Bat Ponies defend equestria in secret against the Nightmare forces.
Long after the rise and fall of Nightmare Moon, the dark and mysterious servants of Princess Luna, her royal guard, battle the remaining nightmare forces to keep the waking world safe at night. But the Nightmare forces are a crafty entity, and with the population of Bat Ponies dwindling, the Luna Royal guard may face their toughest challenge yet.
A violent crack of thunder roared across the midnight heavens. As the torrential rain hammered down across the Everfree forest, every pony caught out made a mad dash for shelter. Even the pegasi of Cloudsdale—ponies who usually dictated the schedule of the weather between Canterlot and Ponyville—had to take shelter from a storm as violent as this. With anchors set just outside Sweet Apple acres on the outskirts of Ponyville, everyone was well and truly stuck in the middle of this tempest tonight, forced to endure through its duration.
All except for one pony. Midnight Glider flicked the soaking wet fringe off his hair over from the side of his face, tucking in his wings tight against his body to prevent the thin membranes that aided him in flight from getting too water-logged. He was grounded for now, but this was not the worst of his problems. An ill-timed flash of lightning had resulted in the bat pony's hind leg getting stuck in a bear trap. Pounding at the metal contraption as hard as he could, Midnight cursed the individual who had planted this device, blatantly ignoring the laws set by Princess Celestia that made such things illegal.
Suddenly, the grey- and purple- coloured stallion caught something out of the corner of his eye. He snapped his head around to the right to try and see what was there, but in yet another flash, it was gone. Midnight shook his head. It was a ridiculous notion that he would be spooked by anything. He was a bat pony for Luna's sake! The night was his domain, just like how the farmlands of Appleoosa was the ideal home for Earth Ponies and Buffalo alike. Creatures were supposed to be afraid of him, not the other way around.
Then another image darted between the trees. Midnight's pointed ears pricked up at the sound of puddle splash, signalling another presence behind him. The situation of Princess Luna's eldest servant was already looking dire, but now it had gone from bad to worse. A bellowing howl rang through the night, a sound that, to Midnight, may as well have been the ringing of a bell tolling his impending demise. A pack of more than a dozen timber wolves had surrounded the bat pony, their jaws drooling at the scent of an easy meal.
Timber wolves were nasty creatures, spawning as animals entirely consisting of wood of fallen trees, brought to life by a sinister magic that few dared to speak of. No one knew exactly how these things came into existence—not even the two celestial sisters—but what was known would always be explained for the express purpose of one important message; stay away. Snarling with a ferocious lust for food, their eyes shone with a wicked glow, piercing through the dark to isolate their prey before moving in for the kill.
Even with the predators closing in around him, Midnight continued to hack away at the metal trap, hissing and baring his sharp fangs in frustration. “Do your worst, fowl creatures!” he spat, refusing to let any signs of fear show on his face, in spite of his heart beating faster than it had ever had before. “My soul is ready to join Princess Luna in the dreamscape!”
Just as the wooden lupine constructs leapt out from the undergrowth to attack, a dazzling spark of light forced Midnight's eyes shut. Several moments passed before the bat pony realized he was still among the land of the living. Tentatively, the dark stallion pried his eyes open. This sudden illumination was not merely a brief onr, but a consistent glow that turned the night into day. Once the bat pony's eyes had properly adjusted, he could finally get a good look at his saviour.
He expected to see a Unicorn coming to his rescue, but the pony before him was of a very different nature. With a pristine white coat and a flowing pink mane, Diamond Moonlight was a beautiful sight to behold.
“D-Diamond? Is that you?” Midnight stuttered, rubbing his eyes. It was unusual to see a crystal pony outside of the majestic crystal empire, an expansive city ruled by the pink alicorn Princess Cadence far up in the frozen north. Yet, here she was, standing right in front of the bat pony, protecting him from outside threats with her magnificent shine.
“What in Equestria do you think you're doing out here?!” Moonlight snapped, a harsh scowl spread across her face as she glared down at Midnight.
“You of all ponies should know why,” the dark pony retorted, taking a deep breath to ensure he retained a calm demeanour. “Tonight is the perfect time for nightmares to brew.”
Moonlight cocked an eyebrow at her stricken friend. “If that is the case, then we should leave it to Princess Luna. Let her be the guardian of pony's dreams, as is her royal duty.”
