A Song of Nightmaresby Vi RemedyChaptersChapter Three: A New FeatherChapter One: The Mare of StarsChapter Two: IndebtedChapter Four: Dark CreaturesChapter Five: The Gala (Revised)Chapter Six: The GambitChapter Seven: Something DarkChapter Eight: Brief RespiteChapter Three: A New FeatherChapter three A New Feather I slowly opened my eyes, following up with an exaggerated yawn. I had never slept more comfortably in my entire life. I sat up feeling refreshed and much less sore than I had felt the night before. I looked around the room and saw moonlight shining through the window. I guess that the shadow spell Luna had cast yesterday morning was no longer active. Crap, I thought. I had missed Luna raising the moon, and only assumed I had overslept. I scanned the room for a clock and spotted one above the entrance. It was already a half hour past midnight, and Luna always raises the moon around seven, the night was almost halfway over! “Oh no…” I breathed as I shot out of the bed and grabbed my uniform, throwing it on as quickly as possible. I had fallen asleep with the hairband still on and had to rush to the mirror in the washroom to resort out my mane. After I finished and was trotting out of the washroom -- making little adjustments to my jacket's collar as I went-- I made my way to the door. Before I could open it however, I saw a blue glow wrap around the handle and I took a step back as Luna stepped through. I bowed, “Princess I am so sorry, I lost track of time, I never meant to sleep in this late,” I told her, full of embarrassment and shame. Great first impressions, I scolded myself. “Oh, don't worry about it, I let you sleep in,” she imparted with a smile and a wave of her tail, “you definitely looked like you needed the extra rest.” “You're not angry?” I asked, holding my breath. “Not at all,” she paused, “and I see that you've already taken the time to get ready for tonight,” she regarded me. “I really need to have a proper uniform made,” she frowned, “but I suppose that will have to do for the time being,” she gestured with her tail for me to follow, “come, it's time you learned how to properly take care of yourself.” I nodded, “yes Princess.” We made our way down through the castle, passing a few guards as we went, none of them seemed to question my presence now that I didn't look like some filthy gutter pony. I stuck to the Princess's side as we made our way out into the courtyard. She seemed to be leading me to a place just outside of the castle's perimeter. We made our way down another stone path through a thin line of trees that opened up into a much larger clearing. The grass was unnaturally short suggesting it must have been cut regularly. There was a small building on the far end that had weapon racks and crates lining the outside walls. The clearing looked like it was used for training the royal guard. There were straw dummies set up with bullseyes painted on their center. Off to the left just out of proper view looked like some kind of obstacle course. Beyond that, were rows of square buildings I could only assume were some sort of barracks. Luna, however, was leading me to an empty spot on the far right of the grassy clearing. The only thing over here was a single cart full of all different kinds of weapons and other sharp objects. Luna hadn't said anything to me on our way out here, I wondered if she had looked in my head yesterday while I was asleep? That would explain her silence. I thought, my heart starting to pick up pace. My mind reeling trying to think of what to say if she had. I suppose I could just ask her... “Princess,” I began. “Yes Feather?” “Purely out of curiosity,” I paused, taking a breath before continuing hesitantly, “did you enter my dreams last night?” I held my breath. “Oh no, I was far too tired from staying up as late as we did,” she waved her tail dismissively. I let out a sigh of relief. And her professional demeanor dropped as she raised an eyebrow. “Why, something you didn’t want me to see?” I reeled, standing at attention, “umm nope… just, it was a really boring dream, and I… I didn't want you to think I was boring,” I blurted, hoping that I sounded at least a little convincing. She let out a little laugh, “oh Feather you're too easy to tease.” Blushing, I darted my eyes away and walked past her, “so what are we doing first?” I asked as I trotted over to the cart full of weapons. Her comment still lingering in my mind, and I was reminded of what she had said to me the night before. Did she like me? I asked myself, like, like like me? Was she even into other mares? I wondered, looking back at her. Her eyes were lingering on my flank before they darted up to meet mine and both of us quickly looked away. My heart picked up pace again and fantasies fought for my attention as I struggled to just focus on just the weapons cart. “Well,” she began, clearing her throat, “if I am to teach you how to fight, I'm going to need to know what to teach you, so pick a weapon and we’ll go from there.” I sighed in relief, happy to distract myself as I continued to look through the many different weapons. So many ways to kill another pony, I thought morbidly as I looked over each one. Most of these I couldn't even use as they were more designed with unicorns in mind. There were a few mountable weapons, designed to attach to a compatible armor piece; but I hated the thought of being less mobile. I noticed an old flintlock pistol with a mouth grip buried near the bottom, but a lot of good that would do me if I ever had to shoot more than once. Finally, my eyes drifted over a pair of dull wing blades. They looked to be in awful condition, rusted and somewhat misshaped, but they were the only thing I saw that had any sort of appeal. I grabbed them with my mouth and turned to face Luna who had a look of approval on her face. “I am so glad you chose those,” she purred with a grin, “This will be easier than I thought.” I set the pair of blades on the ground so I could speak, “wait really?” I asked, surprised, “I don't know if you’ve noticed Princess, but I've never used a weapon like this in my entire life, or any weapon for that matter.” “No, but you are a Pegasus, and you know how to use your wings do you not?” “I suppose” I responded, still not quite sure where she was going with this. She grinned, “flying is your weapon,” she purred before taking several steps back. “We will practice without the blades for now.” Suddenly in less than a second, she closed the distance between us and put the ridge of her wing to my throat. Almost making me jump! “For example, you can close the distance much faster by using your wings to launch yourself forward.” Whoah. “Now,” she ordered, as she stood next to me, “match what I do.” ___ We spent the next several hours going through techniques and body position, how to distribute weight properly, how to have the most balance when doing any particular thing, and of course, how to do it all with grace and style. It quickly became very apparent that Luna preferred a much more aggressive, or as she liked to call it ‘up in your face’ style of combat. She explained to me that most pegasi who use wing blades tend to try and stay in the air, while keeping their opponent at a distance, hitting them hard and fast in flyby attacks. She also explained to me how stupid that was. That doing so would leave my underside completely exposed for anyone to cut open as I flew by, and that such a strategy would also be detrimental to my endurance. She explained that it would only work on either somepony who was ill-trained, or completely oblivious. So instead, she taught me how to close the distance on the ground, not letting my opponents have room to breathe, let alone think. She taught me how to conserve my stamina, teaching me how to inflict as much damage as possible while keeping myself relatively unexhausted. However, by the end of the night, I was exhausted. But I was exhausted in a good workout way. Not in the tired crappy way that I was so used to. I admit I feel good. I thought to myself as I returned to Luna with two water satchels dangling from my wing. She grabbed one with her magic and downed almost the whole thing in a single swig. “It's been so long since I’ve had any kind of fun like this!” she exclaimed as I sat down next to her. “And you learn fairly quickly,” she noted, a touch of pride in her voice. “Still many moons of work to be done though,” she added, “for example, you really need to work on your balance when you come out of those dashes.” I had fallen on my face a few times doing those, “I still think I have some dirt in my nose!” I chuckled, only half joking. She laughed a little at that. Goddesses, that laugh, Stars, her voice in general was hard to stop listening to… As I gazed at the regal Princess, an amusing thought crossed my mind. She’s a regal Princess! And she’s teaching me how to fight! Whenever I used to think of the two Goddesses, I always imagined them as prim and proper, elegant and far too busy to ever get their hooves dirty. Why would they, when they have a whole staff and army to do everything for them? But the beautiful mare sitting next to me, as proper and elegant as she was, she reminded me more of a soldier than a Princess. The way she moved, her posture, her expertise and her nocturnal eyes that gleamed with hardened coldness. It was obvious she had seen battle. My eyes widened a little as I realized that even without magic, Luna could kill me in a heartbeat if she wanted to. Stars she's amazing. “Why don't you head back to the castle and get cleaned up,” she prompted as she floated out a rolled-up piece of paper, “I'm going to take this to that guard pony Ruby and see if she can run it into the nearest town tomorrow to get an armor smith to make it.” She unrolled the parchment with her magic and faced it towards me, “so what do you think?” she asked eagerly awaiting my response, “I drew this earlier while you were sleeping.” My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened. Before me floated a drawing of, well me! I was wearing a beautiful black uniform with metal outlines. It had dark blue accents and the collar boasted a smaller version of Luna's cutie mark. Weaved into it were elegant plates of armor, a metal spine going up from my back to my neck, even more metal plating covered my shoulders and the top of my flank, but not so much so that my cutie mark wasn't still showing through. The entire design was dark, symmetrical and professional, and I loved it. “I love it!” I exclaimed, prancing with excitement, “the metal spine is a bit much, but I love it! also, I didn't know you were an artist!” “Well, when you’ve lived for a few hundred years, you tend to learn a few things,” she chuckled, clearly happy with my reaction. “And you're going to be grateful for that metal spine if anypony ever brings a weapon down on your back.” she snickered. “Who would have guessed the Princess of the Night is not only an incredible fighter, but also a talented artist.” I teased. Luna rolled her eyes, “as I said, I've had plenty of time to learn. As far as fighting goes… well let’s just say I really never had a choice in the matter.” “What do you mean?” I asked curiously. Luna’s smile faded as her tone turned grim. “I'd rather not delve into painful memories right now Feather.” I nodded, understanding, “I know we still barely know one another Princess, but anytime you want to talk, I can be a good listener,” I paused “well at least I think I can be a good listener,” I added with a chuckle. “Thank you Feather…” she murmured quietly, her eyes moving to focus on her drawing of me, “I've never really had anyone I could talk to before, at least not in a very long time.” “If it makes you feel any better, I have had more meaningful conversations with you these past few nights than I've ever had with anyone in my whole life.” I admitted. Luna chuckled, “well then I suppose we’re tied for being the most socially inept ponies in all of Equestria.” I stifled a laugh. “So, tell me about this new uniform,” I prompted. Luna grinned, clearly happy for the change of topic, “well, I was going to try and have all the metal parts forged from titanium alloy, I was even thinking about having a reinforced mesh of some kind woven into the fabric!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Wouldn't that be a bit on the heavy side?” I asked skeptically “hardly” she responded, “depending on the alloy, and with a little magic, titanium can be one of the lightest, and strongest metals in Equestria.” she stated matter of factly. “Problem is, it's not easy to come by, not to mention how difficult it is to forge and shape.” she smiled, “My sister has access to what we would need for the plates, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I... borrowed some.” she said with an implicative smile. She paused with a sigh. “I may be getting ahead of myself, I want to make sure that this life is what you want, I know I just swooped you up the other night, as you said we still barely know one another. Now I’m already in a rush to make you into this image I have set in my mind of what I know you could be.” I looked at her thoughtfully in surprise. “Princess, I haven't ever really lived before, I've only ever just survived,” I admitted regretfully, “but these past couple of nights, for the first time I finally feel like my life is really starting.” I paused. “As far as I'm concerned, I owe you everything, and tonight I realize now that I've never wanted anything so badly before,” I reassured her with a smile, “My purpose is to serve you.” “You really are something special Feather,” she murmured wistfully before shaking her head. “Well, I'm off to scare Ruby into helping us, I will be waking you up early tomorrow night, we still have quite a lot to work on,” she pronounced as she stood up to leave. “Wait, can't you just order Ruby to help?” Luna rolled her narrow slit-shaped eyes. “Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of authority, they are my sister’s soldiers, not mine.” “That's ridiculous,” I said with a frown, “they should still do as you say, you're the Goddess of the Night for ponies sake,” I bit my tongue realizing what I had just said. “Goddess?..” she murmured, surprise in her voice as she tilted her head towards me. Crap. “I uhh, well yes, Goddess,” I gulped, “that's how some ponies refer to you and your sister,” I said, trying to figure out a way to normalize the conversation. “Ohh, I'm quite aware of how ponies address my sister,” she paused. “Though as far as I am aware, nopony has ever used that title to describe me before, at least not directly, until now that is,” she blinked looking at me. She looked distressed, “I appreciate the compliment Feather, but I'd rather you didn't call me by such a title,” she paused, “yes, I am aware it makes some sense given that my sister and I can raise the sun and moon respectively, well technically Tia just regulates the rotation of the planet, she doesn't actually move the sun itself, that would be ridiculous,” she laughed dryly. Not giving me time to process that revelation, she continued. “So yes, I am aware that to some ponies the title of Goddess could be considered accurate to an extent, however, I just don't feel comfortable being called it, especially by somepony I care about.” I nodded, understanding. “Yes Princess,” I said bowing my head. She sighed, “You're too good to me Feather,” she gazed at me with a sad smile, and a pain in her eyes I hadn't seen until now. Turning, she started to make her way back to the castle courtyard. I watched her go until she disappeared behind the tree line, and then I sat there alone with nothing but my thoughts. The more I thought about what she had said, the more it made sense. I had never had this perspective until now. If I was immortal and had some world effecting power, I certainly wouldn't want to be called a Goddess. Stars, I wouldn't even want other ponies to think of me that way, I could only imagine how Luna must have felt when I said what I said. She is extraordinarily powerful, beyond realistically powerful, but she is still a pony. I thought. How lonely she must feel, the only other pony who would understand anything of what she is going through is her sister, and from everything I've witnessed It seemed that Celestia had all but abandoned her. Now I think I understood what she meant when she told me, she too knew what it was like to be alone. I let out a sad sigh as I looked up to stare at her beautiful moon. “I promise I will never abandon you Luna, not ever.” I vowed. Chapter One: The Mare of StarsChapter One The Mare of Stars Cold. The cool breeze of night blew softly against my face as I stepped out through the worn, creaking door of the dilapidated building I called home. All around me lay the small, crumbled, and moss-covered ruins of a forgotten era that had long since passed. Tall dark pine trees stretched around the small clearing in all directions. The wonderful moonlight pierced through their branches ever so delicately as if reaching out to softly hold me in its embrace. I let out a sigh, it had been over a month now since I moved camp, I was letting myself get too comfortable here. Stealing food from towns tends to put a target on ones back and with winter setting in I needed to find some place warmer, sooner rather than later. I leaned down and grabbed the bucket I had left next to my campfire from the night before. I let the bucket hang by the handle from one of my wings as I trotted away from the clearing. Slowly, I made my way through the thin forest to a river I knew rested at the base of the valley. My stomach growled at me in protest, I was starving. I hadn't been able to find anything to eat the night before, not even a squirrel! I knew ponies shouldn't eat meat; it always made me feel ill, but eating something, anything! even meat... was far better than the alternative of starving to death. The trees finally gave way, and I was soon greeted by the soft moonlight that stretched across the valley. Its light reflecting in brilliant ripples along the river, everything was still and quiet, it was beautiful. I smiled as I approached the edge of the river, setting down the bucket I looked into my own distorted reflection. My white coat, once beautiful, was now dirty and matted. My barding was torn and stained, my silver mane unkempt, and my normally light blue eyes were now the dull and tired eyes of an exhausted mare. My gaze drifted back towards my cutie mark; a small black crescent moon surrounded by streaks of black lines that wrapped around my flanks like dark claws. I sighed in discomfort as I recalled the night I had gotten my cutie mark. I had been tired, so tired… I remember I had stolen some rope from the local artisan pony. The mere thought of being strangled to death made me shutter as a filly; unable to breathe as I kicked helplessly in the air wondering why I had been such a fool. No, I had wanted something quick. With my wings bound by the rope I had stood at the edge of the orphanage roof gazing down at what would finally be my release from all the abuse, from all the pain and disappointment. It would be so quiet… so wonderful to just finally relax in the endless sea of black. I remember the moonlight had caught my eye. I don't remember why I hesitated, but I had taken a step back. I gazed up at the moon for what I thought would be the last time. It wasn't until then that I truly noticed how quiet everything was. How comfortably the crisp night air was and how nice it was to feel the moonlight on my coat. In that moment, I realized there was no pain, no sorrow... I sat down hard as I realized what I desired in death was already all around me. Letting out a breath of sweet relief, I had gazed up into the beautiful night sky, for the first time in my life, I had finally felt like I truly belonged. I broke my gaze away from the river to look back up at the moon as I took in a deep breath of fresh air. I really am happy out here, I thought with a smile before returning my attention to the battered metal bucket in need of water. After a small hike, I had made it back to my camp. I sat at the burned-out fire pit with a painful grunt and hung the bucket from the hook that sat above it. I leaned down and grabbed my cobbled together fire starter. I held one end down on the dried wood and kindling with my hoof as I bit down on the other end and jerked my head back and forth until I started to smell smoke. “Eeep!” I yelped as the fire leapt to life! singing my mane and nose. “Luna damn it!” I cursed. I squinted my eyes against the heat and the rapid change in lighting. I laid down with a groan as I looked up at the stars. My annoyed expression curved back into a forced smile as I took a breath. “I may be cold, hungry and maybe not entirely sane but,” I let out another long breath, “but I am happier out here, I belong,” I told myself with a firm nod. Maybe if I kept telling myself that-- as true as it was-- eventually I might stop feeling so alone... A good while went by as I just sat there watching the water boil. The rippling and bubbling water popping and sometimes spilling out the sides. The low drum of the boil captivated me as I just continued to stare. Eventually I blinked, returning to reality, I shook my head. Sitting up, I grabbed a branch in my mouth before lifting the smoldering bucket off the fire and setting it off to the side to cool down. I sighed; I suppose there is little point in sitting around waiting for it to cool off. I could go for a fly, I thought as I stood up. I took a moment to stretch before spreading my wings and taking to the skies. Besides, I desperately needed to find something to eat, with winter quickly closing in, not only would food be more scarce, but stealing fruits and vegetables from the nearest town would prove even greater a challenge. I stayed a good distance above the trees as I went. Not particularly going in any specific direction, gliding whenever I could to keep from getting too sore. Sometimes I aimed for a few of the clouds, getting a refreshing splash of mist to the face as I flew through them. As I flew, I caught sight of a brilliant bright light in a huge clearing below me. Curiosity got the better of me and I flew down to get a better look at what had drawn me in. Below me I saw a huge perfect circle of perfectly still water that reflected the moonlight as if it were a mirror. I had been out this way more than once, why had I only noticed this now? I glided down, landing ungracefully next to it. The pool was enclosed by a circle of smooth gray stone. The water was like looking into the sky! In fact, I had to poke it with my hoof just to make sure it was water. My hoof broke the stillness and sent out a small cascading ripple through the whole pool. Upon further inspection I noticed for having been in the middle of nowhere, the water looked surprisingly clean. Almost if it had been maintained... Ignoring the implications, I leaned down over the stone and took an experimental sip before beginning to drink. The water was nice, cold and clean! I swear it almost felt too good to drink, like there was something in it besides just water, but I couldn't quite put my hoof on it. Not that I cared, so much for the crappy river water I had collected earlier, I thought. Lifting my head up for a breath, I looked up at the moon and smiled. “Who are you?” the soft voice of a mare spoke out from behind me. I jumped startled; I hadn't expected anypony else to be out here! I turned, wiping the water from my muzzle. An excuse was already formulating in my mind as I spun around. Though the moment I turned all of my thoughts shattered into tiny pieces, and I almost lost my balance as I saw who stood there in front of me! Her beautiful dark blue coat glistened in the moonlight, her dark blue and purple mane fading into and ending in swirling starlight. She was wearing a slick black dress coat, it looked so light I imagined it didn't do much for her in the cold. I saw her black cutie mark with a bright crescent moon upon its center. Her narrow, bluish teal, bright piercing eyes glanced me up and down, her wings bristling slightly. The dark alicorn stood there awaiting my response. “I umm, you!” I stammered, “stars! I umm, I mean,” I quickly tried to sort out my mane and matted coat before throwing myself onto the ground. “Princess Luna...” I breathed; my head bowed. She tilted her head, “yes that is who I am,” she stepped closer, “but I believe I asked who you are?” She averred, gesturing for me to rise. I felt my heart running a million miles a second! I was still trying to process that the Goddess of the Night, Princess Luna of all ponies was talking to me! Me! I mean what in the stars was she even doing out here!? “I, my name is Cresce-, uhh Crescent Feather,” I stuttered looking up into her beautiful eyes. “Well then,” she started, trotting past me with an eyebrow raised, “what are you doing out here all alone in the dark Feather, shouldn't you be inside somewhere? Asleep, where it is safe?” She scoffed indignantly, rolling her eyes before turning to look at the moonlit pool. “Not exactly,” I responded hesitantly, “I don't actually sleep during the night,” I shuffled my hooves nervously. “Let alone really have a place to sleep,” I added quietly to myself. That seemed to catch her by surprise, “oh, is that so?” She murmured, turning to look at me. It was then that I saw her notice what I had hoped she wouldn't... “Oh, stars what's happened to you?” she gasped, eyes wide, as her professional demeanor dropped to one of worry and concern. I looked down at my hooves, “I'm so sorry, if I'd known that I'd meet you out here of all ponies, I would have made more of an effort to clean myself up,” I murmured, looking away with shame. “You look...” she lost her words, “are you all alone out here?” I nodded as I scrunched back, not wanting to look her in the eyes. “Stars, for how long?” “Years…” I replied quietly as I looked away with shame. She looked shocked, and I shuffled my hooves in embarrassment. I've looked up to Princess Luna since I was a little filly, this was the one pony in all of Equestria who might understand! I would have killed to just be able to talk to her! But now that she’s here… Right here in front of me… What could I say? Why would someone like her ever care about someone as filthy and broken as me? How silly she must think I am. “What about your family? What about your home? Friends?” she queried. I shook my head and spoke hesitantly, “all I have is your night,” I murmured. I looked back at my cutie mark, I caught her looking at it as well. “What do you mean?” She asked, her tone shifting from one of pity to rather one of surprise and curiosity. “I... Well,” I paused, should I tell her? I've never told anypony before. Would she even care? “It’s fine Princess, really,” I stammered, “you need not trouble yourself.” The little pony in my head screamed at me to just turn and run away! The demands from my panicked mind, however, didn't seem to translate to my legs which were completely locked in place. “I will be the judge of what I should or should not be troubled with,” she growled, “now I believe I asked you a question.” I backstepped a little at her tone. but her gaze wasn’t one of cruelty or impatience, instead she actually looked, hopeful? I shuffled my hooves again before taking a long breath, hesitantly, I told her the story of how I had gotten my cutie mark, wincing in certain parts as I told her. Her gaze remained nothing but respectful as she listened intently. It was as though she had me in some sort of trance. I just couldn't stop myself as I poured my heart out to the dark Princess, whom I had only just met. I looked up and saw she was now watching me with curiosity and a degree of sadness towards me that I had never seen on another pony before. “Please go on,” she urged. I looked away, knowing what I was about to say was just going to sound either silly or insane. “I…uh, I ran away, and I, I've lived in the dark ever since.” I murmured nervously. I had never told anypony that before, why was I telling her! Why had I told her? Was it just because I hadn't talked to anypony in so long? I suppose being who she was, I guess it was just easy for me to talk to her? Without warning she threw her hooves around me in a hug. I swear it felt like my heart was about to explode from my chest! This was the mare who I had idealized my entire life, I had only ever dreamed of meeting her! And now I was here in her arms of all things! In her arms! It just seemed so surreal. My mind was squeeing like a little filly who just got her cutie mark! I finally relaxed and let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. She smelled... Clean, was all I could think, clean and sweet, I felt ashamed that I was so filthy in comparison. Still, I wished she would hold me like this forever... “I thought I was the only one,” She breathed. Only a moment passed but it felt like an eternity, “sorry,” she stuttered, shaking her head and letting go. Taking a step back, she wiped her eyes before returning her gaze to me. I had to take a moment to compose myself as well. “What do you mean the only one?” I asked. “You’re saying you're nocturnal, are you not?” she replied with a hopeful smile. I nodded and she regarded me for several moments before continuing, “my entire life, I assumed ponies like you, ponies like me, didn't exist anymore. I had never found any, so I stopped searching, I thought I was the only one.” She took a breath before closing her eyes. A second later and she opened them again. My own eyes widened as I stared back at her. Princess Luna now looked at me skeptically with sharp nocturnal slitted eyes, It almost reminded me of a cat's eyes, or a snake’s… “Does this frighten you?” I backstepped and sorted myself before taking a calming breath and looking back up at her. “No, of course not, you just caught me off guard, I've never seen eyes like those before.” The dark mare smiled, “these are my real eyes, what you saw before was simply an illusion I portray to avoid any… harsh, reactions from others.” I could understand that, most ponies might be terrified if they saw eyes like that, I suppose I don't really know why I wasn't. Perhaps it's because I've always dreamed of meeting the Dark Princess? The more I looked at her eyes, the more I actually began to like them better; and besides, I knew what it was like to be different. “If it's any consolation, I actually think they're quite lovely.” I said, hoping my compliment didn't sound too weird or out of place. “I appreciate that Feather.” Luna said with a small smile. She paused for a moment as she regarded me. “Why don't you come back with me.” The starlit mare offered with a smile. “Wha- what!?” “We’ll get you cleaned up and perhaps…” she paused thoughtfully for a moment, looking up at the moon. “Perhaps I could find a place for you at mine and my sister's castle?” I sat down hard. “But you've only just met me, how could you offer me such a thing?” I gasped, still not believing what I had just heard. “I may have only just met you Feather, but having heard what you said, I wouldn't feel right abandoning somepony who has so clearly dedicated their life to my night.” She was serious! She was actually serious! I can't believe it! “I… I don't know what to say,” I stammered, feeling tears beginning to pool up in my eyes. “You don't need to say anything,” she whispered softly, her tone somber, “I too, know what it's like to be alone...” I was in shock; I still couldn't believe what had just happened. “Thank you, Princess.” was all I could think to say as I bowed my head. “Come,” She prompted, gesturing with a wing for me to follow as she pushed off the ground far more gracefully than I did as I strained my wings to join her. ___ We were flying for quite a long time; my wings were beyond sore as we made our way through another stretch of grassy hills. I could see the silhouette of Canterlot way off in the distance, but it became more obscured the further we went. The beginnings of a dark forest eventually came into view below, and I could see Luna and Celestia’s grand castle begin to crest on the horizon. “Princess, can I ask you something?” I asked as I flew closer up to her, wobbling a little from the wind. “Of course,” came the response. “If I'm not being too intrusive, what were you doing so far out away from your home?” I asked. I knew she had to have been out there for a reason and as much as I wanted it to be, I knew that reason definitely wasn't me. She looked out into the horizon, “sometimes even I have to get away from everypony, more specifically my sister,” she shook her head with frustration. “I swear sometimes she just makes me want to-” she made a strangling gesture with her hooves before giving a little laugh, “you get the idea.” She glanced back at me, saw the exhausted expression on my face, and thankfully slowed her pace. “Besides,” she continued, “I found that moon pool when I was just a filly a little over two centuries years ago. I've always found it a good place to clear my head.” My eyes widened, two centuries! I mean I knew she was immortal, but I guess I never took too much time to really think about what that meant. I couldn't imagine living forever let alone as long as she already had. In retrospect I supposed being around for two hundred-ish years was still nothing compared to the eternity that stood in front of her, I could only imagine how she must feel. “I can't imagine what it must be like to live forever,” I commented as we flew, the castle in the distance not looking so distant anymore as I began to see the details of the grand structure. There were several pointed towers stretching far up into the sky doubling the length of the trees below. The walls of the towers were made up of dark dull gray stone, and at their base they together joined a much larger massive main structure. The main structure was composed of a darker colored stone than that of the towers, spacing out the dull gray were beautifully stained-glass windows of light blues and the occasional reflective pink. All together the grand castle was, well… grand. Below said massive castle was a beautiful well-kept courtyard; a stone path lined with statues of the two regal sisters led all the way to the giant staircase leading to the castle's main entrance. Even further beyond that, were a collection of smaller buildings I only assumed were for staff or the royal guard. “It is hardly as dreadful as one might think,” she responded, “in fact as daunting as it was at first, I have rather come to enjoy the prospect,” she looked thoughtfully into the distance. “I mean think of all the things I'll be able to witness, all of the history! Fantasies of the distant future could eventually become a reality given enough time,” she laughed dryly, “and time is not a commodity that I am in short supply of, believe me.” “I suppose I never thought of it like that” I responded, maybe thinking from that perspective, being immortal might not be so bad after all. Still, I couldn't imagine it. Finally, we arrived! I followed Princess Luna down to the courtyard and we landed-- well I basically crashed-- at the base of the stone stairs that led to the massive door of the structure that looked even more impressive now that I was on the ground. “Ouch… that didn't look fun,” she gave me a concerned yet amused look as she helped me to my hooves, “are you alright?” “Fine,” I responded, quickly dusting myself off and flushing with embarrassment, “just sore.” Looking around I noticed to my dismay that all of the statues I had thought were of the two sisters surrounding the castle, were instead just that of Luna's sister. Upon further inspection, looking up the walls of the castle, I noticed the many banners; all of which boasted a sun insignia in their center. I reeled, “where are the statues of you, where are the tapestries and banners of the moon!” I demanded, spinning about and doing a double take of my surroundings. She gave me a look of surprise. “This is disrespectful, it’s as if you don't-” “Exist...” she finished my sentence for me, I blinked turning towards her. “It's fine, I'm used to it,” she replied looking down, “but...” she perked up. “You're different, you're not like the rest, I matter to you… Right?” she asked, giving me a look of anticipation. “Of course, obviously,” I reassured her, “I've looked up to you my entire life.” She gave me a look of excitement, “I may have just figured out what place you could have here,” she beamed. “Now I know we just met, and I know it's sudden, but I've lived for over two hundred years, and I have yet to meet another pony who shares my ideals like you do, it would be foolish of me to let this opportunity pass me by.” She took a breath, “Feather, how would you like to serve me? Perhaps in time, maybe even become my personal Regent?” she asked with a hopeful smile. My eyes widened, I had no idea what that entailed, but I didn't care, I couldn't have been more thrilled that Princess Luna of all ponies had offered me anything at all! “I, uhh... I would be honored!” I stammered barely managing to keep myself from bouncing with excitement. “Just what exactly would that imply?” I asked, hoping I didn't sound too uneducated. "It means you would serve me however I deem fit, what I had in mind is that you are to be my personal guard, assistant, a pony whom I can count on.” “Oh,” I muttered as my head drooped, “sorry to say but I don't have much in the way of combat experience, nor am I very organized, I've also never had anypony depend on me before so I don't know how much use I would be to you,” I admitted sadly. As much as I wanted to serve Luna, I couldn't lie to her, I was woefully ill equipped for such a position. In fact, I was surprised she had even offered it to me in the first place, I'd just be letting her down… Stars, I was pathetic, even I was starting to look at myself with disgust. The last thing I wanted was for her to look at me with pity or judgment, the same look ponies have given me my entire life, but instead, she smiled at me with a grin nearing amusement... “I don't care,” she said brightly as she lifted my head up with her hoof, “as utterly sad as it is to say, you have already demonstrated more loyalty to me tonight than anypony has in a very long time.” “If you're willing, I will teach you how to defend not only yourself, but me as well, you will learn how to carry yourself with professionalism and dignity,” she stated with clarity. In a darker, more seductive tone she continued. “Given enough time, I will turn you into my weapon, my loyal soldier,” She took a step back. “How does that sound?” I was baffled, I can't believe Princess Luna wants to train me! I thought with excitement, I couldn't believe she would bother to take the time on somepony like me! I looked back towards the tall, beautiful dark mare who was awaiting my response. “I would like nothing more,” I responded, bowing my head respectfully. “Good,” she purred. “We will begin as soon as tomorrow night. In the meantime, let's get you cleaned up, and then you can tell me more about yourself,” she prompted, gesturing for me to follow her up the stairs, “and food, I'll have the kitchen prepare you the best meal of your life.” Clearly amused by my expression she grinned back at me. “Coming?” I took a deep breath, finally for the first time in my life I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. I smiled as I followed after her. Author's Note Oh this first chapter took me a while to get it to a place where I liked it enough to post. I have already written most of this story and will be posting more chapters soon. I appreciate any feed back and thank you for being interested in my little (not so little) story. Chapter Two: IndebtedChapter Two Indebted As we made our way up the stairs to the castle’s main entrance, we approached two unicorn guards. Both guards wore heavy metal armor of bright yellow, with a small sun pendant in the center of the chest piece, both of their cutie marks were covered by the metal plates of their armor. One of the guards was a cute, light gray unicorn mare with piercing red eyes and a short almost candy red mane that was tucked mostly behind her helmet. She even had a necklace of a little sun dawning around her neck. “You're new to my sister's ranks are you not, Ruby wasn't it?” Luna began with a smile, “enjoying your night shift, I hope?” “As well as I can ma’am, I was up most of the day going through drills,” the gray soldier mare yawned giving a tired blink, “and this one hasn’t made my job any easier.” Her eyes pointed accusingly at her unconscious compatriot whom was snoring louder than a manticore. He was a bright green stallion with a yellow mane, and a little on the weighty side. I noticed he not only had a sword but also had a very fancy looking flintlock strapped to one of his hind legs. His helmet had half fallen over his face and every time he snored the faceplate lifted and fell with a small clank; I couldn't help but stifle a laugh. “I've got just the thing,” Luna purred mischievously as her horn glowed with soft blue light, shadows seeming to emanate from the base. She pointed her horn at the comatosed stallion for a moment before looking back to the gray mare. “What did you just do?” Ruby asked, confused. “Give it a moment,” Luna smirked. Suddenly the green stallion jumped to his hooves in a panic, sweat running down his face, his yellow eyes pinpricks as he darted his head from side to side. Upon seeing the Princess, he straightened up giving a salute before rambling, “Awake and at the ready ma’am, I mean I was awake the whole time! why would I be sleeping, I wasn't sleeping!” he attested, eyes darting back and forth, his forehoof still glued to his face in a salute. Ruby face hoofed. “You’re welcome,” the Princess whispered to Ruby, rolling her eyes with a smirk and trotting past the two as I followed up behind. Apparently the two guards hadn't even noticed me until now. Story of my life... “What the... Hey how did you even get here!? Here to beg for scraps, are we?” Ruby droned. Ruby drew a sword with her magic, the green stallion drawing his flintlock in turn. I gulped. Luna, faster than lightning spun around, and slammed her hoof down on Ruby's sword hard enough that it snapped out of the gray unicorn's red magical grasp. It made a loud clang, hitting the ground forcefully with Luna's hoof still on it. “This is Feather, and as of now she is in my personal service, you would do well to treat her with respect,” she demanded coldly. Her tone never shifted away from calm, but clearly she had terrified the cute gray mare to the bone. “Pu- Put your weapon down Sunny,” Ruby commanded with a glare towards the stallion. “Apologizes Princess,” Ruby began, bowing her head, “it's just, the way she looks, I thought,” a glare from Luna warned her that it would be very unwise to finish that sentence. Instead, Ruby just stayed quiet and stepped to the side, head bowed, allowing me to pass. “I'm sorry, it’s not your fault,” I whispered, feeling guilty as I passed her. I followed Luna inside, the giant door closing behind us. She stopped and spun on me, her eyes turning back to slits. “Never apologize for the ignorance of others! She demanded, stomping a hoof down in anger, feathers bristling. “You must learn that you are much better than that, you don't deserve to be treated with any kind of disrespect,” She stated matter of factly, looking past me and back at the door with a cold stare. I got the distinct impression that her anger went far beyond the minor incident that had just occurred. She was right though, I shouldn't have felt the need to apologize, I hadn't done anything wrong after all. “Yes Princess,” I straightened up, “it won't happen again.”. My response seemed to distract her from her thoughts as she blinked and returned her attention to me. “Good,” she replied, relaxing with a smile before turning back and continuing down the hallway. I quickly followed. “What did you do to that guard pony anyways?” I asked as we continued along. She chuckled clearly happy for the change of topic, “oh, just a little nightmare of whatever his worst fear was, apparently peanut butter, if you can believe it.” “Really? peanut butter?” I chuckled, “Also, you can do that?” “Of course, I can walk through any ponies’ dreams if their guard is down or they are weak minded,” she paused, “or if they just let me in but that never happens,” she added dryly. “That's amazing,” I marveled, “also, I would let you into my dreams, not that I even know how to stop you from doing it anyways,” I stammered sheepishly. She laughed a little, “I appreciate that,” she murmured. As we continued, we thankfully managed to avoid any more of the castle guards who might question my more... Unseemly appearance. As we made our way to the top of a grand spiral staircase, I started really thinking about what the Princess had just done for me back there. I stopped. “Thank you princess,” I started to say, and she looked back at me confused. “For what?” “Well, all of this for starters, I never thought I'd be lucky enough to ever meet you let alone have the chance to serve you, but more specifically,” I paused, “thank you for standing up for me back there. Nopony has ever done anything like that for me before.” She looked a touch sad, and surprised, “I was just doing what any good friend would have done,” she replied smoothly. My heart skipped a beat. “Besides, if you are to be my Regent now, I can't have ponies showing you any kind of disrespect, that would in extension, be the same as disrespecting me,” she nodded matter of factly. “Wait,” I paused, still hanging on to what she had just said, “do you really consider me your friend? You've only just met me,” I asked in surprise and anticipation of the answer. She paused, seeming to ask herself the same question. “Well, I suppose I do to an extent, yes.” She looked at me thoughtfully, “I mean I may have only known you for less than a night, but in that short time you've done nothing but prove yourself loyal and willing to serve.” she smiled. “You surprise me, Feather.” I turned my head so she wouldn't see me blush. “Now come,” she prompted, “we really need to get you a shower, as well as some new clothes,” she added, waving a hoof to my torn barding. We turned, trotting down another hallway to a door on the far end. As we approached, I noticed a little crescent moon on the door’s handle. The door itself looked incredibly old and seemed to be made from a darker wood than any of the other doors I had seen on the way here. The handle of the door glowed a soft blue as Luna pulled it open with her magic. It let out a slight creek as it was pulled back to reveal an impressive suite. The room was huge! The wall in the far back being made entirely from glass as on the other side was a balcony that overlooked the castle's courtyard. Unlike the rest of the castle, there was no candlelight, instead, only moonlight shined through the window, providing a soft blue glow throughout the whole room. A grand bed with black and dark purple sheets rested on the right side of the room. It looked more comfortable than anything I had ever had the privilege of seeing before -- well, aside from clouds-- I thought. A dark gray corner couch was to my immediate left and following along the left wall across from the bed was a short archway that led into another extension of the room. We trotted inside. “Welcome to my home,” she smiled, gesturing around the room with her forehoof, “well technically the castle is my home, but this is where I spend most of my time.” Now I could see past that small archway into the other part of the room, it appeared to be a small study with another door at the end of it. She led me to that door at the end and opened it with her magic to reveal a pristine washroom. A large square shower stood in the center against the back wall, a very fancy tub sat on the right, and the left wall held a large mirror above a sink and cupboard. “There should be all kinds of soap in that bottom drawer,” she gestured with a hoof, “try not to use all of the hot water, I intend on taking a shower soon after you.” “There's hot water!” I gasped, rushing to the cabinet and pulling out 6 different kinds of soap. I was ecstatic with excitement at the thought of taking a proper shower! I don't think I’ve had a proper shower in, well ever! And washing myself in the river every night didn't count. “You have no idea how much this means to me!” I exclaimed, turning to her, “thank you!” She looked sad, “you should have never been denied basic things like this, I'm so sorry for everything you must have gone through Feather.” My smile faded, “there's no need to be sorry,” I tried to reassure her, “it's not your fault.” I didn't seem to convince her. “Hey, never apologize for the ignorance of others, remember?” She smiled and lightly shoved my shoulder with a hoof, “that's not fair” she laughed, “now hurry and take a shower,” she urged, giving me a push before closing the door. My focus returned to the many soapy options that laid before me, I rubbed my hooves together diabolically. “So many options!” I chuckled as my eyes went back and forth. I ended up grabbing the charcoal soap, it just smelled clean. I wondered if it was the same soap the Princess used? Throwing my ruined barding in the trash, I turned the knob on the shower and waited a moment before stepping in. The hot water hit my face and soaked into my mane and tail, giving me a shiver of delight as I just stood there with my eyes closed. This was so wonderful… After-- to say the least -- a lot of scrubbing and rinsing, I finally stepped out and grabbed one of the black towels from its rack before drying myself off. I looked into the mirror, my white coat was clean and smooth, and a little poofed from having just been dried. My silver mane was unstained and clean. My feathers looked a lot healthier, and I even smelled good! I couldn't help but smile. I was a little on the skinny side but damn! for the first time in a long time I actually looked good! I grabbed a brush from the table with a wing as I began to work on my mane, it took a while, but I eventually got it brushed out. My mane was much longer than I thought now that I saw it all smoothed out. I scoured the drawers for some scissors, and it didn't take me long to find a pair. I took a breath before I began to cut away as carefully as I could, giving myself a much shorter mane. I cut one side of my mane relatively short and left the bangs of the other side to hang down just past my neck. I finished by cutting some of the back part of my mane so that it was much more manageable, I even took the opportunity to trim and brush my tail! And lastly, I found one of several seemingly spare toothbrushes and floss to properly clean my teeth. Despite my isolation I normally did a pretty good job of taking care of my teeth, but it was nice to really go to work on them in a proper washroom without the need for an old stolen toothbrush. After rinsing my mouth, shaking away all the excess hair and sweeping it into the trash, I grabbed the brush and did my best to restyle my now clean mane. “I actually look good,” I murmured in surprise, giving a little toss of my mane. I only hoped Luna thought so. I opened the door and stepped back into the study. Trotting back into the bedroom, through the window I saw Luna standing on the balcony. I noticed that on the bed there were clothes laid out, I only assumed they were for me. I heard the balcony door slide open and Luna stepped back inside. “Oh, good your finally ou-” she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening a little as she regarded me, “You look…” “Crap did I mess up cutting my mane that badly?” I interjected, panic quickly taking over me, “it looks terrible, doesn't it?” I asked fretfully, wanting to bury my head in my hooves. “Actually, I was going to say that you look beautiful.” And like that, all feeling in my legs completely disappeared. I would have fallen over from the compliment had I not been leaning against the bed. I blushed hard. “I ahh,” I swallowed not knowing what to say. She chuckled, rolling her eyes before redirecting my attention with her hoof to the clothes on the bed. There on the bed lay the same black slick dress/jacket she was wearing, except the sleeves looked cut off and folded at the ends probably to account for the fact that I was much shorter than her. There was a pendant of a crescent moon intended to fit onto a collar and a simple crescent moon necklace forged from silver, there was a hair tie as well. I saw the excited expression on Luna's face as I pulled on the jacket. “So how does it fit?” she asked while using her magic to make little adjustments to the jacket’s collar and the rest of the impromptu uniform. “Great,” I said, half paying attention. I was still focused on what she had just said to me, and I decided to let myself daydream about the dark mare while she was struggling to attach the moon pendant to my collar. She is beautiful and powerful, I thought. And her voice is so soft and calming, and those eyes… She had saved me; I suppose in more ways than one. I smiled, I could imagine her muzzle running down my neck, it gave me shivers just thinking about it, I could imagine her holding me down and… She caught me staring. I blinked, snapping myself out of my fantasy. “So, you still haven't answered my question,” she denoted impatiently. “I, uhh.. hmmm?” “I asked you what you think of your new uniform,” she prompted with a smile, “well, temporary uniform, at least until I can have something proper made.” I moved over to the window to look at my faded reflection. Luna had finished putting the necklace on as well as using the hair tie to move my mane out of my face, in addition to the pendant I was looking professional, classy even. “Wow,” I murmured, impressed. “Wow indeed,” she agreed. I looked past my own reflection to notice that the sun was just starting to crest the horizon. Seeing my confusion she started, “I lowered the moon while you were getting cleaned up, that's what I was doing out on the balcony.” It wasn't until now that I realized just how tired I was, I could barely stand let alone keep my eyes open. I felt her magic begin to undo and pull off my impromptu uniform. “It's already dawn, we should both get some rest,'' she prompted with a yawn as she tossed my uniform on the couch. “But don't think I forgot your food, stars you look like your starving,” she commented, floating a covered tray from her bedside table and lifting it to reveal a salad that looked like it had just about every fruit in it she could get her hooves on, as well as --I noticed -- some cooked fish. Ponies don't normally ever eat meat, but some tend to make an exception for fish. I was more than relieved to see the Princess was one such pony. “Oh, thank you! Thank you!” I squeed as I went to dig in. Quickly the plate was swiped away from me. I looked back at her pleading. “I know you're starving, but you serve me now, and as my servant, I expect you to have proper manners and professionalism. Now sit and remember to be proper.” I nodded and did as she said. Only unicorns could use silverware without struggling, but I still took my time and did my best to eat as properly as possible. Going slow and not stuffing my face was almost painful with how hungry I was. The Dark Princess had retreated to her study while I ate; and I could hear the faint sound of a quill against paper. Letting her know I had finished and putting the tray outside the door for the wait staff, I went to lay down on the couch, my eyes heavy. I'm happy, I realized, like actually truly happy. It was an odd sensation, but I welcomed it with a smile as I laid down. “Don't you dare fall asleep like that,” Luna chuckled as she trotted out from her study,“get up.” I groaned but got off the couch all the same. Using her magic, she pulled on a tab under one of the cushions which made the top of the couch fold open into a mattress, she then floated a couple of extra pillows from her bed and set them down on it. “Hold on,” she fretted as she trotted to a drawer and pulled out some extra sheets. With a glow from her horn, she quickly and neatly set them over the bed. “There,” she said with a nod, “normally I would have just offered you one of the guest rooms, but seeing that you're nocturnal like me, I figure you'll probably be hard pressed to fall asleep in a room that fills with sunlight during the day.” She then closed her eyes and her horn glowed, again I saw shadows seem to swirl around it as they had when she gave that guard pony a nightmare. Suddenly those shadows emitting from her horn slowly covered the entire room in darkness, completely blocking any and all light from the window, and anywhere else for that matter. It was dark, but not dark enough that I couldn't see, as straining as it was. Her horn stopped glowing and she looked at me, my impressed expression making her smile. “Can’t have the bright scorching sunlight shining into the room now, can we? We would never be able to fall asleep.” She regarded me for a moment. “So, as I said, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring you into my service, however I believe you still owe me a story,” she paused, “So, Feather, tell me about yourself.” she directed, leaning against her own bed with a curious expression. “Well Princess,” I began, sitting down on the couch bed, “There isn't much to tell,” I admitted, “Like you, I despise the daylight. Also, I just don't really like other ponies... excluding you of course,” I added quickly. “I love the quiet, I love your night, I've done my best to forget about the ‘things’ that happened to me before I started living in your night, so if it's alright with you I'd rather not try and stir up old painful memories. Besides that, I've been surviving on my own for years now.'' I took a breath, trying to think of anything else she might consider important. “I uhh, got my cutie mark when I was around fourteen years old, and I know I'm in my twenties now… twenty-one or twenty-two I think, I'm not sure, I suppose I've only vaguely bothered to keep track, which means I've been isolated now for like seven years, maybe eight, all of which have been pretty uneventful.” “That sounds awful, I'm so sorry you've been alone for so long Feather,” she murmured. “It wasn't as bad as it sounds, it was a thousand time better than living the way I had before I got my cutie mark, your night saved me,” I admitted. I shuffled my hooves and lowered my head with embarrassment, “you should know… I would steal food and supplies a lot from different towns. I'm sorry, but I don't want to keep any secrets from you, and I thought you should know.” She frowned, “I figured. Though it hardly matters, anypony in your position would have done the same. That's in the past now.” “Aren't you afraid that makes me untrustworthy?” I asked sadly. “Don't worry Feather, I know you’re not trying to deceive me. I can see it in your eyes.” I straightened up, “I would never hurt you, never steal from you, never lie to you,” I said firmly, meaning every single word. She smiled, “well, I think I've heard all I needed to hear,” she paused, “you don't have to be alone anymore Feather, our kind shouldn't have to suffer like you already have,” she stepped towards me, “you can let go of all your past now Feather. if you want it, your future can be in service to me now.” “I do, I want it more than anything,” I said bowing, pleading! The dark Princess grinned from ear to ear, “Good, now get some rest, we are going to have a busy night ahead of us tomorrow,” she yawned, before turning and trotting over to the washroom. A few moments later I heard the shower kick on. I can't believe Luna actually seems to care about me, I thought with a smile. “Nopony has ever cared about me before...” I murmured. I laid down on the couch bed stretching my wings out and taking a breath. I had to be careful sleeping tonight, I thought with amusement as I closed my eyes. The comfort of where I was threatening to drag me into sleep almost immediately. If she didn't already suspect that I was head over heels for her, the last thing I needed was for her to discover how hard I was crushing on her through my dreams. Because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep her out of my head, nor did I really actually want to. So instead of her I decided to try and think about my future under her command. I am definitely excited to start training with her tomorrow night. I lay there thinking about all the ways I could improve my demeanor and be more professional and calculated like I knew she wanted. It didn't help however as my mind kept drifting back to her in a more, romantic way... Luna expects a certain level of professional integrity from you now. I told myself, still my thoughts stayed fixed on the dark mare. Ahh pony feathers... Instead of fighting it, I let the beautiful mare consume all of my thoughts as I let out a breath and felt the claws of sleep drag me into the dark. Author's Note Chapter two yay! I hope I managed to find and fix all the little errors, I've had this fic in a folder for so long that coming back to it with new eyes and more experience has definitely been a rollercoaster of rewriting, but I can't wait to post more of this :) Chapter Four: Dark CreaturesChapter Four Dark Creatures Luna threw me to the ground, the dark mare's hooves threatening to turn my skull into paste! I kicked out from under her milliseconds before she brought her hooves down. The razor-sharp blade of her scythe came to bear as I barely managed to block her counterattack with wing blades of my own, however, as I did so, her horn flared and my legs were swept out from under me. I crashed into the snow-covered ground hard and blinked to see her blade at my throat. “Not fair!” I groaned, rubbing my head with a forehoof. She stepped back, helping me up with a hoof, her magical scythe retracting down to its more manageable size before she holstered it back onto her side. “Never expect your opponent to have integrity,” she paced back and forth, “your enemy will not fight fair, so why should I?” What enemy? “What should you have done in that situation?” she asked coldly, eyes narrowed. “I should have used my wings to keep from falling…” “And then?” “And then I should have tackled you, or pushed in close with my wings?” I responded, not too sure if I was correct or not. “Tackling me might have worked, however what if you were not just fighting one pony. Doing such a thing would have left you vulnerable. You should have pushed in close with your wings to finish the fight quickly.” Luna paused, lightening her tone as she added, “but I am proud of you Feather, and impressed to say that you have made major improvement in these past few months.” Her expression turned to one of worry however as she looked all over me. “What is it?” I asked. Since I've been training with Luna and serving her, I've gotten a lot more comfortable being around her, and outside of our training sessions she had become much more casual in her speaking to me, and I with her. “Are you hurt?” she replied worriedly, while continuing to look me over, “I smell blood.” I noticed the small ebbing pain underneath my muzzle, “oh, yes I'm fine,” I reassured her, “I think you just nicked me in that last session is all...” I paused, doing a double take, “wait you could smell that?” I asked, impressed. Ignoring my comment, she rushed up to me and lifted my muzzle with her hoof. “It's fine, like I said it's just a tiny nick.” “I'll be the judge of that,” she insisted. After a moment her gaze lightened, “yes, you're fine, an inch to your left however and you'd be quite the opposite.” Her actions betrayed her words however as she continued to lift my chin with her hoof and stay fixated on the wound. Though I noticed she didn't look worried, in fact the way she was looking at me almost made me blush! This went on for sometime before I cleared my throat, snapping her out of her fixation. To be honest I probably would have let her do that all night if it meant she’d keep looking at me like that... She smiled, “sorry, I was lost in thought,” she stammered before regaining her composure, “Anyways your new uniform should be ready for us to retrieve tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?” I groaned, “as in, during the day tomorrow?” “Yes, unfortunately that is the only time the armorer of that town is available,” she gave a disgusted snort, “it's not ideal, but we will have to make due.” I haven't been in real sunlight since I was a little filly, I thought. “When's the last time you've been in the sun?” I asked out of curiosity as I stretched my wings. “Well, I try to avoid it best I can, but earlier this year I was forced into it by my sister who for some inexplicable reason thought it was of the upmost importance for me to be present when she cut some stupid ribbon to announce the opening of... Stars I don't even remember,” She tapped the ground with her hoof, “something unimportant,” she finished. “Did… did it hurt?” She looked at me confused. “Physically I mean.” “I suppose it wasn't pleasant, the light does hurt, but other than decimating my sleep schedule and giving me a pulsating headache, It wasn't the worst thing in the world,” Luna looked at me concerned, “why, when's the last time you've been in the sun?” she questioned. “Not since I was a little filly,” I admitted sheepishly. She looked impressed, “I envy that,” she murmured quietly before continuing, “how well can you see right now?” I looked around the clearing, “crystal clear… why?” “Well because it's dark,” she said flatly, pointing a hoof at the sky. She started laughing, “well, you may, or may not be a little blind during the day,” she chuckled. “Wait what!” I exclaimed. She kept laughing. “Hey, that's not funny!” I said with a little indignant stomp of my hoof. Her laughter picked up, “oh and you think my headache was bad, I’d wager that you’ll be puking your guts out once we return home!” Giggling for a few more moments she stopped and wiped a tear from her eye, “I'm sorry, I suppose I just find this so funny, because it's the first time I've ever seen another pony go through this.” I rolled my eyes, seeing the humor but still freaked out that I might go temporarily blind tomorrow. “Don't worry, I know a spell that will help with the pain, I'll use it on you as soon as we get back, I promise,” she said with a smile. “It's actually not even really a spell, but I know it will make you feel better." She smiled sweetly at me, “I've wanted to use it on you for a while now anyways.” “What kind of spell?” I asked. “Don't worry about it just yet,” she grinned, “but know that I am truly sorry for waiting so long to use it on you. “Why is that?” I asked, curious. “You'll know soon enough,” she smiled. I couldn't tell if she was seriously talking about some kind of spell or if she was being implicative of something else, maybe something more romantic? No, as much as I'd love for that fantasy to come true, I knew Luna well enough to know even she wouldn't tease me that hard, besides, the look in her eyes wasn't one of seduction. No this was something else, but why be so vague? What spell could she have possibly wanted to use on me all this time? Something that will make me feel better? If she was going to use some kind of healing spell or muscle relaxing spell she would have just said as much, but those aren't anything long term that she would have waited to use. It was no use, no matter how hard I tried guessing what she meant, none of my answers made any sense. I shrugged and went back to stretching my sore wings while she spoke. “Anyways, as far as our sleep schedule goes, we just won't go to sleep this morning, instead, around eight after my sister raises the sun, we will just bite the steel and get this out of the way,” she said with a firm nod. “Then we can pass out?” “Yes Feather, then we can pass out,” she rolled her eyes, before looking up at the moon. “I'm glad somepony appreciates my night,” she murmured before turning to me with a smile. She paused and regarded me for a long time. “Why don’t we go get something to eat,” she prompted, “I'll have the castle’s chef make us some salmon rolls,” she suggested with a lick of her lips, “I'll have the dining hall set up all nice for just the two of us,” she smiled as she turned to start heading back. I stood there frozen. “Coming Feather?” “Mmhmm,” I nodded as I followed behind her, heart racing. I had never had dinner with her before! well I had, almost all of the time in fact, but at least not like this! Was this a date? I asked myself as we continued along the path through the courtyard. I was both terrified and delighted at the prospect, if it was a date, I had no idea what I was going to say or how it might go. Or maybe my previous sentiment of thinking she wouldn't tease me this hard was foalishly founded. I admit at this point, my feelings for Luna had progressed into something far more than just an idle crush, I had fallen for her, hard... And I’m pretty sure she’s noticed... Suddenly I started to put her recent behavior under a rose-colored lens. Maybe this really was a date, after all she had been treating me differently these past few weeks, more sweet than usual, more open whenever we talked. There were a few times when I thought for sure she was about to kiss me, but she would always pull away at the last second… each time I assumed I had misread the situation, but now, maybe I hadn't? Stars I hope that's true. “Just be yourself Feather,” I whispered out loud trying to reassure myself, “and remember posture, and professionalism.” To be honest my posture had gotten a lot better these past few moons, and I was better at carrying myself with dignity and purpose. I no longer walked slouched or clumsily, Instead I carried myself like a soldier, always upright, my mane tied back, and I moved with steady hoof steps. “Hey you two!” Before we could get to the stairs of the grand castle, I heard the familiar voice of Ruby as the gray and candy red mare trotted through the snow up to us. Ruby had been consistently on the nightshift with her partner Sunny these past few weeks, and more than once we had invited her to participate in a couple of our training sessions when she had down time. I suppose she had sort of become our friend in a way. “Hey Ruby,” I called out as she approached. I saw Luna’s pupils quickly take the illusion of being round as Ruby got closer. “So, you two are still at it huh?” she asked, “I can't believe you aren’t freezing out here. I'm shivering and I'm wearing like three layers, plus my armor.” “Both of us are just used to the cold, not to mention it’s sort of hard to stay cold when training with Luna,” I replied. “There’s an innuendo somewhere in that sentence,” Ruby snickered. I blushed hard as I glanced at Luna then at Ruby, “that's not what I- you have a dirty mind!” I squeaked defensively. Luna hardly reacted, in fact she seemed dismissive of Ruby’s teasing. Ruby rolled her eyes, “anyways, mind if I join you two? I finally got some free time tonight.” Yes, actually I do mind. I thought crossly. It was bad enough having Ruby tease me about my feelings for Luna, but for her to do it in front of the Princess was just pouring salt on the wound. The rose-colored lens shattered, and I felt a chill as I realized that Luna was probably not taking me on a date, why would she? She knows damn well that I'm head over hooves for her but unlike me, Ruby’s comment barely got a reaction out