Tale of Nightingaleby Shadow VeilChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8PrologueChapter 1The rain poured down in torrents, flooding the nearby river with an unbridled rage. Anything that dared to come into contact with the furious waters was carried away by the sheer force that the river now possessed. Lightning flashed across the sky, blinding any who were unfortunate enough to let their gaze linger upon the sky. The small scurrying creatures hid under stones upon high ground wherever they could, and even the great dragons had hidden themselves away from the disastrous weather. The larger dragons hid themselves deep within their dens, long since carved into the stone of the mountainside. Those of lesser size hid far closer to the entrance to the dens, lacking the sense to stay away from where water may pour into the den. They would often spend the duration of the storm laughing amongst themselves, chuckling at the elders for their concern. This stormy eve’ harbored an uncommon occurrence, as upon this moonless night a single egg quivered among the shards of the rest of the nest. The hulking drakelings loomed over the undersized egg, watching intently as it showed signs of life. Yet no smiling faces were present as the tiny shell cracked, they all knew that a late hatch was bound to be trouble. “Why don’t we just throw the whelp into the storm?” An adolescent dragon of deep crimson groaned. “Yeah,” another dragon echoed from within the dark. “Every late hatcher doesn’t last more than a few months, anyway.” “It matters not,” a deep voice boomed from the shadows, seemingly rocking the cavern walls. “If the hatchling dies after it hatches, then so be it, but I will not condone the slaughter of an unhatched egg.” “Yeah, yeah,” The first dragon groaned, too young to display proper respect. “We will see how long the whelp lasts.”!!CRACK!! The sound of a vicious crack was followed by a light thud as a section of the egg fell upon the cave floor. Fragment after fragment began breaking away from the tiny dragon within. In mere moments, all that remained of the egg was a minuscule portion of the very bottom. A pair of deep blue eyes started looking about the cavern, darting from each of the dragons towering over him. “The whelp is hardly the size of my hand!” The crimson juvenile barked. All eyes in the cavern directed themselves towards the remark, even the resting Elders awoke to investigate the disruption. The cave began to echo with the laughter of juveniles as they stared upon a drake they already counted as dead. Some of those unable to contain their amusement fell to the floor and gasped for breath as they rolled on the cold stone. Several even began to spit out small jets of flame, marking the ground around the hatchling with charred circles. As the Elders stared down at a creature that could hide in their nostrils, they couldn’t help but wonder how long the hatchling had to live. While they said nothing they hardly needed to in order to communicate with one another. The two had lived together for far too long for any to remember when they had first become mates, or how many years had passed since their hatching. They had practically created the cave system that the clan called home with their very claws and flames. The larger of the Elders, a maroon male with enormous wings, lowered his head to the hatchling. He took care not to inhale the tiny creature as he moved his head around ensuring him a complete analysis of the hatchling. The hatchling was indeed a male, his scales glimmering even in the dullest light of the cave. Between the flashes of the storm the Elder Male could make out the deep blue scales that shimmered like a starry night sky with any light. The deep blue eyes of the hatchling began to pale before the Elder, bewildering the massive reptile. His eyes continued to lose color becoming a glistening pale shade of silver as he continued to listen to the hushed jeering and scrutiny of the juveniles and endured the silent criticism of the Elder. After several more moments of observation, the Elder backed away and his powerful voice echoed through the cave as he spoke, “This drake shall not survive, but none of you are to kill him.” He paused, allowing the more disrespectful drakes to boo at the notion. “We don’t kill our own clan, no matter how little time those less fortunate have.” And with his decree given, the Elder moved back with his mate into the bowels of the cavern, and the horde they had collected together. A green dragon had her head lowered to the floor as her mate glared daggers at the hatchling. Her mate, a black dragon whose scales were decorated with marks from battle, hissed as he turned to his mate. “We won’t concern ourselves with this whelp,” as he spoke his mate’s head rose, hope shining in her eyes. “Our lives are of far greater value than. . .” He turned his head so that he was once more facing the hatchling, hissing as he continued to speak, “His.” “I couldn’t agree with you more,” The dragoness spoke up, “Let us leave this disgrace behind us, Quake,” Quake turned and smiled walking away with his mate, not even turning back to look at the hatchling on the floor. This left the hatchling surrounded by the juveniles, who were only now recovering from their roars of laughter. The hatchling began to shiver, unsure of what was happening. He had identified his parents by their scent before they had left, but now they had left him, unsure, and afraid. He began to do the only thing he could to cope with the mocking laughter and hating glances, he began to cry. He didn’t cry loudly, like most infants of other races would, he muffled his cries as to avoid conjuring forth more hatred from those that surrounded him. Yet one noticed the tears, no matter how the hatchling tried to hide them. The crimson juvenile, known by the name of Crag, strutted over to the hatchling with murder dancing in his eyes. Crag was the claimed first born of Quake and his mate, Claw, making him the elder brother of the weeping hatchling. Crag slowly lifted his younger brother off of the cave floor, his clawed hand easily going around the hatchlings waistline. His arm ceased its motions once it had reached the height of his shoulder. He rotated his head around, scanning the sea of faces that now stared at him. After several moments of dead silence Crag began to chuckle at what his plan. Within seconds, Crag moved his arm back, and with snapped it forward, releasing his grip at the peak of his arm’s arc. “Hey guys,” Crag shouted as his baby brother cartwheeled through the air. “let’s see if the whelp can use his wings!” Dragons began surging away from the inevitable crash site of the hatchling, laughing hysterically as they fled. Some starting slapping their tails on the cave floor, and many began to chant, “Whelp! Whelp! Whelp!” Their roars growing louder as the hatchling began to plummet towards the unforgiving stone. All the while, the hatchling continued to let his tears flow, and his sobs growl louder and louder. He hadn’t even spent an hour out of his egg, yet now he was going to die. Yet the worst part was that the hatchling had recognized the scent of the one who had thrown him; he had recognized the scent of his brother. He sobbed in realization of the facts now presented to him; his parents had left him, they didn’t care what happened to him, everyone in the cave wanted him dead and gone, and that his brother was the one that had brought about his death. The hatchling stared at the cave floor, waiting for it to come, waiting for the pain, waiting for this nightmare to end. He couldn’t help but wonder what dying would actually feel like; he had guessed that it would hurt, but only for a second or two. The last thing he saw was a flash of bright red as something encased his small body. It wasn’t the pain that the hatchling had thought would come, instead it was something gentle. He didn’t care, he allowed his eyes to close, hoping to awake to a better life. Chapter 2Small, silver eyes fluttered open only to slam shut at the blinding light of the sun. The hatchling felt around, his hands darting around the rough surface he found himself on. He wriggled around like this for several moments before he pushed himself to his hind legs. The hatchling nearly fell back to on his rear, but something caught him. After being picked up and thrown moments after he hatched he had a very high fear of others, and thus panicked. He squirmed as he was slowly lifted from the ground, a pair of hands wrapping around his body. He could hear someone speaking to him, a female from what he could tell. He could feel her grip changing, becoming more of a cradle as the hatchling’s resistance ceased. “There, there, little one.” he heard, a hand brushing gently over his head. “You won’t be harmed here, I will keep you safe, I promise.” The hatchling opened his eyes, the color shifting once again to a sky blue. He was staring at a female dragon of bright red with yellow markings that decorated her scales. He looked into her hazel eyes as she cradled him, both enjoying the company they now had. “I am Spines, little one. What may I call you?” the hatchling tilted his head in response, some of the words escaping him. “Nod if you like the name, Ok?” he nodded once and Spines smiled. “How about, Fang?” a shake, “Talon?” another shake, “Knight?” the hatchlings eyes widened, showing his fondness. Spines thought for a moment, trying to make the name unique. Those ponies put two parts to their names, perhaps, “Night Fall?” The hatchling nodded furiously, though he didn’t know why he loved the name so. “Night Fall!” he squeaked, a smile spreading rapidly across his face. “Night Fall!” Spines laughed as she hugged her new friend close, praying they would remain together for the years to come. “Alright then, Night Fall, let’s get inside and get some food.” Night Star nodded as he licked his lips, hunger growling in his stomach. Several hours past as Night Fall played with a sapphire that was lying on the floor. He laughed as the gem shimmered in the pale light of the moon. From time to time he would stare out to the mouth of the small cave where Spines sat. He would wonder for a second what she was doing, but the light of the gem was hypnotic to his young mind. He giggled as the shimmering surface cast spots of light all over the interior of the cave. Spines sighed, knowing that she had taken on a task she couldn’t accomplish. “I can hardly fend for myself, how will I protect him?” she turned her head to the sky, the light of the moon calming her addled mind. “He is like me, I won’t leave him to fend for himself. Not while I still draw breath.” A crimson form landed before the cave mouth, causing Spines to leap to her feet, her claws extended as she glared at the brute before her. “Still alive, Wench?” “My name is Spines,” she growled, “and you know that, Crag. Now, leave, or I will kill you.” “Really? A weakling like you wouldn’t last a second against me.” as Crag spoke several of the dragons that had cheered for Night Fall’s death landed behind him with a lack of grace. “Just hand over the Whelp and we will leave you to die alone.” the other dragons cracked their knuckles and chuckled at the frightened female before them. “I won’t let you harm Night Fall!” Spines roared, flame leaking from the corners of her mouth. “Wha… oh, you mean the Whelp.” Crag’s laughter drowned out Spines’ roar and growls. “You have to be joking. That little twerp is a stain on my good name, and I am going to remove that stain.” A single hour had passed before Crag and his group took to the skies, a warning blood splattered on the walls of the cave. Night Fall was leaning on the body of Spines, his tears returning as she refused to stir. Night Fall pleaded that she be spared, that he be taken in her place. He blamed himself for Crag’s aggression and Spines injuries. He didn’t want her to go. She had promised to stay with him, she wouldn’t lie to him. Would she? Night Fall began to bawl his eyes out as he placed himself next to Spines’ heart and closed his eyes. He didn’t notice a glow come from his tiny hands and weave itself around the wounds. Nor did he notice a slight shimmer in the air that danced around Spines’ still form. His tears blocked forming small pools on the cave floor as the glow worked around the wounds. Blood dried and disappeared as the wounds began to shrink into nothing. Air began to circle in Spines’ lungs, coughs escaping her as she retched in pain. She looked down to see that her major wounds were gone and a ball of blue that lay down by her heart. “Night Fall,” she whispered, not wanting to startle the little one, “are you ok? Did they hurt you?” Her answer came in the form of a pair of wide silver eyes that were quickly buried in her neck as Night Fall wrapped his tiny arms around her neck. “Don’t leave.” he said, he voice rough from the crying. Night Fall continued to repeat this over and over, as if those words would keep Spines there. “There, there, little one,” she comforted, petting him gently. “I am not going anywhere.” Night Fall torn himself away to face Spines, his eyes taking on a twinge of red. “I fight.” Spines protested, insisting that he didn’t have to fight, but the little dragon was determined. “They hurt you. I fight them.” for the first time in Night Fall’s short life, he stood tall, his resolve unwavering. “I will protect.” Chapter 3Night Fall ducked behind a stone pillar as flames erupting around the rock. He dashed away, not sparing a moment to look at his attackers. Ten years, he thought as he ran, and they still haven’t stopped. He ducked under a low ridge and hid himself in a pile of rubble. Why won’t they leave us alone? He waited several minutes, having built a routine into his hiding, and peaked his head out from the rocks. All clear. He removed himself from the rocks and took flight, going low and oddly fast for one of his size. All this because I hatched later and am smaller than the rest of these brutes. Night Fall paused by the river, drinking deeply from the sparkling water. He sighed in relief as another day was nearing its end as the sun set, lighting the sky with oranges, purples, and reds. He stared up at the rising moon and thought for a moment about the peace of its solitude. He dismissed these thoughts for he treasured his one friend far too much to wish for solitude. He scanned over his newest wounds, some still weeping blood. He had a pretty bad laceration over his left eye that was blurring his vision, a series of burnt cuts all over his chest, and a bite mark on his right shoulder that was slowly turning his arm crimson. Not the worst day I have had. Night Fall took to the skies once more, allowing himself to feel the freedom of flight as he glided towards his home. He took his time, he always did, and admired the glow of the full moon as he watched the few creatures that shared the land with the dragons stirred. They awake at night to avoid us, he thought for the hundredth time, clever. Night Fall smiled as he caught sight of his home, a cave just outside the area that the clan had claimed as their own. His homes was far from large, in fact the cave could only hold a few dragons before it became filled to the mouth. He and Spines didn’t need much space, and since he was young and small he didn’t need to use much space, which left plenty of room to Spines. She hardly used the space, either, content to sit still when they had some peace. Spines was a lovely dragon, though no one seemed to notice. She was defensive, caring, kind, smart, and attractive despite the various scars on her body. Night Fall had only just begun to notice many things about his friend, such as her posture, the faint glow in her eyes, the way her she moved both gracefully and with purpose, and how different her body was from his. They both were slim, but Spines had an hourglass figure that should have been enticing, while Night Fall looked more like a small tree trunk. Neither had much weight to lose since they rarely ate a full meal, let alone the three they should have. Night Fall’s eyes widened as he caught the scent of blood, and nearly fainted when he realized it wasn’t his. The scent is coming from the cave! He sent himself into a steep dive, praying to the moon that it was one of Crag’s group who was injured. He pulled up, preventing a devastating crash by the tiniest margin. Night Fall ignored the pain in his own limbs and rushed blindly into the cave, the scent becoming stronger and stronger with each step. Tears began to come to his eyes as he could hear no breathing from the depths, and he tripped over his own feet. Something broke his fall, though, something far softer than stone and slick with some liquid. Night Fall began to