“How long have you known me?” Midnight's objection bore more than a little resentment. But after taking another deep breath, he regained his composure. “Princess Luna has tasked us, the bat ponies, to defend the waking world from the lingering remittent of the nightmare forces, which as you know, is the very thing responsible for nearly turning us into traitors to Celestia's throne. As such, since I have the most experience, I am the one to ensure that no one gets lost in the darkness tonight.”
“Maybe so, but even you have your limits,” the crystal pony sighed, “Look, this storm isn't going to get any better for quite a while. So lets just forget about this pointless argument and head for shelter, okay?”
As much as Midnight wanted to protest, the pain in his leg told him that there was little chance of continuing with the mission in his condition. “Alright then, just as soon as I can get this thing off my...”
“You mean this thing?” the glittering mare interjected, smirking as she twirled the spiky contraption around on one of her front hooves.
“How did you-?” the elder bat pony couldn't even bring himself to finish that sentence, the words falling apart in his mouth as he looked back and forth between his leg and the trap in confusion.
“Trade secret,” Diamond said as she combined a wink with a playful giggle. “Now, lets get a move on before my shine spell runs out.”
A warm smile grew across Midnight's face as he extended one wing over the shoulder of his sparkling companion, taking the weight off his bad leg. Luckily for him, it wasn't a far walk from the nearest entrance to the network of cavernous tunnels that ran deep below the forest, all connecting in the centre to the magnificent tree of harmony.
Midnight's only hope was that the rest of his kind were having better luck at defending the tree than he was.
Accepting the aid of Diamond meant that the journey home took a tediously long time. Midnight didn't have any objections to voice, simply being content to be back in the cool and dry caverns again. It was inevitable that the elder bat pony would run into several other members of his kind, all of whom not wasting a second to offer assistance once they notice the nasty scar on their general's hoof. Midnight turned down each one, insisting that they focus on their existing duties, gesturing to Moonlight to emphasise that he was already getting plenty of help.
Stubborn as always, the crystal pony thought to herself, rolling her eyes at her friend's dismissal of his affliction. True, it was not a life-threatening wound, but some extra guides could help get him some medical attention quicker. As the pair hobbled on, Midnight directing his companion down each splitting tunnel, a skill that Diamond had long since wondered how long it took to master. For now, just getting back to the barracks was enough, as it could take years to recognise every single route.
After what felt like over an hour of traversing through the pitch black labyrinth, the only visual references to their location coming from the crystal pony's innate shine, the pair finally reached the living quarters of the Lunar Royal Guard. An authoritative command to halt rang through the tunnel even before the speakers came into visual range, though a returning call from Midnight made it clear there would be no ensuing argument.
Diamond's light soon revealed the figures to be four guards; Bat ponies clad in purple plate armour and chain mail, with decorative spike protruding upwards down the length of the spine. The defending quartet kept their weapons unsheathed, likely suspicious as to why Midnight was walking instead of flying. Though their queries were never vocalised, the sight of their elder being carried by a crystal pony making it evident that all was not well. Quickly folding back the sharp claws that switched out from their boots, the guards bowed their heads and tapped the heavy iron gate with their hind hooves, signalling those behind it to open up. Midnight returned a bow of respect. He would have to compliment the gate defenders once he was better, as their quick reactions even during the changing of shifts was an admirable quality.
The roost for the bat ponies was anything but glamorous. Their kind was populated by no more than thirty individuals in total, the underground hollow which was their home being barely large enough to give each pony adequate room to sleep. Each of the four key rooms within the barracks was lit by little more than select number of dim candles; enough for every pony to see where they were going, but limiting for those without vision suited to low light environments to make out any small details.
The appearance of another pony who was not directly part of Princess Luna's regiment was a rare occurrence down here, so the dazzling radiance that emanated from Crystal Moonlight did not go unnoticed for long. Gliding down from one of the higher makeshift beds, a younger looking bat pony—feminine in appearance but known to use gender neutral pronouns, half dressed in the same violet armour as those guarding the gate—dropped in front of Midnight, their mouth agape at the nasty cuts in the elder's leg.
