung on the racks by the walls, along with notched blades and dented shields. Loose links of chains and old leather straps were piled up on a large table in a corner. The floor was rough and grainy with dirt and dust.

“It looks like nopony has been here in centuries,” Luna commented as she brushed aside a cobweb.

“Partly true,” Tia agreed.

She raised an eyebrow. “Partly?”

Her sister gestured forward with a hoof. “Deeper in.”

They navigated the piles of old armour and weaponry, past broken desks and racks, until they found a rusty old wooden door. Tia produced a key and attempted to unlock it, but there was a little creak and a sharp clink when the locking mechanism jammed. Her sister frowned at the key still stuck in there, then shrugged and simply covered the door in a golden aura and pushed. The door’s bolt and hinges groaned briefly before they snapped. Tia then placed the wrecked door by the side and beckoned Luna forward.

She trotted in, and found the room to be circular in shape, with plain stone walls leading up to a vaulted ceiling. There were no windows. Dusty old crates were stacked haphazardly around the room, and Tia indifferently swept them aside with magic to make space. There was a wide, round pedestal in the middle, just barely a foot high, and on it stood two statues of pale stone. They were shrouded in cobwebs, but she could tell from the bulges on the sides that they were both pegasi. Her sister stood before them, as if trying to recall some long lost memory.

“Tia, what is this about?”

“Let me show you.” So saying, the white alicorn conjured a wind and swept away they cobwebs and dust on the statues.

Luna blinked. Those folded wings – dragon-like. She wasn’t certain what exactly her sister had intended these for. In remembrance of her Night Guards? Unlikely. A reminder of what could happen when a princess succumbed to hate? Perhaps…

She tried to put on what she hoped was an appreciative smile, and said, “They are… very nice. But what are they supposed to be?”

And then she noticed the curve of their jaws and the set of their brows. Two names came to mind unbidden, like whispers on the wind; Anvil. Hammer. Well, that settled it – she would have to ask of their fates, now. Were these statues made to honour them? Or was infamy behind their making? Neither seemed to fit. The poses were too neutral – neither depicting heroism nor villainy. They were simply gazing ahead, like a pair of guards standing watch – they weren’t wearing armour, though.

“ – Never mind,” she added, turning to her sister, “I see them now. Tell me, what became of them after I was gone?”

“Look closer.”

She looked back at the pegasi and intensified her light globe – and noticed that the statues were a little too detailed. Nopony should be able to carve eyelashes or hair tufts like that. Then a horrifying thought struck her – would she? No, Tia would not. But then, she remembered where she had spent the last thousand years, and the doubts melted away.

Luna whirled round and stared at her sister. “You… tell me you did not…”

In answer, Tia closed her eyes and channelled a golden stream of magic at the statues. They began to tremble. Glowing, spidery cracks appeared on their surfaces, followed by a hard, grinding sound when one statue’s legs moved. Chunks of pale stone began to fall away, revealing the ashen grey coats underneath. Luna felt her jaw drop when they began to draw ragged breaths.

Stars above…

With a grunt and a mighty heave, Anvil shattered the remnants of his stony cocoon. He then dropped onto his knees and began coughing up dust and snorting tiny stone flakes out of his nostrils. Hammer’s breakout was somewhat less vocal – he simply twisted about and shook off the stone when they had broken into sufficiently loose pieces.

“That…” Anvil began, when he had caught his breath, “that was the most – ” the rest of his words consisted of a rather impressive series of expletives. Luna would never have imagined that her guard had such a propensity for colourful language. She stifled a giggle.

“Anvil…” Hammer warned, as he squinted against the light of their glowing orbs. The big pegasus was already aware that they were in the presence of royalty. He delivered a swift blow with his hoof to his companion’s head when he showed no sign of relenting in his tirade of obscenities. Anvil reeled, shook his head and blinked for a moment, right before he glared at his friend and growled, “Celestia’s flaming tits, what was that for?”

Then… he saw Tia staring wide eyed at him. His pose wilted and he grinned sheepishly. “Ah… my apologies, Your Highness. Wasn’t paying attention.” Anvil looked at the floor and shifted uncomfortably.

This time, Luna couldn’t contain her giggling.

Then, Anvil took notice of her. “Your Highness – you’re back.” His eyes widened and went up and down as he looked her over. “And… you’ve grown.” He then kneaded his forehead and turned to Tia. “How long has it been?”

“A little over a thousand years,” Celestia replied.

“That long?” Anvil turned around and took in their surroundings. “How – ”

He didn’t get to finish because Luna had rushed over and pulled him and Hammer into a tight embrace. Anvil returned the gesture wholeheartedly, Hammer, somewhat gingerly. The big pegasus still was unused to physical contact that did not involve fighting, apparently.

When they finally released each other, Luna realised that her eyes were a little wet. “Anvil, Hammer, I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Those words I said – I did not mean any of them. There is so much I need to say, I do not know where to begin – ”

“Well, you can take your time,” Celestia said, “We will first have to get these two fit for duty once more.”

Luna blinked. “Duty?”

Anvil looked confused as well, but started grinning a second later. “She’s right – if I remember correctly, you have yet to release us from your service. It would be unfitting for a guard to abandon his post.”

“But…” she protested, “It has been a thousand years!”

“My duty is eternal; never ending,” Anvil recited.

“ – until my liege release me,” Hammer continued.

“ – or death take me,” Anvil finished.

Celestia trotted forward. She was smiling too. “You chose your friends well, sister. And here, I have something for you two…” She flared her horn, and a large, worn chest floated over from its inconspicuous place amongst some crates. The lid popped open, and she lifted out metal plates and leather straps with various hues of silvery purple and midnight blue. She laid them down of the floor and said, “I believe it is time the Night Guards were reinstated, and I am charging you two with the task of learning to fit into this changed world, by my sister’s side.”

Luna felt her jaw hanging. She promptly rectified that and said, “Tia, after I am done thanking you, remind me to poison your tea and cake for turning my friends into stone.”

“Which reminds me…” Tia said with a pointed look at Anvil, “About that little thing you said about my… flaming parts…”

Anvil’s ears went flat. “I’ve just extended my sentence, haven’t I?”

“I am considering it…”

The look on Anvil’s face was that of utter dismay, and Hammer appeared to be thoroughly content watching his friend squirm under Celestia’s gaze. Luna allowed him to stew in that just a little longer before coming to his rescue. After all, it was not as if Tia truly meant him harm; she could tell when her sister was jesting – her ‘stern’ face gave it away.

“Well, if she does sentence you to further petrification, I will be there to grant you a royal pardon.”

Tia looked scandalised. “Luna, you can’t overrule me like that – ”

“Why not – we are co-rulers once more, are we not?” She gave her sister a smirk.

Celestia looked like she might argue, but relented and shook her head, smiling with mild exasperation. “Well, at least it is nice to see their influence reasserting itself so quickly. You haven’t been this impudent in ages.”

Anvil loosed a sigh of relief.

“But just so that you know – ,” Tia lifted a hoof to forestall his thanks, “We have a swearing jar now – it will be two bits for every foul word that leaves a guard’s mouth.”

“I can live with that.” The pegasus abruptly planted his haunches on the floor. He blinked and looked at his hind quarters in surprise. “Well… it appears my legs have stopped working.”

Luna realised what was happening and darted forward to catch him before he crashed face-first to the floor. Exhaustion was setting in – she could see it in the way his eyes were starting to lose focus. As she helped to prop him upright, she also noticed that Hammer was in a similar condition, though he appeared to be hiding it rather well – his legs were trembling only slightly.

Anvil grunted as he unsteadily got back onto his hooves. “Ah, you are making a bad habit of this, Your Highness. A guard should not have to be regularly saved by his princess – he would become the laughing stock of the palace.”

“You speak as if it hasn’t happened yet,” Hammer deadpanned. Anvil made a rude face at him in reply.

“Yes… I think you three will be just fine,” Celestia said. “I have had the last room in the west wing prepared for the two of you – once you are fit for duty, you can shift your quarters to the barracks. I will have your armour ready there.”

“Before we go – are there any more… surprises?” Luna asked. She wondered if there were any other bits of her past that her sister had hidden away through the centuries.

Tia shook her head. “No, no more surprises.”

“Horse apples, I knew I had forgotten something!” Anvil suddenly exclaimed. “We had meant to tell you; Discord – ” he paused uncertainly, as if the words were stuck in his mouth.

More of the old goat… “What of him?” Luna asked.

“It makes no matter. Luna has already been fully cleansed of his taint,” Celestia finished for him. “He did manage to break free recently – unsurprising, given the loss of our stewardship over the Elements. Still, he has been put back on his pedestal by the new bearers of Harmony. There is nothing more to fear of him.”

“We – ah…” he broke off with a thoughtful expression.

Luna sensed that he might have had more to say, but she decided to leave it for another time. She inclined her head to her sister in thanks and said, “Very well, then, we shall take our leave.” She took a second to conjure a magical field and then teleported the two pegasi and herself to the west wing.

* * * * *

Once they were in the well-furnished room, she locked the doors and drew them close for another embrace. A more gentle one, and this time, she did not hold back her tears.

“Ah, what’s wrong, Your Highness?” Anvil asked as she helped him to one of the beds.

Luna sniffed. “Were… were you aware the whole time? When you were trapped there?”

“Not exactly.” Hammer replied.

“It was like sleeping, mostly,” Anvil elaborated. “Dreamless. But I think there were times when I ‘woke up’ halfway and realised what had happened – those moments were… unpleasant.”

Luna could tell that he was keeping some details to himself. She could see a somewhat distant, almost haunted look in his eyes, and even Hammer had it too. Still, she hoped that they had a better time of it than she – every waking day on the moon had been torturous, even though she had been disembodied. Sleep, or the dormancy that was a feeble imitation of it, only came in short intervals, and had done nothing to lessen the utter quiet and loneliness she had experienced, completely cut off from the rest of the world. She embraced them once more and said, “I have missed you two.”

“Likewise,” they said in unison.

Just then, there was a little flash of light above one of the tables by the beds, and a tray laden with three steaming mugs appeared, along with a little note that read, “Hot chocolate for her Royal Highness Princess Luna and the Night Guards, with compliments from the royal kitchens.”

“Oh, this is something you should try,” Luna said excitedly, “Ponies did not discover the cacao plant until some centuries ago. This ‘chocolate’ that they make from the seeds is quite the delicacy.” She levitated the mugs over to her friends, who had mixed expressions of curiosity and caution. Hammer sniffed at the contents of his mug before venturing a sip; Anvil had far less reservations and took a quick swig. Luna felt a smile spread across her face when she saw their eyes widen upon their first taste of chocolate. It had been much the same for her. “What think you of it?” she asked.

“I have no complaints,” Hammer said.

Anvil rolled his eyes at his companion’s response. “Yes, very eloquently put. It’s so much more than that; it’s… well, let us say that I might not have become a smith if such a thing existed back then. I might have been one of your cooks instead.”

Hammer shook his head. “You would have poisoned the royal court on your first day.”

“You speak as if that is a bad thing,” Anvil waved a wing in dismissal. “The nobles could do with a bellyache every now and then. It might teach them to appreciate the ease of their lives a little more.”

“Even your own princess?” Luna asked with mock severity.

The pegasus took another swig of hot chocolate and nonchalantly replied, “Ah, Your Highness, I once saw you swallow Olive Swill’s ‘hay’ and ‘oats’ stew without bringing a single drop back up – if you could stomach his cooking, no meal of mine would upset your belly.”

Some things never change – and thank the stars for that. Luna chuckled and took a sip from her own mug. They spent the next few minutes in companionable silence, content to simply be in each other’s presence. Eventually, though, Luna yawned, and when she looked out the window, she realised that the day was already well into her sleeping hours. And she had no business keeping Anvil or Hammer up, either – they seemed quite ready to collapse at any moment.

“Get some rest,” she said as she cleared away the tray and empty mugs, “I will come for you at midnight, and if you are able, I shall show you around Canterlot.”

Anvil raised an eyebrow. “Canterlot? You mean…” he glanced out the window. “Well… small wonder I thought the view familiar. Canterville has changed quite a bit, hasn’t it?”

“Apparently,” Hammer said.

She stopped partly through the doorway and replied, “Yes, much has changed in the time since we last spoke.”

“What of Everfree? And if I may; how did you get back from…” he pointed a hoof skyward, “ – up there?”

Luna put up a hoof to forestall any more questions. “Rest first, history lesson later.” She then squashed the impending wave of protests by adding in her best imperious tone, “Your princess commands it.”

Anvil looked crestfallen. “Oh, very well.”

The colt-like disappointment on his face was almost too much. Luna chuckled and said, “You have my word – when you are rested, there will be a whole new world for us to learn about. Nightmare Night is in two days’ time, and I believe I have found the perfect ponies to escort me to Ponyville.”

“Good day, Princess,” Hammer said as he buried himself under the covers.

“Rest well, my friends,” she answered, and gently shut the door.

Author's notes

Night Guards: Author’s notes

Phew… that was quite an experience. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to do an extended piece of creative writing on a schedule. (Yes, yes, with plenty of delays, but still!) Regardless, it was lots of fun, and it is not unlikely that more will follow!

But enough about me; the rest of this should be filled with more interesting bits of trivia and fun facts!

If for some reason you have chosen to view this part before finishing the story, be warned; possible spoilers are in store here.

Much of this story was written whilst listening to the soundtrack of Thor, particularly ‘Sons of Odin’ and ‘Earth to Asgard’. If you do listen to them on youtube, please try to refrain from making pony references in the comments. (Let’s try not to intrude into the fandoms of others, eh? There is enough animosity towards bronies as it is.)

Hammer and Anvil’s personalities were reversed in the first draft. I switched them because, I don’t know, ‘Anvil’ sounded like a name that would belong to someone with impertinent tendencies.

If you’re wondering why they weren’t speaking in Ye Olde English like Luna in the episode, it was because I felt there was no way I was going to be able to pull it off without making it incredibly awkward and stilted.

Best for last; I came up with the general plot for this story some time before the Luna Eclipsed episode. So, the characters were different. The first chapter was pretty much the same, minus Anvil and Hammer. Oh, and instead of those two, the protagonists were supposed to be Trixie, Gilda and Derpy. Yes, you read that right. It was going to involve some convoluted time travel loop, wherein Celestia forcibly sends them into the past to prevent Nightmare Moon’s victory, and they were going to return to the future in much the same way as those two. Not long after Luna’s episode aired, I decided that her Night Guards would be more interesting to write about. It was getting too difficult to ensure that the time travel plot was airtight, anyway. Discord, the windigos, zap apples, timber wolves – they were all added as more episodes aired, so long as they did not clash with what I had in mind for the story.

And if anyone’s wondering what Anvil and Hammer looked like prior to their transformation, whilst not wearing enchanted guard armour…

No points for guessing who's who. (Yeh, I know, the poses are the same as in the original picture. Lazy me.)

Anyways, I would like to thank everypony for taking the time to read this fanfic, it's been a blast writing for you!

Bonus Chapter: Progress

“Hammer, Anvil, meet your new protégés. Captain Shining Armour has reassigned them into the Night Guard, and you will be in charge of their training from now on.”

Princess Luna gestured towards a pair of mares garbed in Royal Guard armour, one of which was a unicorn, and the other, an earth pony.

The unicorn smiled a little awkwardly, but the stocky earth pony gave a wide grin and saluted. “Hay Bale and Tufty, reporting for duty!” she practically bellowed.

Anvil’s mind went blank for a moment. He did not recall any plans for recruitment, but he supposed that it was a logical step. Princess Luna would eventually need more than a paltry two to signify her presence at night. Still, it was rather sudden.

“Err, very well, Your Highness,” he replied.

Hammer simply took it in stride and nodded at the newcomers. “If you would follow us, the—”

Luna interposed with a wing. “That will not be necessary. I can easily inform them of the nightly protocol.” A glowing piece of parchment appeared, and she levitated it over to them, saying, “This is what you will need to be concerned about, tonight.”

The parchment contained a list of various items plus an address. Anvil looked up to the blue alicorn, who smiled and said, “The Royal Physician is of the opinion that you are both a little… behind the times, as it were, where personal cleanliness is concerned. And it is a sentiment that I now share, after reading the physician’s report on your health.”

“Oh?” asked Anvil. “We’ve hardly had any ailments since our awakening.”

“Tis your mouths that need attention, my friends. I shall relay the good physician’s words, ‘They smell worse from the front than most ponies do from behind’. I think him rather harsh myself, but it is his professional opinion that your mouths need more care.”

“I see…”

Luna smiled and shooed them off with both wings. “Well, away with you. As my sister would say, I expect my guards to have pearly-white teeth and minty-fresh breath when they return.”

* * * * *

“So, they actually have physicians specialising exclusively in teeth, now?” Anvil shook his head. “I would have thought that there are far more important things to worry about.”

They were trotting down Caravan Street towards Minuette’s Practice, who was supposedly the best ‘dentist’ in all of Canterlot. They were both wearing their enchanted torques that disguised them as regular ponies. Although Princess Luna had partially informed the dentist of their conditions and the need for discretion, she was not averse to a little caution. Ponies with permanent dragon wings would still draw unwanted attention.

“Such as?” Hammer prompted.

“I'm certain that there are other ailments worthy of more attention, although I cannot name any that are significant problems at the moment. Apparently ponies don’t get the pox all that often anymore. Or any other disease, for that matter.”

Anvil rubbed the upper part of his foreleg, just below the shoulder, where he’d received an infusion of some sort through a needle the week before. The physician administering the concoction had promised that it was meant to prevent illness, but Anvil wasn’t sure how a pre-emptive infection was supposed to prevent a future bout. It was almost too simple a concept, to prepare one’s body for fighting off a disease by first introducing it to the tiny little things that apparently made everypony ill.

The dental clinic was one of the cleanest places Anvil had ever seen. The floors and walls were sterile shades of white and beige and were practically spotless. After getting over the sheer immaculateness of the place, the two of them were directed to their seats by a smiling receptionist.

There was a pale green-coated filly and her mother waiting there, too. Well, at least the mother was. The little unicorn was fidgeting by her mother’s side, and when Hammer and Anvil had taken their seats, she promptly trotted over to them, ignoring the grown up’s protests.

“Hi,” said the filly, looking up at Anvil.

“Greetings,” he replied, unsure of what else to say. Parental supervision was rather different these days, since he’d not seen anypony utilising the age-old technique of letting their foals play, bicker and fight until two or three ended up liking each other. He mentally smiled at the memory of what his budding friendship with Hammer had cost: several milk teeth and a black eye.

“You’re going to see the dentist, right?” asked the filly. “You don’t look very scared.”

“Should we be?” asked Hammer.

The filly turned her orange eyes to the big pegasus in surprise. “Well, duh. Don’t you know what dentists do?”

Anvil shook his head.

“Fizzy, that’s enough, don’t bother the gentlecolts,” said the mare, still in her seat.

The green filly ignored her and waved her hooves in the air, drawing a picture of something immense and terrifying. “They pull your teeth out,” she uttered in a tone that was normally used when talking about ghosts and such, “and if your teeth are really bad, they drill into them. Like this: Reeeeeeee!” She thrust a hoof towards the floor, twisting it vigorously back and forth all the way as if she was grinding an insect into the ground. “Just like that. And…” here, her voice dropped to a whisper, “my friend says that Miss Minuette is the biggest, meanest, drilliest of them all.”