hyperventilate as his eyes adjusted to the darkness all around him and his nose was filled with the scent of blood. He nearly lose what little food he had in his stomach when he saw the crimson body that he had landed on, though he couldn’t stop himself when he saw the yellow patterns. No, he pleaded, no, no! She promised to stay! Night Fall nearly screamed as he stared at his only hope of salvation and companionship lying motionless on the floor. Her neck was torn out, though the blood had long since stopped, a tiny bit of her spine showed through the reddened mess. Both of her wings had been torn from their sockets and were lying only feet away from what remained of her body. Several ribs were visible and there was a clear hole where the ribs were pushed into the right lung. Her entire lower body was battered and bloody and the scent of males could be smelt from her legs. Night Fall was frozen in place, his heart making weak efforts to continue beating against the drowning sorrow. In that moment something snapped in Night Fall’s mind, the only tether to his sanity was cut, and he broke. Tears streamed from his eyes as he realized each of the vile things his blood brother had done to her. His stench covered her body, in more ways than one and it undoubtedly he that had torn out her throat. For the first time in his life Night Fall didn’t feel any fear, only rage. His eyes turned a bright crimson as he roared, flames erupting from his open mouth and covering the top of the cave. He was torn, his young mind unsure of how to take the things being presented to it. Night Fall had fallen. He continued to roar, hoping that all could hear his rage and pain. He began to plan, his only tether to this place was gone, his only friend was dead, he needed to escape. A voice flashed through his mind that told him one way, the easiest way of all, but he refused, remembering what Spines had told him of the land of Equestria and its inhabitants, and his words to her on his first night. “I will fight them, Spines.” he stated, rising slowly to his feet. “I will escape this hell or die trying.” Night Fall stood tall, tears dried by the flames, “I will escape this cold world, and tell tales of your kindness.” a single tear dropped from Night Fall’s right eye, the iris becoming such a dark blue that it seemed black. “Wait for me should I fail, and wait longer if I succeed, my sister” Chapter 4Dragons migrated only once in a generation, leaving the great mountains in the south and traveling to more gem rich areas to gorge themselves. Dragons coveted gems and precious metals so much so that they grew in size the more they collected. This is often why larger dragons could be found guarding a horde of shining objects. Most were entranced by things that nearly anything that shined, but this rule hardly applied to one that stared up at the mass of dragons taking off to find gems in their migration. Night was recovering from his most recent beating, his attackers were different from those that had attacked him since hatching. He was 23 years old by his count, though he would have gladly traded away each of those years for one away from the hell that was his life. He slowly extended his wings, giving them a gentle flap before stretching his weary muscles. He had a vanishing scar on his left shoulder from a less than playful bite seven years earlier. “Beasts.” he muttered, shaking as he remembered that night. He looked over his body, burning any wounds closed before he gave a pained look at his tail. A chunk was missing from the middle if its length, a pale scar marking the spot of missing scales. He turned his head to the sky once again and watched every dragon in the mountains fly over his head and towards the northern horizon. My turn, Night took to the skies, making sure to stay well behind the flock of blood thirsty brutes. I shall leave damnation and travel to salvation. The dragons didn’t stop in their journey, flying for miles before their first destination even came into sight. A valley known to the inhabitants of the land as The Badlands. Most dragons landed on the rich soil, digging for gems the second their feet touched ground. Several looked to the sky lust in time to see a blue dragon fly right over them, still pointed north. Several jeered at what they though was one of their own, but they were wrong. The lone dragon had long since forsaken his kind and welcoming change of scenery. Night set his sights on a crumbled structure that was surrounded by trees. He landed by a river to the east of the structure with the sunlight quickly failing as the night approached. Night drank deeply from the river, his mind buzzed as he looked around. Never had he seen so much color in one place, even the sky looked different from back in the mountains. Paradise, he thought, looking around for a place to rest for the night ahead. He settled for a room with several pedestals in its center, admiring the stone work as he rested against a wall, a hole in the ceiling providing him a grand view of the moon and stars. He listened to birds singing outside the walls, he relaxed as the sweet sound filled his ears. He began to sing with them, his whistling turning into words as time progressed. “Sweet sounds fill the world. Teeming lights brighten the dark. Air, cold and crisp, swirls around us all. Rambling wilds speak, should you choose to listen. Secret wonders revealed in star light.” Night’s eyes closed, exhaustion finally taking its toll, but he sang on into the night. “Nocturnal creatures stir. In the the pale light. Glades fill with life. Heightened senses rule over the dark. Total peace overcomes us all.” Night drifted off to sleep as thoughts of a new life filled his mind, I can finally know peace. Thus, Night fell into a deep slumber, unaware of events that were unfolding in the world around him. Night stirred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he began to stand. He stretched his numb limbs and looked around, unable to remember the last time he had slept so peacefully. He could see the darkening sky outside. I slept through the day? he wondered, his mind catching up with his body at last. He watched the leaves sway slowly in the breeze as his eyes became familiar with the darkness around them. Night smiled as he took flight, soaring higher and higher until be pierced the clouds. He held out a hand to the moon, a feeling of desire creeping into his mind as he stared at the lonely crescent of light. He shook his head, attempting to clear his mind, “Why am I thinking like that? The moon isn’t alive, so it can’t be lonely.” Night breathed deeply, hoping to be rid of these odd thoughts. The silence was broken by roar in the distance, echoing up into the clouds that Night was hovering above. Night instinctively looked for a place to hide before he realised that is wasn’t a dragon he had heard. “What was it then?” Night asked as he began to descend, scanning the ground for any signs of combat. He ceased his search once he saw some strange creature battling with a dark blue pony at the northern edge of the forest. He could see several other ponies behind the blue one, though none of them were like the one fighting. None of them had horns or wings, most of them appeared to be children. Night hesitated for only a moment before pointing himself at the beast and diving down. He focused one each pony below, noticing the fear that filled each pair of eyes and the courage of the one that fought a beast far larger than her. He stared in amazement as he realized that it was a mare that was protecting the others. Night gasped as the beast knocked the mare over and stood over her, it mouth wide open around her head. “No you don’t!” he exclaimed, adjusting himself and crashed into the beast’s side, both of them carried away from the mare by the impact. Night recovered and rolled back, standing feet away from the strangest thing he had ever laid eyes on. He growled out a warning, a sign among predators that a fight would happen if one didn’t back down. The beast only growled back, returning the warning. Night breathed in deeply, heat filling his body as he felt his fire grow. He roared, a great jet of blue flame erupting from his open mouth and engulfing the beast. Night could hear heavy beating on the ground and saw the beast run into the darkness of the trees. He ceased his attack, the flames dissipating as Night stood in place, his mind racing as he felt victorious for the first time in his life. “I beat it,” he muttered, turning slowly to face the mare. The very air was knocked from his lungs as he was blasted by some strange force and forced onto his back. The mare walked up to him and her horn began to glow, her expression one of severity. “Speak, what are you doing here?” Night was unnerved by her tone, she isn’t playing around. “I am just passing through. I saw you were having some trouble with that thing and I thought I would help out.” Night would have run, but something was holding him in place. “Might I ask who you are?” The mare appeared dumbfounded by the question, “We would ask the same of you, since you don’t know who we are.” she paused and backed away, beckoning Night to stand. “Who are you, and why would you assist us?” Night was puzzled by this manner of speaking, he chose to avoid making a greater fool of himself and speak as he always had. “I am no one, ma’am. I helped you because I didn’t want that thing to use its strength to harm others. I hate that type of behavior.” Night straightened his posture and spoke as evenly as he could. “Who are you?” “We are Princess Luna, ruler of Equestria. How long have you been here?” “I have only been in this land for a single day. I rested in the ruins towards the south of here last night.” “Was it you we heard singing, then?” Night cringed, he had never expected someone to have heard his singing. Realization slapped him in the face and Night kneeled on the spot. “Yes, Your Majesty, I was the one who sang out in your glorious night.” “Do you have a name, young one?” Luna questioned, eager to know how this being was. “No, ma’am.” Luna appeared shocked by this statement, not by the respect, but because this dragon claimed to have lived about twenty-five years without a name. “Then you are in need of a name, young one.” “I would be honored if you were to give me a name, Your Majesty.” he preached, respect pouring over his words. “Might I be so bold to ask what you see fit for me?” Luna stopped to ponder this for a moment, unsure of what she had just gotten herself into. What should we choose? She poured over what little she knew about the kneeling dragon before her. She knew that he sang, and fought to defend those he didn’t even know. Minutes passed in absolute silence before a chirping came out of the dark. A small brown bird came from the shadows of the trees, it twirled around the dragons head before it landed on his left shoulder and began to sing. “Nightingale.” “Pardon me, Your Majesty?” “We name you Nightingale, a defender and of the night with both show of strength and song.” Luna explained, her tone one of kindness and compassion. “Nightingale,” he muttered, “I am your soldier, Your Majesty.” Chapter 5Nightingale walked slowly, his eyes darting from side to side as he analysed each and every inch stone and glass he passed. This place it amazing! he thought as he strolled behind Princess Luna. He was finding it harder and harder to keep some semblance of calm as they came upon a pair of doors. Nightingale was doing everything he could think of to prevent himself from asking what was behind the doors when Luna stopped him. “Behind these doors is the great hall, in which our sister holds the day court, while we the night court. Do not make a fool of yourself, and we may be able to put you to proper use.” Luna straightened her stance as her horn began to glow and the doors creak open. “Don’t be afraid, Nightingale, our sister will not harm you.” I am not afraid, Nightingale thought as he stared into the vast room beyond, I am slightly terrified. Nightingale gulped as he began to walk behind Luna, his eyes fixed on the others in the room. There was another mare though she had a coat like marble and a flowing pink mane. Her massive wings were outstretched, making her seem nearly twice as large to the frightened dragon. She was wearing a golden crown and necklace, both with amethysts at their center along with her silver shoes. Beside her was a stallion of a very deep purple that was mostly covered by golden armor. He had removed his helmet and set it on the floor, the hole for his horn standing out to Nightingale. His mane was a rather unusual shade of silver that glimmered softly in the light. His eyes were what Nightingale stopped at, the silver eyes entrancing him. “Why have you brought him to us, sister?” the alabaster mare spoke with a tone of both gentleness and power. “We think that he may be capable to aid us, sister.” Luna stated, holding her head high. “He displayed great courage and spirit earlier, that suiting a guard.” Luna glanced over to the stallion before she continued. “He faced down a manticore to defend a group of Earth Ponies on the northern Everfree.” The stallion turned his head to the unnamed mare, “Might I give first judgement, Princess Celestia?” Princess Celestia only nodded in response as the stallion began to walk towards Nightingale. He walked around Nightingale for several moments before he stopped directly in front of him. “Age, name, strengths, and reason.” he demanded, his silver eyes meeting Nightingale’s paling ones. Nightingale was stunned by the verbal assault before he even realized that he was being questioned. “I am twenty-three years old, and my name is Nightingale, Sir.” he paused for another moment thinking desperately about his strengths. “I have developed a high tolerance to pain, and am capable of fighting foes that would require several of your guards.” Nightingale blinked once as he continued. “As for my reason, it is to prevent those with power from misusing it, Sir.” The stallion didn’t break the stare as he asked a final question, “Have you ever used or come into contact with magic before tonight?” “Magic, Sir?” “I would take that as a no, but you aren’t from around here.” the stallion lit up his horn and gave Nightingale a quick jolt. “Magic is a force that rather hard to explain, think of it as a great power given to some. Have you had contact with magic before tonight?” Nightingale’s mind flashed back to the night he lost control of himself and he debated telling anyone about this. Might as well, but I could leave out some of the more... horrendous parts. “I was able to shock someone to death when I was sixteen. I also gained some power that same night when I was provoked.” “What provoked you?” “I was attacked, pushed into a corner and my only friend’s name was insulted.” “This friend of yours is dead?” “Yes, Sir, she has been for thirteen years. I lost control when she was insulted.” Nightingale didn’t know much about pony society, but he knew a death was tragic. He anticipated a word of apology, a sign of sorrow for the dead, but was to another custom. “She was worthless.” Nightingale visibly tensed up upon hearing this, his pupils shrank and his irises turned blood red. He stared down at the stallion that would dare to insult Spines without ever knowing her and for a single second debated whether tearing out his throat or burning him to a crisp would be more painful. No. he thought, his eyes returning to normal. I am no beast that will awake at a single plucking of a string. He breathed deeply as he awaited the next words from the stallion. “Good, I have no use for one that can’t control their temper. I am Commander Early Riser, though you may call me Commander or Sir.” The Commander smirked as he began to walk away, “Welcome to the force, Recruit. Training starts at sunrise, so get some rest.” The Commander bowed to the princesses and escorted himself out of the great hall. Princess Celestia chuckled as she approached her sister and dumbfounded guest. “We would like to know more about this instance of magical use, Nightingale. Would you mind sharing the tale over some tea?” “Yes, of course Princess Celestia.” Nightingale paused, his expression filled with confusion. “Might I ask, what is tea?” Chapter 6Nightingale followed Princess Celestia as closely as he could, not daring to find out what some ponies thought of him. He had hardly slept more than two hours before he snapped into consciousness, his mind racing at the opportunities that awaited him. He walked with a natural rhythm in his step, a flame burning bright in his heart. He had retold his story to the princesses, though he couldn’t help but hide some more gruesome details from the regal