“Do you have something important to say, Echo Dancer, or are you just going to stand there and gawk?” Midnight grumbled, wincing as he pulled his arm off the crystal pony in an effort to try and support himself on all four hooves.
“Darn right I have something important to say!” Echo responded, their face taut with worry. “What in Luna's name happened to you?”
“It is none of your concern-” The elder stallion tried to argue, but with most of his strength all but faded—even to the point where he could barely hold himself up—there was no chance in hiding that he had been through quite a rough ordeal. Truth be told, he was lucky that Diamond had found him when she did; not that he was going to admit that out loud anytime soon. His body may have suffered a hefty blow, but his pride most certainly had not.
“We need to see Mystic Mind right away,” the glimmering mare exclaimed, rushing to the side of her injured companion, ignoring his insistence to try and move under his own strength. “Midnight needs immediate medical attention, as well as tell him about what's going on up at the surface.”
“I was thinking just the same thing,” Echo nodded in agreement. “Quickly, follow me. Mystic is still in the planning room, so you caught him at just the right time, considering how long Midnight has been away for.”
Neither pony gave a word more in response, instead following the younger pony down the short, narrow passage in silence until they reached the planning room. Echo gave a couple of heavy knocks on the wooden door, before the sound of rushing hooves from the other side came to greet them. If Diamond Moonlight was the polar opposite of the bat ponies in terms of physical appearance, then Mystic Mind was even more different than anyone else within the hollow. Standing slightly taller than Diamond, the emerald green unicorn looked upon the three ponies through his wide, round glasses, lowing the hood of his loose green robes to reveal a short and messy mane that was a reddish brown in colour.
“Diamond Moonlight! It's so good to see you again!” Mystic exclaimed, his horn lighting up with a magical glow to match his bright and cheerful demeanour, oblivious to the serious expressions on the faces of all three of his visitors. “I see the mission went well. How well did the amulet work? I toiled long and hard to make sure it would work with crystal pony magic, which as you can imagine is not an easy task. Echo can attest to how many prototypes I had to go through to get it right. So what can I do... for...” The green unicorn's words trailed off, finally noticing Midnight's wound. “By Starswirl's beard! Midnight, what in Equestria happened to you?”
The elder bat pony huffed, refusing to say a word, requiring Diamond to speak on his behalf. Rubbing her hoof just below her neck, an ivory amulet with a striking red ruby in the centre appeared, bursting into life with an brilliant beam of magic to project the bear trap onto the floor until it had fully manifested as a solid object.
“This is what happened to Midnight,” Diamond said in a solemn voice, pointing to the now broken contraption at the green pony's feet. “I found this thing clamped firmly around his hind ankle, just as he was being surrounded by a pack of timber wolves.”
“Yikes, quite the unlucky series of events you got involved in there, Midnight,” Mystic tentatively knelt forward to inspect the object, levitating it up to eye height through his magic. “Good thing you got to him when you did. Any longer out there, and he could have ended up with a nasty infection at the least. And that's if the timber wolves didn't get to him first. Such nasty creatures that they are. Can't stand 'em! I don't understand why they figured Midnight would make a filling meal, though. I can't imagine bat ponies taste very good, not that I would know...”
“Mystic!” Echo snapped, growing frustrated with the unicorn's excessive rambling. “Forget about the cursed timber wolves! We need to give Midnight some first aid, now.”
Mystic's face turned beet red with embarrassment. His piqued attention to detail was useful when it came to his day job as a magic scholar, but for regular conversations in most other situations, it did tend to become a liability. Clearing his throat and dusting the white trim on his sleeves, he gestured for the three ponies to follow him inside. “Yes, of course. Right this way.”
Crystal tapped the younger bat pony on the shoulder just as the unicorn turned his back. “A little bit harsh, don't you think?” she whispered.
“Perhaps,” the grey and purple pony replied. “But you have to admit, this isn't exactly an appropriate time for Mystic to be rambling so much.” The crystal pony shrugged as she followed the others in.
The green unicorn promptly threw the trap onto the table in front of him, levitating a book down from one of the shelves that covered the circumference of the room. “Diamond, there should be some enchanted bandages in the closet just behind the bookcase next to you,” Mystic said, gesturing vaguely over to the other side of the room, his head buried inside the pages of his favoured tome. “They will make sure there is no lingering magical infections.”