“Oookay, little missy, that’s more than enough,” huffed the grown mare. She scooped up her daughter with a foreleg and gave Anvil and Hammer an apologetic grin. “I’m really sorry. It’s her first time, and she’s been hearing all sorts of nonsense from her classmates. And she does need to learn to mind her own business.”

Anvil smiled at the mare. “Children will be children. We’re not offended.”

The filly suddenly opined, “Uh oh. Your teeth are bad, mister.”

At this the mother gasped, although Anvil wasn’t certain whether it was due to shock at her daughter’s bluntness or agreement with her observation. She quickly scooped up the filly and retreated to their seats. She then began chiding the filly in a hushed tone, blushing mildly and pointedly avoiding eye contact with him and his companion.

“A thousand years. And here you are, still charming mares front, left and right,” Hammer deadpanned as they went back to their respective seats.

Anvil rolled his eyes. “Somehow, I cannot quite dispel the notion that you wouldn’t have fared any better, had your teeth fallen under the scrutiny of that filly’s sharp eyes. Your mouth just happened to be closed at the right time.”

“Hardly. Mine just happens to be overshadowed by that gaping cavern of yours.”

Before Anvil could retort, a door nearby swung open and a new voice called out, “Miss Fizzy, the dentist will see you next.”

The mother and her filly dutifully trotted in, leaving him and his friend to themselves. The moment had passed, and Anvil was no longer interested in resuming their verbal sparring. Admittedly, he was a little curious about what was involved in this whole dentistry affair. The filly was undoubtedly exaggerating, but such tales often held a grain of truth or two. He’d been told similarly tall tales about apothecaries and physicians by his peers in his foalhood, and although they never involved necromancy or torture, their practices did have some oddities that might have been mistaken as such.

The next half hour or so passed in silence, broken only by the occasional murmur of voices that filtered through the dentist’s door. Eventually, the filly and her mother returned, and the little one was sporting a slightly swollen cheek. She glanced back at Anvil and gave him an almost pitying look, making a cutting motion across her throat with a hoof. He truly didn’t know what to make of that, so he simply held his tongue as the pair made payment and promptly left.

“You’re next, Mister Anvil.”

He rose and followed the nurse in, hoping that the slight increase in his heart rate was due to nothing more than nerves.

Minuette was a unicorn whose coat, mane and eyes came in various, attractive shades of blue, and whose cutie mark was an hourglass. She was wearing a simple, white mask that covered her muzzle, which she pulled down to reveal a dazzling smile when Anvil stepped into the room.

“Hey there, Mister Anvil. My name’s Minuette, and I’ll be your dentist for today,” she said amiably.

“Hello.” He was a little too preoccupied with taking in the sights to form a more elaborate response. The room’s tables were decked out with rows upon rows of surgical tools and other modern equipment that he didn’t recognise, and in the centre of the place stood the most elaborate chair that he’d ever seen. It was obviously made for a pony to lie on his back, and even had depressions to accommodate wings. And it had various mechanical projections on it for various purposes that he couldn’t yet fathom. Lighting was one of the obvious ones, though.

Looks rather like the Rack.

“First time seeing a dentist, I take it?”

“Indeed.”

Minuette smiled once more and gestured towards the chair. “Well then, why don’t you take a seat, for a start? I’ll talk you through the entire process.”

Anvil complied. There was an awkward moment of clambering into the seat, but it was surprisingly comfortable. One of the chair’s appendages swung directly over him to shine a light into his face, and at Minuette’s command, he opened his mouth wide and allowed her to poke around with several levitating sharp tools and a tiny mirror.

“Okay, so I’m just going to have a look at your chops,” she began, leaning directly over his face, “and then I’ll—good gravy, when was the last time you brushed?”

Brushed?

Once certain that she’d retreated and taken all the tools out of his mouth, he replied, “Could you explain? I do not know what you mean by that.”

The blue unicorn blinked. “Umm, okay… Let’s put it this way; when was the last time you cleaned your teeth? You’ve got plaque build-ups the size of freaking snowdrifts, and I can already see some browning spots!”

“Clean my teeth? Do you mean using a toothpick and rinsing my mouth out?”

“With more than plain water, I hope.”

“What else is there to use?”

She smacked her forehead with a hoof. “Right. Of course.”

Bewilderment was beginning to set in. Perhaps that filly hadn’t been jesting about the dentist, after all…

Her smile returned with disconcerting swiftness, and she levitated her tools once more. “Oh well, never mind about that. We’ll carry on with the inspection for now. Open wide!”

Anvil obeyed, and he spent the next minute or two simply thinking about how much things had changed. He’d already been aware of that, certainly, but he would never have thought that mundane matters like mouth cleanliness could suddenly become so important to everypony. He chewed his food, he swallowed, and then dug out anything else stuck in his teeth with a toothpick. The notion of stuffing a brush into his mouth wasn’t all that appealing. Maybe there—

“Aagh!” Anvil jerked violently when a burst of pain erupted in one of his teeth. He involuntarily clamped down and felt something narrow and hard jam itself between his teeth, sending a fresh wave of agony though his jaw. “Grarghh!” His wings instinctively tried to spread, except that he was on his back, and they were trapped in the depressions in the seat, adding to his panic.

“Oh, hayseed. I’m sorry!” cried Minuette. Her horn glowed, and she continued, “Okay, this might hurt a little more, but I’m gonna have to work that probe out.”

With the initial shock past, Anvil managed to calm down and reluctantly opened his mouth once more. He felt the constant pressure being exerted by the jammed instrument shift a little, morphing into more pain as the blue mare worked it loose. Resisting the urge to grit his teeth was surprisingly difficult.

Minuette was frowning. “Hang in there. Just hold still for a second…”

Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity of creaking waves of pain, the tool came loose with an audible chink.

Anvil sighed in relief whilst inspecting the throbbing area with his tongue. There was no blood, but his teeth felt rather tender after the abuse.

Minuette, on the other hoof, was staring at the mangled remains of her tool. It was bent completely out of shape, and had imprints of his teeth on several parts. She snorted, then chucked it away. “Well, at least I was just about done. You’re lucky I managed to pull out the mirror in time, or you’d be chewing glass.” She gave him an appraising look, then took a deep breath and said, “It’s official; your teeth are in need of serious help. A boatload of plaque, one missing tooth plus eight cavities, and you’ve never considered coming to see a dentist sooner?”

Anvil wasn’t sure how much he could tell her, what with him being a relic of the past, so he settled on a simple “No.” In any case, it was not untrue.

“Doesn’t it hurt to chew?”

“A little. But only on the left side.” Such discomforts were not uncommon for stallions his age.

She must have taken his tone to be dismissive, for she rolled her eyes. “Oh boy, we’ve got a long one ahead of us.”

With the pain of the previous incident seared into his memory, it was with great reluctance that Anvil submitted to her ministrations once more. She was gentler with her poking and prodding the second time round, although the part where she used a small hose to blast water at his teeth in order to clean them up was more than a little uncomfortable. It stung whenever his gums were struck by what he imagined was a tiny jet of water laced with sand grains, and he was tasting blood before long.

“So... I take it being a guard for Princess Luna involves a lot more than simply having enchantments of a different colour on your armour?” she asked.

There was a pause in her work, during which she indicated to him a cup atop a sink next to the seat. He rinsed and spat out red water before replying, “What makes you say that?”

The blue unicorn gave him a wry smile and levitated her mangled tool back in front of him. “This, for a start. Do you have any idea how hard it is to break one of these, let alone with your teeth? When steel goes against enamel, steel usually wins.”

He responded with sheepish smile. “Oh. Yes. Apologies, my lady. I can pay for that.”

Minuette shook her head. “Princess Luna has covered the cost of your treatment, in any case. But to get back on track... there is also the fact that you’re wearing an enchanted necklace to hide something about your appearance. You’re not secretly a griffon or something, are you?”

“No, but how did—”

“Relax,” she said, smiling and waving a hoof dismissively. “Princess Luna has sworn me to secrecy. But please don’t take me for a foal. The enchantment is well masked, but I didn’t graduate from the College of Canterlot for nothing. Although I can’t see through it, I can most certainly tell it’s there. Most unicorns probably would not notice the enchantment, though.”

That’s comforting. “In that case, what do you make of me?”

“I’d say I admire you for your dedication to the Princess. It’s a rare pony who would be willing to be saddled with something so... different. Something that they’d have to hide while in public, even if I can only guess what it is right now.”

Anvil looked away. “Thank you,” he murmured, remembering the time he’d spent encased in stone. Although their transformations were permanent, it was nothing compared to their thousand-year petrification. The half-consciousness that was like being asleep and awake at the same time, able to form thoughts that were only partially coherent, unable to move or even breathe...

“Anyways, let’s get back to cleaning your teeth, shall we?” Minuette piped up, waving her tools eagerly.

Anvil set those unsavoury thoughts aside and leaned back, mentally steeling himself for more oral discomfort. Still, the procedure was very much within the limits of his tolerance. Guards were trained to endure, after all. He was certain that the filly had been exaggerating about the dentist, now.

At least, that was the case, until Minuette set her other tools down and brought up the little drill.

“Okay, I’m going to have to use this thingy now,” she said, letting the thing whirr ominously. “It’s for clearing away the rotting parts of your cavities, and since there’s no easy way to put it, it’s going to hurt a bit. I can give you some anaesthetic, but it shouldn’t be necessary for this procedure. I don’t imagine you’d like the side-effects anyway. You’re a tough guy, right?”

Toughness is relative...

“How tough must one be in order to endure this?”

Minuette chuckled. “Well, I’ll tell you what—we’ll just take a stab at this and see how things go from there. If it hurts too much, we can always resort to the anaesthetic. Here we go!”

She just had to use the term ‘stab’, didn’t she?

The first few seconds weren’t overly terrible, until she struck a sensitive spot. He yelped when a jolt of vibrant pain shot through his jaw.

“Yep, it’s rotting, all right. Sorry, buddy, but you’re gonna have to tough this one out,” said the unicorn.

Anvil strained to keep from clamping down and simply lay there helplessly as she continued to drill into his tooth. The vibrations were sent a constant stream of hot pain through his tooth, punctuated by the high-pitched whining that rose and fell with each application of pressure. His wings reflexively convulsed, and his legs twitched every now and then as he struggled to stay in his seat and not slap the drill away with a hoof.

Flaming horseapples!

He had endured pains of all sorts during his time spent as a guard, from gashes all the way to broken bones, but there was nothing that could have prepared him for this kind of agony! It was inside his mouth, like a broken tooth that was constantly being prodded with a red-hot iron bar, except that he couldn’t just spit it out and be done with it. Oh no, he had to simply lay there and endure it like a good colt. He found himself thinking that he’d rather fight a windigo. Possibly with a manticore thrown in for good measure.

After what seemed like an eternity, Minuette withdrew the torture device and regarded him with a satisfied grin. “There we go. It’s all clean, now.”

Anvil licked the tooth and felt a gaping, sharp-edged hole in it. He sighed in relief and fell back into the seat. At least the pain had ended.

“Now we just need to get the other seven, and we can start filling up the holes.”

His body went limp, and he felt his ears droop instantly. Seven more times? He was slightly annoyed to find the blue unicorn chuckling in amusement. He frowned and said, “I don’t suppose the rest will be any better?”

“That’s highly unlikely. Would you like to resort to local anaesthetic?”

Anvil was greatly tempted, but then he thought of the probability that Hammer was going to go through the same, and decided that he wasn’t very fond of the idea that he might have given up where the big pegasus mightn’t. It wouldn’t do to add to Princess Luna’s expenses, either.

“Never mind. Let’s get this over with,” he said, squaring his shoulders and lying down once more.

Minuette’s smile was a little too knowing. Almost as if she’d expected him to choose pride over comfort. He snorted.

Mares.

* * * * *

By the time Anvil got out, he felt quite ready to just flop onto the ground and be thankful to be alive. Eight cavities sealed up. It was amazing just how much pain could come from such tiny things, although he was inclined to believe that modern ponies had simply invented a new way of needlessly magnifying suffering. Drills were now amongst his least favourite tools in existence.

Admittedly, though, Minuette had done a wonderful job of fixing his teeth, even if he’d never realised they’d needed attention before. They didn’t hurt anymore, and they shone with a whiteness that he wouldn’t have believed possible.

Still, he did put on his best haunted expression as he exited the room, shambling out like a half-dead pony.

Hammer’s eyes widened with concern, which Anvil was happy to note didn’t happen very often.

“It’s your turn, Mister Hammer,” called out the nurse from behind him.

As the big pegasus trotted past Anvil, looking uncharacteristically apprehensive, he took the opportunity to lean in close and whisper, “Alas, this is one battle you cannot win. I tried, oh, how I tried...” And Anvil hung his head in mock shame.

When the door shut, he grinned and imitated the modern gesture of victory, pumping a hoof in the air. It was rather satisfying to see the occasional crack in his friend’s stoic calmness, so much so that he felt the pain had been almost worth it. Small wonder the filly had taken so much pleasure in divulging every little detail of the horrors that awaited the uninitiated. It was most satisfying.

* * * * *

Almost an hour had passed. He’d listened hard, but there had been absolutely no indication of any distress, let alone the dreadful whine of the dentist’s drill. A good thing for Hammer, but he’d secretly hoped that his friend could have shared in the… enlightening experience of somepony using a power tool on his teeth. It was rather disappointing.

At least, that was until the door opened. He had to stifle his laughter when Hammer came stalking out of the dentist’s room with a grossly swollen right cheek, as if he’d been blindsided with an iron skillet. Or maybe he’d just stuffed an entire apple in there; it was hard to tell.

“What did she do to you?”

Hammer worked his jaw for a moment, opening and closing it stiffly with visible effort, and sullenly replied, “Extwacshun.”

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in inquiry upon hearing the slurred word.

“Injecshung. Faish is numh.”

“Ah…” There was nothing funny about his friend’s predicament anymore. Anvil shot a sideways glance at the door as Hammer self-consciously wiped away a sliver of drool from the corner of his mouth. “Shall we? I have no further desire to remain in this place.”

“Agweeg.”

They had made it halfway to the exit when Anvil heard the nurse call out, “Hey, wait up! Don’t forget to take your care kits!”

Hayseed. He’d almost forgotten about that, and at the moment couldn’t decide whether he should be thanking the mare for reminding them. Still, they obediently trotted back to the counter to take their prescribed medicine and various apparatuses that were apparently meant for cleaning teeth. There was some thread, a small brush, lots of paste, and a bottle of more of that acrid fluid that he’d been given to wash out his mouth. He listened half-heartedly as the nurse instructed them on their daily use, briefly considering the merits of simply tossing them into the first river they passed.

“—so the better care you give them, the less Ms Minuette will have to fix them! Remember, your next appointment is in six months’ time!” the mare finished.

Oh Luna, you are cruel. He forced a smile as they bid the nurse farewell.

* * * * *

Princess Luna lifted her eyes from the piles of scrolls on her desk as the door to her solar creaked open. “Yes, Tia? The hour of rest draws near, and I shall soon be traversing the dreamscape.”

Her sister had the appearance of somepony who had something important to say, but was less than keen on doing so. She trotted up to the desk, sat opposite Luna, and began, “Well, I heard about that little errand that you sent your friends on earlier this evening.”

“What of it?”

“Well, you might want to add another item to their list.”

“Go on…”

“I have been overhearing some… interesting information from my guards. There is this little problem in the barracks… they’ve been getting a lot of fleas and ticks in the beds, lately. The situation’s getting a little out of hoof…”

Luna cocked an eyebrow. “Is that unusual?”

“Why, yes, actually.” Celestia smiled sheepishly and added, “We’ve gotten a lot better at keeping the little pests at bay in the last century or so. You have noticed the lack of bites, have you not?”

That much was true, now that Luna considered it. She had not needed to worry about getting itching lumps under her coat whenever she went to bed these days. These modern alchemists must have concocted some amazing repellents and cleaning agents to have so effectively dealt with what was formerly considered a facet of everyday life.

“You are right; I have not been bothered by the little demons recently. But how does the outbreak in the barracks concern me?”

Her sister shifted uneasily. “Well, some of the guards think that it’s Hammer and Anvil. The problem did start a week after they moved in… and given the attitude of our little ponies with regards to personal hygiene a thousand years ago…”

Luna chuckled. “Have their brothers in arms considered simply asking them to bathe?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I believe they did.”

Luna waited throughout the pause, as that surely could not have been the end of it.

“They took a bath immediately. Once. In the river. And that was supposedly a week ago.”

Oh.

The problem was finally apparent. After a bout of giggling and getting a rather bemused look from Tia, she said, “And your guards are afraid of how my friends would react to advice on personal cleanliness, is that it? You wish me to break the news to them that they are walking parasite colonies?”

Tia smiled. “Not quite how I would put it, but yes. They are your friends, after all. And I highly doubt it’s an image that you’d want your guards to present to the rest of Canterlot.”

Luna returned the smile and replied, “Well, that should be easy to remedy. At least it will not require any attention from any… specialists.”

Her remark was met with an eyebrow raised in curiosity, so she snorted and rolled her eyes, saying, “These ‘dentists’ are a remarkably common feature of modern nightmares, oftentimes paired up with dreamers losing some or all of their teeth. I simply do not understand how such things have managed to surpass owlbears or dragons in inspiring terror in the hearts of ponies.”

“Well, as alicorns cursed with teeth that cannot rot away, I suppose we will never know...” After letting her words hang a little, Celestia cast a summoning spell, and a plateful of confectionaries appeared in a small puff of smoke. “Cake?”

Luna chuckled and took a piece. “Oh, yes. I shall ask them when they return and lay this great mystery to rest!”

Author's Note

I wrote the draft for this chapter nearly two years ago, and for some reason never saw fit to publish it until now. And, no, I have no idea why I waited so long.

So, umm... surprise? :pinkiehappy:

Bonus Chapter: Reunion

You may wish to first read Shadow of The Castle in order to fully appreciate what happens here. It is not absolutely necessary, but do bear in mind that this chapter will contain spoilers for said story.

The doors to the mess hall burst open, revealing a rather morbid Princess Luna. Every guard immediately hushed as she stalked in, casting a long, foreboding shadow from the last rays of the evening sun. A moment later, everypony recovered their senses and rose from their seats to salute her – a gesture which she did not acknowledge beyond the slightest nod. Instead, she simply swept her gaze across the hall, searching.

“Ten bits says she’s looking for you,” Tufty whispered.

“Hasty assumption,” Anvil replied.

Luna’s eyes settled on him. “Anvil, Hammer, you shall escort me to Everfree. A matter of urgency has arisen.” With that, she turned around and trotted off briskly without another word.

Ignoring the murmurs from his fellow guards, Anvil cast a wistful glance at his half-eaten bowl of oats and put on his helm. He then left his seat to follow Luna. By his side, Hammer did the same, though with a great deal more stoicism.

“Told ya,” said a smirking Tufty as she smoothly slid his bowl over to join hers. “I’ll just be taking this, if you don’t mind.”

