//------------------------------//
// The Traitor 
// Story: Under Her Rule 
// by InkHeartBrony 
//------------------------------//

"Midnight, listen very carefully to me."

I nodded, listening intently to what Gilda was saying. She held a small pistol in her claws, it looked shiny and brand new, with the symbol on the side of it near the trigger. A small white wing with Gryphon Arms written in the center.

"You are going to hold this gun," she said slowly, "and you are going to shoot the target like I showed you. Nothing but the target. Got that?"

She was speaking to me as if I was a filly, as if I was some impulsive filly who couldn't control themselves. I had handled a gun before, I knew how to shoot it, and I never did anything dangerous. I didn't understand why she was talking like this. She hadn't been like this before, and it was strange to see her acting like this. 

She even looked nervous when she put it into my grasp. Then proceeded to explain to me exactly where to point it, then she took many steps away from me. 

It was as if I was not just an impulsive child, but a beast she was trying to tame. 

I pointed my gun at the familiar red markings on the wall, and shot a few rounds. She gave me more bullets when I ran out, and I reloaded quickly, immediately going back to my shooting.

It continued on like this for a while, and it seemed I had become focused, so focused on what I was doing that it felt like forever in a short amount of time. 

Times and times we did this, Gilda and I. She let me practice my shooting, but something had changed. She had become wary of me, she was normally outgoing, brave, and afraid of nothing. 

But maybe it was I that had changed. 

Clipeum was now excited, more talkative than ever. He seemed happy here, maybe it was the taste of freedom.

Maybe it was the scent of the outdoors, the air, as dreadful as it was... with the dark clouds and the mysteries that lay above it.

But Clip liked it in a way, maybe it's because I shut him up inside for nine years. His entire life was spent in a small room with hardly any light, and a few books borrowed from Octavia. 

I always wondered what he did down there. Spending hours and hours with his limited things, maybe he had secret talents I didn't know about, maybe he was searching for his cutiemark. 

But how could you search for something if you could only walk in circles? Would you expect something different even with doing the same thing over and over again? Hoping, maybe knowing that there would be a different outcome one day?

Maybe it was I who kept him from knowing. From letting him out, and letting him free to go somewhere besides walking the same path over and over again. 

But we had no choice, and finding out who he was... was the last thing on my list. 

I spent my life protecting him, shielding him from everything, everyone. I kept him from the world... and himself.

I should've let him choose, make his own decisions earlier. He had always been afraid to speak up, he was always afraid to make decisions of his own choice. 

I realize now that I always made the decisions for him. But now that he had more ponies to be with... they let him choose his path. 

Maybe I didn't like that he wanted to sword fight. But who was I to judge with a gun in my hoof? If he was going to fight, I would do it with him.

A shot my gun again with a loud boom, and stared at my target and grinned.

Bullseye. 

"I think I'm done for today, Gilda." I said, giving my gun back to Gilda as I was ordered to.

I was not allowed to have any weapon outside of practice, it wasn't too bad, I guess.

"I think I'm gonna go back to my room. Clip's still with Rainbow, yes?"

"Well, Clipeum is getting training from Rainbow, and Shining Armor decided to help out a bit."

"Hmm, did he? How generous of him. Now, I'll be going."

"Actually," Gilda shoved the gun into her leather side bag, "Vinyl Scratch wanted to speak with you."

I looked into her golden hawk eyes, and noticed a bright blue behind her. She stepped aside, and a unicorn mare looked up at me.





I looked around Vinyl's room, it was just as bland and boring as mine, with no decoration, but a single purple flower in a glass vase on her bedside table.

Sitting close to Vinyl, I now saw a scar on her cheek, the bruises on her skin looked almost like birth marks that would never disappear. She looked so different but so similar to the Vinyl I saw in Octavia's photo's.

"Midnight... I wanted to talk to you, ask you... about Octy."

Octy. She always called her Octy.

"What did you want to know, I assure you she's doing alright, safe at least. She just... she always misses you."

Vinyl chuckled, "I know she does, just as much as I miss her. But, how did you two meet? I- I want to know."