of her. I can fantasize all I want, but the truth is, no one could ever really care about me, not in that way at least… But it's fine, I am perfectly happy just serving Luna and living in her night. Luna had given me a purpose after all, I smiled, and that's all I really needed. “Feather and I are actually about to head inside and unfortunately, I have to lower the moon here shortly,” Luna told her with a frown. Ruby gave a tired yawn, “it's fine, I should probably just head to bed early anyways,” she paused, “hopefully my request to be on next week's night shift gets approved and maybe you can teach me some more stuff?” she urged. Luna rolled her eyes, “we’ll see.” “We never learned anything like what you’ve taught me when Sunny and I were in the academy.” Luna rolled her eyes even farther this time, “That's because my sister doesn't know the pointy end of sword from her own ‘sunny’ flank.” I stifled a snicker. Clearly the topic of the academy had pushed some royal buttons, I thought with an amused smile. “And the curriculum she’s designed for the Royal Academy is woefully inadequate when it comes to combat training.” Ruby groaned, “you can say that again, I think I learned more about criminal sociology, and the minutiae of judicial hearings than how to hold a sword properly.” Luna snorted in disgust, and I actually saw anger in her eyes. “Not to say those things aren't important, but they’re priority should be secondary. What does my sister hope to do if another situation like the one with the Crystal Empire should arise? Will she send her ill prepared army? Or will she just throw me at the problem like she always does when things become too difficult for her pathetic moral compass! Luna’s sudden fury had caught me off guard, I even saw her eyes flicker back to slits for just a second! though I don't think Ruby noticed. While Ruby took a cautioned step back, I took a worried step forward. “Princess are you alright?” I asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder. My touch seemed to snap her out of her rage, and I saw her muscles relax as she let out a sigh. “I’m fine, I just… I'd rather not get into it right now.” Ruby took a concerned step forward, “what do you mean your sister would just throw you at the problem?” “I said, I'd rather not get into it right now...” Luna growled. To be honest I wanted to know what she meant by that as well, I knew there was something Luna wasn't telling me about her sister. I mean I get it, she sucks, but there’s more to it than that, I just wish Luna trusted me enough to tell me. Luna lightened her gaze, “tell you what Ruby, I’ll see if I can pull some strings and maybe I can get you a night off where you can train with us as much as you want.” The drama of the previous conversation was killed by Ruby’s expression, “you’d really do that for me?” she asked with an excited squee. Luna nodded. “I'll hold you to that,” Ruby gave an ecstatic smile before practically bouncing away. Luna turned towards me, her eyes returning to their normal nocturnal appearance. Now that I was alone with Luna, the sudden embarrassment of Ruby’s stupid comment she had made earlier immediately came back to the forefront of my mind. I shuffled my hooves awkwardly, “Princess, about what Ruby said... I” Luna silenced me with a wing. “Shh… don’t fret, aside from my sister issues, we were having a good night, and we still can,” Luna smiled and turned to trot up the massive stairs before gesturing with her tail for me to follow. I bowed my head and quickly trotted after her. _ I was woefully tired as we moved through the castle towards the grand dining hall. I don't think I’ve ever been here before; I stifled a laugh, I've been here for over two moons now and this castle was so damn big that I still hadn't seen everything. The grand dining hall was completely void of anypony else, and looked much like the rest of the castle, lots of gray, with tall, pointed windows lining the walls, tapestries of Celestia hung in between most of them. There was a massive table off to the right side of the grand room, a giant purple tablecloth rested across the top of it. Luna however, led me to one of the many smaller tables with a red tablecloth draped across it. “Wait here,” she ordered smoothly before turning to head towards the kitchen staff quarters that were across at the other end of the room. I watched her go, my eyes drifting down her flank momentarily, before I forcefully snapped my eyes back up, “Professionalism, Feather, professionalism,” I scolded myself. A few moments later she returned with a very short, pudgy, angry looking older stallion who had a thick black mustache and mane with a beige coat. “I swear I bout had it up ta here with you royals, what kind a crazy ponies are up this late anyway huh? Whud I do ta deserve this kina treatment huh! I dunt get paid enough for this.” Luna rolled her eyes, “you don't like it? Go complain to my oh so benevolent sister,” she replied flatly. The short pudgy stallion grumbled angrily as he trotted away over to the kitchen grabbing a chef's cap from the hook outside the door before slamming said door behind him. “Sorry about that,” she apologized with an annoyed frown, “Simon might be a piece of work but he's the best chef we have,” she said before sitting down. Her horn glowed and she floated out a bottle of wine with two glasses. “I have no idea if this is any good or not, but I suppose we will find out,” she purred as she poured us both a glass. A second later and she used her horn to ignite the candle in the table's center. What was she doing? Was I really right earlier, was this supposed to be a date? She took a small sip from her glass and gave me a seductive look that gave me chills as she spoke, “so how have you enjoyed being my regent thus far?” The chills faded, no this is something else, not a date. I looked up at her confused, “I don’t understand.” Luna giggled but her seductive smirk soon faded when she saw my baffled expression. “Are you serious? what, do I have to spell it out for you?” she asked, annoyance on the edge of her voice. Ok teasing I can handle but this… this was just cruel, how could she!? I looked down and away with shame, I felt tears begin to pool in my eyes. Suddenly I felt dreadfully tired I just wanted to go back to our room curl up in my blankets. I don’t know what Luna was trying to do, I wanted to believe more than anything that she wanted me in that way, but it just didn’t seem real. “I’m sorry Princess, but I think I’m going to just get some sleep, we can get up later in the day to get my uniform.” I murmured and got up to turn away. My eyes went wide as I felt something wrap tightly around my throat and noticed the faint blue glow. “No,” Luna said her voice approaching a growl. “What?” I stammered, turning back towards her, as I did, her magical grip let me go. For a moment and for the first time ever I was actually afraid of the dark princess, but the moment passed as she gestured softly for me to sit back down. She took a sip of her wine before speaking calmly, “firstly, you do as I say remember, you operate on the schedule that I provide, not your whims,” she took another sip from her glass, “secondly, I demand to know why after all this time fawning over me you turn cold now.” I saw shadows swirl on the edges of her eyes. past them thought I saw the pain and wetness of tears. In a moment my own eyes widened as I realized I had hurt the one pony in the world that I loved more than anything. “Are you trying to manipulate me?” she accused. “What no,” I stammered, “never, I would never hurt you, I’m so sorry I-” I blubbered, I couldn’t keep the tears back anymore and turned away from her as I started to cry. “Oh, I see,” she sighed sympathetically, “oh Feather... you sweet thing I’m sorry,” she murmured quietly, “I understand, I do, you forget that I too know what it's like to be alone, to feel unwanted by everyone else, hated even… I more than anyone know how comfortable it is to be alone in the darkness, to be afraid to feel.” “I…I.” I collapsed to the floor as she continued her slow advance. “You think nopony could ever care about you Feather, and you're right nopony ever could, and no pony ever will, do you know why? She crouched down and put a wing around me. I couldn't respond, I couldn't think, I just stared up at her as tears continued to pour from my eyes. Stars she was right… of course she knows how I feel! How could I be so selfish; how could I dare speak to Luna like I had! I love her and I made her feel like I was manipulating her, what was wrong with me!? What the fuck is wrong with me!? Her gaze was soft as she smiled down at me, “because you're just like me…” she murmured quietly before reaching out to offer me her hoof. I sniffed as she helped me to my hooves. I used one of the napkins on the table to wipe my eyes and nose. “I'm so sorry Princess…” I murmured not knowing what else to say. “It's ok Feather, maybe nopony will ever care about either of us, but luckily for you, I'm not entirely a pony, soon you won't be either." I looked back up at her, “what?” “Shhh, all you need to know is that you're mine, and you wouldn’t be mine if I didn't care about you,” Luna stepped closer to me and lifted my chin up with a hoof. “Look into my eyes, Feather, I want you to relax… I want you to give in to me... I want to see the pain and doubt in your eyes die as you let me take you into the dark forever." I took a deep breath before looking into her beautiful eyes. Her tender words echoed in my mind, just give in, just surrender. I realized my breathing had slowed, staring into her eyes was like staring into the endless sea of black that lay just beyond the stars in her beautiful night sky. Suddenly all of my anxiety and fear just faded away as I couldn't help but get lost in those brilliant teal eyes. “There you are...” Luna gleamed with a satisfied smile as she pressed herself closer. Stars I wanted her! I don't know how she did it, but all the reservations I had, the fears of getting hurt, they were all just gone, now all I wanted was her… Though, one thing was bothering me.” “Why did you wait so long?” Luna stepped back and took a sip of her wine glass before smiling down at me. “Believe me Feather, I have wanted to do this for a while now, in fact it's all I’ve been able to think about for the past few weeks or so but,” she took a breath, “I never said anything before now because I was so afraid to let myself care about somepony else for the same reasons as you, but also because I knew, over time, I would just eventually lose them.” She paused with sadness in her voice. “Lose you... but I realized that if I went through my entire life thinking that way, I would never find happiness,” she let out a small laugh, “but I do care about you Feather, more than anything,” she smiled at me, and my heart skipped another beat. Oh, Stars Luna… I care about you too, so much I feel like my heart might explode! “I...” I started to respond to tell her as much, but she silenced me with a feather from her wing. Luna moved slowly over to me, her wing gliding over my face and down my neck as she did so, making me smile and lean into her soft feathers. She turned my head towards hers with her wing. I lost all sense of sorrow or sadness, or my legs for that matter, as I just looked into those beautiful nocturnal eyes an- She kissed me! My mind went completely blank, and my wings fell slack, the only thing I could focus on was her! It wasn't like anything I had ever experienced before! Lips still locked, she guided me away from the table and pinned me against the wall, her tongue, Goddesses her tongue! where had she learned to kiss like that! After a solid minute of frying my brain, she finally broke off and instead began to nuzzle my neck, kissing it occasionally, and every time she did, it sent a shiver of pleasure throughout my whole body. “you’re mine sweet Feather.” After she was done, I returned the favor as I nuzzled her neck, kissing her as I went, just as she had done. I wanted this more than anything! My only desire was to be hers! Luna let out a purr of pleasure and satisfaction as she slowly and reluctantly released me from the wall. She gave me the most seductive look and I got the distinct impression that she wanted to lead me upstairs back to her room, just the thought sending another shiver through my spine, and other places… I heard a loud clang of metal and we turned to see Simon with our fish on the table, “here yers stupid sushi now can I please get back to sleep for ponies’ sake!?” We laughed as he trotted away mumbling something about crazy mares and not getting paid enough. “We should probably sit back down and actually eat, I am starving,” Luna insisted as she turned back to the table. Looking back and seeing my disappointment she added, “oh don’t worry I’m not finished with you yet, not even close,” she purred, almost making me fall over. Come to think of it, I was really hungry as well, and now that there was no more awkwardness between the two of us, we could actually sit down and enjoy a meal together! “Soo, you never answered my question,'' she prompted, flicking my muzzle with her tail before sitting back down. “Right,” I replied as I sat back down as well. “Honestly Princess-” She again used her wing to silence me, “just Luna is fine,” she purred. I blushed hard as I continued, “honestly Luna, you saved me,” I smiled still gazing into her beautiful eyes. “You gave me purpose, even though I've only been here for a few moons, I can't even think of myself as anypony else. Being your Regent has become my life. Serving you is the only thing I care about now.” “I'm glad to hear it,” she purred again before floating up her salmon roll and taking a bite with a satisfied smile. I looked down at my own and took a piece off from the end. “Wow...” I said aloud, continuing to chew, savoring every delectable second before moving on to the next piece. I had never eaten anything this delicious before! I couldn't help myself as I grabbed one after the other, remembering to maintain my manners of course. “I told you, Simon is the best chef my sister has,” she reminded me, taking a sip from her wine. We spent the rest of what little time remained of the night, talking about each other, laughing about how we should have done this over a month ago, my future as her regent, and how she couldn't wait to show me off to her sister when she got back from Canterlot in a few days. To be honest I wasn't much in the way of wanting to meet Celestia, she represented the antithesis of everything I cared about, and from everything I had seen, didn't treat Luna with much respect. ___ leaning on her side with her wing around me, I was led by Luna back into the castle courtyard. I was feeling tipsy, and tired and wanted more than anything to finally just lay down with her as I nuzzled underneath the soft base of her wing. I had waited so long to feel her wing around me like this! She is just so comfortable, soft, and strong, I admit her power is intoxicating. Somehow knowing she could snap my neck like a twig, or rip me apart with little effort, or vaporize me with her magic, just made me all that more into her. I felt safe with her, I couldn't wait to finally lay down with her and be in her arms! Unfortunately, I knew we had to retrieve my new uniform. As much as I wasn't looking forward to being in sunlight again, I was more than ecstatic at the thought of wearing that beautiful armor, and just being at her side made me happy regardless of whatever it was we were doing. If the armor was anything like the drawing Luna had shown me before, then I knew I was going to be more than happy when I saw it. Luna Stopped. Still leaning on her, I looked up as I saw her horn begin to glow, shadows wrapping around, she closed her eyes and took a breath. Overhead I saw the moon, now with a soft blue glow around it that was barely visible unless I strained my eyes. slowly the moon was lowered across the sky, and as it disappeared over the horizon, it didn't take long for the arcs of sunlight to breach over the opposite. “Well that means I can finally get some sleep,” I heard the familiar voice of Ruby call out from behind as she approached us yawning. “I thought you had already turned in for the night?” Luna asked. “Yeah well, my C.O. caught me trying to sneak back into the barracks before my shift was over and I had to come up with the excuse that I was just making sure all the barrack doors were still locked. Then I just came back out here,” she yawned again, “if it wasn't for a few of the other guards going missing, my lame excuse would have just gotten me a week in cleaning duty for sure.” “I can't imagine why anypony might run away from my sister's guard,” Luna snickered sarcastically. Ruby rolled her eyes before stopping a moment to look back and forth between the two of us, a smile creeping up on her face. “Finally!” she snickered, and we both shot her a look. “What?” I asked. “I mean, if I had to do one more night shift and watch you two practically drool over each other without ever saying anything, I was going to go mad!” Luna and I both blushed. “Seriously it was getting to the point where Sunny and I were beginning to place bets,” she teased. “Alright that's enough,” Luna chuckled, “I'm just happy to finally have her” she murmured sweetly, nuzzling me. “You and me both” I cooed sweetly back, kissing her neck. Making her squeeze me tighter with her wing. No thanks to you Ruby… I thought. “Barf,” Ruby complained, “you know there is such a thing as being too cheesy,” she snickered, so anyways where are you two headed off too?” “To retrieve Feather’s new uniform, the same one I had you drop off a drawing of a few moons ago,” Luna responded. “Right, well when you get back, I need to talk to you both about something,” Ruby said in a more worried tone. “Like what,” I prompted. “It’s fine, I’m probably overreacting, it can wait until you both get back.” “Alright, well it will have to wait until tomorrow night, because I don't think neither me nor Feather, or you for that matter will be awake for much longer,” Luna yawned. “That's fine, just be safe,” Ruby said in that same worried voice before turning and trotting away. “Come on, let's get this over with,” Luna groaned drowsily, “I'll get my saddlebags before we head out.” She turned to look at me, “the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can have you in my bed,” she purred seductively, giving my ear a small nibble, and sending another chill down my spine. Thankfully the early morning was still mostly dark, but a slight headache began to set in as the morning progressed. We were traveling by air, both of us moving at a slow, tired pace, eventually I began to see the rooftops of buildings. In retrospect the flight wasn't very long, however it felt like an eternity, as both of us were on the verge of passing out from sleep deprivation. We both landed clumsily just outside the town and Luna tossed me a black cloak from her saddlebags before floating one out for herself. “These should help with the light sensitivity,” she said as she pulled hers on. I blinked, dark spots already beginning to cloud the edges of my vision as the morning grew even brighter, the more I blinked didn't matter as the spots just kept getting worse, my skin was beginning to ache as well, and my skull was pounding. I just wanted to be back in darkness... I put on the hooded cloak quickly, thankful for any kind of protection. “Welcome to Lillypool,” Luna grumbled disdainfully. Ponies were just starting to become active as we walked through the town, neighbors waved at one another, ponies began to open their shops, the town was starting to become loud. I hated everything about it, it took everything I had not to turn around and run to the nearest darkest spot I could find. Every time I looked up past my hood, I was reminded exactly why I shouldn't. The sun was fully over the horizon now and it was like having fire pokers jammed into my eyes when I looked anywhere past my hood. My vision was blurred, and the black spots covered my eyes to the point where I could no longer see what was ahead of me! I had to rest a wing over Luna's back in order to make sure I didn't lose her. I felt worse than sick. "What the hell?" I murmured. My hearing was even affected as everything started sounding muffled. Nausea set in and even with the cloak my skin felt like it was on fire, and my head felt as though it were being smashed repeatedly with a hammer. I knew Luna was probably doing much better than I was, but still I worried for her. I had to stop as I felt a sick feeling begin to rise from my stomach and I had to let go of Luna as I spun around. The nice dinner we just had making a not so nice return as I spilled my guts out all over the dirt road! Tears ran down my singed eyes. Everything just hurt so damn much! I heard the panicked muffled voice of Luna as I was helped to my hooves. I could also hear the muffled voices of shock and disgust from ponies in the distance. At some point I realized in my daze that I had lost consciousness! Even with my congested nose I could still make out Luna's sweet scent as she quickly carried me, somewhere? It didn't matter, anywhere but here! Finally, I felt a cool breeze of relief and heard the muffled slamming of a door as I was led to what felt like some kind of sofa. I heard the angry shouts of ponies and heard a very angry muffled Luna shout right back. I felt hoof steps get further away, I then felt something that resembled a damp rag wipe my face clean. I felt Luna’s soft wing against my face, she was close enough that I heard her, muffled as her voice was. “Everything’s going to be alright, Feather, I promise,” I felt her grab my shoulders with her forehooves. I couldn't do anything except nod as I remained in agony. Then, like a cure to a poison I felt, something… I felt it pour in through my eyes, nose and mouth. That same something slowly wrapped tightly around my entire body. Whatever it was, it felt amazing. My skin no longer burned, and my hearing began to return, I felt something cold and comfortable running through my veins. I couldn't help but completely go limp and relax as I smiled in relief, deciding to let whatever this feeling was, consume every part of me. My vision returned and I saw what that ‘something’ was. It was like a stream of shadows given the appearance of dark translucent tendrils that went into and around my eyes. I breathed in the shadows like it was some kind of dark mist. I could feel it under my skin, in my veins, and in my heart. As frightening as I knew it might have looked to anypony watching, I felt nothing but relief and pleasant goodness. The shadows in my eyes parted for a moment and I saw their source. Luna stood there her bright teal nocturnal eyes locked on to mine, she was still holding my shoulders in her hooves. Her coat was pitch black and her teeth were razor sharp ending in fangs! Even her starlit mane appeared darker, her wings were different as well, though I couldn't quite see them properly. The shadows spilled not from her horn, but from her eyes and her mouth, as they made their way into mine! The shadows faded and as they did, I was left feeling changed, different, but in a good way, better than I ever have in fact, euphoric even. I watched as her teeth formed back to their normal shape and her coat returned to a dark shade of blue. She closed her eyes as she fell over. I caught her as she fell. I did a quick scan around the room, not seeing anypony else. I was fascinated at what I had just seen, however that was the least of my worries as I looked down at Luna unconscious in my arms. Her breath was steady, and she didn't look hurt. I had no idea what to do as I scanned the room for anything I could use, but what could I use that would help!? I wondered helplessly. I heard her gasp as she opened her eyes and looked into mine, I did all I could think of and hugged her as tightly as I could. “Are you alright!?” I fretted, “are you hurt?” I asked, pulling my head back and looking her in the eyes. She blinked in surprise and several moments passed before she spoke cautiously, “You're… you’re, not afraid of me?” she asked, shocked. She looked up into my eyes with disbelief. “Why would I ever be afraid of you?” I asked sweetly. moving a piece of mane from her face with a wing. She smiled in shocked relief before throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me in for a kiss. Just as before, my mind went blank as I got lost in the kiss but instead of letting my wings fall to the ground, I instead wrapped them around the beautiful dark mare and pulled her close, which she clearly liked as I felt her shiver and her tail slowly wrapped around my hindleg. Goddesses, I've wanted her to hold me like this for so long... I dreamed of her every time I slept, I've never wanted anything so badly in my entire life! I wanted nothing more than to be hers! I let myself relax in her arms and breathed in her sweet scent with a smile. I heard a pair of hoof steps getting closer and clearly hearing them too, she broke away from the kiss and sat up. My wings pulled away, and we stood up before she pulled me close with a wing for one last hug. The door at the end of the room opened and a short unicorn mare walked in with a little filly at her side. Whispering into my ear Luna spoke softly, “I promise I'll explain everything once we are back home.” I nodded, not necessarily needing an explanation for what I saw, but wanting one all the same. I looked around the room, not having really bothered to pay attention to my surroundings before now. We were in a small wooden building, the wall to my left was lined with all kinds of different pieces of armor barding as well as several shields. On the opposite wall were several impressive swords on display as well as a barrel that was full of some less impressive, battered and bent weapons. In the back was an anvil and a metal bowl of smoldering coals that were being maintained by the fire beneath it. I could only assume we were at some kind of blacksmiths. I looked over at the light orange mare’s charcoal stanned coat and barding with goggles dangling around her neck. She had a black mane and tail, with yellow eyes. The filly next to her had a much brighter orange coat with a light brown mane, and the same yellow eyes. “Go work on ya studies, your sis has guests,” she ordered the little filly next to her before looking back over to Luna and me, “guests with deep pockets,” she said with a smirk, her accent reminding me of Simon. “But I wanna see the Princess!” the little filly whined. “No buts, now scram,” she said, giving the filly a little shove. The little filly gave an angry little stomp before retreating to the door behind her, giving it a hard slam. “Sorry bout that,” she said straightening up, “name’s Ember Frost,” she proclaimed with a smirk, pointing a hoof at herself proudly, “greatest blacksmith in Equestria, at your service,” she gave a little bow. Luna raised an eyebrow, “we shall see about that.” “Oh, you will,” she boasted while maintaining her smirk. “By the way, what was all that you demanding me and my sis leave our own shop?” She asked indignantly, “if y’all wanted to get freaky with your mare friend ya could a just said so,” We both blushed. “That is not what we wer-!” Luna started to say before she was interrupted by Ember. “Hey, I ain't judge’n,” she said, hooves up innocently. Ember ignored the angry stare from Luna as she continued on. “Anyways, get excited, because you're about to witness my single greatest creation, second only to the price tag I came up with for it!” Ember announced as she rolled out a pony shaped object covered in a tarp. “Now prepare for ya pockets ta be a whole lot lighter, cause I ain't cheap, and also cause this thing don't got no pockets!” And with that, Ember pulled the tarp away with a forehoof to reveal a pony statue wearing a stunning black uniform. Its edges were lined with beautiful, polished metal that outlined the entire thing. The blue stitching provided an amazing accent, and the spine shaped titanium plates that ran along the back reflected the firelight perfectly. The rest of the shoulder and side plating were mostly concealed within the uniform itself; only parts of the plating shown as accent. A shiny metal version of Luna's cutie mark was sewn on to the left collar. My jaw dropped and we both started prancing with excitement. “Hold still,” Luna exclaimed excitedly as a blue glow lifted the uniform up and towards me. “Yeah sure, try it on, don't bother payin me first,” Ember complained with a roll of her eyes and a little kick to the dirt. We both ignored her as Luna tore my old uniform off with her magic and unclipped the new one before setting it on me. clipping it back up and using her magic to make all the necessary adjustments, she finished fixing my collar before stepping back to look at me. It fit perfectly I thought, wondering how Luna got my exact measurements. It was comfortable, light and breathable too! “Okay now turn around!” I did as she said, turning to face her. Luna's eyes gilded all over me, the expression she was giving me made me blush as I for sure thought that smile said I was about to be pinned to the ground. “Soo, how do I look?” I asked, giving a little spin as I tried to give her my best seductive look. “Welp y'all can just leave my money on the table over there,” Ember said trying to get our attention. Luna slowly trotted up to me, I felt myself get pulled off my hooves as she grabbed me with her magic pulling me in close for another kiss. “Oh, shucks would ya look at the time suddenly I just realized I have something really important to do... over there!” Ember exclaimed before darting away. She broke away from the kiss, “I should have taken you a long time ago,” she smirked, “come, let's leave this place so we can finally get some sleep,” she yawned as she tossed a large bag of bits onto the table. “Oh, and Ember,” Luna called out. “Uh yeah Princess?” Luna narrowed her eyes, “you should learn to treat your sister with more respect, before you lose hers.” Ember looked down and nodded her head, “uh, will do Princess.” I followed Luna out of the building. I was so distracted I forgot to put the cloak back on, and when the sunlight hit my face, I braced myself for the pain that surely followed. Aside from a searing headache and general soreness, no excessive pain came. I opened one eye cautiously looking around, the light made me squint, but thankfully it no longer felt like hot fire pokers were being jammed into my eyes. Opening both eyes, I looked down at my forelegs, and I felt something moving underneath my skin as my veins darkened to the point where I could see them through my white coat. It felt like something deep within me was twisting, my eyes widened. “Luna, what's happening to me?” I asked, feeling like I should panic, but no panic came, I just felt good... Luna turned to look at me concerned, she regarded me for a moment before relaxing, “oh good it's working,” she purred. “Just relax Feather, I'll explain when we get back,” trotting up to me, and putting a wing to my face she asked, “Do you trust me?” “Of course,” I reassured her, before leaning into her wing, “more than anything.” I let out a breath, as strange as it was, whatever was happening to me, It felt really good. “Why am I not-” I started to say. “A blind sick mess?” I nodded. She smiled, “because darkness is a very literal thing and I alone command it, I simply shared some of that darkness with you,” she said, pointing a hoof at my breast before continuing, “you somehow already had literal darkness running through you, it's primarily the reason the sunlight made you so ill in the first place,” she paused with a smile, “but now that I've properly shared it with you, I can control how it affects you." “Do you feel it changing you?” she asked with a grin. I smiled, nodding again. “Like I said, I will explain more once we have returned to the privacy of our own home,” throwing on her cloak she lifted off into the air, “coming?” she yawned. I threw on my cloak as well, before joining her in the sky. Although I no longer felt like I was dying, the sun was still incredibly irritating. I noticed as we flew, how different everything looked during the day, light shinned through the trees, birds sang their songs, everything was so much louder and brighter. I despised every second of it, it was too much, way too much stimulus. I felt nauseous as we flew, fumbling every now and then as we went. Finally, we made it back to the castle, looking down I saw tons of Celestia’s soldiers and other ponies dressed in formal wear walking the castle grounds, they all seemed to be in some kind of rush. “Come, let's avoid all of,” Luna paused, “that,'' she said, gesturing to the whole area with a hoof as if reading my thoughts. I followed her as we made our way to her balcony that stuck out from one of the towers overlooking the courtyard. As we finally returned to the familiar room Luna immediately cast her shadow spell over it, and I let that sweet feeling of familiar quiet, and darkness wash over me. I tossed off my cloak and flopped down like a heavy rock on my couch bed, letting out a sigh of relief as I did so. “Finally,” Luna sighed in relief as I heard her trot over to me. Suddenly I felt breathing on the back of my neck as Luna grabbed the collar of my new uniform with her teeth and slowly started pulling it off, undoing the clips and my hairband with her magic. I let out a shiver and smiled. I was tired, but it didn't matter, I went limp deciding to let Luna do whatever she wanted with me. After the uniform was off, she tugged on the chain of my necklace, choking me a little as she guided me up and over to her much more comfortable looking bed. As we got to the edge of the soft bed, she pressed me against it, my face in the mattress, I felt her kissing and nuzzling all along down the back of my neck. Oh, Goddess this feels amazing! She pushed me the rest of the way up onto the bed before climbing on top of me, her muzzle still nuzzling the back of my neck as she pressed herself against me, arms wrapping over my shoulders. All I could do was smile and make little happy noises as she held me down. “You smell so good Feather, and you're so soft…” she whispered sweetly, and my smile got even wider. “This feels, you feel, so amazing...” I murmured happily as she nuzzled and massaged in between my sore wings. She let go for only a moment before flipping me around with her magic, and I was left staring up into those beautiful nocturnal eyes. Pressing her whole body against me and making me completely lose any ability to have coherent thought, she kissed me, her tongue wrapped around my own as we held each other tightly. I wished this moment could last forever. She stopped a moment before lifting her head up to look at me. “Earlier you saw me when I appeared-” she paused, seeming to look for the right words, “different,” she smiled giving my neck a small nuzzle before continuing, “but you didn't care, you weren't afraid.” She closed her eyes, her mouth open. Shadows began to pour from her as I saw her teeth retake the razor-like appearance that I had seen earlier, her fangs glistening from the soft light in the room, her coat darkened to black, and her wings… Stars, her wings! Her feathers were gone! in their place was smooth translucent skin with almost a grayish purple tint that looked akin to that of a bat! They were so incredibly beautiful, strange, but beautiful! She opened her eyes, looking back at mine with worry. “This doesn't scare you?” “Not even a little bit,” I replied, kissing her. Now she was the one whose wings went limp, I could feel her fangs with my tongue, something about it making me smile even more as we stayed in that kiss for what seemed like an eternity. Her charcoal coat was incredibly beautiful, and goddess her teeth! “The black coat, the teeth, the eyes, everything...” she paused, “this is the real me,” she smiled, “and now I know I don't have to hide that with you,” she purred before moving down to my neck, kissing as she went. She made her way further down past my neck down to my breast and, even further… oh sweet Goddess! “Wait!” I gasped, making her stop and look up, “I've never done this before,” I admitted, blushing with unbridled embarrassment. Luna smiled as she moved her eyes back up to mine and whispered into my ear, “you trust me?” she asked, biting down gently on my ear and making me shiver. I nodded. “Then just relax, I promise I'll be gentle,” she cooed sweetly before slowly making her way back down. I did as she said, I gasped as I felt her tongue! and stars did I relax…. Chapter Five: The Gala (Revised)Chapter Five The Gala I woke to Luna moving out of my arms. Drearily opening my eyes, I saw her attempting to quietly climb out from the bed. “Hey you,” I yawned sweetly, putting a forehoof down on her tail. She turned and smiled, “good evening, Feather, sorry, I was trying my best not to wake you,” she took her tail back before moving to nuzzle gently behind my ear, “I need to raise the moon; I won't be but a moment.” And with that she moved off the bed before slowly making her way to the balcony door. Letting out another yawn I watched her go, through the window I could see her stand completely still as her horn glowed. I laid back taking in a long breath before letting it out with a smile. I had never felt this good before! I felt all warm and tingly, and more than anything I just felt really, really comfortable and safe. However, I noticed something in my mouth didn't quite feel right. I sat up, my gums were sore, and I felt around with my tongue only to realize in horror that several of my teeth were alarmingly loose! “What in Equestria?” I murmured as I continued to prod with my tongue at my loose teeth. For a brief moment I thought I was still asleep, maybe I was having the type of nightmare where all your teeth fall out whenever you try to speak! If I was having a nightmare, did that mean I upset Luna!? Did I do something wrong? I shook my head and blinked the tired blur from my eyes I looked around reaffirming to myself that I was indeed awake, I scowled at myself and banished those self-destructive thoughts, then put them in a dungeon in the place that I banished them too. My loose teeth again yanked my attention back to reality and well-founded worry began to set in. I prodded once again at my teeth hoping they were just sore from something I ate. As I prodded, I felt a warm soreness as one of them popped free! I rolled over in panic and spat the grotesque tooth out, the metallic taste of blood quickly followed. “Oh, sweet merciful Stars…” I was suddenly aware of how wrong my body felt, everything was sore and aching not the good kind of aches either. My stomach twisted and churned, and I felt something uniquely alien about my own skin and coat as sweat dripped down it. I heard the balcony door slide shut and turned to see Luna making her way back to me. Unaware of my panicked state, she tiredly climbed back into bed and pulled me close, like a filly would with her favorite teddy bear. She stretched back, looking concerned, “What's wrong Feather? your heart is racing.” “Luna, I... Something is really wrong with me…” I fretted, “I just lost a tooth, and all my teeth feel loose! My eyes are sore, and I feel lightheaded!” Luna almost looked amused as she nuzzled me, “just relax Feather, nothing is wrong with you, in fact it's quite the opposite; and the only reason you feel lightheaded is because you're stressing over nothing.” “I don't understand,” I told her worriedly, “I feel sick.” “Just trust me, I'll explain later, right now I just want to feel you,” she purred, nuzzling me, “just relax Feather, let's try and get a little more rest.” I nodded and did my best to try and relax. She wrapped her legs around mine, and I wrapped my tail around hers. I trusted her. If she says not to worry, then I won't, besides, rest always sounds good when I’m not feeling well. I took a breath; I do trust her. Luna was much taller than me so even when her hind legs stretched slightly past mine, my muzzle still only came up to her neck. I actually rather enjoyed the difference, it made me feel like I belonged to her. I loved that feeling, it made me feel safe. Oh and her wings! Her bat-like wings were so amazingly comfortable! I smiled in delight as she squeezed me even tighter with them. Luna leaned back to look at me with a toothy grin. “What is it?” I asked softly. “It's just-” She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip with a smile “Feather you are full of surprises...” she purred before returning to nuzzle me again. I blushed hard. With our wings wrapped around each other I buried my face into her soft charcoal coat, breathing in her sweet scent. I felt the claws of sleep slowly begin to tug at me once more, when suddenly and with a deafening clang, the door burst open behind me! In a flash of blue, I was in, the bathroom? “What in Equestria…” I grumbled; my face now nuzzled into the dirty bathroom floor rather than the Princess of the Night. Bringing myself to my hooves I wiped my face with a forehoof and looked down to see the wrinkled shape of my uniform, “how in the Stars did this get in here?” I whispered. “Surprise!” I heard a mare shout in an obnoxiously loud and boisterous voice. I peeked through the crack in the bathroom door, I only had a line of sight to the bed. Luna was sitting up with the most livid expression on her face, her eyes were round, and her fangs were gone. Her coat had returned to its fake shade of blue. “Sister, you’re back early,” Luna grumbled, “and you would think that in the past two hundred or so years you would have learned how to knock,” Luna growled before hopping out of the bed. Crap! Princess Celestia is here! No wonder Luna had teleported me away so quickly! I looked down, grabbed my uniform, and attempted to pull it on while remaining as quiet as possible. I felt another tooth begin to fall loose and promptly spit it into the trash bin near the sink. I took a calming breath, Luna said not to worry about it, so I won’t. I reiterated to myself. It was a good thing it seemed to just be my back teeth for the time being, I couldn't even tell I was missing teeth by looking in the mirror. “Oh please, it's not like you were asleep, you had just raised the moon. Besides, I wanted to surprise my little sister, why should I feel the need to knock for that?” Celestia’s voice seemed to carry a tone of passive aggressive snootiness that was most unbecoming. “Perhaps because it's just, oh I don't know... The normal, courteous thing to do,” Luna stomped indignantly, “believe it or not dear sister, when a door is locked, it is not an invitation for you to pick said lock with your magic!” Celestia scoffed, “maybe I wouldn't have to tread so lightly around you during the evening if you would just sleep through the night like a normal pony.” “How dare you!” Luna marched forward looking cross, “you more than anypony knows that the night is my life, just as the day is yours!” I left the bathroom, sticking to the shadows. I made my way up to where I could see Celestia properly. Luna shot me a look, but it was clear Celestia couldn't see past the dark archway. The bright alicorn was even taller than her younger sister, she had a coat of bright white, a mane and tail of multi-colored lavender, green, and pink. She had brilliant purple eyes and a cruel smile. “But how can you have any kind of normal life if you spend it all in the dark, alone, it's not healthy,” she said pointedly with a nod of what actually seemed like genuine concern. Her gaze drifted to the opened-up couch bed. Then at our very messy sheets... Celestia laughed, “so not all alone then I see,” she looked right at me, though nothing in her expression gave away that she saw I was there. “Are you hiding some buck back there?” Celestia teased. Luna reeled looking visibly ill, “That's not funny, you know I only like mares,” she retorted coldly. Celestia stared at Luna with frustration in her eyes, “yes as you continue to remind me with every one of your reckless indiscretions... Why can't you just be normal, or at the very least try harder to not make your careless actions into more problems for me?” I rolled my eyes and had to stop myself from making an audible scoff, but I could not believe what I was hearing! I can’t believe her own sister, the Princess herself! I mean really if- My own inner rant was cut short, I hadn’t realized it, but I had been leaning more and more forward as the drama continued and my hoof had caught on one of the curtains that separate the study from the bedroom. *Fwomp!* Both Princess’s stopped to look down at me, Luna with worry, Celestia with confusion leaning either towards anger or amusement, I couldn’t tell which. “Owe,” I whimpered. Luna scoffed sympathetically before untangling and helping me to my hooves. “Are you alright?” I nodded, but my glare was fixed on Celestia, I knew it wasn’t my place to say anything, but now I felt like I had to! I looked up at the Solar Princess and tried to make myself look big, which I realize in hindsight probably just made me look cute. “how dare you?” I squeaked barely audibly, “how dare you!” I reiterated finding my rage once again. Celestia narrowed her eyes a little as she regarded me. Hoping my tone made up for my small stature I continued. “Luna deserves your respect but more than that she deserves to have a sister who doesn’t berate her and treat her like some kind of burden, I expected more, especially from you.” I like to think I sounded at least a little confident. Luna looked at me with shock and a small smile, however it quickly faded to an expression of terror as she glanced back at her older sister. My gaze switched back towards Celestia’s, and immediately I realized my mistake. The expression she gave me was one of murder, her purple eyes fading to a sharp fiery orange. I gulped. Great! nice one Feather... Piss off the super powerful alicorn goddess why don't you, tell her how she’s a bad sister why don’t you… “Who is, this,” Celestia asked coldly, dangerously, her eyes narrowed. Luna moved to my side defensively, “this is my- is Feather, my…” she paused, “personal assistant,” before adding, “and she is under my protection.” Celestia stifled a chuckle of amusement before gazing back at me. Her eyes glided down to the pendent of Luna’s cutie mark on the collar of my uniform. “I see,” she paused, her amusement fading, “my sister is not in any position financial or otherwise, to have any kind of staff let alone an assistant with whom she is so clearly infatuated with. I order you to leave this place immediately,” The fiery alicorn demanded dismissively. “With all due respect,” I said as non-shakily as I could, “I take my orders from Princess Luna, not you.” Her gaze was like a blade of fury, and I thought for sure she was about to use her magic to snap my neck like a twig! Celestia sighed, “very well, if you wish to subjugate yourself to the teadeas and tormenting task of being my sister's assistant then by all means. But the treasury will not put you on payroll” Wait am I supposed to be getting paid? Celestia’s cruel gaze returned to her sister, “I can normally tolerate your indiscretions but if this mare is intended to be a new constant as your ‘assistant’ then I expect you to learn some amount of discretion for both our sakes. You forget it isn’t I who will take issue, stars know the nightmare you would cause me if the two of you are caught together.” I glared at her. “You should leave,” Luna seethed coldly, stepping in front of me. “Fine, but just so you know, I came up here to tell you that the Grand Gala is starting here in the next hour, I know you normally don't care or ever attend, but I thought I would still offer.” “Of course you would move that to tonight,” Luna groaned as her sister slammed the door behind her. I looked back at my beautifully dark mare friend. Her eyes returned to slits, her wings turned back to soft leathery bat like ones, beautiful sharp teeth and fangs reformed, her coat returning to a wonderful charcoal black, the black parts of her cutie mark fading to a deep purple. “She thinks us being caught together will be a nightmare? My sister has no idea what a real nightmare is,” she growled. I put my hoof on her shoulder, “I'm sorry I didn't mean to be so rude; I know it wasn’t my place and Celestia is your sister but-” Luna grabbed me, pulling me in to a kiss. “She’s a manipulative, egotistical, control freak?” Luna smirked. “I was just going to say cruel, but yeah.” Luna threw her arms around me in a hug, “thank you Feather,” she breathed, “that was really brave, no one's ever stood up for me like that before, especially not to my sister.” “I still shouldn’t have spoken out of turn.” She kissed behind my ear, “I’ll forgive it this once,” she whispered, “besides, it was a rather romantic gesture from my little pet.” I blushed hard and looked away. Luna giggled, I think both at my reaction and the situation. “Not the introduction I was hoping for, but then again it didn't go nearly as poorly as it could have.” Pulling back, she put a hoof on my shoulder before letting out a tired yawn, “do you want to just lay back down for a little while longer?” she asked tiredly, already undoing my uniform with her magic. “I just want to try and get some more rest, or at the very least unwind.” I put my hoof around hers, “of course,” I said with a small smile before we climbed back into her bed. We wrapped ourselves around each other once more and I let myself relax. I knew she probably didn't want to talk about Celestia, but I couldn't help myself. “Does your sister really have a problem with you liking mares?” I asked softly. She groaned, burying her face into my neck, “my sister has a problem with everything that I am,” she moaned in muffled sadness. “Is that why you hid your eyes from her? You don't hide them in front of me,” I asked with concern. “I've never hidden them from you because I trust you, and I know you love them, but I do hide them from everypony else, including my ignorant sister,” She paused, “Tia never used to be like this… I suppose time is what has made her so cruel.” Luna let out a long sigh. “And she doesn't have a problem with the fact that I like mares, she only has a problem with how it could negatively affect her ‘perfect’ political image,” Luna sneered. “Screw her image,” I muttered. Luna raised a teasing eyebrow. My eyes widened and I gave her shoulder a light shove, eww no, you know what I mean,” I rolled my eyes and scoffed, “aren’t you supposed to be a well-mannered princess or something?” I teased back. Luna rolled to pin me underneath her, “oh you want to talk about manners? As I recall, the things I made you scream yesterday were not very lady like at all.” I flushed and looked away, “ok you win.” “I always win,” she giggled before moving back to the side. We lay there quietly for a moment before another thought entered my mind. “Luna,” I started, “you said that you’ve never shown anypony else your true appearance, so why me?” I asked. Frankly I knew damn well I wasn’t her first lover, you don’t get to be as… thorough as she is without practice, but why hadn’t she shown them? Luna seemed to pick up my train of thought, “there have been others yes, many others in fact, but they are nothing but dust and regretful memories now, being immortal only seems to destroy any hope of a long-lasting relationship with somepony. So eventually I just stopped trying, and for the better part of the past two centuries, I really haven't even bothered… Not counting the occasional one-night encounters of course.” Luna grinned, “but unlike them, I showed you who I was because you're different, you're nocturnal like me, you're the first pony I've ever met whom I can just be myself with. You’re the first pony who I actually truly care about and who cares about me, a mare who loves my night, my loyal soldier,” Luna let out a sad resigned sigh, “and even though time will eventually take you from me, I intend on enjoying every second that I have with you.” I smiled at her words but as I recalled the promise, I made all those nights ago on our first training session, I couldn't help as I started to cry. “I made a promise to myself that I would never abandon you,” Luna looked at me surprised, “but you're right, I can't run from time.” “Now you see why I was so reluctant to let myself care about you,” she whispered with a sad smile, “but I couldn't help myself any longer, you make me feel better than I ever have Feather,” she smiled, “my Feather,” she cooed as she kissed along my neck. Tears continued to run down from my eyes as I let myself think about it too much. I buried my face into her mane, “Luna I don't want to ever leave you,” I cried, “I never want to go through that kind of pain.. I.. I don't want to turn to dust!” I wept, on the verge of sobbing. “Oh Feather…” she murmured, hugging me tighter. “Luna, you're my entire life, I… I,” she silenced me with a kiss. “Please don't cry Feather, it's just the way things are, if I could change that I would.” “I can't live without you, I.” She held me tight as she pushed her muzzle deep into my neck and mane, I could feel her warm breath. “I will never abandon you Feather, even when your old and falling apart, I will never abandon you, I care about you too much,” she comforted, tears running from her own eyes, “Please, let's talk about something else, I don't want to think about this anymore than you do,” she murmured. I sniffed and wiped the tears from my eyes before nodding. I know it's selfish but, dammit I don't ever want to lose her! and I don't want her to ever lose me... If that makes me selfish then fine, I'm selfish. “Doesn't,” I took a breath, “doesn't your sister know what you really look like?” I asked, “I mean, she's your sister, surely she would have seen the real you when you were just a little filly, right?” Luna breathed a sigh of relief, clearly happy for the change in subject. “No, believe it or not I didn't always look like this, it is the result of letting the darkness --the shadows you saw-- into my heart,” She smiled, “the darkness was there for me when my sister chose to abandon me.” She paused. “As you've seen, the darkness I control is quite literal, and when I let it become a part of me, it changed me,” She smiled, her eyes turning pitch black for only a moment, “for the better of course.” I smiled, nodding in agreement. “Earlier you let it become a part of you too, and now like me, it's changing you,” she whispered, “how does it feel?” she asked as she rested her head over me. I closed my eyes and took a breath as I hugged her tighter. That must be what that sick alien feeling was, I shuddered a little at the recollection, but I focused on how I currently felt, and while still an alien sensation, it didn’t feel wrong anymore, like I had broken through a fever and was starting to feel right again, better than right in fact. “I feel better than I ever have, I think I can feel the shadows moving…” I murmured, “It feels weird, but like a good weird.” “Good, I thought it might,” she grinned. “Exactly how am I changing?” I asked curiously. Luna closed her eyes as she smiled and took a deep breath, “In a rather simple explanation, among other things, your body is going to slowly become properly nocturnal, your eyes will change like mine, as will your teeth, and wings. The shadows will feel more amazing than ever. You’ll be a part of my Darkness; you’ll be my perfect servant.” I shivered in delight at the thought, “so that's why I'm losing teeth?” Luna nodded, “soon your feathers will start to fall out too, and from what I've learned, your entire body will change on a fundamental level, you'll no longer be just a pony anymore.” “That's what you meant at dinner, you're not entirely a pony anymore and soon I won't be either...” “You’re ok with that, aren’t you?” Honestly as much as I loved the idea, as much as I loved her, I didn’t know if I was ok with being something other than just a pony, maybe I should tell her- “ahgg,” I squeaked. I felt something constrictively curl up around my spine and towards the base of my skull, it hurt like pressure pounding a hole into my skull! The tension built to a threshold before fading into something pleasant, and soft. The constrictive coils faded to feel like gentle tendrils caressing and petting every part of me. I relaxed and let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding I looked up at Luna, she was looking at me almost cautiously. “Well?” she asked. I blinked myself out of my stupor, “yes of course I’m ok with it, more than ok with it, I’m happy to serve.” Luna grinned and relaxed, “good.” She regarded me for a moment before moving back on top of me and looking down into my eyes. “Feather, this is going to sound strange, and I regret not telling you this sooner but, you should know that the darkness is going to make you, want things…” she murmured hesitantly. “What kind of things?” I asked, only mildly concerned. Her eyes glided down to fixate on my neck, “things that will make you a monster in the eyes of others...” Her eyes snapped back to lock on to mine. “I don't understand,” I admitted, looking at her with concern. “I hardly do either... But I want you to trust me,” she murmured with a smile before moving to kiss my neck. I let myself relax as she did so, I could feel her sharp fangs gliding down a little harder than I expected. One of them caught skin, and I flinched a little, “hey, what are you-” “Just relax,” she whispered smoothly. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through me as I felt both of her fangs, followed by the rest of her sharp teeth pierce my skin and push deep into my neck! I gasped and squirmed for a moment as she held me down. Then I remembered what she had said. I did trust her, and I didn't understand exactly what was going on or why, but I did as she said, and I let myself relax. I felt her relax as well. I could feel her drinking and it didn't really hurt anymore either... In fact, after a while, I admit I was even starting to like it! A lot! Luna lifted her head up, as she did so I felt her fangs retreat from my neck. She looked down at me with a seductive smile, blood dripping from her mouth, she leaned in, pressing her lips to mine in a kiss! I expected the metallic taste of blood, but instead of reeling at the taste, I couldn't get enough of it as it dripped out the sides of our mouths. I could feel even more running out the side of my neck where she had bitten me. She pulled away from the kiss, a few strings of blood mixed with saliva connected our muzzles for only a moment before gravity inevitably took them down. Luna licked her lips clean, and I did the same, enjoying the taste. Strangely enough it did still taste like blood, but for some reason I absolutely loved the taste! She pointed her horn at my neck, and I felt the wound close as healing magic poured over me. I was left feeling baffled, a little dizzy, and absolutely amazing as Luna continued to nuzzle and kiss all over me. “You’re amazing Feather! I don't think anypony else would have ever let me do that to them!” “What was that?” I asked in wonder and confusion. “I told you, the Darkness changes more than you realize,” she paused hesitantly, “sometimes I get these cravings, they eventually pass if I ignore them long enough, however this was the first time I had ever given into it.” She took a breath “I didn't really know what to expect, but it felt amazing, and you taste amazing,” she grinned, “I'm thrilled you trust me enough to let me do that to you,” she smiled nuzzling me. “Of course,” I smiled back blushing a little, “truth be told, I kinda liked it,” I admitted. “You would,” she teased with a roll of her eyes. “Come, let's go take a shower, you're covered in blood,” she purred sweetly, licking up a drop from my cheek. Still feeling a little dizzy and a lot confused, I followed her into the washroom. She used her magic to turn the knob on the shower as we both stepped in. While hot water cascaded down on us, she used her magic and two sponges to quickly scrub the blood out of both our coats, while simultaneously washing both our manes in mere minutes. “Wow, having a horn is totally unfair,” I teased as we both rinsed off. She nuzzled behind my ear, “well I suppose it does have more than its fair share of advantages, but the clearance on doors is awful,” she smirked, leaning in for a kiss. I let out a small laugh leaning into her in return. As we dried ourselves off and made our way back into the main bedroom, I could hear the muffled voices of ponies outside. “What the...” I murmured, moving to the balcony door and pushing it open with a hoof. Down below at the castle's entrance were crowds of ponies making their way inside. All were dressed in fancy dresses and suits, even the royal guard were wearing white uniforms rather than armor. “When your sister said something about a gala, I had no idea this many ponies were attending.” Luna frowned. “Oh yes, the Grand Galloping Gala,” she began disdainfully, “where all the aristocrats, the overly rich, and heads of government all show up to kiss my sister's flank for three and a half hours.” I gave a sympathetic smile. I heard distant music begin to play from outside in the courtyard and looked down to see a group of three Unicorns two with violins and the third with a cello. The music they played was delicate and classy, I couldn't help but smile a little bit. “I've never heard music like that before,” I gushed looking back at my clearly annoyed mare friend. “Unfortunately, you hear one kind of music enough and no matter how good it is, it's eventually ruined, and you can't help but hate the familiar sound every time you hear it,” she snorted, trotting up to me and closing the balcony door. “Well, you can forget tonight's training, or any extra sleep for that matter. Too many ponies, too much noise,” she waved her tail dismissively before turning and trotting back further into the room with me following close behind. “Don't get me wrong, I like that ponies are enjoying themselves during my night, however their kind of fun is certainly not my kind of fun.” “Oh, it can't be that bad,” I reasoned, trying to be optimistic, “besides what else are we going to do tonight?” She smirked. “Oh.” She shook her head laughing a little as she did so, “no, as much as I would love to, there are far too many ponies here, and for such a quiet mare, you can be quite loud. I blushed, “am not!” I huffed defensively. “Are too!” “Well so are you!” “Only when I’m giving you commands,” she teased. I blushed even harder as she turned and opened one of the drawers next to the wall. “The spell that I always cast over our room in addition to keeping out sunlight, also mutes sound and keeps it inside the room. However, I do really want to see you in a dress, besides I suppose we could use the distraction,” she admitted as she dug through the clothes a moment before pulling out a black piece of clothing. “Close your eyes,” she ordered, shoving her bat-like wing in my face. I did as she said, and I heard the quiet sound of her horn along with what sounded like struggling and frustration that went on for several minutes. “Ok... now, what do you think?” she asked with anticipation. I opened my eyes. Luna was standing there wearing the most beautiful black lace dress. Her coat was dark blue again and her dress was minimalist like my uniform. It sported small strands of dark red accent underneath the wings and on her shoulders. Shiny metal clips held everything in place, and she had even dawned a single long silver earring of a crescent moon. Her mane was tied back and held in place by a metal clip that also took the shape of a crescent moon. “Luna, you look..." I paused, struggling to find worthy words, “wow,” was all I could manage as I stood there stunned. She smiled moving towards me. “I haven't worn this in… ever! I don’t think,” she paused, “now you!” “Wait what!” Suddenly I was grabbed by her blue magic and pulled to a mirror next to the drawer. I was held in place as she positioned me from pose to pose. Before floating out a dark blue dress almost the same color as her fake coat. Aside from the color It was very similar to the black one she was wearing, lace and minimal, breathable and beautiful with black accents instead of dark red. She pulled it onto me and clipped it in place. “My sister got this for me a long time ago, back when she wasn't like how she is now. I have no idea what she was thinking getting me a dress the same color as my coat. Not to mention it's much too small for me now, but it seems to fit you almost perfectly if a little big,” she smiled. “I love it!” I said excitedly. Her blue glow wrapped around my mane and pulled it back clipping it in place with another moon shaped metal hair clip. She let my bangs hang down off to the side however, only tying back the rest of my mane. “You look beautiful Feather,” she purred, nibbling my ear. I really do, I thought. In fact, I didn't even know I could look this good! “I don't know what to say,” I admitted. “Then don't say anything,” she cooed sweetly before locking me in another kiss. I shivered as she did so. “Let’s get going Feather.” I nodded, “yes Luna.” Before we could make it to the door I spasmed as pain shot through my spine and I collapsed to the floor. Luna rushed over to me, panic on her face, “Feather, what's wrong!?” I felt my insides shifting! My head pounded and I had to do everything I could not to scream. It was so incredibly painful! Thankfully it didn't last for very long and had gone as quickly as it came. Regaining my composure I sat up. I'm fine, is what I tried to say, but I slurred my words as several of my teeth began to fall to the ground making a little clattering sounds as they landed on the dark stone floor. I heard Luna let out a sigh of relief, “it's just the darkness changing you, it's nothing to worry about. It seems to be progressing a little faster than I remember, I'm not sure whether to be concerned or relieved.” I nodded, “I’m fine, it only hurt for a second, I feel good now.” “That’s good, but let me know if you feel anything strange, the last thing we need is for your eyes to start melting out of your head in the middle of the gala.” “Yeah, that wouldn’t be- hold on, did you just say eyes melting out of my head?” “Well how else did you think you would get new eyes? When it comes to our bodies, the darkness doesn't change, it replaces.” My eyes widened as I began to realize what that meant, “so all of my internal organs, my skin, everything, it's all going to be broken down and replaced?” Luna nodded casually as if this was completely ok and not something that I should be hyperventilating over, ahh too late I'm hyperventilating! “Feather calm down, the darkness will numb most of the pain, besides it's an incredibly slow process so you're not going to feel it all at once. What you just felt will probably be the most intense it ever gets.” “Does this mean my brain is gonna melt and come out of my ears…” my eyes widened, “ahh- don't think about it, don't think about it! Look at me, not thinking about it!” “Don’t be silly, come, stop panicking and let's go downstairs and find something else to drink, before I change my mind about this gala,” she insisted, gesturing for me to follow. I noticed in the mirror as we passed that both of the scars on my neck were thankfully just barely visible, not enough to service any unwanted attention. I nodded with a smile and still feeling a little lightheaded from blood loss. I trotted after her. As soon as we exited the room, we saw two of Celestia's soldiers standing guard. Luna rolled her eyes. “Thank you for making sure nopony comes through here,” Luna drawled, “however, there is no longer a need,” she pointed her horn at the door and the lock flashed blue, “nopony is going to get through that spell, you two are dismissed.” Neither of the guards responded or even blinked, they just stood there. “I said you're dismissed,” Luna repeated insistently, “Hello...” she insisted, waving a hoof in front of one of the buck’s face. Still, they just stood there not moving a muscle, not even blinking. “Hey, you will show your Princess some respect,” I demanded as I reared up at them. Still no reaction. They both were looking right past us like they didn't even know we were there, I backed away. “Alright, well that's not creepy at all,” I pointed out sarcastically. “My sister probably just ordered them to not respond to us as some kind of cruel joke,” Luna sighed, “let’s go Feather.” Or maybe their brains melted out of their heads… Ahh dammit! Don't think about it, Feather! As we walked away, I looked back, something about those two was familiar. “Hey, weren’t those two working nightshifts recently I could have sworn I saw them a few times after our training sessions. They were friendly enough, and I don’t see why royal night guards would treat you with anything other than the utmost respect.” “They unfortunately still have to do as my sister says, they are her guard after all.” “Well, if it is some kind of joke, why do they have to be so damn creepy about it?” I asked. Luna just shrugged, “I haven't the slightest, at this point I’ve given up trying to understand why my sister does anything.” I was half paying attention as my stupid brain kept fixating on the brain thing! Ok wait a minute, first of all how would that even work? Do I pass out until the darkness grows me a new brain? Am I conscious the whole time? Clearly my memories will stay intact, how? I don't know! Maybe the brain is the one thing the darkness doesn’t replace, maybe it just changes it... Ooo does it replace parts of it over time instead of all at once, Luna said it was a slow process, for some reason I was under the impression that when the darkness replaces an organ it does the whole thing in one go, but maybe it's like the teeth, just parts of it slowly over time like Luna said. Ahh fuck! I thought about it! “You ok Feather? You look sick.” “I’m fine,” I lied as I covered my mouth with a hoof in an effort to stop from puking. “You're thinking about the brain thing, aren't you?” Luna chuckled, “don't worry your brain isn't gonna melt out of your ears, that would be silly, you'll be fine ok.” I took a deep calming breath. Luna’s right, I'm going to be fine, I just need to relax and let the darkness do what it’s going to do. We finally made our way into the main dining hall, except the giant table was gone and it had been converted into some kind of ball room. There was a stylized ice sculpture of Celestia’s likeness in the center of the giant room. Tables were laid out with candles, ponies mingled, drank champagne, and a band played on a small stage near the back wall. As loud as it was, I suppose it could be worse, and thankfully it was night, so I felt a lot more at ease. “Why don't you go find us something to drink,” Luna prompted, “I'm going to see if I can't find my sister, it's time the two of us had a talk.” I nodded and looked around before spotting a table with glasses and a fountain of something I really hoped was more than just punch. Trotting over I saw Ruby floating a bottle of Silver Skies Gin the grey Pegasus on the bottle’s logo looked very cozy on a cartoonishly fluffed cloud as she clutched a similar looking bottle like it was the most important thing in Equestria. Ruby was wearing a brilliant bright red dress with a rose pendant on the front. The dress looked slick, was simple but also