Nightingale

Octavian paced in his room. Ever since Princess Luna had come to Castle Defiance he had felt a creeping anger slowly building up within him eating away at his soul. Twilight too had noticed a change in his demeanor and during their times alone together often asked why he was so distant, so depressed; only to be met with the fake smile of Octavian and a reissuance that everything was all right.

Sighing Octavian left his room and trotted out into the calming embrace of the silent castle. The clip clop of his hooves reverberated throughout the ancient halls as he trotted towards his destination, the private gardens. Looking out a window Octavian was greeted by the twinkling of the stars and the bright fullness of the moon, both sadness and joy filled his heart as memories from a thousand years ago rushed to greet him.

“Daddy? Why does the day have to end?” Daybreak asked looking up at Octavian with her beautiful green eyes.

“Well honey our world lives in balance between both night, and day, with Princess Celestia raising the sun every day and Princess Luna raising the moon every night. For life to go on all over Equis we need both night and day.” Octavian said with a smile “That and if there was no night then daddy would have to get a new job wouldn’t he? Nobody wants to hear my music during the day!”

The sun never rose the next morning, or the next morning, or for the three thousand, three hundred and one days following that one fateful night. Instead of growing up in the beautiful rays of the sun Daybreak would know no more of the sun until her final moments at the end of it all. When the sun rose behind her father’s imposing presence and as the blood flowed from her neck. The last thing Daybreak would ever see would be her father’s tears as the sun set him free.

Octavian turned away from the window with tears in his eyes, the light of the moon making his tears appear silver upon his face. Wiping his tears from his eyes Octavian continued out into the night, trotting into the gardens before finding the tallest tree and sitting under it. The tree was a willow, and its spread made a room out of the vines trapping Octavian in its green embrace, finally Octavian was alone with his thoughts.

“I thought you may be here.” Said a voice from behind him, turning to face his visitor he found the source of his troubles, Princess Luna, staring at him with a worried smile. Octavian turned back around silent. “Do you know why I am here?” Still more silence “Twilight sent me to talk to you… she said we might have some- unspoken issues between us.”

“Nope. We’re fine.”

“Octavian, I have lived for thousands of years” Luna began before being cut off by Octavian.

“As have I thanks to you.”

Luna sighed “Ah I feared that would be the problem.”

“What would be the problem? You only turned me into a monster in front of my family! Forced me to obey your every command! Forced me to kill my friends!” Octavian began, his voice slowly getting louder. “But that isn’t even the worst of it, no; you let me keep my consciousness throughout the war, made me watch myself commit horrible atrocities, and made me watch myself kill my family!” Octavian yelled with tears in his eyes. “I watched myself kill them, watched the tears of my daughter begging me to stop.” Octavian looked up at Luna his voice suddenly quiet. “How can you live with yourself after all you have done?”

Luna was aghast at Octavian’s outburst; she turned away from Octavian before letting the tears fall from her eyes. “I- I don’t know. I’m so sorry I just- I couldn’t control myself! I was like you trapped in my own body watching as I turned Equestria into a waste land.” Luna turned back to Octavian. “Is it too late to say I’m sorry?”

Octavian looked at her before sighing “No, it is never too late.” Then Octavian walked away, back into the castle, leaving Luna sitting in the gardens accompanied only by her tears.

*

Shining Armor was awoken in the dead of night by a guard telling him of the crystal hearts imminent failure. Quickly getting out of bed he sounded the alarm, waking everypony in the palace and sending them to the caverns beneath the palace. Nodding at the guard he galloped to the armory where he had gathered a group of 12 of his best fighters to lead a rear guard action with him against King Sombra. A purple unicorn in the group stepped forward, she was wearing a black cloak that covered her cutie mark and wore an expression of distaste when she approached Shining Armor.

“So what has our Prince called us up to do in the middle of night? Patrol the corridors, check under his bed for grumpkins?”

“No Midnight Bloom I woke you all because King Sombra will be attacking this castle in a matter of minutes, and it is up to the thirteen of us to hold him back long enough for the citizens of the crystal city to escape through the portal to safety.” The Prince replied calmly staring back at Midnight with an un-amused expression.

“So why are we staying behind?”

“Because I know that together the thirteen of us could hold back the armies of Tatarus if we had to, in fact that’s pretty much what we are doing!”

“Yea and why don’t WE go through the portal and meet up with this sister of yours, if we are worth an entire army why save citizens who can’t defend themselves?”

“We said the Oath did we not?” Shining Armor began before being joined by all else in the room “I will do no harm to our friends and do every harm to our enemies, I am the defender of the light against the dark, the watcher on the walls, while I stand tall hope shall not fall and I will not falter, I am a Crystal Guard!” At first the words were silent, barely spoken but by the end it was more than an oath, it was a battle cry, a shield against the horrors to come.