I sighed, my gaze going to the light purple flower, sitting lonely in it's glass vase as I started to tell the story.





"Another rainy day I see." said Midnight. Rain pouring from the sky and dripping down her black coat. 

Underneath the coat, which she tried to keep away from the rain and away from the eyes of ponies, was a foal. Asleep in his carrier, where a blanket covered him and his horn. It was a difficult journey and risk. But it was worth it to let him see the real world for the first time, before he was shut away for many years where he would be safe.

"Yes. Another dark day." a gray earth pony mare next to her said. Looking not at her, but up at the clouds, almost hopefully.

Midnight turned to the other mare, who's bright purple eyes were filled with sadness. But it was a sadness Midnight was very familiar with, a sadness she had felt, a sadness she still felt. In this mare's eyes, that sadness looked fresh.

"Are you- are you waiting for somepony?" Midnight asked. She had been standing here, on this curb in Canterlot, for about ten minutes, and this mare just showed up. She had been waiting for an available taxi to show up, one to bring her back to the train to Ponyville. She had come to buy a few things at the shops, and honestly, to see her old home again.

"Waiting for somepony?" the earth pony asked,  "I have nopony to wait for... I did at one point."

The mare looked down sadly, and Midnight almost immediately understood.

"Who was he?"

"She, actually, and she was wonderful. The most beautiful mare in Equestria."

A smile cracked at her lips and her eyes glittered with sudden joy, even if it was barely visible.

"I had somepony too." Midnight sighed, watching as another full taxi ran passed them, splashing up a puddle which almost reached the two.

"He could build beautiful things from nothing, but a thought from his mind."

"She could create music from nothing but an idea."

"Silver Ring."

"Vinyl Scratch."

"Is that your name?"

"Is that your name?"

They paused for a moment, then both began to laugh for the first time in weeks.

"No, that was his name. My name is... Midnight. Midnight Glider."

"Well, lovely to meet you! Octavia Melody."

They shook hooves, and smiled.

Then, an empty taxi pulled up nearby, and they both rushed towards it. Octavia, grabbing a violin case and putting it around herself. 

"Where are you going?" Midnight asked. 

"Ponyville, home."

"Me too! Shall we go together?"

"We shall."





"You bonded... over the ponies you missed and loved."

"Exactly. Even though you were't there. You were a key element that brought us together as friends!"

That made Vinyl smile. But with the scar so close to her mouth, it looked almost painful, and by the look on her face... I guessed that was.

"Vinyl... I'm curious... what- what happened?"

Her smile faltered, "What do you mean?"

"You just... that scar, the bruises, you're in such bad condition! Haven't you gone to Fluttershy yet?"

Vinyl looked taken aback, almost offended that I had asked.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to-"

"No... it's fine." Vinyl said quietly. She looked away from me sadly.

After a few moments of silence, she stood up and said, "I don't want to talk anymore." 

"Oh, okay." I said, gulping. I must've asked something really personal.

"I'm going to find Pinkie." she said.

"Pinkie?" I asked. "You guys are friends?"

She looked at me. "She ah, helped me out before... I guess you would call it friendship."

With that she left the room. I realized I was still in her room, so I left too to find Clipeum.

I assumed he was still with Rainbow, so with a bit of confusion, I finally found myself in their sword training room. Light coming in through the massive crumbling hole in the ceiling. Instead of Rainbow and Clip fighting, I saw Rainbow and Shining Armor fighting with actual swords. Clip sat nearby watching them, two sticks lying on the floor next to him.

Both Shining and Rainbow wore the silver armor, with all of the intricate and carefully made designs embedded on it. They both wore their helmets, and in front of Shining's horn, I assume to protect his horn, was a long blade.

Rainbow's wings were of course out of the armor, but lining them were similar silver blades. It looked as though she could cut through anything with a simple whoosh of her wing.

The two had their swords crossed, pushing against one another with their expressions so angry, so focused on their fighting. Out of the corner of her eye, Rainbow noticed me, and with her eyes looking somewhere else, Shining took advantage. He turned his sword and smacked it hard against hers, causing the sword to clatter on the ground and her falling next to it. 