elegant, and even though I didn't like her sun necklace, I admit it did go well with her outfit. “Drinking on duty are we?” I teased as I approached. Ruby was in a sweat, she looked like she was shaking, “hey Ruby, are you all right?” I asked concerned, reaching out a hoof. The gray mare looked up at me, her red eyes pinpricks. “You!” she gasped, “don’t talk to me,” she sputtered turning her head back towards the table. “Look I get it, you have to follow Celestia's orders, but come on, we are friends, are we not?” “What...?” She looked back at me confused. “The whole silent treatment thing, I mean,” I said with a frown, grabbing two glasses and filling them with punch from the fountain. “So, you've noticed it too,” she whispered, shooting me a scarred glance, “also I'm not on duty tonight.” Ok now I was actually concerned. “Ruby what's going on, what's got you so freaked out?” I asked, worriedly. “I shouldn't be talking to you,” Ruby fretted in a hushed, panic driven voice. “Why not?” “Because I... it's hard to explain, shit what do I do!” she whispered, darting her head around. “Wait what… slow down, just tell me what's wrong,” I prompted, my own heart rate starting to pick up. Ruby was clearly terrified; I knew it wasn't for no reason. “The thing I wanted to talk to you and Princess Luna about earlier. These ponies, they showed up around a week ago, all dressed in these strange uniforms. They apparently had clearance to be in the royal guard facilities,” she looked around once more, “I was told at the time they were from one of the Canterlot Institutes here by recommendation from the Princess.” She took another swig from her gin before continuing. “I was just waking up to go on my shift and I overheard two of them outside the barracks throwing around the word quarantine, also not a day later, a few of the guards started going missing, only to turn up a couple days later, except they were wrong somehow.” “Let me guess, creepy silent treatment, and soulless eyes?” I hoped I was wrong. Ruby nodded. “And now I can't find Sunny,” she fussed in panic. “Your partner?” She nodded, “we’ve known each other forever, since we were foals, we applied together, I always promised I’d take care of him, keep him safe,” she paused, “we need to find him Feather, please!” “Ruby, take a breath, what else can you tell me about these ponies, why did you say you shouldn’t be talking to me?” Ruby shook her head in an effort to recompose herself, “Right, earlier today during the gala preparations there was a briefing with the institute ponies and guard leadership. I was standing guard at the time of the briefing, and I overheard some of what they were saying,” she took a breath, then proceeded to take another swig. Goddess she was making me nervous. “They were saying awful things about you and Princess Luna, none of what they were saying made any sense.” “What kind of things?” I queried. Again, she went for another drink but this time I swiped it from her magical grasp she was so out of it that her red magic imploded almost the second I snatched it. I instead poured some of the gin into the punch. “I think you've had enough,” I insisted, setting the bottle away, “now go on,” I urged. “They were saying that… that the Princess isn't who she says she is, that you’ve both been infected with something, that you can't be trusted and are some kind of monster! and that the Princess is something even worse... Feather, what could they mean!?” I froze. Ruby, seeing my expression, glared at me, “Feather, please tell me there isn't any truth to that madness!” I shook my head as convincingly as I could, “of course not, they’re clearly insane! But what does it matter what a bunch of crazies say?” “That's not what terrifies me, what terrifies me is that they had clearance, and that my superiors did not arrest them or kick them out, instead they stayed in that briefing room and listened.” I needed to get Ruby to Luna. I took a mildly irritated breath, “I feel like all of this is incredibly important information you should have shared with Luna and I immediately, so why in Equestria are you just telling me this now!” I demanded. She looked back at me like I just killed her puppy. “Firstly, Sunny wasn’t missing until now, secondly this basically just happened, and lastly, I only heard bits and pieces, and they were incredibly vague the whole fucking time! What did you expect me to do? go up to you or Princess Luna with no real details and say, oh hey. by the way these ponies from a Canterlot institute came by and said you two were infected with something and that the Princess is maybe some kind of monster?” she retorted sarcastically. Ruby didn't know the truth about the darkness or Luna’s real appearance, so of course she would think it's nonsense. I sighed, “point made, come on, let's go find Luna, you tell her exactly what you told me, and I promise we will find your friend.” She reached past me and took her gin back, polishing off the rest of the small bottle before slamming it back down on the table. “Ok let's go,” she prompted, trotting wobbly past me, heading over to where Luna was on the other side of the room. Pushing past the clusters of ponies we finally made our way back to Luna whose face was plastered with dull boredom as she seemed to be listening to some aristocrat drone on about the financing of apparently what he called ‘the logistical nightmare’ that is Canterlots construction. I stepped forward, her drink balancing on my wing, “oh thank goodness… Feather!” she exclaimed brightly, knocking the older stallion out of the way, “my hero,” she smirked, grabbing her drink off my wing with her magic. “Any luck with you sister?” I asked. “Unfortunately not, I couldn't find her, she's most likely in the throne room dealing with delegates.” Ruby stepped into view from behind me. “I'm starting to think that won't matter, I don't think Celestia is behind the guards' strange behavior,” I paused, “Ruby has something she needs to tell you, preferably in private,” I said, giving her a worried look. She looked over at Ruby and saw how terrified the short gray unicorn was. “Of course, let’s go outside,” Luna nodded and turned to move towards the exit. Right as the three of us were about to leave through the door a buck in a messy tuxedo jumped in front of us. He was a light brown earth pony with a dark brown mane and eyes. His dark brown mane had strands of gold dyed into it as did his tail. “Your highness,” he started, “ladies”, his suave eastern accent enough to make tipsy Ruby almost trip over herself. I just rolled my eyes. “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Leopold Dormain, but you lot can just call me Leo,'' he said before bending down to kiss Luna's hoof. She promptly yanked it away before he had the chance. “Listen, I do not have the time nor the patience for this right now, so move or be moved,” Luna growled. “Pardon luv, but wouldn’t a mare as beautiful as yourself at least let me have just this one dance?” he pleaded. Luna balked before pushing him out of the way. I chuckled as we moved past, “sorry, but I don't think you're her type.” I gave him a sympathetic look, and I watched him visibly deflate. Until he saw how Ruby was looking at him, and immediately the clumsy bravado returned. I shot Ruby a look and she too pushed him away before stumbling back towards us. Luna stopped, and grinned, “actually, I think I have time for one dance,” she purred smoothly, turning to me, smiling and offering me her hoof. I felt that same constricting sensation again as I tried to bring myself to tell her there was a far more pressing concern but like before the tension just got worse until I let myself relax. As soon as I did so, my thoughts of Ruby’s troubles and imminent dangers shattered as I blushed and took her hoof with my own. “But I don't even know how to dance,” I admitted shyly. She smiled, “neither do I really, but what better a time to learn?” and with that she guided me to an open spot on the ballroom floor. I saw Ruby looking at us with panic, “what about Sunny!?” I barely heard her over the music that had just started. “We will only be but a moment,” Luna called back to her, “I’m sure whatever it is can wait a few minutes.” The music was slow and melodic, ponies were pairing up with each other for the romantic music. I noticed that Luna and I were the only two mares dancing together, and while it drew a couple disconcerting looks, nopony made any attempt to say anything. Luna was looking at me with a sweet smile as we swayed back and forth. I lost myself in her eyes as she spun me around before bringing me back into the slow sway, this time moving the opposite direction. “You're so beautiful,” I whispered softly. “And you're surprisingly not terrible at dancing,” she teased, smiling sweetly at me. After a little while the song playing slowly began to come to an end, and I saw Luna look off behind me for a moment before her eyes went back to mine with a grin. “My sister is finally here, and she’s watching,” she whispered. “Watching to make sure we keep things ‘discrete’ I'm sure,” I commented with a roll of my eyes. The song finally came to a close, and I was taken by surprise as Luna pulled me close and pressed her lips to mine. I closed my eyes, feeling like electricity was running through us as I kissed her in return. When we broke away, I opened my eyes to see her own flash to being nocturnally slitted if only for the briefest of seconds. I looked around and noticed more than half the room staring at us, most with looks of surprise and shock, but there were more than a few looks of discontent. Only a moment passed before a new song started playing. Everypony that was staring turned and went back to minding their own business as they no doubt were muttering amongst themselves at the surprising actions of the Princess of the Night. I snickered at the thought. “Oh, Tia is going to kill me,” Luna chuckled, “did you see the look on her face!” she wheezed, “priceless.” “I was too focused on yours,” I whispered softly, and she nuzzled me. “Ruby,” I murmured, looking around, not seeing her anywhere, “we should find her,” I said worriedly. Luna Nodded and we pushed our way past the crowds and started making our way over to where we last saw her. Where could she have gone? I wondered. “Ruby!” Luna called out but she was drowned out by the mass of other voices in the giant room. “Oh well, I guess whatever she had to say wasn't important enough to at least wait a few minutes,” Luna rolled her eyes. “Luna, you don't understand, the dance was lovely but what Ruby needs to tell you is of the utmost importance, we need to find her,” I insisted. “Too important to wait a couple minutes?” I gave her a look. Luna sighed, “fine wait here, I'll find her.” Stepping into the shadow of one of the window curtains and doing a double take to make sure nopony was watching. Luna suddenly fell into a cloud of shadows and disappeared completely. My jaw dropped, “what the…” The whole room got a little darker and I swore I saw shadows moving across the ceiling. “I couldn't find her,” I heard Luna say behind me as I turned to see her reemerging from the shadows, and the room returned to its original brightness. “What in the stars did you just do?” I asked baffled. “I can manipulate shadows, remember,” she reminded me. “I know, but I guess I wasn't fully aware to what extent,” I paused before grinning, “so what else can you do?” I asked curiously. “Lots,” she responded, “but let's focus on finding Ruby right now, why don't we check outside?” she prompted. Once we were in the courtyard, we looked across the many ponies who were enjoying the more open aired part of the gala. Upon not seeing Ruby anywhere we moved off to the privacy of the side of the castle “Alright tell me what it was Ruby needed to tell me,” Luna prompted, turning to look at me expectantly. I went through everything she had told me earlier, while Luna listened intently, taking it much more serious than I originally had. “Did she say what institute they were from? Did she mention seeing any markings, anything identifiable on these ponies?” Luna asked worriedly. I shook my head. “How could anypony have possibly found out?” Luna breathed. “Found out what?” I asked. “Well, my appearance for one, I can only assume that it is because of my more frightening aspects that these ponies have constructed this narrative about us.” She paused thoughtfully. “But them saying we’re infected with something? It makes no sense, could they mean the darkness? if so how could anypony have found out!? Ruby said they arrived about a week ago, right?” I nodded. “So, if these ponies were watching us, they wouldn't have yet seen what I did to you at the blacksmiths” I took a breath, reveling in the feeling of those shadows. “As for the guards, their behavior could be the result of some kind of spell, if that's the case I should be able to break it, but if it's not,” she gave me a worried look. “We need to find Ruby” Author's Note Big honkin chapter, this one was so hard to get to a place I felt comfortable with, I don't know how many times I've rewritten this chapter, its finally getting to the rising action and conflict of the story and this will be the second time Ive uploaded it here, hopefully the last. I would hate to do it over again but I think it's finally in a solid place to get the plot moving. apologizes to anyone who read the mess that was the first iteration of this chapter lmao. Chapter Six: The GambitChapter Six The Gambit I heard hoof steps approaching and I spun around. “Did I overhear you ladies need help findin that friend of yours?” Leo said as he moved from around the corner, “the pretty one, with that crazy red mane?” “How long have you been there!” I hissed. “Not long enough to become a problem,” Luna reassured me, “I heard him trip and fall down the stairs on his way over here,” she snickered. “Yeah, least when I do fall, I fall with style, and intention," he grinned as he straightened his bow tie clumsily. I thought back to how he tried courting Ruby shortly after failing with the Princess and I rounded on him. “What happened to Ruby after you talked to her!” I demanded, once again trying to make myself look intimidating despite my stature. To my credit he actually shrank back and even fumbled his hooves. “Nothin! Honest,” he sniffed and straightened himself out a little, “she told me fuck off yeah? Then I turned round only to get laughed at by some up city twat,” he sighed, “I left to get a few rounds in, and that’s the last I saw her, I swear.” I backed down and moved towards Luna’s side once again. “I believe you,” Luna said. The dismissive tone in her voice suggesting she never suspected him to begin with, I suddenly felt very foalish and small again. I had to pretend to fuss with my wing so neither of them could see my embarrassment. “Look, think we got off on the wrong hoof yeah? Let me help, can’t take that stuffy crowd back there anyways.” Luna and I both stifled a snicker, “what could you possibly offer that would be of any help to us?” Luna asked indignantly. “Your horrible fashion sense doesn't count,” I added. “Come now luv, you're looking at the greatest private investigator in all of Canterlot,” he boasted. “Doubtful,” I muttered, “besides if you're just some PI, how could you afford to even attend this gala?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Bits aren't everything luv, sometimes all you need is a cheap suit, a clever smile and a dashing bowtie,” He boasted with a smirk as he attempted to lean against the wall only to trip over himself stumbling to barely avoid ruining his so called dashing bowtie. I stifled another laugh. "Why do you even want to help us?" I asked curiously after regaining my composure. “What, I can't do my honorable duty as a citizen of Equestria to aid royalty? I raised an eyebrow. “Oh stars forbid a guy wants help the Princess find her pretty friend,” he chuckled, “she’s a spitfire that one, I pity any poor sod that crosses her," he scratched behind his neck, "love another chance to try and talk to her." I rolled my eyes, though I suppose it was innocent enough of a reason to want to help, as long as you have a thing for belligerent alcoholic soldier mares that is. “Alright, I really don't care if you help,” Luna sighed, “we can use this stupid gala as a distraction, Feather go with, Leopold, was it? to find Ruby and Sunny; If I were you, I would check their barracks first.” “Where are you going?” I asked. “I am going to have a word with my sister, no doubt she has something to do with this, and if not, she should be made aware.” Luna smiled and leaned into me for a quick kiss, “be careful Feather.” “You too,” I murmured as she let go. She turned and took to the air, as I watched her go I heard Leo clear his throat and I turned to look at him. “Well then, we won't find your darling Ruby standing around here then will we? Now do try and keep up luv,” he smirked, turning and trotting back into the courtyard. I trotted up past him, “hey Luna might have let you tag along, but don't be mistaken, you're just the help, I'm the soldier, so this will go a lot easier if you follow my lead.” “Soldier? Really?” he scoffed, “And here I thought you were just another pretty face, do tell,” he prompted coyly. “I’m Princess Luna’s Regent,” I said matter of factly. “Well then, didn’t realize the Princess of the Night had anyone under her command.” He paused. “But I spose I was also unaware that the Princess had a marefriend,” he chuckled, “not my brightest moment I admit, not her type indeed.” Leo stopped and looked at me, “bloody stars I never stood a chance.” “Focus Casanova,” I rolled my eyes as we continued along down to the Royal Guards camp. “Out of pure curiosity, how long is it that you two have been together?” I gave him a look. “What? it's called small talk luv,” he protested defensively. “Fine,” I sighed, “technically we’ve only been together- together for a few nights now but we've known each other a lot longer, and I realize now that Luna had feelings for me for probably as long as I had feelings for her, long before recently.” “I was gonna say, you two don’t act like a couple thats only been together for a few days.” “Honestly, I was pretty much hers the moment we met,” I admitted, then added with a smile, “she saved me.” He sighed, “unfortunately I don't seem to share your luck when it comes to matters of the heart.” “Think maybe it's because you overdo it?” I offered, “maybe if you turned all of” I waved a hoof at him, “that, off you would have better luck?” “No can do luv, it doesn't have an off switch, and even if it did why would I ever want to change perfection,” he smirked, tightening his bowtie again. I almost snorted, “yeah, perfection indeed.” “So, I've heard stories, bout the Princess of the Night,” he began, taking a darker tone, “I suppose then you would be the one to ask if they're true or not.” “What do you mean?” I asked cautiously. “Nothin, just…” he looked skeptical, “besides the fact that she’s an immortal alicorn, she is still just a pony, right?” he asked, his voice unsure. “What kind of stupid question is that?” I laughed as convincingly as I could manage, “what else would she be?” “I don't know… something else?” he murmured, staring at his hooves before shaking his head, “never bother, sorry, your right it was a stupid question.” Could he have heard the same thing Ruby did? And if so, how? and when!? I looked over at him cautiously as we walked. What are you up to Leopold Dormain? I thought as I narrowed my eyes. Finally, we arrived at the rows of small square shaped buildings that made up the barracks of the royal guard. The ground around the barracks was torn and beaten down by countless armored hoof prints. The buildings themselves didn’t look nearly as old as the castle but were still somehow worse for wear, something I never noticed from the distance when Luna and I would train out here. Thankfully mounted to a tattered and worn sign near the first building, was a roster of every royal guard unit currently stationed in this wing. “Over here,” I called out as Leo made his way up. Scanning the roster I desperately tried to remember what unit Ruby was in, I remember she had told me once, it had sort of a silly name. Eventually my eyes landed on the unit, ‘Pears.’ I giggled to myself, ahh yes, the dreaded Pears unit, not to be confused with units cupcake or fluffy pillow. My amusement was short lived however as I remembered the urgent situation at hoof. “It says Ruby and Sunny are both assigned to barracks A12” “Well then, what are we waitin’ for?” We both turned to make our way down the first dirt road, all the buildings along each side of it had the letter A with a corresponding number, and it didn't take us long to find the barracks we were looking for. “Dammit the door’s locked,” I cursed before backing up to get a running start at it. Just before I could charge it, Leo dashed in front of me! “Oh, please there's no need for such violence, what did the door ever do to you?” he mused, “this simply requires a touch of finesse, perhaps a bottle of fine wine, but certainly not brute force.” I face hoofed, “If you have a better idea, I’d love to hear it.” “As a matter of fact,” he grinned, reaching into his undone tuxedo and pulling out a screwdriver and bobby pin. “You could have led with that,” I face hoofed. With the screwdriver being gripped by his teeth, and bobby pin in between both hoofs the door was open within the minute. He looked back at me with a prideful smirk. I rolled my eyes, “alright, that was impressive I admit.” I still have no idea how earth ponies can manage to do anything like that. I always used my wings for tasks that required any amount of precision, and obviously unicorns had their magic, but earth ponies just had their hooves. I couldn't imagine trying to pick a lock with wings let alone just hooves. He smirked, “after you,” he offered, swinging the door wide open to reveal the bunks inside. Pushing my way into the room, I sighed, “alright let's see what we can see.” There wasn't much to see, it was a long plain room with scuffed wooden floors and drab wooden and stone walls with double bunks lining those walls on either side. The air was musky from the dirty solider mare’s and bucks that called this place their home. I made my way down the rows of beds looking for something, anything. “Over here,” Leo called out. He directed my attention to small blood spattering on the corner of one of the bunks. “I'm surprised you even saw that little thing,” I murmured moving up to get a closer look. looking at the few dried crimson drops, I felt those shadows stir and couldn't help but lick my lips. Stars, what exactly had Luna done to me? I wondered before returning my attention back to the situation. “Look there were signs of a struggle here,” Leo said pointing out the tossed up sheets before moving to the scuff marks on the ground. I felt another tooth fall loose and I turned to quickly and descretly spit it out in the trash bin between the bunks. Thankfully though all of my teeth felt supremely loose it still seemed only my back teeth were falling out for the moment, making it far easier to conceal what was happening to me. I savored the small amount of warm blood left behind from the discarded tooth. Goddesses I was hungry, I really should have eaten some hors d’oevres or something. “Whoever did this was sloppy,” he started, “there's a clear path that leads through the backdoor, I'd imagine whoever got nabbed was kicking and screaming the whole bloody way through. How did nopony see this happen?” he asked, baffled. “Sunny has been on the nightshift consistently for the past few weeks, he was probably in here sleeping while everypony else was gone for the day,” I told him, “so, can you track where they went?” “I can certainly try, but it might get a tad tricky after we leave the building.” We made our way out the back door, following the signs of struggle past the back of the building, past a couple of other buildings and into a field. The tracks however ended right at the edge of said field. “Must have been a pegasi, at least two in order to carry who I can only assume is your friend Sunny,” Leo said with a confident nod. “Do you know what buildings or structures are out in that direction?” I asked. “Just an old mine, and that train station next to it, but both have been closed down for years.” “Ten bits says that's where they went,” I said, spreading my wings and taking flight, “tell me what I should be looking for,” I prompted, hovering there. “Fly until you see the old rail system, then follow it off to the left until you see where the tracks diverge, from there follow the right track and it should lead you to the old mine.” “That was oddly specific. Have you been out here before?” I asked cautiously. “Not a chance luv, I just rode the train here, goes right past the old tracks. Also it's right next to that little town out there, I forget the name.” “Ahh,” I turned and started flying a bit higher up. “Hey, what about me!” Leo called out. I stopped and turned, “go find Princess Luna and tell her where I went.” I figure if he is somehow involved in Ruby’s disappearance, Luna would make short work of the fool and if he wasn’t, Luna should still know where I am. He nodded. “And Leo, be careful,” I warned. “Can do ma’am,” he said with a little salute. ___ Flying over the nice open field and occasional tree patches was calming, there was no longer the busy noise of the gala in my ear, nor any annoyingly suspicious company, just the wind in my mane and the moon shining down from above. Who would kidnap royal guards? I thought to myself. I mean it makes no sense! An institute from Canterlot shows up, takes royal guards, puts them in some kind of trance before returning them to the castle. I shook my head. I'm sure this is just some kind of misunderstanding, it's probably a legitimate operation that Luna and I are unaware of. Knowing Celestia I think it's safe to assume she could care less to tell her sister the things she’s up to. I frowned. They mentioned a contagion, Luna assumed they were talking about the darkness, but maybe there is a real contagion? Maybe the institute ponies from Canterlot are here to help and they’re just doing it quietly to not spread panic? No matter how I tried to justify the situation in my mind, something still felt off. “I have a really bad feeling about this…” I didn't have to fly for very long before I saw the train rails come into view and I veered off to the left, then to the right once I got to the older, more rusted track. Not soon after, an old worn building came into view made up of dilapidated bricks and overgrown vines. There was a large archway off to the side of the building that the tracks ran through. An empty train cart and rusted down train engine rested underneath it. I glided down and landed next to a chained and rusted door that rested under the large archway and lead into the station proper. “There's no way I'm getting through that,” I said aloud before lifting back off and flying out from under the archway. Sadly, I lacked Leo’s lockpicking skills. Making my way up to the roof, I noticed a section of it had caved in but somepony appeared to have recently boarded it up. The wood used to patch the hole was still bright and unweathered by its time outside. In the distance I heard ponies laughing and shouting. Taking a mental note of the hole in the ceiling as a possible entrance I lifted back into the air. The noise was coming from behind the train station in a clearing, I flew low, sticking to the tree line as I approached for a closer look. The glowing light from a bonfire illuminated over a dozen ponies. I saw ponies singing, dancing and drinking. Clearly the Grand Galloping Gala wasn't the only party going on tonight. I saw a lilac colored pegasus fly down from above the trees. Her saddlebags seemed to be brimming with some very tasty looking pastries. I saw a caravan parked near the opposite tree line. I also noticed a couple of the ponies at the party carried weapons. A few had flintlocks and some had swords. Caravan security maybe? I didn't see Sunny or Ruby anywhere in the group and decided to fly back to the roof of the train station. Leo had mentioned there was a town nearby, maybe this was their version of the Gala, it made sense that those unable to attended might try and create their own fun. Moving over to the poorly constructed reinforcement I looked at the boards, I noticed they were only held in by a few nails. Taking a breath and using my hooves as leverage I slowly began to lift away the wooden panels. After a few minutes of struggling and sore hooves, I managed to make a hole big enough for myself to squeeze through. Dropping down, I used my wings to quietly catch my fall before resting my hooves back on the ground. The old train station was pretty open for the most part, there were old broken benches, mummified parchments littered the ground, glass and other debris was scattered into every corner and there were still plenty of dark corners even I couldn't see into that well. No pony was around; however I did notice the soft glow of candle light from around the corner behind the reception area near the deeper interior of the old station. Moving as quietly as I could, I crept up to get a better view and saw that the light came from a lantern hanging above the entrance to a staircase that seemed to lead down. The entrance to the staircase looked like the brick walls had been bashed in to make it. I noticed the reception booth to the right had all its windows shattered, I had to watch my step if I didn't want to cut up my hooves. I took a deep breath, “remember what Luna taught you,” I whispered to myself before making my way to the staircase. Looking down, it seemed to go on forever as I couldn't see more than a few strides on account that the lantern light was messing with my vision. Taking several steps down inside, my eyes began to adjust, and I could see a small light way down at the bottom of the long staircase. This wasn't part of the original building, I noticed, looking at the dirt walls and makeshift stairs, or was it? As I got near the bottom, I saw the shadows of a few ponies move by. Sticking to the darkness, I made my way quietly though the entrance at the bottom of the stairs. Looking around I tried to spot the ponies whom those shadows belong to however seemed to have gone. I looked around at the multiple passageways and tunnels, the wooden support beams looked old and worn, some were even bending at very uncomfortable angles, everything was poorly lit with only the occasional lantern to light the way. “What in the stars is this place?” I murmured, was it part of the old mine? I wondered. I walked along the main larger passage, hugging the walls as I went. The low light environment giving me a huge advantage over anypony else down here whose eyes were not as accustomed to the dark as mine. Suddenly I heard the ear wrenching scream of a familiar mare in the distance. Her voice bouncing off the walls of the cavern like a kaleidoscope of echoed pain. “Ruby…” I breathed. Using my wings, I dashed silently to where I heard the scream come from. I heard it again as I made my way towards the voice, as I got closer I heard the voice of another mare. “Please calm down, we’re going to take away your pain, doesn't that sound nice?” I moved closer to an entrance and the room slowly began to come into view. A fire pit sat in the back of the room providing most of the light. I assumed it had a chimney that led to the surface however I didn't recall seeing any smoke on my fly over here aside from that of the bonfire. The rest of the room was littered with shelves of dusty old books and rusty tools. And then I saw her... Ruby was tied to a wooden table. Her head being held down by a metal clamp, there was some kind of ring attached to her horn, her dress was torn to shreds and she was crying and struggling in place. The bruises and lacerations on her hide and face indicated she had either not gone so quietly, or she had been tortured. Oh, sweet Luna what in Stars is this horrible place... “Let me go, you psychotic bitch!” Ruby screamed, clearly still in a somewhat drunken stupor. The Pegasus mare standing over the table was wearing some sort of strange grey uniform mostly covered by what looked like a lab coat, though nothing gave away what she really looked like. “I can't, not yet. Listen I’m sorry, I realize that this ‘facility if we can even call it that is, unacceptable, but It’s all we could manage in such a short amount of time,” the mare said, "smugglers used these old tunnels to steel ore from the mines, fascinating that this place still holds up at all really. “I know you work for an Institute, I’m a royal guard in Princess Celestia’s army, I’m ordering you to let me go!” “Not a military institution, sorry.” “Then why?” Ruby pleaded. The Institute mare sighed, “look I don’t really buy into all that spiritual crap, I like to stick to science and the facts, and the fact is that there is something, call it a pathogen or whatever, but this thing scary. I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s got the others acting like zealots, but they’re right in a sense, best thing we can do for you now is at least try to, well save your soul.” Ok what the hell is going on? I thought. Moving into the room but sticking to the shadows, I was about to go up and take the pegasus mare by surprise, but I heard hoof steps from the passageway I had just come from, as well as the sound of rolling wheels. Six more ponies all wearing the same kind of strange uniform entered the room. One of them was pushing a cart with an unconscious Sunny strapped down to it, and I stopped myself from moving forward. There were way too many of them now, no way I could handle all of them, I thought as I shrunk further back into the shadows. One figures was wearing a cloak over their uniform, he threw back the hood after stepping inside. He was a burley unicorn stallion with a light beige coat and yellow mane, I could see the collar of that uniform a little more clearly now and took a mental note of the acronym embroidered onto it: I.A.M.R. He had a scarred face and his bright green eyes looked down sadly at Ruby. “I'm sorry it has come down to this,” he started, “but it is for your own good, both of you have already let yourselves become infected. You needn't blame yourself, there are not many that can resist such temptation.” The burley beige stallion took a solemn step back from Ruby. “We will cleanse this infection unfortunately the only way we can, and hopefully save your souls in the process.” Ruby spat at his face, “I’ll fucking kill you if you lay a hoof on my partner!” she promised in angered defiance. “You and your partner will serve in a fight far beyond the scope of your comprehension, most importantly you will be free of the darkness you have let corrupt your souls. Observe.” The unicorn stallion moved over to the table Sunny was strapped to and floated out a long metal rod that ended in a point, the next thing he floated up was a small little hammer. “Don’t you fucking touch him!” Ruby screamed but nothing stopped the beige stallion as he moved the metal rod place to the base of Sunny’s muzzle I swear I saw the stallion mouth the words ‘I’m sorry’ but couldn’t really tell. I watched in horror as the hammer came swinging down and the long pointed rod was jammed through the green stallion's muzzle and up into his brain, his eyes shot open and bulged, his body spasmed in agony for a few moments before he finally laid still. “NOOO!” Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs tears running down her face The fuck... I put a hoof to my mouth to stop myself from screaming and throwing back up my punch. Looking back up I noticed to my horror that Sunny was still breathing! But his eyes were blank, mindless... Ruby was still a crying kicking screaming mess. “Do not cry, his mind may be gone but at least he is free,” the stallion said sympathetically. “This thing, this corruption… Despite my best efforts there is no known cure. I know this may seem extreme, believe me if I thought for even a second that I could save you and your partner, I would.” I watched as a single tear fell from the stallion's eye. “This, thing... took my wife, I've seen what happens to a pony if the infection is allowed to develop, I saw what happened to her. Believe me what I’m doing for you two is a mercy.” Ruby was a mess; in fact I doubt she even heard him, she just looked away, and continued sobbing. I saw Sunny was still occasionally twitching sporadically. I was continuing to look on in shock, as much as I wanted to turn and run away. I knew I couldn't… so I just continued to watch as the unicorn stallion floated out some kind of jar, and something inside was moving... He opened the jar and floated out a small bony looking creature that couldn't have been larger than a small mouse, it had tendrils riddled with thorns protruding from where its head should be. It was disturbing to look at. “The ambrosia parasite, native to the swamps of zebra lands. This marvelous little creature normally spends its days feeding on small fish and frogs. It attaches itself to its victim and slowly invades its way to the brain, taking control of motor functions ensuring its prey cannot fight back or flee. However, with some minor modification and magical augmentation…” The unicorn stallion floated the angry looking creature over Sunny's still breathing corpse and set it on top of his chest. The terrible little creature immediately dragged its way up to his muzzle before digging its thorny tendrils into his nostrils! It worked its way further in until I couldn't see it anymore. Goddesses this was beyond horror, this was sadistic, psychotic! my heart raced a million miles per second as I could do nothing but continue to watch in absolute dread. Several seconds passed before he went into another series of spasms before falling completely still again. “You are saved,” one of the unicorns said wistfully, causing the one Pegasus mare from earlier to roll her purple eyes, before the beige one turned to Ruby. “Now-” he was cut off however as another pony came rushing into the room and moved to whisper something into his ear. “I see,” he paused, looking back to the rest of the ponies in the room. “You three finish up with this one,” he directed, nodding towards two of the unicorns and the first pegasus from earlier. “The rest of you come with me,” he ordered before turning and making his way out of the room with the others. The door was pulled close behind them as they left. The three made their way towards Ruby. “Just stay calm, it will all be over soon” the pegasus mare whispered softly as one of the unicorns floated up another metal rod. Ruby screamed in terror. Oh, fuck no! Moving out of cover and using my wings, I dashed up above and behind the pegasus mare, bringing my hooves crashing down on her spine. I heard a crack and she screamed falling down on her face. “Feather!” Ruby gasped, still in tears, “you came for me!” I nodded; the two unicorns backed away in alarm grabbing rusty saws with their magic from one of the tool racks as they scrambled away from the table. “It's her! the demon!” one of them screeched in a terrified voice, “kill her!” the other one shouted before charging at me clumsily with the saw. I pushed off the ground with my wings and slammed my hooves down on the saw, knocking it out of her magical grasp. “I'm not gonna let you bastards hurt anypony else!” I screamed before taking the rust covered saw in my mouth and spearing the end of it into her neck! She let out a gurgled yelp, the action of pulling the saw back sprayed me with gore as the unicorn mare’s body dropped limp. All I could see was red as I glared at the last one in pure fiery fury. The other unicorn threw his saw at me with his magic in panic as he tried to run, but he missed. I pushed off the ground with my wings slamming him up against the bookcase, old torn books cascading to the ground from the impact. My hooves pushed on his throat, he struggled and tried kicking at me but I pressed harder. Then I felt a snap and with a final gurgle he fell limp. I let go, his body dropping to the floor with a heavy thud, the rage fading as quickly as it had come... “wha...” The realization of what I had just done pierced my heart like a cold dagger. I had just killed three ponies... I froze in shock. I know Luna had been training me to kill, I just had never thought it would ever actually happen… I looked down at my bloody hooves. The stench of gore perforated my nose, my throat ran dry as I struggled to catch my breath! I could feel myself shaking but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to stop! “Feather please!” Ruby whimpered, dragging my attention back to reality. I turned to look back at her and below the table to my surprise I saw that the pegasus mare whose spine I crushed was still breathing. I moved and rolled her over to stare into her dark purple eyes. “Why!” I screamed, tears streaming from my own eyes. “I only wanted to help… save them,” she coughed, choking on her own blood, “you're a monster, you just don't realize it yet,” she gurgled. I felt Luna’s shadows tighten around my heart, that same constrictive feeling I'd felt before, but this time I didn’t dare resist, I didn’t want to. “The only monster I see here is you,” I said coldly, putting my hooves on her throat, she looked up at me terrified. These weren’t ponies, these were monsters, and they needed to be put down, I thought. Besides I just really wanted to see her bleed for trying to kill my friend. After a few moments of struggling, she finally went limp as blood trickled down from her nose and eyes. I felt the shadows that had tightened around my heart and mind loosen. “What did I just do!?” I gasped, taking a step back and looking at my bloody hooves, “how could I think like that?” This wasn’t me! I wasn't a murderer! Though was it really considered murder? Perhaps more of a public service? The little pony in the back of my mind pointed out. “Feather your eyes,” Ruby gasped, and I looked back at her, “they’re pitch black...” “It's uhh, just a spell,” I murmured absentmindedly, still staring at my bloody hooves. She shook her head, “Feather, pull yourself together, you did the right thing, I would have gutted these monsters myself if I could,'' Ruby coughed, tears streaming down her face. I turned my attention back to Ruby, quickly undoing her restraints. “Come on we have to hurry, before any more of them come back,” I said, my voice still shaking as I lifted her up around my shoulder. “Fucking magical restraints,” she groaned as she pulled the thing on her horn off. Something shiny caught my eye and I leaned Ruby against the wall. On the pegasus mare's corpse I lifted back her lab coat and saw she had a pair of wing blades attached to her. I strained a smile, “we might just get out of here after all,” I stammered with a dry laugh. “Sorry Luna,” I whispered as I tore off parts of my already bloodstained dress. Sliding on the blades and pulling them tight into place, I flexed my wings back and forth a few times making sure they were secure. “Thank you Feather,” Ruby groaned in pain. I looked back at her, “I'm sorry I couldn't save Sunny,” I whispered. She just buried her face into my shoulder and cried. I heard something snap behind us and I turned in horror to see Sunny pulling off his restraints! Ruby's eyes shot up, “Sunny! You're alive!” she exclaimed, moving to run over to him. “Wait!” I shouted, stopping her with my forehoof. His eyes were lifeless, looking at us, but it felt like he was looking past us. He moved strangely as he finished pulling off his restraints with ease. No normal pony was that strong. “That's not Sunny,” I warned, moving her behind me. Ruby and I looked on in horror and disbelief as he got up off the table. He was shuffling slowly towards us with those lifeless eyes, those eyes looking down, he picked up one of the bloody saws that lay on the ground with his teeth. “I'm so sorry sunny, you were a good pony, you didn't deserve this,” I murmured before dashing in close and stabbing him through the heart with the ends of my wings. To my surprise it did nothing! He just stood there and proceeded to slam the saw towards the back of my neck! I dashed back a second before I was made into a rolling wall decoration. I gaped in horror, the hole I had left gushed blood, though it did not seem to faze him in the slightest! At least he’s slow, I thought. Watching the blood pour from his chest, I felt the urge to run over and lap up as much as possible. I blinked, now I know what Luna meant about the cravings. I dashed in for another blow this time going for the throat and ramming the pointy ends of my blade all the way through and out the back of his neck. I had to just get out of the way before another swing of the saw came crashing down. Looking at my wings, I saw his throat, still on my wings... “Fuck!” I shouted, jumping backwards to shake it off, “eww eww eww!” I looked back at the now throatless bloodless Sunny still shambling towards us. “Just take a hint and fucking die!” I screamed charging at him using the bladed side of my wings to push through his already damaged neck. It made a wet meaty sound as his head rolled off and his body finally dropped with a heavy thud. I panted, glancing back at Ruby who had been watching in horror as I just decapitated her best friend. I didn't know what to say, I suppose there was nothing I could say. She turned and puked. Needless to say, I did the same... Suddenly the base of his skull started moving. I wiped my muzzle and watched in disgust as the small disturbing little creature that had been attached to his brain slowly pulled itself out through the fleshy remains. I backed away, it spasmed on the ground for a moment before shriveling up and lying still, only having the smallest movements. a red glow wrapped around it as Ruby lifted it up and tossed it into the burning fire pit. It let out a horrid little shriek as it shriveled into ash. “Come on,” I prompted, “let's get out of this horrible place,” grabbing her over my shoulder I made for the door. Poking my head out slowly, I looked around, it looked clear for the most part, but I heard voices in the distance getting closer every second. “Can you walk without help?” I asked and she nodded. I let her go, “bite the end of my tail and don't let go no matter what,” I told her. She did as I said before I started leading her back out the way I had come in. Pulling her through the dark, I knew she couldn't see, but I could as we stuck to the shadows, avoiding any more confrontation as we made it to the base of the long staircase that led to the surface. We finally broke through to the surface and the fresh air, I looked up at the hole I had made in the ceiling. “Alright, let go of my tail and hope I don't let go of you,” I told her before grabbing her in my arms. Slowly I ascended up towards the hole on in the ceiling, my wings flapping vigorously as I struggled to bring us both up. Once on the roof I rested for a second before taking off again and bringing her outside of the train station's perimeter before setting her back down on the dirt. I was winded from carrying another pony by myself, I sat taking heavy breaths. “Come on Feather we can't stop... We have to get the fuck out of here!” she pleaded in panic. I nodded. We just started to move again when I heard a familiar sound, I knew only wings with metal could make. “Get down!” I shouted, pushing Ruby out of the way a millisecond before another pegasus mare almost cleaned both of our heads from our shoulders as she flew past and landed in front of me. She was wearing the same uniform as the Stallion from earlier, I saw that acronym again. I.A.M.R. I recognized her as one of the other two uniformed ponies that were with the beige stallion. In better lighting I could see her entire uniform clearly now. The uniform was dark light gray, patches containing symbology I didn't recognize were sown to both of the shoulders and a small patch sewn to the front depicted imagery of a yellow star in front of a red cross encapsulated by a silver circle. Clearly, she had thought she had gotten us as I saw the surprise in her green eyes when I closed the distance. She was faster though as she managed to dash up just in time and I only managed to cut into one of her blue hind legs. She let out a yelp of pain before she flew back around for another lighting fast strike which I barely managed to dodge. Coming back around I saw confusion in her eyes, I assumed she thought I would have tried to fight her in the air by now, but Luna had taught me exactly how to deal with this. She raced back down at an inconceivable speed, the blades on her wings outstretched, whistling through the air. Right before she hit me, instead of dodging out of her way, I rolled underneath her and stuck both my wings straight up in the air. The world seemed to move in slow motion, and I watched in perfect detail as the entire bottom of her torso was split open in two parts from each bladed wing tip. Gore sprayed over me before she slammed into the ground, making a crunching sound as she hit. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. I looked down at my own side to see the giant line where the tip of her wing had cut through my hide. It was oozing blood and it hurt to stand up as I wiped the viscera from my face. I was shaking a little from the shock, Ruby looked impressed and terrified all at once. “Well done,” I heard the familiar somber voice of the beige stallion who had butchered Sunny only moments ago, “I would expect nothing less from a creature such as yourself.” “I’m going to fucking kill you!” Ruby spat. She could barely manage to stand let alone fight. I took a deep breath, I was injured, if something happened to me, Ruby would be left defenseless, but I figure I could buy her some time. Besides, I didn't plan on losing to this asshole. “I am sorry child, I tried to save you the only way I know how, but it is clear to me now that you are too far gone,” he said in a sincere tone of sadness. “You tried to fucking lobotomize me and shove some parasite in my brain!” Ruby screamed. “Yes, and while it may seem cruel to you now, you would have been at peace, and your body would have served a greater purpose.” “You're sick!” I spat. “I do what must be done, at least my soul remains intact, unlike yours, monster,” he boasted in a righteous tone that only made me more furious. “Ruby, Run,” I said quietly. “But-” “Dammit I said run! Follow the old tracks, I'll take care of this monster.” Even with her limp, she turned and started running. She stopped for only a moment to look back, “thank you Feather,” she murmured before turning and disappearing through the tall dry grass of the field. I turned back to the beige stallion, “so does the delusional psychopath have a name?” I taunted, mostly trying to buy time. “My name is Elijah Kane, I am not the first to take a stand against the darkness which threatens to consume this world, I will certainly not be the last,” he proclaimed before using his magic to draw out a large sword from the sling on his back. The sword was elegant, the blade was covered in markings I couldn't make out, it had an orange gem on its hilt, and I swore it looked like it was glowing. “A creature such as yourself cannot be allowed to exist in this world, you are an aberration, a curse, both you and that dark abomination whom you serve.” “You leave Princess Luna out of this!” I spat. “After I have dispatched of you, she will be the last of your kind left, and once she is gone, the world will finally be safe from darkness,” he stated righteously, “and maybe finally, I can stop watching good ponies die…” “Everyone who died here today, died because of you!” Elijah sighed, “unfortunate, but necessary sacrifices.” “Hoh, I'm going to enjoy watching you bleed,” I growled. “You are a worthy opponent demon, do not disappoint.” My side hurt like a star on fire, but I didn't care as I pushed off the ground, moving as fast as I could, closing the distance and going for his throat. The large stallion was faster than he looked however and dodged my attack with ease. Not letting him regain his bearings, I stayed up in his face, not holding back as I repeatedly slammed my blades against his, I was only able to clip his hide a couple of times however as he managed to either dodge or block most of my attacks. But at least I was keeping him on the defensive. Jumping back to avoid one of his large counter swings I felt something hit my legs as I accidentally bumped into the crippled body of the pegasus mare I had killed earlier. Kane stopped his advance, “do you not see the evil you have committed, do you not see what you have done!” He demanded. “You're one to talk,” I murmured as I held up one of my hooves and looked at the dead pegasus mare’s blood that was dripping off it. Unable to help myself any longer I lapped up every drop of blood, licking my foreleg clean, and reveling in the pleasure that it brought. It tasted good, sweet even, and I felt a jolt of energy shoot through me. He balked in disgust. Suddenly the dead mare’s corpse was wrapped in an orange glow of magic and swept my legs out from under me. Catching myself with my wings I pushed and flew at his throat faster than I had ever moved before, but inches away his horn flashed, and my wings were stopped as I came crashing hard to the ground. A sharp burning pain shot through the base of my wings. I screamed in agony and watched in horror as my wings fell and tumbled to the ground in a bloody heaps, blood pooling out from each of their ends... I felt something die inside me, as I collapsed and stared at my butchered wings. “No...” I gasped. Then I felt a pain, a pain so sharp it took my breath away, it burned and itched like mad, and I tasted metal as I felt blood begin to pool up in my mouth. Looking down I saw the polished metal of his sword pushed deep into my chest. He twisted it deeper and I let out a scream. “I am truly sorry for what that monster has turned you into,” he murmured. The sword was retracted, and I collapsed in a heap. “Take solace in knowing there is no greater calling than dying fighting for what one believes in,” he paused looking down at me, “even if what you believe in is evil.” This pain was too much! I couldn’t breathe! Stars it hurt... “Luna will kill you…” I gurgled weakly. “Maybe, but my life is not important, I am but a servant, and there will always be another,” he said matter of factly. He gave me a sad smile, “goodbye, demon.” My vision was starting to get blurry as I watched him disappear in an orange flash of his magic. “I’m… so sorry Luna,” I mumbled weaky, coughing as I glanced up at her beautiful moon, “I promised never to abandon you but-” I coughed up more blood, the taste no longer bringing me any pleasure, “I've failed you…” I heaved. I wasn't going to be taken away from Luna without a fight. it took everything I had to keep my eyes open. I felt the shadows in me stirring like mad as I could feel them struggle to keep me alive. I could feel the sweet temptation of empty, quiet, peaceful, nothingness I knew waited for me, it would be so easy to just give in. I lay there, moments feeling like eternitys, and then… “Feather!” I heard Luna’s sweet voice scream and felt her land next to me grabbing me in her arms. “Luna I lo-” I couldn't get the words out as I choked on my own blood. I wished I could tell her at least once how much I loved her, but I suppose now I would never get the chance... I felt a wave of healing magic wash over me, but I felt no better, and the image of her teary beautiful face only got more blurred. “No, you're not allowed to die!” she wept, holding me as tightly as she could. At least I was going to die in Luna’s arms. The thought brought a smile to my face. “I told you to be careful…” she sniffed, “you can't die, not you!” she cried. Luna sniffed, standing up and wiping the tears from her eyes, “I won't let you.” I watched as her coat turned pitch black, her cutie mark turning a resounding purple, her eyes turned back to slits and her fangs reformed. In a darker sounding voice, I heard her whisper, “if anypony is going to kill my Feather it's going to be me.” She bit into the side of her forehoof and put it to my muzzle, “drink!” she ordered, “quickly!” I did as she said, using what little strength I had left and obediently drank her blood. It was warm and sweet almost like cherries while it still tasted like blood, it was better than anything I had ever tasted before. She then leaned down and I felt her fangs plunge into my neck. I felt a shock of cold, this time however, it didn't hurt. I could feel her drinking, her shadows were pouring from her eyes and mouth and wrapping around me. The increased blood loss pulled me even faster into the sweet arms of death. I couldn't fight it anymore, I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, I couldn't drink anymore, and as much as I didn't want to, I finally let go... Author's Note Now it's getting dark. :) Chapter Seven: Something DarkChapter Seven Something dark Gasping, my eyes shot open! My veins felt like they were filled with ice and my whole body ran cold, a pain shot through me so viscous it felt like my skin was slowly being peeled off! I couldn't do anything except scream. I heard another mare screaming beside me, I looked over and saw Luna twisting in agony just as I was. Blood fell from my eyes and nose leaving crimson drops in the grass. I looked around and I couldn't recognize where we were, but only that we were both in terrible agony. We were under the cover of a single tree on a hill in the middle of an empty, dry, tall, grassy field. I clenched my head as I lost my vision, I felt something pulpy run from my eye sockets, pressing with a hoof to my face I could feel the indents and realized in horror that I no longer had eyes! I let out a scream of terror, but it fell silent as I lurched back over and started puking. It felt like my insides were on fire as the pain only continued to get worse! Goddesses, how was I even alive? Now it really felt like my skin being peeled off as an indescribable pain shot along through my spine. I realized I couldn't hear Luna anymore, but I couldn’t really hear anything anymore as my head screamed at me, pounding worse than when it was exposed to sunlight for the first time. I let out another blubbered wail, my gums now feeling like they were being skinned with a razor blade. I bit down on something hard only to realize it was a tooth, pain unlike any other shot through my face and I felt as one by one all my teeth were pushed from my skull. Then the pain lessened a little and now I could feel that underneath all of the pain, was something else, something that felt good. It felt like it had when Luna first shared her shadows with me, only this time it felt far more intense, and provided some comfort in the midst of so much pain. The reprieve was short lived, pain shot through my head again and I felt something pushing out of my gums, I moved my tongue up and felt something sharp. Suddenly the base of my wings swelled up with deep itching pain, my eyes burned, it felt like I was being stabbed by a thousand tiny knives, and right as I thought my body couldn't take it anymore, all of a sudden the pain just stopped, and I was left feeling exhausted as the world once again slipped away. ___ Tiredly I opened my, eyes? I thought they had melted out of my head, but when I opened them, I could see crystal clear, more clear than I had ever thought possible, the details in everything immediately so much more apparent! I felt good… but hadn’t I died? I had no idea how much time had passed, and I looked over at Luna who was lying next to me in a small pool of what I hoped was only my blood. I saw her side still moving. I let out a sigh of relief. “Luna…” I breathed, the action of speaking causing me to notice something different in my mouth. I felt around with my tongue and felt sharp pointed teeth that led down to two long, sharp fangs. “My teeth, they're like yours,” I gasped. I stood up and grabbed Luna with my forehooves, pulling her out of the bloody mess. “Feather?” I heard her whisper as she slowly opened her eyes, she smiled up at me, “you're ok…” Luna reached up and hugged me, “I can't believe it worked,” she breathed. I collapsed next to her underneath the tree and held her tight, tears pooling in my eyes. “I'm sorry about your dress,” I sniffed with a smile. Luna stifled a laugh and she held me tight as the two of us cried. She pulled back and looked at me, her nocturnal eyes widening, “Feather your eyes,” she gasped, “they look like mine, how-” her voice trailed off as her eyes moved to look past mine. I blinked, a satisfying chill running through my body as I took a deep breath, savoring her sweet scent. I felt more than good, I no longer felt any kind of pain, no headache, no soreness of any kind, like all the little damages my body had accumulated over the years had suddenly just vanished. I felt amazing, and the sudden knowledge that I now also had slitted nocturnal eyes like hers, just made me smile even more. Everything, I noticed, felt so much more intense, smells crisper, sounds louder and I could even hear the wind moving through the grass. I grinned. “That's not the only thing,” I said while showing off my new teeth. “Not the only thing indeed,” she breathed, surprise and shock written all over her face as she stared down at my back. I abruptly remembered in horror that I had lost my wings. I looked back and braced myself for the bloody stubs I thought I would see, but instead what I saw made my heart skip a beat. There on my back, were long, dark, beautiful wings. I gasped. I stretched my new wings out to get a better look at them, they had no feathers! my white coat bled into a dark grey at the base of my wings that faded into black further up. The skin where feathers would normally be was semitransparent and had a dark purple tint to them that faded into the rest of the dark grey. Just like Luna’s they looked like something akin to the wings of a bat! they felt good, stronger and significantly lighter! I started to cry again as I hugged myself with my new wings, relieved and beyond happy that I could still fly. I then threw them around Luna pulling her into an embrace. “Thank you!” I cried as we held each other. Luna stood up and took a few steps back. “Feather I, I don't even know how this happened,” she admitted in shock, “normal healing magic wasn’t working, so I resorted to using-” She paused as a shiver and moment of horror passed over her face. “I used necromancy,” she whispered, turning away, “I shouldn’t have, but you were dying!” She turned back to look at my wings, “I tried to tie your life blood to mine in that spell so that I might use myself to keep you alive, but-” She paused. “It seems in doing so, the darkness that's been changing you, must have interacted with that magic and the change took place far faster than it ordinarily would have. This wasn't supposed to happen so soon, I'm so sorry Feather… you must be overwhelmed.” “Are you kidding? I've never felt so good before!” I exclaimed, “it feels like I've been living my entire life drowning underwater, and now I can finally breathe!” I exclaimed excitedly, taking in another deep, fresh, crisp breath of the cold night air. “And these wings!” I continued before lifting off into the sky, I ended up moving faster and higher than I meant to, “they are going to take some getting used to, but they are amazing!” I giggled before doing a little loop and landing back down in front of her. “So, you've always felt like this?” I asked, “Stars why didn't you do this to me sooner!” I smiled. “No this is all new to me, this is so strange, I can hear your heart beating from here, and everything’s just so… sensitive,” she murmured. Luna stepped towards me with an almost motherly worry, “you're not upset?” “Of course not, thank you Luna,” I smiled. Luna threw her arms around me in a hug, “you really scared me Feather, I thought I was going to lose you,” she sniffed, nuzzling my neck. As she nuzzled into me it felt almost like the first time all over again, the fine hairs of my coat and the skin under it tingled and sent shivers through the rest of my body. Luna’s soft nuzzles turned to kisses and I went limp in her arms. I felt a sharp pinch, but it immediately faded into a cold shock that spread through my veins. I tried to say something but all that came out was a squeak, I tried to move but my limbs felt like heavy weights. Luna stepped back, and I stumbled to rest against the tree, my blood dripping from her muzzle. “Feather I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, I couldn't stop myself...” her voice trailed off. Something stirred inside me as I watched her wipe the blood from her face, and I quickly moved up to her. I could hear her heartbeat like the sound of a thousand thundering drums, I could hear the blood flowing through her veins like a rushing river or great waterfall. I realized I was absolutely starving! I had never felt hunger like this before. It felt like my stomach was being torn apart by razors. My own heart started to race as every cell in my body commanded me to do one thing. Like Luna, I couldn't stop myself either as my teeth came down on her neck, my new fangs making it more than easy as I bit in deep and drank. Stars, I only hoped I wasn’t her... a thought that came far to late as no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t seem to pull myself away. I heard her gasp as she stiffened, a few seconds later however and she relaxed. The taste was unlike anything I had ever tasted before, it put Simon’s sushi rolls to shame! Like before. It still tasted like blood but for some reason I was absolutely in love with the taste! And the feeling that it gave me was almost orgasmic! After a few moments I pulled away from her neck still starving but feeling satisfied enough. Luna was staring at me with a baffled expression. “Whoah,” she breathed “that was...” ““Amazing,”” we said simultaneously. She looked at me in surprise, “what, what's happening to us?” Her shock faded as she smiled, “did you feel that cold sensation running through from where I bit you?” she asked. I nodded. “It was almost numbing yet euphoric, it made it so that the bite didn't hurt,” I responded. She blinked, “that's what I felt too,” she paused, “I think that was some kind of venom,” she said still looking shocked. “Well that's new, and so is this hunger,” she paused again, “before it was just a craving, but now-” her voice trailed off. She smiled and pulled me in for a bloody kiss, and I felt her tongue move around my new fangs and a shiver of pleasure ran through me as I returned the kiss. She pinned me against the tree so hard I felt the bark crack, but she didn't hurt me at all, she pressed up against me, and wrapped her beautiful wings around me. She stopped and looked up, “Feather what happened, did you find Ruby?” she asked fretfully. “Yes, I found her but-” she silenced me with a wing. “Just lay back, I'll see for myself,” she whispered. “Just relax,” she murmured smoothly as she put her horn to my head. “Just let me in Feather.” Realizing what she was doing, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and let my guard down. I felt something similar to the vice grip of the shadows, the sensation of Luna entering my mind while I was still awake was the strangest thing I've ever experienced. It wasn't like when I was dreaming, instead it was like suddenly my mind didn't belong to just me, but that I was sharing it with another. I blinked as I caught glimpses of scenes and events that I wasn't familiar with, then my mind was forced to the memories of the train station. The events all flashed past my eyes in less than a few seconds, but it was like reliving it all over again, just with none of the pain. “Stars Feather, I can't believe you had to go through all of that,” I heard Luna's soft voice in my mind, “I’m sorry.” I felt her horn lift away from my head and my vision returned to normal. “That was so strange,” I murmured, “but it was kind of nice, not being alone in my own head for once.” Luna smiled sweetly at me. “Finally, I found you two!” The exhausted voice of Ruby pulled our attention away from one another as we looked towards the grey mare limping up the little hill we were on. Luna climbed off me and I slowly stood up dusting myself off. “I heard screaming coming from over here, I had gotten lost, I'm so glad I found both of you,” Ruby breathed in a sigh of relief as she stepped closer. Her eyes widened as she saw our blood-stained coats, “are you two alright!” she exclaimed rushing over. “We’re fine Ruby,” Luna called out softly. It was then that Ruby got a closer look at both of us, and she took a step back. “What... what those crazy ponies were saying,” she took another step back fear crawling across her face, “were they telling the truth?” She gasped, “what are you,” she stuttered in fear as she addressed the two of us. “We are still us,” Luna cooed sweetly, trying to get Ruby to calm down, “Just because we might look frightening doesn't mean the words of those delusional ponies hold any truth, they are the real monsters, not us,” Luna said matter of factly. Ruby seemed to relax a little, the expression of fear in her face slowly retreating, “So, you two have always been this way, the whole time?” she asked skeptically. “Luna has, but this is all new to me,” I started, “after I told you to run, that beige stallion, Elijah Kane he said his name was, he took my wings, stabbed me through the heart and left me for dead.” I paused. “But Luna saved me, and now,” I looked back at my new wings, “I guess this is how I am now,” I smiled. The dried blood on Ruby’s coat drew both Luna and I’s gaze. Had it been fresh I don’t think I'd have been able to help myself. As with Luna I could hear the gray unicorn’s heart beating like a cascade of hail on a thin roof top. It was taking everything I had not to give in to the hunger. Ruby stepped back towards us before leaning her bruised body against the tree for support. “What am I going to do?” she whimpered, “I can't go back to the Royal guard, my best friend is dead, and I have nowhere to go!” tears started streaming down her eyes. “You could come with us,” Luna offered. “Where!?” Ruby shouted disdainfully, there’s nowhere left to go! The castle isn't safe, as far as I know your sister, the Princess whom I pledged to serve might be involved in all of this!” “What do you mean?” Luna questioned seriously, “when I confronted her, it was clear she was oblivious to the situation.” “Before Feather showed up those monsters were rambling on about the sun, the light and cleansing the world of darkness, they wouldn't shut up about it, forgive me if the first pony I think of when I hear that, is your sister.” “My sister is many things, but an insane radicalist is not one of them,” Luna nodded firmly. “Regardless,” Ruby sighed, “if she is oblivious like you say, then that's no better." The poor mare looked lost, hopeless... “The light was so important to those monsters,” she paused, “I feel sick, like I can't breathe,” Ruby collapsed to the ground. I dashed to catch her. She looked down at her torn red dress and her necklace of the sun. “I'm just so tired,” she murmured, closing her eyes and beginning to cry. “I'm so sorry for what you went through Ruby. I know nothing