“I spit in my food, you know,” he shot back as she swallowed a spoonful of oats.

She made a choking noise and spluttered, “What? Tell me you’re joking.”

He gave her a parting grin but didn’t say a word.

“Charming,” said Hammer as they trotted in Luna’s wake through the darkening corridors. “It’s a wonder you don’t have smitten mares following your every step.”

Anvil snorted. “You know she’s still going to eat it right up the moment nopony’s looking. She’s got a stomach of cast iron. Bottomless as well, I’d wager. Don’t know how it fits into a mare her size.”

“Not the point.”

“No harm done.”

Hammer gave him a look before wisely dropping the subject.

Luna glanced back at them and asked, “Are you finished?”

The edge in her voice alerted him to the stiffness of her gait, and Anvil silently berated himself for not noticing her discomfort sooner. Especially since she had reason to visit Everfree – from what he’d heard of their former home, it seldom involved any pleasant business.

“Does this have anything to do with the castle?” he asked, vaguely recalling something about a restoration project for the castle’s library that began a few days ago. Apparently, Princess Celestia had seen fit to set up a garrison in the middle of the accursed forest to keep the labourers safe.

“More than that.” Luna suddenly gave him an oddly penetrating look. “You remember Summer Cloud, do you not?”

“Yes.”

“And you two were a bit of an item, were you not?”

Anvil stopped midway through opening his mouth to answer and simply stared blankly.

He remembered spending days with Hammer searching through mountains of records for any information on Summer Cloud’s fate. They’d found quite a few on the passing of their brothers in arms and distant relatives in ages past, but nothing on her. He remembered mourning everypony they’d never see again.

It wasn’t until he’d tried asking Princess Celestia herself that they’d gotten an inkling of what had befallen her. Apparently, they’d left many valuables behind in their haste to flee the rising perils of Everfree, including many priceless artefacts and literary works in the library. Summer had disappeared retrieving said works, and though her escorts never found a body, everypony had presumed the worst.

Had the new labourers found her remains, perchance?

More importantly, he didn’t quite know how to react if such news proved true. Sorrow? He’d already mourned all his friends who had fallen to time whilst he slept, petrified in stone. Did she deserve more for making his heart flutter on occasion? They’d never shared much intimacy, and certainly not enough to call it a tryst.

Anvil frowned as a dozen or so feelings welled up in his chest, mixing together into a slurry of agitation and uncertainty.

Luna chuckled. “I shall take that as a yes, though I remember it being a little one-sided.”

“As a catapult,” Hammer added.

Anvil didn’t answer. He still needed time to sort through these dredged-up emotions, and so remained silent until they reached the launch platform at the base of Luna’s tower. When they began harnessing themselves to her chariot, he found his voice again.

“What does she have to do with your foray into Everfree?”

Luna’s eyes turned to the floor. After a long moment of silence, she murmured, “Summer Cloud is alive.”

Anvil froze and stared at her, as did Hammer.

“I reacted much the same,” Luna said with a wry smile.

“She’s alive,” Anvil repeated.

“After a fashion. She’s also incorporeal.”

Hammer tilted his head. “A ghost, then?”

“Close. Her consciousness is trapped in an astral projection – a pocket of reality – that was apparently spawned by aberrant magic in Everfree from my… parting curse. At least, that’s what Tia suspects. Whatever the case, she has no physical body to return to and has spent the last thousand years in isolation.”

“That is… an unexpected turn of events.” Anvil finished tightening the last strap and shook his head. “How?”

“My sister certainly knows how to pick out the prodigies. Combine her talents with the unpredictable magic of Everfree…”

“Ah, say no more. I assume we are headed there to pay her a long overdue visit? You might have to carry the conversations for a while, because I don’t think I have the words for it.”

“You had me fooled,” Hammer quipped. Then, turning to Luna, he asked, “How is she?”

“She is of sound mind, thanks to Twilight Sparkle. Sister tells me that she found her less so on Saturday’s morn.” Luna’s brow creased, and she looked as if she’d just eaten something exceptionally sour. “I am not happy with her decision to visit Miss Cloud without me as soon as she found out, but I can see why she did it, given what transpired between all of us. Admittedly, I am guilty of the same for not telling you sooner whilst I decided how I was to approach her and make amends…”

“Ah, I suppose we can all blunder our way through the reunion soon enough,” Anvil said. He flexed his wings and wriggled to test the fit of the harness against his armour, then continued, “Just say the word, and we’ll—”

“Wait for meee!”

Anvil stiffened as he felt the beginnings of an itch to trample something to pieces. Though distant, he easily recognised the elderly voice as belonging to someone whom he didn’t particularly care for very much at all, even if that creature did have the blessings of Princess Celestia herself. Personally, he considered freeing him one of the less agreeable royal decisions that she’d made, a sentiment which Luna seemed to share, judging by her steely scowl.

The draconequus came jogging over from the far end of the corridor leading to the platform, leaving a trail of odds and ends that constantly tumbled out of the enormous knapsack on a stick he had slung over his shoulder. Anvil spotted clocks, mallets, dumplings, pillows and a particularly upset water fowl spilling out with each step he took, until he finally came within kicking distance, huffing and puffing as if he’d run a circle around the entire mountain.

“Discord. To what do we owe the… inconvenience?” said Luna with a wary glance at his bulging knapsack as if it might explode at any second.

“Really, now, is that how you greet an old hitchhiker asking for a little lift?” he asked, instantly conjuring some ragged clothing on his serpentine form. “I would’ve expected several centuries to have mellowed you out a bit.”

Her frown deepened. “Irrelevant. We have no time for your games tonight; go pester somepony else. Better yet, amuse yourself without courting the chagrin of others at all.”

Discord sagged and pouted like a disappointed foal. “But—but what about kindness and patience and all that goody-goody stuff that friends are supposed to do? Don’t tell me Celestia’s the only one in the family who practices what she preaches!”

“Friends don’t scheme and plot each other’s misery for personal gain,” Anvil muttered under his breath.

“Oh, water under the bridge; what’s done is done, and I am now a reformed, upstanding citizen of Equestria. Lighten up, won’t you?” Discord cajoled.

He snapped his talons at that last bit, and Anvil grunted in surprise when he and Hammer suddenly rose up into the air without the aid of their wings. He flailed and spun out of control, very nearly meeting his face with the back of his friend’s hoof. Eventually, a sharp tug on the harness chains righted him once more, except that he remained bobbing in the air, tethered to the chariot and somehow as buoyant as a cork in water.

“Pinnacle of humour, that,” he grumbled as a stray wind caught his wings and threatened to turn him upside down again. “I am terribly awed by such stellar wordplay.”

Hammer didn’t say anything, but he did level a steady, neutral gaze at Discord, like a precariously perched boulder just waiting for somepony to get close enough for it to fall on.

Discord’s grin wilted, and then he folded his arms and snorted. “The years of petrification really haven’t been kind to your sense of humour, have they? Fine, I’ll cut out the party favours.” He snapped his fingers, allowing gravity to take hold of them once more, then added in an undertone, “Should be glad I didn’t fill you with helium to do the job, though that would’ve been far more amusing…”

“If you are quite done with wasting our time, we shall be off now,” Luna declared as she stepped onto the chariot. Discord took a step to follow her, but stopped when she flared her wings threateningly and an arc of lightning danced from the base to the tip of her horn. “And, no, we are not bringing you with us. I highly doubt Summer Cloud would appreciate your presence anyhow, sincere or not.”

Discord raised an eyebrow. “You mean the same way Celestia doubted she would appreciate the presence of one particular mare formerly known as Nightmare Moon? I hear that’s why she wasn’t invited to their little reunion straight away.”

A vein bulged on Luna’s neck.

For the merest moment, Anvil thought bolts of lightning would fall from the darkening sky overhead to smite him to ash, but only an ominous rumble of thunder reached the ground. Then, he blinked when she closed her eyes, exhaled steadily, and stepped to one side to make room on the chariot for Discord.

“Tia saw something in you worth redeeming. For her sake, I will tolerate your antics until dawn; don’t waste this chance.”

“Oh ho, splendid!” Discord hopped in beside her, making a tremendous clatter when he dropped his knapsack by his feet. He then pulled a massive whip out of thin air and raised it high, yelling, “Adventure awaits; off we go!”

Anvil flinched when the whip lashed down towards him.

“Discord!” Luna bellowed.

Instead of pain, Anvil felt the explosive crack of the whip just a little off to his side, striking the chariot’s shaft between him and Hammer. A tremor passed from the shaft, through the chains and into his harness that made his coat tingle. After a few seconds of nothing untoward happening, he shot a glare at Discord, who seemed unrepentant despite getting a similarly murderous scowl from Luna.

“What?”

“Wasting your chance,” Luna growled pointedly at him as she poked his chest with one of her primaries.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Oh, all right. I’m sorry for startling the little horsebats. Sheesh, some ponies these days…”

Then, Anvil heard him murmur, “Warp speed in three.”

“Discord…” Luna warned.

She got an innocent grin in return. “Two.”

The chariot shuddered and hummed as tiny forks of lightning danced on its dark, metallic surface. The very air itself seemed to crackle with static, and Anvil noticed an odd distortion in the air before them, much like the shimmer of heat on a hot road.

Luna sighed and rubbed her temples. “You cheeky wretch. Hammer, Anvil, brace yourselves!”

“One!”

The very air itself clawed at Anvil, dragging him into the twisting maelstrom. Colours and shapes stretched into misshapen streaks and swirls as he hurtled through, unable to even scream as it snatched his breath away. He could only stare at the incomprehensible vastness and hope that he didn’t end up a gibbering mess when he arrived at the other side. If there even was an end.

A thunderclap broke through his trance, and he saw a grey wall of stone rapidly approaching.

Anvil instinctively angled his wings to veer away, but only found confusion when the wind battered him, completely at odds with his momentum. Only then did he realise that the wall was actually the ground. A panicked cry escaped his throat as he spread his wings wide to catch as much air as they could, but his momentum seemed unaffected by any wind resistance he could gather. Hammer’s uncharacteristically frantic efforts had similarly disappointing results.

He gritted his teeth at the last second as he resigned himself to grievous injury.

Their hooves struck the ground and produced another deafening thunderclap, sending a wave of dirt and fog from their point of impact. For a moment, Anvil dared not move for fear of grinding his shattered bones to dust, but then he noticed the complete absence of pain and decided to risk an inspection. His eyes widened when he found everything intact; he could move freely without pain, and even the chariot wheels had nary a scratch or dent.

In the next moment, he noted that Discord had somehow brought them straight into the courtyard of Castle Everfree. All around them stood the walls and towers of old, familiar in form yet strange in their ruined state, eaten away by time and nature. Save for the garrison that bore signs of restoration efforts, almost all of the stonework bore thin layers of moss or creepers.

And just outside the garrison stood a few royal guards, gaping at the sudden appearance of company.

“Next time, you would do us the courtesy of giving fair warning before travelling through the nether realms,” Luna growled at Discord as she sauntered off her chariot. Her bemused glare looked fit to spawn thunderclouds over her head.

Discord shrugged as he stepped down after her. “Just thought you’d appreciate saving an hour or two of flying. But yes, I’ll take note of your request.”

“How reassuring,” Anvil muttered as he unharnessed himself.

Hammer made no comment.

A few ponies, probably masons restoring the castle, had poked their heads out of windows and holes in the walls to see what had disrupted their concentration and quickly returned to their work after calling out a few greetings to Luna. Once the guards stationed at the garrison had overcome their surprise, they too were quick to observe protocol.

“Your Highness, we weren’t expecting you,” huffed a unicorn mare as she came running out of the great hall. “I would’ve arranged for—” Her words suddenly died when she saw Discord with them. “Oh. I—umm…”

“Fear not, professor. We know where to go and what to do. You may return to your work,” said Luna with a gracious wave of her wing. Once the mare had beaten a hasty retreat, Luna dispensed with all decorum and cantered towards the royal library, looking very much like a filly late for her lessons.

Anvil had to wrest his attention away from their surroundings as he ran after her. Memories swam to the surface of his mind as he passed door after door through the halls and passages, almost expecting the familiar face of a long-gone pony to appear around every corner. He could understand Luna’s desire to go past all of it in a hurry.

The library had not fared well in the intervening thousand years. Very few shelves actually had anything left on it that remotely resembled a book, and fewer still had a book that looked like it could be opened without crumbling to pieces. Even the flooring had sunken in places, filled with dark pools of water leaking in from the roof. However, the library did have some semblance of order deeper within, where several craftsmares were busy shoring up structural supports and repairing stonework. And in the spots with a lower risk of falling debris lay several sleeping ponies on rough cushions and thin mattreses, with packs of books, quills and scrolls by their sides.

“Find a comfortable place and I shall take us straight into her realm. It is not unlike entering a dream, though it will be less fanciful,” said Luna, gesturing towards the mattresses with a wing. “Now, Discord, I don’t want—oh curse him, where did he go?”

Anvil glanced around but found no sign of the draconequus; he hadn’t even noticed his absence until Luna had pointed it out.

“Doubt we can find him unless he wills it,” Hammer said.

“If he’s wise, he’ll not work any mischief,” Luna growled as she seated herself on a cushion. “We shan’t wait for him. Be seated and I shall begin.”

Anvil lay down on the nearest vacant mattress and set his helm aside, noting that amongst the sleepers sat a unicorn in a trance-like state, with his horn glowing faintly. Luna assumed a similar posture, and a dim, blue glow enshrouded all three of them. His vision blurred, and his breaths felt ponderously slow as he struggled to keep his eyes open. But once he’d overcome the urge to panic, the experience proved much more soothing than unsettling, and he gave in to the lethargy.

Not long after, a distant voice pierced the silence, and he opened his eyes to find the library restored to match his memories. Every torch, every bookshelf, every stone arch looked no older than his last day in the past. An orange sunset cast a waning beam of light from a nearby window, stretching their shadows long and thin over smooth carpets weaved in the designs of old. Outside, the treetops rustled in the steady wind, which brought in the earthy scent of the woods of Everfree.

We are home.

Luna and Hammer also seemed taken aback by the sudden return to familiarity, though they did not dwell long on it.

“Come. This way,” said Luna as she set off deeper into the library’s eastern wing.

They passed an elderly stallion at a lectern speaking to a rapt audience of six other unicorns, some of whom Anvil recognised from amongst the sleeping ponies in the real world. Others sat on their own at strategically placed tables, scratching away with their quills as they pored over musty tomes. Everypony seemed too absorbed in their business to pay them heed as they briskly trotted past, though one stallion did stare in stunned silence when he looked up from his work and locked eyes with him. Anvil just gave him a quick wave and moved on.

Luna marched through to a more secluded section, where even the ensconced torches seemed to burn less brightly. There, they reached a study with a wide entrance, through which Anvil could see all manner of shelves and cabinets lining the walls, topped with stacks of scroll casings, books and other literary odds and ends. A grey-coated unicorn sat behind the massive table in the middle. She had her teal mane braided at the back, with a forelock just reaching her eyebrows at the front.

Anvil swallowed. She looked exactly as he remembered, save for some quality that he couldn’t quite put his hoof on. Something about the way she carried herself reminded him of Princess Celestia.

“The lecture isn’t for another hour, yet,” said Summer patiently as Luna stepped into the doorway. Like the others, she too was absorbed in her work; her amber eyes never left the parchment on the table where her quill danced, glowing green with her magic. “And in the meantime, I must finish this for the professors before tomorrow, so I do not have the time for students right now.”

“And what about very old friends?” asked Luna.

Summer’s quill skidded and dug a groove into the parchment, then fluttered down lifelessly as her magic went out. Her ears flattened as she slowly looked up from her work, and her pupils shrank as she set her eyes on Luna. Nopony said a word. Even the draft which had followed them from the central part of the library had dwindled to complete stillness in that moment.

Anvil tried to say something, but the words would not come out. He remembered the last time he saw her, through rusty bars in a dank cell. He remembered Summer pleading with them not to tell of her association with Discord and his concealed involvement in freeing the windigos to wreak havoc on Everfree, so that she might confess to Princess Celestia on her own terms. That never happened. Either that, or Princess Celestia had not seen fit to have Discord’s role in the Eternal Night written in history, and neither he nor Hammer had the heart to sully the memory of her apprentice with a transgression from ages past. Luna knew from their recount of events, but she too did not think it a necessary burden to put onto her sister.

The memory of it heated his distaste for the draconequus to a simmer, for the one who had self-admittedly assisted Luna’s downfall for his own freedom. He felt his jaw tighten. But soon after, so did his chest; his breaths shortened to quick, shallow gasps as fleeting memories resurfaced, of utter stillness, trapped in stone and unable to breathe or cry, alone and beyond any help. As he grit his teeth and focused on calming his nerves, a treacherous part of him wondered if Discord truly deserved a fate like that, and by all accounts, he had suffered worse for all his lucidity during his incarceration.

Maybe it’s a wonder he’s not even madder than that…

“I—Your Highness!”

Summer Cloud’s voice cut straight through his thoughts. He blinked and found her in the middle of schooling her surprise into a more measured gaze, with a somewhat artificial smile as she continued, “Apologies. I wasn’t expecting visitors. I—what brings you to the library?”

Luna took a tentative step forward and paused, as if waiting for an invitation. But when none came, she sighed and said, “It’s been an age, Miss Cloud. We have come to… to make amends for what transpired when I surrendered to my basest desires. Perhaps then we can finally put the past behind us.”

Summer’s eyes had flicked over to Anvil and distinctly lingered on him whilst she listened, certainly long enough for her to suddenly realise with a start that Luna had finished speaking. She blinked and whipped her gaze back to Luna. “Oh! Umm, yes, I see.”

She turned her head to one side, as if searching for something or somepony to come to her rescue, but when nothing presented itself, she gave them another decidedly false smile and got up from her seat to gingerly sidle between Hammer and Luna, out the doorway and out of sight. A second later, her head popped back around, followed by a waving foreleg. “This way, if you please. My study is hardly suitable for such… esteemed guests.”

Anvil noticed she didn’t say friends. He trotted after Luna and Hammer, past several more rows of bookshelves until the aisle opened up into a cosy lounge brightly lit by lamps hanging all around, complete with a short coffee table surrounded by puffy cushions. Summer Cloud plopped down onto one and gestured for them to follow suit. Once they had all taken their places around the circular table, her horn lit up with magic, bringing a tray laden with mugs and pastries from behind a counter that Anvil only just noticed. He was sure that the space had been empty before he looked.

He frowned. “Where did that—”

“I can bring forth things I desire within this place, with limitations, of course,” Summer briskly answered. “So can you, once you acclimate.”

Luna took one of the mugs and sampled a pastry. “Impressive. Your magic has grown, and Celestia tells me that you have done immensely well in maintaining astral copies of volumes that have long since rotten away.”

This time, Summer’s smile looked a little less feigned. “Yes, well… I had a lot of time to practice and get things right.”

Silence settled between them once more, save for their surreptitious sips and munching. The biscuit crunching between his teeth sounded almost unbearably loud. He shot a glance at Hammer and Luna, but they both seemed to have tacitly made an agreement that he was supposed to break the ice, judging by the simultaneous, pointed looks they gave him.