Flicking through the pages, he mumbled for a few moments as he searched for an appropriate spell to use on an object suspected of corruption. “Aha!” Mystic exclaimed, before speaking aloud the words of the spell in question, summoning a bright magical aura from his horn to envelop the dangerous metallic object.
“Echo, I could use a hand here!” the master magi called to the bat pony for assistance, who was at present trying to remember the correct book that would swing the library furniture open. Why the wizard needed to keep the first aid materials behind such a needlessly complicated contraption, the bat pony had given up trying to figure out. They simply got a different and more nonsensical answer each time, to the point where they wondered if the unicorn was simply playing mind games with them.
Thankfully this time, choosing a random book gave the assistant the correct key to open the closet. Now that this was taken care of, Echo knew what needed to be done. They had spend more time around Mystic than any other of their kind, quickly picking up on most of his behavioural nuances while he was surrounded by his wizardly research. The bat pony had a simple task to attend to in this case, one that was a routine given the subject that they and their kind all had to deal with. One quick inhalation sparked a red glow within Echo's eyes, invoking a form of magic which was, by their own admission, not entirely dissimilar to the entities that the bat ponies had dedicated their lives to fighting against.
Mouth wide open and fangs baring, Echo released from the pit of their chest a high-pitched screech, only just on the edge of audibility to most ponies, directed at the trap that had put their elder into this state. The results from the spell completion happened so fast, Moonlight almost missed it between blinks. But the result removed any doubt that something dramatic had happened.
Neither Midnight nor his crystal pony counterpart had noticed until now, but the metal used to forge this trap had been twinged with a darker shade of grey than the normally polished work of any Ponyville blacksmith. On top of that, the whole thing had practically fallen apart after the spell had been cast, something that a trap of enough quality to prevent a bat pony from breaking out should not do with vibrations as weak as this.
“Aha! Just as I suspected!” Mystic exclaimed, his horn still glowing with delight, so much so that he nearly threw his book over Echo's head by accident, his assistant dropping to the floor by instinct in order to avoid getting smacked in the face by more than a couple hundred pages worth of magical knowledge. “Whomever this pony that planted this trap was, they were not simple poachers. Diamond, while your shine spell enhanced from my amulet did indeed disrupt it enough to be released, it did not completely de-spell the enchantment. Even with my spell, it will take some time to be completely purified. I suspect the culprit was either under the control of the nightmare forces upon laying the trap, or it had something to do with this individual blacksmith.”
“That is a nice theory and all, but erm, Mystic...” Diamond said while deliberately clearing her throat, “Trade secrets, remember?”
It was only then did Mystic realise he was starting to run his mouth off again. “Oh, sorry,” he replied with an embarrassed grin and an awkward chuckle. “Anyway, my point is that the creatures of darkness are starting to look further afield to spread their influence. We either have to start finding a source soon, or risk putting Ponyville on high alert for any suspicious activity.”
“Well that second option is absolutely out of the question,” Midnight interjected, “We cannot risk starting a moral panic, or even worse, a witch hunt.”
“Hey, I resent that!” Mystic snapped. “I've known plenty of witches at Celestia's magic school! Why would they be blamed for all this?!”
The elder bat pony groaned, planting his hoof into his face. Echo stepped forward in an attempt to clarify. “What Midnight means is that we can't have Ponyville citizens going around randomly accusing whoever they think may be possessed, or worse, lose their trust in Princess Luna. You remember how everypony reacted when Zekora first arrived in town, right? Well, imagine that, combined with how Luna was treated during the first Nightmare Night after her return, only with ponies taking it far more seriously.”
Mystic rubbed his chin, the glowing of his horn shining no less brightly as the gears in his mind spun. “I see your point. Though I think I may be able to find somepony who can help with this matter.”
Trotting over to a mirror on the far side of the room, a single spoken word caused the glass of the reflective wall furniture to ripple and waver in reaction to the green unicorn's magic, the reversed image of everyone in front of it fading away into a swirling mix of coloured flashes. A few moments later, these same basic elements of vision began to settle into something more recognisable. Gradually shimmering into view, the image of a pale, peach-coloured pony in a blue fedora and matching overcoat became visible. He would have been a fairly average earth pony, were it not for the fact he wore some kind of flesh-coloured mask that obscured most of his facial features.