I say will help, but know that Feather and I are here for you,” Luna whispered softly. “Thank you, Princess...” Ruby murmured. After a moment Ruby looked down and wrapped her necklace in the red glow of her magic before yanking it off. “My entire life I've been told to believe in the light... that the light is good, but why should I believe in something that at every turn only proves itself to be nothing but evil?” she murmured hopelessly, still staring at her floating pendant of the sun. Luna looked at her sympathetically, “Ruby, I can't tell you what to believe, but I can offer you my knowledge.” Luna sighed before stepping closer towards her. “Light and Dark are not just some abstract notion of good and evil, in fact they are not even relatable. In my experience I've found that both are in fact, quite literal and independent from those abstract monikers.” “What do you mean?” Ruby sniffed. “Think of the Darkness and the Light like two literal opposing forces like oil and water. These forces can be interacted with if you know how, they are neither good nor evil. Through the circumstances of our lives, we typically tend to lean towards one or the other. Those who belong in the light thrive in it, but those of us who belong in the dark only suffer in the light. “I don't understand, are you saying that I belong in Darkness? Ruby asked. Luna simply nodded. “You started taking every night shift, something most ponies would never want to do, but you enjoyed it, you looked forward to each and every night. I'm sure you've felt the quiet, the peace, the shadows, clawing at you for some time now.” Ruby nodded and took a breath before turning around. Looking out into the field I saw a tear run down the side of her cheek before she lifted her necklace high and stared at it “When Sunny and I were kids all I ever wanted was to serve in Princess Celestia’s grand army. My parents they never approved, but Sunny supported me every step of the way. After his parents died I promised I’d take care of him, it’s because of me he signed up. We always knew there was the possibility one of us could die, but not like this…” she sniffed and whipped her eyes, “he was only here because of me, I made him work nights with me, and I now he’s dead.” “It’s not your fault,” I said rushing up to her and putting a hoof on her shoulder. Ruby shook her head, “no its not,” Ruby expression turned to fury as she threw her necklace as far as she could, with a look of disgust on her face. “It’s their fault, and I want nothing to do with them or the light ever again!” She spat. “In that case,” Luna began solemnly, “allow me to show you something far better,” she purred, a grin creeping up her face. Shadows crept up around the dark alicorn's legs as she took a step towards Ruby and lifted a hoof towards her. Ruby looked back up at Luna with her sad red eyes and saw the dark tendrils that were stretching towards her, “what the-” she breathed as the shadows slowly wrapped around her like silky laces. “Stay calm and just relax,” Luna soothed, “just close your eyes and take a deep breath, don't try and fight it, just let it in.” “What is this, exactly?” Ruby asked skeptically and prodded at one of the dark smokey tendrils with a hoof. It scrunched back at the offending hoof almost like a snake would. “Just relax, they are just shadows, pure, absolute, literal darkness, please let me share this with you, you won’t regret it,” Luna urged. “You really won't,” I added, trying to reassure her, “if you just let yourself get lost in the shadows, I guarantee you will feel better than you ever have.” I knew this would make her feel better if she was just willing. Ruby closed her eyes, “okay,” she murmured. She took a deep breath and I saw her visibly relax, the shadows immediately went in through her nose, mouth and eyes. They wrapped tightly around her. I saw her smile as she sat down, and her wounds were slowly healed. “Wow…” she breathed, “that feels, more than good,” Ruby smiled. Luna pulled away her hoof and the shadows faded. Ruby opened her eyes; they were pitch black for a moment before she blinked and the shadows faded back into her. Still smiling, Ruby closed her eyes again. She fell over onto her back with a stretch. “I can feel it,” she grinned and opened her eyes to look up at the starry sky, “you were right, this is much better. No wonder Feather is obsessed with you,” she chuckled, the veins around her eyes darkening. “I wouldn't use the word obsessed,” I said a tad defensively. Both Luna and Ruby gave me a look. “Ok maybe a little,” I amended and Ruby raised an eyebrow, “ok a lot,” I stammered, blushing. “It's okay Feather, in fact I would argue that I am just as obsessed, if not more, with you,” she purred sweetly, nuzzling behind my ear. Ruby rolled her eyes. Letting out a long breath Ruby sat up, “make me like you,” she said, looking towards the both of us. “Well,” Luna began sheepishly, “I just did,” she told Ruby with a small smile. “What do you mean?” Ruby asked before glancing between the two of us, “I don't look like either of you.” “You let the darkness in, and now you'll slowly change, but it takes time,” Luna informed her. “But Feather looked normal not longer than an hour ago,” Ruby pointed out. “That's because I used a very dark magic to save her life, it inadvertently made her change in just a few minutes, as well as a few other unforeseen things.” “Could you do the same to me?” Ruby pleaded. “Why would you want such a thing? besides, I don't even know if I can.” “Please, you could try?” Ruby pleaded, “I want to serve you... Please I have nothing else, and nowhere left to go!” Luna took a step back in surprise, “yes you can come with us, serve me if you wish, but why would you want to be like us?” Luna asked in surprise. “If I used necromancy magic to turn you, then the compulsion to drink others' blood is magnified tenfold. If Feather is any indication, you'll gain wings like hers, and I'm pretty sure there is no loophole where you get to keep your horn,” Luna warned. Ruby looked skeptical now, “why?” She asked, “also you two drink blood?” She added, cringing and looking a touch fearful again. Luna Nodded. “Because I don't have the power to just create an alicorn, nopony does. I have no idea how to tweak the spell to trade the wings for your horn, or if I even can,” Luna informed her. “Wait,” I interjected, “I thought if a non-pegasus let the darkness in then they would get all the changes except for the wings. So why would necromancy force her to have wings?” “Feather, you lost your wings, the darkness may have dictated what your new wings look like, but it alone didn't give you new ones, the only reason you have new wings is because the spell used our blood to create a link between us to restore your body. Meaning in order for Ruby to keep her horn I would have to create a new link to tie her blood to mine and in the process break ours. Right now Feather, that link is the only thing keeping you alive. Luna Started pacing “Now I can add a small number of others to that link but I can’t change the foundation of it. If I turned Ruby in this way, chances are very high that our link will override her physiology, you are the foundation Feather and you are a Pegasus.” Luna explained. Ruby let out another long breath, “Feather what do you think, is it worth it?” “Absolutely, but then again, I'm not a unicorn,” I pointed out, “but I can tell you, that the moment I lost my wings while fighting Kane, I felt something inside me break. If I didn't get these new wings, I don't know if I could have lived with myself,” I admitted. “If you sacrifice your horn, there is no going back,” Luna warned, “and this is still all new to me,” Luna paused, “I don't yet know exactly to what extent we’ve changed.” “Well what else am I supposed to do?” Ruby asked helplessly. Luna looked at her for a long while before responding smoothly, “do what you feel is right.” Ruby stood there for a long while before letting out a sigh and looking back up at us, “I don't want to lose my horn, but," she paused, giving the smallest hint of a smile. I saw the veins around her neck darken as her eyes turned black. “This feels right, after what I've just gone through and what you've shown me, I don't think that I could ever return to any kind of normal," she paused again, “I do believe this is worth my horn,” she stifled a laugh, “I was never any good at magic anyways.” “Very well,” Luna began, “I suspect this should be simpler than before,” she nodded before moving up to Ruby. I was intimately familiar with how the darkness can influence one's actions. I felt it when I had killed those ponies... It's always for the better of course, but I don't think any unicorn let alone Ruby would have made the decision to lose their horn so quickly without the darkness’s influence. Luna lifted her forehoof up to her mouth before drawing her own blood, upon seeing the crimson drops it took everything I had not to rush over and lap them up. I again felt the ravenous urge, the deep hunger that threatened to consume me. It had been there since I changed, the only difference was that now I was really paying attention to it. I realized only now that my mouth was open, and I was panting like a hungry animal. “You will have to drink,” Luna urged sweetly, moving her foreleg towards Ruby's muzzle. Ruby stared reluctantly for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a breath as she pulled Luna’s forehoof to her mouth. I watched her drink, and I was itching to go over and take some for myself. The need to have blood was so painfully intense, it took everything I had to resist the urge. My eyes were even beginning to tear up. I watched as Luna sunk her teeth into Ruby’s neck. Ruby gasped in shock and smiled before returning her bloody muzzle to Luna’s foreleg. After a few more moments, Ruby fell limp. I realized I could no longer hear her heart beating. I could no longer hear the blood flowing through her veins. Luna had completely drained her... Luna gently set Ruby on to the ground and backed away. Luna lowered her head and pointed her horn at Ruby’s corpse. A black veil of magic -- far different from the soft blue glow I was used to—flared out from her horn and wrapped over the dead grey unicorn mare the magic seemed to co ales and pool towards her heart before sinking into her and out of sight. Not a few moments later and the candy red maned unicorn began to convulse. Ruby gasped as her eyes shot open, I heard her heart rage back to life. She held her hooves to her head as she started to moan in pain. We looked on as I saw blood begin to pool in her eyes and nose. “Fuck!” she screamed. With Ruby twisting in agony, I watched the gruesome scene that I had just gone through unfold all over again. Her eyes turned to mush and poured out of her skull, her teeth began to fall out and I watched in horror and fascination as she gripped her head in pain. Her horn -- as Luna predicted-- started to crumble away, turning to dust as she screamed. The bloody hole it had left in her head slowly closed and I saw the bloody beginnings of ridges start to form on her back. I know I had gone through the same process -- excluding the horn -- but it was still fascinating to see it from this perspective. The idea of the darkness breaking down and replacing parts of one's body didn't seem to gross me out anymore, if anything I just thought it was really neat. Lastly, I saw her fangs begin to push out as she let out one last scream of agony before falling still. “That was horrific,” Luna gasped in shock, “I can't believe you went through that,” she gulped, looking back at me. “Didn't you go through it as well?” I asked. “Only partly, I developed most of my nocturnal qualities over time.” I saw Luna grin, “your new wings are so incredibly comfortable are they not? I can't even remember what my old ones felt like,” she purred. I stretched my wings out, enjoying how they felt, “they are,'' I confirmed, “so much more comfortable,” I smiled leaning in and kissing her still bloody muzzle, the taste of Ruby’s blood wasn't nearly as sweet as Luna’s but it was still delicious nonetheless. “What are we going to do?” I asked as I pulled back. Luna sighed, “well we can't go back to the castle, or in public for that matter,” she pointed out as she felt along one of my new wings with a hoof. “Unless…” “We go back to the old train station and,” she paused, “clear it out, before they have a chance to escape, then we can dispose of the remaining guards at the castle that are under their influence, Ill then tell my sister what one of the institutes has been doing behind her back and hopefully be done with this awful mess.” “There are too many of them at the station,” I said, shaking my head. “Feather, didn't you notice something when you drank my blood?” “Beside the pleasure?” I smiled and she grabbed my left foreleg with a smile before sinking her teeth into it. I reveled in the feeling as she did so, after a moment she released me “now drink mine,” she commanded. She moved her hoof to my muzzle, and I obediently bit down and drank her wonderful tasting blood. I was just so hungry, and this was finally starting to alleviate it a little bit. After I lifted away, she smiled at me “now look,” she said, directing my attention down to the wound she had made on my foreleg. I watched as the wound she had just made began to heal right before my eyes! “We are going to be harder to stop than you think,” she smirked, “and besides, I'm an alicorn, what could they possibly do if it came down to it?” I supposed she had a point, and I was looking forward to a rematch with Kane, this time around I would make sure that he is put in the ground for good. Realization struck me, “wait, does this mean-” my voice trailed off and her eyes widened as I saw that same realization in her eyes. “I mean, it would make sense, right?” I asked, hoping more than anything that I was right! Luna sat down hard and smiled as tears started to pool in her eyes, “it means time will never take you from me,” she gasped happily before throwing her hooves around me. Hearing her say it almost made me burst into tears as I hugged her in return “It looks like you get to keep your promise to me after all,” she breathed, her voice dripping with relief. “I'll live forever now...” I murmured. Before meeting Luna, the weight of what that meant normally would have crushed me, but now all I could feel was happy and relieved. Now I would never have to go through losing Luna, as selfish as it is, I had become terrified of being left to turn to dust, of becoming old and useless, of Luna leaving me behind. I never wanted to leave her, and now I wouldn't have to! I smiled. “Now I will never lose you,” she whispered before lifting back and kissing me. She pulled away and we both stood up. “Now, let's go butcher that monster that ever dared to think he could take you away from me,” she growled wickedly. The mention of murdering Kane yanked my mind back to the four ponies I had killed, their deaths had shaken me when I was back at the train station, but looking back at it now, I didn't feel sorry, Stars I didn't even feel guilty or any remorse for that matter. I knew I should, but for some reason I just couldn't. It's like that emotion was being blocked somehow, but I knew exactly how; the darkness takes away pain. I breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing I needed to do was dwell on the horrors already done. Distracting me from my thoughts, Ruby gasped for air next to us and I saw her now red slitted nocturnal eyes dart around. She felt over where her horn used to be with a hoof and let out a sad sigh. “Oh good, you're awake, how do you feel?” Luna asked with concern. Standing up she looked back at her new wings and a small smile crept across her face, “well, I've never been able to fly before, what's it like?” she asked optimistically as she stretched out her new wings, “ok that feels super weird,” she said giving an experimental flap. “It's unlike anything you’ve ever experienced,” I assured, making her grin. “This is unlike anything I've ever experienced! I feel..” she took a deep breath, spinning around. “Like you've been living your whole life trapped inside of a thick fog, and now that fog has finally lifted?” I asked with a smirk. She nodded. “I suppose I'm going to have to learn how to do everything from scratch now,” she sighed, “I used my horn for so much,” she murmured wistfully. It was then that she caught sight of the fresh blood on my hoof and her eyes widened as she trotted over. I knew exactly what was going through her mind, and I offered her my foreleg which she promptly grabbed and pulled to her mouth. Her venom shot threw my arm, it seemed less intense than Luna’s though that could just be because I'm super biased, but I still enjoyed that cold euphoric feeling, nonetheless. She continued to drink for a while, and I was starting to feel dizzy as I looked back at Luna whose mouth was practically watering while watching us. I tapped Ruby's shoulder, “ok that's enough.” a second later she reluctantly pulled back blood dripping from her mouth, and she tilted her head back in an effort to savor every last drop. “When you said I would have to drink blood, I was under the impression that it was going to be a burden, but this-” her voice trailed off as she giggled in delight, “well I certainly have no regrets, having a horn was convenient but I’d trade it again for this in a heartbeat!” Luna trotted up to me and I felt her fangs plunge into my neck, “wait” I tried to say, but she continued to drink regardless. It felt good, but between her and Ruby, I was beginning to have a hard time keeping my eyes open! “Please Luna, I feel like I'm about to pass out!” At that she stopped and turned to kiss me instead, that on top of the blood loss almost made me lose my balance. “Sorry, I guess we are going to need a larger supply of blood than just each other,” she grimaced. A sadistic look crept across Ruby’s face, “I think we know just the place” Luna frowned, “the train station isn't that far away from here, I could only carry Feather for less than a couple of minutes before the change started to kick in and I had to land here, no doubt we need to deal with the problem that still remains there, but you also don't know how to fly yet,” Luna pointed out. Ruby spread out her wings, “ok well then, tell me how I do this,” she asked looking back towards the two of us. “I don't think-” Luna started to say but I dashed past her to move in front of Ruby excitedly. “Right, so I suppose you don't need to know how to do anything fancy, you just need to get from point A to B,” I started. “The angle in which you flap each wing is going to determine direction, and you can use your tail as a kind of stabilizer, do what I do,” I directed as I opened my new wings excited to really try them myself. “Okay now when you want to get off the ground make sure you jump a little when you flap your wings, it just makes it a little easier,” I paused, “now if you angle both your wings down, you’ll go forward, you aim them up you will go backwards, tilting a wing in one direction and the other in the opposite is how you turn, but try and remember to not overdo it, you can turn fairly easily by just leaning.” I took a breath. “To hover, you have to push vertically straight down, also when you’re hovering you have to flap your wings in sync every time you feel yourself start to fall, or you will fall.” Ruby looked worried, but excited. “Don't worry, this will all come naturally over time,” I promised, trying to reassure her. “Ok so to get in the air remember to jump like I said, and tilt your wings slightly down when you push off, like this,” I said as I leapt up into the air. Luna flew up next to me and we waited for Ruby to join us. we watched as she did exactly what I showed her and she got airborne, “hey I’m doing it!” she exclaimed. Then a small gust of wind blew by, and she fell crashing to the ground. “Dammit!” she cursed. “Ok I think I got it this time,” she huffed, rearing up to try again. getting in the air she was slow and wobbly, but she was flying! We chuckled “since you’re not used to being high up, we’ll stay low, still, just remember to not look down,” I teased. “Fret not, once we get moving you can just glide, and it's much easier than trying to hover, believe me,” Luna assured her. Luna and I flew up behind her to make sure she was ok. Luna had to catch her with her magic a few times when the wind started to pick up, but once we started to pick up speed Ruby leveled out and started gliding with ease. “See it will just come naturally,” I grinned as I did a loop around her. “Yup!” she squeaked, her terrified expression betraying her enthusiasm. I was so focused on trying to help Ruby that I totally forgot to appreciate how good it felt to fly with these new wings, it required so much less effort than with feathers, and I was considerably more agile. Something about them just felt right. I saw the old train station come into view and all manner of ponies were scattered, running around outside, moving all manner of things that I couldn't make out from up here, thankfully I didn't see any of the mindless ones shuffling about. Though there had to be at least two dozen ponies down there, and that was just outside. “So how are we going to do this?” I asked Luna. “We land, and we talk, we need more information, there could be innocent ponies down there, most of them might not even know what is really happening,” she said with a nod. “But what if they do turn out to all be crazy,” Ruby asked in fear. Luna frowned, “then don't let any of them get away,” was all she said. “You really think we can take all of them,” I asked shocked. “Feather, if it comes down to it, we are going to rip through them like wet paper,” she purred, giving me a sadistic grin. “I don’t know how I feel about mass murder… even if they do deserve it.” I admitted. “Would you rather these monsters continue to exist and prey on innocent ponies like Ruby or her partner Sunny?” I shook my head, “of course not,” I murmured. “Sometimes the necessary thing to do, isn't always the right thing to do, but that doesn't change the fact that it still needs to be done. Our job is to keep it simple, to not let that notion become corrupt and twisted for our own ends, as Elijah Kane so clearly has.” “Right,” I nodded, “then let's get this done with.” “Uhh Feather?” Ruby prompted. “Yes?” “How do I land?” she asked, blushing. Luna rolled her eyes and facehoofed. “Right, well we’ll just learn that later, for now Luna can catch you with her magic, Right?” I prompted, looking back at Luna who raised an eyebrow. “Fine,” she rolled her eyes and we glided down. The two of us slammed down in the middle of the mass of ponies, and Luna caught a rather embarrassed looking Ruby a second later, setting her down. All of the ponies turned and stared, a few looked terrified, not all were in institute uniforms, but the few who were, all drew out their weapons. One of the bucks took off his hood. “I watched you die, Elijah killed you!” he shouted, taking a terrified step back. “Yeah, I tried death, it didn't take,” I smirked. “Please, as your Princess I plead that you lay down your arms and-” Luna was cut off by screams of hatred. The six or so ponies in uniform all stared at us with fiery hatred. But everypony else just looked scared or confused. I started to realize that I recognized some of these ponies! They were from the bonfire party I had seen earlier! Were they with Elijah? Did they know what was happening here? From the many looks of fear and confusion I didn't think they had a clue... “Luna, I don't thin-” My world was suddenly black… I felt my neck snap back from the impact, my ears were ringing as I fell to the ground, my head clutched in thunderous pain! I didn't hear the shot. But I could feel the thundering sound of Luna’s hooves, and it didn't take me long to smell fresh blood clinging to the cold night air. I lifted a forehoof to my eye to feel the hole the bullet had left. Everything was quiet aside from the piercing ringing, it all felt so surreal… The smell of blood became increasingly intoxicating until I felt it right at my muzzle. I instinctively reached out and sank my fangs into whatever was bleeding in front of me. The blood tasted bitter, sour. But regardless of the taste I couldn't stop myself as I vigorously drank as fast as I could. Slowly I felt my hearing start to return along with my vision. I screamed as I felt the bullet being pushed from my skull. I opened my eyes and saw a limp mare in my jaws! I reeled and jumped to my hooves. “Oh goddesses!” The world was a chaotic red. My ears rang from gunshots, and screams. I rapidly looked around trying to regain my bearings. I spotted Luna, I watched as faster than lightning she jumped into a crowd of ponies, they were ripped into pieces as viscera splattered everywhere. In a matter of seconds Luna had become like a blender and ponies started to try and run rather than fight her. Though the ponies that tried to run or fly away were promptly blasted into paste by a beam of blue death emitting from her horn. “So much for talking.” I muttered, still in shock. I heard Ruby yelp and I turned to realize the two of us were surrounded. Ruby had a spear running through her neck. I watched as she gurgled and choked on her own blood as she struggled to fight off her attacker. I used all my strength and tackled the pony who had stabbed her but instead of knocking him to the ground like I expected, my hooves pushed right through him as he was torn into bloody pieces, the gore splattered my face. like wet paper… The smell of blood was intoxicating, I licked some off my lips, and I felt those shadows stir like mad, my hearing became muffled once more. I started to lose all train of thought as my whole body cried out for one thing. I couldn't fight it anymore. I bit into the nearest pony I could, I moved so fast with so much force that I accidentally ripped their head off in the process, I felt a high like no other take hold of me. Just don’t think about what you're doing Feather, just focus on the blood. I let the high consume me as I just kept ripping my way through pony after pony. Everything was a blur, my body was running on autopilot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ruby had removed the spear from her neck and was doing the same, her red eyes almost appeared to be glowing as a wicked toothy grin was plated on her face. Some tried to run from her but it was futile as she was much faster than any one of them. Suddenly I felt something sharp pierce my side. I winced in pain, pushing back the pony who had stabbed me. I pulled the sword out of my side with my mouth only to jam it into the lower part of her throat. I tore up, watching with my new eyes in perfect detail as her entire neck and skull was split open, I then proceeded to dig my hooves into the almost split in half corpse and ripped it the rest of the way apart, the pony whom was about to stab me with a spear stopped in terror and tried to run away, I tackled him and dug my teeth into the back of his neck until I felt bone. He screamed, then with a meaty crunch and little effort, I pulled his spine away from his back with his head still attached to it. I paused and tilted my head back, the base of the skull over my mouth as I let the waterfall of blood fall down onto my tongue. Instead of simply ripping them apart, I started only using my teeth targeting wherever I could, trying to drink every drop of blood that I could possibly get my hooves on! Time seemed to pass like a blur, I had one last mare in my grasp and dug my teeth into the side of her neck drinking as fast as I could until her heartbeat came to a slow and sudden stop, and I could no longer get anything out of her. With a deafening wet thud, the last body fell to the ground. ___ The air was silent, and cold. The high faded and I was left sitting in a pool of blood. I looked around at the mass of corpses and saw Ruby giggling like a mad mare, rolling in a pool of blood as she occasionally put her head to the side to sip some of it up. I looked up a pile of corpses that Luna was standing on top of. She had her teeth in some dead pony’s neck. I looked down at my own bloody hooves. I knew that this was all wrong, that it should feel wrong, why doesn't this feel wrong!!! I wanted to scream! I wanted to cry! But I couldn't… I just couldn't. I noticed in horror that we, had killed everyone... we killed the ponies responsible for the horrors Ruby and I witnessed in the train station, but so many innocent ponies… were just gone… I heard Elijah’s words echo in my mind, ‘unfortunate, but a necessary sacrifice’ I shook my head and screamed, “fuck no! Nothing about this was fucking necessary!” I tried to wipe the blood from my muzzle but all I did was smear more blood from my hooves, “fuck…” The really fucked up thing is that I felt good, I felt fucking great! I laughed hysterically as I looked around for the nearest corpse that still had some blood left. I ended going back to the buck whose spine I had ripped out, the rest of his body surprisingly seemed to still have a good amount of blood left. “You know, why the fuck not!” I yelled and I knelt down to sink my teeth in. Call me biased for more reasons than one, but I much preferred mare's blood over buck’s, mares just tasted sweeter. And this is something I'm actually thinking about after slaughtering Stars know how many innocent ponies! What the fuck was wrong with me!? I stopped and backed away feeling nauseous. I could feel the darkness trying to take away the pain. I realized I was fighting it, Goddesses. Why was I fighting it? “I just… need to give in…” I sighed, “Everything will be better if I just relax and give in.” I closed my eyes and took a breath. I felt the darkness tighten around me and flood my body with a cold, calming, icy chill. I took a breath and opened my eyes. “Oh… much better.” I murmured as my gaze returned to fixate on the mass of corpses. I abandoned the body I was at and moved onto the next one, thankfully this one was in fact a mare. While I was feeding on her, I began to notice that everypony tasted slightly different, but the taste of blood, as good as it was, could only differ so much from pony to pony, only Luna’s was substantially different, and hers was much better than any of the blood here. A long while later and I realized that between the three of us we had probably gone through gallons of blood, so how come none of us were bursting at the seams? I wondered. I guess part of being what we are, meant we processed what we ate at a hyper accelerated rate? or there was some serious magic going on, probably the latter. Whatever the case, it didn't matter because for the first time since being turned into this, I wasn't hungry anymore. Luna was trotting up to me, if it wasn't for the fact that she was a really tall alicorn with nocturnal eyes, fangs, and a starlit mane, and bat wings. I wouldn't have recognized her as her normally charcoal black coat was stained and matted completely dark red with blood. Tackling me into the blood soaked grass she pressed her lips to mine and I shared whatever leftover blood was in her mouth as I cleaned her fangs with my tongue. And I felt her do the same to me. After a moment she broke away and rested her head over me. “Feather?” she started, “is it wrong that I’m looking at piles of bodies and instead of ponies all I can see is food?” she asked morbidly. “I don't feel any remorse either,” I admitted, “I mean I started too, I almost had a panic attack, but I let the darkness take it all away.” She looked at me concerned, “I feel the same, it's so surreal, I mean I suppose these ponies deserved it but still,” her voice trailed off, “we are going to need to be careful,” she warned. I didn't have the heart to tell her that almost all of these ponies were innocent. At least not yet… “Feather, Princess Luna!” Ruby called, “I found one that's still breathing!” I looked up to see her dragging a terrified young pegasus mare over who looked like she was having multiple panic attacks all at once, “she was hiding in a hollowed-out tree trunk!” She was the same mare I saw delivering the pastries at the bonfire. She was lilac with a dark purple mane, and orange eyes. She was being dragged through the bloody grass while remaining completely stiff. I assume she’s too terrified to even try to move, and I knew that if she tried to run or fly away Ruby would just rip her apart. Luna climbed off me and I sat up to look at the shell-shocked mare. Her cutie mark was of a little loaf of sliced bread. “How many more of you are there?” Luna growled, baring her fangs. The young mare just yelped and looked away, burying her face into the blood-soaked grass. “Just, please kill me fast!” she cried. Ruby balked and let go of the sobbing mare, taking a step back, “well my buzz is gone,” she complained. “Answer the question!” Luna demanded stomping down a hoof. “They… you already, killed them all!” she whimpered. Luna looked at Ruby, “go and check the building” Ruby nodded and headed towards the old train station. “Do you know the name Elijah Kane!” I demanded hoping this mare wasn't innocent, like that would somehow justify what happened here. “I don't know who that is!” she cried. “Do you really wish to test our patience?” Luna asked in a low growl and the mare rapidly shook her head. “I, I just bring baked goods from Lillypool every week… I, I was catering for the party, I just do what I'm told, I really don't know anything!” she stammered in fear before turning and burying her head in her hooves. “She’s telling the truth,” Luna spoke softly, and I looked up at her “I know,” I murmured. I turned back to look at the mare, “what's your name?” I asked, softening my tone. “why, you're just going to.. to kill me anyways,” she stammered. “we’re not monsters,” I said prudently. She glanced up at all of the corpses, “could have fooled me.” “For one,” Luna began, “we are all very new to this, none of us were in control, had I been, I would have never let things get this messy.” I sighed, “I'm sorry too, I should have tried harder to stop myself.” Luna gave me a sympathetic glance before returning her attention to the terrified pegasus, “secondly, most, if not all of these ponies were murderers, or psychopaths. They were insane cultists brainwashed into believing a false truth that caused them to be a threat to everyone.” “They were peaceful!” she shouted back, “they were just nice town ponies, and you killed them all!” she started sobbing. Ruby was trotting back with fury on her face, “these monsters killed my best friend Sunny right in front of me, fucking lobotomized him and put a parasite in his brain to control his corpse!” she screamed at the young mare. “If it wasn't for Feather here, I would have been next,” she spat before turning to Luna. “Liar!” the lilac mare spat, “you're insane!” Ruby’s fangs came to bare, and her nocturnal eyes narrowed to thinner than paper. I imagined it was taking everything the gray mare had not to rip the terrified little pegasus apart. I bit my lip. I knew Luna could handle it, but the last thing Ruby needed was to know that this mare was telling the truth, that we did murder a bunch of innocent ponies. “She was telling the truth by the way, and the mines are caved in, the building is empty.” Ruby muttered. “Sorry Feather, no sign of Elijah” I grimaced, not a good sign. “How long have you been coming out here to trade with them?” Luna asked sweetly. The lilac mare looked down at her hooves before responding, her voice shuttering “just for tonight,” she paused, “they were kind!” “Do ponies shooting at and charging your Princess with intent to kill sound like stable, kind ponies to you?” Ruby accused. “Princess?” the lilac mare mumbled in confusion. She stopped cowering and finally looked up at Luna, her eyes glided down from her horn to her wings. “You're an alicorn.. Your..” her voice trailed off as her eyes widened, “I'm so sorry, I didn't realize, I-” Luna tilted her head up with a hoof and smiled, “it's alright, you're safe now. “But why?” the lilac mare asked in forlorn, “why kill all of them!” she cried “Oh, for ponies sake, Ruby hold her down.” Ruby did as ordered and held the lilac mare in place as Luna stepped towards her. “What, what are you doing!” she screamed in terror. “I'm going to show you the truth, I'm going to show you what Feather here experienced, I'm going to show you the reason why we did what we did,” Luna told her, and she put her horn to the mare’s head. “Now let me into your mind, I'd rather not turn you into a vegetable by forcing my way in.” she said matter of factly. The lilac mare gave a terrified nod and I watched as she reluctantly closed her eyes. A few moments later Luna stepped away. “There, now you know the truth,” Luna nodded firmly. The mare opened her eyes and looked at all three of us, a war seeming to play out just behind her eyes. “Ruby let her go,” Luna ordered softly, and she obeyed. The mare just sat there silently, wrapping herself in her wings and closed her eyes. “I understand now,” she murmured, “you're not monsters, but it doesn't make this right,” she wept, looking back up at us. Great now the bread pony thinks all of those ponies were monsters too… I mean I guess they could have been? I didn't really know for sure after all, I was just assuming they were innocent. Maybe they were all in on it, and I'm torturing myself for nothing! “Well, if you were me, and you had the power to make these ponies suffer, what exactly would you have done differently?” Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes. The mare looked up at her and her words were lost as she hung her head. “That's what I thought,” Ruby said dismissively. Luna must have realized the distress I was in because I felt her wrap a wing around me pulling me close. Slowly I started to calm down. “Feather breath, look around, we got them all, anypony who might have been innocent either hid like this one, or ran away.” “I'm pretty sure she's the only survivor,” I murmured... Luna shook her head, “I know we messed up, but you can't think like that, in the end we were thorough. We did the right thing.” The right thing!? We didn’t do the right fucking thing we- “ahh” I put a forehoof to my head as I felt that tightening feeling in my head again, much greater than before. She was right, we... we did the right thing. We did the right thing. “Are you all right feather?” I nodded and looked up at her “Have you ever killed anypony before now?” I asked. She looked down at me with troubled eyes. “Once as a little filly in self-defense, and again, more than a few times when my sister and I were at war with Sombra the mad king of the Crystal Empire, but... never like this,” she paused, “but what we did here, as unspeakable as it was, it needed to be done,” she murmured with a nod. “And in the moment, as sick as it was, I admit, I enjoyed every second of it,” she murmured. “We all did,” I reassured her. As I continued to look around at the massacre that still lay before me. No amount of reassurance was seeming to help me though. I still felt sick, and I was starting to have a headache. “Feather, what's wrong?” Luna asked concerned. “I just feel really sick all of a sudden,” I murmured, hugging myself with my wings “Here, just relax” I heard Luna coo softly before she leaned towards me. I thought she was going to pull me in for another kiss but instead I saw shadows start to pool out of her mouth. Understanding, I leaned forward and breathed them in, smiling as I did so. I felt them flow through my entire body and I let myself get lost in the wonderful feeling. Luna leaned forward even more and gave me a small kiss on the nose before pulling away. No longer feeling sick, all I could feel was good as I leaned up against her and she put a wing back around me. “What in the sweet Celestial fuck was that!” the lilac mare asked, looking shocked and terrified. “Would you like to find out?” Luna purred, and the pegasus mare turned and tried to leap into the sky but Ruby grabbed her tail and pulled her back down with a hard thud “Suit yourself,” Luna scoffed. “I'm sorry Princess, but you're terrifying, you all are, like something out of a nightmare, what in stars even are all of you exactly?” the lilac mare asked, still shaking. All three of us exchanged unsure looks, “we don't exactly know,” Ruby admitted, “do we?” she added looking back at Luna who just shrugged. “You sure about that, cause you all look a lot like vampires to me,” the mare said, taking a step back. Luna laughed, “admittedly I can see why that might be assumed, but vampires are just an old ponies tale, a legend to scare fillies and colts from staying out after dark.” “You all have fangs and drink blood,” she said flatly. “All legends come from somewhere…” Ruby murmured with a shrug. “I suppose we are vampiric in nature, but that does not make us vampires,” Luna said with a firm nod. “Uhh what in Equestria is a vampire?” I asked cluelessly. Ruby turned towards me, “don’t worry about it,” she snickered, “it's just a silly old myth” “Yes, well this vampire would like to know what a vampire is if indeed that is what we are.” “We are not vampires,” Luna reiterated with a little hoof stomp. Now reacquiring her more serious demeanor, “We are heading back to mine and my sister’s castle. You are welcome to come and stay there for the night, or day, before you return home, it's either that or a really long flight,” she stated matter of factly. “Promise not to eat me?” the Lilac mare asked, her humor betraying her obvious terror. The three of us all nodded. The lilac mare Shakely brought herself to her hooves, “ok,” she sighed, “I'll go with you, my name is Nyx by the way.”” Author's Note This one was a doozy to edit, apologies if I missed anything as far a punctuation and grammar go but I was trying to get this out before the weekend was over. Chapter Eight: Brief RespiteChapter Eight Brief Respite The four of us landed and made our way up to the castle’s perimeter, we were all covered head to hoof in blood with Nyx being the only minor exception, not to even mention our new appearance. Getting in and getting clean was the easy part, we just had to get to Luna’s balcony, whatever we did after that wasn't going to be so easy. Luna informed us that she couldn't maintain the same spell that keeps her true appearance a secret on Ruby and I, because she relied on her own shadows to conceal herself. Unless we could manipulate shadows of our own, disguise wasn't an option. Nyx had seemed to relax for the most part, well as relaxed as one could be considering the circumstances. Still, she kept a distance away from the rest of us. We were all now very aware of how lethal we could be, and though Nyx no longer acted like we were going to eat her, I could tell deep down she was still terrified of us. She had every right to be... I watched Ruby out of the corner of my eye as she slowed her pace to fall in line next to Nyx. “Soooo,” Ruby began uncomfortably, “maybe don't mention to anypony that we uhh.” Nyx stared back at her not knowing how to answer as she quickly looked away and just nodded fervently. “Hey relax, we promised we wouldn’t hurt you.” Nyx screwed up her face as she stopped to stare at the candy red maned bat pony. The poor lilac pegasus was barely keeping it together, and the juxtaposition of Ruby’s comment seemed to snap something in her brain. “Relax? RELAX!?!? Are you kidding me!” Nyx stomped down in anger, “I just watched you three slaughter dozens of ponies, and you want me to relax!” Ruby flattened her ears as she shrank back. “Umm, yes.” Nyx’s eye twitched and for a second, I actually feared for my immortal friend. But as quickly as it had come, Nyx’s rage and annoyance diminished as she exhaled a strained breath. “I just don't understand…” she murmured, “how can you all be fine, are you just all sociopaths or something?” she asked, her question seeming sincere. Luna and I stayed silent as we continued to eavesdrop. Ruby looked taken aback, “no, but the darkness,” she paused hesitantly, “it takes away pain, and right now… thinking about what happened is painful.” Nyx looked down at her hooves, “must be nice.” Ruby gave a small smile, “you know, Princess Luna could-” “No! I respect Princess Luna but you're crazy if you think I'm going to let those weird shadowy things anywhere near my muzzle,” The lilac pegasus responded firmly with a nod. “Your loss,” Ruby shrugged, before trotting back up to me and Luna. “You're not going to get anywhere with that one,” Luna began as she trotted up. “Yeah, and you can hardly blame her,” I added. “I know but… I just hate the way she looks at me,” Ruby muttered,“like I'm a monster, like I'm going to snap and rip her apart at any moment.” “You're not a monster Ruby, none of us are,” Luna told her gently and with a firm nod. “Aren't we?” Ruby murmured. Luna stopped in her tracks as she stared at her hooves. “Luna?” I touched her shoulder, “are you alright?” “We killed for two reasons and only two… to put down the ponies who tried to kill us, and to feed.” The dark alicorn regained her composure. “We had plenty of justification, we are not monsters,” she said firmly. Ruby just hung her head as we continued to walk up towards the castle. “Feather, stop for just a moment,” Luna spoke softly, and I did as she asked. Despite her argument I could see the pain in her eyes, she was hurting just as bad as Ruby. “I just need to taste you again,” she whispered sweetly, clearly needing a distraction. I felt her slowly bite into my neck. I closed my eyes and leaned into her, her venom sending waves of calming euphoric cascading down throughout my body. “You're still hungry?” Ruby asked, shocked. Luna’s teeth finally lifted out of my skin. “Not particularly, I just needed to take my mind off of all of this for a moment. Besides, she has a better aftertaste than those, others…” she said while wiping off her muzzle with a grin that did little to hide her weariness. As if aware of just that, she turned away from the others to nuzzle into my mane instead. Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed “Stars, you two are making me jealous, and I’m not even gay!” she chuckled. Luna and I both blushed. I turned and noticed Nyx staring at us confused. “So, you all just feed on one another whenever? and you're all okay with it?” Ruby turned towards Nyx “To be fair, Feather is the Princess’s marefriend, she’s got this weird submissive thing she does with Luna, and they are both totally into it.” she grinned, “whoopsies, did I say that out loud,” Ruby snickered. “What! Hey, I'm not submissive!” I stammered with a little indignant stomp of my hoof. I knew if I had a mirror the blood covering my face wouldn’t matter because my entire face would still be red. Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” Luna grinned, and I turned towards her. “Well, I… I just like feeling like I belong to you is all,” I stammered trying to keep myself from blushing not that anyone could see it. “What else do you like?” Luna whispered sweetly, nibbling on my ear. “I... Ummm,” I paused and sighed finally relenting, I was already doomed so I put my muzzle to her ear before whispering softly, “ok Ruby’s right,” I murmured sheepishly. “Oh? do elaborate,” she prompted seductively, lowering her voice as she guided me farther up ahead and out of earshot of the others. I took a breath and decided to just admit it to her. “I do like it, a lot, I love it in fact, I love feeling like I’m yours,” I nuzzled her, “I love it when you drink my blood whenever you want, I love it when you pin me down,” I paused, “Luna I would let you do anything to me because I… because I lo-” “Are you two quite finished?” Nyx interjected with an annoyed laugh. At least she laughed, well more like snickered. “As entertaining as you two are, it's getting very late and I can barely keep my eyes open.” Ruby started laughing, then Luna, I even started to giggle myself regardless if it was at my own expense, even Nyx looked amused as much as she tried to hide it. For a brief moment the horror of the events from the train station seemed like the distant past as the four of us just sat there and laughed. Luna kissed me on the nose as she brought herself back to her hooves. “Let’s get moving, shall we?” I could hear Ruby’s heart rate spiking as she stared off into the distance. I trotted up to her, “Hey are you alright?” I asked, concerned. Ruby shook her head rapidly, “what? I'm fine, let's just go.” Weird... With that, Luna took off into the sky once more. __ We all followed closely behind Luna as we were led to her familiar balcony, nopony below seemed to notice our arrival as we landed. The gala had clearly ended a while ago and the only ponies that still remained in the courtyard were a few of Celestia’s guards. “Are we sure it's even safe in there?” I prompted, “what if one of those mindless guards are in there, or they put one of those parasites under our pillows,” I fretted, making Luna reel. “She makes a good point,” Ruby nodded in agreement. “Well, I suppose we will just have to toss the entire room, look for anything out of place,” Luna said with a nod. “How are we supposed to know what's out of place?” Nyx asked. “You don’t, just wait out here and let us handle it,” I told her. The three of us stepped inside and began to search through everything. I was mostly concerned about those parasites, as far as I knew they needed a mindless pony brain to attach to, but I wasn't going to take any chances. Those things freaked me out! Just thinking about them made me shudder. I thoroughly checked all around and, in our bed, triple checking everything. After what felt like an eternity of searching, none of us could find anything. “The spell I cast on the door is still intact, fortunately I don’t think anypony else was in here,” Luna let out a relieved sigh,“Ruby why don't you take a shower first, it's over there in the back. I'd imagine you'll need the extra hot water, considering.” Ruby frowned, “yeah not having a horn is going to make this way more difficult than I'm used to,” she groaned before trotting over to the washroom door. I heard the water kick in after a few moments and I noticed Nyx staring at the still folded open couch bed, “is anypony using this?” she asked with a yawn, “or is there some guest room I could have instead?” Luna sighed “yes this castle has plenty of guest rooms, however I don't believe that would be a very safe option, this ‘cult’ -- for lack of a better word -- is known for taking ponies from their quarters, Ruby’s friend Sunny included.” Wait, how did Luna know Sunny was taken during his sleep? Did Leopold tell her? I wondered. “No, he didn't, you did when you let me in your mind remember?” Luna informed me. I almost tripped over myself, “wait, did you just?” “Did I just, what?” Luna asked, looking towards me. “Never mind, I'm pretty sure I just was thinking out loud and didn't realize it,” I said sheepishly. She looked confused but shook her head and looked back towards Nyx “to answer your other question, No nopony else is using that bed, it's all yours.” At that, Nyx flopped down on the bed and let out a long yawn, “don't let me fall asleep until I've had a chance at the shower,” she groaned as she buried her face into my old pillows. She was just laying over the covers, making sure not to get her bloody hooves in the sheets. Luna looked towards me, “I'd normally drag you into my bed, however,” she looked at her own hooves, then at me, “I'd rather not turn our sheets red.” I stifled a laugh. Lowering her voice she whispered, “speaking of, we should probably change our sheets from last night’s sexcapades.” I blushed, “Shouldn't we be warning your sister that her royal guard has been compromised, and tell her about Kane?” I asked worriedly. Luna frowned, “if I know my sister, she wouldn't believe us, not without hard proof, and even if she did, her resolution most likely wouldn't be absolute. I can't afford to have my sister put our kind in jeopardy in favor of her silly little morals.” “What are we supposed to do then?” I asked. “We all are in desperate need of a shower and some rest, this threat can wait until tomorrow evening, at which point we will eliminate this threat, then inform my sister of her obliviousness. Better to ask forgiveness rather than permission,” she snickered. “Understood, so what do we do in the meantime?” I yawned. “Soon I will have to lower the moon, but for now, I suppose we do nothing,” Luna paused and regarded me for a moment, “actually, why don't we take advantage of the fact that we’re still covered in blood?” she purred before stepping towards me and tilting her head back, “go ahead,” she offered with a grin. Understanding, I took a step forward and put a wing around her, nuzzling and slowly kissing up her neck before I softly bit down. The taste of her blood was unlike anything else, it made all the other blood I had drunken pale in comparison. I felt her relax in my wings and could hear her making cute little noises as we stood there before I finally lifted away. I tilted my head back, closing my eyes and reveling in the taste. Suddenly she tackled me to the ground, and I felt her teeth slide into my neck. Another surge of her venom shot threw me, making it hard to move or focus on anything else. I smiled as all I could do was just lay there and enjoy every second of it. To make it even better I felt as her shadows wrapped around me and seeped into my skin. After a while I felt Luna crawl off of me and I opened my eyes, “why'd you stop,” I asked with a little pout, “I'm still conscious.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s a good thing Feather,” she laughed before leaning back down to kiss me on the nose, “well, for now at least.” I looked to my side and saw Nyx sitting up staring at us, I noticed she was biting her lip “what's it like?” she asked. We both sat up and looked at her, “drinking blood?” Luna questioned. Nyx shook her head, “no, I mean what’s it like to be what you are? You don’t act right, not like normal ponies I mean, I just want to know why.” The beautifully dark alicorn grinned, “every nerve, every sense, every emotion is heightened. The world is so much more clear and calm, why do you ask?” “Curiosity,” Nyx replied simply. Luna seemed to catch something in her expression that I didn't as she moved closer to Nyx. “just curiosity? Or something more?” Luna continued her advance, “Or perhaps you just can't resist the temptation?” “Wait what! No, I…” Nyx stuttered, now seeming unsure, “no, I don't know,” she admitted. I could hear her heart beating quickly as Luna leaned in to look directly into her eyes. “I think you do.” Nyx sighed, “no I don't, I've never felt this way before, since being around all of you it's like there’s something gnawing at me, clawing at my heart and it hurts.” “So why don't you give in to it?” Luna purred, “let it in to your heart” “What will happen to me if I do?” she asked, her calm voice betraying her terror as she struggled to understand what was happening. “It will take away all your pain,” Luna smiled at her, “I promise” “What will it be like?” she asked, sounding both curious and afraid. There was the hint of desperation in her voice, the same thing I had noticed in Ruby many times before, the same desperation I felt in myself not that long ago. I stepped forward, “Well, your body will turn nocturnal for starters, so you better get used to living in the night,” I told her,“don't worry, it feels amazing.” Nyx took a breath, “well, I suppose I've always been a bit of a night owl anyways.” she murmured absentmindedly, almost as if in a trance as she continued to stare into Luna’s eyes. I realized Nyx was just tethering on the edge of completely giving in, she probably had been for a long time, long before we found her. Nyx tore her eyes away from Luna’s and rapidly shook her head, “No,” she stated firmly, “I can't believe I was even considering it!” Fear seemed to seep back into her as she stood up, “that's how it gets you isn't it?” she demanded. Luna and I took a step back in surprise. “It preys on your pain, on your weakness! It claws at your heart until you let it in!” Nyx back peddled into the wall looking at us like we were monsters again. I didn't know what to say, she was looking at it like it was a bad thing! The darkness is wonderful, it takes over every part of you and takes away all of the pain! I reiterated to myself. Without saying a word Luna lifted up a hoof towards Nyx, shadows wrapping around it, just as she had done with Ruby. the dark misty tendrils stretched out and wrapped around Nyx gliding over her coat. “No! I…” Nyx’s voice seemed to fade as her fear started to bleed away. She shook her head and smacked Luna’s hoof away, “I said no!” The dark princess glared at her, “Fine, suit yourself,” she huffed before turning to trot off to her study. Nyx took a breath before glancing up at me “I'm sorry for being so afraid of you and Princess Luna, I had just never expected to meet her, especially the way I had, it scared me, and for a while there I had forgotten that she was my Princess,” she murmured as she bowed her head. I smiled a little as I approached her once again. “But!” she insisted, and I stopped, “she can’t have me, and you won’t get me to let her darkness in… not now, not ever. I'll be gone tomorrow anyways.” I should’ve been cross with her, but I knew better, so instead I smiled at her. “Now that it's clawing at you, you'll give in sooner or later.” “Maybe, but I'd like to think I have some semblance of self-control.” I narrowed my eyes, but as I was about to respond I heard the bathroom door open as Ruby came trotting back in, her coat no longer stained red. And she had discarded her torn ruined dress. She stretched out her new wings and my eyes drifted towards her flank. I just realized that in all of the time I'd known her, I had never actually seen her cutie mark, it was always covered up. Appropriately it was a little image of a red ruby gemstone that had what looked like a few blood drops running down and dripping off the side of it. “Well, that's a fitting cutie mark, considering what you are now,” I pointed out. “What do you mean?” she asked as she looked back at her own flank and gasped. “What's the matter?” “My… my cutie mark, it's different!” she exclaimed and I saw shock and hurt all over her face. “What do you mean it's different? Cutie marks don't just change,” Nyx pointed out. I quickly glanced back at my own, just to make sure mine was still the same. Even under all the dried blood I could still make out the familiar dark lines and I let out a sigh of relief. Upon further inspection it did appear as though the black talon-like streaks stretched much further around my flanks than usual, though it was impossible to tell with all the blood on my coat. “That's impossible,” Luna insisted, “what did it look like before?” she questioned. “it used to be just a ruby with a sword behind it,” Ruby fretted. Luna regarded her thoughtfully for a few moments. “I suppose after you were changed, something integral to yourself, who you are, must have changed, and your cutie mark changed accordingly,” Luna offered. Ruby sat down hard as she stared at her own flank, “I mean, I like it, but, the old one was still mine; I remember the day I had gotten it, I was so excited and Sunny had thrown me this huge party to celebrate. After that day, my career and my future had become so clear,” her voice trailed off. She blinked and shook her head. “I guess just like then, my future is now very clear to me.” she stood up with a smile, wiping a tear away and walked up to Luna before kneeling. “Princess Luna,” she took a breath. “I hereby pledge my unyielding loyalty to you, from now until the day- or night- that I die.” Luna’s eyes widened and she took a step back as Ruby continued, “I am yours to command and I would gladly trade my life for yours. I promise to- ” “Please stop,” Luna interrupted her, her tone uneasy. Ruby looked up at Luna confused. “I don't require nor want to hear the same speech you gave to my sister,” Luna paused, “Ruby you are our friend, if you want to be my soldier and serve me, you can, but I am not my sister, and while I admire your sudden professionalism I’d rather if you’re going to pledge yourself to me to just say as much.” Luna softened her tone and smiled, “there is no need to go on such a long self-degrading speech about it.” Ruby stood up. “Ruby, I've heard that entire pledge before, and all it does is make you describe yourself like a tool that is meant to be thrown away,” she paused lifting Ruby’s chin up with a hoof, “and you are so much more than that.” Ruby smiled and gave a little bow, “thank you Princess,” she murmured. “Awe, that's sweet” Nyx called out from the background and Ruby looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “What?” Nyx asked defensively “it was.” Ruby scoffed before flopping down on the non bed part of the couch near where Nyx was sitting. “I thought you hated us?” The purple maned pegasus stared at her hooves, “I don't hate any of you,” she murmured, “I just don't know how to be okay with any of what's happened tonight.” Ruby sighed, “you're not the only one,” she sat up and looked over at Nyx, “so I take it you're leaving first thing tomorrow evening right?” Nyx stifled a laugh “evening... I suppose so, I would leave earlier but you three have completely destroyed my sleep schedule.” Ruby smiled at her, “being nocturnal is better, trust me.” I know Nyx didn't let in the darkness, but it got me thinking. I could feel the same shadows move through me and I smiled. Watching Nyx almost give in only made me want to re-experience the rush and high I got from Luna breathing them into me. “Luna,” I began, “could you wrap me in your shadows again,” I asked, leaning into her, “please,” I asked with a little pout and a grin. Nyx rolled her eyes before getting up and trotting off to the washroom. Luna smiled and instead of lifting her hoof towards me, she again moved her mouth towards mine and breathed the misty shadows into my lungs. I felt more wrap around and hug me tightly. Even though I've felt it before, Goddess, I swear it feels even better every time she does it! We stood there for quite a long while, just enjoying one another, time passed so fast Nyx was already out and trotting past us towards the couch bed. Luna stopped and put her muzzle to my ear, “why don't we finally go get cleaned up, then I’ll lower the moon, the two of us can finally lay down and you can finish telling me about all the things you love for me to do to you.” she whispered sweetly, and I struggled to maintain my balance as I followed her into the washroom. ___ Finally, the two of us stepped out of the shower, our blood stained dresses were laying on the counter. I stepped forward and wiped the fog away from the mirror with the side of my hoof. I admired my now clean self in the mirror, only now seeing my new appearance for the first time with my own eyes. I stretched out my new wings and looked from my sharp teeth up to my new vibrant light blue nocturnal eyes. Luna moved up next to me and nuzzled behind my ear, “you are so beautiful Feather,” she whispered softly and I couldn't help but smile. Everything finally feels right. I no longer felt any kind of pain, I loved my new eyes, my new wings, the teeth, I loved everything that Luna had given me. We made our way past the archway back into the main bedroom. Nyx was passed out on the couch bed and Ruby was laying on the other normal part of the couch asleep. Luna turned towards the balcony door, and I followed. Once outside we both stood and looked across the horizon at the moon. “It really is beyond beautiful,” I kissed her, “your night,” Luna put a wing around me, “it's a shame you'll have to lower the moon,” I whispered as I continued to nuzzle her neck. “Believe me Feather, if I could get away with making the night eternal, I would. Unfortunately, as much as I hate my sister's precious light, plants need it to grow, the world needs it to keep living,” she laughed dryly. “Funny how the universe is cruel that way, however I have taken serious thought to threatening my sister with the idea, just to gain some modicum of respect, to force ponies into recognizing my night, and my authority,” Luna grinned, “Tia knows she is powerless to stop me if I ever did decide to do such a thing.” “Why don't you?” I asked softly. “Because I don't feel like starting a war with my sister, you would be surprised what lengths she would go to just to prove a point.” I looked up at her with concern, “you really think Celestia would do something so rash as to start a war with you, her own sister, just for asserting yourself?” Luna gave me a serious look ,“I know she would.” After the moon was lowered, we returned to the bedroom and Luna’s familiar shadow spell was cast upon the room. Obviously due to the company I knew Luna and I unfortunately couldn't do anything, too strenuous… still, when we climbed into her bed, she pinned me down as she climbed on top of me, my face was in the pillows and I relaxed as she nuzzled the back of my neck. I supposed even though she knew she wouldn't be able to move any further down than my wings, it wasn't going to stop us from enjoying one another. After nuzzling between the base of my sore wings for a few minutes she slid off to my side, I turned towards her, and she pulled me close. “You still owe me that conversation,” she smiled, speaking quietly so as to not wake the others. I blushed. “So, you like it, sorry, love it,” she amended, “when I pin you down, you love it when I do whatever I want with you, you love feeling like you're mine?” she grinned and I nodded blushing even harder, “and you love feeling like you belong to me?” “I do,” I whispered sweetly. “Well, that's good to hear, because you do belong to me,” she said in a sweet dark tone before moving my head up with a hoof and slowly sinking her teeth into my neck. I smiled as she did so, letting the wonderful feeling of her venom consume me. What she had just said made me shiver with delight and I couldn't help myself any longer. “I love you Luna,” I breathed. I felt her stop and she pulled back to look at me. I gazed up at her. Her expression was unreadable, her eyes gave away nothing of what was going through her mind. I waited, hoping I would hear the same, but she just stared at me silently. It just slipped out, I couldn't stop myself, Should I have waited? Was it too soon? To be fair I already almost slipped and told her when we were all outside the castle. I probably would have if Nyx hadn't cut me off. I bit my lip, for the first time since being with Luna, I felt nervous. Finally, she broke the seemingly endless silence. “Why?” she breathed. The fact that she had to ask almost broke my heart! How could she be confused as to why I would love her? I smiled and moved her starlit mane out of her face with a hoof “because silly,” I began softly, “you saved me, you’ve saved me more than a few times now, your so kind, brilliant, beautiful, sweet, funny, strong and powerful, you’re the most incredible pony I've ever met,” I took a breath, “I love your night, I love your darkness. I love the way your shadows wrap around and flow through me. I love the way you make me feel. I love everything you represent; calm, quiet, peace, darkness and beauty under moonlight,” I nuzzled her as I continued. “You're the only one who has ever cared about me, I was alone for so long, I had convinced myself that I didn't need anypony else. Then you found me next to that moonpool and you made me feel like I mattered, you took me back with you, gave me purpose, gave me a life.” I smiled. “I belong to you, you're the only one who matters to me, I would do anything for you, I would never let anything bad happen to you, I would see the entire world burn in order to protect you,” I saw she was crying, and I felt my own eyes water as I continued to pour my heart out. “I owe you everything, more than everything, I am so grateful to be able to serve somepony so amazing, so extraordinary,” I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath, “I give all of myself to the night, to the darkness, to you…” I paused and smiled, “I belong to you,” I whispered softly. I opened my eyes, “because I love you, I'll always love you, now and forever.” She sniffed and wiped her tears away with a hoof only for them to be quickly replaced. “I love you too Feather!” she cried quietly as she hugged me and I started to cry too as we held each other. She leaned back before pushing in and pressing her lips to my own, I leaned into her and let myself go limp as she kissed and nuzzled all over me. “I love the mare you've become” she started, “beautiful, dangerous, a creature of the night like me, you love me, and your all mine,” she smiled, “I love that you've given yourself so completely to me and my night, I love the sweet taste of your blood, I love everything about you Feather,” she nibbled my ear, “I love you,” hearing her say those things caused me to lose all train of thought, with everything heightened, the euphoria of her venom on top of feeling her all over me, this was just as good if not better than sex! I couldn't do anything anymore except smile and shiver with pleasure. I really do belong to her! “Now that you're immortal like me, I don’t ever have to be afraid of losing you to time,” she breathed a sigh of relief, “I don't think I would have been able to watch you grow old and turn to dust Feather, not you.” “Even though there is no such thing as true immortality, at least time will never take you from me,” she added sweetly as she continued to nuzzle my neck. “What do you mean there is no such thing as true immortality?” I asked, curious as to what she meant. “I mean that even though conventional weapons can't seem to kill us, and time will never touch us, there is always a loophole. That's just how it is, the universe demands balance,” she smiled before continuing, “but just because a loophole exists, doesn't mean we can’t easily avoid or deal with it,” She reassured me. “You would really have me for all eternity?” I asked with a smile as I tilted my head back so she could sink her teeth in again if she wanted. Seeing my gesture, she leaned forward. “I would, I will,” then I felt her teeth go back into my neck. After a few moments I was starting to feel dizzy, but in a good way. She lifted her teeth out, “you are mine forever,” she whispered and once again I felt her shadows go in through my nose and mouth, I giggled in delight as I breathed them in. Fantasies began to fill my mind of the two of us together at the end of time, as the universe crumbled around us, reality collapsing in on itself. Everything turning to dust around us as we stand on the edge of nothingness. Holding one another in defiance of the absolute oblivion that sought to take us. “Drink me until you can't anymore,” I whispered as her shadows retreated back into the two of us, I felt her fangs press back in and I lay there, the edges of my vision slowly darkening from the blood loss, and with a smile I closed my eyes as the world swirled away... Author's Note Just a short chapter, sorry my computer was in for repairs and I didn't have a ton of time to get this one out. Just a little bit of a respite chapter before things really hit the fan. I've also recently changed up my routine to make more time for writing so I'll try to start getting these out weekly rather than the current bi-weekly schedule if I can.