sisters, over tea last night. He had watched both mares expressions change to pure shock as they heard the rhyme to his reason. Though he couldn’t think of that once he heard male voices from an upcoming courtyard. Princess Celestia nodded her head towards the courtyard, beckoning him to go. Nightingale simply bowed low and smiled, walking through the archway and pausing only to observe. He could see eight ponies in the courtyard. Commander Early Riser scanned over the lot, his silver eyes sharp enough to pierce stone. His helmet was resting once again under his left fore-hoof, the golden material glimmering in the early light. A purple stallion stood in a far corner of the courtyard, trying to avoid the attention of the others. A pair spoke warmly to each other, a unicorn and an earth pony, both had coats of royal blue and manes of bleached yellow. A pegasus stallion of pure white stood amidst the others, his mane made distinct only by a slightly darker tone around the edges. The remaining three were an orange earth pony with a green mane, a sky blue pegasus with a mane of blue with white streaks, and a brown earth pony with a deep green mane and tail. “Alright,” Commander Early Riser spoke up, making the hiding unicorn jump. “each of you have arrived, so we will begin.” the blue pegasus began to jump in place, his wings fluttering with excitement. “Each of you will step up in turn and tell us all who you are and why you are here.” the jumping pegasus came to a dead stop, his smile fading into a frown. “You first, Cottontail.” The pegasus stepped up and stood beside The Commander and spoke, “Name’s Record Scrape,” he said, his voice calm and even as he continued. “I am here to be a guard and earn some bits properly. Besides, I think it will be rather fun.” Early Riser ushered the next stallion up, the nearly entirely white pegasus took his place. “I am Alabaster, and I am here to do what I can for Equestria through my service.” his tone was flat and lifeless, rather odd for a pegasus and his expression remained equally so. He was replaced by the brown earth pony, who appeared to be rather strong, the muscles clearly visible as he stepped up. “My name is Spiral Bounds, and I am here to put my strength to good use.” “Hey!” the orange earth pony popped out from behind Spiral Bounds, energy pouring out of his body as he took center stage. “You can call me Kipp, everypony else does.” he stopped to chuckle at his statement before continuing. “I came here to meet new ponies and have a blast!” The Commander simply shooed Kipp away and beckoned the next up. The last earth pony, the one with royal blue coat and bleached yellow mane, stepped up and straightened himself before talking. His voice was low and calm, “I am Royal Light, and I am here with my brother to bring honor to our family, and aid the citizens of Equestria.” the royal blue unicorn stepped up and repeated the introduction, though he announced himself as “Regal Light”. The final pony stepped forward, seeming content to simply stay back and watch everyone else go while he was left behind. His coat was a deep purple, bordering on black while his mane was midnight blue. His eyes were like emeralds, shimmering in the growing light though Nightingale could see fear and regret in them. “I am Midnight Walker, son of Void Walker, and I am here to honor my father’s memory.” he walked away slowly, hiding behind everypony else as Nightingale stepped up. “My name is Nightingale,” he stated, his voice even, yet energetic. “I am here not to meet an expectation or to honor anyone. I am here to protect those that can’t protect themselves, and to prevent the misuse of power in the world.” Nightingale scanned the small crowd, finding Midnight Walker hidden behind Spiral Bounds, “I will do whatever it takes to accomplish this goal, no matter what others should think.” he stepped into the group, stopping directly beside Midnight Walker. Commander Early Riser began to nod, his mouth set in an even line as he scanned over the recruits before him. While his features showed no emotion his eyes conveyed everything to those that knew what to look for. Those silver orbs passed over each recruit, the look changing from curiosity to disgust, to irritation, to pride, to gratefulness, and Nightingale watched each little change, recognizing most as he straightened his posture and set his own mouth in a line. The Commander’s eyes suddenly widened as he looked over each head, he began to mouth something but stopped as a new voice rang out. “Not bad, gents.” each head spun around and focused on the mare that had appeared from nowhere. Some took note of the little filly resting on her back, sound asleep. “They seem promising to me, Riser.” she laughed as The Commander began pushing stallions aside as he approached the mare. “What’s the matter, Riser, can’t we come and say hello?” Most of the recruits were waiting, some in more anticipation than others, for the gates of Tartarus to open. Commander Early Riser wasn’t known for his colorful behavior, but rather for his strict action and nearly cruel tasking, and this mare had just waltzed in while he was working. Several stepped back, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire or becoming the target of residual rage. “You can always say hello,” Early Riser began, his tone soft and calm, “but did you have to bring her here? This isn’t the place for a little filly.” The mare chuckled, nudging the filly on her back, “She wanted to see what her daddy does, Riser.” she looked up at The Commander, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. “Is that such a crime, officer?” Commander Early Riser grimaced at the teasing he was receiving, “Do you have to do that, Moonstruck?” he questioned, fighting the blush from his face. Moonstruck giggled as she felt the filly stir on her back, “What call you ‘officer’?” Early Riser nodded. “Then yes, yes I do, just to see that cute little blush of your’s.” Several of the recruits broke out into laughter at the show they were being given. Moonstruck narrowed her eyes and moved the filly beside Early Riser with a swing of her wing. Her coat matched that of Alabaster, and her mane and tail were a sparkling silver as she strode up to the recruits. “Silence!” she barked, effectively silencing the group. “Now listen up, and listen good, because I will only say this once. You all will obey your orders without question, and should I show up you have better pray that I be merciful. I know how to thoroughly run you until you collapse, and I am far from afraid to do just that. Do I make myself clear?” Every head began to nod, some more furiously than others, trying desperately not to get back on good standing with Moonstruck. “That you are, Ma’am.” each head turned to see the fool who had spoken up. Commander Early Riser resisted smacking his head with a hoof as he stared at the dragon. Nightingale only watched Moonstruck walk up to him with a curious look in her eyes. “So Riser wasn’t joking about a dragon wanting to join.” her eyes darted up and down Nightingale’s figure, her eyes stopping on several of the worse scars. She couldn’t help but freeze her gaze at the missing chunk from Nightingale’s tail, and the large bite mark on his left shoulder. “What is your name, soldier?” “Nightingale, Ma’am.” he stated, bowing his head in respect. “Might I ask what the name of that filly is?” Moonstruck chuckled at the startled expressions several of the stallions wore and decided against scaring them even more. “That filly is my daughter, Star Gazer, why do you ask?” “I am not from around here, and back in the mountains family wasn’t that highly valued. I am glad to see an attentive parent, is all.” “Would you like to meet her?” Nightingale shot to awareness at the question, shock written on his face. He hadn’t thought that a mare would ever let a dragon near her child, yet here one was offering for him to meet her daughter. “I would be honored, Ma’am.” he bowed low, silently hoping that this wasn’t some kind of test. “Well then, let’s get a move on, recruit. Don’t keep the little miss waiting.” Moonstruck gave him a quick kick towards her daughter, a smile forming quickly on her face. Only when Nightingale stood over Star Gazer did he look back as Moonstruck, confusion clear on his face as he hesitated to even look at the child. “She won’t bite, or not like that at least.” she said, pointing to Nightingale’s left shoulder. Nightingale turned his head and found two lavender eyes staring at him. He couldn’t help but stare back at the orchid colored filly. Her mane and tail were silver, with only a few odd stripes of purple to differentiate them from those of her parents.She had a small horn poking out of her mane like her father, and Nightingale had guessed that was were a ponies magic came from since no other kind of pony seemed to use magic. Star Gazer pointed a hoof at Nightingale, and began to squeak while moving her forelegs as if to embrace him. Nightingale kneeled down in front of Star Gazer, his blue eyes never leaving her lavender ones. He showed her his hand, his palm facing the sky as Star Gazer poked and prodded at it with a hoof. She closed her mouth around one of the scaled digits, though her still growing teeth hardly left a mark on the scales. Nightingale pulled his finger away from the filly and sat down, his legs crossed in front of him, as he spoke slowly, “Hello little one,” he sounded oddly hypnotic, as if magic flowed through his voice, “my name is Nightingale, and I hear your’s is Star Gazer. Is that right?” Star Gazer nodded enthusiastically, the magical voice enticing her to listen on. “Well, I am sure we will see each other again someday. Until then, you behave for your parents, Ok? You don’t know how lucky you are to have them.” Nightingale backed away from Star Gazer, tears forming in his eyes as he watched her smile and nod. He said his thanks to Early Riser and Moonstruck before rejoining the group of recruits. He watched Moonstruck gather Star Gazer onto her back and kiss Early Riser on the cheek before departing, a smile on both fading faces. Commander Early Riser refocused on the group before him, trying to make himself appear like the figure of intimidation he had before. The smile didn’t leave his face as he spoke, “I want all of you to pair up, groups of two, get to it.” The brothers, Royal Light and Regal Light, walked away from each other with only a nod, searching for the one that would give them a challenge. Kipp was pulled aside by Commander Early Riser and moved beside Alabaster, the regal pegasus only blinking as his partner was chosen for him. Royal Light approached Record Scrape and rather quickly decided that they would make an interesting team. This left Regal Light with Spiral Bounds, the two hardened ponies not even arguing at their pairing. Nightingale had watched Midnight Walker shrink away whenever a pony passed him, though he had yet to notice Nightingale standing directly behind him. Nightingale cleared his throat, trying his best not to startle the stallion more than he already was. Midnight Walker turned on a dime, his eyes wide with surprise. “Seems like you and I are partners.” Nightingale pointed out as Midnight Walker looked for a way out of the odd scenario. Nightingale reached out a hand, “My name is Nightingale. Since we are partners, why not be friends?” he said, the word was stale, unused for so long. Midnight Walker stared at the outstretched limb and considered the offer. “That would be best.” he said, shaking the outstretched limb. A smile grew on his features as he spoke, “Happy to call you so, Nightingale. Let’s catch whatever The Commander has left to say.” Author's Note Sorry about the delay, but I have to deal with school now. That means I have way less time to write this, plus, I do another writing project with a friend of mine on Tumblr. Thank you for reading and please be patient, other chapters will come. They may not be this long, but they will come. Chapter 7Nightingale weaved himself around in the trees, watching as bolts of magic blasted the trees to every side of him. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he saw Midnight Walker doing the same, both turning behind a large tree to avoid the onslaught. They looked to each other and neither could help smiling and chuckling. It had been several weeks since Commander Early Riser had started training the recruits and he had been running them ragged since they began. He had taken the recruits on what he called a “field trip” to the edge of the Everfree Forest, and once they arrived they were surrounded by fully armed soldiers and told not to get caught. Each team had scattered, not one of them bothering to watch anypony but their own partner. Nightingale and Midnight listened carefully as the blasting stopped, an eerie silence filling the air as even the distant blasts were silenced. Nightingale flicked his tail, enjoying the chase for the first time in his life. “This is my field of expertise,” he whispered to Midnight Walker, “Twenty three years of running and hiding from murders, this is nothing.” Midnight snorted, shaking his head from side to side as he spoke, “When we get a break from training, we need to discuss your past. You are a mass of questions, and I would like some answers.” “You and me both,” Nightingale chuckled, “I still know nothing about you. I share with you, and you share with me. Deal?” he questioned, extending a hand to his partner. Midnight Walker did the same, his hoof meeting Nightingale’s palm, “Deal.” the two of them nodded, each smiling broadly at the other. “Now, lead on.” Nightingale ducked low and went darting from tree to tree, his eyes never staying in one place as he scanned for any sign of opposition. He constantly looked over his shoulder, ensuring nothing was trailing them, though one time he just stared over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the distance. He turned his head back, scanning each other area with the same care, only to dart away into a thick group of trees. Midnight Walker followed closely, taking care to remain as hidden as possible for a golden clad trainee. “Nightingale what are you--.” Midnight felt a hand clamp down on his muzzle, effectively silencing the poor stallion. Nightingale motioned the golden armor they both wore as he began to tear at the straps of his own. Midnight Walker simply stared in confusion once Nightingale moved his hand away to remove his own armor. Nightingale sighed lightly and tried to explain, “We are wearing a highly reflective and bright color that isn’t found in this environment. We stick out like water in the desert.” Midnight began to nod furiously, mentally smacking himself for not thinking of that. He and Nightingale continued to removed the armor before Nightingale got a devilish look in his eyes. He begins to place the armor pieces on branches, mimicking a broken up soldier shape. Nightingale nodded at the patchwork distraction and began to scan the surrounding area, looking for any uncovered exit. He finally pointed to a well worn path and began to lurk along it, light never touching his scales as he darted in the shadows. After what felt like an eternity of lurking about, surrounded by thorns and creaking branches, as the pair avoided entering any line of sight but their own. Nightingale let out a sigh of relief as they stumbled out into a massive clearing. He walked over to the calm river and drank deeply, savoring the refreshing, and cold water. His gaze passed over the defining features of the clearing, most notable was the ruins of a palace by a bend in the river. Midnight Walker eased up at the sight, unable to feel tense when in this place. It held an odd silence that at the stallion couldn’t explain. All he knew was that they had traversed most of the Everfree Forest, and that night was fast approaching. “The Commander never said when this exercise would end,” Midnight Walker’s voice snapped Nightingale out of his reminiscent daze. “We may want to find something to eat. Have you seen anything edible?” “Ah,” Nightingale was at a loss. He could easily catch a fish for himself, but he knew that ponies were vegetarians. “grass?” “Very funny. Have you seen any flowers?” “Flowers? I think there are some around here, just give me a moment.” with that Nightingale darted away in search for some flowers for his partner, and a fish or two for himself. Midnight Walker used this time along to inspect the sword he carried at his midsection. He pulled the short sword from its sheath, friction between the surfaces near nonexistent, only a metallic hiss accompanying the smooth motion of magic. He stared at the rising reflection of the moon through the blade, a pale glow nearly surrounding the blade