Oh, joy.

He swallowed and washed down the biscuit with some rather strong tea, wishing that he’d gotten some cider or ale instead; despite never needing it before, he could’ve used some liquid courage. For some reason, his heart had decided to start thumping around in his ribcage like a landed fish. He also noticed that, despite tasting reasonably fine, the biscuit and tea did not truly fill his belly. They were little more than memories already, and his stomach had missed a proper meal that evening.

“Heh. Still hungry,” he thought out loud.

Hammer and Luna both introduced their hooves to their faces.

Summer didn’t seem to notice. “You neither get nor need sustenance whilst in here. Your consciousness, I mean. Your real body can still starve.” She paused for a while, staring at the mug in her hooves and not meeting his gaze. Then, she whispered, “It’s usually how ponies die when they get trapped in here with me.”

The silence thickened.

“Oh for crying out loud!”

Everypony flinched when Discord exploded into the air directly above the table in a shower of sparks.

“Seriously, if things get any more awkward between you four, I’m literally going to implode,” he cried, throwing up his arms in dismay. “I was hoping for some good, old-fashioned drama, but this is just awful. It’s almost worse than a teenager’s romance flick, even the ones involving fillies and vampire bats!”

“Oh, it’s you,” said Summer Cloud with an air of one commenting on the weather.

“The one and only!” Discord bowed to her, almost mockingly.

“Could you come a little closer? I have something for your ears alone.”

Anvil stole a glance at Hammer and Luna, but like him, they both looked unwilling to intervene, consumed with the curiosity of what Summer could possibly want to whisper to the draconequus. She waved him closer, and though frowning suspiciously, Discord did as requested.

“So, what do—”

Summer cut him off by smashing a club into his left temple, hard enough for the wood to crunch and splinter. Discord flew right into a bookshelf, which proceeded to topple onto its side with a booming crash, sending a cascade of books and scroll casings all over the floor.

Anvil felt his jaw drop as Summer Cloud eyed the splintered remains of her club, before she casually tossed it aside and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply as if savouring the very air she breathed. She then sighed with an almost obscene shudder of pleasure before a smile lit up her face.

“Oh my stars, it is so wonderful to find that I can still find joy in simple things,” she murmured.

Anvil wasn’t quite sure whether that tingle he felt in his wings was terror or attraction.

Discord’s head popped out from under a pile of books and splinters, with four or five miniature Celestias flying in a circle over his head. He blinked several times, unable to get his spinning eyes to focus, before finally levelling a scowl at Summer Cloud as he delicately rubbed his face. “What in the—what was that for?”

“Delicious, glorious retribution,” Hammer deadpanned when Summer just looked at Discord with half-lidded eyes, as if he’d just asked the stupidest question in the world.

Luna simply smirked and began clapping slowly.

Anvil raised a hoof. “If nopony has objections, might I have a turn as well?”

Discord wriggled out of the mess and shot each of them a scowl in turn before shooing away the tiny Celestias and hovering back in the direction of the main library. “Well, I can see that I’m not welcome here, so I’ll just—”

“Apologies for the lapse in hospitality; it was something I needed to get off my chest.” Summer Cloud pulled up an empty cushion and smiled. “Take a seat.”

Discord frowned at her. “Oh, oh no. I’m not falling for that one agai—”

“Take. A. Seat.” Summer’s cool gaze didn’t falter, and each word was accompanied by a very emphatic pat on the cushion.

“Sheesh, all right.” Discord summoned the cushion to his side of the table, curled up on it and began nursing his swelling cheek. “I’m impressed, though. There aren’t many ponies who would actually dare to hit me.”

“Why not? Hitting you is very gratifying.”

Luna failed to suppress a coarse snigger, and Anvil had to fight to keep his grin from splitting his face.

Discord harrumphed and folded his arms. “Well, there’s always the threat of vengeance from the master of chaos, for a start.”

Summer rolled her eyes. “What will you do, annoy me to death? And even if you could, that’s just unfortunate because I’m already dead.”

For a moment, Discord simply stared at her in stunned silence before chuckling and shaking his head. “My, my, you’ve certainly come a long way from that frightened mare I remember. When did you grow such a magnificent spine?”

“Some time after falling debris crushed my physical one.”

“I…” – he blinked a couple of times, as if searching for the right words – “am very sorry to hear that.”

Summer shrugged. “Well, at least that one’s not directly your fault. Rescuing irreplaceable manuscripts from a collapsing library was not one of my best decisions. Tea?”

“Wouldn’t mind if I do.”

The awkward silence returned as soon as Summer finished serving him his portion, except that this time they had extra draconequus with them at the table. Apparently, the reality of Summer’s death had just sunken in enough to temporarily strip away his usual insolence.

Luna snorted and looked pointedly at Discord. “And you’re one to chastise us for making things awkward.” She then turned to Summer Cloud and sighed. “Words can never make up for how I had led us down this path, but… I am sorry, Miss Cloud. I am sorry for the grief I caused as Nightmare Moon. I am sorry for destroying Everfree. I am sorry for creating the circumstances that ultimately led to your… isolation. I never wished—”

The coffee table and all its condiments vanished in a flash of green light, teleported away by Summer Cloud’s magic. She then crossed the vacated space and wrapped one foreleg around Anvil’s neck, dragged him past a nonplussed Luna, did the same to Hammer with her other foreleg, and then came back to the middle to embrace all three of them at once with surprising strength.

When Summer released them, her eyes were glistening.

“I know,” she said to Luna. “I too am sorry for fighting and helping to escalate the conflict when diplomacy might have led to less strife.” She turned to Hammer, then to Anvil and continued, “And I know you were doing what you thought best. We did not part on favourable terms, but I missed every one of you all the same.”

Luna sniffed and wiped her eyes with a wing. “Thank you.” She paused as she groped for more words, but then settled on embracing Summer again before whispering, “You are a more gracious pony than I ever was.”

Summer Cloud chuckled. “You would have found me a very different mare a few days ago.”

“And I’ll be sure to thank Twilight Sparkle for aiding in your return to san—your normal self.”

Anvil was certain that she’d caught the word Luna nearly finished, but her smile didn’t falter.

“You find the new company agreeable?” asked Hammer as he gestured with a wing towards the rest of the library, presumably referring to the influx of academicians into her realm.

“Oh yes, very much so.” Summer released Luna and clapped her hooves together gleefully. “You cannot even begin to fathom how much I have missed teaching. Stone and imaginary students can only go so far in staving off madness.” Her pupils then shifted to the corners of her eyes. “Speaking of madness…”

Anvil suddenly realised that Discord had been sitting quietly on his cushion the whole time. Or at least, not done anything to draw attention to himself. The swelling on his face had already disappeared, though. When Summer turned to him, he twiddled his thumbs and even flattened his ears, looking for all the world like a colt waiting to be reprimanded for misbehaviour.

“There’s a reason you came here.” Summer Cloud’s expression bore no hint of anger or resentment – just patience.

Discord scratched the back of his neck. “Yes.”

Luna took that as a cue to return to her seat, and she motioned for Hammer and Anvil to do the same. They obeyed in silence and settled back around the table, which had somehow reappeared in its original place when nopony was looking. Anvil began nibbling on another biscuit as he watched the draconequus squirm underneath Summer’s penetrating gaze.

“All right, look,” Discord began, gesturing vaguely with his paws as he fumbled for words. “Humility doesn’t come easily to me, so I’ll try to finish before I completely make scrambled peanuts of it. I… I just wanted to apologise for taking advantage of your… naiveté back then. And for betraying your trust, even though you really should have seen that one comi—”

He stopped when Luna cleared her throat.

“—right. Sorry. What I mean is… I’m sorry for being a terrible draconequus.”

Summer Cloud nodded. “I forgive you.”

He blinked. “Really? Just like that?”

She averted her eyes for a moment, and as they glazed over with memories, her voice took on a somewhat haunted hollowness, “I believe I understand a fraction of what you must have endured whilst imprisoned. If it is anything like what I experienced, I can see why you might be so inclined to take advantage of naïve and self-righteous ponies like me.” She chuckled mirthlessly and looked around at them. “I suppose we’ve all tasted a little of that nightmare, haven’t we?”

“A sobering observation…” Luna murmured, eyes downcast and gazing at nothing in particular.

“Some more than others,” Hammer added.

Discord most of all, probably.

“Also, I’m sorry for taking out my passion on you,” Summer continued. “It was unbecoming of an apprentice to Princess Celestia.”

“Well, it didn’t hurt too much. And it will take a lot more than that to really injure me.”

She smiled. “It was nice of you to let me have the satisfaction, though.”

Discord shrugged and gave her a grin. “Well, what can I say? I’m apparently a subcontracted agent of friendship, now.”

Anvil felt tempted to point out that Discord had them fooled earlier, but that would have spoiled the moment, which soon lapsed into companionable silence as they went back to finishing up their tea and biscuits. During which, Anvil’s heart decided to begin fluttering in his chest like a trapped bird, stringing up his nerves and weakening his legs to the point where he knew he couldn’t possibly stand up without looking like a squire on his first day of martial training.

“Anvil?”

His head filled with all sorts of strategies to begin broaching the topic of whether… something existed between him and Summer, each more abashing than the last. And the answers, the answers that he knew not whether to dread.

“Anvil.”

He yelped when Hammer poked him with a hoof, hard enough that he’d felt it through his armour. Then, he noticed everyone looking at him, especially Summer who had a mixture of amusement and exasperation on her face. His ears heated up instantly.

“Ah, my apologies. Lost in thought.”

Behind Summer’s back, Discord put both paws together and went all doe-eyed in mockery of a smitten pony, which Anvil promptly ignored.

If Summer had noticed his antics, she gave no sign of it. She simply rolled her eyes and chuckled. “I remember that face well. Anyway, the students are expecting my lecture soon, and I was hoping to have a word with you before I see to it – if Luna pleases, of course.”

“By all means,” said Luna.

Summer stood up and bowed to her. “Thank you. If you wish to stay, I’m sure the students would not mind a few more attendees. Feel free to explore whilst I speak to Anvil; I can find you anywhere in here and will lead you back if necessary.”

So saying, she beckoned him over to an aisle and trotted out of sight. The section of wall that she led him to looked plain enough, until she shone a beam of green light on it to reveal a dark passage that, as far as he could tell, had simply appeared out of thin air. Or stone. A cold draft blew in from the passage, and he soon found the cause as Summer brought him to a ledge on the roof, high above the treetops. Anvil blinked and looked back. He could still see part of the library at the far end of the passage, which could not possibly have fit into the tower before him.

“Magic?”

“One of the many oddities in this place,” she affirmed as she trotted to edge and sat on her haunches.

Anvil took his place by her side and followed her gaze into the distance where the sun had already set, leaving a purple glow on the horizon. Stars dotted the blackening sky above, and the wind whispered and moaned as it flowed through the spires and solars all around them.

“Anvil, do you still harbour feelings for me?” she murmured.

It took him a moment to find his voice. “That is… very direct.”

“I’d rather not dance around the issue.”

Anvil turned away. “To be honest, I cannot say for sure. I definitely feel something around you, but I don’t know if I would go so far as to call it passion.”

“Anvil.”

He turned back to her and found her looking sideways at him, as if afraid to fully meet his eyes. Despite his ability to see in the dark, her grey coat and teal mane blended very well with the colours of the night, and her amber eyes almost glowed unnaturally in contrast.

“Anvil, if by some chance you still happen to fancy me, I am sorry to say that I cannot give what you seek.” She sighed wearily. “Once, I might have accepted your advances, but I’m over a thousand years old, now. I no longer yearn for intimacy of that nature, and I don’t know if I ever will again.”

He chuckled. “You know, I am also over a thousand, if you think about it.”

A frown creased her brow. “Celestia told me of the petrification spell she used. You haven’t aged like I have. And that’s not even considering the fact that I don’t even have a physical body.”

“I know, I know. I was jesting.” He sighed and scraped idly on the ledge with his hoof. A dull weariness had settled in his heart, and he hoped that it was just because of the weight of years between them and not something that would grow more painful with time.

“I hope you will find somepony to be happy with,” Summer continued. “I’m sorry that I can’t be that mare. Will—I mean—I hope you will be all right.”

“I’ll live. Just focus on making the most of what you have here and don’t worry about me.” After a momentary lapse of silence, he worked up a tired grin. “All things considered, we’re lucky to even have the chance to speak again.”

“And I’m most thankful for that. Princess Celestia had informed me beforehoof that all of you would visit, but I hadn’t quite prepared myself for the eventuality, hence my… somewhat stiff welcome.” Before he could say another word, she swiftly leaned forward and embraced him. “It is good to see you again.”

He returned the gesture, careful not to overstep the bounds of affection between friends.

When Summer released him, she tilted her head towards the passage and said, “My students await. Will you stay and listen?”

“If Luna is amenable, yes.”

“Well then, let’s not waste any time.”

They found Luna and Hammer still waiting in the lounge for them. Discord on the other hoof had made himself scarce.

“Where’d he go?” Anvil wondered aloud.

“Eavesdropping on us two minutes ago, and now taken to wandering the main wing, startling everypony he comes across,” Summer stated matter-of-factly.

“How—”

“My magic is closely tied to this place. Like I said; I can find anyone in here if I put my mind to it,” she explained. She hummed thoughtfully before continuing, “A lot more restraint than I expected. He really has changed, hasn’t he?”

“Best not to let him hear that,” Hammer cautioned.

Luna nodded emphatically. “Indeed. His ‘restrained’ antics are vexing enough already, thank you very much. Would that I could bring you to Canterlot or Ponyville. You might not be so quick to say that, when you see his machinations.”

Summer smiled. “I would love to hear more about Canterlot and Ponyville.”

“Did my sister not tell you about them?”

“She did, but I would nevertheless like to see them the way you do. It’s not like she would be the best to ask about the night life or the martial ones.” Summer’s gaze drifted over to Anvil’s armour. “For instance, how do you find your new brothers in arms?”

The corners of Hammer’s mouth curved upwards just a tiny bit. “You should see Luna sparring with them. It takes five at once to challenge her when three from our time would have sufficed.”

“Now, Hammer, there’s no cause to make light of them,” Luna chided, though she did have a grin plastered to her face. “Tis a testament to their predecessors’ efforts that there are much fewer monster attacks on settlements these days.”

“They even have hot water for washing themselves every day. It’s scandalous!” Anvil cried, feigning an indignant stomp. In their time, only nopony would even think of supplying hot water to mere soldiers, let alone for bathing.

“Sounds like a much nicer Equestria than I remember.” Summer beckoned them with a hoof and began trotting towards the main section of the library. “Come, I’ll have plenty of time once my students are attended to, and then we may have this place mostly to ourselves.”

“You are certain we are not imposing?” asked Luna. “We can certainly return to visit on other days.”

“Hah. I’m not one to let an opportunity like this slip by. We have far too much to catch up on to leave it at this, and goodness knows we’ve waited for long enough already.”

“Very well. Lead on, my little pony.”

They did lose some time whilst waiting for the gathered students and scribes to get over their awe or discomfort of Luna’s presence as a fellow listener, but Summer Cloud soon had their full attention once more as she took her place at the lectern.

Anvil smiled as she launched into her lecture about the original nature of Everfree, remembering how that same scholarly voice used to echo out into the hallways where he stood guard, except that it was Summer’s voice that now carried that knowledgeable authority instead of Princess Celestia’s. Closing his eyes, he could just picture that corridor outside the Royal Residences, bathed in the sun’s golden rays a thousand years ago. He sighed.

After their long exiles, they could finally see each other as friends again.

They were home.

Author's Note

Tying up this loose end has been due for a long, long time. For those of you who voiced your concern when this story was 'finished' more than three years(!) ago, thanks for sticking around, and I hope that you enjoyed it. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter 5

Night Guards: Chapter 5

Discord. The Immortal Trickster and spirit of disharmony. There was certainly no shortage of stories about the draconequus – the first sovereign of Equestria who ruled with only his own petty interests at heart. Many said that he had done terrible things, like forcing unicorns and earth ponies to live on the clouds, whilst the pegasi were sealed underground, for generations at a time… all in the name of self-amusement. Other tales claimed that he had twisted the world into various absurdities, like making everything fall up instead of down, or simply float around like feathers in the wind, or making it snow sugar and salt, or making fish swim in air. And there were still others that claimed that Discord had once shared a tryst with Princess Celestia herself.

But all that was a long time ago – centuries and centuries ago, and Anvil was quite certain that ponies had embellished the tales through the ages. The endings – the happier ones, never quite agreed on what had happened to the draconequus after Luna and Celestia had defeated him. The presence of his statue in this cave certainly proved them all wrong, perhaps with the exception of the one saying that he had been banished to the bowels of the world. That is, if ‘under the royal palace’ qualifies as the bowel of Equestria. But, of course, there was the question of whether this statue was truly what remained of the spirit of disharmony.

The draconequus stood tall and proud on its pedestal, with tail coiled around the base and wings spread in a ready position. One paw-like arm was placed on its chest, whilst the other, more avian arm was flung out with its palm wide open. Its mouth was agape, and the slight upwards curve suggested an expression of glee or joy. Overall, the statue appeared to be in the middle of a grand speech or cheerful song. Or a victory dance.

Anvil set his glow worm lamps on the floor, then nudged his friend and asked, “So… who would like to go first?”

“Oh, oh, let me!” Hammer cried in a cheerfully enthusiastic voice.

Anvil almost choked on his gasp when he heard that. He turned his head with more speed than was probably good for his neck, and saw the big pegasus frowning and casting his eyes about. He then realised that he had been holding his breath, and promptly exhaled with relief.

“I take it that wasn’t you,” he said. He had been quite certain that it was his friend’s voice, but it was obvious now that he hadn’t been the one to speak.

“No.” Hammer eyed their surroundings warily.

“I’m scared; hold me,” Anvil whimpered. His jaw dropped just as Hammer turned and stared at him with a rare, stunned expression. The voice sounded like his, and it had come from where his mouth was, but it certainly wasn’t his – he hadn’t even opened his mouth when the words were said.

But before they could puzzle it out, laughter filled the cave. Anvil’s hair stood on end – he had heard that voice before, in the palace, just before Luna’s transformation. It was the same sort of rich, dark laughter that had unnerved all of them that night. Except that this time, it sounded more mirthful, and gave the impression of somepony rolling on the floor with tears in his eyes and a massive grin on his face.

“So you are real,” Hammer stated, seemingly to no one in particular.

The laughter stopped. Silence deafened the cave once more.

Anvil exchanged looks with his companion, then tentatively called out, “Hello?”

More silence.

“Very mature,” Hammer commented.

“Hammer, there is something I must ask of you,” Anvil said. He clapped a hoof over his mouth when he realised it was happening again, but his ‘voice’ carried on as if nothing was wrong. Apparently, the false voice did not even need his mouth to work. “What think you of my chances of winning Luna’s hoof in marriage?” He suddenly felt himself go red.

His friend didn’t react, but simply observed the statue, tail flicking in annoyance.

After another moment of silence, the statue glowed blue, and more laughter echoed in the cave. Then, the blue aura on the statue seemed to detach from it, and a shimmering, translucent duplicate of the draconequus stepped off the pedestal. Anvil felt his eyes widen.