Chapter Three: A New FeatherChapter three A New Feather I slowly opened my eyes, following up with an exaggerated yawn. I had never slept more comfortably in my entire life. I sat up feeling refreshed and much less sore than I had felt the night before. I looked around the room and saw moonlight shining through the window. I guess that the shadow spell Luna had cast yesterday morning was no longer active. Crap, I thought. I had missed Luna raising the moon, and only assumed I had overslept. I scanned the room for a clock and spotted one above the entrance. It was already a half hour past midnight, and Luna always raises the moon around seven, the night was almost halfway over! “Oh no…” I breathed as I shot out of the bed and grabbed my uniform, throwing it on as quickly as possible. I had fallen asleep with the hairband still on and had to rush to the mirror in the washroom to resort out my mane. After I finished and was trotting out of the washroom -- making little adjustments to my jacket's collar as I went-- I made my way to the door. Before I could open it however, I saw a blue glow wrap around the handle and I took a step back as Luna stepped through. I bowed, “Princess I am so sorry, I lost track of time, I never meant to sleep in this late,” I told her, full of embarrassment and shame. Great first impressions, I scolded myself. “Oh, don't worry about it, I let you sleep in,” she imparted with a smile and a wave of her tail, “you definitely looked like you needed the extra rest.” “You're not angry?” I asked, holding my breath. “Not at all,” she paused, “and I see that you've already taken the time to get ready for tonight,” she regarded me. “I really need to have a proper uniform made,” she frowned, “but I suppose that will have to do for the time being,” she gestured with her tail for me to follow, “come, it's time you learned how to properly take care of yourself.” I nodded, “yes Princess.” We made our way down through the castle, passing a few guards as we went, none of them seemed to question my presence now that I didn't look like some filthy gutter pony. I stuck to the Princess's side as we made our way out into the courtyard. She seemed to be leading me to a place just outside of the castle's perimeter. We made our way down another stone path through a thin line of trees that opened up into a much larger clearing. The grass was unnaturally short suggesting it must have been cut regularly. There was a small building on the far end that had weapon racks and crates lining the outside walls. The clearing looked like it was used for training the royal guard. There were straw dummies set up with bullseyes painted on their center. Off to the left just out of proper view looked like some kind of obstacle course. Beyond that, were rows of square buildings I could only assume were some sort of barracks. Luna, however, was leading me to an empty spot on the far right of the grassy clearing. The only thing over here was a single cart full of all different kinds of weapons and other sharp objects. Luna hadn't said anything to me on our way out here, I wondered if she had looked in my head yesterday while I was asleep? That would explain her silence. I thought, my heart starting to pick up pace. My mind reeling trying to think of what to say if she had. I suppose I could just ask her... “Princess,” I began. “Yes Feather?” “Purely out of curiosity,” I paused, taking a breath before continuing hesitantly, “did you enter my dreams last night?” I held my breath. “Oh no, I was far too tired from staying up as late as we did,” she waved her tail dismissively. I let out a sigh of relief. And her professional demeanor dropped as she raised an eyebrow. “Why, something you didn’t want me to see?” I reeled, standing at attention, “umm nope… just, it was a really boring dream, and I… I didn't want you to think I was boring,” I blurted, hoping that I sounded at least a little convincing. She let out a little laugh, “oh Feather you're too easy to tease.” Blushing, I darted my eyes away and walked past her, “so what are we doing first?” I asked as I trotted over to the cart full of weapons. Her comment still lingering in my mind, and I was reminded of what she had said to me the night before. Did she like me? I asked myself, like, like like me? Was she even into other mares? I wondered, looking back at her. Her eyes were lingering on my flank before they darted up to meet mine and both of us quickly looked away. My heart picked up pace again and fantasies fought for my attention as I struggled to just focus on just the weapons cart. “Well,” she began, clearing her throat, “if I am to teach you how to fight, I'm going to need to know what to teach you, so pick a weapon and we’ll go from there.” I sighed in relief, happy to distract myself as I continued to look through the many different weapons. So many ways to kill another pony, I thought morbidly as I looked over each one. Most of these I couldn't even use as they were more designed with unicorns in mind. There were a few mountable weapons, designed to attach to a compatible armor piece; but I hated the thought of being less mobile. I noticed an old flintlock pistol with a mouth grip buried near the bottom, but a lot of good that would do me if I ever had to shoot more than once. Finally, my eyes drifted over a pair of dull wing blades. They looked to be in awful condition, rusted and somewhat misshaped, but they were the only thing I saw that had any sort of appeal. I grabbed them with my mouth and turned to face Luna who had a look of approval on her face. “I am so glad you chose those,” she purred with a grin, “This will be easier than I thought.” I set the pair of blades on the ground so I could speak, “wait really?” I asked, surprised, “I don't know if you’ve noticed Princess, but I've never used a weapon like this in my entire life, or any weapon for that matter.” “No, but you are a Pegasus, and you know how to use your wings do you not?” “I suppose” I responded, still not quite sure where she was going with this. She grinned, “flying is your weapon,” she purred before taking several steps back. “We will practice without the blades for now.” Suddenly in less than a second, she closed the distance between us and put the ridge of her wing to my throat. Almost making me jump! “For example, you can close the distance much faster by using your wings to launch yourself forward.” Whoah. “Now,” she ordered, as she stood next to me, “match what I do.” ___ We spent the next several hours going through techniques and body position, how to distribute weight properly, how to have the most balance when doing any particular thing, and of course, how to do it all with grace and style. It quickly became very apparent that Luna preferred a much more aggressive, or as she liked to call it ‘up in your face’ style of combat. She explained to me that most pegasi who use wing blades tend to try and stay in the air, while keeping their opponent at a distance, hitting them hard and fast in flyby attacks. She also explained to me how stupid that was. That doing so would leave my underside completely exposed for anyone to cut open as I flew by, and that such a strategy would also be detrimental to my endurance. She explained that it would only work on either somepony who was ill-trained, or completely oblivious. So instead, she taught me how to close the distance on the ground, not letting my opponents have room to breathe, let alone think. She taught me how to conserve my stamina, teaching me how to inflict as much damage as possible while keeping myself relatively unexhausted. However, by the end of the night, I was exhausted. But I was exhausted in a good workout way. Not in the tired crappy way that I was so used to. I admit I feel good. I thought to myself as I returned to Luna with two water satchels dangling from my wing. She grabbed one with her magic and downed almost the whole thing in a single swig. “It's been so long since I’ve had any kind of fun like this!” she exclaimed as I sat down next to her. “And you learn fairly quickly,” she noted, a touch of pride in her voice. “Still many moons of work to be done though,” she added, “for example, you really need to work on your balance when you come out of those dashes.” I had fallen on my face a few times doing those, “I still think I have some dirt in my nose!” I chuckled, only half joking. She laughed a little at that. Goddesses, that laugh, Stars, her voice in general was hard to stop listening to… As I gazed at the regal Princess, an amusing thought crossed my mind. She’s a regal Princess! And she’s teaching me how to fight! Whenever I used to think of the two Goddesses, I always imagined them as prim and proper, elegant and far too busy to ever get their hooves dirty. Why would they, when they have a whole staff and army to do everything for them? But the beautiful mare sitting next to me, as proper and elegant as she was, she reminded me more of a soldier than a Princess. The way she moved, her posture, her expertise and her nocturnal eyes that gleamed with hardened coldness. It was obvious she had seen battle. My eyes widened a little as I realized that even without magic, Luna could kill me in a heartbeat if she wanted to. Stars she's amazing. “Why don't you head back to the castle and get cleaned up,” she prompted as she floated out a rolled-up piece of paper, “I'm going to take this to that guard pony Ruby and see if she can run it into the nearest town tomorrow to get an armor smith to make it.” She unrolled the parchment with her magic and faced it towards me, “so what do you think?” she asked eagerly awaiting my response, “I drew this earlier while you were sleeping.” My jaw dropped, and my eyes widened. Before me floated a drawing of, well me! I was wearing a beautiful black uniform with metal outlines. It had dark blue accents and the collar boasted a smaller version of Luna's cutie mark. Weaved into it were elegant plates of armor, a metal spine going up from my back to my neck, even more metal plating covered my shoulders and the top of my flank, but not so much so that my cutie mark wasn't still showing through. The entire design was dark, symmetrical and professional, and I loved it. “I love it!” I exclaimed, prancing with excitement, “the metal spine is a bit much, but I love it! also, I didn't know you were an artist!” “Well, when you’ve lived for a few hundred years, you tend to learn a few things,” she chuckled, clearly happy with my reaction. “And you're going to be grateful for that metal spine if anypony ever brings a weapon down on your back.” she snickered. “Who would have guessed the Princess of the Night is not only an incredible fighter, but also a talented artist.” I teased. Luna rolled her eyes, “as I said, I've had plenty of time to learn. As far as fighting goes… well let’s just say I really never had a choice in the matter.” “What do you mean?” I asked curiously. Luna’s smile faded as her tone turned grim. “I'd rather not delve into painful memories right now Feather.” I nodded, understanding, “I know we still barely know one another Princess, but anytime you want to talk, I can be a good listener,” I paused “well at least I think I can be a good listener,” I added with a chuckle. “Thank you Feather…” she murmured quietly, her eyes moving to focus on her drawing of me, “I've never really had anyone I could talk to before, at least not in a very long time.” “If it makes you feel any better, I have had more meaningful conversations with you these past few nights than I've ever had with anyone in my whole life.” I admitted. Luna chuckled, “well then I suppose we’re tied for being the most socially inept ponies in all of Equestria.” I stifled a laugh. “So, tell me about this new uniform,” I prompted. Luna grinned, clearly happy for the change of topic, “well, I was going to try and have all the metal parts forged from titanium alloy, I was even thinking about having a reinforced mesh of some kind woven into the fabric!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Wouldn't that be a bit on the heavy side?” I asked skeptically “hardly” she responded, “depending on the alloy, and with a little magic, titanium can be one of the lightest, and strongest metals in Equestria.” she stated matter of factly. “Problem is, it's not easy to come by, not to mention how difficult it is to forge and shape.” she smiled, “My sister has access to what we would need for the plates, I'm sure she wouldn't mind if I... borrowed some.” she said with an implicative smile. She paused with a sigh. “I may be getting ahead of myself, I want to make sure that this life is what you want, I know I just swooped you up the other night, as you said we still barely know one another. Now I’m already in a rush to make you into this image I have set in my mind of what I know you could be.” I looked at her thoughtfully in surprise. “Princess, I haven't ever really lived before, I've only ever just survived,” I admitted regretfully, “but these past couple of nights, for the first time I finally feel like my life is really starting.” I paused. “As far as I'm concerned, I owe you everything, and tonight I realize now that I've never wanted anything so badly before,” I reassured her with a smile, “My purpose is to serve you.” “You really are something special Feather,” she murmured wistfully before shaking her head. “Well, I'm off to scare Ruby into helping us, I will be waking you up early tomorrow night, we still have quite a lot to work on,” she pronounced as she stood up to leave. “Wait, can't you just order Ruby to help?” Luna rolled her narrow slit-shaped eyes. “Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of authority, they are my sister’s soldiers, not mine.” “That's ridiculous,” I said with a frown, “they should still do as you say, you're the Goddess of the Night for ponies sake,” I bit my tongue realizing what I had just said. “Goddess?..” she murmured, surprise in her voice as she tilted her head towards me. Crap. “I uhh, well yes, Goddess,” I gulped, “that's how some ponies refer to you and your sister,” I said, trying to figure out a way to normalize the conversation. “Ohh, I'm quite aware of how ponies address my sister,” she paused. “Though as far as I am aware, nopony has ever used that title to describe me before, at least not directly, until now that is,” she blinked looking at me. She looked distressed, “I appreciate the compliment Feather, but I'd rather you didn't call me by such a title,” she paused, “yes, I am aware it makes some sense given that my sister and I can raise the sun and moon respectively, well technically Tia just regulates the rotation of the planet, she doesn't actually move the sun itself, that would be ridiculous,” she laughed dryly. Not giving me time to process that revelation, she continued. “So yes, I am aware that to some ponies the title of Goddess could be considered accurate to an extent, however, I just don't feel comfortable being called it, especially by somepony I care about.” I nodded, understanding. “Yes Princess,” I said bowing my head. She sighed, “You're too good to me Feather,” she gazed at me with a sad smile, and a pain in her eyes I hadn't seen until now. Turning, she started to make her way back to the castle courtyard. I watched her go until she disappeared behind the tree line, and then I sat there alone with nothing but my thoughts. The more I thought about what she had said, the more it made sense. I had never had this perspective until now. If I was immortal and had some world effecting power, I certainly wouldn't want to be called a Goddess. Stars, I wouldn't even want other ponies to think of me that way, I could only imagine how Luna must have felt when I said what I said. She is extraordinarily powerful, beyond realistically powerful, but she is still a pony. I thought. How lonely she must feel, the only other pony who would understand anything of what she is going through is her sister, and from everything I've witnessed It seemed that Celestia had all but abandoned her. Now I think I understood what she meant when she told me, she too knew what it was like to be alone. I let out a sad sigh as I looked up to stare at her beautiful moon. “I promise I will never abandon you Luna, not ever.” I vowed.
Chapter One: The Mare of StarsChapter One The Mare of Stars Cold. The cool breeze of night blew softly against my face as I stepped out through the worn, creaking door of the dilapidated building I called home. All around me lay the small, crumbled, and moss-covered ruins of a forgotten era that had long since passed. Tall dark pine trees stretched around the small clearing in all directions. The wonderful moonlight pierced through their branches ever so delicately as if reaching out to softly hold me in its embrace. I let out a sigh, it had been over a month now since I moved camp, I was letting myself get too comfortable here. Stealing food from towns tends to put a target on ones back and with winter setting in I needed to find some place warmer, sooner rather than later. I leaned down and grabbed the bucket I had left next to my campfire from the night before. I let the bucket hang by the handle from one of my wings as I trotted away from the clearing. Slowly, I made my way through the thin forest to a river I knew rested at the base of the valley. My stomach growled at me in protest, I was starving. I hadn't been able to find anything to eat the night before, not even a squirrel! I knew ponies shouldn't eat meat; it always made me feel ill, but eating something, anything! even meat... was far better than the alternative of starving to death. The trees finally gave way, and I was soon greeted by the soft moonlight that stretched across the valley. Its light reflecting in brilliant ripples along the river, everything was still and quiet, it was beautiful. I smiled as I approached the edge of the river, setting down the bucket I looked into my own distorted reflection. My white coat, once beautiful, was now dirty and matted. My barding was torn and stained, my silver mane unkempt, and my normally light blue eyes were now the dull and tired eyes of an exhausted mare. My gaze drifted back towards my cutie mark; a small black crescent moon surrounded by streaks of black lines that wrapped around my flanks like dark claws. I sighed in discomfort as I recalled the night I had gotten my cutie mark. I had been tired, so tired… I remember I had stolen some rope from the local artisan pony. The mere thought of being strangled to death made me shutter as a filly; unable to breathe as I kicked helplessly in the air wondering why I had been such a fool. No, I had wanted something quick. With my wings bound by the rope I had stood at the edge of the orphanage roof gazing down at what would finally be my release from all the abuse, from all the pain and disappointment. It would be so quiet… so wonderful to just finally relax in the endless sea of black. I remember the moonlight had caught my eye. I don't remember why I hesitated, but I had taken a step back. I gazed up at the moon for what I thought would be the last time. It wasn't until then that I truly noticed how quiet everything was. How comfortably the crisp night air was and how nice it was to feel the moonlight on my coat. In that moment, I realized there was no pain, no sorrow... I sat down hard as I realized what I desired in death was already all around me. Letting out a breath of sweet relief, I had gazed up into the beautiful night sky, for the first time in my life, I had finally felt like I truly belonged. I broke my gaze away from the river to look back up at the moon as I took in a deep breath of fresh air. I really am happy out here, I thought with a smile before returning my attention to the battered metal bucket in need of water. After a small hike, I had made it back to my camp. I sat at the burned-out fire pit with a painful grunt and hung the bucket from the hook that sat above it. I leaned down and grabbed my cobbled together fire starter. I held one end down on the dried wood and kindling with my hoof as I bit down on the other end and jerked my head back and forth until I started to smell smoke. “Eeep!” I yelped as the fire leapt to life! singing my mane and nose. “Luna damn it!” I cursed. I squinted my eyes against the heat and the rapid change in lighting. I laid down with a groan as I looked up at the stars. My annoyed expression curved back into a forced smile as I took a breath. “I may be cold, hungry and maybe not entirely sane but,” I let out another long breath, “but I am happier out here, I belong,” I told myself with a firm nod. Maybe if I kept telling myself that-- as true as it was-- eventually I might stop feeling so alone... A good while went by as I just sat there watching the water boil. The rippling and bubbling water popping and sometimes spilling out the sides. The low drum of the boil captivated me as I just continued to stare. Eventually I blinked, returning to reality, I shook my head. Sitting up, I grabbed a branch in my mouth before lifting the smoldering bucket off the fire and setting it off to the side to cool down. I sighed; I suppose there is little point in sitting around waiting for it to cool off. I could go for a fly, I thought as I stood up. I took a moment to stretch before spreading my wings and taking to the skies. Besides, I desperately needed to find something to eat, with winter quickly closing in, not only would food be more scarce, but stealing fruits and vegetables from the nearest town would prove even greater a challenge. I stayed a good distance above the trees as I went. Not particularly going in any specific direction, gliding whenever I could to keep from getting too sore. Sometimes I aimed for a few of the clouds, getting a refreshing splash of mist to the face as I flew through them. As I flew, I caught sight of a brilliant bright light in a huge clearing below me. Curiosity got the better of me and I flew down to get a better look at what had drawn me in. Below me I saw a huge perfect circle of perfectly still water that reflected the moonlight as if it were a mirror. I had been out this way more than once, why had I only noticed this now? I glided down, landing ungracefully next to it. The pool was enclosed by a circle of smooth gray stone. The water was like looking into the sky! In fact, I had to poke it with my hoof just to make sure it was water. My hoof broke the stillness and sent out a small cascading ripple through the whole pool. Upon further inspection I noticed for having been in the middle of nowhere, the water looked surprisingly clean. Almost if it had been maintained... Ignoring the implications, I leaned down over the stone and took an experimental sip before beginning to drink. The water was nice, cold and clean! I swear it almost felt too good to drink, like there was something in it besides just water, but I couldn't quite put my hoof on it. Not that I cared, so much for the crappy river water I had collected earlier, I thought. Lifting my head up for a breath, I looked up at the moon and smiled. “Who are you?” the soft voice of a mare spoke out from behind me. I jumped startled; I hadn't expected anypony else to be out here! I turned, wiping the water from my muzzle. An excuse was already formulating in my mind as I spun around. Though the moment I turned all of my thoughts shattered into tiny pieces, and I almost lost my balance as I saw who stood there in front of me! Her beautiful dark blue coat glistened in the moonlight, her dark blue and purple mane fading into and ending in swirling starlight. She was wearing a slick black dress coat, it looked so light I imagined it didn't do much for her in the cold. I saw her black cutie mark with a bright crescent moon upon its center. Her narrow, bluish teal, bright piercing eyes glanced me up and down, her wings bristling slightly. The dark alicorn stood there awaiting my response. “I umm, you!” I stammered, “stars! I umm, I mean,” I quickly tried to sort out my mane and matted coat before throwing myself onto the ground. “Princess Luna...” I breathed; my head bowed. She tilted her head, “yes that is who I am,” she stepped closer, “but I believe I asked who you are?” She averred, gesturing for me to rise. I felt my heart running a million miles a second! I was still trying to process that the Goddess of the Night, Princess Luna of all ponies was talking to me! Me! I mean what in the stars was she even doing out here!? “I, my name is Cresce-, uhh Crescent Feather,” I stuttered looking up into her beautiful eyes. “Well then,” she started, trotting past me with an eyebrow raised, “what are you doing out here all alone in the dark Feather, shouldn't you be inside somewhere? Asleep, where it is safe?” She scoffed indignantly, rolling her eyes before turning to look at the moonlit pool. “Not exactly,” I responded hesitantly, “I don't actually sleep during the night,” I shuffled my hooves nervously. “Let alone really have a place to sleep,” I added quietly to myself. That seemed to catch her by surprise, “oh, is that so?” She murmured, turning to look at me. It was then that I saw her notice what I had hoped she wouldn't... “Oh, stars what's happened to you?” she gasped, eyes wide, as her professional demeanor dropped to one of worry and concern. I looked down at my hooves, “I'm so sorry, if I'd known that I'd meet you out here of all ponies, I would have made more of an effort to clean myself up,” I murmured, looking away with shame. “You look...” she lost her words, “are you all alone out here?” I nodded as I scrunched back, not wanting to look her in the eyes. “Stars, for how long?” “Years…” I replied quietly as I looked away with shame. She looked shocked, and I shuffled my hooves in embarrassment. I've looked up to Princess Luna since I was a little filly, this was the one pony in all of Equestria who might understand! I would have killed to just be able to talk to her! But now that she’s here… Right here in front of me… What could I say? Why would someone like her ever care about someone as filthy and broken as me? How silly she must think I am. “What about your family? What about your home? Friends?” she queried. I shook my head and spoke hesitantly, “all I have is your night,” I murmured. I looked back at my cutie mark, I caught her looking at it as well. “What do you mean?” She asked, her tone shifting from one of pity to rather one of surprise and curiosity. “I... Well,” I paused, should I tell her? I've never told anypony before. Would she even care? “It’s fine Princess, really,” I stammered, “you need not trouble yourself.” The little pony in my head screamed at me to just turn and run away! The demands from my panicked mind, however, didn't seem to translate to my legs which were completely locked in place. “I will be the judge of what I should or should not be troubled with,” she growled, “now I believe I asked you a question.” I backstepped a little at her tone. but her gaze wasn’t one of cruelty or impatience, instead she actually looked, hopeful? I shuffled my hooves again before taking a long breath, hesitantly, I told her the story of how I had gotten my cutie mark, wincing in certain parts as I told her. Her gaze remained nothing but respectful as she listened intently. It was as though she had me in some sort of trance. I just couldn't stop myself as I poured my heart out to the dark Princess, whom I had only just met. I looked up and saw she was now watching me with curiosity and a degree of sadness towards me that I had never seen on another pony before. “Please go on,” she urged. I looked away, knowing what I was about to say was just going to sound either silly or insane. “I…uh, I ran away, and I, I've lived in the dark ever since.” I murmured nervously. I had never told anypony that before, why was I telling her! Why had I told her? Was it just because I hadn't talked to anypony in so long? I suppose being who she was, I guess it was just easy for me to talk to her? Without warning she threw her hooves around me in a hug. I swear it felt like my heart was about to explode from my chest! This was the mare who I had idealized my entire life, I had only ever dreamed of meeting her! And now I was here in her arms of all things! In her arms! It just seemed so surreal. My mind was squeeing like a little filly who just got her cutie mark! I finally relaxed and let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. She smelled... Clean, was all I could think, clean and sweet, I felt ashamed that I was so filthy in comparison. Still, I wished she would hold me like this forever... “I thought I was the only one,” She breathed. Only a moment passed but it felt like an eternity, “sorry,” she stuttered, shaking her head and letting go. Taking a step back, she wiped her eyes before returning her gaze to me. I had to take a moment to compose myself as well. “What do you mean the only one?” I asked. “You’re saying you're nocturnal, are you not?” she replied with a hopeful smile. I nodded and she regarded me for several moments before continuing, “my entire life, I assumed ponies like you, ponies like me, didn't exist anymore. I had never found any, so I stopped searching, I thought I was the only one.” She took a breath before closing her eyes. A second later and she opened them again. My own eyes widened as I stared back at her. Princess Luna now looked at me skeptically with sharp nocturnal slitted eyes, It almost reminded me of a cat's eyes, or a snake’s… “Does this frighten you?” I backstepped and sorted myself before taking a calming breath and looking back up at her. “No, of course not, you just caught me off guard, I've never seen eyes like those before.” The dark mare smiled, “these are my real eyes, what you saw before was simply an illusion I portray to avoid any… harsh, reactions from others.” I could understand that, most ponies might be terrified if they saw eyes like that, I suppose I don't really know why I wasn't. Perhaps it's because I've always dreamed of meeting the Dark Princess? The more I looked at her eyes, the more I actually began to like them better; and besides, I knew what it was like to be different. “If it's any consolation, I actually think they're quite lovely.” I said, hoping my compliment didn't sound too weird or out of place. “I appreciate that Feather.” Luna said with a small smile. She paused for a moment as she regarded me. “Why don't you come back with me.” The starlit mare offered with a smile. “Wha- what!?” “We’ll get you cleaned up and perhaps…” she paused thoughtfully for a moment, looking up at the moon. “Perhaps I could find a place for you at mine and my sister's castle?” I sat down hard. “But you've only just met me, how could you offer me such a thing?” I gasped, still not believing what I had just heard. “I may have only just met you Feather, but having heard what you said, I wouldn't feel right abandoning somepony who has so clearly dedicated their life to my night.” She was serious! She was actually serious! I can't believe it! “I… I don't know what to say,” I stammered, feeling tears beginning to pool up in my eyes. “You don't need to say anything,” she whispered softly, her tone somber, “I too, know what it's like to be alone...” I was in shock; I still couldn't believe what had just happened. “Thank you, Princess.” was all I could think to say as I bowed my head. “Come,” She prompted, gesturing with a wing for me to follow as she pushed off the ground far more gracefully than I did as I strained my wings to join her. ___ We were flying for quite a long time; my wings were beyond sore as we made our way through another stretch of grassy hills. I could see the silhouette of Canterlot way off in the distance, but it became more obscured the further we went. The beginnings of a dark forest eventually came into view below, and I could see Luna and Celestia’s grand castle begin to crest on the horizon. “Princess, can I ask you something?” I asked as I flew closer up to her, wobbling a little from the wind. “Of course,” came the response. “If I'm not being too intrusive, what were you doing so far out away from your home?” I asked. I knew she had to have been out there for a reason and as much as I wanted it to be, I knew that reason definitely wasn't me. She looked out into the horizon, “sometimes even I have to get away from everypony, more specifically my sister,” she shook her head with frustration. “I swear sometimes she just makes me want to-” she made a strangling gesture with her hooves before giving a little laugh, “you get the idea.” She glanced back at me, saw the exhausted expression on my face, and thankfully slowed her pace. “Besides,” she continued, “I found that moon pool when I was just a filly a little over two centuries years ago. I've always found it a good place to clear my head.” My eyes widened, two centuries! I mean I knew she was immortal, but I guess I never took too much time to really think about what that meant. I couldn't imagine living forever let alone as long as she already had. In retrospect I supposed being around for two hundred-ish years was still nothing compared to the eternity that stood in front of her, I could only imagine how she must feel. “I can't imagine what it must be like to live forever,” I commented as we flew, the castle in the distance not looking so distant anymore as I began to see the details of the grand structure. There were several pointed towers stretching far up into the sky doubling the length of the trees below. The walls of the towers were made up of dark dull gray stone, and at their base they together joined a much larger massive main structure. The main structure was composed of a darker colored stone than that of the towers, spacing out the dull gray were beautifully stained-glass windows of light blues and the occasional reflective pink. All together the grand castle was, well… grand. Below said massive castle was a beautiful well-kept courtyard; a stone path lined with statues of the two regal sisters led all the way to the giant staircase leading to the castle's main entrance. Even further beyond that, were a collection of smaller buildings I only assumed were for staff or the royal guard. “It is hardly as dreadful as one might think,” she responded, “in fact as daunting as it was at first, I have rather come to enjoy the prospect,” she looked thoughtfully into the distance. “I mean think of all the things I'll be able to witness, all of the history! Fantasies of the distant future could eventually become a reality given enough time,” she laughed dryly, “and time is not a commodity that I am in short supply of, believe me.” “I suppose I never thought of it like that” I responded, maybe thinking from that perspective, being immortal might not be so bad after all. Still, I couldn't imagine it. Finally, we arrived! I followed Princess Luna down to the courtyard and we landed-- well I basically crashed-- at the base of the stone stairs that led to the massive door of the structure that looked even more impressive now that I was on the ground. “Ouch… that didn't look fun,” she gave me a concerned yet amused look as she helped me to my hooves, “are you alright?” “Fine,” I responded, quickly dusting myself off and flushing with embarrassment, “just sore.” Looking around I noticed to my dismay that all of the statues I had thought were of the two sisters surrounding the castle, were instead just that of Luna's sister. Upon further inspection, looking up the walls of the castle, I noticed the many banners; all of which boasted a sun insignia in their center. I reeled, “where are the statues of you, where are the tapestries and banners of the moon!” I demanded, spinning about and doing a double take of my surroundings. She gave me a look of surprise. “This is disrespectful, it’s as if you don't-” “Exist...” she finished my sentence for me, I blinked turning towards her. “It's fine, I'm used to it,” she replied looking down, “but...” she perked up. “You're different, you're not like the rest, I matter to you… Right?” she asked, giving me a look of anticipation. “Of course, obviously,” I reassured her, “I've looked up to you my entire life.” She gave me a look of excitement, “I may have just figured out what place you could have here,” she beamed. “Now I know we just met, and I know it's sudden, but I've lived for over two hundred years, and I have yet to meet another pony who shares my ideals like you do, it would be foolish of me to let this opportunity pass me by.” She took a breath, “Feather, how would you like to serve me? Perhaps in time, maybe even become my personal Regent?” she asked with a hopeful smile. My eyes widened, I had no idea what that entailed, but I didn't care, I couldn't have been more thrilled that Princess Luna of all ponies had offered me anything at all! “I, uhh... I would be honored!” I stammered barely managing to keep myself from bouncing with excitement. “Just what exactly would that imply?” I asked, hoping I didn't sound too uneducated. "It means you would serve me however I deem fit, what I had in mind is that you are to be my personal guard, assistant, a pony whom I can count on.” “Oh,” I muttered as my head drooped, “sorry to say but I don't have much in the way of combat experience, nor am I very organized, I've also never had anypony depend on me before so I don't know how much use I would be to you,” I admitted sadly. As much as I wanted to serve Luna, I couldn't lie to her, I was woefully ill equipped for such a position. In fact, I was surprised she had even offered it to me in the first place, I'd just be letting her down… Stars, I was pathetic, even I was starting to look at myself with disgust. The last thing I wanted was for her to look at me with pity or judgment, the same look ponies have given me my entire life, but instead, she smiled at me with a grin nearing amusement... “I don't care,” she said brightly as she lifted my head up with her hoof, “as utterly sad as it is to say, you have already demonstrated more loyalty to me tonight than anypony has in a very long time.” “If you're willing, I will teach you how to defend not only yourself, but me as well, you will learn how to carry yourself with professionalism and dignity,” she stated with clarity. In a darker, more seductive tone she continued. “Given enough time, I will turn you into my weapon, my loyal soldier,” She took a step back. “How does that sound?” I was baffled, I can't believe Princess Luna wants to train me! I thought with excitement, I couldn't believe she would bother to take the time on somepony like me! I looked back towards the tall, beautiful dark mare who was awaiting my response. “I would like nothing more,” I responded, bowing my head respectfully. “Good,” she purred. “We will begin as soon as tomorrow night. In the meantime, let's get you cleaned up, and then you can tell me more about yourself,” she prompted, gesturing for me to follow her up the stairs, “and food, I'll have the kitchen prepare you the best meal of your life.” Clearly amused by my expression she grinned back at me. “Coming?” I took a deep breath, finally for the first time in my life I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. I smiled as I followed after her. Author's Note Oh this first chapter took me a while to get it to a place where I liked it enough to post. I have already written most of this story and will be posting more chapters soon. I appreciate any feed back and thank you for being interested in my little (not so little) story.
Chapter Two: IndebtedChapter Two Indebted As we made our way up the stairs to the castle’s main entrance, we approached two unicorn guards. Both guards wore heavy metal armor of bright yellow, with a small sun pendant in the center of the chest piece, both of their cutie marks were covered by the metal plates of their armor. One of the guards was a cute, light gray unicorn mare with piercing red eyes and a short almost candy red mane that was tucked mostly behind her helmet. She even had a necklace of a little sun dawning around her neck. “You're new to my sister's ranks are you not, Ruby wasn't it?” Luna began with a smile, “enjoying your night shift, I hope?” “As well as I can ma’am, I was up most of the day going through drills,” the gray soldier mare yawned giving a tired blink, “and this one hasn’t made my job any easier.” Her eyes pointed accusingly at her unconscious compatriot whom was snoring louder than a manticore. He was a bright green stallion with a yellow mane, and a little on the weighty side. I noticed he not only had a sword but also had a very fancy looking flintlock strapped to one of his hind legs. His helmet had half fallen over his face and every time he snored the faceplate lifted and fell with a small clank; I couldn't help but stifle a laugh. “I've got just the thing,” Luna purred mischievously as her horn glowed with soft blue light, shadows seeming to emanate from the base. She pointed her horn at the comatosed stallion for a moment before looking back to the gray mare. “What did you just do?” Ruby asked, confused. “Give it a moment,” Luna smirked. Suddenly the green stallion jumped to his hooves in a panic, sweat running down his face, his yellow eyes pinpricks as he darted his head from side to side. Upon seeing the Princess, he straightened up giving a salute before rambling, “Awake and at the ready ma’am, I mean I was awake the whole time! why would I be sleeping, I wasn't sleeping!” he attested, eyes darting back and forth, his forehoof still glued to his face in a salute. Ruby face hoofed. “You’re welcome,” the Princess whispered to Ruby, rolling her eyes with a smirk and trotting past the two as I followed up behind. Apparently the two guards hadn't even noticed me until now. Story of my life... “What the... Hey how did you even get here!? Here to beg for scraps, are we?” Ruby droned. Ruby drew a sword with her magic, the green stallion drawing his flintlock in turn. I gulped. Luna, faster than lightning spun around, and slammed her hoof down on Ruby's sword hard enough that it snapped out of the gray unicorn's red magical grasp. It made a loud clang, hitting the ground forcefully with Luna's hoof still on it. “This is Feather, and as of now she is in my personal service, you would do well to treat her with respect,” she demanded coldly. Her tone never shifted away from calm, but clearly she had terrified the cute gray mare to the bone. “Pu- Put your weapon down Sunny,” Ruby commanded with a glare towards the stallion. “Apologizes Princess,” Ruby began, bowing her head, “it's just, the way she looks, I thought,” a glare from Luna warned her that it would be very unwise to finish that sentence. Instead, Ruby just stayed quiet and stepped to the side, head bowed, allowing me to pass. “I'm sorry, it’s not your fault,” I whispered, feeling guilty as I passed her. I followed Luna inside, the giant door closing behind us. She stopped and spun on me, her eyes turning back to slits. “Never apologize for the ignorance of others! She demanded, stomping a hoof down in anger, feathers bristling. “You must learn that you are much better than that, you don't deserve to be treated with any kind of disrespect,” She stated matter of factly, looking past me and back at the door with a cold stare. I got the distinct impression that her anger went far beyond the minor incident that had just occurred. She was right though, I shouldn't have felt the need to apologize, I hadn't done anything wrong after all. “Yes Princess,” I straightened up, “it won't happen again.”. My response seemed to distract her from her thoughts as she blinked and returned her attention to me. “Good,” she replied, relaxing with a smile before turning back and continuing down the hallway. I quickly followed. “What did you do to that guard pony anyways?” I asked as we continued along. She chuckled clearly happy for the change of topic, “oh, just a little nightmare of whatever his worst fear was, apparently peanut butter, if you can believe it.” “Really? peanut butter?” I chuckled, “Also, you can do that?” “Of course, I can walk through any ponies’ dreams if their guard is down or they are weak minded,” she paused, “or if they just let me in but that never happens,” she added dryly. “That's amazing,” I marveled, “also, I would let you into my dreams, not that I even know how to stop you from doing it anyways,” I stammered sheepishly. She laughed a little, “I appreciate that,” she murmured. As we continued, we thankfully managed to avoid any more of the castle guards who might question my more... Unseemly appearance. As we made our way to the top of a grand spiral staircase, I started really thinking about what the Princess had just done for me back there. I stopped. “Thank you princess,” I started to say, and she looked back at me confused. “For what?” “Well, all of this for starters, I never thought I'd be lucky enough to ever meet you let alone have the chance to serve you, but more specifically,” I paused, “thank you for standing up for me back there. Nopony has ever done anything like that for me before.” She looked a touch sad, and surprised, “I was just doing what any good friend would have done,” she replied smoothly. My heart skipped a beat. “Besides, if you are to be my Regent now, I can't have ponies showing you any kind of disrespect, that would in extension, be the same as disrespecting me,” she nodded matter of factly. “Wait,” I paused, still hanging on to what she had just said, “do you really consider me your friend? You've only just met me,” I asked in surprise and anticipation of the answer. She paused, seeming to ask herself the same question. “Well, I suppose I do to an extent, yes.” She looked at me thoughtfully, “I mean I may have only known you for less than a night, but in that short time you've done nothing but prove yourself loyal and willing to serve.” she smiled. “You surprise me, Feather.” I turned my head so she wouldn't see me blush. “Now come,” she prompted, “we really need to get you a shower, as well as some new clothes,” she added, waving a hoof to my torn barding. We turned, trotting down another hallway to a door on the far end. As we approached, I noticed a little crescent moon on the door’s handle. The door itself looked incredibly old and seemed to be made from a darker wood than any of the other doors I had seen on the way here. The handle of the door glowed a soft blue as Luna pulled it open with her magic. It let out a slight creek as it was pulled back to reveal an impressive suite. The room was huge! The wall in the far back being made entirely from glass as on the other side was a balcony that overlooked the castle's courtyard. Unlike the rest of the castle, there was no candlelight, instead, only moonlight shined through the window, providing a soft blue glow throughout the whole room. A grand bed with black and dark purple sheets rested on the right side of the room. It looked more comfortable than anything I had ever had the privilege of seeing before -- well, aside from clouds-- I thought. A dark gray corner couch was to my immediate left and following along the left wall across from the bed was a short archway that led into another extension of the room. We trotted inside. “Welcome to my home,” she smiled, gesturing around the room with her forehoof, “well technically the castle is my home, but this is where I spend most of my time.” Now I could see past that small archway into the other part of the room, it appeared to be a small study with another door at the end of it. She led me to that door at the end and opened it with her magic to reveal a pristine washroom. A large square shower stood in the center against the back wall, a very fancy tub sat on the right, and the left wall held a large mirror above a sink and cupboard. “There should be all kinds of soap in that bottom drawer,” she gestured with a hoof, “try not to use all of the hot water, I intend on taking a shower soon after you.” “There's hot water!” I gasped, rushing to the cabinet and pulling out 6 different kinds of soap. I was ecstatic with excitement at the thought of taking a proper shower! I don't think I’ve had a proper shower in, well ever! And washing myself in the river every night didn't count. “You have no idea how much this means to me!” I exclaimed, turning to her, “thank you!” She looked sad, “you should have never been denied basic things like this, I'm so sorry for everything you must have gone through Feather.” My smile faded, “there's no need to be sorry,” I tried to reassure her, “it's not your fault.” I didn't seem to convince her. “Hey, never apologize for the ignorance of others, remember?” She smiled and lightly shoved my shoulder with a hoof, “that's not fair” she laughed, “now hurry and take a shower,” she urged, giving me a push before closing the door. My focus returned to the many soapy options that laid before me, I rubbed my hooves together diabolically. “So many options!” I chuckled as my eyes went back and forth. I ended up grabbing the charcoal soap, it just smelled clean. I wondered if it was the same soap the Princess used? Throwing my ruined barding in the trash, I turned the knob on the shower and waited a moment before stepping in. The hot water hit my face and soaked into my mane and tail, giving me a shiver of delight as I just stood there with my eyes closed. This was so wonderful… After-- to say the least -- a lot of scrubbing and rinsing, I finally stepped out and grabbed one of the black towels from its rack before drying myself off. I looked into the mirror, my white coat was clean and smooth, and a little poofed from having just been dried. My silver mane was unstained and clean. My feathers looked a lot healthier, and I even smelled good! I couldn't help but smile. I was a little on the skinny side but damn! for the first time in a long time I actually looked good! I grabbed a brush from the table with a wing as I began to work on my mane, it took a while, but I eventually got it brushed out. My mane was much longer than I thought now that I saw it all smoothed out. I scoured the drawers for some scissors, and it didn't take me long to find a pair. I took a breath before I began to cut away as carefully as I could, giving myself a much shorter mane. I cut one side of my mane relatively short and left the bangs of the other side to hang down just past my neck. I finished by cutting some of the back part of my mane so that it was much more manageable, I even took the opportunity to trim and brush my tail! And lastly, I found one of several seemingly spare toothbrushes and floss to properly clean my teeth. Despite my isolation I normally did a pretty good job of taking care of my teeth, but it was nice to really go to work on them in a proper washroom without the need for an old stolen toothbrush. After rinsing my mouth, shaking away all the excess hair and sweeping it into the trash, I grabbed the brush and did my best to restyle my now clean mane. “I actually look good,” I murmured in surprise, giving a little toss of my mane. I only hoped Luna thought so. I opened the door and stepped back into the study. Trotting back into the bedroom, through the window I saw Luna standing on the balcony. I noticed that on the bed there were clothes laid out, I only assumed they were for me. I heard the balcony door slide open and Luna stepped back inside. “Oh, good your finally ou-” she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening a little as she regarded me, “You look…” “Crap did I mess up cutting my mane that badly?” I interjected, panic quickly taking over me, “it looks terrible, doesn't it?” I asked fretfully, wanting to bury my head in my hooves. “Actually, I was going to say that you look beautiful.” And like that, all feeling in my legs completely disappeared. I would have fallen over from the compliment had I not been leaning against the bed. I blushed hard. “I ahh,” I swallowed not knowing what to say. She chuckled, rolling her eyes before redirecting my attention with her hoof to the clothes on the bed. There on the bed lay the same black slick dress/jacket she was wearing, except the sleeves looked cut off and folded at the ends probably to account for the fact that I was much shorter than her. There was a pendant of a crescent moon intended to fit onto a collar and a simple crescent moon necklace forged from silver, there was a hair tie as well. I saw the excited expression on Luna's face as I pulled on the jacket. “So how does it fit?” she asked while using her magic to make little adjustments to the jacket’s collar and the rest of the impromptu uniform. “Great,” I said, half paying attention. I was still focused on what she had just said to me, and I decided to let myself daydream about the dark mare while she was struggling to attach the moon pendant to my collar. She is beautiful and powerful, I thought. And her voice is so soft and calming, and those eyes… She had saved me; I suppose in more ways than one. I smiled, I could imagine her muzzle running down my neck, it gave me shivers just thinking about it, I could imagine her holding me down and… She caught me staring. I blinked, snapping myself out of my fantasy. “So, you still haven't answered my question,” she denoted impatiently. “I, uhh.. hmmm?” “I asked you what you think of your new uniform,” she prompted with a smile, “well, temporary uniform, at least until I can have something proper made.” I moved over to the window to look at my faded reflection. Luna had finished putting the necklace on as well as using the hair tie to move my mane out of my face, in addition to the pendant I was looking professional, classy even. “Wow,” I murmured, impressed. “Wow indeed,” she agreed. I looked past my own reflection to notice that the sun was just starting to crest the horizon. Seeing my confusion she started, “I lowered the moon while you were getting cleaned up, that's what I was doing out on the balcony.” It wasn't until now that I realized just how tired I was, I could barely stand let alone keep my eyes open. I felt her magic begin to undo and pull off my impromptu uniform. “It's already dawn, we should both get some rest,'' she prompted with a yawn as she tossed my uniform on the couch. “But don't think I forgot your food, stars you look like your starving,” she commented, floating a covered tray from her bedside table and lifting it to reveal a salad that looked like it had just about every fruit in it she could get her hooves on, as well as --I noticed -- some cooked fish. Ponies don't normally ever eat meat, but some tend to make an exception for fish. I was more than relieved to see the Princess was one such pony. “Oh, thank you! Thank you!” I squeed as I went to dig in. Quickly the plate was swiped away from me. I looked back at her pleading. “I know you're starving, but you serve me now, and as my servant, I expect you to have proper manners and professionalism. Now sit and remember to be proper.” I nodded and did as she said. Only unicorns could use silverware without struggling, but I still took my time and did my best to eat as properly as possible. Going slow and not stuffing my face was almost painful with how hungry I was. The Dark Princess had retreated to her study while I ate; and I could hear the faint sound of a quill against paper. Letting her know I had finished and putting the tray outside the door for the wait staff, I went to lay down on the couch, my eyes heavy. I'm happy, I realized, like actually truly happy. It was an odd sensation, but I welcomed it with a smile as I laid down. “Don't you dare fall asleep like that,” Luna chuckled as she trotted out from her study,“get up.” I groaned but got off the couch all the same. Using her magic, she pulled on a tab under one of the cushions which made the top of the couch fold open into a mattress, she then floated a couple of extra pillows from her bed and set them down on it. “Hold on,” she fretted as she trotted to a drawer and pulled out some extra sheets. With a glow from her horn, she quickly and neatly set them over the bed. “There,” she said with a nod, “normally I would have just offered you one of the guest rooms, but seeing that you're nocturnal like me, I figure you'll probably be hard pressed to fall asleep in a room that fills with sunlight during the day.” She then closed her eyes and her horn glowed, again I saw shadows seem to swirl around it as they had when she gave that guard pony a nightmare. Suddenly those shadows emitting from her horn slowly covered the entire room in darkness, completely blocking any and all light from the window, and anywhere else for that matter. It was dark, but not dark enough that I couldn't see, as straining as it was. Her horn stopped glowing and she looked at me, my impressed expression making her smile. “Can’t have the bright scorching sunlight shining into the room now, can we? We would never be able to fall asleep.” She regarded me for a moment. “So, as I said, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to bring you into my service, however I believe you still owe me a story,” she paused, “So, Feather, tell me about yourself.” she directed, leaning against her own bed with a curious expression. “Well Princess,” I began, sitting down on the couch bed, “There isn't much to tell,” I admitted, “Like you, I despise the daylight. Also, I just don't really like other ponies... excluding you of course,” I added quickly. “I love the quiet, I love your night, I've done my best to forget about the ‘things’ that happened to me before I started living in your night, so if it's alright with you I'd rather not try and stir up old painful memories. Besides that, I've been surviving on my own for years now.'' I took a breath, trying to think of anything else she might consider important. “I uhh, got my cutie mark when I was around fourteen years old, and I know I'm in my twenties now… twenty-one or twenty-two I think, I'm not sure, I suppose I've only vaguely bothered to keep track, which means I've been isolated now for like seven years, maybe eight, all of which have been pretty uneventful.” “That sounds awful, I'm so sorry you've been alone for so long Feather,” she murmured. “It wasn't as bad as it sounds, it was a thousand time better than living the way I had before I got my cutie mark, your night saved me,” I admitted. I shuffled my hooves and lowered my head with embarrassment, “you should know… I would steal food and supplies a lot from different towns. I'm sorry, but I don't want to keep any secrets from you, and I thought you should know.” She frowned, “I figured. Though it hardly matters, anypony in your position would have done the same. That's in the past now.” “Aren't you afraid that makes me untrustworthy?” I asked sadly. “Don't worry Feather, I know you’re not trying to deceive me. I can see it in your eyes.” I straightened up, “I would never hurt you, never steal from you, never lie to you,” I said firmly, meaning every single word. She smiled, “well, I think I've heard all I needed to hear,” she paused, “you don't have to be alone anymore Feather, our kind shouldn't have to suffer like you already have,” she stepped towards me, “you can let go of all your past now Feather. if you want it, your future can be in service to me now.” “I do, I want it more than anything,” I said bowing, pleading! The dark Princess grinned from ear to ear, “Good, now get some rest, we are going to have a busy night ahead of us tomorrow,” she yawned, before turning and trotting over to the washroom. A few moments later I heard the shower kick on. I can't believe Luna actually seems to care about me, I thought with a smile. “Nopony has ever cared about me before...” I murmured. I laid down on the couch bed stretching my wings out and taking a breath. I had to be careful sleeping tonight, I thought with amusement as I closed my eyes. The comfort of where I was threatening to drag me into sleep almost immediately. If she didn't already suspect that I was head over heels for her, the last thing I needed was for her to discover how hard I was crushing on her through my dreams. Because I knew I wouldn't be able to keep her out of my head, nor did I really actually want to. So instead of her I decided to try and think about my future under her command. I am definitely excited to start training with her tomorrow night. I lay there thinking about all the ways I could improve my demeanor and be more professional and calculated like I knew she wanted. It didn't help however as my mind kept drifting back to her in a more, romantic way... Luna expects a certain level of professional integrity from you now. I told myself, still my thoughts stayed fixed on the dark mare. Ahh pony feathers... Instead of fighting it, I let the beautiful mare consume all of my thoughts as I let out a breath and felt the claws of sleep drag me into the dark. Author's Note Chapter two yay! I hope I managed to find and fix all the little errors, I've had this fic in a folder for so long that coming back to it with new eyes and more experience has definitely been a rollercoaster of rewriting, but I can't wait to post more of this :)
Chapter Four: Dark CreaturesChapter Four Dark Creatures Luna threw me to the ground, the dark mare's hooves threatening to turn my skull into paste! I kicked out from under her milliseconds before she brought her hooves down. The razor-sharp blade of her scythe came to bear as I barely managed to block her counterattack with wing blades of my own, however, as I did so, her horn flared and my legs were swept out from under me. I crashed into the snow-covered ground hard and blinked to see her blade at my throat. “Not fair!” I groaned, rubbing my head with a forehoof. She stepped back, helping me up with a hoof, her magical scythe retracting down to its more manageable size before she holstered it back onto her side. “Never expect your opponent to have integrity,” she paced back and forth, “your enemy will not fight fair, so why should I?” What enemy? “What should you have done in that situation?” she asked coldly, eyes narrowed. “I should have used my wings to keep from falling…” “And then?” “And then I should have tackled you, or pushed in close with my wings?” I responded, not too sure if I was correct or not. “Tackling me might have worked, however what if you were not just fighting one pony. Doing such a thing would have left you vulnerable. You should have pushed in close with your wings to finish the fight quickly.” Luna paused, lightening her tone as she added, “but I am proud of you Feather, and impressed to say that you have made major improvement in these past few months.” Her expression turned to one of worry however as she looked all over me. “What is it?” I asked. Since I've been training with Luna and serving her, I've gotten a lot more comfortable being around her, and outside of our training sessions she had become much more casual in her speaking to me, and I with her. “Are you hurt?” she replied worriedly, while continuing to look me over, “I smell blood.” I noticed the small ebbing pain underneath my muzzle, “oh, yes I'm fine,” I reassured her, “I think you just nicked me in that last session is all...” I paused, doing a double take, “wait you could smell that?” I asked, impressed. Ignoring my comment, she rushed up to me and lifted my muzzle with her hoof. “It's fine, like I said it's just a tiny nick.” “I'll be the judge of that,” she insisted. After a moment her gaze lightened, “yes, you're fine, an inch to your left however and you'd be quite the opposite.” Her actions betrayed her words however as she continued to lift my chin with her hoof and stay fixated on the wound. Though I noticed she didn't look worried, in fact the way she was looking at me almost made me blush! This went on for sometime before I cleared my throat, snapping her out of her fixation. To be honest I probably would have let her do that all night if it meant she’d keep looking at me like that... She smiled, “sorry, I was lost in thought,” she stammered before regaining her composure, “Anyways your new uniform should be ready for us to retrieve tomorrow.” “Tomorrow?” I groaned, “as in, during the day tomorrow?” “Yes, unfortunately that is the only time the armorer of that town is available,” she gave a disgusted snort, “it's not ideal, but we will have to make due.” I haven't been in real sunlight since I was a little filly, I thought. “When's the last time you've been in the sun?” I asked out of curiosity as I stretched my wings. “Well, I try to avoid it best I can, but earlier this year I was forced into it by my sister who for some inexplicable reason thought it was of the upmost importance for me to be present when she cut some stupid ribbon to announce the opening of... Stars I don't even remember,” She tapped the ground with her hoof, “something unimportant,” she finished. “Did… did it hurt?” She looked at me confused. “Physically I mean.” “I suppose it wasn't pleasant, the light does hurt, but other than decimating my sleep schedule and giving me a pulsating headache, It wasn't the worst thing in the world,” Luna looked at me concerned, “why, when's the last time you've been in the sun?” she questioned. “Not since I was a little filly,” I admitted sheepishly. She looked impressed, “I envy that,” she murmured quietly before continuing, “how well can you see right now?” I looked around the clearing, “crystal clear… why?” “Well because it's dark,” she said flatly, pointing a hoof at the sky. She started laughing, “well, you may, or may not be a little blind during the day,” she chuckled. “Wait what!” I exclaimed. She kept laughing. “Hey, that's not funny!” I said with a little indignant stomp of my hoof. Her laughter picked up, “oh and you think my headache was bad, I’d wager that you’ll be puking your guts out once we return home!” Giggling for a few more moments she stopped and wiped a tear from her eye, “I'm sorry, I suppose I just find this so funny, because it's the first time I've ever seen another pony go through this.” I rolled my eyes, seeing the humor but still freaked out that I might go temporarily blind tomorrow. “Don't worry, I know a spell that will help with the pain, I'll use it on you as soon as we get back, I promise,” she said with a smile. “It's actually not even really a spell, but I know it will make you feel better." She smiled sweetly at me, “I've wanted to use it on you for a while now anyways.” “What kind of spell?” I asked. “Don't worry about it just yet,” she grinned, “but know that I am truly sorry for waiting so long to use it on you. “Why is that?” I asked, curious. “You'll know soon enough,” she smiled. I couldn't tell if she was seriously talking about some kind of spell or if she was being implicative of something else, maybe something more romantic? No, as much as I'd love for that fantasy to come true, I knew Luna well enough to know even she wouldn't tease me that hard, besides, the look in her eyes wasn't one of seduction. No this was something else, but why be so vague? What spell could she have possibly wanted to use on me all this time? Something that will make me feel better? If she was going to use some kind of healing spell or muscle relaxing spell she would have just said as much, but those aren't anything long term that she would have waited to use. It was no use, no matter how hard I tried guessing what she meant, none of my answers made any sense. I shrugged and went back to stretching my sore wings while she spoke. “Anyways, as far as our sleep schedule goes, we just won't go to sleep this morning, instead, around eight after my sister raises the sun, we will just bite the steel and get this out of the way,” she said with a firm nod. “Then we can pass out?” “Yes Feather, then we can pass out,” she rolled her eyes, before looking up at the moon. “I'm glad somepony appreciates my night,” she murmured before turning to me with a smile. She paused and regarded me for a long time. “Why don’t we go get something to eat,” she prompted, “I'll have the castle’s chef make us some salmon rolls,” she suggested with a lick of her lips, “I'll have the dining hall set up all nice for just the two of us,” she smiled as she turned to start heading back. I stood there frozen. “Coming Feather?” “Mmhmm,” I nodded as I followed behind her, heart racing. I had never had dinner with her before! well I had, almost all of the time in fact, but at least not like this! Was this a date? I asked myself as we continued along the path through the courtyard. I was both terrified and delighted at the prospect, if it was a date, I had no idea what I was going to say or how it might go. Or maybe my previous sentiment of thinking she wouldn't tease me this hard was foalishly founded. I admit at this point, my feelings for Luna had progressed into something far more than just an idle crush, I had fallen for her, hard... And I’m pretty sure she’s noticed... Suddenly I started to put her recent behavior under a rose-colored lens. Maybe this really was a date, after all she had been treating me differently these past few weeks, more sweet than usual, more open whenever we talked. There were a few times when I thought for sure she was about to kiss me, but she would always pull away at the last second… each time I assumed I had misread the situation, but now, maybe I hadn't? Stars I hope that's true. “Just be yourself Feather,” I whispered out loud trying to reassure myself, “and remember posture, and professionalism.” To be honest my posture had gotten a lot better these past few moons, and I was better at carrying myself with dignity and purpose. I no longer walked slouched or clumsily, Instead I carried myself like a soldier, always upright, my mane tied back, and I moved with steady hoof steps. “Hey you two!” Before we could get to the stairs of the grand castle, I heard the familiar voice of Ruby as the gray and candy red mare trotted through the snow up to us. Ruby had been consistently on the nightshift with her partner Sunny these past few weeks, and more than once we had invited her to participate in a couple of our training sessions when she had down time. I suppose she had sort of become our friend in a way. “Hey Ruby,” I called out as she approached. I saw Luna’s pupils quickly take the illusion of being round as Ruby got closer. “So, you two are still at it huh?” she asked, “I can't believe you aren’t freezing out here. I'm shivering and I'm wearing like three layers, plus my armor.” “Both of us are just used to the cold, not to mention it’s sort of hard to stay cold when training with Luna,” I replied. “There’s an innuendo somewhere in that sentence,” Ruby snickered. I blushed hard as I glanced at Luna then at Ruby, “that's not what I- you have a dirty mind!” I squeaked defensively. Luna hardly reacted, in fact she seemed dismissive of Ruby’s teasing. Ruby rolled her eyes, “anyways, mind if I join you two? I finally got some free time tonight.” Yes, actually I do mind. I thought crossly. It was bad enough having Ruby tease me about my feelings for Luna, but for her to do it in front of the Princess was just pouring salt on the wound. The rose-colored lens shattered, and I felt a chill as I realized that Luna was probably not taking me on a date, why would she? She knows damn well that I'm head over hooves for her but unlike me, Ruby’s comment barely got a reaction out of her. I can fantasize all I want, but the truth is, no one could ever really care about me, not in that way at least… But it's fine, I am perfectly happy just serving Luna and living in her night. Luna had given me a purpose after all, I smiled, and that's all I really needed. “Feather and I are actually about to head inside and unfortunately, I have to lower the moon here shortly,” Luna told her with a frown. Ruby gave a tired yawn, “it's fine, I should probably just head to bed early anyways,” she paused, “hopefully my request to be on next week's night shift gets approved and maybe you can teach me some more stuff?” she urged. Luna rolled her eyes, “we’ll see.” “We never learned anything like what you’ve taught me when Sunny and I were in the academy.” Luna rolled her eyes even farther this time, “That's because my sister doesn't know the pointy end of sword from her own ‘sunny’ flank.” I stifled a snicker. Clearly the topic of the academy had pushed some royal buttons, I thought with an amused smile. “And the curriculum she’s designed for the Royal Academy is woefully inadequate when it comes to combat training.” Ruby groaned, “you can say that again, I think I learned more about criminal sociology, and the minutiae of judicial hearings than how to hold a sword properly.” Luna snorted in disgust, and I actually saw anger in her eyes. “Not to say those things aren't important, but they’re priority should be secondary. What does my sister hope to do if another situation like the one with the Crystal Empire should arise? Will she send her ill prepared army? Or will she just throw me at the problem like she always does when things become too difficult for her pathetic moral compass! Luna’s sudden fury had caught me off guard, I even saw her eyes flicker back to slits for just a second! though I don't think Ruby noticed. While Ruby took a cautioned step back, I took a worried step forward. “Princess are you alright?” I asked, putting a hoof on her shoulder. My touch seemed to snap her out of her rage, and I saw her muscles relax as she let out a sigh. “I’m fine, I just… I'd rather not get into it right now.” Ruby took a concerned step forward, “what do you mean your sister would just throw you at the problem?” “I said, I'd rather not get into it right now...” Luna growled. To be honest I wanted to know what she meant by that as well, I knew there was something Luna wasn't telling me about her sister. I mean I get it, she sucks, but there’s more to it than that, I just wish Luna trusted me enough to tell me. Luna lightened her gaze, “tell you what Ruby, I’ll see if I can pull some strings and maybe I can get you a night off where you can train with us as much as you want.” The drama of the previous conversation was killed by Ruby’s expression, “you’d really do that for me?” she asked with an excited squee. Luna nodded. “I'll hold you to that,” Ruby gave an ecstatic smile before practically bouncing away. Luna turned towards me, her eyes returning to their normal nocturnal appearance. Now that I was alone with Luna, the sudden embarrassment of Ruby’s stupid comment she had made earlier immediately came back to the forefront of my mind. I shuffled my hooves awkwardly, “Princess, about what Ruby said... I” Luna silenced me with a wing. “Shh… don’t fret, aside from my sister issues, we were having a good night, and we still can,” Luna smiled and turned to trot up the massive stairs before gesturing with her tail for me to follow. I bowed my head and quickly trotted after her. _ I was woefully tired as we moved through the castle towards the grand dining hall. I don't think I’ve ever been here before; I stifled a laugh, I've been here for over two moons now and this castle was so damn big that I still hadn't seen everything. The grand dining hall was completely void of anypony else, and looked much like the rest of the castle, lots of gray, with tall, pointed windows lining the walls, tapestries of Celestia hung in between most of them. There was a massive table off to the right side of the grand room, a giant purple tablecloth rested across the top of it. Luna however, led me to one of the many smaller tables with a red tablecloth draped across it. “Wait here,” she ordered smoothly before turning to head towards the kitchen staff quarters that were across at the other end of the room. I watched her go, my eyes drifting down her flank momentarily, before I forcefully snapped my eyes back up, “Professionalism, Feather, professionalism,” I scolded myself. A few moments later she returned with a very short, pudgy, angry looking older stallion who had a thick black mustache and mane with a beige coat. “I swear I bout had it up ta here with you royals, what kind a crazy ponies are up this late anyway huh? Whud I do ta deserve this kina treatment huh! I dunt get paid enough for this.” Luna rolled her eyes, “you don't like it? Go complain to my oh so benevolent sister,” she replied flatly. The short pudgy stallion grumbled angrily as he trotted away over to the kitchen grabbing a chef's cap from the hook outside the door before slamming said door behind him. “Sorry about that,” she apologized with an annoyed frown, “Simon might be a piece of work but he's the best chef we have,” she said before sitting down. Her horn glowed and she floated out a bottle of wine with two glasses. “I have no idea if this is any good or not, but I suppose we will find out,” she purred as she poured us both a glass. A second later and she used her horn to ignite the candle in the table's center. What was she doing? Was I really right earlier, was this supposed to be a date? She took a small sip from her glass and gave me a seductive look that gave me chills as she spoke, “so how have you enjoyed being my regent thus far?” The chills faded, no this is something else, not a date. I looked up at her confused, “I don’t understand.” Luna giggled but her seductive smirk soon faded when she saw my baffled expression. “Are you serious? what, do I have to spell it out for you?” she asked, annoyance on the edge of her voice. Ok teasing I can handle but this… this was just cruel, how could she!? I looked down and away with shame, I felt tears begin to pool in my eyes. Suddenly I felt dreadfully tired I just wanted to go back to our room curl up in my blankets. I don’t know what Luna was trying to do, I wanted to believe more than anything that she wanted me in that way, but it just didn’t seem real. “I’m sorry Princess, but I think I’m going to just get some sleep, we can get up later in the day to get my uniform.” I murmured and got up to turn away. My eyes went wide as I felt something wrap tightly around my throat and noticed the faint blue glow. “No,” Luna said her voice approaching a growl. “What?” I stammered, turning back towards her, as I did, her magical grip let me go. For a moment and for the first time ever I was actually afraid of the