while Midnight Walker’s emerald aura wrapped around the handle. He gave the blade a few testing swings, insecurity growing on his face as he thought of his father, of how expertly the old stallion had used the blade, and how revered he was because of it. He felt so small by comparison, though these weren’t new feelings for him. “Why am I doing this?” “I couldn’t tell you why you are standing around like a statue, Midnight Walker.” Nightingale stated, scaring the poor stallion out of his skin. “Relax, it is just me.” Nightingale raised a brow, concern overriding his actions, “Is everything alright?” As Nightingale approached Midnight Walker a blast of purple magic erupted from the trees, scorching the ground where the partners once stood. Nightingale beat his wings, willing the muscles to hold up not only his weight, but that of his partner. “We will talk about this later, OK?” Midnight Walker only nodded in response, partially frozen from being airborne. “Then snap out of it, I need you here.” Nightingale swooped down to the ground, his feet touching the soft ground only to dart to the side as another blast erupted from cover. “I will give them something to shoot at, try to locate them and fire back.” Nightingale took to the sky, darting from side to side away from various colored blasts. Midnight Walker ducked behind a fallen chunk of stone, observing the treeline for each individual blast. Five different auras, he thought, five unicorns, and one is Commander Early Riser, no mistaking that aura. Midnight Walker continued to watch as Nightingale went about dodging the blasts, and began to think of a method of attack when Nightingale came rushing towards him. His eyes refocused on the treeline, or rather the blast coming from it. He watched as the blast neared, his hooves refusing to run away and his magic failing to react. Nightingale landed directly in front of Midnight Walker, his stance widened and his hands thrust forward. He felt the blast slam into his hands, the ground being upturned by the blast driving him back. Nightingale slammed his tail into the ground and tried with all his might to push back against the blast, but he simply didn’t have the physical strength to fight it. Come on, he thought as he struggled to keep his ground, I know I can beat this! Nightingale felt a sudden presence in his body, a sudden wild power just looking for a way out. Nightingale’s eyes widened as he focused this power towards his palms, willing it to push away the blast. He felt a sharp pain in the center of each palm as the power erupted forth with massive force, driving the blast directly back to its origin. Nightingale watched through blurred vision as a wave of golden armor came crashing towards him. He felt himself collapse, his strength depleted and his breathing ragged as Commander Early Riser began barking orders to ever guard in the clearing. “Nicely done you two, you lasted the longest by no small margin. Now rest up soldiers, everyone is getting home safe tonight.” Chapter 8Midnight Walker groaned as he rose from his hospital bed, feeling rather annoyed that he was still stuck in this place. Since the forest training two days earlier Midnight had been placed in the difficult position of sneaking past the staff to find a familiar face, though he had yet to get very far. The night before a mare by the name of Sweet Tea, a hazel unicorn with a forest green mane and emerald eyes, caught Midnight before he even got ten feet away from his bed, causing him to be reprimanded and ushered back into bed. This night it couldn’t have been an easier to move about. The married couple of Flower Heart and Red Heart were watching over him, and the two had been talking about trying to have a foal. Midnight urged them on, hoping to get some time alone and just step out. Flower Heart was a kind mare, her amber eyes went rather well with her teal coat and mane, and she had a knack for homemade herbal remedies that would fix anypony up in a day or two. Her husband was a peach colored unicorn with a bleached white mane. Red Heart’s cutie mark was a purple heart, one he had earned by treating a guard whose wing had been cut in two by a manticore. He was late at getting his mark, but that didn’t discourage him. Red Heart had to amputate what was left of the wing, and has done many successful surgeries since earning his mark. The two complimented each other rather nicely, what with Flower Heart being able to provide anesthetics for the surgeries and often being able to calm the patient with a simple herb mixture. Aside from that, the two of them got married shortly after they started working together, and despite many telling them that the relationship would only distract them from more important things, the two stuck by each other. “No, please don’t do anything brash, Midnight.” Flower Heart whispered as she and her husband walked towards the door to the hall. “We don’t want you to get in trouble.” Midnight waved them off, saying he wouldn’t get into any trouble, which pleased the couple enough to get them to rush out of the room, smiling widely at one another the whole way out of the building. Midnight Walker creaked open the door, his eyes darting from side to side in search of anypony else, and only when he was certain that no pony was within earshot did he begin to wander down the halls. “He has to be around here somewhere.” he muttered, reading each sign over the doors, never satisfied with what he found. “They can’t just hide him away and not expect somepony to get curious.” Midnight Walker continued to wander the halls for several, long, minutes before he nearly cheered at the sign he had found. “Intensive Care Unit.” He knew to keep quiet, he had often heard of how carefully the patients in this wing were tended to, and he couldn’t afford to be found now, he had come too close to be caught. His magic wrapped around the door knob and turned it slowly, a high pitch whine from the hinges as he slowly pushed it open. He winced as another aura ripped the door open and an angry stallion stood over him. “I was told there would be no interruptions from the sta--.” Early Riser looked carefully at the stallion in the doorway, raising a brow and taking on a level tone as he spoke to his recruit, “Midnight Walker, what are you doing?” “Well, Sir, I was just--I thought some--.” he sighed and lowered his head, shame practically stopping him from even opening his mouth again. “I just wanted to check up on him. Last I saw him he passed out, and I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong with him.” “Who is it, Sir?” a voice boomed from within the room. “I thought we weren’t getting visitors.” Early Riser looked back into the room, lines clearly visible under his eyes, even in the low light, “Change of plans. Studies are canceled for tonight, tomorrow you leave the hospital and return to training with the other recruits, understood?” “Yes, Sir.” the voice stated, and Midnight Walker could practically see the salute though over his commanding officer’s shoulder. “Then I leave you in the care of your guest.” Early Riser stepped through the doorway and passed Midnight with only a word of farewell as he trotted down the halls, not even sparing a glance back at the open door and the dumbfounded stallion that stood by it. “Midnight!” a voice boomed, causing Midnight Walker to leap to attention. “I thought I recognized your voice. How have you been?” Midnight Walker lifted his head, his eyes meeting the dagger like pupils of his partner. He could hardly make a noise as he stared into the deep blue eyes, yet he shook his head, breaking the gaze and regaining some consciousness. “I have been well, Nightingale, uh, may i come in?” Nightingale nodded and beckoned him in with a wave of his arm, surprising Midnight Walker once again as he saw the condition of the room. In place of medical equipment there was practice dummies, books, and training weapons, along with several scrolls. “What in the world? Were you not resting for these past two days?” “More than usual.” Nightingale responded, his tail wrapping around a scroll and tossing it up into the air. His hand shot out and gripped around it, his wrist snapping quickly and causing it to unfold. “Hold this, please.” Midnight Walker raised a brow, his horn lighting up and his magic gripping the corners of the scroll and holding the contents towards Nightingale. Nightingale raised his hands, his palms facing the ceiling while his face contorted with effort. Midnight Walker opened his mouth to speak, but rather found it falling open, his eyes widening at the sight. Nightingales hands had a soft blue glow that reached out and slowly covered the scroll, causing Midnight Walker to release his own magic hold on the scroll. To his shock, the scroll didn’t drop to the floor, but rather floated lazily in the gentle glow. Nightingale opened his eyes, a smile stretching across his features as he moved one hand, the scroll following the movement and drawing near to his chest. He chuckled as words began to appear on the page, happily reading them aloud, “Congratulations, these words will only appear when you have held this scroll in your magic for several seconds. You may release the scroll whenever you please, and take pride that you have begun to learn magic control and execution.” Nightingale chuckled in victory, dropping the scroll before bursting into laughter. “Two days. It took me two days to figure that out!” Midnight Walker was dumbfounded, never before had he heard of a dragon wielding magic, let alone seen one using it. “Hold on,” he began, raising a hoof, “you have been in this room practicing magic for the past two days?” “Basically.” “Why in here, though? Why practice in a hospital, let alone the intensive care unit?” “Well, that was The Commander’s idea.” Nightingale responded, giving a shrug of his shoulders. “He said we could go uninterrupted here, and, for the most part, he was right. You are the only one that has come in here aside from The Commander.” Midnight Walker lowered his head, turning towards the door as he began to leave. “Sorry to bother you, then. I will let you get back to your practice.” “Hey,” Nightingale darted into Midnight Walker’s path, blocking to door with his body, “who said you bothering me? We are partners, and yet we know nothing of each other. I don’t know much about Equestria, or you, but I would like to learn.” He gave a quick flick of his tail, wrapping the tip around the door handle before pulling it closed. “Can you help me learn?” Midnight Walker backed away from Nightingale, his emerald eyes sparking with light. He took a seat in the middle of the room before he spoke again. “What is it you want to know?” Nightingale grinned, taking a seat a few feet away from Midnight Walker, brushing a few scrolls and books aside with his tail. “I want to know about your family. What were your parents like? What were their names? Where are they? Do you have any siblings?” “Slowdown.” Midnight Walker chuckled, raising a hoof to stop the assault of questions. “My father was a proud stallion, he was like the foundation of a home, and he was certainly the backbone of our family. He was born during the later years of Discord’s reign, and didn’t see much that could be considered normal until after he got his cutie-mark. My mother was a little younger than him, and was practically his polar opposite. She was always the optimist, always seeing the good in everyone. My father’s name was Void Walker, though he practically chose the name himself once he got older. No one knows why he chose it to replace his birth name, and no one can ask, either. He and my mother, both passed away when I was young, so I lived in an orphanage until I was old enough to live on my own. I have no siblings, or, none that I know of.” Midnight paused, taking a moment to calm himself down as he breathed deeply. “So, what about you? What was your family like?” Nightingale’s grin faded away, his eyes growing dark and his muscles tensing. “My ‘family’, as you may call them, were monsters that wished me dead. My ‘brother’ tried constantly to make that happen, going so far as to kill and defile my only companion and try the same with me. What did we do to earn their hatred? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. We were hatched different from the rest and thus we were deemed wrong.” Nightingale growled as his hands clenched into tight fists, slamming them against the ground and cracking the stone floor after multiple strikes. “I will not affiliate myself with those beasts.” Midnight Walker was dumbfounded, near speechless after what he just heard. He could hardly believe how such a simple question had angered him so, but even more so he couldn’t believe that a minor difference had caused Nightingale to be labeled as an outcast. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was the difference?” “I was ‘too small’.” Midnight Walker nearly fell over at this revelation, barely able to fight back the mental blow from knocking him onto his back. “Sweet Celestia, I am so sorry I brought it up.” Nightingale shook his hand and head, a few tears falling to the floor as his past replayed in his head. “It’s alright. I can’t expect to be able to just run away from everything I did. Could you please leave? I really should get to sleep.” “Sure,” Midnight Walker rose to his hooves and neared the door, eying Nightingale the entire way. “just remember that you can always come to me if you need to talk, ok? No one should have to suffer alone.” Nightingale watched him go, rising to his feet only when Midnight Walker had left his field of view. He walked to the open door, closing it with a sweep of his tail while turning towards the hospital that had remained in this room. He slowly walked towards it, patting the bedding before curling up atop it, tucking his legs tight to his chest as his eyes refused to close. No one deserves to suffer alone, he though, then why do they haunt my thoughts? After what felt like hours Nightingale was able to drift off to sleep, though his dreams were haunted with images from his past, every detail brought back to life in the lime light of the night. Author's Note Sorry for the time between posting. The story will go on. All things have a purpose, even the side mentions that seem to have no relevance have some important role that you will all discover. PrologueInto hell I was brought, In form of land with danger fraught. Waking from joyous dream, To ever burning nightmare. Strangers and blood-kin alike, Wished for my head on a pike. They labeled me “Whelp” And a cause lost in a hard world. My only comfort did lie, With one who stood as lonely as I. Surrounded by shadow and superstition, A pale beacon in Night’s dark world. On wings of pain and fear I learned to soar so beacon be near. Of combat I learned, Gaining knowledge from each defeat. Faith of escaping my life of pain, Began to fade and wane, As each day brought more suffering, With only Night for solitude most comforting. Opportunity arose in migration, Thus I set out seeking my own salvation. I parted from the monstrous clan, Breaking shackles of torment. I sought out shelter, In surroundings unfamiliar. Palace of ruin became home, If only for a time. Wandering into world strange, Familiar sight entered my range. One of size and strength, Tormenting those smaller than he. Tall dark mare with horn and wings, Staring down a mix of three things, With tail of a scorpion, and wings of a dragon. With massive claws extended. It stood ready to rend flesh from bone, I refused to let her stand alone, I struck out against this goliath, Startling him away from his prey. The mare stared me down, The moonlight shining off of her crown. She questioned my motives, Unsure of my reason in defending strangers. I assured I meant no ill, That I didn't wish to kill, Yet she questioned on, Unsure of why I had parted my clan. Without restraint, I told her my reason for complaint. Of hellish pain and torture, Withholding no detail of my past. Proposition was offered, By mare who would see that I prospered. Curiosity drove me forward, Toward opportunity anew. Years passed with surface peace, Yet internal pain and envy did increase, In the Night-sister young, Towards Day-sister and teacher. Envy continued to build inside, As ponies brushed the night aside. My service turned upon teacher, In favor of mare in torment all too familiar. Pain was brought anew, As she was given her “due”. Yet I will persevere, For in a millennia she will return. Author's Note Finally starting to put this baby up! This is in poem format due to both my love for poetry and Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" that I am reading in class, but hey,inspiration is inspiration.