“Oh, that was rich,” the apparition snickered. “I haven’t quite enjoyed myself that much in ages!”

“Glad to be of service,” Hammer droned. A pause, then he continued, “So… you are Summer Cloud’s informant.”

The apparition of Discord grinned. “Oh, quite right. But…” he waggled a clawed finger, “Introductions first, business later. It’s been such a long time since I have had the pleasure of intelligent conversation. Well, mostly – if you don’t count that unicorn. Too boring; too academic for my taste.” He bowed, and with a flourish of one arm, added, “I’m Discord, but you already know that, so I shall skip to the part where I inform you that you are my guests, and are most welcome to stay for as long as you like.”

“Save your breath – Summer claimed that you know where the Elements are, so name your price and be done with it.”

Discord raised an eyebrow at him, then chuckled. “Ah, Hammer, ever the strong, silent guardian. You’re no simpleton; that much I have seen. Slow to speak, but rarely a word wasted when you do. Well, so be it. My price for assisting you is simple – company, and idle chatter. I think you should be able to provide that quite nicely. Once I am sufficiently entertained, I shall impart my knowledge to you.” He paused and stroked his beard thoughtfully, then asked, “Ham… can I call you Ham? It’s such an endearing name.” He chuckled some more.

Hammer shrugged his wings. “You sound like you have already made up your mind.”

Discord’s face fell for a moment. “Oh, come now. Don’t be like that – it was a jest, no need to get all sour on me.” He sank into the ground and vanished.

Barely a second later, a loud “Boo!” was uttered behind them, and Anvil nearly bucked out in surprise. His friend, on the other hoof, casually turned around and glared disapprovingly at the guffawing draconequus.

“Apologies,” Discord said, wiping a ghostly tear from his cheek, “I have been waiting to do that for a long time. I’m finally convinced that you cannot be startled, ever.”

“Finally?” Anvil questioned. “Have you been… watching him? And how exactly does a statue find out where the Elements of Harmony lie? I doubt you’ve been… ah, gallivanting much lately.”

Discord grinned rounded on him. “And you are Anvil, Princess Luna’s closest friend – out of only two, but that’s beside the point. To answer your question – I might currently be made of stone,” here, he floated over to his statue and rapped on it with his knuckles, “but I do have some spatial awareness – I can see things that interest me, without the need for an inconvenient crystal ball. It comes with being the Master of Chaos, along with other fancy perks. Which reminds me… Summer Cloud is quite a gifted unicorn – it’s rare to find a mortal who can actually see astral projections such as myself, let alone enable others to do the same.”

“Assuming you are not lying, do you even intend to show us where the Elements are?” Hammer demanded.

Discord looked mildly offended. “Manners, my boy. I have already promised to tell you – when I am ready. Besides, it is not as if you can actually make me tell you, is it?”

The apparition’s manner of supreme confidence was starting to grate on Anvil’s nerves. “We can simply walk out and leave you be,” he suggested. “I’m sure the mushrooms can keep you entertained.”

The draconequus scoffed. “Playing a waiting game with an immortal? I’m a little disappointed in you.”

“If you want idle banter, so be it,” Hammer intoned. He met Discord’s gaze and held it, and Anvil noted that even though his friend was far shorter that the draconequus, he almost gave the impression that he was speaking to somepony of equal size and rank. “Someday, you’re going to pay for the suffering you’ve caused in Equestria. For the cold and hunger…”

Discord blinked innocently. “I am getting the distinct impression that you somehow believe I am responsible for all of this…”

“Celestia said you had tainted Luna – by extension, this is your fault.”

With an air of dignity, the draconequus began to strut in a wide circle around them. “Am I? If I told you to steal candy from a filly, and you actually did it, am I then the one to blame? It was much the same with dear Luna – I merely suggested; nothing more.”

Anvil shook his head. “Luna would never do something like this on a mere suggestion.”

“Ah, ah,” Discord paused in mid-stride and waggled a finger, “Correction – Luna would usually never do something like this. Come now, are you telling me that you’ve never done anything that you once thought you would never do?” He grinned nastily. “I seem to recall a certain pair of pegasi betraying a certain pretty alicorn… ring any bells, hmm?”

“Don’t change the subject,” Hammer growled.

Discord sighed dramatically in response. “Oh, the irony. You know… I wonder just how much of Luna’s misery has been wrought by those closest to her. You have seen how Celestia’s ‘love’ for her sister has suffocated her – what about your ‘loyalty’?” A dreamy look appeared on his face. “I have often sensed those emotions of hers – such turmoil; such resentment. And dare I say, even hate? An absolutely delectable assortment of feelings.”

Anvil could find no appropriate answer to that, and so he simply settled for broody silence. Hammer was just as mute. The statue did have a point… if they hadn’t sided with Luna, might things have turned out very differently? If they hadn’t opposed the loyalists every step of the way, could they have managed to storm the palace and somehow free Princess Celestia? But then… if that had happened, Luna might only have been provoked to more extreme measures, and things could have gone in either direction from thereon…

“Well, don’t speak all at once,” Discord groused. He kicked back onto an invisible chair, folded his arms behind his head and crossed his legs. “Come now, where’s your spontaneity? Don’t be afraid to speak your mind – thought without speech is so terribly dull. Show a little spirit!”

Anvil rolled his eyes. “Whose side are you really on?”

“Me? I am on nopony’s side. I merely choose to… how should I say it? – assist the side that needs assistance the most.”

“Out of the goodness of your heart, I’m sure,” the big pegasus commented.

“Oh, but of course.”

“And what happens when the side you help starts winning?” Anvil asked.

“Well, in that case, I shall – ” Discord’s eyes widened, and he put a paw to his mouth and chuckled guiltily. “Ooh, you’re a sharp one, aren’t you? Well, let me put it this way – you may count on my assistance only for as long as you need it.” He winked.

Hammer shook his head. “Has anypony told you that you need a good buck to the face?”

“Oh, I have been told that many times, by ponies and non-ponies alike. I have yet to receive one, though.”

“I can offer you one right now.”

“I would be happy to contribute as well,” Anvil piped up. “You know not what you are missing.”

The cave rang with laughter once more. “Tempting – but I’m afraid that it would be a little pointless.” So saying, Discord jumped out of his imaginary seat and flitted alarmingly close into Anvil’s personal space. Before he could react, the draconequus had already reached out and thrust a paw into his chest. He didn’t feel a thing, though, and as the paw was withdrawn, he could see that no harm had been done. His chest was whole, and so was the translucent paw being waved in front of him. “You see,” Discord resumed, “I am beyond the reach of physical pain – and I doubt that hitting my dirty old statue would give you as much satisfaction.”

“I’m easy to please,” Hammer replied.

Another chuckle. “You know, I like you. And that is why I am going to help you get Luna back. It will be most interesting to see how this turns out.” He then rubbed his paws together and grinned. “Well, let’s not waste any more time, shall we? If you want to find the Elements of Harmony, there is this old place…”

Anvil listened intently as Discord provided them with directions. The place he described was well north of Everfree – beyond the mountains and possibly the reach of summer’s warmth, as well. His knowledge of Equestria’s northern border was rather sketchy, but as far as he knew, no ponies had lived there for a long, long time…

“ – and there you have it,” the draconequus concluded.

“Is that all?” Hammer asked.

“Actually, not quite. There is one other matter that needs attention – the place is sealed, and only the right kind of magic will open it.”

Anvil frowned. “Dare I ask what exactly we are required to go through in order to acquire the ‘right kind’ of magic?”

“Worry not. The task you have to perform is so simple that even a foal could do it. In fact, you were quite eager to make the attempt yourselves – all you have to do is kick me.”

“What?”

Discord darted back to his statue and perched on top of its head. He then tapped on it with his tail and reiterated, “Yes, it’s really that simple. I want you to kick me – meaning my statue, as hard as you can. And don’t worry; I can take whatever you might care to mete out – Celestia did make me rather… durable.”

Anvil trotted up to the statue and examined it from top to bottom. He put a hoof to his chin and cracked a smile at the draconequus. “A kick, you say? Do I get to choose where to plant it?”

The thought seemed to have occurred to the apparition at the same time, for a look of alarm appeared on his face. He hastily added, “Now that you mention it, I would prefer it in the chest, if you don’t mind.”

“Didn’t you say that we won’t be able to damage you, anyhow?” Hammer had also trotted up to the statue. There was an eager look on his face – or, at least, as eager a look as a face could show without actually looking very enthusiastic.

“It’s the principle of the thing,” Discord insisted. “I mean – what sort of depraved, ill-minded pony would gain satisfaction from bucking an old statue in the… delicates? What if somepony saw you – what would you say to them?”

“That you deserve it?” Anvil’s smile widened. “Besides, who said anything about, ah, nether regions? I was merely considering your face.”

“Ooh, well played. You know, it almost makes me sad that you weren’t born when I was the ruler of Equestria… You would have made a most amusing guard, if I ever found the need for one. Or perhaps a court jester…”

“Are you done wasting time?” Hammer demanded. Without another word, he hovered up to the statue’s breast height and delivered a swift buck right into its chest. The marble produced a surprisingly hollow chink sound when it was struck.

“Harder, if you please,” Discord chided. “Luna gave you an impressive amount of strength with that spell of hers – show me what you can really do!” A brief pause, and he added, “Oh, and I would like both of you to do it together. As hard as you can.”

Anvil exchanged looks with his friend, then shrugged and hovered up as well. At his nod, they both bucked out and struck the statue squarely in the chest. This time, the sound was more satisfyingly solid.

The draconequus yawned. “Disappointing. Another.”

They struck again. Harder. The statue didn’t budge, but the cave seemed to echo with the force from the blow. Still, the draconequus simply shook his head, and said, “Dear me, is that the best that Luna’s champions are able to do? Small wonder she’s always so depressed.”

Anvil frowned and gritted his teeth as he prepared to strike once more. This time, he and Hammer both retreated from the statue, putting as much distance between as the cave would allow. Then, they both pumped their wings and accelerated head-first towards their target. At the last second, they tumbled forward whilst bucking out, so that their hind hooves would strike the marble when they were halfway through the forward roll. And this time, there was a distinct crunch when their hooves connected with the statue – and a split second later, Anvil realised that something was amiss. A jolt of lightning went through his body, and he suddenly froze in mid-air, with his hoof still in contact with the statue. He tried to move, but everything refused to obey – his muscles were all tensed up, and he could not even open his mouth to say a word. Then… the pain arrived. Anvil knew it well enough; the same sensation of having something like lightning coursing through his veins, much like what he had felt when Luna transformed him. Except that this time, it felt like the energy was flowing out of him – down his chest and into his hind legs and out of his hooves – into the statue. It was almost like having his teeth pulled out, and the only response that he could show for the pain was an eye-twitch as he endured every second of having the magic tugged out of him through his hooves.

After what had felt like an immeasurably long time, the pain was suddenly gone, and gravity returned. Anvil landed with a splat on a patch of mushrooms and muck. Armour needs cleaning again – wonderful. He spluttered at the taste on his tongue, then looked back at the statue. Cracks had branched out from the middle of its chest where their hooves had struck, and as he looked on, the glowing fractures began to retreat back to their centres, until all that was left was a glowing, spidery zigzag of tiny lines on the point of impact. Then the light faded from within, and the cracks disappeared from sight.

Anvil turned his gaze to the apparition still perched atop the statue. “What – what was that?” he demanded. He felt drained, somehow.

“I would like to know, as well,” Hammer chimed in. He had taken his helmet off and was busy rubbing some filth out of one eye. He had a rather dangerous gleam in the other – one that might even have made a manticore nervous.

“I have enchanted you so that you will be able to access the place of which I spoke,” Discord blithely replied. “How else will you get to the Elements of Harmony?”

Anvil and his companion continued to glare at the draconequus. Which wasn’t very easy to do, since he was still reeling slightly from the pain.

Discord blinked innocently, then suddenly sat straighter, as if he had been struck by an epiphany. “Oh, you mean – oh, that. I merely exacted a small fee for my service.” He smirked and then conjured a translucent goblet filled with equally ghostly fluid. The draconequus took a sip of its contents, then dreamily added, “Nightmare Moon has very interesting magic, I must say. The flavour is most exotic – distant and dark, but also intricate and powerful. The enchantments she put on you were exceptional – I doubt I could have done it better, myself.”

A thought occurred to Anvil, and he hastily examined his body. Ashen grey coat, midnight-blue hair, dragon-like wings. He glanced at Hammer, and noted that his eyes were also still yellow and with slit pupils. Still the same. But…

“You stole some of her magic,” he accused.

"Stole is such a strong word.” Discord fiddled with his talons, as if he had just used them to tune some unseen musical instrument. “Especially since it was my influence that helped her gain such power to begin with.”

Hammer shook his head. “So you are responsible for this mess, after all.”

The draconequus raised an objecting finger, opened his mouth, then snapped it shut once more. Then, he grinned sheepishly. “Oops, didn’t quite mean to say it that way.” The grin faded, and was replaced by a conspiratorial smile. “But, come now, time is short, and I believe you have a quest to embark upon. The Elements await!” With a fancy flourish, he tossed his goblet over his shoulder, and it promptly exploded into a mushroom-shaped cloud of blue sparks and smoke.

“You go to great lengths to undo the trouble you have caused – without actually doing anything,” Anvil muttered. “If what I’ve heard is true, Luna still bears your taint. Why don’t you just remove it?”

Discord hopped off his perch and stood on his hind legs spread apart on the floor, and waved both of them away with wide sweeps of his forelimbs, grumbling, “Fine, I’ll do all the hard work for you, lazy colts… Stand back!”

Anvil and Hammer retreated from the draconequus, and he began to gesture slowly and elaborately, as if he was painting invisible runes with his fingers, all the while with an intense look of concentration on his grizzled features. He then held his pose, and a few seconds of silence passed, but nothing seemed to be happening. Then, Discord suddenly adopted a more relaxed stance, along with half-lidded eyes and a condescending frown. “Oh, look at that – it didn’t work. I’m a statue. An obscenely handsome one at that, but still a statue. Come back in the next thousand years or so.”

“Point taken,” Anvil grudgingly conceded, and they both unceremoniously made their way back out of the cave. He was getting rather weary of verbally sparring with the draconequus, and so had little desire to give him anything that remotely resembled a farewell. Also, there was the looming prospect of going behind Luna’s back in order to find the Elements, against her wishes – it left a heavy feeling of dread in his belly. But on the other hoof, the anticipation of doing something other than talking seemed to have put some spring into his friend’s hoofsteps, and he had to quicken his pace to match Hammer’s.

As they neared the exit, the draconequus’ parting words rang out; “Good luck, my little ponies!” They sounded mockingly feminine. Some sniggering followed.

Anvil felt like kicking something.

* * * * *

Taking a dip in the river to clean his armour and coat proved to be a little more costly than Anvil had expected. There was frost on the leading edge of his wings, and one disadvantage of the dragon-like appendages was that he could feel the cold with them. His original feathered ones would not have been vulnerable to that.

Stop complaining – think of something else.

Even after almost two hours of non-stop flight, the hiding place was just only visible in the distance – a dark silhouette of a mountain against the deep purple horizon. Granted, they weren’t flying as if their lives depended on it, but their speed wasn’t exactly relaxed, either. And it didn’t help that the long, silent flight only left Anvil with his thoughts – which were less than pleasant, to say the least. If what the draconequus said was true, then the whole mess might have been resolved long before ponies started starving. But then again, perhaps not… He groaned inwardly. The biggest problem was not that Discord was a liar, but that the stories almost always painted him as one gifted in the art of mixing truth with lies – it was enough to irk even the staunchest of ponies.

Never mind, think of something else. Again.

Anvil started reciting the Royal Guard oath under his breath. Odd choice for a distraction, and he didn’t know why it was the first thing to come to his mind, but… it seemed strangely appropriate at the same time. He whispered;

“I stand before you, Equestrians, in service to the Throne. In rain or shine, through hail or flame, I vow to defend my home with tooth, hoof and wing. My duty is eternal; never ending, until my liege release me, or death take me. I stand before you to pledge my life and honour to the Royal Guard. Long live the Princess; long live Equestria.”

It was interesting to think that Luna hadn’t changed it much for the Night Guards. Unicorns were allowed to say ‘horn’ in place of ‘wing’, and ‘Night’ was used in place of ‘Royal’, but apart from that, it was much the same. The candidates still recited it in the presence of the city’s inhabitants, in the palace courtyard, facing them rather than the princess. It was just as much a vow to ponykind as it was to the throne. Now, had Luna been more like the tyrant that Discord and the loyalists were claiming…

Well done; you’re doing it again.

He shook his head. He needed something to do – something that could take his mind off things for a while. With a mental shrug, he rolled sideways until the world was upside down, then shifted his weight, so that he was flying with his back facing forward and reclining on the force of oncoming air. That way, his saddle and helmet could take the brunt of the chilly wind, and his wings could do with performing a different sort of stroke for a while. He wasn’t worried about not being able to see his destination – after all, he was quite sure that he wouldn’t be able to miss a mountain. That, and the fact that Hammer was in the lead. Besides, his newly adopted position allowed him to look up at the starry sky without getting a cramp in his neck.

The night sky was a deep purple-blue, and dotted with a myriad of stars in patterns that reminded one of a flowing river, or of fantastic creatures swimming and cavorting in its depths. Normally, a fair bit of the sky would be obscured by the clouds, but he was flying above most of them at the moment. He sighed – he missed the times when being a guard was simple. Obey the princess, and that was very much it.

A shooting star appeared, and his eyes followed its course as it raced across the heavens. It disappeared below the horizon of clouds, where a couple of dark shapes were – wait… Anvil squinted. Oh, hayseed. He flipped back to a proper flight stance and put on a burst of speed to catch up with his companion.

“We’re being followed,” he announced.

The big pegasus was quick enough in spotting them when he turned round to have a look. He promptly said, “Lights out,” and closed the shutters on the pair glow worm lamps strapped to either side of his saddle. Then he quickened his pace, putting more strength into each wing-beat, in addition to changing course slightly – angling off from the mountain far ahead.

Anvil did the same, and they both dropped into the cloud layer. It wasn’t thick enough to hide in completely, but between them and the cover of night, it would probably suffice to throw off pursuit. In fact, the pursuers themselves might have eluded detection – if his eyes hadn’t been altered by Luna’s enchantment. He could see rather well in the dark, and the moonlit night might as well have been as bright as day where spotting things was concerned. He doubted they could claim as much, or that they were even aware of his improved night vision. With a backwards glance, he counted one, two, three… six pegasi. They seemed to be fanning out, apparently in search of the light from the lamps which had hitherto been the main sign of their targets.

After a while, his periodical searches of the sky behind told him that the pursuers had lost track of them. Perhaps they had decided to simply fly straight to the mountain instead of angling off as Hammer and he had, since it had been quite plain that that was the direction in which they had been heading. That in itself wasn't too troubling – it was a big mountain, with plenty of room to get lost in. With that matter out of the way, Anvil relayed the news to his friend, who settled back into a less urgent pace when he had confirmed that there was no sign of any more followers.