Mystic couldn't help but cringe at the rather grotesque sight of a pony lacking any visible eyes, nose or mouth, though he did attempt to at least keep his discomfort discrete. Though he was never a wizard known for his diplomacy skills, he at least tried to keep some basic standard of politeness, even if his mind bounced back and forth between disgust and bewilderment of how the earth pony managed to gain such an appearance.
“Ah, Mystic Mind. Good to see you again,” the faceless pony said in a straightforward, almost monotone voice. It was impossible to tell if he was unaware of the emerald mage's discomfort, or if he was just ignoring it. “How can I help you today?”
“Oh, erm, hi...Query Quiver,” Mystic said, trying to keep his forced smile as natural looking as possible. “Have you seen Lady Oranges around today, per chance?”
“She is currently napping right now. Perhaps I can lend a hoof in whatever is on your mind today? Have you finally found that missing link between Princess Celestia's sleeping patterns and the odd lack of Zapp Apples this season? Applejack has been surprisingly quiet on the increasing trade business of her favourite magical fruit between Ponyville and Los Pegasus.”
“Oh no, that is quite alright,” Mystic cut off the faceless pony before he could go on another of his conspiratorial rants. And people say I ramble on about tangents too much, the emerald magi thought to himself. “I have to discuss something quite important with Ms. Oranges today, which I think she will want to know about as soon as possible. Could you please call her over?”
“Please, do remember that we are partners for a reason,” Query said, the subtle difference in his vocal tone implying that he would have been frowning if his eyebrows were at all visible. “I didn't get my cutie mark in problem-solving for nothing, after all. I was the one to uncover the secret formula being added to cider to make the Flim Flam brothers' knock off products more desirable, after all.”
How many times has Query changed the explanation behind his cutie mark now? Mystic pondered to himself. The image on the blank faced stallion's flank was that of a feather in the shape of a question mark, although compared to Mystic's own mark of a three hooked green circle, it wasn't really that much more vague. “Please, Query. I know you want to help, but I need to speak to Oranges right away. This is of urgent importance!”
“Fine!” The earth pony sighed, turning away from the mirror in a huff. “Hey, Oranges! Time to wake up now, Mystic needs you're attention right now!”
After a few seconds of thumping and mumbling in the background, an orange mare with long, brown hair stumbled into view, pulling on a sky blue jacket and big, round glasses. “Oh, hello Mystic. What's the problem that requires a call at this time of night?”
“Hey, Oranges!” Mystic replied in a voice that was considerably more clear and comfortable than before. “Please allow me to introduce you to Midnight Glider, Echo Dancer, and Diamond Moonlight. They've been involved in quite a dramatic situation tonight that I need to tell you about. We need to get a translation for the ponyville public that I think you are best suited to handle.”
“Ugh, slow down a minute, Mystic,” the orange earth pony yawned, brushing away her messy morning hair from the side of her face. “First of all, it's fine to introduce me as Written Word to the Lunar Guard. Oranges is just a pen name that I use for my day job. Secondly, what exactly is so urgent about this problem that a public relations discussion can't wait until daylight?”
“Oh my, I'm so sorry, Written!” Mystic said, looking somewhat embarrassed. “I guess I just lost track of time from spending so long underground. My own sleeping patterns are all over the place, as you know.”
“Don't worry about it,” Mystic's friend smiled, making sure that she avoided sounding grouchy. “I've gotten up at worse hours before. Now, what exactly is the issue you need help with?”
Echo backed away and hid behind her more magically inclined partner as the orange mare looked over towards them, crouching down in the hopes that she hadn't been spotted upon her introduction.
“Come on now, Echo, don't be shy. Written is super good at keeping secrets, so no pony besides her is going to know about you or anypony else down here,” Mystic tried to keep his tone of voice as soft and re-assuring as his gentle expression, but the mare of the night simply blushed and covered their eyes with their hooves. “Well, no pony besides that faceless guy, not that anyone would believe him anyway..”
“I heard that!” a yell came from behind Mystic's friend as she made an audible throat clearing to bring Mystic's attention back towards her.
“Oh, sorry about that. Echo is quite shy around new ponies, you see,” Mystic said, turning back towards the mirror. “Secret defence organisation and all that, I'm sure you can understand.”