“Any more questions?” the Prince asked with a smile on his face answered by the determined looks and shaking of heads of his company. “Good. Now Midnight I want you to take a group and guard the halls while the citizens flee to the crystal caverns. I will take the rest down to the entrance to the caverns, we will bottle neck them there. Midnight, once all of the citizens are in the Caverns retreat and regroup with me.” The group nodded before splitting up Midnight Bloom taking six others to the halls while Shining Armor and the rest of the ponies galloped down to the caverns. When he reached the caverns he met with his wife and directed her to turn the shield energy of the Crystal heart into a portal to Castle Defiance.

As Cadance lowered the fading shield of the Crystal Heart a battle cry could be heard from King Sombra’s army outside. With a scared look to her husband Cadance turned the Crystal Heart into a Portal and began directing ponies through it and on to Defiance.

“Shining?” Cadance asked “Are we going to live to see tomorrow?”

“Cadance don’t talk like that! Of course we are going to see tomorrow!” Prince Shining Armor said with compassion “I swear Cadance I will not let him hurt you!” Shining’s stare hardened “I failed you once, in Canterlot, I will not fail you again!”

*

Midnight and her companions galloped as fast as they could to the upper levels, she had taken with her three other unicorns a Pegasus and two Earth Ponies she ordered the Unicorns to take up positions in the tower and use magic to take down the advancing enemy horde while her and the rest of the group defended the hallway and stairs to the tower. The buzzing of daemon wings and the sound of the marching of hooves soon filled the palace and next to her the Pegasus was praying to Celestia. Looking out of one of the crystal palaces many windows Midnight saw thousands of burning torches slowly approaching the palace. The torches illuminated the army of King Sombra; thousands of daemonic ponies were charging towards the gates and behind them just barely illuminated was Discord. Discord had been changed by his possession, his eyes now burned with the fires of hate that King Sombra was known for and he seemed to pulse with a dark power.

Midnight Bloom’s eyes widened before hardening. “Okay ponies! Unicorns begin fire! I don’t want stunning spells; we are going for the kill tonight! The rest of you get ready for daemonic fliers coming through these windows! I am going up top!” And with that the spells began flowing from both sides and as Midnight reached to roof she could see the distinctive shapes of daemons coming through the windows.

Midnights reached the roof and moved to the edge watching the battle play out below her. With a quick prayer to Celestia she began chanting ancient words of power passed down to her from the elders of her clan. Below the fight was quickly deteriorating the two Earth Ponies already down and the tower was going to be taken soon. Finishing her chant Midnight opened her eyes, a glowing white light coming from her mouth and eyes filled the battle and for a moment the night was pierced by day. Then with a scream Midnight directed fiery meteors down upon her enemies from the heavens, pulverizing Sombra’s daemonic army, cleansing the daemonic filth from the empire with fire. Slowly levitated into the air Midnights eyes burned black and she ripped open a portal to the Ether pulling the rest of King Sombra’s horde into the Ether.

A scream of fury was heard from King Sombra as his army was decimated, and with a pop he teleported behind the weak Midnight Bloom and pierced her heart with a spear of black magic. Growling he pulled the spear from the dying pony and teleported to the caverns, appearing before Shining Armor and Princess Cadance.

“So my Crystal Ponies have escaped? Hmmm, I guess I have to congratulate you on your… victory, however it seems that the two of you are stuck here... with me.” King Sombra smiled “Oh this is going to be fun.”

“Cadance run! I can hold him off!” Shining Armor said lighting up his horn. “What are you waiting for? GO!” With a last look at her husband Cadance teleported from the palace and into the mountains surrounding the Crystal City.

King Sombra laughed “Honor is useless when death is staring you in the face!”

“I have nothing to fear from death unlike you Sombra!” Shining Armor said before firing several blasts of magic at King Sombra.

“Hmmm we will see about that!” King Sombra said evading Shining Armors attacks before teleporting behind the Prince and conjuring magical chains and binding the Prince to the floor.

King Sombra laughed “You may not fear death, but I do not intend to give you the privilege of release!” Then the silence of the Crystal Palace was pierced by an agonizing scream.

*

Twilight watched the refugees arriving from the portal silently, waiting for the moment that her brother and sister in law would come through. Planning for them moment that Twilight could wrap them in a tight embrace and never let go, never lose them again. She watched as the last refugee exited the portal and watched in silence as that portal closed. Twilight sat down and looked around for her brother and sister with the hope that had filled her heart slowly deflating like one of pinkies balloons. Then when twilight had all but lost hope Cadance appeared with a pop in front of her with tears in her eyes, looking around before her eyes latched onto Twilight.

“Cadance!” Twilight yelled before rushing up to hug her “Oh I am so glad to see you! I was so worried! Hey where is my brother? Didn’t get lost did he?” Silence greeted her.

“Where’s my brother Cadance”

Silence

“Cadance where’s Shining Armor!”

Silence

“WHERE IS HE!" Twilight yelled in her Royal Canterlot Voice

Cadance looked up “I’m so sorry Twilight.”

With that Twilight screamed.