Regardless, they overshot their target, just in case, and approached it from the other side. Truth be told, it was more of a mountain range than a lone one, and its highest peak easily cleared the dark clouds hanging over them with its snowy slopes reflecting a faint blue in the moonlight. Dark, skeletal pines grew in the crags that were more sheltered from the bite of the wind. The place of interest to them was a gap nestled in the foot of the one of the peaks, on a slope that was distinctly less steep than its neighbours – it was almost like a balcony of sorts.

As they dropped down into the gap, the full force of the wind became apparent. Or, rather, the full force of what the wind was carrying. From a height, the wind was merely wind – cold and strong, but just wind. Lower down, it was carrying snow, which was far more effective at biting through their hide – especially if it got between the gaps in his armour and melted and soaked into his coat.

When they landed, his hooves sunk into the snow, right up to his knees. Hammer simply ploughed right on and carved a path through the white stuff, further into the gap. Anvil, on the other hoof, instantly took to the air again, and hovered after his friend. The snow was less thick once they were properly inside the gap, and Anvil gladly dropped out of the air and plodded along. Gnarly, half-dead evergreen shrubs grew on either side of the gap, which at this point was about as wide as maybe fifteen ponies standing side by side. The walls were sheer, and probably went as high as halfway up the peaks on either side. The wind howled down at them from above, as if frustrated that they were now beyond its reach. Anvil ignored it and trotted after his friend.

As they went deeper, the light from the night sky lessened, until even their eyes were unable to make things out clearly without the aid of their lamps, which they soon opened once more. And it was at that point that Anvil realised that the amount of snow and frost was increasing. If his ears were hearing things right, there was no opening nearby that would be letting in more wind and snow, and it clearly wasn’t ice, so dripping water from somewhere above could not have been the cause. The deeper they went, the deeper the snow got, to the point where he was up to his knees once again. This time, he didn’t even bother keeping out of it.

The pathway abruptly ended in a sheer wall that led up into the darkness above. Icicles hung from projections in the rock. The wind’s howling was faint now, but the snow on the ground was as thick as ever, and had piled up into a huge snowdrift against the end of the gap; as high as a large house, and probably just as thick. Anvil shared a look with Hammer, and they both resigned themselves to the task ahead.

“I’ll provide the wind; you dig?” he asked.

“Agreed,” Hammer replied.

Thankfully, the snow wasn’t so wet that it could not be easily blown away by the wind from his wings once his friend had loosened it. After a fair bit of work, they had managed to clear most of the snowdrift away, revealing a large, circular stone block set in a depression in the wall. It was about twice the height of a standing alicorn. Apart from its size, though, the block itself looked unremarkable.

“Thought it would be more impressive,” Anvil murmured.

His friend simply grunted.

He peered closer, and saw that it was not as plain as he had first thought. There were tiny lines and grooves on the wet, glistening surface – almost impossible to see, but definitely there. They seemed to form runes and patterns of some sort. He raised a hoof to feel them, but stopped himself at the last inch – he remembered Discord’s instructions. “Shall we?” he asked his companion, as he set his lamps on the ground.

Hammer wordlessly trotted forward and raised his own hoof to the door. At his nod, they both put their hooves on the stone. At first, nothing happened. Then, there was a soft hum – an odd one, until Anvil realised that he was feeling rather than hearing it. The ‘hum’ grew in intensity, until his whole leg was almost numb with it – sort of like when a wing had fallen asleep and was just recovering its blood circulation. Then, he felt a pulse of energy flowing from his body, through his leg, and into the stone. Thankfully, it was not painful – he’d had quite enough of that kind for one day.

The vibrations stopped, and they were able to withdraw their hooves. The lines on the surface were now glowing in various shades of purple and red, and the patterns instantly became visible. Anvil didn’t like what he saw. Many were the times when he’d caught a glimpse of magical runes, either in the books that he’d seen Luna studying, or in the arcane chambers where she had put her knowledge to practice. In all of the illustrations or on the runestones, the runes themselves had been elegant, with clean lines, smooth curves and often symmetrical shapes. The ones on the door in front of him, however, looked more like bite marks and claw wounds, and were rather haphazard in their arrangement. Not a straight line was to be seen.

“That’s ominous,” he muttered. The runes were beginning to fade away.

“It certainly is,” a voice said from behind.

Anvil whirled round, and immediately tensed up. Hazel Hock. And seven other pegasi – all garbed in full Royal Guard armour. They found us.

“Seize them. We’ll secure the Elements after.”

“Well, hayseed,” was all Anvil managed to get out before three vengeful-looking pegasi charged at him. He took to the air, and the foremost of the three crashed head-long into the stone door – he’d apparently intended to give him a solid head-butt. He had no time to celebrate, though, for the other two had quickly adjusted and tackled him in mid-air. He twisted round and bucked one of them in the flank, right before a hoof smashed between his eyes and a wing thumped into his belly. His armour took the brunt of the blows, but he still saw stars and had the wind knocked out of his lungs.

Something’s wrong. Half-dazed, he tried to gain height once more, but somepony had chomped on his tail and was attempting to drag him down. That, and the fact that one other had anticipated the move and flown up ahead of him.

“Surprise!” the royal guard cried, almost gleefully, before bucking him in the chest. Anvil crashed back onto the floor. Snow billowed out in a circle around him from the impact, and he could have sworn that the stone had cracked beneath him. Sweet Celestia… Ouch.

He lay still with his eyes closed for several seconds, feigning defeat. He listened – there were thuds and scrapes and grunts coming from nearby, though he couldn’t tell whether his companion was coming out on top or not. Then, he heard three sets of hooves landing or trotting up right next to him. Apparently, Sir Head-butt-the-door was still up for the fight. Somepony bit the crest of his helm and wrenched it off, then clamped on his mane and pulled until his head and chest were off the ground. He remained limp, listening to the sounds of Hammer’s fight. He even let his tongue loll out. Careful, stupid pony – don’t overdo it.

“Get the shackles.” He heard a metallic clinking sound.

One…

“That was easy.”

Two…

“Looks like Summer was worried for nothing. Go help Hazel.”

Anvil almost forgot to count to three. Summer? Summer Cloud? Horse apples. He opened his eyes and spat in the face of the guard who had been about to shackle him. “Gah!” The pegasus fell back, blinking rapidly, whilst Anvil tensed up, regained balance, and swept out a hind hoof to knock out the legs of the one biting his mane. He then ducked under the buck of the third one, and then used his wings to propel himself as he skidded towards his companion who was currently being pounded upon. A split-second glance around to get his bearings, and he flipped over and planted his hooves firmly on the ground once more. Then, it was a simple matter of charging towards Hazel Hock and delivering a swift buck to his chest, right before whirling round to sweep a pile of snow into the faces of the others.

That was all the distraction Hammer needed. The big pegasus bowled over three of his assailants and slapped a fourth under the chin with his wing – the smaller pegasus was sent flying a short distance before landing head-first into a mound of snow.

Then, as if out of nowhere, Hazel Hock was upon him. He came diving down from above, and Anvil barely had time to shift so that his body would take the strike from a more favourable angle. After that, it was all he could do to block each attack as the leader of the loyalists rained blow after blow on him. Then… it was Hazel’s turn to be surprised when a grey missile slammed into his side. He was sent sprawling, but was quickly helped back onto his hooves by his companions. A second later, Hammer retreated to Anvil’s side, and the two of them faced off their adversaries, with their backs to the stone door.

Anvil was winded and bruised, and he could hear his friend’s chest heaving as well. They had at least given some of the guards a good thrashing, too, but the better half of them was still strong on their hooves. Nopony moved. He took the opportunity to gather his wits. Eight against two. At any other time, those odds would have been trivial – but not tonight, and he thought he knew why. Discord.

“You still fight well,” Hazel commented as he shifted uncomfortably in his now dented armour. “I would have thought all the lounging around in the palace would have softened you up nicely.”

“Training. We learned from the best,” Hammer panted.

“How’d you find us?” Anvil wondered aloud. Keep them talking – breathe… breathe… “It is disturbing to think that we couldn’t elude you under cloud cover, at night.”

Hazel smiled. “Tracking spell. Courtesy of Celestia’s apprentice.”

Horse apples. Summer Cloud knew about Discord, and he was the one who had stolen some of Luna’s magic. They were weaker, now. And the loyalists knew it. He recalled the behaviour of the prisoners in the dungeon – they had known; they had been waiting.

“You’re staging a coup of your own,” Hammer concluded.

“We learned from the best.”

Things just keep improving, don’t they?

Four of the royal guards began to advance whilst four more took to the air to keep them penned in. Anvil sighed and steeled himself for combat once more. But the fight never resumed. Instead, there was a grinding sound from behind, and the loyalists halted their advance, some with mouths dropping open.

What now? Anvil whirled around, and saw the massive stone door sliding away, revealing an empty black hole. Except for their breathing, nopony made a sound. Thick fog began to flow out of the blackness, and then… three pairs of eyes appeared in the dark chamber; unblinking, and ghostly blue. They began to approach, and Anvil warily took a step back.

Hazel stood his ground. “Who’s there – show yourselves!”

“I wouldn’t encourage them,” Anvil muttered.

Three spectral ponies trotted into the lamplight. Or, at least, they looked like ponies. They were far larger, and blue and translucent, just like Discord’s apparition. And they had only two front legs; their rears and manes were glittery trails of mist and frost. Their bodies also made a faint, brittle crackling sound – like the kind that ice made when it was exposed to warmth, or when water was freezing over.

“Stars above… windigos!” one of the loyalists breathed. There was a collective gasp from some of the others. Anvil racked his brain – nopony had seen one of those in centuries…

“Stay back,” Hazel warned, “This is Royal Guard business. Let us carry out our duties and we will leave you be.”

“Oh yes, they look like the sort to acknowledge royal authority. Really – ”

“Anvil, just shut up,” Hazel cut him off.

One of the windigos snorted out a cloud of frosty air. Then, two of the spirits let loose unearthly shrieks and bolted past them – ignoring their cries of alarm – and surged through the gap and into the night beyond. They left a trail of frigid air and billowing snow in their wake. “Ponyfeathers!” somepony swore.

The temperature had dropped tremendously. Shivering, Anvil and the others turned back to face the remaining winter spirit. It regarded them with indifferent eyes, giving no indication as to whether it wished them well or ill. It drew breath, seemingly in preparation to speak, and Anvil heard the others holding theirs as well…

The blast was so sudden that he didn’t even have time to close his eyes. It just came; a roaring wind, and was so cold that it burned – he could feel it even through his coat and armour. He tried to raise a hoof to shield his face, but his foreleg encountered unexpectedly heavy resistance, moving with all the speed and grace of a snail. It stopped halfway up his chest. What in the world… Everything was muted, somehow, and the world was blurry, as if he was looking through a badly clouded up glass window. He saw the distorted form of the windigo shoot past him, but he couldn’t turn to follow its movement.

Oh, hayseed. He had meant to say it out loud, but the words never came. His mouth refused to move – everything refused to move. And it was cold. And then the realisation hit him – he was frozen solid.

Bonus Chapter: Nightmare Night

Night Guards: Nightmare Night

The hour of twilight was upon them; the stars and moon had already risen into the deep purple sky, and the wind that blew into the palace through the windows and balconies carried a light, caressing coolness. There was a hint of rain in there, from the smell of it. A pair of solemn royal guards trotted up to Hammer and Anvil, and a wordless understanding passed between them. They allowed themselves to be relieved of duty.

“Princess Celestia must have really liked you,” Anvil said as they trotted towards the courtyard.

“The reason being?”

His friend glanced back at their replacements, then dropped his voice to a conspiratorial volume. “Well, look at them. I see no other reason to have her entire guard act like they’re made of stone.”

“Not all the time.” Once off duty, Celestia’s guards were very much like everypony else. Though, Hammer had to admit that the required amount of restraint exceeded anything from his time. They were even expected to remain indifferent even when heckled – Rivet had probably told everypony by now about how he had been personally pestered by a certain rainbow-maned pegasus, and how he had nearly exploded because he knew he was not allowed to respond. But it had been for completely different reasons than Hammer had originally thought. Rivet was apparently a big ‘fan’ of the rainbow mare, after seeing her perform a supposedly impossible aerial manoeuvre.

Anvil’s snort brought his mind back to the present. “Oh yes, I’m thankful for small mercies. I’m already seeing a bit of you in everypony,” here, the pegasus stallion lifted up his hooves in mock despair, “and it’s like I’m trapped in a horrible, horrible dream.”

My poor ears would like to have a word with you. “Allow me to welcome you to my world, then. I see you in yourself every single day – which is already more than I would care to inflict on anypony.”

Anvil chuckled. “Fair enough. Though… you might have to admit that that demeanour of yours may interfere with your chances at finding a mare.”

Hammer gave him a look. “You get to claim sole responsibility for that. Nopony’s getting anypony when you are around.”

They found Luna’s chariot in the courtyard, glinting menacingly in the moonlight. Its sharp edges and metallic fins lent it a decidedly draconic aspect, and the dark blue and purple hues made it abundantly clear as to which princess it belonged. And the row of spikes behind the seat looked like they were meant for impaling things upon.

Anvil lifted one of the harness chains with a hoof and whistled. “Her taste has certainly taken a turn for the macabre… Remind me again – was this supposed to be a social visit or an execution?”

“I would much prefer the latter,” somepony said.

Hammer tensed up. He knew that voice… it was regal, authoritative, and unforgiving – one that he hadn’t heard in a long time. Anvil had frozen, too, with his hoof still lifted up, and the chain slid out of his hold and clinked noisily to the ground. They both turned to a particularly dark corner of the courtyard, hidden in the shadow of one of the palace spires, and a pair of eyes opened, glowing a ghostly white. Dark though it was, Hammer could easily make out the shape of the voice’s owner, and he did not like what he saw. Purple mist drifted out of the shadows, and then came the slow, deliberate clip-clop of hooves. As she stalked out of the shadows, the moonlight revealed an alicorn with a dark coat, silvery blue armour, and a wicked smile.

“Missed me?” Nightmare Moon asked.

“Ah…” Anvil’s jaw was slack.

They stared at each other for a moment or two, not knowing what to do, until somepony sniggered in the walkways above the courtyard, and Hammer’s racing heart promptly slowed down. He leaped into the air and found a bunch of servants and off-duty guards peeping over the edge of the railings, and over half of them burst out laughing.

Well played. He flitted back down and found Anvil with a relieved look on his face, and ‘Nightmare Moon’ sporting a rather sheepish grin.

“T’was their idea of a jest,” she confessed, this time with Luna’s voice. “They were wagering bits on how the Night Guards would react.”

Unsurprising. The ponies of this era had an unusual interest in pranking one another – more so than anypony from the old days.

Anvil was pouting at their little audience. “Well, I can see that we did not disappoint.” He then turned to the moon princess and lowered his voice, “You have retained some of your abilities, I see. Should we be concerned?”

“The Elements have cleansed away Discord’s taint, so the answer is no. However, they did leave a portion of my old powers untouched.”

“You never mentioned this before,” Hammer observed. “What changed?”

Anvil frowned, then narrowed his eyes and glanced at their audience and back to the princess. “Yes… and they seem rather calm – how is it that they know about this and we do not?”

“Well…” a tiny blush crept into the alicorn’s cheeks. “I wished to tell you myself. Tia has already made it known to most of the palace by now – we only made the decision an hour ago. And as for how this came to be… I am not certain of what happened, but…” she shook her head and looked up at the walkway above. Once she was sure that their audience had gone back to minding their own business, she continued, “Remember last evening when my sister came to my quarters?”

Hammer recalled it well enough. He and Anvil had been posted by the door, and when the sun princess had knocked and asked for permission to enter, the “No, not yet!” that blasted back out had succeeded in rattling half the chandeliers in the palace and dislodging just about every pigeon from its roost. Half a minute later, a flustered Luna had opened the doors and practically dragged her sister in with magic. After an hour or so, Princess Celestia had emerged a little less than at ease, but had simply dismissed Luna’s initial outburst as nothing more than a little sleep deprivation.

“Now that you mention it; you never did tell us what really happened,” Anvil said.

“I had some unpleasant dreams that day, and when I woke up, I was like this.” Luna gestured at her dark body. “Needless to say… I panicked. But after a while, I somehow managed to change back. Since then, I have found that with a little practice, it is actually not that difficult to control – I can easily change at will, now.” So saying, she shrank back to her normal appearance shook the last bits of purple wispiness out of her mane. “As far as the others are concerned, I am merely using an illusion spell. You are amongst the few who know the truth.”

“That is… very useful.” His companion looked thoughtful. “Can you change into anything else?”

“No; other ponies are beyond me, for the time being." Luna’s cheeks went a little red again, and her eyes grew distant as she seemed to recall some unsavoury details. She shook her head and added, “But, enough of that; I have these for you.” Her horn glowed, and a pair of silver torques hovered over to them. “They were the least gaudy ones I could find.”

“Err, what are they for, if I may ask?” Anvil fiddled with the silvery article and inspected it thoroughly. “It is not very often that we are offered jewellery.”

“I just had these finished in time – they are enchanted to give you normal appearances, so you may blend in with the general populace of Ponyville,” Luna answered. “You will accompany me there, but I intend to mingle with the residents by myself.”

Makes sense. It would be difficult to make a visit from the moon princess a merry affair if she had guards following her everywhere. Even more so in their case; Luna had so far been unable to reverse their transformation since the Eternal Night. They had made certain to never be seen without their armour, so that others always assumed that their unusual appearances were due to basic enchantments. That was much simpler than having to explain to everypony why Princess Luna suddenly had a pair of guards who ‘naturally’ looked like they might have been sired by bats.

“Where shall we wait, Your Highness?” Hammer asked.

Luna raised an eyebrow. “Wait? No; you are going to be mingling as well. Just… not by my side.” Something must have shown on his face, for Luna picked up on his sentiments almost immediately. She added, “Yes, Hammer, mingle. And by that I specifically mean talking and being friendly to ponies.”

“You might as well ask for the sun, while you are at it,” Anvil piped up, “Statues don’t work that way.” He feigned woe and beseeched Luna, “Oh, spare him, Your Highness!”

Very mature.

“Tia’s explicit instructions,” the night alicorn added after chuckling in amusement, “She believes it will do us all good to partake in this celebration alongside peasants. Which reminds me…” she gestured at the torques in their hooves, “ – try them on.”

Hammer took off his helm and put his on. It was a simple piece, woven from a few silver wires that ended in plain knobs. It was a snug fit, and he felt a slight tingle as the enchantment took effect – rather like the one on standard guard armour that made the wearer look a pure white. He lifted up a foreleg and saw a dull green coat. When he turned to look, he found that his tail was a dark red, and his wings appeared feathery once more.

“Oh. Now, this, I wasn’t expecting.” Anvil said.

Hammer turned and saw an orange-coated pegasus in Night Guard barding, with sky-blue eyes and a plain brown tail. The tips of his wing feathers had distinctly dark splotches.

“Weaving a full body enchantment into those little things was not easy; it is good to see that they work,” Luna elaborated. “I suspected that you might desire the chance to look like your old selves once in a while, so I had to make the enchantments to the best of my memory – it has been so long since last I saw you both in your true colours.”