Chapter 1The rain poured down in torrents, flooding the nearby river with an unbridled rage. Anything that dared to come into contact with the furious waters was carried away by the sheer force that the river now possessed. Lightning flashed across the sky, blinding any who were unfortunate enough to let their gaze linger upon the sky. The small scurrying creatures hid under stones upon high ground wherever they could, and even the great dragons had hidden themselves away from the disastrous weather. The larger dragons hid themselves deep within their dens, long since carved into the stone of the mountainside. Those of lesser size hid far closer to the entrance to the dens, lacking the sense to stay away from where water may pour into the den. They would often spend the duration of the storm laughing amongst themselves, chuckling at the elders for their concern. This stormy eve’ harbored an uncommon occurrence, as upon this moonless night a single egg quivered among the shards of the rest of the nest. The hulking drakelings loomed over the undersized egg, watching intently as it showed signs of life. Yet no smiling faces were present as the tiny shell cracked, they all knew that a late hatch was bound to be trouble. “Why don’t we just throw the whelp into the storm?” An adolescent dragon of deep crimson groaned. “Yeah,” another dragon echoed from within the dark. “Every late hatcher doesn’t last more than a few months, anyway.” “It matters not,” a deep voice boomed from the shadows, seemingly rocking the cavern walls. “If the hatchling dies after it hatches, then so be it, but I will not condone the slaughter of an unhatched egg.” “Yeah, yeah,” The first dragon groaned, too young to display proper respect. “We will see how long the whelp lasts.”!!CRACK!! The sound of a vicious crack was followed by a light thud as a section of the egg fell upon the cave floor. Fragment after fragment began breaking away from the tiny dragon within. In mere moments, all that remained of the egg was a minuscule portion of the very bottom. A pair of deep blue eyes started looking about the cavern, darting from each of the dragons towering over him. “The whelp is hardly the size of my hand!” The crimson juvenile barked. All eyes in the cavern directed themselves towards the remark, even the resting Elders awoke to investigate the disruption. The cave began to echo with the laughter of juveniles as they stared upon a drake they already counted as dead. Some of those unable to contain their amusement fell to the floor and gasped for breath as they rolled on the cold stone. Several even began to spit out small jets of flame, marking the ground around the hatchling with charred circles. As the Elders stared down at a creature that could hide in their nostrils, they couldn’t help but wonder how long the hatchling had to live. While they said nothing they hardly needed to in order to communicate with one another. The two had lived together for far too long for any to remember when they had first become mates, or how many years had passed since their hatching. They had practically created the cave system that the clan called home with their very claws and flames. The larger of the Elders, a maroon male with enormous wings, lowered his head to the hatchling. He took care not to inhale the tiny creature as he moved his head around ensuring him a complete analysis of the hatchling. The hatchling was indeed a male, his scales glimmering even in the dullest light of the cave. Between the flashes of the storm the Elder Male could make out the deep blue scales that shimmered like a starry night sky with any light. The deep blue eyes of the hatchling began to pale before the Elder, bewildering the massive reptile. His eyes continued to lose color becoming a glistening pale shade of silver as he continued to listen to the hushed jeering and scrutiny of the juveniles and endured the silent criticism of the Elder. After several more moments of observation, the Elder backed away and his powerful voice echoed through the cave as he spoke, “This drake shall not survive, but none of you are to kill him.” He paused, allowing the more disrespectful drakes to boo at the notion. “We don’t kill our own clan, no matter how little time those less fortunate have.” And with his decree given, the Elder moved back with his mate into the bowels of the cavern, and the horde they had collected together. A green dragon had her head lowered to the floor as her mate glared daggers at the hatchling. Her mate, a black dragon whose scales were decorated with marks from battle, hissed as he turned to his mate. “We won’t concern ourselves with this whelp,” as he spoke his mate’s head rose, hope shining in her eyes. “Our lives are of far greater value than. . .” He turned his head so that he was once more facing the hatchling, hissing as he continued to speak, “His.” “I couldn’t agree with you more,” The dragoness spoke up, “Let us leave this disgrace behind us, Quake,” Quake turned and smiled walking away with his mate, not even turning back to look at the hatchling on the floor. This left the hatchling surrounded by the juveniles, who were only now recovering from their roars of laughter. The hatchling began to shiver, unsure of what was happening. He had identified his parents by their scent before they had left, but now they had left him, unsure, and afraid. He began to do the only thing he could to cope with the mocking laughter and hating glances, he began to cry. He didn’t cry loudly, like most infants of other races would, he muffled his cries as to avoid conjuring forth more hatred from those that surrounded him. Yet one noticed the tears, no matter how the hatchling tried to hide them. The crimson juvenile, known by the name of Crag, strutted over to the hatchling with murder dancing in his eyes. Crag was the claimed first born of Quake and his mate, Claw, making him the elder brother of the weeping hatchling. Crag slowly lifted his younger brother off of the cave floor, his clawed hand easily going around the hatchlings waistline. His arm ceased its motions once it had reached the height of his shoulder. He rotated his head around, scanning the sea of faces that now stared at him. After several moments of dead silence Crag began to chuckle at what his plan. Within seconds, Crag moved his arm back, and with snapped it forward, releasing his grip at the peak of his arm’s arc. “Hey guys,” Crag shouted as his baby brother cartwheeled through the air. “let’s see if the whelp can use his wings!” Dragons began surging away from the inevitable crash site of the hatchling, laughing hysterically as they fled. Some starting slapping their tails on the cave floor, and many began to chant, “Whelp! Whelp! Whelp!” Their roars growing louder as the hatchling began to plummet towards the unforgiving stone. All the while, the hatchling continued to let his tears flow, and his sobs growl louder and louder. He hadn’t even spent an hour out of his egg, yet now he was going to die. Yet the worst part was that the hatchling had recognized the scent of the one who had thrown him; he had recognized the scent of his brother. He sobbed in realization of the facts now presented to him; his parents had left him, they didn’t care what happened to him, everyone in the cave wanted him dead and gone, and that his brother was the one that had brought about his death. The hatchling stared at the cave floor, waiting for it to come, waiting for the pain, waiting for this nightmare to end. He couldn’t help but wonder what dying would actually feel like; he had guessed that it would hurt, but only for a second or two. The last thing he saw was a flash of bright red as something encased his small body. It wasn’t the pain that the hatchling had thought would come, instead it was something gentle. He didn’t care, he allowed his eyes to close, hoping to awake to a better life.
Chapter 2Small, silver eyes fluttered open only to slam shut at the blinding light of the sun. The hatchling felt around, his hands darting around the rough surface he found himself on. He wriggled around like this for several moments before he pushed himself to his hind legs. The hatchling nearly fell back to on his rear, but something caught him. After being picked up and thrown moments after he hatched he had a very high fear of others, and thus panicked. He squirmed as he was slowly lifted from the ground, a pair of hands wrapping around his body. He could hear someone speaking to him, a female from what he could tell. He could feel her grip changing, becoming more of a cradle as the hatchling’s resistance ceased. “There, there, little one.” he heard, a hand brushing gently over his head. “You won’t be harmed here, I will keep you safe, I promise.” The hatchling opened his eyes, the color shifting once again to a sky blue. He was staring at a female dragon of bright red with yellow markings that decorated her scales. He looked into her hazel eyes as she cradled him, both enjoying the company they now had. “I am Spines, little one. What may I call you?” the hatchling tilted his head in response, some of the words escaping him. “Nod if you like the name, Ok?” he nodded once and Spines smiled. “How about, Fang?” a shake, “Talon?” another shake, “Knight?” the hatchlings eyes widened, showing his fondness. Spines thought for a moment, trying to make the name unique. Those ponies put two parts to their names, perhaps, “Night Fall?” The hatchling nodded furiously, though he didn’t know why he loved the name so. “Night Fall!” he squeaked, a smile spreading rapidly across his face. “Night Fall!” Spines laughed as she hugged her new friend close, praying they would remain together for the years to come. “Alright then, Night Fall, let’s get inside and get some food.” Night Star nodded as he licked his lips, hunger growling in his stomach. Several hours past as Night Fall played with a sapphire that was lying on the floor. He laughed as the gem shimmered in the pale light of the moon. From time to time he would stare out to the mouth of the small cave where Spines sat. He would wonder for a second what she was doing, but the light of the gem was hypnotic to his young mind. He giggled as the shimmering surface cast spots of light all over the interior of the cave. Spines sighed, knowing that she had taken on a task she couldn’t accomplish. “I can hardly fend for myself, how will I protect him?” she turned her head to the sky, the light of the moon calming her addled mind. “He is like me, I won’t leave him to fend for himself. Not while I still draw breath.” A crimson form landed before the cave mouth, causing Spines to leap to her feet, her claws extended as she glared at the brute before her. “Still alive, Wench?” “My name is Spines,” she growled, “and you know that, Crag. Now, leave, or I will kill you.” “Really? A weakling like you wouldn’t last a second against me.” as Crag spoke several of the dragons that had cheered for Night Fall’s death landed behind him with a lack of grace. “Just hand over the Whelp and we will leave you to die alone.” the other dragons cracked their knuckles and chuckled at the frightened female before them. “I won’t let you harm Night Fall!” Spines roared, flame leaking from the corners of her mouth. “Wha… oh, you mean the Whelp.” Crag’s laughter drowned out Spines’ roar and growls. “You have to be joking. That little twerp is a stain on my good name, and I am going to remove that stain.” A single hour had passed before Crag and his group took to the skies, a warning blood splattered on the walls of the cave. Night Fall was leaning on the body of Spines, his tears returning as she refused to stir. Night Fall pleaded that she be spared, that he be taken in her place. He blamed himself for Crag’s aggression and Spines injuries. He didn’t want her to go. She had promised to stay with him, she wouldn’t lie to him. Would she? Night Fall began to bawl his eyes out as he placed himself next to Spines’ heart and closed his eyes. He didn’t notice a glow come from his tiny hands and weave itself around the wounds. Nor did he notice a slight shimmer in the air that danced around Spines’ still form. His tears blocked forming small pools on the cave floor as the glow worked around the wounds. Blood dried and disappeared as the wounds began to shrink into nothing. Air began to circle in Spines’ lungs, coughs escaping her as she retched in pain. She looked down to see that her major wounds were gone and a ball of blue that lay down by her heart. “Night Fall,” she whispered, not wanting to startle the little one, “are you ok? Did they hurt you?” Her answer came in the form of a pair of wide silver eyes that were quickly buried in her neck as Night Fall wrapped his tiny arms around her neck. “Don’t leave.” he said, he voice rough from the crying. Night Fall continued to repeat this over and over, as if those words would keep Spines there. “There, there, little one,” she comforted, petting him gently. “I am not going anywhere.” Night Fall torn himself away to face Spines, his eyes taking on a twinge of red. “I fight.” Spines protested, insisting that he didn’t have to fight, but the little dragon was determined. “They hurt you. I fight them.” for the first time in Night Fall’s short life, he stood tall, his resolve unwavering. “I will protect.”