Shining pointed the tip of his sword at her throat, and smiled. 

"Never put your guard down." he said with a smirk.

He took his sword away from her, and put it in his scabbard hanging from his belt. He turned to smile at me.

"Miss Glider. Here to pick up your son?"

"Well, just trying to keep an eye on him." I replied, "But, I see he's fine. Besides, I'm interested in your fighting, why are you two fighting instead of him?"

"Aah," Shining said, taking off his helmet and holding it against his side. "we are showing him the more advanced things. Also, we want him to practice fighting multiple at once, of course," he pointed at his sword, "Not using real swords... for now."

I nodded, and smiled back at him. He sighed, "I see you're doing well, Midnight, we are back on speaking terms then?"

"Of course... I know I didn't say it before so I'm going to say it now, Commander Armor."

He tilted his head, and looked at me curiously. 

I took in a deep breath, "I'm sorry I left when you told me not to. It was foolish of me to not follow your orders. I greatly apologize, and it will never happen again."

He chuckled, "Midnight, while it was foolish of you... you did help."

"H-how did I help?"

"You distracted the enemy, Vinyl and Pinkie snuck there while they were too distracted by you and your son. While it did come with... some pain afterward, there will always be sacrifice that comes with good things."

I stared into his eyes for a moment, the icy blue staring back at me. They did not seem so icy and cold anymore though, they looked warm and welcoming. 

"What I was mostly worried about was what the rest of the rebellion would think. You are still very new, and there have been rumors..."

"Rumors?"

He took a step closer to me, and looked away from my eyes. "Some think you are a traitor. They think we were too quick to trust you, they thought you left to communicate with the patrol rather than harm them."

I was taken aback, how could anypony think that? I guess... not truly knowing me, could be problematic. I was afraid that even the commander had doubts about me, that he may think the rumors could be true. 

But they weren't of course.

"When you arrived... you said you did not want to aid us in fighting the enemy."

This was not good, I had to prove to them, I had to prove that I was not against them, but how? 

"You were so focused on protecting your son, you did not look at the ponies around you. Some are pondering why he does not have an anti-magic lock on him. They think... he is a spy as well. They think that we would not want to harm a child, even if that child was not on our side."

I started to back away from him in fear. He didn't doubt me, did he? He didn't think of me like that. But again, he barely knew me.

"Some think you are using the child as a tool. To get you places without him, that he is just a pawn on your game of chess."

From behind him, Rainbow Dash stared at me, when our eyes locked, she immediately looked away. But I tried to look at her hopefully, looking for something to get me out of this situation. But she looked as though she was not going to help me in front of Shining.

I probably only looked like more of a traitor.

Shining put his hoof on my shoulder, and I could fell his strength, that was much stronger than mine, in that simple touch.

"I hope they are not true."

He doubts me. Doesn't he?

He walked past me, and left the building, shutting the door behind him.

I felt tears swimming in my eyes. I looked at Rainbow, and she only stared at me.

She walked forward towards me, she put her sword away, but when she walked close she didn't look me in the eye.

"Please." I choked out, she gave me a sad look, looking at me, and smiling ever so slightly. "Don't worry." she whispered, "i'm on your side."

She walked past me. She left the same way Shining did. Now I was alone with my son.

I sat down, it was hard to process. I had been acting unusual. I had never been so full of anger before, I could see why the ponies would think that.

But I refused for ponies to think I was on her side.

"Clipeum. Let's go."

He looked at me, and slowly began to rise. Too slow, and I was feeling impatient.

"I said, Let's go." I went over to him, and grabbed him by his ear. I had never been so forceful, I was always gentle with him, and I was done being gentle. He should've learned at this point, to grow up.

He immediately reacted, his training had given him fast reflexes he didn't have before. It took me by surprise when he kicked me away, causing me to fall back... with my lip bleeding. 

He stood in his fighting pose, his stick held in his magical aura, pointing straight at me. 

His eyes were scared, his breathing was heavy.

He looked more serious than I had ever seen him in my life.

He knew this time he was fighting not Rainbow Dash.

But what he thought to be a real enemy.