“I figured,” Written replied, trying not to sound too frustrated at the bashful pony derailing her friend's train of thought yet again. “Now, as you were saying about the urgent problem...?”
“This!” Diamond burst into the conversation impatiently, throwing the busted bear trap towards the mirror, to which Mystic only just caught it before it smashed into the enchanted glass.
Now it was the earth pony's turn to duck away from sight out of reflex, peering up a few seconds later to see what had just happened.
“Hey, be careful!” Mystic snapped back, “You could have earned seven years bad luck there, Ms. Moonlight!”
“Sweet Celestia!” Written exclaimed, “Don't tell me you found that in the Everfree forest!”
“I didn't, but Midnight did. And he did not so much find it as step into it on accident.”
The elder bat pony grumbled under his breath, more than a little unhappy with the way Mystic had phrased his actions as if he was some careless colt, though Midnight did not say a word in retort. With everything that happened today, getting into more diverging arguments was the last thing he wanted.
“You know, it was only a few days ago when I last visited the Ponyville blacksmith,” The orange mare continued, “I must admit, his eyes did look quite vacant, as if his thoughts were straying elsewhere. He didn't look like he had gotten much sleep either.”
“Perhaps that is the evidence we are looking for as to how this trap made its way to us,” Mystic replied, rubbing his chin with his hoof once again as he pondered on the information presented to him. “I think the most we can do for now is try to keep the public off our tails. That should at least make it easier for myself and the Lunar Guard to prevent any more traps being set for the bat ponies to stumble into.”
Mystic took a deep sigh, the previous enthusiasm he had from his discovery now fading into worry. Written couldn't help but notice the drop in her friend's expression, as well as the fading of magic from his horn. “Is something on your mind, Mystic?” she asked, trying not to look too worried. “You're normally allot more ecstatic about uncovering clues to help Princess Luna's warriors than this.”
“It's difficult to say what's bothering me, exactly,” the green unicorn replied in a sombre tone. “I guess this is just another meander on the way to finally beating the nightmare forces. I haven't been around nearly as long as some of these ponies have, so I'm starting to wonder if I'm leading them on more of a wild goose chases than actually helping! If these tricksters are already starting to come close to taking out individual bat ponies, who's to say that I'm not being lead into a trap as well?”
“Do not forget the history of these shadow masters, Mystic,” Midnight spoke up, pacing forward towards the mirror while still trying to keep the weight off his bad leg. “They tricked Princess Luna into becoming overwhelmed with jealousy, rage, and especially fear of her remaining relevance in comparison to her sister. That is how the nightmare forces get you; exploit your deepest insecurities until they overwhelm you.”
“Couldn't have put it better myself!” Echo added, jumping up in support of their unicorn friend, before realising that the orange pony was still watching from behind the mirror. Blushing bashfully, the bat pony lowered their head once more and softened their voice. “I mean, I'm happy with everything you've done for us. You helped me avoid becoming just another slave to my own fears. Surely that counts for something?”
“Well it seems your contributions to the Lunar Guard are highly valued to say the least,” Written chuckled. “I think I have a good headline that will at least buy you some time. Say Query, how does 'Local blacksmith hypnotised by notorious everfree poaching gang' sound to you for a headline?”
“Magnificent!” the faceless stallion exclaimed, racing to get the parchments and quills. “I know a few loose threads from recent police investigations that can fit together nicely. Illegal transportation of iron to and from ponyville, history of kidnapping ponies, gem extortion and slave labour. Those Diamond Dogs are soon going to find themselves in quite a heap of trouble!”
“Perfect! The Foal Free Press is going to have a field day when they get a hold of this story,” the earth pony rubbed her hooves together with anticipation. “Thanks for the inspiration, Mystic. I've been meaning to find a good story to grab the attention of the Ponyville populace. This is going to be the hottest story of the year, I can just feel it!”
“I'm glad I could help,” Mystic said, a warm smile growing across his face. “Thank you all so much for your support. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can work on a locator spell that will lead us to the individual who planted that cursed trap to begin with. The blacksmith is an earth pony, so he's out of the question for any potential subjects. Written, I'm going to need you and Query to make sure he doesn't get anyone else snooping up on his trail. Think you can manage that?”
