Blackened Night

by ZeirMakavar

9: Backup

Chapter 9
Backup

"Could it be, that there are two different groups?" A voice said from behind her, causing her to jump out of her seat.

"L-Lord Discord, h-hello..." She said, blushing a bit softly, smiling at him as she shuffled to clean up her desk. "If... If I knew you would be coming yourself, then... I would have cleaned up."

"Oh, it is of no matter." Discord said, smiling. "I only came to give out the Princesses decree, that as of today, The Maze, and the city surrounding the dig-site, will be under the Crystal Fiefdom, and therefore under the protection of Duke Sombra. I figured you got Celestia's letter detailing this, did you not, Sunset Shimmer?"

"Shhh!" Sunny Meadow said as Discord said her name, a name that signified she was one of Celestia's own personal students. "I... Don't... Please Discord, don't call me by that name when out in public." She said, pleading to him. "No pony here knows who I am, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"What, no pony knows your one of the only two unicorns to ever have the privilege of being taught directly by Celestia?" Discord asked, mockingly. "Why for shame Sunset, you should take great pride in having a wonderful teacher like Celestia."

"Shut up Discord." Sunny said, sighing. "We both know I've learned more from you and Duke Sombra then I have from Celestia or Luna, ever since they took Twilight in."

At this statement, Discord began to laugh excitedly, as he rolled around a bit, before taking his pony form. The form that most ponies in Equestria knew him to have. "Why indeed I have." He said, just as Raging Night, and a regiment of the guards behind approached them. "I take it those lovely guards will be to protect the ponies from me during my stay here monsieur Night?" He then said, in a mock French accent as he looked at the Pegasus stallion.

"They indeed are Lord Discord." Raging said, nodding slowly at him as he turned to Sunny Meadow. "Sunny, I need to talk with you, privately."

"Ah... that's the name..." Discord said, giggling like a school girl slightly, before floating off on a raincloud, causing the guards to chase after him.

"Sure, what for Raging?"

"Just something I've been thinking about."

"Not about that assassin again, is it?"

"Not this time... I think."

"Are you sure?" Sunny Meadow asked him, sitting at her desk in her office. "Are you really sure?" She asked again, looking over a few notes. "I understand how much you trust your gut Raging Night. And how much your fellow Nightguards, sorry... Shadow Guards, trust it as well, but what you are suggesting... if it's true, then we'd..."

"Need to shut down the whole dig, I know." Raging said, nodding. "That wasn't a grave yard we were looking at down there. Why would those ponies have their weapons drawn if it was? They wouldn't."

"And you think that they were trying to keep something out?"

"Or in." Raging added, sighing softly again. "From the looks of the area, and yes I've gone over this several times in my head, before you ask." He said, sighing softly. "From the looks of it, the ponies closest to the stairs down, were facing those stairs. And as we get further away from the stairs, the ponies had turned, turned towards any exit they could find. What does that tell you?"

"Well..." Sunny said, softly, shaking her head a bit, looking at the entrance they made to The Crypt. "Based off of studies of older civilizations, and how they took care of threats, it tells me that something came up from below. Using the only set of stairs we could fin for miles that is." Sunny continued, sighing. "That something spooked the ponies currently occupying the floor, spooked them heavily in fact. Enough that the ponies far away had time to run away, and the ponies close by sacrificed themselves to save as many as they could."

"Exactly."

"But, what sort of thing could do that?" Sunny asked, a nervous chuckle escaping her. "Lord Discord... he... he said the Crypt is older then even he is, in fact it was sealed already when he ruled Equestria."

Raging Night nodded slowly, sighing before he spoke. "Exactly." He said softly, looking at the entrance they made as well. "It worries me more that the Crypt was sealed even when Lord Discord ruled, which last I checked was roughly a thousand years ago. And he ruled for around five thousand years."

"Five thousand, six hundred, and seventy-two." Discord then said, popping up out of the ground. "And five months, two days, three hours, and seven point six seconds, if we want to be accurate."

"Actually, lord Discord, the official record says twenty-two days." Sunny said, blinking a bit softly, as Raging backed up in alarm.

"Oh, does it now?" Discord said, counting on his fingers, strangely having twenty-two of them. "Huh, I must have forgotten to carry the one."

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A few hours later, Raging Night would be seen flying over the town, looking it over as he spotted a procession of troops approaching the small town. The flag-bearers were flying the flag of The Crystal Duchy, Duke Sombra's sigil. "Halt, what order of business do you have here?" He said, landing a bit away from them. "I am Raging Night, and by order of The Crown, I guard these lands."

"I am Green Hunter." The stallion in front of the procession, who wore the celestial guard armor. "And by order of my lord, Duke Sombra, I am here to assist in the guarding of these lands. And to act as his voice, in his stead."

"Then Hail, Ser Hunter." Raging said, bowing to the earth pony stallion, who bowed in return. "I am glad of the assistance, especially with some of the discoveries we've made of The Crypt."

"The Crypt?"