Chapter 3Night Fall ducked behind a stone pillar as flames erupting around the rock. He dashed away, not sparing a moment to look at his attackers. Ten years, he thought as he ran, and they still haven’t stopped. He ducked under a low ridge and hid himself in a pile of rubble. Why won’t they leave us alone? He waited several minutes, having built a routine into his hiding, and peaked his head out from the rocks. All clear. He removed himself from the rocks and took flight, going low and oddly fast for one of his size. All this because I hatched later and am smaller than the rest of these brutes. Night Fall paused by the river, drinking deeply from the sparkling water. He sighed in relief as another day was nearing its end as the sun set, lighting the sky with oranges, purples, and reds. He stared up at the rising moon and thought for a moment about the peace of its solitude. He dismissed these thoughts for he treasured his one friend far too much to wish for solitude. He scanned over his newest wounds, some still weeping blood. He had a pretty bad laceration over his left eye that was blurring his vision, a series of burnt cuts all over his chest, and a bite mark on his right shoulder that was slowly turning his arm crimson. Not the worst day I have had. Night Fall took to the skies once more, allowing himself to feel the freedom of flight as he glided towards his home. He took his time, he always did, and admired the glow of the full moon as he watched the few creatures that shared the land with the dragons stirred. They awake at night to avoid us, he thought for the hundredth time, clever. Night Fall smiled as he caught sight of his home, a cave just outside the area that the clan had claimed as their own. His homes was far from large, in fact the cave could only hold a few dragons before it became filled to the mouth. He and Spines didn’t need much space, and since he was young and small he didn’t need to use much space, which left plenty of room to Spines. She hardly used the space, either, content to sit still when they had some peace. Spines was a lovely dragon, though no one seemed to notice. She was defensive, caring, kind, smart, and attractive despite the various scars on her body. Night Fall had only just begun to notice many things about his friend, such as her posture, the faint glow in her eyes, the way her she moved both gracefully and with purpose, and how different her body was from his. They both were slim, but Spines had an hourglass figure that should have been enticing, while Night Fall looked more like a small tree trunk. Neither had much weight to lose since they rarely ate a full meal, let alone the three they should have. Night Fall’s eyes widened as he caught the scent of blood, and nearly fainted when he realized it wasn’t his. The scent is coming from the cave! He sent himself into a steep dive, praying to the moon that it was one of Crag’s group who was injured. He pulled up, preventing a devastating crash by the tiniest margin. Night Fall ignored the pain in his own limbs and rushed blindly into the cave, the scent becoming stronger and stronger with each step. Tears began to come to his eyes as he could hear no breathing from the depths, and he tripped over his own feet. Something broke his fall, though, something far softer than stone and slick with some liquid. Night Fall began to hyperventilate as his eyes adjusted to the darkness all around him and his nose was filled with the scent of blood. He nearly lose what little food he had in his stomach when he saw the crimson body that he had landed on, though he couldn’t stop himself when he saw the yellow patterns. No, he pleaded, no, no! She promised to stay! Night Fall nearly screamed as he stared at his only hope of salvation and companionship lying motionless on the floor. Her neck was torn out, though the blood had long since stopped, a tiny bit of her spine showed through the reddened mess. Both of her wings had been torn from their sockets and were lying only feet away from what remained of her body. Several ribs were visible and there was a clear hole where the ribs were pushed into the right lung. Her entire lower body was battered and bloody and the scent of males could be smelt from her legs. Night Fall was frozen in place, his heart making weak efforts to continue beating against the drowning sorrow. In that moment something snapped in Night Fall’s mind, the only tether to his sanity was cut, and he broke. Tears streamed from his eyes as he realized each of the vile things his blood brother had done to her. His stench covered her body, in more ways than one and it undoubtedly he that had torn out her throat. For the first time in his life Night Fall didn’t feel any fear, only rage. His eyes turned a bright crimson as he roared, flames erupting from his open mouth and covering the top of the cave. He was torn, his young mind unsure of how to take the things being presented to it. Night Fall had fallen. He continued to roar, hoping that all could hear his rage and pain. He began to plan, his only tether to this place was gone, his only friend was dead, he needed to escape. A voice flashed through his mind that told him one way, the easiest way of all, but he refused, remembering what Spines had told him of the land of Equestria and its inhabitants, and his words to her on his first night. “I will fight them, Spines.” he stated, rising slowly to his feet. “I will escape this hell or die trying.” Night Fall stood tall, tears dried by the flames, “I will escape this cold world, and tell tales of your kindness.” a single tear dropped from Night Fall’s right eye, the iris becoming such a dark blue that it seemed black. “Wait for me should I fail, and wait longer if I succeed, my sister”
Chapter 4Dragons migrated only once in a generation, leaving the great mountains in the south and traveling to more gem rich areas to gorge themselves. Dragons coveted gems and precious metals so much so that they grew in size the more they collected. This is often why larger dragons could be found guarding a horde of shining objects. Most were entranced by things that nearly anything that shined, but this rule hardly applied to one that stared up at the mass of dragons taking off to find gems in their migration. Night was recovering from his most recent beating, his attackers were different from those that had attacked him since hatching. He was 23 years old by his count, though he would have gladly traded away each of those years for one away from the hell that was his life. He slowly extended his wings, giving them a gentle flap before stretching his weary muscles. He had a vanishing scar on his left shoulder from a less than playful bite seven years earlier. “Beasts.” he muttered, shaking as he remembered that night. He looked over his body, burning any wounds closed before he gave a pained look at his tail. A chunk was missing from the middle if its length, a pale scar marking the spot of missing scales. He turned his head to the sky once again and watched every dragon in the mountains fly over his head and towards the northern horizon. My turn, Night took to the skies, making sure to stay well behind the flock of blood thirsty brutes. I shall leave damnation and travel to salvation. The dragons didn’t stop in their journey, flying for miles before their first destination even came into sight. A valley known to the inhabitants of the land as The Badlands. Most dragons landed on the rich soil, digging for gems the second their feet touched ground. Several looked to the sky lust in time to see a blue dragon fly right over them, still pointed north. Several jeered at what they though was one of their own, but they were wrong. The lone dragon had long since forsaken his kind and welcoming change of scenery. Night set his sights on a crumbled structure that was surrounded by trees. He landed by a river to the east of the structure with the sunlight quickly failing as the night approached. Night drank deeply from the river, his mind buzzed as he looked around. Never had he seen so much color in one place, even the sky looked different from back in the mountains. Paradise, he thought, looking around for a place to rest for the night ahead. He settled for a room with several pedestals in its center, admiring the stone work as he rested against a wall, a hole in the ceiling providing him a grand view of the moon and stars. He listened to birds singing outside the walls, he relaxed as the sweet sound filled his ears. He began to sing with them, his whistling turning into words as time progressed. “Sweet sounds fill the world. Teeming lights brighten the dark. Air, cold and crisp, swirls around us all. Rambling wilds speak, should you choose to listen. Secret wonders revealed in star light.” Night’s eyes closed, exhaustion finally taking its toll, but he sang on into the night. “Nocturnal creatures stir. In the the pale light. Glades fill with life. Heightened senses rule over the dark. Total peace overcomes us all.” Night drifted off to sleep as thoughts of a new life filled his mind, I can finally know peace. Thus, Night fell into a deep slumber, unaware of events that were unfolding in the world around him. Night stirred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he began to stand. He stretched his numb limbs and looked around, unable to remember the last time he had slept so peacefully. He could see the darkening sky outside. I slept through the day? he wondered, his mind catching up with his body at last. He watched the leaves sway slowly in the breeze as his eyes became familiar with the darkness around them. Night smiled as he took flight, soaring higher and higher until be pierced the clouds. He held out a hand to the moon, a feeling of desire creeping into his mind as he stared at the lonely crescent of light. He shook his head, attempting to clear his mind, “Why am I thinking like that? The moon isn’t alive, so it can’t be lonely.” Night breathed deeply, hoping to be rid of these odd thoughts. The silence was broken by roar in the distance, echoing up into the clouds that Night was hovering above. Night instinctively looked for a place to hide before he realised that is wasn’t a dragon he had heard. “What was it then?” Night asked as he began to descend, scanning the ground for any signs of combat. He ceased his search once he saw some strange creature battling with a dark blue pony at the northern edge of the forest. He could see several other ponies behind the blue one, though none of them were like the one fighting. None of them had horns or wings, most of them appeared to be children. Night hesitated for only a moment before pointing himself at the beast and diving down. He focused one each pony below, noticing the fear that filled each pair of eyes and the courage of the one that fought a beast far larger than her. He stared in amazement as he realized that it was a mare that was protecting the others. Night gasped as the beast knocked the mare over and stood over her, it mouth wide open around her head. “No you don’t!” he exclaimed, adjusting himself and crashed into the beast’s side, both of them carried away from the mare by the impact. Night recovered and rolled back, standing feet away from the strangest thing he had ever laid eyes on. He growled out a warning, a sign among predators that a fight would happen if one didn’t back down. The beast only growled back, returning the warning. Night breathed in deeply, heat filling his body as he felt his fire grow. He roared, a great jet of blue flame erupting from his open mouth and engulfing the beast. Night could hear heavy beating on the ground and saw the beast run into the darkness of the trees. He ceased his attack, the flames dissipating as Night stood in place, his mind racing as he felt victorious for the first time in his life. “I beat it,” he muttered, turning slowly to face the mare. The very air was knocked from his lungs as he was blasted by some strange force and forced onto his back. The mare walked up to him and her horn began to glow, her expression one of severity. “Speak, what are you doing here?” Night was unnerved by her tone, she isn’t playing around. “I am just passing through. I saw you were having some trouble with that thing and I thought I would help out.” Night would have run, but something was holding him in place. “Might I ask who you are?” The mare appeared dumbfounded by the question, “We would ask the same of you, since you don’t know who we are.” she paused and backed away, beckoning Night to stand. “Who are you, and why would you assist us?” Night was puzzled by this manner of speaking, he chose to avoid making a greater fool of himself and speak as he always had. “I am no one, ma’am. I helped you because I didn’t want that thing to use its strength to harm others. I hate that type of behavior.” Night straightened his posture and spoke as evenly as he could. “Who are you?” “We are Princess Luna, ruler of Equestria. How long have you been here?” “I have only been in this land for a single day. I rested in the ruins towards the south of here last night.” “Was it you we heard singing, then?” Night cringed, he had never expected someone to have heard his singing. Realization slapped him in the face and Night kneeled on the spot. “Yes, Your Majesty, I was the one who sang out in your glorious night.” “Do you have a name, young one?” Luna questioned, eager to know how this being was. “No, ma’am.” Luna appeared shocked by this statement, not by the respect, but because this dragon claimed to have lived about twenty-five years without a name. “Then you are in need of a name, young one.” “I would be honored if you were to give me a name, Your Majesty.” he preached, respect pouring over his words. “Might I be so bold to ask what you see fit for me?” Luna stopped to ponder this for a moment, unsure of what she had just gotten herself into. What should we choose? She poured over what little she knew about the kneeling dragon before her. She knew that he sang, and fought to defend those he didn’t even know. Minutes passed in absolute silence before a chirping came out of the dark. A small brown bird came from the shadows of the trees, it twirled around the dragons head before it landed on his left shoulder and began to sing. “Nightingale.” “Pardon me, Your Majesty?” “We name you Nightingale, a defender and of the night with both show of strength and song.” Luna explained, her tone one of kindness and compassion. “Nightingale,” he muttered, “I am your soldier, Your Majesty.”
Chapter 5Nightingale walked slowly, his eyes darting from side to side as he analysed each and every inch stone and glass he passed. This place it amazing! he thought as he strolled behind Princess Luna. He was finding it harder and harder to keep some semblance of calm as they came upon a pair of doors. Nightingale was doing everything he could think of to prevent himself from asking what was behind the doors when Luna stopped him. “Behind these doors is the great hall, in which our sister holds the day court, while we the night court. Do not make a fool of yourself, and we may be able to put you to proper use.” Luna straightened her stance as her horn began to glow and the doors creak open. “Don’t be afraid, Nightingale, our sister will not harm you.” I am not afraid, Nightingale thought as he stared into the vast room beyond, I am slightly terrified. Nightingale gulped as he began to walk behind Luna, his eyes fixed on the others in the room. There was another mare though she had a coat like marble and a flowing pink mane. Her massive wings were outstretched, making her seem nearly twice as large to the frightened dragon. She was wearing a golden crown and necklace, both with amethysts at their center along with her silver shoes. Beside her was a stallion of a very deep purple that was mostly covered by golden armor. He had removed his helmet and set it on the floor, the hole for his horn standing out to Nightingale. His mane was a rather unusual shade of silver that glimmered softly in the light. His eyes were what Nightingale stopped at, the silver eyes entrancing him. “Why have you brought him to us, sister?” the alabaster mare spoke with a tone of both gentleness and power. “We think that he may be capable to aid us, sister.” Luna stated, holding her head high. “He displayed great courage and spirit earlier, that suiting a guard.” Luna glanced over to the stallion before she continued. “He faced down a manticore to defend a group of Earth Ponies on the northern Everfree.” The stallion turned his head to the unnamed mare, “Might I give first judgement, Princess Celestia?” Princess Celestia only nodded in response as the stallion began to walk towards Nightingale. He walked around Nightingale for several moments before he stopped directly in front of him. “Age, name, strengths, and reason.” he demanded, his silver eyes meeting Nightingale’s paling ones. Nightingale was stunned by the verbal assault before he even realized that he was being questioned. “I am twenty-three years old, and my name is Nightingale, Sir.” he paused for another moment thinking desperately about his strengths. “I have developed a high tolerance to pain, and am capable of fighting foes that would require several of your guards.” Nightingale blinked once as he continued. “As for my reason, it is to prevent those with power from misusing it, Sir.” The stallion didn’t break the stare as he asked a final question, “Have you ever used or come into contact with magic before tonight?” “Magic, Sir?” “I would take that as a no, but you aren’t from around here.” the stallion lit up his horn and gave Nightingale a quick jolt. “Magic is a force that rather hard to explain, think of it as a great power given to some. Have you had contact with magic before tonight?” Nightingale’s mind flashed back to the night he lost control of himself and he debated telling anyone about this. Might as well, but I could leave out some of the more... horrendous parts. “I was able to shock someone to death when I was sixteen. I also gained some power that same night when I was provoked.” “What provoked you?” “I was attacked, pushed into a corner and my only friend’s name was insulted.” “This friend of yours is dead?” “Yes, Sir, she has been for thirteen years. I lost control when she was insulted.” Nightingale didn’t know much about pony society, but he knew a death was tragic. He anticipated a word of apology, a sign of sorrow for the dead, but was to another custom. “She was worthless.” Nightingale visibly tensed up upon hearing this, his pupils shrank and his irises turned blood red. He stared down at the stallion that would dare to insult Spines without ever knowing her and for a single second debated whether tearing out his throat or burning him to a crisp would be more painful. No. he thought, his eyes returning to normal. I am no beast that will awake at a single plucking of a string. He breathed deeply as he awaited the next words from the stallion. “Good, I have no use for one that can’t control their temper. I am Commander Early Riser, though you may call me Commander or Sir.” The Commander smirked as he began to walk away, “Welcome to the force, Recruit. Training starts at sunrise, so get some rest.” The Commander bowed to the princesses and escorted himself out of the great hall. Princess Celestia chuckled as she approached her sister and dumbfounded guest. “We would like to know more about this instance of magical use, Nightingale. Would you mind sharing the tale over some tea?” “Yes, of course Princess Celestia.” Nightingale paused, his expression filled with confusion. “Might I ask, what is tea?”