dark princess, but the moment passed as she gestured softly for me to sit back down. She took a sip of her wine before speaking calmly, “firstly, you do as I say remember, you operate on the schedule that I provide, not your whims,” she took another sip from her glass, “secondly, I demand to know why after all this time fawning over me you turn cold now.” I saw shadows swirl on the edges of her eyes. past them thought I saw the pain and wetness of tears. In a moment my own eyes widened as I realized I had hurt the one pony in the world that I loved more than anything. “Are you trying to manipulate me?” she accused. “What no,” I stammered, “never, I would never hurt you, I’m so sorry I-” I blubbered, I couldn’t keep the tears back anymore and turned away from her as I started to cry. “Oh, I see,” she sighed sympathetically, “oh Feather... you sweet thing I’m sorry,” she murmured quietly, “I understand, I do, you forget that I too know what it's like to be alone, to feel unwanted by everyone else, hated even… I more than anyone know how comfortable it is to be alone in the darkness, to be afraid to feel.” “I…I.” I collapsed to the floor as she continued her slow advance. “You think nopony could ever care about you Feather, and you're right nopony ever could, and no pony ever will, do you know why? She crouched down and put a wing around me. I couldn't respond, I couldn't think, I just stared up at her as tears continued to pour from my eyes. Stars she was right… of course she knows how I feel! How could I be so selfish; how could I dare speak to Luna like I had! I love her and I made her feel like I was manipulating her, what was wrong with me!? What the fuck is wrong with me!? Her gaze was soft as she smiled down at me, “because you're just like me…” she murmured quietly before reaching out to offer me her hoof. I sniffed as she helped me to my hooves. I used one of the napkins on the table to wipe my eyes and nose. “I'm so sorry Princess…” I murmured not knowing what else to say. “It's ok Feather, maybe nopony will ever care about either of us, but luckily for you, I'm not entirely a pony, soon you won't be either." I looked back up at her, “what?” “Shhh, all you need to know is that you're mine, and you wouldn’t be mine if I didn't care about you,” Luna stepped closer to me and lifted my chin up with a hoof. “Look into my eyes, Feather, I want you to relax… I want you to give in to me... I want to see the pain and doubt in your eyes die as you let me take you into the dark forever." I took a deep breath before looking into her beautiful eyes. Her tender words echoed in my mind, just give in, just surrender. I realized my breathing had slowed, staring into her eyes was like staring into the endless sea of black that lay just beyond the stars in her beautiful night sky. Suddenly all of my anxiety and fear just faded away as I couldn't help but get lost in those brilliant teal eyes. “There you are...” Luna gleamed with a satisfied smile as she pressed herself closer. Stars I wanted her! I don't know how she did it, but all the reservations I had, the fears of getting hurt, they were all just gone, now all I wanted was her… Though, one thing was bothering me.” “Why did you wait so long?” Luna stepped back and took a sip of her wine glass before smiling down at me. “Believe me Feather, I have wanted to do this for a while now, in fact it's all I’ve been able to think about for the past few weeks or so but,” she took a breath, “I never said anything before now because I was so afraid to let myself care about somepony else for the same reasons as you, but also because I knew, over time, I would just eventually lose them.” She paused with sadness in her voice. “Lose you... but I realized that if I went through my entire life thinking that way, I would never find happiness,” she let out a small laugh, “but I do care about you Feather, more than anything,” she smiled at me, and my heart skipped another beat. Oh, Stars Luna… I care about you too, so much I feel like my heart might explode! “I...” I started to respond to tell her as much, but she silenced me with a feather from her wing. Luna moved slowly over to me, her wing gliding over my face and down my neck as she did so, making me smile and lean into her soft feathers. She turned my head towards hers with her wing. I lost all sense of sorrow or sadness, or my legs for that matter, as I just looked into those beautiful nocturnal eyes an- She kissed me! My mind went completely blank, and my wings fell slack, the only thing I could focus on was her! It wasn't like anything I had ever experienced before! Lips still locked, she guided me away from the table and pinned me against the wall, her tongue, Goddesses her tongue! where had she learned to kiss like that! After a solid minute of frying my brain, she finally broke off and instead began to nuzzle my neck, kissing it occasionally, and every time she did, it sent a shiver of pleasure throughout my whole body. “you’re mine sweet Feather.” After she was done, I returned the favor as I nuzzled her neck, kissing her as I went, just as she had done. I wanted this more than anything! My only desire was to be hers! Luna let out a purr of pleasure and satisfaction as she slowly and reluctantly released me from the wall. She gave me the most seductive look and I got the distinct impression that she wanted to lead me upstairs back to her room, just the thought sending another shiver through my spine, and other places… I heard a loud clang of metal and we turned to see Simon with our fish on the table, “here yers stupid sushi now can I please get back to sleep for ponies’ sake!?” We laughed as he trotted away mumbling something about crazy mares and not getting paid enough. “We should probably sit back down and actually eat, I am starving,” Luna insisted as she turned back to the table. Looking back and seeing my disappointment she added, “oh don’t worry I’m not finished with you yet, not even close,” she purred, almost making me fall over. Come to think of it, I was really hungry as well, and now that there was no more awkwardness between the two of us, we could actually sit down and enjoy a meal together! “Soo, you never answered my question,'' she prompted, flicking my muzzle with her tail before sitting back down. “Right,” I replied as I sat back down as well. “Honestly Princess-” She again used her wing to silence me, “just Luna is fine,” she purred. I blushed hard as I continued, “honestly Luna, you saved me,” I smiled still gazing into her beautiful eyes. “You gave me purpose, even though I've only been here for a few moons, I can't even think of myself as anypony else. Being your Regent has become my life. Serving you is the only thing I care about now.” “I'm glad to hear it,” she purred again before floating up her salmon roll and taking a bite with a satisfied smile. I looked down at my own and took a piece off from the end. “Wow...” I said aloud, continuing to chew, savoring every delectable second before moving on to the next piece. I had never eaten anything this delicious before! I couldn't help myself as I grabbed one after the other, remembering to maintain my manners of course. “I told you, Simon is the best chef my sister has,” she reminded me, taking a sip from her wine. We spent the rest of what little time remained of the night, talking about each other, laughing about how we should have done this over a month ago, my future as her regent, and how she couldn't wait to show me off to her sister when she got back from Canterlot in a few days. To be honest I wasn't much in the way of wanting to meet Celestia, she represented the antithesis of everything I cared about, and from everything I had seen, didn't treat Luna with much respect. ___ leaning on her side with her wing around me, I was led by Luna back into the castle courtyard. I was feeling tipsy, and tired and wanted more than anything to finally just lay down with her as I nuzzled underneath the soft base of her wing. I had waited so long to feel her wing around me like this! She is just so comfortable, soft, and strong, I admit her power is intoxicating. Somehow knowing she could snap my neck like a twig, or rip me apart with little effort, or vaporize me with her magic, just made me all that more into her. I felt safe with her, I couldn't wait to finally lay down with her and be in her arms! Unfortunately, I knew we had to retrieve my new uniform. As much as I wasn't looking forward to being in sunlight again, I was more than ecstatic at the thought of wearing that beautiful armor, and just being at her side made me happy regardless of whatever it was we were doing. If the armor was anything like the drawing Luna had shown me before, then I knew I was going to be more than happy when I saw it. Luna Stopped. Still leaning on her, I looked up as I saw her horn begin to glow, shadows wrapping around, she closed her eyes and took a breath. Overhead I saw the moon, now with a soft blue glow around it that was barely visible unless I strained my eyes. slowly the moon was lowered across the sky, and as it disappeared over the horizon, it didn't take long for the arcs of sunlight to breach over the opposite. “Well that means I can finally get some sleep,” I heard the familiar voice of Ruby call out from behind as she approached us yawning. “I thought you had already turned in for the night?” Luna asked. “Yeah well, my C.O. caught me trying to sneak back into the barracks before my shift was over and I had to come up with the excuse that I was just making sure all the barrack doors were still locked. Then I just came back out here,” she yawned again, “if it wasn't for a few of the other guards going missing, my lame excuse would have just gotten me a week in cleaning duty for sure.” “I can't imagine why anypony might run away from my sister's guard,” Luna snickered sarcastically. Ruby rolled her eyes before stopping a moment to look back and forth between the two of us, a smile creeping up on her face. “Finally!” she snickered, and we both shot her a look. “What?” I asked. “I mean, if I had to do one more night shift and watch you two practically drool over each other without ever saying anything, I was going to go mad!” Luna and I both blushed. “Seriously it was getting to the point where Sunny and I were beginning to place bets,” she teased. “Alright that's enough,” Luna chuckled, “I'm just happy to finally have her” she murmured sweetly, nuzzling me. “You and me both” I cooed sweetly back, kissing her neck. Making her squeeze me tighter with her wing. No thanks to you Ruby… I thought. “Barf,” Ruby complained, “you know there is such a thing as being too cheesy,” she snickered, so anyways where are you two headed off too?” “To retrieve Feather’s new uniform, the same one I had you drop off a drawing of a few moons ago,” Luna responded. “Right, well when you get back, I need to talk to you both about something,” Ruby said in a more worried tone. “Like what,” I prompted. “It’s fine, I’m probably overreacting, it can wait until you both get back.” “Alright, well it will have to wait until tomorrow night, because I don't think neither me nor Feather, or you for that matter will be awake for much longer,” Luna yawned. “That's fine, just be safe,” Ruby said in that same worried voice before turning and trotting away. “Come on, let's get this over with,” Luna groaned drowsily, “I'll get my saddlebags before we head out.” She turned to look at me, “the sooner we get this done, the sooner I can have you in my bed,” she purred seductively, giving my ear a small nibble, and sending another chill down my spine. Thankfully the early morning was still mostly dark, but a slight headache began to set in as the morning progressed. We were traveling by air, both of us moving at a slow, tired pace, eventually I began to see the rooftops of buildings. In retrospect the flight wasn't very long, however it felt like an eternity, as both of us were on the verge of passing out from sleep deprivation. We both landed clumsily just outside the town and Luna tossed me a black cloak from her saddlebags before floating one out for herself. “These should help with the light sensitivity,” she said as she pulled hers on. I blinked, dark spots already beginning to cloud the edges of my vision as the morning grew even brighter, the more I blinked didn't matter as the spots just kept getting worse, my skin was beginning to ache as well, and my skull was pounding. I just wanted to be back in darkness... I put on the hooded cloak quickly, thankful for any kind of protection. “Welcome to Lillypool,” Luna grumbled disdainfully. Ponies were just starting to become active as we walked through the town, neighbors waved at one another, ponies began to open their shops, the town was starting to become loud. I hated everything about it, it took everything I had not to turn around and run to the nearest darkest spot I could find. Every time I looked up past my hood, I was reminded exactly why I shouldn't. The sun was fully over the horizon now and it was like having fire pokers jammed into my eyes when I looked anywhere past my hood. My vision was blurred, and the black spots covered my eyes to the point where I could no longer see what was ahead of me! I had to rest a wing over Luna's back in order to make sure I didn't lose her. I felt worse than sick. "What the hell?" I murmured. My hearing was even affected as everything started sounding muffled. Nausea set in and even with the cloak my skin felt like it was on fire, and my head felt as though it were being smashed repeatedly with a hammer. I knew Luna was probably doing much better than I was, but still I worried for her. I had to stop as I felt a sick feeling begin to rise from my stomach and I had to let go of Luna as I spun around. The nice dinner we just had making a not so nice return as I spilled my guts out all over the dirt road! Tears ran down my singed eyes. Everything just hurt so damn much! I heard the panicked muffled voice of Luna as I was helped to my hooves. I could also hear the muffled voices of shock and disgust from ponies in the distance. At some point I realized in my daze that I had lost consciousness! Even with my congested nose I could still make out Luna's sweet scent as she quickly carried me, somewhere? It didn't matter, anywhere but here! Finally, I felt a cool breeze of relief and heard the muffled slamming of a door as I was led to what felt like some kind of sofa. I heard the angry shouts of ponies and heard a very angry muffled Luna shout right back. I felt hoof steps get further away, I then felt something that resembled a damp rag wipe my face clean. I felt Luna’s soft wing against my face, she was close enough that I heard her, muffled as her voice was. “Everything’s going to be alright, Feather, I promise,” I felt her grab my shoulders with her forehooves. I couldn't do anything except nod as I remained in agony. Then, like a cure to a poison I felt, something… I felt it pour in through my eyes, nose and mouth. That same something slowly wrapped tightly around my entire body. Whatever it was, it felt amazing. My skin no longer burned, and my hearing began to return, I felt something cold and comfortable running through my veins. I couldn't help but completely go limp and relax as I smiled in relief, deciding to let whatever this feeling was, consume every part of me. My vision returned and I saw what that ‘something’ was. It was like a stream of shadows given the appearance of dark translucent tendrils that went into and around my eyes. I breathed in the shadows like it was some kind of dark mist. I could feel it under my skin, in my veins, and in my heart. As frightening as I knew it might have looked to anypony watching, I felt nothing but relief and pleasant goodness. The shadows in my eyes parted for a moment and I saw their source. Luna stood there her bright teal nocturnal eyes locked on to mine, she was still holding my shoulders in her hooves. Her coat was pitch black and her teeth were razor sharp ending in fangs! Even her starlit mane appeared darker, her wings were different as well, though I couldn't quite see them properly. The shadows spilled not from her horn, but from her eyes and her mouth, as they made their way into mine! The shadows faded and as they did, I was left feeling changed, different, but in a good way, better than I ever have in fact, euphoric even. I watched as her teeth formed back to their normal shape and her coat returned to a dark shade of blue. She closed her eyes as she fell over. I caught her as she fell. I did a quick scan around the room, not seeing anypony else. I was fascinated at what I had just seen, however that was the least of my worries as I looked down at Luna unconscious in my arms. Her breath was steady, and she didn't look hurt. I had no idea what to do as I scanned the room for anything I could use, but what could I use that would help!? I wondered helplessly. I heard her gasp as she opened her eyes and looked into mine, I did all I could think of and hugged her as tightly as I could. “Are you alright!?” I fretted, “are you hurt?” I asked, pulling my head back and looking her in the eyes. She blinked in surprise and several moments passed before she spoke cautiously, “You're… you’re, not afraid of me?” she asked, shocked. She looked up into my eyes with disbelief. “Why would I ever be afraid of you?” I asked sweetly. moving a piece of mane from her face with a wing. She smiled in shocked relief before throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me in for a kiss. Just as before, my mind went blank as I got lost in the kiss but instead of letting my wings fall to the ground, I instead wrapped them around the beautiful dark mare and pulled her close, which she clearly liked as I felt her shiver and her tail slowly wrapped around my hindleg. Goddesses, I've wanted her to hold me like this for so long... I dreamed of her every time I slept, I've never wanted anything so badly in my entire life! I wanted nothing more than to be hers! I let myself relax in her arms and breathed in her sweet scent with a smile. I heard a pair of hoof steps getting closer and clearly hearing them too, she broke away from the kiss and sat up. My wings pulled away, and we stood up before she pulled me close with a wing for one last hug. The door at the end of the room opened and a short unicorn mare walked in with a little filly at her side. Whispering into my ear Luna spoke softly, “I promise I'll explain everything once we are back home.” I nodded, not necessarily needing an explanation for what I saw, but wanting one all the same. I looked around the room, not having really bothered to pay attention to my surroundings before now. We were in a small wooden building, the wall to my left was lined with all kinds of different pieces of armor barding as well as several shields. On the opposite wall were several impressive swords on display as well as a barrel that was full of some less impressive, battered and bent weapons. In the back was an anvil and a metal bowl of smoldering coals that were being maintained by the fire beneath it. I could only assume we were at some kind of blacksmiths. I looked over at the light orange mare’s charcoal stanned coat and barding with goggles dangling around her neck. She had a black mane and tail, with yellow eyes. The filly next to her had a much brighter orange coat with a light brown mane, and the same yellow eyes. “Go work on ya studies, your sis has guests,” she ordered the little filly next to her before looking back over to Luna and me, “guests with deep pockets,” she said with a smirk, her accent reminding me of Simon. “But I wanna see the Princess!” the little filly whined. “No buts, now scram,” she said, giving the filly a little shove. The little filly gave an angry little stomp before retreating to the door behind her, giving it a hard slam. “Sorry bout that,” she said straightening up, “name’s Ember Frost,” she proclaimed with a smirk, pointing a hoof at herself proudly, “greatest blacksmith in Equestria, at your service,” she gave a little bow. Luna raised an eyebrow, “we shall see about that.” “Oh, you will,” she boasted while maintaining her smirk. “By the way, what was all that you demanding me and my sis leave our own shop?” She asked indignantly, “if y’all wanted to get freaky with your mare friend ya could a just said so,” We both blushed. “That is not what we wer-!” Luna started to say before she was interrupted by Ember. “Hey, I ain't judge’n,” she said, hooves up innocently. Ember ignored the angry stare from Luna as she continued on. “Anyways, get excited, because you're about to witness my single greatest creation, second only to the price tag I came up with for it!” Ember announced as she rolled out a pony shaped object covered in a tarp. “Now prepare for ya pockets ta be a whole lot lighter, cause I ain't cheap, and also cause this thing don't got no pockets!” And with that, Ember pulled the tarp away with a forehoof to reveal a pony statue wearing a stunning black uniform. Its edges were lined with beautiful, polished metal that outlined the entire thing. The blue stitching provided an amazing accent, and the spine shaped titanium plates that ran along the back reflected the firelight perfectly. The rest of the shoulder and side plating were mostly concealed within the uniform itself; only parts of the plating shown as accent. A shiny metal version of Luna's cutie mark was sewn on to the left collar. My jaw dropped and we both started prancing with excitement. “Hold still,” Luna exclaimed excitedly as a blue glow lifted the uniform up and towards me. “Yeah sure, try it on, don't bother payin me first,” Ember complained with a roll of her eyes and a little kick to the dirt. We both ignored her as Luna tore my old uniform off with her magic and unclipped the new one before setting it on me. clipping it back up and using her magic to make all the necessary adjustments, she finished fixing my collar before stepping back to look at me. It fit perfectly I thought, wondering how Luna got my exact measurements. It was comfortable, light and breathable too! “Okay now turn around!” I did as she said, turning to face her. Luna's eyes gilded all over me, the expression she was giving me made me blush as I for sure thought that smile said I was about to be pinned to the ground. “Soo, how do I look?” I asked, giving a little spin as I tried to give her my best seductive look. “Welp y'all can just leave my money on the table over there,” Ember said trying to get our attention. Luna slowly trotted up to me, I felt myself get pulled off my hooves as she grabbed me with her magic pulling me in close for another kiss. “Oh, shucks would ya look at the time suddenly I just realized I have something really important to do... over there!” Ember exclaimed before darting away. She broke away from the kiss, “I should have taken you a long time ago,” she smirked, “come, let's leave this place so we can finally get some sleep,” she yawned as she tossed a large bag of bits onto the table. “Oh, and Ember,” Luna called out. “Uh yeah Princess?” Luna narrowed her eyes, “you should learn to treat your sister with more respect, before you lose hers.” Ember looked down and nodded her head, “uh, will do Princess.” I followed Luna out of the building. I was so distracted I forgot to put the cloak back on, and when the sunlight hit my face, I braced myself for the pain that surely followed. Aside from a searing headache and general soreness, no excessive pain came. I opened one eye cautiously looking around, the light made me squint, but thankfully it no longer felt like hot fire pokers were being jammed into my eyes. Opening both eyes, I looked down at my forelegs, and I felt something moving underneath my skin as my veins darkened to the point where I could see them through my white coat. It felt like something deep within me was twisting, my eyes widened. “Luna, what's happening to me?” I asked, feeling like I should panic, but no panic came, I just felt good... Luna turned to look at me concerned, she regarded me for a moment before relaxing, “oh good it's working,” she purred. “Just relax Feather, I'll explain when we get back,” trotting up to me, and putting a wing to my face she asked, “Do you trust me?” “Of course,” I reassured her, before leaning into her wing, “more than anything.” I let out a breath, as strange as it was, whatever was happening to me, It felt really good. “Why am I not-” I started to say. “A blind sick mess?” I nodded. She smiled, “because darkness is a very literal thing and I alone command it, I simply shared some of that darkness with you,” she said, pointing a hoof at my breast before continuing, “you somehow already had literal darkness running through you, it's primarily the reason the sunlight made you so ill in the first place,” she paused with a smile, “but now that I've properly shared it with you, I can control how it affects you." “Do you feel it changing you?” she asked with a grin. I smiled, nodding again. “Like I said, I will explain more once we have returned to the privacy of our own home,” throwing on her cloak she lifted off into the air, “coming?” she yawned. I threw on my cloak as well, before joining her in the sky. Although I no longer felt like I was dying, the sun was still incredibly irritating. I noticed as we flew, how different everything looked during the day, light shinned through the trees, birds sang their songs, everything was so much louder and brighter. I despised every second of it, it was too much, way too much stimulus. I felt nauseous as we flew, fumbling every now and then as we went. Finally, we made it back to the castle, looking down I saw tons of Celestia’s soldiers and other ponies dressed in formal wear walking the castle grounds, they all seemed to be in some kind of rush. “Come, let's avoid all of,” Luna paused, “that,'' she said, gesturing to the whole area with a hoof as if reading my thoughts. I followed her as we made our way to her balcony that stuck out from one of the towers overlooking the courtyard. As we finally returned to the familiar room Luna immediately cast her shadow spell over it, and I let that sweet feeling of familiar quiet, and darkness wash over me. I tossed off my cloak and flopped down like a heavy rock on my couch bed, letting out a sigh of relief as I did so. “Finally,” Luna sighed in relief as I heard her trot over to me. Suddenly I felt breathing on the back of my neck as Luna grabbed the collar of my new uniform with her teeth and slowly started pulling it off, undoing the clips and my hairband with her magic. I let out a shiver and smiled. I was tired, but it didn't matter, I went limp deciding to let Luna do whatever she wanted with me. After the uniform was off, she tugged on the chain of my necklace, choking me a little as she guided me up and over to her much more comfortable looking bed. As we got to the edge of the soft bed, she pressed me against it, my face in the mattress, I felt her kissing and nuzzling all along down the back of my neck. Oh, Goddess this feels amazing! She pushed me the rest of the way up onto the bed before climbing on top of me, her muzzle still nuzzling the back of my neck as she pressed herself against me, arms wrapping over my shoulders. All I could do was smile and make little happy noises as she held me down. “You smell so good Feather, and you're so soft…” she whispered sweetly, and my smile got even wider. “This feels, you feel, so amazing...” I murmured happily as she nuzzled and massaged in between my sore wings. She let go for only a moment before flipping me around with her magic, and I was left staring up into those beautiful nocturnal eyes. Pressing her whole body against me and making me completely lose any ability to have coherent thought, she kissed me, her tongue wrapped around my own as we held each other tightly. I wished this moment could last forever. She stopped a moment before lifting her head up to look at me. “Earlier you saw me when I appeared-” she paused, seeming to look for the right words, “different,” she smiled giving my neck a small nuzzle before continuing, “but you didn't care, you weren't afraid.” She closed her eyes, her mouth open. Shadows began to pour from her as I saw her teeth retake the razor-like appearance that I had seen earlier, her fangs glistening from the soft light in the room, her coat darkened to black, and her wings… Stars, her wings! Her feathers were gone! in their place was smooth translucent skin with almost a grayish purple tint that looked akin to that of a bat! They were so incredibly beautiful, strange, but beautiful! She opened her eyes, looking back at mine with worry. “This doesn't scare you?” “Not even a little bit,” I replied, kissing her. Now she was the one whose wings went limp, I could feel her fangs with my tongue, something about it making me smile even more as we stayed in that kiss for what seemed like an eternity. Her charcoal coat was incredibly beautiful, and goddess her teeth! “The black coat, the teeth, the eyes, everything...” she paused, “this is the real me,” she smiled, “and now I know I don't have to hide that with you,” she purred before moving down to my neck, kissing as she went. She made her way further down past my neck down to my breast and, even further… oh sweet Goddess! “Wait!” I gasped, making her stop and look up, “I've never done this before,” I admitted, blushing with unbridled embarrassment. Luna smiled as she moved her eyes back up to mine and whispered into my ear, “you trust me?” she asked, biting down gently on my ear and making me shiver. I nodded. “Then just relax, I promise I'll be gentle,” she cooed sweetly before slowly making her way back down. I did as she said, I gasped as I felt her tongue! and stars did I relax….
Chapter Five: The Gala (Revised)Chapter Five The Gala I woke to Luna moving out of my arms. Drearily opening my eyes, I saw her attempting to quietly climb out from the bed. “Hey you,” I yawned sweetly, putting a forehoof down on her tail. She turned and smiled, “good evening, Feather, sorry, I was trying my best not to wake you,” she took her tail back before moving to nuzzle gently behind my ear, “I need to raise the moon; I won't be but a moment.” And with that she moved off the bed before slowly making her way to the balcony door. Letting out another yawn I watched her go, through the window I could see her stand completely still as her horn glowed. I laid back taking in a long breath before letting it out with a smile. I had never felt this good before! I felt all warm and tingly, and more than anything I just felt really, really comfortable and safe. However, I noticed something in my mouth didn't quite feel right. I sat up, my gums were sore, and I felt around with my tongue only to realize in horror that several of my teeth were alarmingly loose! “What in Equestria?” I murmured as I continued to prod with my tongue at my loose teeth. For a brief moment I thought I was still asleep, maybe I was having the type of nightmare where all your teeth fall out whenever you try to speak! If I was having a nightmare, did that mean I upset Luna!? Did I do something wrong? I shook my head and blinked the tired blur from my eyes I looked around reaffirming to myself that I was indeed awake, I scowled at myself and banished those self-destructive thoughts, then put them in a dungeon in the place that I banished them too. My loose teeth again yanked my attention back to reality and well-founded worry began to set in. I prodded once again at my teeth hoping they were just sore from something I ate. As I prodded, I felt a warm soreness as one of them popped free! I rolled over in panic and spat the grotesque tooth out, the metallic taste of blood quickly followed. “Oh, sweet merciful Stars…” I was suddenly aware of how wrong my body felt, everything was sore and aching not the good kind of aches either. My stomach twisted and churned, and I felt something uniquely alien about my own skin and coat as sweat dripped down it. I heard the balcony door slide shut and turned to see Luna making her way back to me. Unaware of my panicked state, she tiredly climbed back into bed and pulled me close, like a filly would with her favorite teddy bear. She stretched back, looking concerned, “What's wrong Feather? your heart is racing.” “Luna, I... Something is really wrong with me…” I fretted, “I just lost a tooth, and all my teeth feel loose! My eyes are sore, and I feel lightheaded!” Luna almost looked amused as she nuzzled me, “just relax Feather, nothing is wrong with you, in fact it's quite the opposite; and the only reason you feel lightheaded is because you're stressing over nothing.” “I don't understand,” I told her worriedly, “I feel sick.” “Just trust me, I'll explain later, right now I just want to feel you,” she purred, nuzzling me, “just relax Feather, let's try and get a little more rest.” I nodded and did my best to try and relax. She wrapped her legs around mine, and I wrapped my tail around hers. I trusted her. If she says not to worry, then I won't, besides, rest always sounds good when I’m not feeling well. I took a breath; I do trust her. Luna was much taller than me so even when her hind legs stretched slightly past mine, my muzzle still only came up to her neck. I actually rather enjoyed the difference, it made me feel like I belonged to her. I loved that feeling, it made me feel safe. Oh and her wings! Her bat-like wings were so amazingly comfortable! I smiled in delight as she squeezed me even tighter with them. Luna leaned back to look at me with a toothy grin. “What is it?” I asked softly. “It's just-” She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip with a smile “Feather you are full of surprises...” she purred before returning to nuzzle me again. I blushed hard. With our wings wrapped around each other I buried my face into her soft charcoal coat, breathing in her sweet scent. I felt the claws of sleep slowly begin to tug at me once more, when suddenly and with a deafening clang, the door burst open behind me! In a flash of blue, I was in, the bathroom? “What in Equestria…” I grumbled; my face now nuzzled into the dirty bathroom floor rather than the Princess of the Night. Bringing myself to my hooves I wiped my face with a forehoof and looked down to see the wrinkled shape of my uniform, “how in the Stars did this get in here?” I whispered. “Surprise!” I heard a mare shout in an obnoxiously loud and boisterous voice. I peeked through the crack in the bathroom door, I only had a line of sight to the bed. Luna was sitting up with the most livid expression on her face, her eyes were round, and her fangs were gone. Her coat had returned to its fake shade of blue. “Sister, you’re back early,” Luna grumbled, “and you would think that in the past two hundred or so years you would have learned how to knock,” Luna growled before hopping out of the bed. Crap! Princess Celestia is here! No wonder Luna had teleported me away so quickly! I looked down, grabbed my uniform, and attempted to pull it on while remaining as quiet as possible. I felt another tooth begin to fall loose and promptly spit it into the trash bin near the sink. I took a calming breath, Luna said not to worry about it, so I won’t. I reiterated to myself. It was a good thing it seemed to just be my back teeth for the time being, I couldn't even tell I was missing teeth by looking in the mirror. “Oh please, it's not like you were asleep, you had just raised the moon. Besides, I wanted to surprise my little sister, why should I feel the need to knock for that?” Celestia’s voice seemed to carry a tone of passive aggressive snootiness that was most unbecoming. “Perhaps because it's just, oh I don't know... The normal, courteous thing to do,” Luna stomped indignantly, “believe it or not dear sister, when a door is locked, it is not an invitation for you to pick said lock with your magic!” Celestia scoffed, “maybe I wouldn't have to tread so lightly around you during the evening if you would just sleep through the night like a normal pony.” “How dare you!” Luna marched forward looking cross, “you more than anypony knows that the night is my life, just as the day is yours!” I left the bathroom, sticking to the shadows. I made my way up to where I could see Celestia properly. Luna shot me a look, but it was clear Celestia couldn't see past the dark archway. The bright alicorn was even taller than her younger sister, she had a coat of bright white, a mane and tail of multi-colored lavender, green, and pink. She had brilliant purple eyes and a cruel smile. “But how can you have any kind of normal life if you spend it all in the dark, alone, it's not healthy,” she said pointedly with a nod of what actually seemed like genuine concern. Her gaze drifted to the opened-up couch bed. Then at our very messy sheets... Celestia laughed, “so not all alone then I see,” she looked right at me, though nothing in her expression gave away that she saw I was there. “Are you hiding some buck back there?” Celestia teased. Luna reeled looking visibly ill, “That's not funny, you know I only like mares,” she retorted coldly. Celestia stared at Luna with frustration in her eyes, “yes as you continue to remind me with every one of your reckless indiscretions... Why can't you just be normal, or at the very least try harder to not make your careless actions into more problems for me?” I rolled my eyes and had to stop myself from making an audible scoff, but I could not believe what I was hearing! I can’t believe her own sister, the Princess herself! I mean really if- My own inner rant was cut short, I hadn’t realized it, but I had been leaning more and more forward as the drama continued and my hoof had caught on one of the curtains that separate the study from the bedroom. *Fwomp!* Both Princess’s stopped to look down at me, Luna with worry, Celestia with confusion leaning either towards anger or amusement, I couldn’t tell which. “Owe,” I whimpered. Luna scoffed sympathetically before untangling and helping me to my hooves. “Are you alright?” I nodded, but my glare was fixed on Celestia, I knew it wasn’t my place to say anything, but now I felt like I had to! I looked up at the Solar Princess and tried to make myself look big, which I realize in hindsight probably just made me look cute. “how dare you?” I squeaked barely audibly, “how dare you!” I reiterated finding my rage once again. Celestia narrowed her eyes a little as she regarded me. Hoping my tone made up for my small stature I continued. “Luna deserves your respect but more than that she deserves to have a sister who doesn’t berate her and treat her like some kind of burden, I expected more, especially from you.” I like to think I sounded at least a little confident. Luna looked at me with shock and a small smile, however it quickly faded to an expression of terror as she glanced back at her older sister. My gaze switched back towards Celestia’s, and immediately I realized my mistake. The expression she gave me was one of murder, her purple eyes fading to a sharp fiery orange. I gulped. Great! nice one Feather... Piss off the super powerful alicorn goddess why don't you, tell her how she’s a bad sister why don’t you… “Who is, this,” Celestia asked coldly, dangerously, her eyes narrowed. Luna moved to my side defensively, “this is my- is Feather, my…” she paused, “personal assistant,” before adding, “and she is under my protection.” Celestia stifled a chuckle of amusement before gazing back at me. Her eyes glided down to the pendent of Luna’s cutie mark on the collar of my uniform. “I see,” she paused, her amusement fading, “my sister is not in any position financial or otherwise, to have any kind of staff let alone an assistant with whom she is so clearly infatuated with. I order you to leave this place immediately,” The fiery alicorn demanded dismissively. “With all due respect,” I said as non-shakily as I could, “I take my orders from Princess Luna, not you.” Her gaze was like a blade of fury, and I thought for sure she was about to use her magic to snap my neck like a twig! Celestia sighed, “very well, if you wish to subjugate yourself to the teadeas and tormenting task of being my sister's assistant then by all means. But the treasury will not put you on payroll” Wait am I supposed to be getting paid? Celestia’s cruel gaze returned to her sister, “I can normally tolerate your indiscretions but if this mare is intended to be a new constant as your ‘assistant’ then I expect you to learn some amount of discretion for both our sakes. You forget it isn’t I who will take issue, stars know the nightmare you would cause me if the two of you are caught together.” I glared at her. “You should leave,” Luna seethed coldly, stepping in front of me. “Fine, but just so you know, I came up here to tell you that the Grand Gala is starting here in the next hour, I know you normally don't care or ever attend, but I thought I would still offer.” “Of course you would move that to tonight,” Luna groaned as her sister slammed the door behind her. I looked back at my beautifully dark mare friend. Her eyes returned to slits, her wings turned back to soft leathery bat like ones, beautiful sharp teeth and fangs reformed, her coat returning to a wonderful charcoal black, the black parts of her cutie mark fading to a deep purple. “She thinks us being caught together will be a nightmare? My sister has no idea what a real nightmare is,” she growled. I put my hoof on her shoulder, “I'm sorry I didn't mean to be so rude; I know it wasn’t my place and Celestia is your sister but-” Luna grabbed me, pulling me in to a kiss. “She’s a manipulative, egotistical, control freak?” Luna smirked. “I was just going to say cruel, but yeah.” Luna threw her arms around me in a hug, “thank you Feather,” she breathed, “that was really brave, no one's ever stood up for me like that before, especially not to my sister.” “I still shouldn’t have spoken out of turn.” She kissed behind my ear, “I’ll forgive it this once,” she whispered, “besides, it was a rather romantic gesture from my little pet.” I blushed hard and looked away. Luna giggled, I think both at my reaction and the situation. “Not the introduction I was hoping for, but then again it didn't go nearly as poorly as it could have.” Pulling back, she put a hoof on my shoulder before letting out a tired yawn, “do you want to just lay back down for a little while longer?” she asked tiredly, already undoing my uniform with her magic. “I just want to try and get some more rest, or at the very least unwind.” I put my hoof around hers, “of course,” I said with a small smile before we climbed back into her bed. We wrapped ourselves around each other once more and I let myself relax. I knew she probably didn't want to talk about Celestia, but I couldn't help myself. “Does your sister really have a problem with you liking mares?” I asked softly. She groaned, burying her face into my neck, “my sister has a problem with everything that I am,” she moaned in muffled sadness. “Is that why you hid your eyes from her? You don't hide them in front of me,” I asked with concern. “I've never hidden them from you because I trust you, and I know you love them, but I do hide them from everypony else, including my ignorant sister,” She paused, “Tia never used to be like this… I suppose time is what has made her so cruel.” Luna let out a long sigh. “And she doesn't have a problem with the fact that I like mares, she only has a problem with how it could negatively affect her ‘perfect’ political image,” Luna sneered. “Screw her image,” I muttered. Luna raised a teasing eyebrow. My eyes widened and I gave her shoulder a light shove, eww no, you know what I mean,” I rolled my eyes and scoffed, “aren’t you supposed to be a well-mannered princess or something?” I teased back. Luna rolled to pin me underneath her, “oh you want to talk about manners? As I recall, the things I made you scream yesterday were not very lady like at all.” I flushed and looked away, “ok you win.” “I always win,” she giggled before moving back to the side. We lay there quietly for a moment before another thought entered my mind. “Luna,” I started, “you said that you’ve never shown anypony else your true appearance, so why me?” I asked. Frankly I knew damn well I wasn’t her first lover, you don’t get to be as… thorough as she is without practice, but why hadn’t she shown them? Luna seemed to pick up my train of thought, “there have been others yes, many others in fact, but they are nothing but dust and regretful memories now, being immortal only seems to destroy any hope of a long-lasting relationship with somepony. So eventually I just stopped trying, and for the better part of the past two centuries, I really haven't even bothered… Not counting the occasional one-night encounters of course.” Luna grinned, “but unlike them, I showed you who I was because you're different, you're nocturnal like me, you're the first pony I've ever met whom I can just be myself with. You’re the first pony who I actually truly care about and who cares about me, a mare who loves my night, my loyal soldier,” Luna let out a sad resigned sigh, “and even though time will eventually take you from me, I intend on enjoying every second that I have with you.” I smiled at her words but as I recalled the promise, I made all those nights ago on our first training session, I couldn't help as I started to cry. “I made a promise to myself that I would never abandon you,” Luna looked at me surprised, “but you're right, I can't run from time.” “Now you see why I was so reluctant to let myself care about you,” she whispered with a sad smile, “but I couldn't help myself any longer, you make me feel better than I ever have Feather,” she smiled, “my Feather,” she cooed as she kissed along my neck. Tears continued to run down from my eyes as I let myself think about it too much. I buried my face into her mane, “Luna I don't want to ever leave you,” I cried, “I never want to go through that kind of pain.. I.. I don't want to turn to dust!” I wept, on the verge of sobbing. “Oh Feather…” she murmured, hugging me tighter. “Luna, you're my entire life, I… I,” she silenced me with a kiss. “Please don't cry Feather, it's just the way things are, if I could change that I would.” “I can't live without you, I.” She held me tight as she pushed her muzzle deep into my neck and mane, I could feel her warm breath. “I will never abandon you Feather, even when your old and falling apart, I will never abandon you, I care about you too much,” she comforted, tears running from her own eyes, “Please, let's talk about something else, I don't want to think about this anymore than you do,” she murmured. I sniffed and wiped the tears from my eyes before nodding. I know it's selfish but, dammit I don't ever want to lose her! and I don't want her to ever lose me... If that makes me selfish then fine, I'm selfish. “Doesn't,” I took a breath, “doesn't your sister know what you really look like?” I asked, “I mean, she's your sister, surely she would have seen the real you when you were just a little filly, right?” Luna breathed a sigh of relief, clearly happy for the change in subject. “No, believe it or not I didn't always look like this, it is the result of letting the darkness --the shadows you saw-- into my heart,” She smiled, “the darkness was there for me when my sister chose to abandon me.” She paused. “As you've seen, the darkness I control is quite literal, and when I let it become a part of me, it changed me,” She smiled, her eyes turning pitch black for only a moment, “for the better of course.” I smiled, nodding in agreement. “Earlier you let it become a part of you too, and now like me, it's changing you,” she whispered, “how does it feel?” she asked as she rested her head over me. I closed my eyes and took a breath as I hugged her tighter. That must be what that sick alien feeling was, I shuddered a little at the recollection, but I focused on how I currently felt, and while still an alien sensation, it didn’t feel wrong anymore, like I had broken through a fever and was starting to feel right again, better than right in fact. “I feel better than I ever have, I think I can feel the shadows moving…” I murmured, “It feels weird, but like a good weird.” “Good, I thought it might,” she grinned. “Exactly how am I changing?” I asked curiously. Luna closed her eyes as she smiled and took a deep breath, “In a rather simple explanation, among other things, your body is going to slowly become properly nocturnal, your eyes will change like mine, as will your teeth, and wings. The shadows will feel more amazing than ever. You’ll be a part of my Darkness; you’ll be my perfect servant.” I shivered in delight at the thought, “so that's why I'm losing teeth?” Luna nodded, “soon your feathers will start to fall out too, and from what I've learned, your entire body will change on a fundamental level, you'll no longer be just a pony anymore.” “That's what you meant at dinner, you're not entirely a pony anymore and soon I won't be either...” “You’re ok with that, aren’t you?” Honestly as much as I loved the idea, as much as I loved her, I didn’t know if I was ok with being something other than just a pony, maybe I should tell her- “ahgg,” I squeaked. I felt something constrictively curl up around my spine and towards the base of my skull, it hurt like pressure pounding a hole into my skull! The tension built to a threshold before fading into something pleasant, and soft. The constrictive coils faded to feel like gentle tendrils caressing and petting every part of me. I relaxed and let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding I looked up at Luna, she was looking at me almost cautiously. “Well?” she asked. I blinked myself out of my stupor, “yes of course I’m ok with it, more than ok with it, I’m happy to serve.” Luna grinned and relaxed, “good.” She regarded me for a moment before moving back on top of me and looking down into my eyes. “Feather, this is going to sound strange, and I regret not telling you this sooner but, you should know that the darkness is going to make you, want things…” she murmured hesitantly. “What kind of things?” I asked, only mildly concerned. Her eyes glided down to fixate on my neck, “things that will make you a monster in the eyes of others...” Her eyes snapped back to lock on to mine. “I don't understand,” I admitted, looking at her with concern. “I hardly do either... But I want you to trust me,” she murmured with a smile before moving to kiss my neck. I let myself relax as she did so, I could feel her sharp fangs gliding down a little harder than I expected. One of them caught skin, and I flinched a little, “hey, what are you-” “Just relax,” she whispered smoothly. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through me as I felt both of her fangs, followed by the rest of her sharp teeth pierce my skin and push deep into my neck! I gasped and squirmed for a moment as she held me down. Then I remembered what she had said. I did trust her, and I didn't understand exactly what was going on or why, but I did as she said, and I let myself relax. I felt her relax as well. I could feel her drinking and it didn't really hurt anymore either... In fact, after a while, I admit I was even starting to like it! A lot! Luna lifted her head up, as she did so I felt her fangs retreat from my neck. She looked down at me with a seductive smile, blood dripping from her mouth, she leaned in, pressing her lips to mine in a kiss! I expected the metallic taste of blood, but instead of reeling at the taste, I couldn't get enough of it as it dripped out the sides of our mouths. I could feel even more running out the side of my neck where she had bitten me. She pulled away from the kiss, a few strings of blood mixed with saliva connected our muzzles for only a moment before gravity inevitably took them down. Luna licked her lips clean, and I did the same, enjoying the taste. Strangely enough it did still taste like blood, but for some reason I absolutely loved the taste! She pointed her horn at my neck, and I felt the wound close as healing magic poured over me. I was left feeling baffled, a little dizzy, and absolutely amazing as Luna continued to nuzzle and kiss all over me. “You’re amazing Feather! I don't think anypony else would have ever let me do that to them!” “What was that?” I asked in wonder and confusion. “I told you, the Darkness changes more than you realize,” she paused hesitantly, “sometimes I get these cravings, they eventually pass if I ignore them long enough, however this was the first time I had ever given into it.” She took a breath “I didn't really know what to expect, but it felt amazing, and you taste amazing,” she grinned, “I'm thrilled you trust me enough to let me do that to you,” she smiled nuzzling me. “Of course,” I smiled back blushing a little, “truth be told, I kinda liked it,” I admitted. “You would,” she teased with a roll of her eyes. “Come, let's go take a shower, you're covered in blood,” she purred sweetly, licking up a drop from my cheek. Still feeling a little dizzy and a lot confused, I followed her into the washroom. She used her magic to turn the knob on the shower as we both stepped in. While hot water cascaded down on us, she used her magic and two sponges to quickly scrub the blood out of both our coats, while simultaneously washing both our manes in mere minutes. “Wow, having a horn is totally unfair,” I teased as we both rinsed off. She nuzzled behind my ear, “well I suppose it does have more than its fair share of advantages, but the clearance on doors is awful,” she smirked, leaning in for a kiss. I let out a small laugh leaning into her in return. As we dried ourselves off and made our way back into the main bedroom, I could hear the muffled voices of ponies outside. “What the...” I murmured, moving to the balcony door and pushing it open with a hoof. Down below at the castle's entrance were crowds of ponies making their way inside. All were dressed in fancy dresses and suits, even the royal guard were wearing white uniforms rather than armor. “When your sister said something about a gala, I had no idea this many ponies were attending.” Luna frowned. “Oh yes, the Grand Galloping Gala,” she began disdainfully, “where all the aristocrats, the overly rich, and heads of government all show up to kiss my sister's flank for three and a half hours.” I gave a sympathetic smile. I heard distant music begin to play from outside in the courtyard and looked down to see a group of three Unicorns two with violins and the third with a cello. The music they played was delicate and classy, I couldn't help but smile a little bit. “I've never heard music like that before,” I gushed looking back at my clearly annoyed mare friend. “Unfortunately, you hear one kind of music enough and no matter how good it is, it's eventually ruined, and you can't help but hate the familiar sound every time you hear it,” she snorted, trotting up to me and closing the balcony door. “Well, you can forget tonight's training, or any extra sleep for that matter. Too many ponies, too much noise,” she waved her tail dismissively before turning and trotting back further into the room with me following close behind. “Don't get me wrong, I like that ponies are enjoying themselves during my night, however their kind of fun is certainly not my kind of fun.” “Oh, it can't be that bad,” I reasoned, trying to be optimistic, “besides what else are we going to do tonight?” She smirked. “Oh.” She shook her head laughing a little as she did so, “no, as much as I would love to, there are far too many ponies here, and for such a quiet mare, you can be quite loud. I blushed, “am not!” I huffed defensively. “Are too!” “Well so are you!” “Only when I’m giving you commands,” she teased. I blushed even harder as she turned and opened one of the drawers next to the wall. “The spell that I always cast over our room in addition to keeping out sunlight, also mutes sound and keeps it inside the room. However, I do really want to see you in a dress, besides I suppose we could use the distraction,” she admitted as she dug through the clothes a moment before pulling out a black piece of clothing. “Close your eyes,” she ordered, shoving her bat-like wing in my face. I did as she said, and I heard the quiet sound of her horn along with what sounded like struggling and frustration that went on for several minutes. “Ok... now, what do you think?” she asked with anticipation. I opened my eyes. Luna was standing there wearing the most beautiful black lace dress. Her coat was dark blue again and her dress was minimalist like my uniform. It sported small strands of dark red accent underneath the wings and on her shoulders. Shiny metal clips held everything in place, and she had even dawned a single long silver earring of a crescent moon. Her mane was tied back and held in place by a metal clip that also took the shape of a crescent moon. “Luna, you look..." I paused, struggling to find worthy words, “wow,” was all I could manage as I stood there stunned. She smiled moving towards me. “I haven't worn this in… ever! I don’t think,” she paused, “now you!” “Wait what!” Suddenly I was grabbed by her blue magic and pulled to a mirror next to the drawer. I was held in place as she positioned me from pose to pose. Before floating out a dark blue dress almost the same color as her fake coat. Aside from the color It was very similar to the black one she was wearing, lace and minimal, breathable and beautiful with black accents instead of dark red. She pulled it onto me and clipped it in place. “My sister got this for me a long time ago, back when she wasn't like how she is now. I have no idea what she was thinking getting me a dress the same color as my coat. Not to mention it's much too small for me now, but it seems to fit you almost perfectly if a little big,” she smiled. “I love it!” I said excitedly. Her blue glow wrapped around my mane and pulled it back clipping it in place with another moon shaped metal hair clip. She let my bangs hang down off to the side however, only tying back the rest of my mane. “You look beautiful Feather,” she purred, nibbling my ear. I really do, I thought. In fact, I didn't even know I could look this good! “I don't know what to say,” I admitted. “Then don't say anything,” she cooed sweetly before locking me in another kiss. I shivered as she did so. “Let’s get going Feather.” I nodded, “yes Luna.” Before we could make it to the door I spasmed as pain shot through my spine and I collapsed to the floor. Luna rushed over to me, panic on her face, “Feather, what's wrong!?” I felt my insides shifting! My head pounded and I had to do everything I could not to scream. It was so incredibly painful! Thankfully it didn't last for very long and had gone as quickly as it came. Regaining my composure I sat up. I'm fine, is what I tried to say, but I slurred my words as several of my teeth began to fall to the ground making a little clattering sounds as they landed on the dark stone floor. I heard Luna let out a sigh of relief, “it's just the darkness changing you, it's nothing to worry about. It seems to be progressing a little faster than I remember, I'm not sure whether to be concerned or relieved.” I nodded, “I’m fine, it only hurt for a second, I feel good now.” “That’s good, but let me know if you feel anything strange, the last thing we need is for your eyes to start melting out of your head in the middle of the gala.” “Yeah, that wouldn’t be- hold on, did you just say eyes melting out of my head?” “Well how else did you think you would get new eyes? When it comes to our bodies, the darkness doesn't change, it replaces.” My eyes widened as I began to realize what that meant, “so all of my internal organs, my skin, everything, it's all going to be broken down and replaced?” Luna nodded casually as if this was completely ok and not something that I should be hyperventilating over, ahh too late I'm hyperventilating! “Feather calm down, the darkness will numb most of the pain, besides it's an incredibly slow process so you're not going to feel it all at once. What you just felt will probably be the most intense it ever gets.” “Does this mean my brain is gonna melt and come out of my ears…” my eyes widened, “ahh- don't think about it, don't think about it! Look at me, not thinking about it!” “Don’t be silly, come, stop panicking and let's go downstairs and find something else to drink, before I change my mind about this gala,” she insisted, gesturing for me to follow. I noticed in the mirror as we passed that both of the scars on my neck were thankfully just barely visible, not enough to service any unwanted attention. I nodded with a smile and still feeling a little lightheaded from blood loss. I trotted after her. As soon as we exited the room, we saw two of Celestia's soldiers standing guard. Luna rolled her eyes. “Thank you for making sure nopony comes through here,” Luna drawled, “however, there is no longer a need,” she pointed her horn at the door and the lock flashed blue, “nopony is going to get through that spell, you two are dismissed.” Neither of the guards responded or even blinked, they just stood there. “I said you're dismissed,” Luna repeated insistently, “Hello...” she insisted, waving a hoof in front of one of the buck’s face. Still, they just stood there not moving a muscle, not even blinking. “Hey, you will show your Princess some respect,” I demanded as I reared up at them. Still no reaction. They both were looking right past us like they didn't even know we were there, I backed away. “Alright, well that's not creepy at all,” I pointed out sarcastically. “My sister probably just ordered them to not respond to us as some kind of cruel joke,” Luna sighed, “let’s go Feather.” Or maybe their brains melted out of their heads… Ahh dammit! Don't think about it, Feather! As we walked away, I looked back, something about those two was familiar. “Hey, weren’t those two working nightshifts recently I could have sworn I saw them a few times after our training sessions. They were friendly enough, and I don’t see why royal night guards would treat you with anything other than the utmost respect.” “They unfortunately still have to do as my sister says, they are her guard after all.” “Well, if it is some kind of joke, why do they have to be so damn creepy about it?” I asked. Luna just shrugged, “I haven't the slightest, at this point I’ve given up trying to understand why my sister does anything.” I was half paying attention as my stupid brain kept fixating on the brain thing! Ok wait a minute, first of all how would that even work? Do I pass out until the darkness grows me a new brain? Am I conscious the whole time? Clearly my memories will stay intact, how? I don't know! Maybe the brain is the one thing the darkness doesn’t replace, maybe it just changes it... Ooo does it replace parts of it over time instead of all at once, Luna said it was a slow process, for some reason I was under the impression that when the darkness replaces an organ it does the whole thing in one go, but maybe it's like the teeth, just parts of it slowly over time like Luna said. Ahh fuck! I thought about it! “You ok Feather? You look sick.” “I’m fine,” I lied as I covered my mouth with a hoof in an effort to stop from puking. “You're thinking about the brain thing, aren't you?” Luna chuckled, “don't worry your brain isn't gonna melt out of your ears, that would be silly, you'll be fine ok.” I took a deep calming breath. Luna’s right, I'm going to be fine, I just need to relax and let the darkness do what it’s going to do. We finally made our way into the main dining hall, except the giant table was gone and it had been converted into some kind of ball room. There was a stylized ice sculpture of Celestia’s likeness in the center of the giant room. Tables were laid out with candles, ponies mingled, drank champagne, and a band played on a small stage near the back wall. As loud as it was, I suppose it could be worse, and thankfully it was night, so I felt a lot more at ease. “Why don't you go find us something to drink,” Luna prompted, “I'm going to see if I can't find my sister, it's time the two of us had a talk.” I nodded and looked around before spotting a table with glasses and a fountain of something I really hoped was more than just punch. Trotting over I saw Ruby floating a bottle of Silver Skies Gin the grey Pegasus on the bottle’s logo looked very cozy on a cartoonishly fluffed cloud as she clutched a similar looking bottle like it was the most important thing in Equestria. Ruby was wearing a brilliant bright red dress with a rose pendant on the front. The dress looked slick, was simple but also elegant, and even though I didn't like her sun necklace, I admit it did go well with her outfit. “Drinking on duty are we?” I teased as I approached. Ruby was in a sweat, she looked like she was shaking, “hey Ruby, are you all right?” I asked concerned, reaching out a hoof. The gray mare looked up at me, her red eyes pinpricks. “You!” she gasped, “don’t talk to me,” she sputtered turning her head back towards the table. “Look I get it, you have to follow Celestia's orders, but come on, we are friends, are we not?” “What...?” She looked back at me confused. “The whole silent treatment thing, I mean,” I said with a frown, grabbing two glasses and filling them with punch from the fountain. “So, you've noticed it too,” she whispered, shooting me a scarred glance, “also I'm not on duty tonight.” Ok now I was actually concerned. “Ruby what's going on, what's got you so freaked out?” I asked, worriedly. “I shouldn't be talking to you,” Ruby fretted in a hushed, panic driven voice. “Why not?” “Because I... it's hard to explain, shit what do I do!” she whispered, darting her head around. “Wait what… slow down, just tell me what's wrong,” I prompted, my own heart rate starting to pick up. Ruby was clearly terrified; I knew it wasn't for no reason. “The thing I wanted to talk to you and Princess Luna about earlier. These ponies, they showed up around a week ago, all dressed in these strange uniforms. They apparently had clearance to be in the royal guard facilities,” she looked around once more, “I was told at the time they were from one of the Canterlot Institutes here by recommendation from the Princess.” She took another swig from her gin before continuing. “I was just waking up to go on my shift and I overheard two of them outside the barracks throwing around the word quarantine, also not a day later, a few of the guards started going missing, only to turn up a couple days later, except they were wrong somehow.” “Let me guess, creepy silent treatment, and soulless eyes?” I hoped I was wrong. Ruby nodded. “And now I can't find Sunny,” she fussed in panic. “Your partner?” She nodded, “we’ve known each other forever, since we were foals, we applied together, I always promised I’d take care of him, keep him safe,” she paused, “we need to find him Feather, please!” “Ruby, take a breath, what else can you tell me about these ponies, why did you say you shouldn’t be talking to me?” Ruby shook her head in an effort to recompose herself, “Right, earlier today during the gala preparations there was a briefing with the institute ponies and guard leadership. I was standing guard at the time of the briefing, and I overheard some of what they were saying,” she took a breath, then proceeded to take another swig. Goddess she was making me nervous. “They were saying awful things about you and Princess Luna, none of what they were saying made any sense.” “What kind of things?” I queried. Again, she went for another drink but this time I swiped it from her magical grasp she was so out of it that her red magic imploded almost the second I snatched it. I instead poured some of the gin into the punch. “I think you've had enough,” I insisted, setting the bottle away, “now go on,” I urged. “They were saying that… that the Princess isn't who she says she is, that you’ve both been infected with something, that you can't be trusted and are some kind of monster! and that the Princess is something even worse... Feather, what could they mean!?” I froze. Ruby, seeing my expression, glared at me, “Feather, please tell me there isn't any truth to that madness!” I shook my head as convincingly as I could, “of course not, they’re clearly insane! But what does it matter what a bunch of crazies say?” “That's not what terrifies me, what terrifies me is that they had clearance, and that my superiors did not arrest them or kick them out, instead they stayed in that briefing room and listened.” I needed to get Ruby to Luna. I took a mildly irritated breath, “I feel like all of this is incredibly important information you should have shared with Luna and I immediately, so why in Equestria are you just telling me this now!” I demanded. She looked back at me like I just killed her puppy. “Firstly, Sunny wasn’t missing until now, secondly this basically just happened, and lastly, I only heard bits and pieces, and they were incredibly vague the whole fucking time! What did you expect me to do? go up to you or Princess Luna with no real details and say, oh hey. by the way these ponies from a Canterlot institute came by and said you two were infected with something and that the Princess is maybe some kind of monster?” she retorted sarcastically. Ruby didn't know the truth about the darkness or Luna’s real appearance, so of course she would think it's nonsense. I sighed, “point made, come on, let's go find Luna, you tell her exactly what you told me, and I promise we will find your friend.” She reached past me and took her gin back, polishing off the rest of the small bottle before slamming it back down on the table. “Ok let's go,” she prompted, trotting wobbly past me, heading over to where Luna was on the other side of the room. Pushing past the clusters of ponies we finally made our way back to Luna whose face was plastered with dull boredom as she seemed to be listening to some aristocrat drone on about the financing of apparently what he called ‘the logistical nightmare’ that is Canterlots construction. I stepped forward, her drink balancing on my wing, “oh thank goodness… Feather!” she exclaimed brightly, knocking the older stallion out of the way, “my hero,” she smirked, grabbing her drink off my wing with her magic. “Any luck with you sister?” I asked. “Unfortunately not, I couldn't find her, she's most likely in the throne room dealing with delegates.” Ruby stepped into view from behind me. “I'm starting to think that won't matter, I don't think Celestia is behind the guards' strange behavior,” I paused, “Ruby has something she needs to tell you, preferably in private,” I said, giving her a worried look. She looked over at Ruby and saw how terrified the short gray unicorn was. “Of course, let’s go outside,” Luna nodded and turned to move towards the exit. Right as the three of us were about to leave through the door a buck in a messy tuxedo jumped in front of us. He was a light brown earth pony with a dark brown mane and eyes. His dark brown mane had strands of gold dyed into it as did his tail. “Your highness,” he started, “ladies”, his suave eastern accent enough to make tipsy Ruby almost trip over herself. I just rolled my eyes. “Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Leopold Dormain, but you lot can just call me Leo,'' he said before bending down to kiss Luna's hoof. She promptly yanked it away before he had the chance. “Listen, I do not have the time nor the patience for this right now, so move or be moved,” Luna growled. “Pardon luv, but wouldn’t a mare as beautiful as yourself at least let me have just this one dance?” he pleaded. Luna balked before pushing him out of the way. I chuckled as we moved past, “sorry, but I don't think you're her type.” I gave him a sympathetic look, and I watched him visibly deflate. Until he saw how Ruby was looking at him, and immediately the clumsy bravado returned. I shot Ruby a look and she too pushed him away before stumbling back towards us. Luna stopped, and grinned, “actually, I think I have time for one dance,” she purred smoothly, turning to me, smiling and offering me her hoof. I felt that same constricting sensation again as I tried to bring myself to tell her there was a far more pressing concern but like before the tension just got worse until I let myself relax. As soon as I did so, my thoughts of Ruby’s troubles and imminent dangers shattered as I blushed and took her hoof with my own. “But I don't even know how to dance,” I admitted shyly. She smiled, “neither do I really, but what better a time to learn?” and with that she guided me to an open spot on the ballroom floor. I saw Ruby looking at us with panic, “what about Sunny!?” I barely heard her over the music that had just started. “We will only be but a moment,” Luna called back to her, “I’m sure whatever it is can wait a few minutes.” The music was slow and melodic, ponies were pairing up with each other for the romantic music. I noticed that Luna and I were the only two mares dancing together, and while it drew a couple disconcerting looks, nopony made any attempt to say anything. Luna was looking at me with a sweet smile as we swayed back and forth. I lost myself in her eyes as she spun me around before bringing me back into the slow sway, this time moving the opposite direction. “You're so beautiful,” I whispered softly. “And you're surprisingly not terrible at dancing,” she teased, smiling sweetly at me. After a little while the song playing slowly began to come to an end, and I saw Luna look off behind me for a moment before her eyes went back to mine with a grin. “My sister is finally here, and she’s watching,” she whispered. “Watching to make sure we keep things ‘discrete’ I'm sure,” I commented with a roll of my eyes. The song finally came to a close, and I was taken by surprise as Luna pulled me close and pressed her lips to mine. I closed my eyes, feeling like electricity was running through us as I kissed her in return. When we broke away, I opened my eyes to see her own flash to being nocturnally slitted if only for the briefest of seconds. I looked around and noticed more than half the room staring at us, most with looks of surprise and shock, but there were more than a few looks of discontent. Only a moment passed before a new song started playing. Everypony that was staring turned and went back to minding their own business as they no doubt were muttering amongst themselves at the surprising actions of the Princess of the Night. I snickered at the thought. “Oh, Tia is going to kill me,” Luna chuckled, “did you see the look on her face!” she wheezed, “priceless.” “I was too focused on yours,” I whispered softly, and she nuzzled me. “Ruby,” I murmured, looking around, not seeing her anywhere, “we should find her,” I said worriedly. Luna Nodded and we pushed our way past the crowds and started making our way over to where we last saw her. Where could she have gone? I wondered. “Ruby!” Luna called out but she was drowned out by the mass of other voices in the giant room. “Oh well, I guess whatever she had to say wasn't important enough to at least wait a few minutes,” Luna rolled her eyes. “Luna, you don't understand, the dance was lovely but what Ruby needs to tell you is of the utmost importance, we need to find her,” I insisted. “Too important to wait a couple minutes?” I gave her a look. Luna sighed, “fine wait here, I'll find her.” Stepping into the shadow of one of the window curtains and doing a double take to make sure nopony was watching. Luna suddenly fell into a cloud of shadows and disappeared completely. My jaw dropped, “what the…” The whole room got a little darker and I swore I saw shadows moving across the ceiling. “I couldn't find her,” I heard Luna say behind me as I turned to see her reemerging from the shadows, and the room returned to its original brightness. “What in the stars did you just do?” I asked baffled. “I can manipulate shadows, remember,” she reminded me. “I know, but I guess I wasn't fully aware to what extent,” I paused before grinning, “so what else can you do?” I asked curiously. “Lots,” she responded, “but let's focus on finding Ruby right now, why don't we check outside?” she prompted. Once we were in the courtyard, we looked across the many ponies who were enjoying the more open aired part of the gala. Upon not seeing Ruby anywhere we moved off to the privacy of the side of the castle “Alright tell me what it was Ruby needed to tell me,” Luna prompted, turning to look at me expectantly. I went through everything she had told me earlier, while Luna listened intently, taking it much more serious than I originally had. “Did she say what institute they were from? Did she mention seeing any markings, anything identifiable on these ponies?” Luna asked worriedly. I shook my head. “How could anypony have possibly found out?” Luna breathed. “Found out what?” I asked. “Well, my appearance for one, I can only assume that it is because of my more frightening aspects that these ponies have constructed this narrative about us.” She paused thoughtfully. “But them saying we’re infected with something? It makes no sense, could they mean the darkness? if so how could anypony have found out!? Ruby said they arrived about a week ago, right?” I nodded. “So, if these ponies were watching us, they wouldn't have yet seen what I did to you at the blacksmiths” I took a breath, reveling in the feeling of those shadows. “As for the guards, their behavior could be the result of some kind of spell, if that's the case I should be able to break it, but if it's not,” she gave me a worried look. “We need to find Ruby” Author's Note Big honkin chapter, this one was so hard to get to a place I felt comfortable with, I don't know how many times I've rewritten this chapter, its finally getting to the rising action and conflict of the story and this will be the second time Ive uploaded it here, hopefully the last. I would hate to do it over again but I think it's finally in a solid place to get the plot moving. apologizes to anyone who read the mess that was the first iteration of this chapter lmao.
