Shadowmere

The Night Court had been uneventful. Mostly it had been Luna briefing him on what he had to do as Spymaster of Equestria, which turned out to be very little.

The Night Court had finished quickly, for which Shadowmere was both grateful and irritated. It gave him time to rest, which he was in desperate need of after the shock fence kept him awake in Twilight's basement.

Yet it also provided him with the time to think. What had made him so open with these ponies? Was this place, with all the kindness, rubbing off on him? Was he going soft? His thoughts rebounded through his mind, unable to draw a conclusion that he was happy with.

He was the Listener's herald after all, not some breeding stallion owned by the Black-Briars. He would not let himself go soft. Especially not now.

With that thought, he reached out to the Blade of Woe that was resting in its scabbard on the table. It felt...Unusual to hold anything in his hooves rather than his mouth. It also felt better in his left hoof rather than his right, but it was a off-hand (or hoof) weapon, so that was to be expected.

Fortunately the handle was long enough to be held properly by a hoof. He laid down on the bed and held the blade before himself while he stared into its razor-sharp edge, looking for something, anything that could help him with the battle raging within.

All he found were a lonely pair of glowing red eyes.

He rolled over, placed the dagger back in it's sheath and tossed the covers onto a chair. The room was too warm for his liking, so he opened the windows and let the night's cool air flow into the room.

He had never liked warmth, it reminded him too much of the living and the comfort that led to the unwillingness to do what must be done. The cold and the night suited his nature much better.

He fell asleep, staring out into the night. If he had known what was coming, he would never have woken up.

The sky was red. Normally this wouldn't have worried Shadowmere: after all, he was no stranger to a red dawn. That was when he noticed the black streaks and the unmistakable sound of thunder.

He groaned. Was this how he was greeted whenever something good happened to him? A demonic invasion?

How did Dagon get here anyway? Wait... The portal! It must have acted like a beacon for Dagon, drawing him... Yet once he was locked on, how to get him off? Simply removing the beacon wouldn't work. They'd need something to act as a barrier...

He somehow they had anypony with Aedric or Daedric blood in them. The streets, he noticed, were fortunately empty, possibly due to the guard patrols.

That reminded him - How were the Princesses reacting? Probably looking in that stupid library of theirs for some explanation. That wouldn't help.

Somepony knocked on the door.

He leaped to his hooves, walked over to the door, revealing a guard standing there. "The Princesses want you-"

"Shut up telling me what they want, and do it!"

The guard appeared slightly shocked at Shadowmere's outburst but nodded and motioned for him to follow.

When Shadowmere arrived at the throne room, the so-called 'Council of War' was already in progress.

"NOW, EVERYPONY IN THIS ROOM, CALM DOWN AND LET THY RULER TALK!" Luna shouted in her Royal Canterlot voice.

Shadowmere smiled as he pushed open the door and walked in.

"Now, as I was saying- ah, Shadowmere, take a seat, will you? Perhaps you could tell us what the hay happened to the sky." Celestia pointed his late arrival out as Shadowmere took a seat opposite the Princess of the Day. Other than himself, Celestia and Luna, Shining Armour and a bright pink alicorn that Shadowmere presumed to be Princess Cadence were also present along with a white and blonde unicorn that stubbornly refused to even look at him. That particular unicorn could only be Prince Blueblood, the most pompous of nobles, according to rumour. It would be a hard-fought contest between him and Sir Lazare Milvan.

"Actually, Princess, I can. Unfortunately, you can't do anything about it unless you can summon a rather large statue of a dragon."

"And what is causing the mess in the sky, Spymaster?"

"A certain Mehrunes Dagon has decided to invade Equestria. And, you can't do anything about it except try to minimise the casualties."

"And you know this how, plebian?" Prince Blueblood asked, sticking his snout in the air.

"You remind me of a fellow I once knew called Sir Lazare Milvan. He lived in times similar to the ones that are approaching. Like you, he refused to hear the warning and surrounded himself with guards. When the Daedra came for Skingrad, he died like any other. The Daedra will show no mercy, no quarter. They pay no respect to station, and take no prisoners."

Prince Blueblood appeared slightly shocked at why a mere peasant would speak to him like that.

"What you must understand, Princesses, is that the only way you will survive this war is through sacrifice."

"Captain, how many stallions are currently in the Royal Guard?" Celestia asked.

"Around 600, with an extra 200 in the Night and Day guards."

"How quickly can you evacuate the city?"

"In about an hour."

"Begin the evacuation. I will remain behind to hold the city with my Day Guard."

"I can't let you do that, Princess." Shining Armour stood. "Your ponies need you too much, they look up to you. I will hold the city with 100 from each guard."

Cadence gave Shining a worried look. "Although you do need somepony to lead the Royal Guard and my wife is concerned about my wellbeing..." Shining Armour sat back down.

"Do I have to do this again? I will lead the defence of the city with 300 guards. No pegasi, you'll need them later. I hate to say it, but I am the only one here that has no major responsibilities. Just retreat to Ponyville with any magical artefacts you have. I and any guards who remain behind, will buy you time to evacuate. Hold for 10 days at Ponyville, by then either reinforcements will have arrived or, if not, retreat through the portal. Tell Connor 'Silence is the music of life'. He knows what it means."