Chapter 6Nightingale followed Princess Celestia as closely as he could, not daring to find out what some ponies thought of him. He had hardly slept more than two hours before he snapped into consciousness, his mind racing at the opportunities that awaited him. He walked with a natural rhythm in his step, a flame burning bright in his heart. He had retold his story to the princesses, though he couldn’t help but hide some more gruesome details from the regal sisters, over tea last night. He had watched both mares expressions change to pure shock as they heard the rhyme to his reason. Though he couldn’t think of that once he heard male voices from an upcoming courtyard. Princess Celestia nodded her head towards the courtyard, beckoning him to go. Nightingale simply bowed low and smiled, walking through the archway and pausing only to observe. He could see eight ponies in the courtyard. Commander Early Riser scanned over the lot, his silver eyes sharp enough to pierce stone. His helmet was resting once again under his left fore-hoof, the golden material glimmering in the early light. A purple stallion stood in a far corner of the courtyard, trying to avoid the attention of the others. A pair spoke warmly to each other, a unicorn and an earth pony, both had coats of royal blue and manes of bleached yellow. A pegasus stallion of pure white stood amidst the others, his mane made distinct only by a slightly darker tone around the edges. The remaining three were an orange earth pony with a green mane, a sky blue pegasus with a mane of blue with white streaks, and a brown earth pony with a deep green mane and tail. “Alright,” Commander Early Riser spoke up, making the hiding unicorn jump. “each of you have arrived, so we will begin.” the blue pegasus began to jump in place, his wings fluttering with excitement. “Each of you will step up in turn and tell us all who you are and why you are here.” the jumping pegasus came to a dead stop, his smile fading into a frown. “You first, Cottontail.” The pegasus stepped up and stood beside The Commander and spoke, “Name’s Record Scrape,” he said, his voice calm and even as he continued. “I am here to be a guard and earn some bits properly. Besides, I think it will be rather fun.” Early Riser ushered the next stallion up, the nearly entirely white pegasus took his place. “I am Alabaster, and I am here to do what I can for Equestria through my service.” his tone was flat and lifeless, rather odd for a pegasus and his expression remained equally so. He was replaced by the brown earth pony, who appeared to be rather strong, the muscles clearly visible as he stepped up. “My name is Spiral Bounds, and I am here to put my strength to good use.” “Hey!” the orange earth pony popped out from behind Spiral Bounds, energy pouring out of his body as he took center stage. “You can call me Kipp, everypony else does.” he stopped to chuckle at his statement before continuing. “I came here to meet new ponies and have a blast!” The Commander simply shooed Kipp away and beckoned the next up. The last earth pony, the one with royal blue coat and bleached yellow mane, stepped up and straightened himself before talking. His voice was low and calm, “I am Royal Light, and I am here with my brother to bring honor to our family, and aid the citizens of Equestria.” the royal blue unicorn stepped up and repeated the introduction, though he announced himself as “Regal Light”. The final pony stepped forward, seeming content to simply stay back and watch everyone else go while he was left behind. His coat was a deep purple, bordering on black while his mane was midnight blue. His eyes were like emeralds, shimmering in the growing light though Nightingale could see fear and regret in them. “I am Midnight Walker, son of Void Walker, and I am here to honor my father’s memory.” he walked away slowly, hiding behind everypony else as Nightingale stepped up. “My name is Nightingale,” he stated, his voice even, yet energetic. “I am here not to meet an expectation or to honor anyone. I am here to protect those that can’t protect themselves, and to prevent the misuse of power in the world.” Nightingale scanned the small crowd, finding Midnight Walker hidden behind Spiral Bounds, “I will do whatever it takes to accomplish this goal, no matter what others should think.” he stepped into the group, stopping directly beside Midnight Walker. Commander Early Riser began to nod, his mouth set in an even line as he scanned over the recruits before him. While his features showed no emotion his eyes conveyed everything to those that knew what to look for. Those silver orbs passed over each recruit, the look changing from curiosity to disgust, to irritation, to pride, to gratefulness, and Nightingale watched each little change, recognizing most as he straightened his posture and set his own mouth in a line. The Commander’s eyes suddenly widened as he looked over each head, he began to mouth something but stopped as a new voice rang out. “Not bad, gents.” each head spun around and focused on the mare that had appeared from nowhere. Some took note of the little filly resting on her back, sound asleep. “They seem promising to me, Riser.” she laughed as The Commander began pushing stallions aside as he approached the mare. “What’s the matter, Riser, can’t we come and say hello?” Most of the recruits were waiting, some in more anticipation than others, for the gates of Tartarus to open. Commander Early Riser wasn’t known for his colorful behavior, but rather for his strict action and nearly cruel tasking, and this mare had just waltzed in while he was working. Several stepped back, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire or becoming the target of residual rage. “You can always say hello,” Early Riser began, his tone soft and calm, “but did you have to bring her here? This isn’t the place for a little filly.” The mare chuckled, nudging the filly on her back, “She wanted to see what her daddy does, Riser.” she looked up at The Commander, her eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. “Is that such a crime, officer?” Commander Early Riser grimaced at the teasing he was receiving, “Do you have to do that, Moonstruck?” he questioned, fighting the blush from his face. Moonstruck giggled as she felt the filly stir on her back, “What call you ‘officer’?” Early Riser nodded. “Then yes, yes I do, just to see that cute little blush of your’s.” Several of the recruits broke out into laughter at the show they were being given. Moonstruck narrowed her eyes and moved the filly beside Early Riser with a swing of her wing. Her coat matched that of Alabaster, and her mane and tail were a sparkling silver as she strode up to the recruits. “Silence!” she barked, effectively silencing the group. “Now listen up, and listen good, because I will only say this once. You all will obey your orders without question, and should I show up you have better pray that I be merciful. I know how to thoroughly run you until you collapse, and I am far from afraid to do just that. Do I make myself clear?” Every head began to nod, some more furiously than others, trying desperately not to get back on good standing with Moonstruck. “That you are, Ma’am.” each head turned to see the fool who had spoken up. Commander Early Riser resisted smacking his head with a hoof as he stared at the dragon. Nightingale only watched Moonstruck walk up to him with a curious look in her eyes. “So Riser wasn’t joking about a dragon wanting to join.” her eyes darted up and down Nightingale’s figure, her eyes stopping on several of the worse scars. She couldn’t help but freeze her gaze at the missing chunk from Nightingale’s tail, and the large bite mark on his left shoulder. “What is your name, soldier?” “Nightingale, Ma’am.” he stated, bowing his head in respect. “Might I ask what the name of that filly is?” Moonstruck chuckled at the startled expressions several of the stallions wore and decided against scaring them even more. “That filly is my daughter, Star Gazer, why do you ask?” “I am not from around here, and back in the mountains family wasn’t that highly valued. I am glad to see an attentive parent, is all.” “Would you like to meet her?” Nightingale shot to awareness at the question, shock written on his face. He hadn’t thought that a mare would ever let a dragon near her child, yet here one was offering for him to meet her daughter. “I would be honored, Ma’am.” he bowed low, silently hoping that this wasn’t some kind of test. “Well then, let’s get a move on, recruit. Don’t keep the little miss waiting.” Moonstruck gave him a quick kick towards her daughter, a smile forming quickly on her face. Only when Nightingale stood over Star Gazer did he look back as Moonstruck, confusion clear on his face as he hesitated to even look at the child. “She won’t bite, or not like that at least.” she said, pointing to Nightingale’s left shoulder. Nightingale turned his head and found two lavender eyes staring at him. He couldn’t help but stare back at the orchid colored filly. Her mane and tail were silver, with only a few odd stripes of purple to differentiate them from those of her parents.She had a small horn poking out of her mane like her father, and Nightingale had guessed that was were a ponies magic came from since no other kind of pony seemed to use magic. Star Gazer pointed a hoof at Nightingale, and began to squeak while moving her forelegs as if to embrace him. Nightingale kneeled down in front of Star Gazer, his blue eyes never leaving her lavender ones. He showed her his hand, his palm facing the sky as Star Gazer poked and prodded at it with a hoof. She closed her mouth around one of the scaled digits, though her still growing teeth hardly left a mark on the scales. Nightingale pulled his finger away from the filly and sat down, his legs crossed in front of him, as he spoke slowly, “Hello little one,” he sounded oddly hypnotic, as if magic flowed through his voice, “my name is Nightingale, and I hear your’s is Star Gazer. Is that right?” Star Gazer nodded enthusiastically, the magical voice enticing her to listen on. “Well, I am sure we will see each other again someday. Until then, you behave for your parents, Ok? You don’t know how lucky you are to have them.” Nightingale backed away from Star Gazer, tears forming in his eyes as he watched her smile and nod. He said his thanks to Early Riser and Moonstruck before rejoining the group of recruits. He watched Moonstruck gather Star Gazer onto her back and kiss Early Riser on the cheek before departing, a smile on both fading faces. Commander Early Riser refocused on the group before him, trying to make himself appear like the figure of intimidation he had before. The smile didn’t leave his face as he spoke, “I want all of you to pair up, groups of two, get to it.” The brothers, Royal Light and Regal Light, walked away from each other with only a nod, searching for the one that would give them a challenge. Kipp was pulled aside by Commander Early Riser and moved beside Alabaster, the regal pegasus only blinking as his partner was chosen for him. Royal Light approached Record Scrape and rather quickly decided that they would make an interesting team. This left Regal Light with Spiral Bounds, the two hardened ponies not even arguing at their pairing. Nightingale had watched Midnight Walker shrink away whenever a pony passed him, though he had yet to notice Nightingale standing directly behind him. Nightingale cleared his throat, trying his best not to startle the stallion more than he already was. Midnight Walker turned on a dime, his eyes wide with surprise. “Seems like you and I are partners.” Nightingale pointed out as Midnight Walker looked for a way out of the odd scenario. Nightingale reached out a hand, “My name is Nightingale. Since we are partners, why not be friends?” he said, the word was stale, unused for so long. Midnight Walker stared at the outstretched limb and considered the offer. “That would be best.” he said, shaking the outstretched limb. A smile grew on his features as he spoke, “Happy to call you so, Nightingale. Let’s catch whatever The Commander has left to say.” Author's Note Sorry about the delay, but I have to deal with school now. That means I have way less time to write this, plus, I do another writing project with a friend of mine on Tumblr. Thank you for reading and please be patient, other chapters will come. They may not be this long, but they will come.
Chapter 7Nightingale weaved himself around in the trees, watching as bolts of magic blasted the trees to every side of him. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he saw Midnight Walker doing the same, both turning behind a large tree to avoid the onslaught. They looked to each other and neither could help smiling and chuckling. It had been several weeks since Commander Early Riser had started training the recruits and he had been running them ragged since they began. He had taken the recruits on what he called a “field trip” to the edge of the Everfree Forest, and once they arrived they were surrounded by fully armed soldiers and told not to get caught. Each team had scattered, not one of them bothering to watch anypony but their own partner. Nightingale and Midnight listened carefully as the blasting stopped, an eerie silence filling the air as even the distant blasts were silenced. Nightingale flicked his tail, enjoying the chase for the first time in his life. “This is my field of expertise,” he whispered to Midnight Walker, “Twenty three years of running and hiding from murders, this is nothing.” Midnight snorted, shaking his head from side to side as he spoke, “When we get a break from training, we need to discuss your past. You are a mass of questions, and I would like some answers.” “You and me both,” Nightingale chuckled, “I still know nothing about you. I share with you, and you share with me. Deal?” he questioned, extending a hand to his partner. Midnight Walker did the same, his hoof meeting Nightingale’s palm, “Deal.” the two of them nodded, each smiling broadly at the other. “Now, lead on.” Nightingale ducked low and went darting from tree to tree, his eyes never staying in one place as he scanned for any sign of opposition. He constantly looked over his shoulder, ensuring nothing was trailing them, though one time he just stared over his shoulder, his eyes scanning the distance. He turned his head back, scanning each other area with the same care, only to dart away into a thick group of trees. Midnight Walker followed closely, taking care to remain as hidden as possible for a golden clad trainee. “Nightingale what are you--.” Midnight felt a hand clamp down on his muzzle, effectively silencing the poor stallion. Nightingale motioned the golden armor they both wore as he began to tear at the straps of his own. Midnight Walker simply stared in confusion once Nightingale moved his hand away to remove his own armor. Nightingale sighed lightly and tried to explain, “We are wearing a highly reflective and bright color that isn’t found in this environment. We stick out like water in the desert.” Midnight began to nod furiously, mentally smacking himself for not thinking of that. He and Nightingale continued to removed the armor before Nightingale got a devilish look in his eyes. He begins to place the armor pieces on branches, mimicking a broken up soldier shape. Nightingale nodded at the patchwork distraction and began to scan the surrounding area, looking for any uncovered exit. He finally pointed to a well worn path and began to lurk along it, light never touching his scales as he darted in the shadows. After what felt like an eternity of lurking about, surrounded by thorns and creaking branches, as the pair avoided entering any line of sight but their own. Nightingale let out a sigh of relief as they stumbled out into a massive clearing. He walked over to the calm river and drank deeply, savoring the refreshing, and cold water. His gaze passed over the defining features of the clearing, most notable was the ruins of a palace by a bend in the river. Midnight Walker eased up at the sight, unable to feel tense when in this place. It held an odd silence that at the stallion couldn’t explain. All he knew was that they had traversed most of the Everfree Forest, and that night was fast approaching. “The Commander never said when this exercise would end,” Midnight Walker’s voice snapped Nightingale out of his reminiscent daze. “We may want to find something to eat. Have you seen anything edible?” “Ah,” Nightingale was at a loss. He could easily catch a fish for himself, but he knew that ponies were vegetarians. “grass?” “Very funny. Have you seen any flowers?” “Flowers? I think there are some around here, just give me a moment.” with that Nightingale darted away in search for some flowers for his partner, and a fish or two for himself. Midnight Walker used this time along to inspect the sword he carried at his midsection. He pulled the short sword from its sheath, friction between the surfaces near nonexistent, only a metallic hiss accompanying the smooth motion of magic. He stared at the rising reflection of the moon through the blade, a pale glow nearly surrounding the blade while Midnight Walker’s emerald aura wrapped around the handle. He gave the blade a few testing swings, insecurity growing on his face as he thought of his father, of how expertly the old stallion had used the blade, and how revered he was because of it. He felt so small by comparison, though these weren’t new feelings for him. “Why am I doing this?” “I couldn’t tell you why you are standing around like a statue, Midnight Walker.” Nightingale stated, scaring the poor stallion out of his skin. “Relax, it is just me.” Nightingale raised a brow, concern overriding his actions, “Is everything alright?” As Nightingale approached Midnight Walker a blast of purple magic erupted from the trees, scorching the ground where the partners once stood. Nightingale beat his wings, willing the muscles to hold up not only his weight, but that of his partner. “We will talk about this later, OK?” Midnight Walker only nodded in response, partially frozen from being airborne. “Then snap out of it, I need you here.” Nightingale swooped down to the ground, his feet touching the soft ground only to dart to the side as another blast erupted from cover. “I will give them something to shoot at, try to locate them and fire back.” Nightingale took to the sky, darting from side to side away from various colored blasts. Midnight Walker ducked behind a fallen chunk of stone, observing the treeline for each individual blast. Five different auras, he thought, five unicorns, and one is Commander Early Riser, no mistaking that aura. Midnight Walker continued to watch as Nightingale went about dodging the blasts, and began to think of a method of attack when Nightingale came rushing towards him. His eyes refocused on the treeline, or rather the blast coming from it. He watched as the blast neared, his hooves refusing to run away and his magic failing to react. Nightingale landed directly in front of Midnight Walker, his stance widened and his hands thrust forward. He felt the blast slam into his hands, the ground being upturned by the blast driving him back. Nightingale slammed his tail into the ground and tried with all his might to push back against the blast, but he simply didn’t have the physical strength to fight it. Come on, he thought as he struggled to keep his ground, I know I can beat this! Nightingale felt a sudden presence in his body, a sudden wild power just looking for a way out. Nightingale’s eyes widened as he focused this power towards his palms, willing it to push away the blast. He felt a sharp pain in the center of each palm as the power erupted forth with massive force, driving the blast directly back to its origin. Nightingale watched through blurred vision as a wave of golden armor came crashing towards him. He felt himself collapse, his strength depleted and his breathing ragged as Commander Early Riser began barking orders to ever guard in the clearing. “Nicely done you two, you lasted the longest by no small margin. Now rest up soldiers, everyone is getting home safe tonight.”