Chapter Six: The GambitChapter Six The Gambit I heard hoof steps approaching and I spun around. “Did I overhear you ladies need help findin that friend of yours?” Leo said as he moved from around the corner, “the pretty one, with that crazy red mane?” “How long have you been there!” I hissed. “Not long enough to become a problem,” Luna reassured me, “I heard him trip and fall down the stairs on his way over here,” she snickered. “Yeah, least when I do fall, I fall with style, and intention," he grinned as he straightened his bow tie clumsily. I thought back to how he tried courting Ruby shortly after failing with the Princess and I rounded on him. “What happened to Ruby after you talked to her!” I demanded, once again trying to make myself look intimidating despite my stature. To my credit he actually shrank back and even fumbled his hooves. “Nothin! Honest,” he sniffed and straightened himself out a little, “she told me fuck off yeah? Then I turned round only to get laughed at by some up city twat,” he sighed, “I left to get a few rounds in, and that’s the last I saw her, I swear.” I backed down and moved towards Luna’s side once again. “I believe you,” Luna said. The dismissive tone in her voice suggesting she never suspected him to begin with, I suddenly felt very foalish and small again. I had to pretend to fuss with my wing so neither of them could see my embarrassment. “Look, think we got off on the wrong hoof yeah? Let me help, can’t take that stuffy crowd back there anyways.” Luna and I both stifled a snicker, “what could you possibly offer that would be of any help to us?” Luna asked indignantly. “Your horrible fashion sense doesn't count,” I added. “Come now luv, you're looking at the greatest private investigator in all of Canterlot,” he boasted. “Doubtful,” I muttered, “besides if you're just some PI, how could you afford to even attend this gala?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Bits aren't everything luv, sometimes all you need is a cheap suit, a clever smile and a dashing bowtie,” He boasted with a smirk as he attempted to lean against the wall only to trip over himself stumbling to barely avoid ruining his so called dashing bowtie. I stifled another laugh. "Why do you even want to help us?" I asked curiously after regaining my composure. “What, I can't do my honorable duty as a citizen of Equestria to aid royalty? I raised an eyebrow. “Oh stars forbid a guy wants help the Princess find her pretty friend,” he chuckled, “she’s a spitfire that one, I pity any poor sod that crosses her," he scratched behind his neck, "love another chance to try and talk to her." I rolled my eyes, though I suppose it was innocent enough of a reason to want to help, as long as you have a thing for belligerent alcoholic soldier mares that is. “Alright, I really don't care if you help,” Luna sighed, “we can use this stupid gala as a distraction, Feather go with, Leopold, was it? to find Ruby and Sunny; If I were you, I would check their barracks first.” “Where are you going?” I asked. “I am going to have a word with my sister, no doubt she has something to do with this, and if not, she should be made aware.” Luna smiled and leaned into me for a quick kiss, “be careful Feather.” “You too,” I murmured as she let go. She turned and took to the air, as I watched her go I heard Leo clear his throat and I turned to look at him. “Well then, we won't find your darling Ruby standing around here then will we? Now do try and keep up luv,” he smirked, turning and trotting back into the courtyard. I trotted up past him, “hey Luna might have let you tag along, but don't be mistaken, you're just the help, I'm the soldier, so this will go a lot easier if you follow my lead.” “Soldier? Really?” he scoffed, “And here I thought you were just another pretty face, do tell,” he prompted coyly. “I’m Princess Luna’s Regent,” I said matter of factly. “Well then, didn’t realize the Princess of the Night had anyone under her command.” He paused. “But I spose I was also unaware that the Princess had a marefriend,” he chuckled, “not my brightest moment I admit, not her type indeed.” Leo stopped and looked at me, “bloody stars I never stood a chance.” “Focus Casanova,” I rolled my eyes as we continued along down to the Royal Guards camp. “Out of pure curiosity, how long is it that you two have been together?” I gave him a look. “What? it's called small talk luv,” he protested defensively. “Fine,” I sighed, “technically we’ve only been together- together for a few nights now but we've known each other a lot longer, and I realize now that Luna had feelings for me for probably as long as I had feelings for her, long before recently.” “I was gonna say, you two don’t act like a couple thats only been together for a few days.” “Honestly, I was pretty much hers the moment we met,” I admitted, then added with a smile, “she saved me.” He sighed, “unfortunately I don't seem to share your luck when it comes to matters of the heart.” “Think maybe it's because you overdo it?” I offered, “maybe if you turned all of” I waved a hoof at him, “that, off you would have better luck?” “No can do luv, it doesn't have an off switch, and even if it did why would I ever want to change perfection,” he smirked, tightening his bowtie again. I almost snorted, “yeah, perfection indeed.” “So, I've heard stories, bout the Princess of the Night,” he began, taking a darker tone, “I suppose then you would be the one to ask if they're true or not.” “What do you mean?” I asked cautiously. “Nothin, just…” he looked skeptical, “besides the fact that she’s an immortal alicorn, she is still just a pony, right?” he asked, his voice unsure. “What kind of stupid question is that?” I laughed as convincingly as I could manage, “what else would she be?” “I don't know… something else?” he murmured, staring at his hooves before shaking his head, “never bother, sorry, your right it was a stupid question.” Could he have heard the same thing Ruby did? And if so, how? and when!? I looked over at him cautiously as we walked. What are you up to Leopold Dormain? I thought as I narrowed my eyes. Finally, we arrived at the rows of small square shaped buildings that made up the barracks of the royal guard. The ground around the barracks was torn and beaten down by countless armored hoof prints. The buildings themselves didn’t look nearly as old as the castle but were still somehow worse for wear, something I never noticed from the distance when Luna and I would train out here. Thankfully mounted to a tattered and worn sign near the first building, was a roster of every royal guard unit currently stationed in this wing. “Over here,” I called out as Leo made his way up. Scanning the roster I desperately tried to remember what unit Ruby was in, I remember she had told me once, it had sort of a silly name. Eventually my eyes landed on the unit, ‘Pears.’ I giggled to myself, ahh yes, the dreaded Pears unit, not to be confused with units cupcake or fluffy pillow. My amusement was short lived however as I remembered the urgent situation at hoof. “It says Ruby and Sunny are both assigned to barracks A12” “Well then, what are we waitin’ for?” We both turned to make our way down the first dirt road, all the buildings along each side of it had the letter A with a corresponding number, and it didn't take us long to find the barracks we were looking for. “Dammit the door’s locked,” I cursed before backing up to get a running start at it. Just before I could charge it, Leo dashed in front of me! “Oh, please there's no need for such violence, what did the door ever do to you?” he mused, “this simply requires a touch of finesse, perhaps a bottle of fine wine, but certainly not brute force.” I face hoofed, “If you have a better idea, I’d love to hear it.” “As a matter of fact,” he grinned, reaching into his undone tuxedo and pulling out a screwdriver and bobby pin. “You could have led with that,” I face hoofed. With the screwdriver being gripped by his teeth, and bobby pin in between both hoofs the door was open within the minute. He looked back at me with a prideful smirk. I rolled my eyes, “alright, that was impressive I admit.” I still have no idea how earth ponies can manage to do anything like that. I always used my wings for tasks that required any amount of precision, and obviously unicorns had their magic, but earth ponies just had their hooves. I couldn't imagine trying to pick a lock with wings let alone just hooves. He smirked, “after you,” he offered, swinging the door wide open to reveal the bunks inside. Pushing my way into the room, I sighed, “alright let's see what we can see.” There wasn't much to see, it was a long plain room with scuffed wooden floors and drab wooden and stone walls with double bunks lining those walls on either side. The air was musky from the dirty solider mare’s and bucks that called this place their home. I made my way down the rows of beds looking for something, anything. “Over here,” Leo called out. He directed my attention to small blood spattering on the corner of one of the bunks. “I'm surprised you even saw that little thing,” I murmured moving up to get a closer look. looking at the few dried crimson drops, I felt those shadows stir and couldn't help but lick my lips. Stars, what exactly had Luna done to me? I wondered before returning my attention back to the situation. “Look there were signs of a struggle here,” Leo said pointing out the tossed up sheets before moving to the scuff marks on the ground. I felt another tooth fall loose and I turned to quickly and descretly spit it out in the trash bin between the bunks. Thankfully though all of my teeth felt supremely loose it still seemed only my back teeth were falling out for the moment, making it far easier to conceal what was happening to me. I savored the small amount of warm blood left behind from the discarded tooth. Goddesses I was hungry, I really should have eaten some hors d’oevres or something. “Whoever did this was sloppy,” he started, “there's a clear path that leads through the backdoor, I'd imagine whoever got nabbed was kicking and screaming the whole bloody way through. How did nopony see this happen?” he asked, baffled. “Sunny has been on the nightshift consistently for the past few weeks, he was probably in here sleeping while everypony else was gone for the day,” I told him, “so, can you track where they went?” “I can certainly try, but it might get a tad tricky after we leave the building.” We made our way out the back door, following the signs of struggle past the back of the building, past a couple of other buildings and into a field. The tracks however ended right at the edge of said field. “Must have been a pegasi, at least two in order to carry who I can only assume is your friend Sunny,” Leo said with a confident nod. “Do you know what buildings or structures are out in that direction?” I asked. “Just an old mine, and that train station next to it, but both have been closed down for years.” “Ten bits says that's where they went,” I said, spreading my wings and taking flight, “tell me what I should be looking for,” I prompted, hovering there. “Fly until you see the old rail system, then follow it off to the left until you see where the tracks diverge, from there follow the right track and it should lead you to the old mine.” “That was oddly specific. Have you been out here before?” I asked cautiously. “Not a chance luv, I just rode the train here, goes right past the old tracks. Also it's right next to that little town out there, I forget the name.” “Ahh,” I turned and started flying a bit higher up. “Hey, what about me!” Leo called out. I stopped and turned, “go find Princess Luna and tell her where I went.” I figure if he is somehow involved in Ruby’s disappearance, Luna would make short work of the fool and if he wasn’t, Luna should still know where I am. He nodded. “And Leo, be careful,” I warned. “Can do ma’am,” he said with a little salute. ___ Flying over the nice open field and occasional tree patches was calming, there was no longer the busy noise of the gala in my ear, nor any annoyingly suspicious company, just the wind in my mane and the moon shining down from above. Who would kidnap royal guards? I thought to myself. I mean it makes no sense! An institute from Canterlot shows up, takes royal guards, puts them in some kind of trance before returning them to the castle. I shook my head. I'm sure this is just some kind of misunderstanding, it's probably a legitimate operation that Luna and I are unaware of. Knowing Celestia I think it's safe to assume she could care less to tell her sister the things she’s up to. I frowned. They mentioned a contagion, Luna assumed they were talking about the darkness, but maybe there is a real contagion? Maybe the institute ponies from Canterlot are here to help and they’re just doing it quietly to not spread panic? No matter how I tried to justify the situation in my mind, something still felt off. “I have a really bad feeling about this…” I didn't have to fly for very long before I saw the train rails come into view and I veered off to the left, then to the right once I got to the older, more rusted track. Not soon after, an old worn building came into view made up of dilapidated bricks and overgrown vines. There was a large archway off to the side of the building that the tracks ran through. An empty train cart and rusted down train engine rested underneath it. I glided down and landed next to a chained and rusted door that rested under the large archway and lead into the station proper. “There's no way I'm getting through that,” I said aloud before lifting back off and flying out from under the archway. Sadly, I lacked Leo’s lockpicking skills. Making my way up to the roof, I noticed a section of it had caved in but somepony appeared to have recently boarded it up. The wood used to patch the hole was still bright and unweathered by its time outside. In the distance I heard ponies laughing and shouting. Taking a mental note of the hole in the ceiling as a possible entrance I lifted back into the air. The noise was coming from behind the train station in a clearing, I flew low, sticking to the tree line as I approached for a closer look. The glowing light from a bonfire illuminated over a dozen ponies. I saw ponies singing, dancing and drinking. Clearly the Grand Galloping Gala wasn't the only party going on tonight. I saw a lilac colored pegasus fly down from above the trees. Her saddlebags seemed to be brimming with some very tasty looking pastries. I saw a caravan parked near the opposite tree line. I also noticed a couple of the ponies at the party carried weapons. A few had flintlocks and some had swords. Caravan security maybe? I didn't see Sunny or Ruby anywhere in the group and decided to fly back to the roof of the train station. Leo had mentioned there was a town nearby, maybe this was their version of the Gala, it made sense that those unable to attended might try and create their own fun. Moving over to the poorly constructed reinforcement I looked at the boards, I noticed they were only held in by a few nails. Taking a breath and using my hooves as leverage I slowly began to lift away the wooden panels. After a few minutes of struggling and sore hooves, I managed to make a hole big enough for myself to squeeze through. Dropping down, I used my wings to quietly catch my fall before resting my hooves back on the ground. The old train station was pretty open for the most part, there were old broken benches, mummified parchments littered the ground, glass and other debris was scattered into every corner and there were still plenty of dark corners even I couldn't see into that well. No pony was around; however I did notice the soft glow of candle light from around the corner behind the reception area near the deeper interior of the old station. Moving as quietly as I could, I crept up to get a better view and saw that the light came from a lantern hanging above the entrance to a staircase that seemed to lead down. The entrance to the staircase looked like the brick walls had been bashed in to make it. I noticed the reception booth to the right had all its windows shattered, I had to watch my step if I didn't want to cut up my hooves. I took a deep breath, “remember what Luna taught you,” I whispered to myself before making my way to the staircase. Looking down, it seemed to go on forever as I couldn't see more than a few strides on account that the lantern light was messing with my vision. Taking several steps down inside, my eyes began to adjust, and I could see a small light way down at the bottom of the long staircase. This wasn't part of the original building, I noticed, looking at the dirt walls and makeshift stairs, or was it? As I got near the bottom, I saw the shadows of a few ponies move by. Sticking to the darkness, I made my way quietly though the entrance at the bottom of the stairs. Looking around I tried to spot the ponies whom those shadows belong to however seemed to have gone. I looked around at the multiple passageways and tunnels, the wooden support beams looked old and worn, some were even bending at very uncomfortable angles, everything was poorly lit with only the occasional lantern to light the way. “What in the stars is this place?” I murmured, was it part of the old mine? I wondered. I walked along the main larger passage, hugging the walls as I went. The low light environment giving me a huge advantage over anypony else down here whose eyes were not as accustomed to the dark as mine. Suddenly I heard the ear wrenching scream of a familiar mare in the distance. Her voice bouncing off the walls of the cavern like a kaleidoscope of echoed pain. “Ruby…” I breathed. Using my wings, I dashed silently to where I heard the scream come from. I heard it again as I made my way towards the voice, as I got closer I heard the voice of another mare. “Please calm down, we’re going to take away your pain, doesn't that sound nice?” I moved closer to an entrance and the room slowly began to come into view. A fire pit sat in the back of the room providing most of the light. I assumed it had a chimney that led to the surface however I didn't recall seeing any smoke on my fly over here aside from that of the bonfire. The rest of the room was littered with shelves of dusty old books and rusty tools. And then I saw her... Ruby was tied to a wooden table. Her head being held down by a metal clamp, there was some kind of ring attached to her horn, her dress was torn to shreds and she was crying and struggling in place. The bruises and lacerations on her hide and face indicated she had either not gone so quietly, or she had been tortured. Oh, sweet Luna what in Stars is this horrible place... “Let me go, you psychotic bitch!” Ruby screamed, clearly still in a somewhat drunken stupor. The Pegasus mare standing over the table was wearing some sort of strange grey uniform mostly covered by what looked like a lab coat, though nothing gave away what she really looked like. “I can't, not yet. Listen I’m sorry, I realize that this ‘facility if we can even call it that is, unacceptable, but It’s all we could manage in such a short amount of time,” the mare said, "smugglers used these old tunnels to steel ore from the mines, fascinating that this place still holds up at all really. “I know you work for an Institute, I’m a royal guard in Princess Celestia’s army, I’m ordering you to let me go!” “Not a military institution, sorry.” “Then why?” Ruby pleaded. The Institute mare sighed, “look I don’t really buy into all that spiritual crap, I like to stick to science and the facts, and the fact is that there is something, call it a pathogen or whatever, but this thing scary. I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s got the others acting like zealots, but they’re right in a sense, best thing we can do for you now is at least try to, well save your soul.” Ok what the hell is going on? I thought. Moving into the room but sticking to the shadows, I was about to go up and take the pegasus mare by surprise, but I heard hoof steps from the passageway I had just come from, as well as the sound of rolling wheels. Six more ponies all wearing the same kind of strange uniform entered the room. One of them was pushing a cart with an unconscious Sunny strapped down to it, and I stopped myself from moving forward. There were way too many of them now, no way I could handle all of them, I thought as I shrunk further back into the shadows. One figures was wearing a cloak over their uniform, he threw back the hood after stepping inside. He was a burley unicorn stallion with a light beige coat and yellow mane, I could see the collar of that uniform a little more clearly now and took a mental note of the acronym embroidered onto it: I.A.M.R. He had a scarred face and his bright green eyes looked down sadly at Ruby. “I'm sorry it has come down to this,” he started, “but it is for your own good, both of you have already let yourselves become infected. You needn't blame yourself, there are not many that can resist such temptation.” The burley beige stallion took a solemn step back from Ruby. “We will cleanse this infection unfortunately the only way we can, and hopefully save your souls in the process.” Ruby spat at his face, “I’ll fucking kill you if you lay a hoof on my partner!” she promised in angered defiance. “You and your partner will serve in a fight far beyond the scope of your comprehension, most importantly you will be free of the darkness you have let corrupt your souls. Observe.” The unicorn stallion moved over to the table Sunny was strapped to and floated out a long metal rod that ended in a point, the next thing he floated up was a small little hammer. “Don’t you fucking touch him!” Ruby screamed but nothing stopped the beige stallion as he moved the metal rod place to the base of Sunny’s muzzle I swear I saw the stallion mouth the words ‘I’m sorry’ but couldn’t really tell. I watched in horror as the hammer came swinging down and the long pointed rod was jammed through the green stallion's muzzle and up into his brain, his eyes shot open and bulged, his body spasmed in agony for a few moments before he finally laid still. “NOOO!” Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs tears running down her face The fuck... I put a hoof to my mouth to stop myself from screaming and throwing back up my punch. Looking back up I noticed to my horror that Sunny was still breathing! But his eyes were blank, mindless... Ruby was still a crying kicking screaming mess. “Do not cry, his mind may be gone but at least he is free,” the stallion said sympathetically. “This thing, this corruption… Despite my best efforts there is no known cure. I know this may seem extreme, believe me if I thought for even a second that I could save you and your partner, I would.” I watched as a single tear fell from the stallion's eye. “This, thing... took my wife, I've seen what happens to a pony if the infection is allowed to develop, I saw what happened to her. Believe me what I’m doing for you two is a mercy.” Ruby was a mess; in fact I doubt she even heard him, she just looked away, and continued sobbing. I saw Sunny was still occasionally twitching sporadically. I was continuing to look on in shock, as much as I wanted to turn and run away. I knew I couldn't… so I just continued to watch as the unicorn stallion floated out some kind of jar, and something inside was moving... He opened the jar and floated out a small bony looking creature that couldn't have been larger than a small mouse, it had tendrils riddled with thorns protruding from where its head should be. It was disturbing to look at. “The ambrosia parasite, native to the swamps of zebra lands. This marvelous little creature normally spends its days feeding on small fish and frogs. It attaches itself to its victim and slowly invades its way to the brain, taking control of motor functions ensuring its prey cannot fight back or flee. However, with some minor modification and magical augmentation…” The unicorn stallion floated the angry looking creature over Sunny's still breathing corpse and set it on top of his chest. The terrible little creature immediately dragged its way up to his muzzle before digging its thorny tendrils into his nostrils! It worked its way further in until I couldn't see it anymore. Goddesses this was beyond horror, this was sadistic, psychotic! my heart raced a million miles per second as I could do nothing but continue to watch in absolute dread. Several seconds passed before he went into another series of spasms before falling completely still again. “You are saved,” one of the unicorns said wistfully, causing the one Pegasus mare from earlier to roll her purple eyes, before the beige one turned to Ruby. “Now-” he was cut off however as another pony came rushing into the room and moved to whisper something into his ear. “I see,” he paused, looking back to the rest of the ponies in the room. “You three finish up with this one,” he directed, nodding towards two of the unicorns and the first pegasus from earlier. “The rest of you come with me,” he ordered before turning and making his way out of the room with the others. The door was pulled close behind them as they left. The three made their way towards Ruby. “Just stay calm, it will all be over soon” the pegasus mare whispered softly as one of the unicorns floated up another metal rod. Ruby screamed in terror. Oh, fuck no! Moving out of cover and using my wings, I dashed up above and behind the pegasus mare, bringing my hooves crashing down on her spine. I heard a crack and she screamed falling down on her face. “Feather!” Ruby gasped, still in tears, “you came for me!” I nodded; the two unicorns backed away in alarm grabbing rusty saws with their magic from one of the tool racks as they scrambled away from the table. “It's her! the demon!” one of them screeched in a terrified voice, “kill her!” the other one shouted before charging at me clumsily with the saw. I pushed off the ground with my wings and slammed my hooves down on the saw, knocking it out of her magical grasp. “I'm not gonna let you bastards hurt anypony else!” I screamed before taking the rust covered saw in my mouth and spearing the end of it into her neck! She let out a gurgled yelp, the action of pulling the saw back sprayed me with gore as the unicorn mare’s body dropped limp. All I could see was red as I glared at the last one in pure fiery fury. The other unicorn threw his saw at me with his magic in panic as he tried to run, but he missed. I pushed off the ground with my wings slamming him up against the bookcase, old torn books cascading to the ground from the impact. My hooves pushed on his throat, he struggled and tried kicking at me but I pressed harder. Then I felt a snap and with a final gurgle he fell limp. I let go, his body dropping to the floor with a heavy thud, the rage fading as quickly as it had come... “wha...” The realization of what I had just done pierced my heart like a cold dagger. I had just killed three ponies... I froze in shock. I know Luna had been training me to kill, I just had never thought it would ever actually happen… I looked down at my bloody hooves. The stench of gore perforated my nose, my throat ran dry as I struggled to catch my breath! I could feel myself shaking but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't seem to stop! “Feather please!” Ruby whimpered, dragging my attention back to reality. I turned to look back at her and below the table to my surprise I saw that the pegasus mare whose spine I crushed was still breathing. I moved and rolled her over to stare into her dark purple eyes. “Why!” I screamed, tears streaming from my own eyes. “I only wanted to help… save them,” she coughed, choking on her own blood, “you're a monster, you just don't realize it yet,” she gurgled. I felt Luna’s shadows tighten around my heart, that same constrictive feeling I'd felt before, but this time I didn’t dare resist, I didn’t want to. “The only monster I see here is you,” I said coldly, putting my hooves on her throat, she looked up at me terrified. These weren’t ponies, these were monsters, and they needed to be put down, I thought. Besides I just really wanted to see her bleed for trying to kill my friend. After a few moments of struggling, she finally went limp as blood trickled down from her nose and eyes. I felt the shadows that had tightened around my heart and mind loosen. “What did I just do!?” I gasped, taking a step back and looking at my bloody hooves, “how could I think like that?” This wasn’t me! I wasn't a murderer! Though was it really considered murder? Perhaps more of a public service? The little pony in the back of my mind pointed out. “Feather your eyes,” Ruby gasped, and I looked back at her, “they’re pitch black...” “It's uhh, just a spell,” I murmured absentmindedly, still staring at my bloody hooves. She shook her head, “Feather, pull yourself together, you did the right thing, I would have gutted these monsters myself if I could,'' Ruby coughed, tears streaming down her face. I turned my attention back to Ruby, quickly undoing her restraints. “Come on we have to hurry, before any more of them come back,” I said, my voice still shaking as I lifted her up around my shoulder. “Fucking magical restraints,” she groaned as she pulled the thing on her horn off. Something shiny caught my eye and I leaned Ruby against the wall. On the pegasus mare's corpse I lifted back her lab coat and saw she had a pair of wing blades attached to her. I strained a smile, “we might just get out of here after all,” I stammered with a dry laugh. “Sorry Luna,” I whispered as I tore off parts of my already bloodstained dress. Sliding on the blades and pulling them tight into place, I flexed my wings back and forth a few times making sure they were secure. “Thank you Feather,” Ruby groaned in pain. I looked back at her, “I'm sorry I couldn't save Sunny,” I whispered. She just buried her face into my shoulder and cried. I heard something snap behind us and I turned in horror to see Sunny pulling off his restraints! Ruby's eyes shot up, “Sunny! You're alive!” she exclaimed, moving to run over to him. “Wait!” I shouted, stopping her with my forehoof. His eyes were lifeless, looking at us, but it felt like he was looking past us. He moved strangely as he finished pulling off his restraints with ease. No normal pony was that strong. “That's not Sunny,” I warned, moving her behind me. Ruby and I looked on in horror and disbelief as he got up off the table. He was shuffling slowly towards us with those lifeless eyes, those eyes looking down, he picked up one of the bloody saws that lay on the ground with his teeth. “I'm so sorry sunny, you were a good pony, you didn't deserve this,” I murmured before dashing in close and stabbing him through the heart with the ends of my wings. To my surprise it did nothing! He just stood there and proceeded to slam the saw towards the back of my neck! I dashed back a second before I was made into a rolling wall decoration. I gaped in horror, the hole I had left gushed blood, though it did not seem to faze him in the slightest! At least he’s slow, I thought. Watching the blood pour from his chest, I felt the urge to run over and lap up as much as possible. I blinked, now I know what Luna meant about the cravings. I dashed in for another blow this time going for the throat and ramming the pointy ends of my blade all the way through and out the back of his neck. I had to just get out of the way before another swing of the saw came crashing down. Looking at my wings, I saw his throat, still on my wings... “Fuck!” I shouted, jumping backwards to shake it off, “eww eww eww!” I looked back at the now throatless bloodless Sunny still shambling towards us. “Just take a hint and fucking die!” I screamed charging at him using the bladed side of my wings to push through his already damaged neck. It made a wet meaty sound as his head rolled off and his body finally dropped with a heavy thud. I panted, glancing back at Ruby who had been watching in horror as I just decapitated her best friend. I didn't know what to say, I suppose there was nothing I could say. She turned and puked. Needless to say, I did the same... Suddenly the base of his skull started moving. I wiped my muzzle and watched in disgust as the small disturbing little creature that had been attached to his brain slowly pulled itself out through the fleshy remains. I backed away, it spasmed on the ground for a moment before shriveling up and lying still, only having the smallest movements. a red glow wrapped around it as Ruby lifted it up and tossed it into the burning fire pit. It let out a horrid little shriek as it shriveled into ash. “Come on,” I prompted, “let's get out of this horrible place,” grabbing her over my shoulder I made for the door. Poking my head out slowly, I looked around, it looked clear for the most part, but I heard voices in the distance getting closer every second. “Can you walk without help?” I asked and she nodded. I let her go, “bite the end of my tail and don't let go no matter what,” I told her. She did as I said before I started leading her back out the way I had come in. Pulling her through the dark, I knew she couldn't see, but I could as we stuck to the shadows, avoiding any more confrontation as we made it to the base of the long staircase that led to the surface. We finally broke through to the surface and the fresh air, I looked up at the hole I had made in the ceiling. “Alright, let go of my tail and hope I don't let go of you,” I told her before grabbing her in my arms. Slowly I ascended up towards the hole on in the ceiling, my wings flapping vigorously as I struggled to bring us both up. Once on the roof I rested for a second before taking off again and bringing her outside of the train station's perimeter before setting her back down on the dirt. I was winded from carrying another pony by myself, I sat taking heavy breaths. “Come on Feather we can't stop... We have to get the fuck out of here!” she pleaded in panic. I nodded. We just started to move again when I heard a familiar sound, I knew only wings with metal could make. “Get down!” I shouted, pushing Ruby out of the way a millisecond before another pegasus mare almost cleaned both of our heads from our shoulders as she flew past and landed in front of me. She was wearing the same uniform as the Stallion from earlier, I saw that acronym again. I.A.M.R. I recognized her as one of the other two uniformed ponies that were with the beige stallion. In better lighting I could see her entire uniform clearly now. The uniform was dark light gray, patches containing symbology I didn't recognize were sown to both of the shoulders and a small patch sewn to the front depicted imagery of a yellow star in front of a red cross encapsulated by a silver circle. Clearly, she had thought she had gotten us as I saw the surprise in her green eyes when I closed the distance. She was faster though as she managed to dash up just in time and I only managed to cut into one of her blue hind legs. She let out a yelp of pain before she flew back around for another lighting fast strike which I barely managed to dodge. Coming back around I saw confusion in her eyes, I assumed she thought I would have tried to fight her in the air by now, but Luna had taught me exactly how to deal with this. She raced back down at an inconceivable speed, the blades on her wings outstretched, whistling through the air. Right before she hit me, instead of dodging out of her way, I rolled underneath her and stuck both my wings straight up in the air. The world seemed to move in slow motion, and I watched in perfect detail as the entire bottom of her torso was split open in two parts from each bladed wing tip. Gore sprayed over me before she slammed into the ground, making a crunching sound as she hit. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. I looked down at my own side to see the giant line where the tip of her wing had cut through my hide. It was oozing blood and it hurt to stand up as I wiped the viscera from my face. I was shaking a little from the shock, Ruby looked impressed and terrified all at once. “Well done,” I heard the familiar somber voice of the beige stallion who had butchered Sunny only moments ago, “I would expect nothing less from a creature such as yourself.” “I’m going to fucking kill you!” Ruby spat. She could barely manage to stand let alone fight. I took a deep breath, I was injured, if something happened to me, Ruby would be left defenseless, but I figure I could buy her some time. Besides, I didn't plan on losing to this asshole. “I am sorry child, I tried to save you the only way I know how, but it is clear to me now that you are too far gone,” he said in a sincere tone of sadness. “You tried to fucking lobotomize me and shove some parasite in my brain!” Ruby screamed. “Yes, and while it may seem cruel to you now, you would have been at peace, and your body would have served a greater purpose.” “You're sick!” I spat. “I do what must be done, at least my soul remains intact, unlike yours, monster,” he boasted in a righteous tone that only made me more furious. “Ruby, Run,” I said quietly. “But-” “Dammit I said run! Follow the old tracks, I'll take care of this monster.” Even with her limp, she turned and started running. She stopped for only a moment to look back, “thank you Feather,” she murmured before turning and disappearing through the tall dry grass of the field. I turned back to the beige stallion, “so does the delusional psychopath have a name?” I taunted, mostly trying to buy time. “My name is Elijah Kane, I am not the first to take a stand against the darkness which threatens to consume this world, I will certainly not be the last,” he proclaimed before using his magic to draw out a large sword from the sling on his back. The sword was elegant, the blade was covered in markings I couldn't make out, it had an orange gem on its hilt, and I swore it looked like it was glowing. “A creature such as yourself cannot be allowed to exist in this world, you are an aberration, a curse, both you and that dark abomination whom you serve.” “You leave Princess Luna out of this!” I spat. “After I have dispatched of you, she will be the last of your kind left, and once she is gone, the world will finally be safe from darkness,” he stated righteously, “and maybe finally, I can stop watching good ponies die…” “Everyone who died here today, died because of you!” Elijah sighed, “unfortunate, but necessary sacrifices.” “Hoh, I'm going to enjoy watching you bleed,” I growled. “You are a worthy opponent demon, do not disappoint.” My side hurt like a star on fire, but I didn't care as I pushed off the ground, moving as fast as I could, closing the distance and going for his throat. The large stallion was faster than he looked however and dodged my attack with ease. Not letting him regain his bearings, I stayed up in his face, not holding back as I repeatedly slammed my blades against his, I was only able to clip his hide a couple of times however as he managed to either dodge or block most of my attacks. But at least I was keeping him on the defensive. Jumping back to avoid one of his large counter swings I felt something hit my legs as I accidentally bumped into the crippled body of the pegasus mare I had killed earlier. Kane stopped his advance, “do you not see the evil you have committed, do you not see what you have done!” He demanded. “You're one to talk,” I murmured as I held up one of my hooves and looked at the dead pegasus mare’s blood that was dripping off it. Unable to help myself any longer I lapped up every drop of blood, licking my foreleg clean, and reveling in the pleasure that it brought. It tasted good, sweet even, and I felt a jolt of energy shoot through me. He balked in disgust. Suddenly the dead mare’s corpse was wrapped in an orange glow of magic and swept my legs out from under me. Catching myself with my wings I pushed and flew at his throat faster than I had ever moved before, but inches away his horn flashed, and my wings were stopped as I came crashing hard to the ground. A sharp burning pain shot through the base of my wings. I screamed in agony and watched in horror as my wings fell and tumbled to the ground in a bloody heaps, blood pooling out from each of their ends... I felt something die inside me, as I collapsed and stared at my butchered wings. “No...” I gasped. Then I felt a pain, a pain so sharp it took my breath away, it burned and itched like mad, and I tasted metal as I felt blood begin to pool up in my mouth. Looking down I saw the polished metal of his sword pushed deep into my chest. He twisted it deeper and I let out a scream. “I am truly sorry for what that monster has turned you into,” he murmured. The sword was retracted, and I collapsed in a heap. “Take solace in knowing there is no greater calling than dying fighting for what one believes in,” he paused looking down at me, “even if what you believe in is evil.” This pain was too much! I couldn’t breathe! Stars it hurt... “Luna will kill you…” I gurgled weakly. “Maybe, but my life is not important, I am but a servant, and there will always be another,” he said matter of factly. He gave me a sad smile, “goodbye, demon.” My vision was starting to get blurry as I watched him disappear in an orange flash of his magic. “I’m… so sorry Luna,” I mumbled weaky, coughing as I glanced up at her beautiful moon, “I promised never to abandon you but-” I coughed up more blood, the taste no longer bringing me any pleasure, “I've failed you…” I heaved. I wasn't going to be taken away from Luna without a fight. it took everything I had to keep my eyes open. I felt the shadows in me stirring like mad as I could feel them struggle to keep me alive. I could feel the sweet temptation of empty, quiet, peaceful, nothingness I knew waited for me, it would be so easy to just give in. I lay there, moments feeling like eternitys, and then… “Feather!” I heard Luna’s sweet voice scream and felt her land next to me grabbing me in her arms. “Luna I lo-” I couldn't get the words out as I choked on my own blood. I wished I could tell her at least once how much I loved her, but I suppose now I would never get the chance... I felt a wave of healing magic wash over me, but I felt no better, and the image of her teary beautiful face only got more blurred. “No, you're not allowed to die!” she wept, holding me as tightly as she could. At least I was going to die in Luna’s arms. The thought brought a smile to my face. “I told you to be careful…” she sniffed, “you can't die, not you!” she cried. Luna sniffed, standing up and wiping the tears from her eyes, “I won't let you.” I watched as her coat turned pitch black, her cutie mark turning a resounding purple, her eyes turned back to slits and her fangs reformed. In a darker sounding voice, I heard her whisper, “if anypony is going to kill my Feather it's going to be me.” She bit into the side of her forehoof and put it to my muzzle, “drink!” she ordered, “quickly!” I did as she said, using what little strength I had left and obediently drank her blood. It was warm and sweet almost like cherries while it still tasted like blood, it was better than anything I had ever tasted before. She then leaned down and I felt her fangs plunge into my neck. I felt a shock of cold, this time however, it didn't hurt. I could feel her drinking, her shadows were pouring from her eyes and mouth and wrapping around me. The increased blood loss pulled me even faster into the sweet arms of death. I couldn't fight it anymore, I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, I couldn't drink anymore, and as much as I didn't want to, I finally let go... Author's Note Now it's getting dark. :)
Chapter Seven: Something DarkChapter Seven Something dark Gasping, my eyes shot open! My veins felt like they were filled with ice and my whole body ran cold, a pain shot through me so viscous it felt like my skin was slowly being peeled off! I couldn't do anything except scream. I heard another mare screaming beside me, I looked over and saw Luna twisting in agony just as I was. Blood fell from my eyes and nose leaving crimson drops in the grass. I looked around and I couldn't recognize where we were, but only that we were both in terrible agony. We were under the cover of a single tree on a hill in the middle of an empty, dry, tall, grassy field. I clenched my head as I lost my vision, I felt something pulpy run from my eye sockets, pressing with a hoof to my face I could feel the indents and realized in horror that I no longer had eyes! I let out a scream of terror, but it fell silent as I lurched back over and started puking. It felt like my insides were on fire as the pain only continued to get worse! Goddesses, how was I even alive? Now it really felt like my skin being peeled off as an indescribable pain shot along through my spine. I realized I couldn't hear Luna anymore, but I couldn’t really hear anything anymore as my head screamed at me, pounding worse than when it was exposed to sunlight for the first time. I let out another blubbered wail, my gums now feeling like they were being skinned with a razor blade. I bit down on something hard only to realize it was a tooth, pain unlike any other shot through my face and I felt as one by one all my teeth were pushed from my skull. Then the pain lessened a little and now I could feel that underneath all of the pain, was something else, something that felt good. It felt like it had when Luna first shared her shadows with me, only this time it felt far more intense, and provided some comfort in the midst of so much pain. The reprieve was short lived, pain shot through my head again and I felt something pushing out of my gums, I moved my tongue up and felt something sharp. Suddenly the base of my wings swelled up with deep itching pain, my eyes burned, it felt like I was being stabbed by a thousand tiny knives, and right as I thought my body couldn't take it anymore, all of a sudden the pain just stopped, and I was left feeling exhausted as the world once again slipped away. ___ Tiredly I opened my, eyes? I thought they had melted out of my head, but when I opened them, I could see crystal clear, more clear than I had ever thought possible, the details in everything immediately so much more apparent! I felt good… but hadn’t I died? I had no idea how much time had passed, and I looked over at Luna who was lying next to me in a small pool of what I hoped was only my blood. I saw her side still moving. I let out a sigh of relief. “Luna…” I breathed, the action of speaking causing me to notice something different in my mouth. I felt around with my tongue and felt sharp pointed teeth that led down to two long, sharp fangs. “My teeth, they're like yours,” I gasped. I stood up and grabbed Luna with my forehooves, pulling her out of the bloody mess. “Feather?” I heard her whisper as she slowly opened her eyes, she smiled up at me, “you're ok…” Luna reached up and hugged me, “I can't believe it worked,” she breathed. I collapsed next to her underneath the tree and held her tight, tears pooling in my eyes. “I'm sorry about your dress,” I sniffed with a smile. Luna stifled a laugh and she held me tight as the two of us cried. She pulled back and looked at me, her nocturnal eyes widening, “Feather your eyes,” she gasped, “they look like mine, how-” her voice trailed off as her eyes moved to look past mine. I blinked, a satisfying chill running through my body as I took a deep breath, savoring her sweet scent. I felt more than good, I no longer felt any kind of pain, no headache, no soreness of any kind, like all the little damages my body had accumulated over the years had suddenly just vanished. I felt amazing, and the sudden knowledge that I now also had slitted nocturnal eyes like hers, just made me smile even more. Everything, I noticed, felt so much more intense, smells crisper, sounds louder and I could even hear the wind moving through the grass. I grinned. “That's not the only thing,” I said while showing off my new teeth. “Not the only thing indeed,” she breathed, surprise and shock written all over her face as she stared down at my back. I abruptly remembered in horror that I had lost my wings. I looked back and braced myself for the bloody stubs I thought I would see, but instead what I saw made my heart skip a beat. There on my back, were long, dark, beautiful wings. I gasped. I stretched my new wings out to get a better look at them, they had no feathers! my white coat bled into a dark grey at the base of my wings that faded into black further up. The skin where feathers would normally be was semitransparent and had a dark purple tint to them that faded into the rest of the dark grey. Just like Luna’s they looked like something akin to the wings of a bat! they felt good, stronger and significantly lighter! I started to cry again as I hugged myself with my new wings, relieved and beyond happy that I could still fly. I then threw them around Luna pulling her into an embrace. “Thank you!” I cried as we held each other. Luna stood up and took a few steps back. “Feather I, I don't even know how this happened,” she admitted in shock, “normal healing magic wasn’t working, so I resorted to using-” She paused as a shiver and moment of horror passed over her face. “I used necromancy,” she whispered, turning away, “I shouldn’t have, but you were dying!” She turned back to look at my wings, “I tried to tie your life blood to mine in that spell so that I might use myself to keep you alive, but-” She paused. “It seems in doing so, the darkness that's been changing you, must have interacted with that magic and the change took place far faster than it ordinarily would have. This wasn't supposed to happen so soon, I'm so sorry Feather… you must be overwhelmed.” “Are you kidding? I've never felt so good before!” I exclaimed, “it feels like I've been living my entire life drowning underwater, and now I can finally breathe!” I exclaimed excitedly, taking in another deep, fresh, crisp breath of the cold night air. “And these wings!” I continued before lifting off into the sky, I ended up moving faster and higher than I meant to, “they are going to take some getting used to, but they are amazing!” I giggled before doing a little loop and landing back down in front of her. “So, you've always felt like this?” I asked, “Stars why didn't you do this to me sooner!” I smiled. “No this is all new to me, this is so strange, I can hear your heart beating from here, and everything’s just so… sensitive,” she murmured. Luna stepped towards me with an almost motherly worry, “you're not upset?” “Of course not, thank you Luna,” I smiled. Luna threw her arms around me in a hug, “you really scared me Feather, I thought I was going to lose you,” she sniffed, nuzzling my neck. As she nuzzled into me it felt almost like the first time all over again, the fine hairs of my coat and the skin under it tingled and sent shivers through the rest of my body. Luna’s soft nuzzles turned to kisses and I went limp in her arms. I felt a sharp pinch, but it immediately faded into a cold shock that spread through my veins. I tried to say something but all that came out was a squeak, I tried to move but my limbs felt like heavy weights. Luna stepped back, and I stumbled to rest against the tree, my blood dripping from her muzzle. “Feather I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, I couldn't stop myself...” her voice trailed off. Something stirred inside me as I watched her wipe the blood from her face, and I quickly moved up to her. I could hear her heartbeat like the sound of a thousand thundering drums, I could hear the blood flowing through her veins like a rushing river or great waterfall. I realized I was absolutely starving! I had never felt hunger like this before. It felt like my stomach was being torn apart by razors. My own heart started to race as every cell in my body commanded me to do one thing. Like Luna, I couldn't stop myself either as my teeth came down on her neck, my new fangs making it more than easy as I bit in deep and drank. Stars, I only hoped I wasn’t her... a thought that came far to late as no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t seem to pull myself away. I heard her gasp as she stiffened, a few seconds later however and she relaxed. The taste was unlike anything I had ever tasted before, it put Simon’s sushi rolls to shame! Like before. It still tasted like blood but for some reason I was absolutely in love with the taste! And the feeling that it gave me was almost orgasmic! After a few moments I pulled away from her neck still starving but feeling satisfied enough. Luna was staring at me with a baffled expression. “Whoah,” she breathed “that was...” ““Amazing,”” we said simultaneously. She looked at me in surprise, “what, what's happening to us?” Her shock faded as she smiled, “did you feel that cold sensation running through from where I bit you?” she asked. I nodded. “It was almost numbing yet euphoric, it made it so that the bite didn't hurt,” I responded. She blinked, “that's what I felt too,” she paused, “I think that was some kind of venom,” she said still looking shocked. “Well that's new, and so is this hunger,” she paused again, “before it was just a craving, but now-” her voice trailed off. She smiled and pulled me in for a bloody kiss, and I felt her tongue move around my new fangs and a shiver of pleasure ran through me as I returned the kiss. She pinned me against the tree so hard I felt the bark crack, but she didn't hurt me at all, she pressed up against me, and wrapped her beautiful wings around me. She stopped and looked up, “Feather what happened, did you find Ruby?” she asked fretfully. “Yes, I found her but-” she silenced me with a wing. “Just lay back, I'll see for myself,” she whispered. “Just relax,” she murmured smoothly as she put her horn to my head. “Just let me in Feather.” Realizing what she was doing, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and let my guard down. I felt something similar to the vice grip of the shadows, the sensation of Luna entering my mind while I was still awake was the strangest thing I've ever experienced. It wasn't like when I was dreaming, instead it was like suddenly my mind didn't belong to just me, but that I was sharing it with another. I blinked as I caught glimpses of scenes and events that I wasn't familiar with, then my mind was forced to the memories of the train station. The events all flashed past my eyes in less than a few seconds, but it was like reliving it all over again, just with none of the pain. “Stars Feather, I can't believe you had to go through all of that,” I heard Luna's soft voice in my mind, “I’m sorry.” I felt her horn lift away from my head and my vision returned to normal. “That was so strange,” I murmured, “but it was kind of nice, not being alone in my own head for once.” Luna smiled sweetly at me. “Finally, I found you two!” The exhausted voice of Ruby pulled our attention away from one another as we looked towards the grey mare limping up the little hill we were on. Luna climbed off me and I slowly stood up dusting myself off. “I heard screaming coming from over here, I had gotten lost, I'm so glad I found both of you,” Ruby breathed in a sigh of relief as she stepped closer. Her eyes widened as she saw our blood-stained coats, “are you two alright!” she exclaimed rushing over. “We’re fine Ruby,” Luna called out softly. It was then that Ruby got a closer look at both of us, and she took a step back. “What... what those crazy ponies were saying,” she took another step back fear crawling across her face, “were they telling the truth?” She gasped, “what are you,” she stuttered in fear as she addressed the two of us. “We are still us,” Luna cooed sweetly, trying to get Ruby to calm down, “Just because we might look frightening doesn't mean the words of those delusional ponies hold any truth, they are the real monsters, not us,” Luna said matter of factly. Ruby seemed to relax a little, the expression of fear in her face slowly retreating, “So, you two have always been this way, the whole time?” she asked skeptically. “Luna has, but this is all new to me,” I started, “after I told you to run, that beige stallion, Elijah Kane he said his name was, he took my wings, stabbed me through the heart and left me for dead.” I paused. “But Luna saved me, and now,” I looked back at my new wings, “I guess this is how I am now,” I smiled. The dried blood on Ruby’s coat drew both Luna and I’s gaze. Had it been fresh I don’t think I'd have been able to help myself. As with Luna I could hear the gray unicorn’s heart beating like a cascade of hail on a thin roof top. It was taking everything I had not to give in to the hunger. Ruby stepped back towards us before leaning her bruised body against the tree for support. “What am I going to do?” she whimpered, “I can't go back to the Royal guard, my best friend is dead, and I have nowhere to go!” tears started streaming down her eyes. “You could come with us,” Luna offered. “Where!?” Ruby shouted disdainfully, there’s nowhere left to go! The castle isn't safe, as far as I know your sister, the Princess whom I pledged to serve might be involved in all of this!” “What do you mean?” Luna questioned seriously, “when I confronted her, it was clear she was oblivious to the situation.” “Before Feather showed up those monsters were rambling on about the sun, the light and cleansing the world of darkness, they wouldn't shut up about it, forgive me if the first pony I think of when I hear that, is your sister.” “My sister is many things, but an insane radicalist is not one of them,” Luna nodded firmly. “Regardless,” Ruby sighed, “if she is oblivious like you say, then that's no better." The poor mare looked lost, hopeless... “The light was so important to those monsters,” she paused, “I feel sick, like I can't breathe,” Ruby collapsed to the ground. I dashed to catch her. She looked down at her torn red dress and her necklace of the sun. “I'm just so tired,” she murmured, closing her eyes and beginning to cry. “I'm so sorry for what you went through Ruby. I know nothing I say will help, but know that Feather and I are here for you,” Luna whispered softly. “Thank you, Princess...” Ruby murmured. After a moment Ruby looked down and wrapped her necklace in the red glow of her magic before yanking it off. “My entire life I've been told to believe in the light... that the light is good, but why should I believe in something that at every turn only proves itself to be nothing but evil?” she murmured hopelessly, still staring at her floating pendant of the sun. Luna looked at her sympathetically, “Ruby, I can't tell you what to believe, but I can offer you my knowledge.” Luna sighed before stepping closer towards her. “Light and Dark are not just some abstract notion of good and evil, in fact they are not even relatable. In my experience I've found that both are in fact, quite literal and independent from those abstract monikers.” “What do you mean?” Ruby sniffed. “Think of the Darkness and the Light like two literal opposing forces like oil and water. These forces can be interacted with if you know how, they are neither good nor evil. Through the circumstances of our lives, we typically tend to lean towards one or the other. Those who belong in the light thrive in it, but those of us who belong in the dark only suffer in the light. “I don't understand, are you saying that I belong in Darkness? Ruby asked. Luna simply nodded. “You started taking every night shift, something most ponies would never want to do, but you enjoyed it, you looked forward to each and every night. I'm sure you've felt the quiet, the peace, the shadows, clawing at you for some time now.” Ruby nodded and took a breath before turning around. Looking out into the field I saw a tear run down the side of her cheek before she lifted her necklace high and stared at it “When Sunny and I were kids all I ever wanted was to serve in Princess Celestia’s grand army. My parents they never approved, but Sunny supported me every step of the way. After his parents died I promised I’d take care of him, it’s because of me he signed up. We always knew there was the possibility one of us could die, but not like this…” she sniffed and whipped her eyes, “he was only here because of me, I made him work nights with me, and I now he’s dead.” “It’s not your fault,” I said rushing up to her and putting a hoof on her shoulder. Ruby shook her head, “no its not,” Ruby expression turned to fury as she threw her necklace as far as she could, with a look of disgust on her face. “It’s their fault, and I want nothing to do with them or the light ever again!” She spat. “In that case,” Luna began solemnly, “allow me to show you something far better,” she purred, a grin creeping up her face. Shadows crept up around the dark alicorn's legs as she took a step towards Ruby and lifted a hoof towards her. Ruby looked back up at Luna with her sad red eyes and saw the dark tendrils that were stretching towards her, “what the-” she breathed as the shadows slowly wrapped around her like silky laces. “Stay calm and just relax,” Luna soothed, “just close your eyes and take a deep breath, don't try and fight it, just let it in.” “What is this, exactly?” Ruby asked skeptically and prodded at one of the dark smokey tendrils with a hoof. It scrunched back at the offending hoof almost like a snake would. “Just relax, they are just shadows, pure, absolute, literal darkness, please let me share this with you, you won’t regret it,” Luna urged. “You really won't,” I added, trying to reassure her, “if you just let yourself get lost in the shadows, I guarantee you will feel better than you ever have.” I knew this would make her feel better if she was just willing. Ruby closed her eyes, “okay,” she murmured. She took a deep breath and I saw her visibly relax, the shadows immediately went in through her nose, mouth and eyes. They wrapped tightly around her. I saw her smile as she sat down, and her wounds were slowly healed. “Wow…” she breathed, “that feels, more than good,” Ruby smiled. Luna pulled away her hoof and the shadows faded. Ruby opened her eyes; they were pitch black for a moment before she blinked and the shadows faded back into her. Still smiling, Ruby closed her eyes again. She fell over onto her back with a stretch. “I can feel it,” she grinned and opened her eyes to look up at the starry sky, “you were right, this is much better. No wonder Feather is obsessed with you,” she chuckled, the veins around her eyes darkening. “I wouldn't use the word obsessed,” I said a tad defensively. Both Luna and Ruby gave me a look. “Ok maybe a little,” I amended and Ruby raised an eyebrow, “ok a lot,” I stammered, blushing. “It's okay Feather, in fact I would argue that I am just as obsessed, if not more, with you,” she purred sweetly, nuzzling behind my ear. Ruby rolled her eyes. Letting out a long breath Ruby sat up, “make me like you,” she said, looking towards the both of us. “Well,” Luna began sheepishly, “I just did,” she told Ruby with a small smile. “What do you mean?” Ruby asked before glancing between the two of us, “I don't look like either of you.” “You let the darkness in, and now you'll slowly change, but it takes time,” Luna informed her. “But Feather looked normal not longer than an hour ago,” Ruby pointed out. “That's because I used a very dark magic to save her life, it inadvertently made her change in just a few minutes, as well as a few other unforeseen things.” “Could you do the same to me?” Ruby pleaded. “Why would you want such a thing? besides, I don't even know if I can.” “Please, you could try?” Ruby pleaded, “I want to serve you... Please I have nothing else, and nowhere left to go!” Luna took a step back in surprise, “yes you can come with us, serve me if you wish, but why would you want to be like us?” Luna asked in surprise. “If I used necromancy magic to turn you, then the compulsion to drink others' blood is magnified tenfold. If Feather is any indication, you'll gain wings like hers, and I'm pretty sure there is no loophole where you get to keep your horn,” Luna warned. Ruby looked skeptical now, “why?” She asked, “also you two drink blood?” She added, cringing and looking a touch fearful again. Luna Nodded. “Because I don't have the power to just create an alicorn, nopony does. I have no idea how to tweak the spell to trade the wings for your horn, or if I even can,” Luna informed her. “Wait,” I interjected, “I thought if a non-pegasus let the darkness in then they would get all the changes except for the wings. So why would necromancy force her to have wings?” “Feather, you lost your wings, the darkness may have dictated what your new wings look like, but it alone didn't give you new ones, the only reason you have new wings is because the spell used