Hammer bowed. “We appreciate it, Your Highness.”

Anvil echoed his sentiment.

“Just a small price for a large debt owed,” she said as she conjured a hooded cloak and settled into the chariot. “But, let us go; we have a celebration to attend.”

* * * * *

They hadn’t had many opportunities to make forays beyond the palace grounds in the days since being released from their stony forms; they had been busy enough catching up with new knowledge and getting acquainted with the rest of the Guard. So, Hammer had no intention of wasting this outing. The flight was fairly short, and the view already familiar, but that did nothing to lessen the beauty of the lands surrounding Canterlot. Luna had made this night’s sky particularly elegant; the cloudless sky was awash with stars, and the land was bathed in moonlight that was both gentle but bright. Even with his altered eyes, he could tell that regular ones would find the illumination sufficient. Far below, he could see a narrow stream winding its way to and through the town that was Ponyville, and off to the distance was the thick mass of forest that had once been Everfree City… Hammer mentally shook his head. No, that was for another time. For this night, he would keep his thoughts focused on Ponyville alone. Everfree, and all its memories, could wait.

“Stop – this is close enough,” Luna called out.

Hammer and Anvil braked and allowed the chariot to settle into a steady hover.

“Nice little place, this,” Anvil commented as he gazed upon the town below.

“Indeed,” Luna agreed. “They threw me a party here, not long after I was cleansed of my taint.” She paused for a moment, seemingly deep in thought. “It… it is nice to see them having celebrations at night for a change. I had hoped for a time like this – but I never suspected it would be so soon.”

“It did take them a thousand years – that’s hardly soon.”

His friend hovered closer and dug a hoof into his ribs. “Tact, my friend – I think you left it back at the palace.”

“It is fine,” Luna replied with a wan smile. “After what happened that time, I would not have expected any more from ponies.” She sighed. “In any case, I have some instructions for you. As I have said, I shall mingle with them alone. However, you are free to remain close if you please, so long as you do not speak to me directly.”

“Ah… not under any circumstances, whatsoever?” Anvil asked.

Luna shook her head. “I care not if I embarrass myself – I will not have my own guards coming to my rescue in front of everypony. Make good use of your disguises. Is that clear?”

Transparently. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Luna’s horn glowed and clouds began to form and thicken in sky around them, until entire land was obscured, save for a hole in the mass of clouds directly over Ponyville. Then came the deep rumble of distant thunder, and the clouds began to swirl as the moon princess called forth mighty winds.

“Is this really their notion of a friendly visit?” Anvil questioned, “It seems to be missing a big portion of the friendly part.”

“It is customary on Nightmare Night,” she explained. “At least, that is what is written in the books. The more frightening, the better, it seems – so it would probably be best if you both tried to look fearsome as we make our entrance.”

Hammer looked at his friend, then turned back to the princess. “You might be sorely disappointed, then.”

Anvil took off his torque and instantly reverted to his grey form. He bared his teeth in a fierce grin. “How about now?” When Hammer didn’t answer, he snorted and rolled his eyes. “Ah, doesn’t matter – you can fill in for both of us.”

“That will do,” Luna said, a little distractedly. She glanced up, and the moon suddenly blazed radiant as the sun. She then threw on her hood and commanded, “It is time – let us go!”

After removing his own torque, Hammer reared up and surged forward as Anvil did. It was a mild descent at first, angling slightly downward, but when they reached the lip of the hole in the roiling clouds, they dove nearly straight down. The wind roared in his ears, growing in strength as they picked up speed. Far below, he spotted several ponies in a clearing between the town and Everfree, but most of those outdoors appeared to be around and within Ponyville itself. It became easier to make out details as they drew closer; almost everypony was dressed up in a costume of one form or another. Many of them were looking up, and, remembering Luna’s instructions, Hammer put some effort into maintaining a threatening expression for the crowd.

Screams followed, mostly that of foals. Odd. He could see some of them fleeing from the chariot. Was that part of the tradition as well?

They braked to slow their descent when they were barely several hundred tail-lengths above the highest treetops, then settled into a steady glide above the town. Lightning crackled in the sky above them. The screams had stopped, replaced by mutterings and bewildered chatter. After a whispered “Farewell for now,” Luna drifted off the chariot and into the midst of the awestruck ponies below. Hammer and Anvil waited just long enough to see her flip off her hood as a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Soon after, they both made for the hills that he’d spotted to the southern side of the town. The dense vegetation in that area would serve as a place to hide the chariot until the festival was done.

“Citizens of Ponyville!”

Anvil stalled and nearly crashed into a tree – Hammer only just managed to veer away in time and drag him along, pumping his wings hard to compensate for the loss of lift.

“We have graced your tiny village with our presence, so that you might behold the real princess of the Night – ”

Hammer and Anvil shared a look.

“ – a creature of nightmares no longer, but instead, a pony who desires your love and admiration.”

The words seemed to cause a veritable breeze, rustling the leaves of all the trees around them.

“Together, we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!”

A crack of thunder followed the moon princess’ magnified voice.

“Is she supposed to do that?” his friend asked.

Foals started screaming.

“Probably not.”

Anvil blinked. “She’s never spoken like that before.”

Canterlot: A Thousand Years of Tradition. It must have been that book she had been reading. Judging by the reactions of the townsfolk, its information must be somewhat less than accurate. Unless the princess herself had made some misinterpretations. He remained silent and pulled the chariot back into a descent for the hills.

“Ah… do you suppose there is something we should do?”

“She did tell us to leave her be.”

And that was the end of the debate.

They left the chariot in the middle of a fairly dense thicket, confident that nopony would stumble upon it in their absence. And even if that were to happen, Hammer doubted that said discoverers would want to meddle with it – enchantments had been put in place to shock anypony who wasn’t a guard or a princess, if they attempted to take it away. After taking off their barding and leaving them in the chariot, they put on their torques and slung on a pair of saddlebags filled with some money.

“Right – how should we begin?”

Walking would be a good start. “Let’s just go. If we’re lucky, we would make it through the night without attracting too much attention.”

“It might be too late for that.”

“Why?”

“We didn’t bring costumes of our own.”

* * * * *

Entering Ponyville was easy enough; they crossed the bridge spanning a little stream going through the town, and nopony seemed to pay them any heed. Although, that could partly be attributed to the fact that Luna had already drawn away most of the attention. Hammer didn’t know where she was, but he was certain that she would not appreciate any prying – best to go about their separate business, then. What that entailed, however, eluded him for the moment. They didn’t know anypony here, and he was certain that mingling with strangers was going to draw some unwanted scrutiny to their accent. No matter how hard they tried, it was next to impossible to pronounce and speak with the same accent as these modern ponies. Keeping up with all the new words was difficult enough.

They made it past the first rows of shop-houses with little more than friendly greetings from passers-by, but that was as far as their luck ran. On the second street in, as they were trotting towards what looked to be a crowd of ponies making merriment in the centre of town, Hammer felt the slight tingle of static that precedes a lightning bolt. He tensed up. It was faint, but when he pricked his ears, the buzzing sound was unmistakable – it was coming from behind. He leapt and spun round, landing with wings and legs spread wide in a defensive stance just when the white bolt struck the ground before him. It was just a small bolt, though – barely enough to stun somepony, and it had come from a little black cloud hovering just above roof height. On that cloud sat a masked mare in a costume of purple and black with yellow lightning bolt stripes. She had a rainbow mane, and her mouth was open in the shape of a little ‘o’.

“What was that for?” Anvil demanded. He too had dropped into a defensive stance.

The mare ignored the question altogether. “Woah…” she said, “That synced-up jumping thing you did there – that was pretty cool. You even started doing it before the thunder!”

More pranking. Too many ponies were fond of it. Still, Hammer relaxed and folded his wings. Was this the rainbow mare that Rivet had been talking about? Probably. She certainly looked athletic enough.

She brought the cloud closer down and waved. “Hi, I’m Rainbow Dash.”

“Anvil.”

“Hammer.”

“Ah hah!” somepony exclaimed.

Hammer turned and saw a pair of young unicorn stallions galloping towards them. They were both draped in colourful costumes, and several tomatoes enveloped in glowing auras were hovering just above their horns. Judging by the vengeful glee on their faces, those tomatoes were not meant for eating.

“Woah, woah, slow down, guys!” The mare ducked as a volley of tomatoes whizzed towards her face. “Quit it – it was just a prank!” she called out again, but was cut off by another bunch of flying red fruit. She cartwheeled and barrel-rolled in the air, and then guffawed when she realised that not a single one had found its mark. “Hah, you missed!” She then grabbed her thundercloud and swiftly carted it off to another part of town, but only after sparing a second to wave Hammer and Anvil goodbye.

They jumped aside as the two unicorns relentlessly galloped past in their pursuit of the rainbow pegasus, leaving a trail of dust in their wake.

“You’re not from around here, I see,” a new voice observed.

Hammer turned and saw a light grey earth pony trotting out from the shadow of a shop-house. He had light blue eyes and a pale yellow mane that was neatly tied up into a ponytail. His cutie mark was of a glass jar with something thick and blue pouring out of it. He wore nothing other than a plain saddlebag, but he did have a friendly smile.

“Hey there, my name’s Honey Doo.”

Hammer and Anvil took a little too long to respond, at which point the grey stallion’s smile turned into a rueful grin. “Yeah, the name, I know. I don’t know what my parents were thinking, either.”

Anvil trotted forward. “Apologies, we did not mean to be rude. It was just that – ”

“Oh, you mean that little stunt from Rainbow Dash?” He waved a hoof lazily. “She’s just like that – pranks everypony left, right and centre. She might like to pretend otherwise, but I know she’s the one who snuck a chilli flavoured muffin into my sister’s lunch bag… ” He frowned at the memory, but quickly shook his head and continued, “Never mind. Now, where was I?”

“I’m Anvil, and my friend here is Hammer.” He shook hooves with the grey stallion, who then did the same with Hammer. After that, he added, “And yes, we’re just visiting.”

“Without costumes either, I see. Hmm…” Honey Doo looked thoughtful. “Say, why don’t you come with me, then? You look like you would rather spend Nightmare Night at Hops’ inn. Let the foals and young at heart have their fun outside – the rest of us less kiddie types will be having a good drink there. There might even be some music and dancing.”

Anvil looked at Hammer, then back to the grey stallion. “As good a place as any. Will you show us the way?”

He already said he would.

There was a snap of thunder from somewhere in the middle of town, followed by a startled cry and some gleeful guffawing. Honey Doo frowned with half-lidded eyes in the general direction of the laughter for a moment, and then snorted. “Come on, it’s not far. And maybe we’ll get there before Dash gets to try her nonsense on me.”

* * * * *

“Where are you from, by the way?” the grey earth pony asked as they trotted after him. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard your accent before. It’s sounds almost poetic.”

And there was the first problem of the night; with so little notice, they’d yet to contrive a reasonable story to tell any who were curious about them. Simply choosing one of the new places they’d heard off would be potentially disastrous – they knew little about the newer settlements outside of Canterlot, and, by now, many of the places they had been familiar with no longer existed.

“Oh, mere travellers,” Anvil supplied. “We’re not from any place in particular – none that we can truly call home, anyway.”

“Travellers? Your cutie marks don’t look very… nomadic. Old fashioned, rather.” Honey Doo eyed their saddlebags and added, “And somehow, as travellers, I don’t think you’d be lugging a furnace and anvil in one of those, unless you’ve got a caravan or something parked outside of Ponyville, which I doubt.”

“Ah… well, our talents aren’t always within our means. But, give us bits and the right tools, and we can forge whatever you require.”

“So you guys make antique replicas or something?”

Anvil grinned. “Close enough.”

For once, Hammer could not object to his friend’s quick tongue. So everything did have a use, after all. It was a good reminder.

“Well, we’re here,” Honey Doo announced, gesturing at the inn’s sign. It read ‘The Little Beetle’. The place looked well kept; the glass windows were clean and clear, the timbers polished and sturdy, the lighting from within bright and welcoming. It reminded him of home, of some of the establishments in Everfree City. When they entered, he found the place even more agreeable. The tables were long and broad, with benches on either side, and they were all arranged with a wide space in the middle of the floor which, presumably, was a place for performers or dancers. The furniture was of rough but sturdy crafting, and the dirt floor was flat and smooth from the treading of many ponies. There was the distinct, homey scent of wood smoke in the air coming from the fireplace off to the side. The rest of the light came from oil lamps hanging about the place. It was every bit a traditional inn as he remembered. And best of all, there weren’t too many patrons within, and they were not costumed, either. There were earth ponies and unicorns of various hues, and they greeted Honey Doo with smiles and waves and several hellos when he entered. A couple of them appeared to be musicians, as one unicorn had a fiddle by his side, and his pegasus companion had a flute.

The grey earth pony waved back at them, then went straight to the counter and addressed the ruddy earth stallion behind it, “Evening, Hops. The usual, please. I’ve brought some guests, too.”

“You brought the stuff?” the innkeeper asked, a little brusquely.

The grey pegasus reached into his saddlebags and retrieved several glass jars filled with thick, blue jelly. “Yup,” he replied, placing them on the counter, “Blueberry; your favourite. Not quite as good as zap apple, but I do my best.”

Hops’ mood improved dramatically – his eyes lit up, and a grin split his face. “Well, in that case, how could I refuse one of my regulars?” He produced a flagon filled to the brim and pushed it over to the stallion. Then, he turned his attention to Hammer and Anvil and asked, “And what will you two gents be having?”

“Something light,” his friend replied. “The night is still young.”

“Hmm, how’s about some cranberry soda, then?”

One drink was as good as another – they weren’t half familiar with what was available, anyhow. He opened his saddlebag and tossed a few bits onto the counter. “We’ll take them.”

“So… what drew you to Ponyville?” Honey Doo asked as they sipped their drinks at one of the long tables. “It can’t be Nightmare Night alone.”

“That might be truer than you would suppose…” Anvil ventured as he chewed on a stalk of celery.

The grey stallion smiled. “Really? Well, I can show you around town, if you like. If you’re lucky, we might come across some of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. I’m not sure if that’s your cup of tea, but we’ve met some guys who visited just to meet the ones who stopped Nightmare Moon.” He frowned, then added, “Excluding Rainbow Dash, of course. You’ve already met her, and from what I saw, you weren’t impressed.”

It was difficult imagining such a pony being a bearer of one of the Elements – there had to be more to her than the antics they’d seen thus far.

Just then, a gabble of voices became audible, coming from outside the inn. It grew in volume, until the door was shoved open and a small crowd of ponies trotted in, chattering boisterously. An earth mare of various shades of plum was leading the group, and when she caught sight of Hops at the counter, she waved energetically and called out, “Hey there, Mister Hops, a round for us thirsty ponies here!”

Honey Doo winced. “Oh boy, I didn’t think they’d come so soon. Would have been nice if the place could be nice and quiet for a while.”

“Is that such a concern?” Anvil glanced at the newcomers and turned back to their companion. “Who is she, anyway?”

“That’s Berry Punch – pretty as a unicorn, drinks like an alicorn.” Honey leaned in close and whispered, “Seriously, don’t ever challenge her to a drinking match.”

The mare must have heard, for she turned around and grinned. “Did somepony say ‘drinking match’? What a coincidence, because that was just what we had in mind!” She trotted over to their table and smiled at Honey Doo. “Hi there, I see you’ve made some new friends.”

“Acquaintances, more like,” he replied, cautiously. “They’re from out of town. Just visiting tonight, and I’m showing them around.” He stood and gestured to them. “The big guy is Anvil, and the bigger guy is Hammer.”

“Evening, my lady,” Anvil said with a slight bow. Hammer dipped his head and greeted her in kind.

“I’m Berry Punch, nice to meet you.” She smiled and gestured at the bench. “May I?” When they gave their assent, she promptly took her seat and the rest of her group settled down at nearby tables. A couple of other stallions sat by her side, though.

After briefly introducing some of her companions, she said to Honey Doo, “If you’re showing them around, you should have taken them to the town hall. We saw Princess Luna there! Her guards, too – never seen outfits like that, though. I wonder where they went…”

“I’m not sure if I’d want to meet them, though. They look meaner than the usual guards.”

“I suppose…” she trailed off, then switched her attention to Hammer and Anvil. “Where are you from, anyway? You speak very… nicely. Do you perform or something?” She then winked at Hammer and added, “I like the beard; reminds me of Hayspeare’s plays. The necklaces, too.”

Hayspeare? Plays? “No, we are not familiar with his works. And we are not poets, either.”

“Hmm, guess not. Your cutie marks don’t look very artsy,” one of her stallion friends commented. “They do look like the toughie kind, though.” He grinned. “What say you to a drinking contest?”

“Yeah,” the other one interjected, “Somepony’s gotta beat Berry one day, and maybe you’d be the ones. Do it for all the stallions of Equestria!”

The plum mare rolled her eyes and offered a smug grin. “Good luck with that, boys.”

Still, they were waiting eagerly for an answer. Ponies at the other tables were listening, too – apparently this mare was not one to be trifled with in the cups, unlikely as that was. Hammer shared a look with Anvil, and made it clear that drawing attention was not the best thing to do at the moment. “No, thank you,” he replied. Even if they wanted to accept the challenge, the enchantment that Luna had put on them in the Eternal Night would be an unfair advantage.

“Aww, come on,” one of the stallions pleaded, “Don’t let her scare you – we stallions can’t be beaten by a girl. We can’t let that stand!”

“Then let it drop,” he answered.

“You chicken?”

Anvil brought up a hoof and inspected it, then waved it in front of the stallion. He smiled and helpfully pointed out, “I doubt it; chickens don’t have hooves.”

“Har har. But seriously, why not?” The brown stallion leaned in close. “Is it because Berry is a ‘lady,’ and it’s not nice to beat a lady? Because that’s not gonna happen. Heck, I’d be happy to see if you can beat me.”

The orange pegasus smiled wanly. “Tempting, but I respectfully decline.”

“Oh come one, Pokey, that’s not how you do it.” The other stallion cleared his throat and declared in a ridiculously pompous voice, “I challenge thee… to a duel!" He pointed a hoof imperiously in Hammer's direction. "If thou canst beat me in drinking, I shall’eth pay for thy dinner!”

“I second that!” Berry Punch thumped a hoof on the table.

Well, there was no mistaking it – they had issued a proper challenge, albeit with very unusual language. Do they believe we speak like that? He looked at Honey Doo, who shook his head a tiny bit. He then turned to Anvil, who shrugged and mouthed the word ‘mingling’ at him.

Very well. “We accept.”

The patrons erupted into a chorus of cheers. “Woohoo!” “Alright, yeah!” “Show em, Berry!” “Let it begin!” “Bring out the cider!”

Hops began filling up flagons and passing them round. Berry Punch was the first to go. She inhaled deeply over her flagon of cider, as if relishing the scent, then chugged it down as if it was mere water. Others began to follow, and Hammer noted that they were mostly young stallions – spirited, no doubt, but they did not appear very experienced. And only a few had the deep chest or gut that indicated familiarity with heavy drinking.

He took a sip of the cider to test its strength, then quickly downed the rest when he found it was rather mild.

This will be quick.

* * * * *

This will be… harrowing.