Chapter 8Midnight Walker groaned as he rose from his hospital bed, feeling rather annoyed that he was still stuck in this place. Since the forest training two days earlier Midnight had been placed in the difficult position of sneaking past the staff to find a familiar face, though he had yet to get very far. The night before a mare by the name of Sweet Tea, a hazel unicorn with a forest green mane and emerald eyes, caught Midnight before he even got ten feet away from his bed, causing him to be reprimanded and ushered back into bed. This night it couldn’t have been an easier to move about. The married couple of Flower Heart and Red Heart were watching over him, and the two had been talking about trying to have a foal. Midnight urged them on, hoping to get some time alone and just step out. Flower Heart was a kind mare, her amber eyes went rather well with her teal coat and mane, and she had a knack for homemade herbal remedies that would fix anypony up in a day or two. Her husband was a peach colored unicorn with a bleached white mane. Red Heart’s cutie mark was a purple heart, one he had earned by treating a guard whose wing had been cut in two by a manticore. He was late at getting his mark, but that didn’t discourage him. Red Heart had to amputate what was left of the wing, and has done many successful surgeries since earning his mark. The two complimented each other rather nicely, what with Flower Heart being able to provide anesthetics for the surgeries and often being able to calm the patient with a simple herb mixture. Aside from that, the two of them got married shortly after they started working together, and despite many telling them that the relationship would only distract them from more important things, the two stuck by each other. “No, please don’t do anything brash, Midnight.” Flower Heart whispered as she and her husband walked towards the door to the hall. “We don’t want you to get in trouble.” Midnight waved them off, saying he wouldn’t get into any trouble, which pleased the couple enough to get them to rush out of the room, smiling widely at one another the whole way out of the building. Midnight Walker creaked open the door, his eyes darting from side to side in search of anypony else, and only when he was certain that no pony was within earshot did he begin to wander down the halls. “He has to be around here somewhere.” he muttered, reading each sign over the doors, never satisfied with what he found. “They can’t just hide him away and not expect somepony to get curious.” Midnight Walker continued to wander the halls for several, long, minutes before he nearly cheered at the sign he had found. “Intensive Care Unit.” He knew to keep quiet, he had often heard of how carefully the patients in this wing were tended to, and he couldn’t afford to be found now, he had come too close to be caught. His magic wrapped around the door knob and turned it slowly, a high pitch whine from the hinges as he slowly pushed it open. He winced as another aura ripped the door open and an angry stallion stood over him. “I was told there would be no interruptions from the sta--.” Early Riser looked carefully at the stallion in the doorway, raising a brow and taking on a level tone as he spoke to his recruit, “Midnight Walker, what are you doing?” “Well, Sir, I was just--I thought some--.” he sighed and lowered his head, shame practically stopping him from even opening his mouth again. “I just wanted to check up on him. Last I saw him he passed out, and I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong with him.” “Who is it, Sir?” a voice boomed from within the room. “I thought we weren’t getting visitors.” Early Riser looked back into the room, lines clearly visible under his eyes, even in the low light, “Change of plans. Studies are canceled for tonight, tomorrow you leave the hospital and return to training with the other recruits, understood?” “Yes, Sir.” the voice stated, and Midnight Walker could practically see the salute though over his commanding officer’s shoulder. “Then I leave you in the care of your guest.” Early Riser stepped through the doorway and passed Midnight with only a word of farewell as he trotted down the halls, not even sparing a glance back at the open door and the dumbfounded stallion that stood by it. “Midnight!” a voice boomed, causing Midnight Walker to leap to attention. “I thought I recognized your voice. How have you been?” Midnight Walker lifted his head, his eyes meeting the dagger like pupils of his partner. He could hardly make a noise as he stared into the deep blue eyes, yet he shook his head, breaking the gaze and regaining some consciousness. “I have been well, Nightingale, uh, may i come in?” Nightingale nodded and beckoned him in with a wave of his arm, surprising Midnight Walker once again as he saw the condition of the room. In place of medical equipment there was practice dummies, books, and training weapons, along with several scrolls. “What in the world? Were you not resting for these past two days?” “More than usual.” Nightingale responded, his tail wrapping around a scroll and tossing it up into the air. His hand shot out and gripped around it, his wrist snapping quickly and causing it to unfold. “Hold this, please.” Midnight Walker raised a brow, his horn lighting up and his magic gripping the corners of the scroll and holding the contents towards Nightingale. Nightingale raised his hands, his palms facing the ceiling while his face contorted with effort. Midnight Walker opened his mouth to speak, but rather found it falling open, his eyes widening at the sight. Nightingales hands had a soft blue glow that reached out and slowly covered the scroll, causing Midnight Walker to release his own magic hold on the scroll. To his shock, the scroll didn’t drop to the floor, but rather floated lazily in the gentle glow. Nightingale opened his eyes, a smile stretching across his features as he moved one hand, the scroll following the movement and drawing near to his chest. He chuckled as words began to appear on the page, happily reading them aloud, “Congratulations, these words will only appear when you have held this scroll in your magic for several seconds. You may release the scroll whenever you please, and take pride that you have begun to learn magic control and execution.” Nightingale chuckled in victory, dropping the scroll before bursting into laughter. “Two days. It took me two days to figure that out!” Midnight Walker was dumbfounded, never before had he heard of a dragon wielding magic, let alone seen one using it. “Hold on,” he began, raising a hoof, “you have been in this room practicing magic for the past two days?” “Basically.” “Why in here, though? Why practice in a hospital, let alone the intensive care unit?” “Well, that was The Commander’s idea.” Nightingale responded, giving a shrug of his shoulders. “He said we could go uninterrupted here, and, for the most part, he was right. You are the only one that has come in here aside from The Commander.” Midnight Walker lowered his head, turning towards the door as he began to leave. “Sorry to bother you, then. I will let you get back to your practice.” “Hey,” Nightingale darted into Midnight Walker’s path, blocking to door with his body, “who said you bothering me? We are partners, and yet we know nothing of each other. I don’t know much about Equestria, or you, but I would like to learn.” He gave a quick flick of his tail, wrapping the tip around the door handle before pulling it closed. “Can you help me learn?” Midnight Walker backed away from Nightingale, his emerald eyes sparking with light. He took a seat in the middle of the room before he spoke again. “What is it you want to know?” Nightingale grinned, taking a seat a few feet away from Midnight Walker, brushing a few scrolls and books aside with his tail. “I want to know about your family. What were your parents like? What were their names? Where are they? Do you have any siblings?” “Slowdown.” Midnight Walker chuckled, raising a hoof to stop the assault of questions. “My father was a proud stallion, he was like the foundation of a home, and he was certainly the backbone of our family. He was born during the later years of Discord’s reign, and didn’t see much that could be considered normal until after he got his cutie-mark. My mother was a little younger than him, and was practically his polar opposite. She was always the optimist, always seeing the good in everyone. My father’s name was Void Walker, though he practically chose the name himself once he got older. No one knows why he chose it to replace his birth name, and no one can ask, either. He and my mother, both passed away when I was young, so I lived in an orphanage until I was old enough to live on my own. I have no siblings, or, none that I know of.” Midnight paused, taking a moment to calm himself down as he breathed deeply. “So, what about you? What was your family like?” Nightingale’s grin faded away, his eyes growing dark and his muscles tensing. “My ‘family’, as you may call them, were monsters that wished me dead. My ‘brother’ tried constantly to make that happen, going so far as to kill and defile my only companion and try the same with me. What did we do to earn their hatred? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. We were hatched different from the rest and thus we were deemed wrong.” Nightingale growled as his hands clenched into tight fists, slamming them against the ground and cracking the stone floor after multiple strikes. “I will not affiliate myself with those beasts.” Midnight Walker was dumbfounded, near speechless after what he just heard. He could hardly believe how such a simple question had angered him so, but even more so he couldn’t believe that a minor difference had caused Nightingale to be labeled as an outcast. “If you don’t mind me asking, what was the difference?” “I was ‘too small’.” Midnight Walker nearly fell over at this revelation, barely able to fight back the mental blow from knocking him onto his back. “Sweet Celestia, I am so sorry I brought it up.” Nightingale shook his hand and head, a few tears falling to the floor as his past replayed in his head. “It’s alright. I can’t expect to be able to just run away from everything I did. Could you please leave? I really should get to sleep.” “Sure,” Midnight Walker rose to his hooves and neared the door, eying Nightingale the entire way. “just remember that you can always come to me if you need to talk, ok? No one should have to suffer alone.” Nightingale watched him go, rising to his feet only when Midnight Walker had left his field of view. He walked to the open door, closing it with a sweep of his tail while turning towards the hospital that had remained in this room. He slowly walked towards it, patting the bedding before curling up atop it, tucking his legs tight to his chest as his eyes refused to close. No one deserves to suffer alone, he though, then why do they haunt my thoughts? After what felt like hours Nightingale was able to drift off to sleep, though his dreams were haunted with images from his past, every detail brought back to life in the lime light of the night. Author's Note Sorry for the time between posting. The story will go on. All things have a purpose, even the side mentions that seem to have no relevance have some important role that you will all discover.
PrologueInto hell I was brought, In form of land with danger fraught. Waking from joyous dream, To ever burning nightmare. Strangers and blood-kin alike, Wished for my head on a pike. They labeled me “Whelp” And a cause lost in a hard world. My only comfort did lie, With one who stood as lonely as I. Surrounded by shadow and superstition, A pale beacon in Night’s dark world. On wings of pain and fear I learned to soar so beacon be near. Of combat I learned, Gaining knowledge from each defeat. Faith of escaping my life of pain, Began to fade and wane, As each day brought more suffering, With only Night for solitude most comforting. Opportunity arose in migration, Thus I set out seeking my own salvation. I parted from the monstrous clan, Breaking shackles of torment. I sought out shelter, In surroundings unfamiliar. Palace of ruin became home, If only for a time. Wandering into world strange, Familiar sight entered my range. One of size and strength, Tormenting those smaller than he. Tall dark mare with horn and wings, Staring down a mix of three things, With tail of a scorpion, and wings of a dragon. With massive claws extended. It stood ready to rend flesh from bone, I refused to let her stand alone, I struck out against this goliath, Startling him away from his prey. The mare stared me down, The moonlight shining off of her crown. She questioned my motives, Unsure of my reason in defending strangers. I assured I meant no ill, That I didn't wish to kill, Yet she questioned on, Unsure of why I had parted my clan. Without restraint, I told her my reason for complaint. Of hellish pain and torture, Withholding no detail of my past. Proposition was offered, By mare who would see that I prospered. Curiosity drove me forward, Toward opportunity anew. Years passed with surface peace, Yet internal pain and envy did increase, In the Night-sister young, Towards Day-sister and teacher. Envy continued to build inside, As ponies brushed the night aside. My service turned upon teacher, In favor of mare in torment all too familiar. Pain was brought anew, As she was given her “due”. Yet I will persevere, For in a millennia she will return. Author's Note Finally starting to put this baby up! This is in poem format due to both my love for poetry and Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" that I am reading in class, but hey,inspiration is inspiration.