our blood to create a link between us to restore your body. Meaning in order for Ruby to keep her horn I would have to create a new link to tie her blood to mine and in the process break ours. Right now Feather, that link is the only thing keeping you alive. Luna Started pacing “Now I can add a small number of others to that link but I can’t change the foundation of it. If I turned Ruby in this way, chances are very high that our link will override her physiology, you are the foundation Feather and you are a Pegasus.” Luna explained. Ruby let out another long breath, “Feather what do you think, is it worth it?” “Absolutely, but then again, I'm not a unicorn,” I pointed out, “but I can tell you, that the moment I lost my wings while fighting Kane, I felt something inside me break. If I didn't get these new wings, I don't know if I could have lived with myself,” I admitted. “If you sacrifice your horn, there is no going back,” Luna warned, “and this is still all new to me,” Luna paused, “I don't yet know exactly to what extent we’ve changed.” “Well what else am I supposed to do?” Ruby asked helplessly. Luna looked at her for a long while before responding smoothly, “do what you feel is right.” Ruby stood there for a long while before letting out a sigh and looking back up at us, “I don't want to lose my horn, but," she paused, giving the smallest hint of a smile. I saw the veins around her neck darken as her eyes turned black. “This feels right, after what I've just gone through and what you've shown me, I don't think that I could ever return to any kind of normal," she paused again, “I do believe this is worth my horn,” she stifled a laugh, “I was never any good at magic anyways.” “Very well,” Luna began, “I suspect this should be simpler than before,” she nodded before moving up to Ruby. I was intimately familiar with how the darkness can influence one's actions. I felt it when I had killed those ponies... It's always for the better of course, but I don't think any unicorn let alone Ruby would have made the decision to lose their horn so quickly without the darkness’s influence. Luna lifted her forehoof up to her mouth before drawing her own blood, upon seeing the crimson drops it took everything I had not to rush over and lap them up. I again felt the ravenous urge, the deep hunger that threatened to consume me. It had been there since I changed, the only difference was that now I was really paying attention to it. I realized only now that my mouth was open, and I was panting like a hungry animal. “You will have to drink,” Luna urged sweetly, moving her foreleg towards Ruby's muzzle. Ruby stared reluctantly for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a breath as she pulled Luna’s forehoof to her mouth. I watched her drink, and I was itching to go over and take some for myself. The need to have blood was so painfully intense, it took everything I had to resist the urge. My eyes were even beginning to tear up. I watched as Luna sunk her teeth into Ruby’s neck. Ruby gasped in shock and smiled before returning her bloody muzzle to Luna’s foreleg. After a few more moments, Ruby fell limp. I realized I could no longer hear her heart beating. I could no longer hear the blood flowing through her veins. Luna had completely drained her... Luna gently set Ruby on to the ground and backed away. Luna lowered her head and pointed her horn at Ruby’s corpse. A black veil of magic -- far different from the soft blue glow I was used to—flared out from her horn and wrapped over the dead grey unicorn mare the magic seemed to co ales and pool towards her heart before sinking into her and out of sight. Not a few moments later and the candy red maned unicorn began to convulse. Ruby gasped as her eyes shot open, I heard her heart rage back to life. She held her hooves to her head as she started to moan in pain. We looked on as I saw blood begin to pool in her eyes and nose. “Fuck!” she screamed. With Ruby twisting in agony, I watched the gruesome scene that I had just gone through unfold all over again. Her eyes turned to mush and poured out of her skull, her teeth began to fall out and I watched in horror and fascination as she gripped her head in pain. Her horn -- as Luna predicted-- started to crumble away, turning to dust as she screamed. The bloody hole it had left in her head slowly closed and I saw the bloody beginnings of ridges start to form on her back. I know I had gone through the same process -- excluding the horn -- but it was still fascinating to see it from this perspective. The idea of the darkness breaking down and replacing parts of one's body didn't seem to gross me out anymore, if anything I just thought it was really neat. Lastly, I saw her fangs begin to push out as she let out one last scream of agony before falling still. “That was horrific,” Luna gasped in shock, “I can't believe you went through that,” she gulped, looking back at me. “Didn't you go through it as well?” I asked. “Only partly, I developed most of my nocturnal qualities over time.” I saw Luna grin, “your new wings are so incredibly comfortable are they not? I can't even remember what my old ones felt like,” she purred. I stretched my wings out, enjoying how they felt, “they are,'' I confirmed, “so much more comfortable,” I smiled leaning in and kissing her still bloody muzzle, the taste of Ruby’s blood wasn't nearly as sweet as Luna’s but it was still delicious nonetheless. “What are we going to do?” I asked as I pulled back. Luna sighed, “well we can't go back to the castle, or in public for that matter,” she pointed out as she felt along one of my new wings with a hoof. “Unless…” “We go back to the old train station and,” she paused, “clear it out, before they have a chance to escape, then we can dispose of the remaining guards at the castle that are under their influence, Ill then tell my sister what one of the institutes has been doing behind her back and hopefully be done with this awful mess.” “There are too many of them at the station,” I said, shaking my head. “Feather, didn't you notice something when you drank my blood?” “Beside the pleasure?” I smiled and she grabbed my left foreleg with a smile before sinking her teeth into it. I reveled in the feeling as she did so, after a moment she released me “now drink mine,” she commanded. She moved her hoof to my muzzle, and I obediently bit down and drank her wonderful tasting blood. I was just so hungry, and this was finally starting to alleviate it a little bit. After I lifted away, she smiled at me “now look,” she said, directing my attention down to the wound she had made on my foreleg. I watched as the wound she had just made began to heal right before my eyes! “We are going to be harder to stop than you think,” she smirked, “and besides, I'm an alicorn, what could they possibly do if it came down to it?” I supposed she had a point, and I was looking forward to a rematch with Kane, this time around I would make sure that he is put in the ground for good. Realization struck me, “wait, does this mean-” my voice trailed off and her eyes widened as I saw that same realization in her eyes. “I mean, it would make sense, right?” I asked, hoping more than anything that I was right! Luna sat down hard and smiled as tears started to pool in her eyes, “it means time will never take you from me,” she gasped happily before throwing her hooves around me. Hearing her say it almost made me burst into tears as I hugged her in return “It looks like you get to keep your promise to me after all,” she breathed, her voice dripping with relief. “I'll live forever now...” I murmured. Before meeting Luna, the weight of what that meant normally would have crushed me, but now all I could feel was happy and relieved. Now I would never have to go through losing Luna, as selfish as it is, I had become terrified of being left to turn to dust, of becoming old and useless, of Luna leaving me behind. I never wanted to leave her, and now I wouldn't have to! I smiled. “Now I will never lose you,” she whispered before lifting back and kissing me. She pulled away and we both stood up. “Now, let's go butcher that monster that ever dared to think he could take you away from me,” she growled wickedly. The mention of murdering Kane yanked my mind back to the four ponies I had killed, their deaths had shaken me when I was back at the train station, but looking back at it now, I didn't feel sorry, Stars I didn't even feel guilty or any remorse for that matter. I knew I should, but for some reason I just couldn't. It's like that emotion was being blocked somehow, but I knew exactly how; the darkness takes away pain. I breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing I needed to do was dwell on the horrors already done. Distracting me from my thoughts, Ruby gasped for air next to us and I saw her now red slitted nocturnal eyes dart around. She felt over where her horn used to be with a hoof and let out a sad sigh. “Oh good, you're awake, how do you feel?” Luna asked with concern. Standing up she looked back at her new wings and a small smile crept across her face, “well, I've never been able to fly before, what's it like?” she asked optimistically as she stretched out her new wings, “ok that feels super weird,” she said giving an experimental flap. “It's unlike anything you’ve ever experienced,” I assured, making her grin. “This is unlike anything I've ever experienced! I feel..” she took a deep breath, spinning around. “Like you've been living your whole life trapped inside of a thick fog, and now that fog has finally lifted?” I asked with a smirk. She nodded. “I suppose I'm going to have to learn how to do everything from scratch now,” she sighed, “I used my horn for so much,” she murmured wistfully. It was then that she caught sight of the fresh blood on my hoof and her eyes widened as she trotted over. I knew exactly what was going through her mind, and I offered her my foreleg which she promptly grabbed and pulled to her mouth. Her venom shot threw my arm, it seemed less intense than Luna’s though that could just be because I'm super biased, but I still enjoyed that cold euphoric feeling, nonetheless. She continued to drink for a while, and I was starting to feel dizzy as I looked back at Luna whose mouth was practically watering while watching us. I tapped Ruby's shoulder, “ok that's enough.” a second later she reluctantly pulled back blood dripping from her mouth, and she tilted her head back in an effort to savor every last drop. “When you said I would have to drink blood, I was under the impression that it was going to be a burden, but this-” her voice trailed off as she giggled in delight, “well I certainly have no regrets, having a horn was convenient but I’d trade it again for this in a heartbeat!” Luna trotted up to me and I felt her fangs plunge into my neck, “wait” I tried to say, but she continued to drink regardless. It felt good, but between her and Ruby, I was beginning to have a hard time keeping my eyes open! “Please Luna, I feel like I'm about to pass out!” At that she stopped and turned to kiss me instead, that on top of the blood loss almost made me lose my balance. “Sorry, I guess we are going to need a larger supply of blood than just each other,” she grimaced. A sadistic look crept across Ruby’s face, “I think we know just the place” Luna frowned, “the train station isn't that far away from here, I could only carry Feather for less than a couple of minutes before the change started to kick in and I had to land here, no doubt we need to deal with the problem that still remains there, but you also don't know how to fly yet,” Luna pointed out. Ruby spread out her wings, “ok well then, tell me how I do this,” she asked looking back towards the two of us. “I don't think-” Luna started to say but I dashed past her to move in front of Ruby excitedly. “Right, so I suppose you don't need to know how to do anything fancy, you just need to get from point A to B,” I started. “The angle in which you flap each wing is going to determine direction, and you can use your tail as a kind of stabilizer, do what I do,” I directed as I opened my new wings excited to really try them myself. “Okay now when you want to get off the ground make sure you jump a little when you flap your wings, it just makes it a little easier,” I paused, “now if you angle both your wings down, you’ll go forward, you aim them up you will go backwards, tilting a wing in one direction and the other in the opposite is how you turn, but try and remember to not overdo it, you can turn fairly easily by just leaning.” I took a breath. “To hover, you have to push vertically straight down, also when you’re hovering you have to flap your wings in sync every time you feel yourself start to fall, or you will fall.” Ruby looked worried, but excited. “Don't worry, this will all come naturally over time,” I promised, trying to reassure her. “Ok so to get in the air remember to jump like I said, and tilt your wings slightly down when you push off, like this,” I said as I leapt up into the air. Luna flew up next to me and we waited for Ruby to join us. we watched as she did exactly what I showed her and she got airborne, “hey I’m doing it!” she exclaimed. Then a small gust of wind blew by, and she fell crashing to the ground. “Dammit!” she cursed. “Ok I think I got it this time,” she huffed, rearing up to try again. getting in the air she was slow and wobbly, but she was flying! We chuckled “since you’re not used to being high up, we’ll stay low, still, just remember to not look down,” I teased. “Fret not, once we get moving you can just glide, and it's much easier than trying to hover, believe me,” Luna assured her. Luna and I flew up behind her to make sure she was ok. Luna had to catch her with her magic a few times when the wind started to pick up, but once we started to pick up speed Ruby leveled out and started gliding with ease. “See it will just come naturally,” I grinned as I did a loop around her. “Yup!” she squeaked, her terrified expression betraying her enthusiasm. I was so focused on trying to help Ruby that I totally forgot to appreciate how good it felt to fly with these new wings, it required so much less effort than with feathers, and I was considerably more agile. Something about them just felt right. I saw the old train station come into view and all manner of ponies were scattered, running around outside, moving all manner of things that I couldn't make out from up here, thankfully I didn't see any of the mindless ones shuffling about. Though there had to be at least two dozen ponies down there, and that was just outside. “So how are we going to do this?” I asked Luna. “We land, and we talk, we need more information, there could be innocent ponies down there, most of them might not even know what is really happening,” she said with a nod. “But what if they do turn out to all be crazy,” Ruby asked in fear. Luna frowned, “then don't let any of them get away,” was all she said. “You really think we can take all of them,” I asked shocked. “Feather, if it comes down to it, we are going to rip through them like wet paper,” she purred, giving me a sadistic grin. “I don’t know how I feel about mass murder… even if they do deserve it.” I admitted. “Would you rather these monsters continue to exist and prey on innocent ponies like Ruby or her partner Sunny?” I shook my head, “of course not,” I murmured. “Sometimes the necessary thing to do, isn't always the right thing to do, but that doesn't change the fact that it still needs to be done. Our job is to keep it simple, to not let that notion become corrupt and twisted for our own ends, as Elijah Kane so clearly has.” “Right,” I nodded, “then let's get this done with.” “Uhh Feather?” Ruby prompted. “Yes?” “How do I land?” she asked, blushing. Luna rolled her eyes and facehoofed. “Right, well we’ll just learn that later, for now Luna can catch you with her magic, Right?” I prompted, looking back at Luna who raised an eyebrow. “Fine,” she rolled her eyes and we glided down. The two of us slammed down in the middle of the mass of ponies, and Luna caught a rather embarrassed looking Ruby a second later, setting her down. All of the ponies turned and stared, a few looked terrified, not all were in institute uniforms, but the few who were, all drew out their weapons. One of the bucks took off his hood. “I watched you die, Elijah killed you!” he shouted, taking a terrified step back. “Yeah, I tried death, it didn't take,” I smirked. “Please, as your Princess I plead that you lay down your arms and-” Luna was cut off by screams of hatred. The six or so ponies in uniform all stared at us with fiery hatred. But everypony else just looked scared or confused. I started to realize that I recognized some of these ponies! They were from the bonfire party I had seen earlier! Were they with Elijah? Did they know what was happening here? From the many looks of fear and confusion I didn't think they had a clue... “Luna, I don't thin-” My world was suddenly black… I felt my neck snap back from the impact, my ears were ringing as I fell to the ground, my head clutched in thunderous pain! I didn't hear the shot. But I could feel the thundering sound of Luna’s hooves, and it didn't take me long to smell fresh blood clinging to the cold night air. I lifted a forehoof to my eye to feel the hole the bullet had left. Everything was quiet aside from the piercing ringing, it all felt so surreal… The smell of blood became increasingly intoxicating until I felt it right at my muzzle. I instinctively reached out and sank my fangs into whatever was bleeding in front of me. The blood tasted bitter, sour. But regardless of the taste I couldn't stop myself as I vigorously drank as fast as I could. Slowly I felt my hearing start to return along with my vision. I screamed as I felt the bullet being pushed from my skull. I opened my eyes and saw a limp mare in my jaws! I reeled and jumped to my hooves. “Oh goddesses!” The world was a chaotic red. My ears rang from gunshots, and screams. I rapidly looked around trying to regain my bearings. I spotted Luna, I watched as faster than lightning she jumped into a crowd of ponies, they were ripped into pieces as viscera splattered everywhere. In a matter of seconds Luna had become like a blender and ponies started to try and run rather than fight her. Though the ponies that tried to run or fly away were promptly blasted into paste by a beam of blue death emitting from her horn. “So much for talking.” I muttered, still in shock. I heard Ruby yelp and I turned to realize the two of us were surrounded. Ruby had a spear running through her neck. I watched as she gurgled and choked on her own blood as she struggled to fight off her attacker. I used all my strength and tackled the pony who had stabbed her but instead of knocking him to the ground like I expected, my hooves pushed right through him as he was torn into bloody pieces, the gore splattered my face. like wet paper… The smell of blood was intoxicating, I licked some off my lips, and I felt those shadows stir like mad, my hearing became muffled once more. I started to lose all train of thought as my whole body cried out for one thing. I couldn't fight it anymore. I bit into the nearest pony I could, I moved so fast with so much force that I accidentally ripped their head off in the process, I felt a high like no other take hold of me. Just don’t think about what you're doing Feather, just focus on the blood. I let the high consume me as I just kept ripping my way through pony after pony. Everything was a blur, my body was running on autopilot. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ruby had removed the spear from her neck and was doing the same, her red eyes almost appeared to be glowing as a wicked toothy grin was plated on her face. Some tried to run from her but it was futile as she was much faster than any one of them. Suddenly I felt something sharp pierce my side. I winced in pain, pushing back the pony who had stabbed me. I pulled the sword out of my side with my mouth only to jam it into the lower part of her throat. I tore up, watching with my new eyes in perfect detail as her entire neck and skull was split open, I then proceeded to dig my hooves into the almost split in half corpse and ripped it the rest of the way apart, the pony whom was about to stab me with a spear stopped in terror and tried to run away, I tackled him and dug my teeth into the back of his neck until I felt bone. He screamed, then with a meaty crunch and little effort, I pulled his spine away from his back with his head still attached to it. I paused and tilted my head back, the base of the skull over my mouth as I let the waterfall of blood fall down onto my tongue. Instead of simply ripping them apart, I started only using my teeth targeting wherever I could, trying to drink every drop of blood that I could possibly get my hooves on! Time seemed to pass like a blur, I had one last mare in my grasp and dug my teeth into the side of her neck drinking as fast as I could until her heartbeat came to a slow and sudden stop, and I could no longer get anything out of her. With a deafening wet thud, the last body fell to the ground. ___ The air was silent, and cold. The high faded and I was left sitting in a pool of blood. I looked around at the mass of corpses and saw Ruby giggling like a mad mare, rolling in a pool of blood as she occasionally put her head to the side to sip some of it up. I looked up a pile of corpses that Luna was standing on top of. She had her teeth in some dead pony’s neck. I looked down at my own bloody hooves. I knew that this was all wrong, that it should feel wrong, why doesn't this feel wrong!!! I wanted to scream! I wanted to cry! But I couldn't… I just couldn't. I noticed in horror that we, had killed everyone... we killed the ponies responsible for the horrors Ruby and I witnessed in the train station, but so many innocent ponies… were just gone… I heard Elijah’s words echo in my mind, ‘unfortunate, but a necessary sacrifice’ I shook my head and screamed, “fuck no! Nothing about this was fucking necessary!” I tried to wipe the blood from my muzzle but all I did was smear more blood from my hooves, “fuck…” The really fucked up thing is that I felt good, I felt fucking great! I laughed hysterically as I looked around for the nearest corpse that still had some blood left. I ended going back to the buck whose spine I had ripped out, the rest of his body surprisingly seemed to still have a good amount of blood left. “You know, why the fuck not!” I yelled and I knelt down to sink my teeth in. Call me biased for more reasons than one, but I much preferred mare's blood over buck’s, mares just tasted sweeter. And this is something I'm actually thinking about after slaughtering Stars know how many innocent ponies! What the fuck was wrong with me!? I stopped and backed away feeling nauseous. I could feel the darkness trying to take away the pain. I realized I was fighting it, Goddesses. Why was I fighting it? “I just… need to give in…” I sighed, “Everything will be better if I just relax and give in.” I closed my eyes and took a breath. I felt the darkness tighten around me and flood my body with a cold, calming, icy chill. I took a breath and opened my eyes. “Oh… much better.” I murmured as my gaze returned to fixate on the mass of corpses. I abandoned the body I was at and moved onto the next one, thankfully this one was in fact a mare. While I was feeding on her, I began to notice that everypony tasted slightly different, but the taste of blood, as good as it was, could only differ so much from pony to pony, only Luna’s was substantially different, and hers was much better than any of the blood here. A long while later and I realized that between the three of us we had probably gone through gallons of blood, so how come none of us were bursting at the seams? I wondered. I guess part of being what we are, meant we processed what we ate at a hyper accelerated rate? or there was some serious magic going on, probably the latter. Whatever the case, it didn't matter because for the first time since being turned into this, I wasn't hungry anymore. Luna was trotting up to me, if it wasn't for the fact that she was a really tall alicorn with nocturnal eyes, fangs, and a starlit mane, and bat wings. I wouldn't have recognized her as her normally charcoal black coat was stained and matted completely dark red with blood. Tackling me into the blood soaked grass she pressed her lips to mine and I shared whatever leftover blood was in her mouth as I cleaned her fangs with my tongue. And I felt her do the same to me. After a moment she broke away and rested her head over me. “Feather?” she started, “is it wrong that I’m looking at piles of bodies and instead of ponies all I can see is food?” she asked morbidly. “I don't feel any remorse either,” I admitted, “I mean I started too, I almost had a panic attack, but I let the darkness take it all away.” She looked at me concerned, “I feel the same, it's so surreal, I mean I suppose these ponies deserved it but still,” her voice trailed off, “we are going to need to be careful,” she warned. I didn't have the heart to tell her that almost all of these ponies were innocent. At least not yet… “Feather, Princess Luna!” Ruby called, “I found one that's still breathing!” I looked up to see her dragging a terrified young pegasus mare over who looked like she was having multiple panic attacks all at once, “she was hiding in a hollowed-out tree trunk!” She was the same mare I saw delivering the pastries at the bonfire. She was lilac with a dark purple mane, and orange eyes. She was being dragged through the bloody grass while remaining completely stiff. I assume she’s too terrified to even try to move, and I knew that if she tried to run or fly away Ruby would just rip her apart. Luna climbed off me and I sat up to look at the shell-shocked mare. Her cutie mark was of a little loaf of sliced bread. “How many more of you are there?” Luna growled, baring her fangs. The young mare just yelped and looked away, burying her face into the blood-soaked grass. “Just, please kill me fast!” she cried. Ruby balked and let go of the sobbing mare, taking a step back, “well my buzz is gone,” she complained. “Answer the question!” Luna demanded stomping down a hoof. “They… you already, killed them all!” she whimpered. Luna looked at Ruby, “go and check the building” Ruby nodded and headed towards the old train station. “Do you know the name Elijah Kane!” I demanded hoping this mare wasn't innocent, like that would somehow justify what happened here. “I don't know who that is!” she cried. “Do you really wish to test our patience?” Luna asked in a low growl and the mare rapidly shook her head. “I, I just bring baked goods from Lillypool every week… I, I was catering for the party, I just do what I'm told, I really don't know anything!” she stammered in fear before turning and burying her head in her hooves. “She’s telling the truth,” Luna spoke softly, and I looked up at her “I know,” I murmured. I turned back to look at the mare, “what's your name?” I asked, softening my tone. “why, you're just going to.. to kill me anyways,” she stammered. “we’re not monsters,” I said prudently. She glanced up at all of the corpses, “could have fooled me.” “For one,” Luna began, “we are all very new to this, none of us were in control, had I been, I would have never let things get this messy.” I sighed, “I'm sorry too, I should have tried harder to stop myself.” Luna gave me a sympathetic glance before returning her attention to the terrified pegasus, “secondly, most, if not all of these ponies were murderers, or psychopaths. They were insane cultists brainwashed into believing a false truth that caused them to be a threat to everyone.” “They were peaceful!” she shouted back, “they were just nice town ponies, and you killed them all!” she started sobbing. Ruby was trotting back with fury on her face, “these monsters killed my best friend Sunny right in front of me, fucking lobotomized him and put a parasite in his brain to control his corpse!” she screamed at the young mare. “If it wasn't for Feather here, I would have been next,” she spat before turning to Luna. “Liar!” the lilac mare spat, “you're insane!” Ruby’s fangs came to bare, and her nocturnal eyes narrowed to thinner than paper. I imagined it was taking everything the gray mare had not to rip the terrified little pegasus apart. I bit my lip. I knew Luna could handle it, but the last thing Ruby needed was to know that this mare was telling the truth, that we did murder a bunch of innocent ponies. “She was telling the truth by the way, and the mines are caved in, the building is empty.” Ruby muttered. “Sorry Feather, no sign of Elijah” I grimaced, not a good sign. “How long have you been coming out here to trade with them?” Luna asked sweetly. The lilac mare looked down at her hooves before responding, her voice shuttering “just for tonight,” she paused, “they were kind!” “Do ponies shooting at and charging your Princess with intent to kill sound like stable, kind ponies to you?” Ruby accused. “Princess?” the lilac mare mumbled in confusion. She stopped cowering and finally looked up at Luna, her eyes glided down from her horn to her wings. “You're an alicorn.. Your..” her voice trailed off as her eyes widened, “I'm so sorry, I didn't realize, I-” Luna tilted her head up with a hoof and smiled, “it's alright, you're safe now. “But why?” the lilac mare asked in forlorn, “why kill all of them!” she cried “Oh, for ponies sake, Ruby hold her down.” Ruby did as ordered and held the lilac mare in place as Luna stepped towards her. “What, what are you doing!” she screamed in terror. “I'm going to show you the truth, I'm going to show you what Feather here experienced, I'm going to show you the reason why we did what we did,” Luna told her, and she put her horn to the mare’s head. “Now let me into your mind, I'd rather not turn you into a vegetable by forcing my way in.” she said matter of factly. The lilac mare gave a terrified nod and I watched as she reluctantly closed her eyes. A few moments later Luna stepped away. “There, now you know the truth,” Luna nodded firmly. The mare opened her eyes and looked at all three of us, a war seeming to play out just behind her eyes. “Ruby let her go,” Luna ordered softly, and she obeyed. The mare just sat there silently, wrapping herself in her wings and closed her eyes. “I understand now,” she murmured, “you're not monsters, but it doesn't make this right,” she wept, looking back up at us. Great now the bread pony thinks all of those ponies were monsters too… I mean I guess they could have been? I didn't really know for sure after all, I was just assuming they were innocent. Maybe they were all in on it, and I'm torturing myself for nothing! “Well, if you were me, and you had the power to make these ponies suffer, what exactly would you have done differently?” Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes. The mare looked up at her and her words were lost as she hung her head. “That's what I thought,” Ruby said dismissively. Luna must have realized the distress I was in because I felt her wrap a wing around me pulling me close. Slowly I started to calm down. “Feather breath, look around, we got them all, anypony who might have been innocent either hid like this one, or ran away.” “I'm pretty sure she's the only survivor,” I murmured... Luna shook her head, “I know we messed up, but you can't think like that, in the end we were thorough. We did the right thing.” The right thing!? We didn’t do the right fucking thing we- “ahh” I put a forehoof to my head as I felt that tightening feeling in my head again, much greater than before. She was right, we... we did the right thing. We did the right thing. “Are you all right feather?” I nodded and looked up at her “Have you ever killed anypony before now?” I asked. She looked down at me with troubled eyes. “Once as a little filly in self-defense, and again, more than a few times when my sister and I were at war with Sombra the mad king of the Crystal Empire, but... never like this,” she paused, “but what we did here, as unspeakable as it was, it needed to be done,” she murmured with a nod. “And in the moment, as sick as it was, I admit, I enjoyed every second of it,” she murmured. “We all did,” I reassured her. As I continued to look around at the massacre that still lay before me. No amount of reassurance was seeming to help me though. I still felt sick, and I was starting to have a headache. “Feather, what's wrong?” Luna asked concerned. “I just feel really sick all of a sudden,” I murmured, hugging myself with my wings “Here, just relax” I heard Luna coo softly before she leaned towards me. I thought she was going to pull me in for another kiss but instead I saw shadows start to pool out of her mouth. Understanding, I leaned forward and breathed them in, smiling as I did so. I felt them flow through my entire body and I let myself get lost in the wonderful feeling. Luna leaned forward even more and gave me a small kiss on the nose before pulling away. No longer feeling sick, all I could feel was good as I leaned up against her and she put a wing back around me. “What in the sweet Celestial fuck was that!” the lilac mare asked, looking shocked and terrified. “Would you like to find out?” Luna purred, and the pegasus mare turned and tried to leap into the sky but Ruby grabbed her tail and pulled her back down with a hard thud “Suit yourself,” Luna scoffed. “I'm sorry Princess, but you're terrifying, you all are, like something out of a nightmare, what in stars even are all of you exactly?” the lilac mare asked, still shaking. All three of us exchanged unsure looks, “we don't exactly know,” Ruby admitted, “do we?” she added looking back at Luna who just shrugged. “You sure about that, cause you all look a lot like vampires to me,” the mare said, taking a step back. Luna laughed, “admittedly I can see why that might be assumed, but vampires are just an old ponies tale, a legend to scare fillies and colts from staying out after dark.” “You all have fangs and drink blood,” she said flatly. “All legends come from somewhere…” Ruby murmured with a shrug. “I suppose we are vampiric in nature, but that does not make us vampires,” Luna said with a firm nod. “Uhh what in Equestria is a vampire?” I asked cluelessly. Ruby turned towards me, “don’t worry about it,” she snickered, “it's just a silly old myth” “Yes, well this vampire would like to know what a vampire is if indeed that is what we are.” “We are not vampires,” Luna reiterated with a little hoof stomp. Now reacquiring her more serious demeanor, “We are heading back to mine and my sister’s castle. You are welcome to come and stay there for the night, or day, before you return home, it's either that or a really long flight,” she stated matter of factly. “Promise not to eat me?” the Lilac mare asked, her humor betraying her obvious terror. The three of us all nodded. The lilac mare Shakely brought herself to her hooves, “ok,” she sighed, “I'll go with you, my name is Nyx by the way.”” Author's Note This one was a doozy to edit, apologies if I missed anything as far a punctuation and grammar go but I was trying to get this out before the weekend was over.
Chapter Eight: Brief RespiteChapter Eight Brief Respite The four of us landed and made our way up to the castle’s perimeter, we were all covered head to hoof in blood with Nyx being the only minor exception, not to even mention our new appearance. Getting in and getting clean was the easy part, we just had to get to Luna’s balcony, whatever we did after that wasn't going to be so easy. Luna informed us that she couldn't maintain the same spell that keeps her true appearance a secret on Ruby and I, because she relied on her own shadows to conceal herself. Unless we could manipulate shadows of our own, disguise wasn't an option. Nyx had seemed to relax for the most part, well as relaxed as one could be considering the circumstances. Still, she kept a distance away from the rest of us. We were all now very aware of how lethal we could be, and though Nyx no longer acted like we were going to eat her, I could tell deep down she was still terrified of us. She had every right to be... I watched Ruby out of the corner of my eye as she slowed her pace to fall in line next to Nyx. “Soooo,” Ruby began uncomfortably, “maybe don't mention to anypony that we uhh.” Nyx stared back at her not knowing how to answer as she quickly looked away and just nodded fervently. “Hey relax, we promised we wouldn’t hurt you.” Nyx screwed up her face as she stopped to stare at the candy red maned bat pony. The poor lilac pegasus was barely keeping it together, and the juxtaposition of Ruby’s comment seemed to snap something in her brain. “Relax? RELAX!?!? Are you kidding me!” Nyx stomped down in anger, “I just watched you three slaughter dozens of ponies, and you want me to relax!” Ruby flattened her ears as she shrank back. “Umm, yes.” Nyx’s eye twitched and for a second, I actually feared for my immortal friend. But as quickly as it had come, Nyx’s rage and annoyance diminished as she exhaled a strained breath. “I just don't understand…” she murmured, “how can you all be fine, are you just all sociopaths or something?” she asked, her question seeming sincere. Luna and I stayed silent as we continued to eavesdrop. Ruby looked taken aback, “no, but the darkness,” she paused hesitantly, “it takes away pain, and right now… thinking about what happened is painful.” Nyx looked down at her hooves, “must be nice.” Ruby gave a small smile, “you know, Princess Luna could-” “No! I respect Princess Luna but you're crazy if you think I'm going to let those weird shadowy things anywhere near my muzzle,” The lilac pegasus responded firmly with a nod. “Your loss,” Ruby shrugged, before trotting back up to me and Luna. “You're not going to get anywhere with that one,” Luna began as she trotted up. “Yeah, and you can hardly blame her,” I added. “I know but… I just hate the way she looks at me,” Ruby muttered,“like I'm a monster, like I'm going to snap and rip her apart at any moment.” “You're not a monster Ruby, none of us are,” Luna told her gently and with a firm nod. “Aren't we?” Ruby murmured. Luna stopped in her tracks as she stared at her hooves. “Luna?” I touched her shoulder, “are you alright?” “We killed for two reasons and only two… to put down the ponies who tried to kill us, and to feed.” The dark alicorn regained her composure. “We had plenty of justification, we are not monsters,” she said firmly. Ruby just hung her head as we continued to walk up towards the castle. “Feather, stop for just a moment,” Luna spoke softly, and I did as she asked. Despite her argument I could see the pain in her eyes, she was hurting just as bad as Ruby. “I just need to taste you again,” she whispered sweetly, clearly needing a distraction. I felt her slowly bite into my neck. I closed my eyes and leaned into her, her venom sending waves of calming euphoric cascading down throughout my body. “You're still hungry?” Ruby asked, shocked. Luna’s teeth finally lifted out of my skin. “Not particularly, I just needed to take my mind off of all of this for a moment. Besides, she has a better aftertaste than those, others…” she said while wiping off her muzzle with a grin that did little to hide her weariness. As if aware of just that, she turned away from the others to nuzzle into my mane instead. Ruby rolled her eyes and laughed “Stars, you two are making me jealous, and I’m not even gay!” she chuckled. Luna and I both blushed. I turned and noticed Nyx staring at us confused. “So, you all just feed on one another whenever? and you're all okay with it?” Ruby turned towards Nyx “To be fair, Feather is the Princess’s marefriend, she’s got this weird submissive thing she does with Luna, and they are both totally into it.” she grinned, “whoopsies, did I say that out loud,” Ruby snickered. “What! Hey, I'm not submissive!” I stammered with a little indignant stomp of my hoof. I knew if I had a mirror the blood covering my face wouldn’t matter because my entire face would still be red. Ruby raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” Luna grinned, and I turned towards her. “Well, I… I just like feeling like I belong to you is all,” I stammered trying to keep myself from blushing not that anyone could see it. “What else do you like?” Luna whispered sweetly, nibbling on my ear. “I... Ummm,” I paused and sighed finally relenting, I was already doomed so I put my muzzle to her ear before whispering softly, “ok Ruby’s right,” I murmured sheepishly. “Oh? do elaborate,” she prompted seductively, lowering her voice as she guided me farther up ahead and out of earshot of the others. I took a breath and decided to just admit it to her. “I do like it, a lot, I love it in fact, I love feeling like I’m yours,” I nuzzled her, “I love it when you drink my blood whenever you want, I love it when you pin me down,” I paused, “Luna I would let you do anything to me because I… because I lo-” “Are you two quite finished?” Nyx interjected with an annoyed laugh. At least she laughed, well more like snickered. “As entertaining as you two are, it's getting very late and I can barely keep my eyes open.” Ruby started laughing, then Luna, I even started to giggle myself regardless if it was at my own expense, even Nyx looked amused as much as she tried to hide it. For a brief moment the horror of the events from the train station seemed like the distant past as the four of us just sat there and laughed. Luna kissed me on the nose as she brought herself back to her hooves. “Let’s get moving, shall we?” I could hear Ruby’s heart rate spiking as she stared off into the distance. I trotted up to her, “Hey are you alright?” I asked, concerned. Ruby shook her head rapidly, “what? I'm fine, let's just go.” Weird... With that, Luna took off into the sky once more. __ We all followed closely behind Luna as we were led to her familiar balcony, nopony below seemed to notice our arrival as we landed. The gala had clearly ended a while ago and the only ponies that still remained in the courtyard were a few of Celestia’s guards. “Are we sure it's even safe in there?” I prompted, “what if one of those mindless guards are in there, or they put one of those parasites under our pillows,” I fretted, making Luna reel. “She makes a good point,” Ruby nodded in agreement. “Well, I suppose we will just have to toss the entire room, look for anything out of place,” Luna said with a nod. “How are we supposed to know what's out of place?” Nyx asked. “You don’t, just wait out here and let us handle it,” I told her. The three of us stepped inside and began to search through everything. I was mostly concerned about those parasites, as far as I knew they needed a mindless pony brain to attach to, but I wasn't going to take any chances. Those things freaked me out! Just thinking about them made me shudder. I thoroughly checked all around and, in our bed, triple checking everything. After what felt like an eternity of searching, none of us could find anything. “The spell I cast on the door is still intact, fortunately I don’t think anypony else was in here,” Luna let out a relieved sigh,“Ruby why don't you take a shower first, it's over there in the back. I'd imagine you'll need the extra hot water, considering.” Ruby frowned, “yeah not having a horn is going to make this way more difficult than I'm used to,” she groaned before trotting over to the washroom door. I heard the water kick in after a few moments and I noticed Nyx staring at the still folded open couch bed, “is anypony using this?” she asked with a yawn, “or is there some guest room I could have instead?” Luna sighed “yes this castle has plenty of guest rooms, however I don't believe that would be a very safe option, this ‘cult’ -- for lack of a better word -- is known for taking ponies from their quarters, Ruby’s friend Sunny included.” Wait, how did Luna know Sunny was taken during his sleep? Did Leopold tell her? I wondered. “No, he didn't, you did when you let me in your mind remember?” Luna informed me. I almost tripped over myself, “wait, did you just?” “Did I just, what?” Luna asked, looking towards me. “Never mind, I'm pretty sure I just was thinking out loud and didn't realize it,” I said sheepishly. She looked confused but shook her head and looked back towards Nyx “to answer your other question, No nopony else is using that bed, it's all yours.” At that, Nyx flopped down on the bed and let out a long yawn, “don't let me fall asleep until I've had a chance at the shower,” she groaned as she buried her face into my old pillows. She was just laying over the covers, making sure not to get her bloody hooves in the sheets. Luna looked towards me, “I'd normally drag you into my bed, however,” she looked at her own hooves, then at me, “I'd rather not turn our sheets red.” I stifled a laugh. Lowering her voice she whispered, “speaking of, we should probably change our sheets from last night’s sexcapades.” I blushed, “Shouldn't we be warning your sister that her royal guard has been compromised, and tell her about Kane?” I asked worriedly. Luna frowned, “if I know my sister, she wouldn't believe us, not without hard proof, and even if she did, her resolution most likely wouldn't be absolute. I can't afford to have my sister put our kind in jeopardy in favor of her silly little morals.” “What are we supposed to do then?” I asked. “We all are in desperate need of a shower and some rest, this threat can wait until tomorrow evening, at which point we will eliminate this threat, then inform my sister of her obliviousness. Better to ask forgiveness rather than permission,” she snickered. “Understood, so what do we do in the meantime?” I yawned. “Soon I will have to lower the moon, but for now, I suppose we do nothing,” Luna paused and regarded me for a moment, “actually, why don't we take advantage of the fact that we’re still covered in blood?” she purred before stepping towards me and tilting her head back, “go ahead,” she offered with a grin. Understanding, I took a step forward and put a wing around her, nuzzling and slowly kissing up her neck before I softly bit down. The taste of her blood was unlike anything else, it made all the other blood I had drunken pale in comparison. I felt her relax in my wings and could hear her making cute little noises as we stood there before I finally lifted away. I tilted my head back, closing my eyes and reveling in the taste. Suddenly she tackled me to the ground, and I felt her teeth slide into my neck. Another surge of her venom shot threw me, making it hard to move or focus on anything else. I smiled as all I could do was just lay there and enjoy every second of it. To make it even better I felt as her shadows wrapped around me and seeped into my skin. After a while I felt Luna crawl off of me and I opened my eyes, “why'd you stop,” I asked with a little pout, “I'm still conscious.” She rolled her eyes. “That’s a good thing Feather,” she laughed before leaning back down to kiss me on the nose, “well, for now at least.” I looked to my side and saw Nyx sitting up staring at us, I noticed she was biting her lip “what's it like?” she asked. We both sat up and looked at her, “drinking blood?” Luna questioned. Nyx shook her head, “no, I mean what’s it like to be what you are? You don’t act right, not like normal ponies I mean, I just want to know why.” The beautifully dark alicorn grinned, “every nerve, every sense, every emotion is heightened. The world is so much more clear and calm, why do you ask?” “Curiosity,” Nyx replied simply. Luna seemed to catch something in her expression that I didn't as she moved closer to Nyx. “just curiosity? Or something more?” Luna continued her advance, “Or perhaps you just can't resist the temptation?” “Wait what! No, I…” Nyx stuttered, now seeming unsure, “no, I don't know,” she admitted. I could hear her heart beating quickly as Luna leaned in to look directly into her eyes. “I think you do.” Nyx sighed, “no I don't, I've never felt this way before, since being around all of you it's like there’s something gnawing at me, clawing at my heart and it hurts.” “So why don't you give in to it?” Luna purred, “let it in to your heart” “What will happen to me if I do?” she asked, her calm voice betraying her terror as she struggled to understand what was happening. “It will take away all your pain,” Luna smiled at her, “I promise” “What will it be like?” she asked, sounding both curious and afraid. There was the hint of desperation in her voice, the same thing I had noticed in Ruby many times before, the same desperation I felt in myself not that long ago. I stepped forward, “Well, your body will turn nocturnal for starters, so you better get used to living in the night,” I told her,“don't worry, it feels amazing.” Nyx took a breath, “well, I suppose I've always been a bit of a night owl anyways.” she murmured absentmindedly, almost as if in a trance as she continued to stare into Luna’s eyes. I realized Nyx was just tethering on the edge of completely giving in, she probably had been for a long time, long before we found her. Nyx tore her eyes away from Luna’s and rapidly shook her head, “No,” she stated firmly, “I can't believe I was even considering it!” Fear seemed to seep back into her as she stood up, “that's how it gets you isn't it?” she demanded. Luna and I took a step back in surprise. “It preys on your pain, on your weakness! It claws at your heart until you let it in!” Nyx back peddled into the wall looking at us like we were monsters again. I didn't know what to say, she was looking at it like it was a bad thing! The darkness is wonderful, it takes over every part of you and takes away all of the pain! I reiterated to myself. Without saying a word Luna lifted up a hoof towards Nyx, shadows wrapping around it, just as she had done with Ruby. the dark misty tendrils stretched out and wrapped around Nyx gliding over her coat. “No! I…” Nyx’s voice seemed to fade as her fear started to bleed away. She shook her head and smacked Luna’s hoof away, “I said no!” The dark princess glared at her, “Fine, suit yourself,” she huffed before turning to trot off to her study. Nyx took a breath before glancing up at me “I'm sorry for being so afraid of you and Princess Luna, I had just never expected to meet her, especially the way I had, it scared me, and for a while there I had forgotten that she was my Princess,” she murmured as she bowed her head. I smiled a little as I approached her once again. “But!” she insisted, and I stopped, “she can’t have me, and you won’t get me to let her darkness in… not now, not ever. I'll be gone tomorrow anyways.” I should’ve been cross with her, but I knew better, so instead I smiled at her. “Now that it's clawing at you, you'll give in sooner or later.” “Maybe, but I'd like to think I have some semblance of self-control.” I narrowed my eyes, but as I was about to respond I heard the bathroom door open as Ruby came trotting back in, her coat no longer stained red. And she had discarded her torn ruined dress. She stretched out her new wings and my eyes drifted towards her flank. I just realized that in all of the time I'd known her, I had never actually seen her cutie mark, it was always covered up. Appropriately it was a little image of a red ruby gemstone that had what looked like a few blood drops running down and dripping off the side of it. “Well, that's a fitting cutie mark, considering what you are now,” I pointed out. “What do you mean?” she asked as she looked back at her own flank and gasped. “What's the matter?” “My… my cutie mark, it's different!” she exclaimed and I saw shock and hurt all over her face. “What do you mean it's different? Cutie marks don't just change,” Nyx pointed out. I quickly glanced back at my own, just to make sure mine was still the same. Even under all the dried blood I could still make out the familiar dark lines and I let out a sigh of relief. Upon further inspection it did appear as though the black talon-like streaks stretched much further around my flanks than usual, though it was impossible to tell with all the blood on my coat. “That's impossible,” Luna insisted, “what did it look like before?” she questioned. “it used to be just a ruby with a sword behind it,” Ruby fretted. Luna regarded her thoughtfully for a few moments. “I suppose after you were changed, something integral to yourself, who you are, must have changed, and your cutie mark changed accordingly,” Luna offered. Ruby sat down hard as she stared at her own flank, “I mean, I like it, but, the old one was still mine; I remember the day I had gotten it, I was so excited and Sunny had thrown me this huge party to celebrate. After that day, my career and my future had become so clear,” her voice trailed off. She blinked and shook her head. “I guess just like then, my future is now very clear to me.” she stood up with a smile, wiping a tear away and walked up to Luna before kneeling. “Princess Luna,” she took a breath. “I hereby pledge my unyielding loyalty to you, from now until the day- or night- that I die.” Luna’s eyes widened and she took a step back as Ruby continued, “I am yours to command and I would gladly trade my life for yours. I promise to- ” “Please stop,” Luna interrupted her, her tone uneasy. Ruby looked up at Luna confused. “I don't require nor want to hear the same speech you gave to my sister,” Luna paused, “Ruby you are our friend, if you want to be my soldier and serve me, you can, but I am not my sister, and while I admire your sudden professionalism I’d rather if you’re going to pledge yourself to me to just say as much.” Luna softened her tone and smiled, “there is no need to go on such a long self-degrading speech about it.” Ruby stood up. “Ruby, I've heard that entire pledge before, and all it does is make you describe yourself like a tool that is meant to be thrown away,” she paused lifting Ruby’s chin up with a hoof, “and you are so much more than that.” Ruby smiled and gave a little bow, “thank you Princess,” she murmured. “Awe, that's sweet” Nyx called out from the background and Ruby looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “What?” Nyx asked defensively “it was.” Ruby scoffed before flopping down on the non bed part of the couch near where Nyx was sitting. “I thought you hated us?” The purple maned pegasus stared at her hooves, “I don't hate any of you,” she murmured, “I just don't know how to be okay with any of what's happened tonight.” Ruby sighed, “you're not the only one,” she sat up and looked over at Nyx, “so I take it you're leaving first thing tomorrow evening right?” Nyx stifled a laugh “evening... I suppose so, I would leave earlier but you three have completely destroyed my sleep schedule.” Ruby smiled at her, “being nocturnal is better, trust me.” I know Nyx didn't let in the darkness, but it got me thinking. I could feel the same shadows move through me and I smiled. Watching Nyx almost give in only made me want to re-experience the rush and high I got from Luna breathing them into me. “Luna,” I began, “could you wrap me in your shadows again,” I asked, leaning into her, “please,” I asked with a little pout and a grin. Nyx rolled her eyes before getting up and trotting off to the washroom. Luna smiled and instead of lifting her hoof towards me, she again moved her mouth towards mine and breathed the misty shadows into my lungs. I felt more wrap around and hug me tightly. Even though I've felt it before, Goddess, I swear it feels even better every time she does it! We stood there for quite a long while, just enjoying one another, time passed so fast Nyx was already out and trotting past us towards the couch bed. Luna stopped and put her muzzle to my ear, “why don't we finally go get cleaned up, then I’ll lower the moon, the two of us can finally lay down and you can finish telling me about all the things you love for me to do to you.” she whispered sweetly, and I struggled to maintain my balance as I followed her into the washroom. ___ Finally, the two of us stepped out of the shower, our blood stained dresses were laying on the counter. I stepped forward and wiped the fog away from the mirror with the side of my hoof. I admired my now clean self in the mirror, only now seeing my new appearance for the first time with my own eyes. I stretched out my new wings and looked from my sharp teeth up to my new vibrant light blue nocturnal eyes. Luna moved up next to me and nuzzled behind my ear, “you are so beautiful Feather,” she whispered softly and I couldn't help but smile. Everything finally feels right. I no longer felt any kind of pain, I loved my new eyes, my new wings, the teeth, I loved everything that Luna had given me. We made our way past the archway back into the main bedroom. Nyx was passed out on the couch bed and Ruby was laying on the other normal part of the couch asleep. Luna turned towards the balcony door, and I followed. Once outside we both stood and looked across the horizon at the moon. “It really is beyond beautiful,” I kissed her, “your night,” Luna put a wing around me, “it's a shame you'll have to lower the moon,” I whispered as I continued to nuzzle her neck. “Believe me Feather, if I could get away with making the night eternal, I would. Unfortunately, as much as I hate my sister's precious light, plants need it to grow, the world needs it to keep living,” she laughed dryly. “Funny how the universe is cruel that way, however I have taken serious thought to threatening my sister with the idea, just to gain some modicum of respect, to force ponies into recognizing my night, and my authority,” Luna grinned, “Tia knows she is powerless to stop me if I ever did decide to do such a thing.” “Why don't you?” I asked softly. “Because I don't feel like starting a war with my sister, you would be surprised what lengths she would go to just to prove a point.” I looked up at her with concern, “you really think Celestia would do something so rash as to start a war with you, her own sister, just for asserting yourself?” Luna gave me a serious look ,“I know she would.” After the moon was lowered, we returned to the bedroom and Luna’s familiar shadow spell was cast upon the room. Obviously due to the company I knew Luna and I unfortunately couldn't do anything, too strenuous… still, when we climbed into her bed, she pinned me down as she climbed on top of me, my face was in the pillows and I relaxed as she nuzzled the back of my neck. I supposed even though she knew she wouldn't be able to move any further down than my wings, it wasn't going to stop us from enjoying one another. After nuzzling between the base of my sore wings for a few minutes she slid off to my side, I turned towards her, and she pulled me close. “You still owe me that conversation,” she smiled, speaking quietly so as to not wake the others. I blushed. “So, you like it, sorry, love it,” she amended, “when I pin you down, you love it when I do whatever I want with you, you love feeling like you're mine?” she grinned and I nodded blushing even harder, “and you love feeling like you belong to me?” “I do,” I whispered sweetly. “Well, that's good to hear, because you do belong to me,” she said in a sweet dark tone before moving my head up with a hoof and slowly sinking her teeth into my neck. I smiled as she did so, letting the wonderful feeling of her venom consume me. What she had just said made me shiver with delight and I couldn't help myself any longer. “I love you Luna,” I breathed. I felt her stop and she pulled back to look at me. I gazed up at her. Her expression was unreadable, her eyes gave away nothing of what was going through her mind. I waited, hoping I would hear the same, but she just stared at me silently. It just slipped out, I couldn't stop myself, Should I have waited? Was it too soon? To be fair I already almost slipped and told her when we were all outside the castle. I probably would have if Nyx hadn't cut me off. I bit my lip, for the first time since being with Luna, I felt nervous. Finally, she broke the seemingly endless silence. “Why?” she breathed. The fact that she had to ask almost broke my heart! How could she be confused as to why I would love her? I smiled and moved her starlit mane out of her face with a hoof “because silly,” I began softly, “you saved me, you’ve saved me more than a few times now, your so kind, brilliant, beautiful, sweet, funny, strong and powerful, you’re the most incredible pony I've ever met,” I took a breath, “I love your night, I love your darkness. I love the way your shadows wrap around and flow through me. I love the way you make me feel. I love everything you represent; calm, quiet, peace, darkness and beauty under moonlight,” I nuzzled her as I continued. “You're the only one who has ever cared about me, I was alone for so long, I had convinced myself that I didn't need anypony else. Then you found me next to that moonpool and you made me feel like I mattered, you took me back with you, gave me purpose, gave me a life.” I smiled. “I belong to you, you're the only one who matters to me, I would do anything for you, I would never let anything bad happen to you, I would see the entire world burn in order to protect you,” I saw she was crying, and I felt my own eyes water as I continued to pour my heart out. “I owe you everything, more than everything, I am so grateful to be able to serve somepony so amazing, so extraordinary,” I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath, “I give all of myself to the night, to the darkness, to you…” I paused and smiled, “I belong to you,” I whispered softly. I opened my eyes, “because I love you, I'll always love you, now and forever.” She sniffed and wiped her tears away with a hoof only for them to be quickly replaced. “I love you too Feather!” she cried quietly as she hugged me and I started to cry too as we held each other. She leaned back before pushing in and pressing her lips to my own, I leaned into her and let myself go limp as she kissed and nuzzled all over me. “I love the mare you've become” she started, “beautiful, dangerous, a creature of the night like me, you love me, and your all mine,” she smiled, “I love that you've given yourself so completely to me and my night, I love the sweet taste of your blood, I love everything about you Feather,” she nibbled my ear, “I love you,” hearing her say those things caused me to lose all train of thought, with everything heightened, the euphoria of her venom on top of feeling her all over me, this was just as good if not better than sex! I couldn't do anything anymore except smile and shiver with pleasure. I really do belong to her! “Now that you're immortal like me, I don’t ever have to be afraid of losing you to time,” she breathed a sigh of relief, “I don't think I would have been able to watch you grow old and turn to dust Feather, not you.” “Even though there is no such thing as true immortality, at least time will never take you from me,” she added sweetly as she continued to nuzzle my neck. “What do you mean there is no such thing as true immortality?” I asked, curious as to what she meant. “I mean that even though conventional weapons can't seem to kill us, and time will never touch us, there is always a loophole. That's just how it is, the universe demands balance,” she smiled before continuing, “but just because a loophole exists, doesn't mean we can’t easily avoid or deal with it,” She reassured me. “You would really have me for all eternity?” I asked with a smile as I tilted my head back so she could sink her teeth in again if she wanted. Seeing my gesture, she leaned forward. “I would, I will,” then I felt her teeth go back into my neck. After a few moments I was starting to feel dizzy, but in a good way. She lifted her teeth out, “you are mine forever,” she whispered and once again I felt her shadows go in through my nose and mouth, I giggled in delight as I breathed them in. Fantasies began to fill my mind of the two of us together at the end of time, as the universe crumbled around us, reality collapsing in on itself. Everything turning to dust around us as we stand on the edge of nothingness. Holding one another in defiance of the absolute oblivion that sought to take us. “Drink me until you can't anymore,” I whispered as her shadows retreated back into the two of us, I felt her fangs press back in and I lay there, the edges of my vision slowly darkening from the blood loss, and with a smile I closed my eyes as the world swirled away... Author's Note Just a short chapter, sorry my computer was in for repairs and I didn't have a ton of time to get this one out. Just a little bit of a respite chapter before things really hit the fan. I've also recently changed up my routine to make more time for writing so I'll try to start getting these out weekly rather than the current bi-weekly schedule if I can.