Hammer had already lost count of the number of rounds they’d had. His belly was full of cider, his hooves were tingling, and his head was already buzzing pleasantly. All of Berry’s companions had already either drunken themselves into a stupor, or were busy babbling nonsense at each other. But she was still showing no sign of relenting – Honey’s comparison of her to an alicorn was apt, she could really stomach her drink. Back in Everfree, there had been only one or two stallions who could outdrink him, but at this point, even they would have been showing signs of slowing down. Suddenly, the possibility of losing to the mare didn’t seem all that unlikely.

So much for Princess Luna’s spell. It appeared that even his fortified constitution would be insufficient to outlast the plum mare.

Berry Punch guzzled down another flagon in one go and slammed it onto the table. The patrons all cheered, and she grinned. “Your turn, gentlecolts.”

“You might want to consider giving up, now,” Honey Doo piped up. “She’s just getting started. Seriously, nopony will think less of you.”

“Nope, not at all,” Hops tossed in, “She does this to visitors all year round.”

Honour demands it. He had already accepted a formal challenge. After glaring at the flagon for a moment, he gulped down its contents and emptied it completely, feeling his stomach stretch a little more as the cider flowed down. More cheers followed, and they seemed even louder than they had been for the plum mare.

All eyes turned to Anvil, who was still staring at his drink.

“Come on, drink up!” Berry goaded.

“Drink, drink, drink, drink!” everypony began to chant.

His companion continued to stare at the flagon, brow creased slightly, as if he was contemplating some deep mystery. He didn’t seem to hear.

“Hey, are you okay?” Honey Doo asked.

Anvil blinked, and Hammer spied a bit of wetness in his eyes. That was not a good sign. The orange pegasus suddenly pushed the flagon aside and rested his head on his crossed forelegs. Tears streamed down his face and onto his hooves. He blinked slowly, but the tears kept flowing, and he made no sound or any move to wipe them away. Everypony started murmuring in confusion.

“Hah, he knows he can’t win!” one of Berry’s inebriated friends teased.

The plum mare rounded on the culprit and jabbed him in the ribs with her hoof. “Shush – this looks serious!” She then trotted over to Anvil’s side and placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Hey, come on, what’s wrong? It’s not about the game, is it? It’s only in good fun.”

Hammer ground his teeth. Of course... Most ponies acted the same once they’d had a lot of drink; growing looser tongues and louder voices, but Anvil had been amongst those who actually retreated inside after having too much. He’d been growing quieter and quieter after each flagon. And… it didn’t help that the past had been weighing down heavily on his friend, and Hammer thought he knew exactly what the matter was. He had not asked after her since their release, but no matter what had happened, one unchangeable, simple truth would remain; she was already gone.

Anvil sniffed and wiped his eyes. “Nothing to concern yourselves about. It’s nothing of consequence.”

“It is a big deal if you’re crying in public,” Berry pressed. “I understand if it’s personal, but then you should be getting help, not drinking like this. I’m sorry; I really shouldn’t have started this contest.”

“You’re not at fault,” he replied. “There… was a mare I knew. Let us just say that I’ll never be able to see her again.”

“Did she dump you, or was it the other way around?” somepony wondered aloud. It was followed by a sharp smack and a mumbled “sorry.”

“It is a ‘permanent’ parting,” Hammer said. He looked the others in the eyes and made certain that they understood.

Berry Punch patted Anvil gently. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to be nosey. But you have my condolences.”

“Mine, too,” Honey Doo added.

Anvil drew in a shuddering breath and sighed. “Thank you. I apologise for creating a fuss – I shall take my leave.”

“Hey, hang on.” The grey stallion trotted close and put a hoof on his shoulder. “There’s no need to go. I mean, sure, you can leave if you want, but just so you know, we’d still be okay if you wanted to stay. Nopony’s going to chase you out.” He glanced round at everypony else. “Right?”

Nods of agreement abounded.

“Thank you, but if it’s all the same, I do not feel like staying.”

Anvil tottered over to the door and yanked it open after fumbling with the handle for a few seconds. He waved farewell and then trotted off. Hammer was just about to get up and follow when there was a cry of shock and an orange projectile bolted back into the tavern and crashed through the benches and into a table. “Sweet Celestia, what the hay is a dragon doing in Ponyville?” Anvil cried, propped upside down against the table leg.

Hammer spotted a dragon – a juvenile, standing just outside the door with a little sack slung over its shoulder. It was wearing, strangely enough, a dragon costume, and had a rather perplexed look on its face. “Right…” it said, in a voice not unlike that of a colt, “I’ll just be going, now.” And it hurriedly toddled off.

“Oh, that’s just Spike,” Honey Doo clarified. “He’s a harmless guy.”

“Yeah, that’s just Twilight’s assistant,” somepony added.

Anvil seemed to have trouble comprehending that. Understandable, though. Cobbleville Mine was not something easily forgotten, and he was the one who had come very close to an undignified end in the claws of that juvenile’s bigger cousin. But… the townsfolk seemed very comfortable with a young dragon in their midst – he hoped that it was because dragons had changed in the time since his petrification, rather than these folk being plain ignorant of the dangers it posed. ‘Spike’ might not be so tractable when it grows up.

Just then, he heard Luna’s voice. Distant, but loud and unmistakably angry, “ – ungrateful whelp!”

A blast of thunder rattled the inn, shaking dust off the rafters. Then, silence. And then… chaos – ponies outside started screaming and shouting, and it sounded as if the whole town was being wrecked. Everypony else in the inn was either staring out the door or blinking and looking around in confusion.

Then, the moon princess’ voice thundered once more, “Be still!”

The words were drawn out; echoing long after the lightning that split the sky without was gone. The thunder and gust of wind that followed was so strong that it slammed the door shut. But that did nothing to lessen the clarity and volume of the rest of her words; “No, Twilight Sparkle. We must use the traditional Royal Canterlot Voice for what we are about to say; since you choose to fear your princess rather than love her, and dishonour her with this insulting celebration, we decree that Nightmare Night shall be cancelled – forever!”

The wind howled in response, and thunder continued to echo in the distance.

Wonderful – more to worry about. Something had clearly gone awry for Princess Luna – luck was not favouring them tonight. Still, she had already warned them not to interfere… He ground a hoof into the floor.

“You know… I think I shall stay, after all.” Anvil got back on all fours and dusted himself, suddenly appearing quite sober – perhaps the sudden rush of fear and the quickening of his heart had inflamed his senses back to clarity. He trudged over to his flagon and took a long swig, indifferent to the stares he was getting from everypony.

“Uh, maybe we should do something else,” Berry Punch said. “If you’re okay now, there’s no need to get tipsy again.”

One of the patrons threw his hooves up and cried with despair, “Do something else? Didn’t you hear? Princess Luna is going to cancel Nightmare Night – forever!”

Anvil belched and waved aside the lamentation with a wing. “All the more reason to make the most of this night, yes?”

His words were met with surprise, but after a moment, ponies started grinning. From over the counter, Hops chuckled. “Lad, I like the way you think.” He then clapped his hooves and shouted, “You hear that? If this is the last of Nightmare Night, you’d best make it one to remember. A free round of drinks for everypony who can still stand on four legs! Where’s the music? Fiddlesticks, Chip, get your flanks over here and play us a tune!”

“Aye, sir!” The unicorn and pegasus replied in unison.

They began to play an uplifting tune – the fiddle and the flute when very well together. It was similar to the music played by some bards he had known, except that this one was… livelier, springier. Everypony started tapping along to the tune, and he also found that his hooves were inclined to join in. That did not happen very often, and it was a welcome distraction from the thought of the moon princess’ anger against the townsfolk outside.

“Do you dance?” Berry asked.

“No.”

“Do you want to dance?” she asked again.

“He already said no,” Honey Doo pointed out.

Berry Punch chuckled. “Totally different question, Honey.”

Hammer felt the corners of his mouth curl up slightly at her persistence. It was rather fetching for her. But his answer was the same; “Still, no.”

“His lips say no, but I believe his hooves beg to differ.” Anvil swayed over and bowed to the mare. “I, however, would be honoured if you would dance with me, my lady.”

“Since when do you dance?” Hammer could never recall anything of the sort.

Anvil spread his wings and waved them around. “Since I learned how to use these. I dance well enough in the air – we shall see if I can do the same on the ground, to a tune. I make no promises, though.”

Berry Punch slipped a foreleg around his and tugged him towards the middle of the room. “That’s the spirit!”

Anvil trotted after, but stumbled when his hoof collided with one of the table legs. “Gah!” He glared at the piece of furniture, then looked at his quivering legs. “Ah… excuse me for a moment; I will need to clear my head before making an abomination of the dance routine. Where is the latrine?”

One of the patrons pointed a hoof in the direction, and the orange pegasus followed without another word. After the door shut, there was a muffled retching sound, and a moment later, Anvil trotted back out, nonchalantly wiping the side of his mouth with a hoof. Hammer noticed that his belly was considerably less distended.

“Ah, this is much better,” his friend announced, to more stares from Berry Punch and her friends.

Clearly, these ponies were unfamiliar with purging techniques in the Royal Guard. In those days, inebriated ponies could always attempt to recover some semblance of deftness and sobriety by the simple act of stuffing their tail down their throat until their stomach decided to empty itself of the offending contents. Sometimes even the mane would suffice, if it was long enough. Or, lacking a sufficiently long mane or tail, a buck right in the belly from a friend could always serve – Captain Hazel Hock had been rather fond of that approach…

And just like that, Hammer suddenly found himself missing the company of his brothers in the old Guard. The modern guards were likeable enough, but they weren’t the same – they had different japes, different interests, different ways of looking at life. And, of course, lagging a thousand years behind them only made it harder to properly relate – there were many things of which they spoke that he had only the slightest knowledge of.

He contented himself with watching the others dance to the music whilst he sat by the table with Honey Doo. True to his word, his friend was butchering the dance routine, but everypony was laughing along with the orange pegasus as he and Berry Punch stumbled and staggered. But when the pair of musicians switched to a more sedate tune, the two of them settled into a much more steady rhythm. Others joined in, even those who were already deep in their cups.

The door behind him creaked open, and he heard a mare say, “Oh goody, it’s nice to find a place where everypony is still happy!” There was a pause, filled in by the music, after which the newcomer squealed, “Ooh, this one’s my favourite!”

“Hey, sis, you’re just in time!” Honey Doo called out by his side. Hammer felt a nudge, and when he turned to face the grey stallion, he found a mare of remarkably similar colouration standing next to him. “This is my sister, Ditzy.”

The light grey mare, with misaligned eyes, he noticed, smiled and shook his hoof. “Haven’t seen you around before – nice to meet you!”

“Likewise,” he replied.

“Would you like to dance?” she asked as she trotted forward, leaning in rather closely. “My brother dances with me every Nightmare Night, but I thought you might like to have a round with me, since you’re a guest – this song is meant to have a boy and girl dancer, you know, and…” she glanced around at the dancers, then turned back to him “ – I’m the only mare who doesn’t have a partner yet.” Behind her, Honey Doo was grinning apologetically.

Hammer looked at the others dancing and making merry. Oh, very well.

“It would be my pleasure,” he replied. It wasn’t completely heartfelt, though. Princess Luna was having a difficult time with the townsfolk, and it did not seem appropriate for him to be partaking in frivolous activities in the midst of her frustration. But… he’d give in just this once – since it looked like Ditzy Doo rarely had partners other than her own brother. Maybe her eyes had something to do with that. He rose, and nearly bumped into her when she did not back away quickly enough.

“Oops, sorry,” she said. She then pointed at her right eye and added, “I can’t see with this one, so… zero depth perception, you see.” She smiled shyly and averted her eyes for a moment, before tentatively whispering, “I might be a little… clumsy with the dance, because of that.”

“Have others made light of you?”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Err… you mean made fun of me?”

“Yes.”

“Well, yeah, all the time. In school, I mean. Not so much anymore.” The words were unnecessary – he could tell from her tone that that one aspect of her foalhood had been less than pleasant.

Foals never change. That much remained the same throughout the ages. He no longer felt any inclination to refuse her a round of dancing. A small gesture, one that would not undo the years of torment she had endured, but it was the least he could do. “Your eyes make no matter to me – a mare’s heart means more than looks alone ever will.” Not the best he could come up with, but the cider was still meddling with his mind.

The mare’s eyes lit up and she smiled. “Well, that’s nice of you. Come on!” She then grabbed his hoof and swung him into the middle of the dance floor. Hammer blinked, and just remembered to regain his balance at the last moment. That mare was strong. Cross-eyed or no, her strength alone would have made her a good candidate for the Royal Guard recruits. Give her an eye patch and the right training, and she could look just as imposing as the rest of them. But she began to tug him along to the tune, and he was forced to put aside those thoughts, and instead focused on trying not to bump into anypony. It was rather awkward at first, but he slowly began to match his movements to the music, trotting back and forth to the rhythm and even prancing with the others when the moment called for it.

“Hey, you’re pretty good at this!” Ditzy exclaimed.

Before he could reply, the music changed once more, and he found himself being spun round by the pegasus mare.

“Ooh, look who’s dancing now,” somepony nearby teased. Hammer shrugged at Berry Punch and allowed himself to be led in the routine. Ditzy Doo might not have been the most graceful of ponies, but her energy more than made up for that, and she seemed able to match her movement rather well to the music, even with closed eyes – others nearby just had to be wary of her movement. And her mood was… infectious. Despite his initial misgivings, he was beginning to enjoy himself.

The music quickened. Everypony picked up the pace, dancing along faster and faster as the music reached a crescendo. It was… almost like a battle – a non-violent one. Weave in, weave out, hop back in and sway, back and forth. Those who weren’t dancing were adding to it with claps and stomps, and those unable to keep up at such a pace soon stumbled and laughed and cleared away to avoid tripping others – until the musicians ended the tune with a high note and a flourish. Only a few pairs of dancers were left standing in the middle, breathless and flushed from the exertion. Hammer was panting slightly, and Ditzy Doo whooped and toppled to the floor as everypony clapped and cheered.

“Thank you, fillies and gentlecolts, it’s been a pleasure!” Fiddlesticks and Chip declared as they bowed.

With the dance over, everypony settled back at their tables and helped themselves to another round of food and drink, as Hops had anticipated the moment and passed around plates of fresh and cooked food to satiate the famished celebrants. Ponies tossed their bits onto the counter and began to tuck in. Berry Punch and Ditzy Doo settled at their table, and after a brief respite, everypony broke their fast on the evening meal. Some time later, Honey was nuzzling his sister and listening to her talk about what she had been doing outside before she’d come in, and Berry Punch was grinning facetiously and whispering something in Anvil’s ear. From the way his friend’s face coloured, it might not have been something entirely appropriate.

Hammer glanced at those around him as he munched on some hay fries – friendly smiles and chatter and laughter abounded, though some were already dozing off. He hadn’t felt this at home in what felt like a very, very long time.

Berry Punch started giggling all of a sudden, thumping on the table with a hoof and snorting out a little bit of cider from her nostrils. “Oh, Hammer,” she said, after catching her breath, “You’re so broody – honestly, that way you were staring around, you looked like a super-villain planning to destroy everything.” She then thumped him on the shoulder and added, “Cheer up, smile a little!”

“He’s already smiling,” Anvil piped up. “You just need to squint harder.”

“Yup, you just need to look in the right place,” Ditzy Doo pointed out. “He smiles with his eyes, not his mouth.”

Novel way of putting it. Hammer shrugged. “She’s not wrong.”

Honey raised his mug. “Looks like I made the right choice, bringing you two here. Cheers?”

Hammer and Anvil and the two mares raised their own flagons and clonked them together noisily.

“Cheers!”

* * * * *

The horizon was glowing a faint blue by the time they made it to the agreed meeting place, far beyond the outskirts of Ponyville. Hammer and Anvil had already said their farewells, promising to visit their new friends whenever they could. They had not revealed anything about their past or present affairs, but had simply told the others that they could not stay for the night because of prior obligations. The hardest part had been telling Ditzy Doo that they had no address to which she could mail letters – she had looked absolutely crestfallen for a moment. Thankfully, she had cheered up at the prospect that the next time they visited, it would be a pleasant surprise – something to look forward to. As a parting gift, her brother had given them a little jar of blueberry jelly, and Berry Punch had invited them to a re-match, should they ever wish to finish what they’d started.

Whilst they waited by the chariot, partially obscured from view in a grove, Hammer noticed that his friend was getting pensive, again. He seemed serene enough, but his distant gaze betrayed the fact that his thoughts were far away. With the festive atmosphere gone, it was apparent that he had not completely forgotten about the grey unicorn amidst the celebration – he had masked it rather well during the whole affair.

“Still thinking about her?”

“Yes.”

Hammer gave him a look.

Anvil rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes. I will ask.” He sighed. “Summer Cloud deserved better than that. I should have made amends when we last met…”

“She did not give you the chance – she ran.”

“I wasn’t quick enough, more like. Two words would have sufficed, just two.”

It would have taken more than two. They had been on opposite sides of a schism in the Royal Guard. Still, he could not fault her; she had done what she thought was best – they all had, even the loyalists. It was… regrettable that his friend had not come to terms with her on what had transpired, but there was little they could do about it now. He said nothing, though – Anvil would know that there would be no closure until he asked of her fate. Perhaps it was fear that held his tongue, the fear that she might have lived a lonely life, or perhaps found somepony else. The former seemed more likely – his friend was not the kind to be given to envy.

Anvil opened his mouth and had been about to say something more, but turned away at the last moment. Hammer followed his gaze and spotted Princess Luna approaching them, mane and tail aglow and billowing in the pre-dawn dimness. Her eyes were half-lidded as she bobbed her head and half-trotted-half-skipped to a tune that only she could hear. His companion immediately shook his head and adopted a more cheerful expression.

“You both look like you enjoyed yourselves,” Luna commented with amusement. “Will you be able to fly all the way to Canterlot?”

Hammer’s belly was a little more bloated than he would have liked, and Anvil’s looked no less unflattering. With all the good food and drink they’d consumed, it was ridiculous to have hoped that she would not have noticed. The belly straps on his armour were rather tight, now. “Apologies, your Highness. We got carried away.”

The blue alicorn snorted. “Rest easy, I am not in a mood to race home.” She yawned stretched her wings. “Besides, I believe my sister would want something of this sort to happen again – it’s good to see you looking… content. Perhaps in a month or two, you can progress to being happy.”

Anvil chuckled. “Then it’s a good thing that you changed your mind about banning this festival. Those ponies were quite happy to hear.” He inspected her, and his gaze seemed to linger on the crumbs dotting the corner of her mouth. “You seem to have had a good evening, too.”

“Indeed.” She grinned sheepishly and trotted onto the chariot. “Well, after a few setbacks, at any rate. It very nearly ended in disaster.”

Once harnessed, they wasted no time in making for Canterlot. As they soared into the brightening sky, Hammer spared a glance back towards the town, but allowed his gaze to linger as it shrank into the distance. The last of its lights were disappearing as dawn approached.

“Well, that went better than the last festival we attended,” Anvil suddenly remarked.

Very astute.

“Oh, yes,” Princess Luna assented, “Much better, indeed.”