“Absolutely!” the quiver-marked journalist saluted to the mage. “Oh, and one more thing Mystic?”
“Huh?”
“Try not to turn anypony into newts this time around, will you?”
“Oh, right! I'll make a note of that, thanks,” Mystic blushed, remembering the last time he and Written had worked on a case together.
“No problem. I'd better get to work. Lady of Oranges, signing out!”
Echo breathed a sigh of relief once the image in the mirror finally faded away. Though upon looking up, Mystic was already fiddling around trying to levitate a few books down while searching for the correct spell. Even if they were not ready to face ponies from the outside world, Echo figured that they could at least help their excitable magic teacher sort through his extensive library.
Ivory Spark lay in his bed, eyes wide open as he tossed and turned from side to side. He had tried everything he could to relax, including counting Pinkie Pie clones, something which he had seen happen before his very eyes less than a year prior. Yet, for whatever reason, Ivory just could not get to sleep. Kicking off the covers, the snowy white unicorn stood up on his bed, still grasping his favoured plush dragon toy in his arms, gazing out of the window, hoping to at least pass the time with some star gazing. Though the light from street lamps were dim, it was still enough to pollute the sky with enough brightness to obscure even the closest of Luna's lights.
Ivory let out a disgruntled sigh. “So much for that idea,” he said to his toy dragon with a bitter tone. If only he hadn't been considered too young to join in with Winter Wrap Up, he could have found a dark enough area to see some of the most elaborate constellations out there; in between duties to prepare warmer months, of course. “I wonder if all of those stars they had once been real ponies,” he said, letting out a long sigh, pushing the head of his plush toy forward to mimic his own expression. “Just like the tale of the Mare in the Moon describes. Luna only knows... “
What the albino unicorn could see did little to ease his frustration. Several early birds, mostly pegusi and earth pony neighbours of his, were already out and about. No doubt that these folks were also having trouble sleeping, though more likely due to the excitement of the annual spring dawning festival beginning in just a few hours. If the assorted collection of farming tools and brightly coloured vests were anything to go by, Ivory's neighbours were anything but unprepared for the tasks ahead of them. Ivory slumped back into his bed, squeezing his plush dragon tight against his chest. With a frustrated sigh, he held up his favourite toy and gazed directly into its button eyes.
“I just don't get it, Garnosh,” the little colt said to the squishy reptile. “Everypony in the class above of me gets to help out in Winter Wrap Up. They'll all be getting their cutie marks for sure! What difference does a year make that means I don't get to have any of the fun?”
Ivory cocked Garnosh's head towards him, mimicking the body language of a pony who was paying close attention to him—an action that, in his mind, would be nice if more ponies actually did for a change. “That's what I was thinking!” Ivory exclaimed, remembering how Miss Cheerilee had insisted that it wasn't his time to get involved, in spite of his insistence. “It's not fair how I always get left out for being little. One day I'm going to grow up to be a big and strong stallion, just like Big Macintosh! I'll show them!” Ivory waved his hoof with a dramatic flare, before pushing his plush dragon's head forward into a nod. “Thanks for listening pal, I knew that you would understand,” he said, pulling Garnosh into a tight embrace.
Turning over onto his side, Ivory finally let out a yawn as a heaviness fell onto his eyelids, hoping that Princess Luna could give him something pleasant to experience as he departed from the waking world. In spite of everything he had been given since being adopted from the Canterlot orphanage—a soft bed of his own, a clean room, all the plush toys he could want—it was nights like these where he felt more like a pet than a son to his foster parents.
His thoughts soon drifted to all the arguments he had had with them in this past week alone. Each time an experiment to find his special talent didn't go quite as planned, be it an attempt to cook for himself or practice with an alchemy kit he had borrowed from Applebloom, his step mother would snap at him with a scalding anger.
“Don't play with hot water!” she told him. Ivory had tried to argue that it wasn't that hot—simmering maybe, but hardly boiling—but his mother had insisted otherwise. “Don't mix those chemicals! Don't do this, don't do that!” she would wound continue to rant.
Ivory's train of thought was suddenly derailed by a gentle, yet audible tapping sound. It was only just within his range of hearing, yet it was still noticeable. It's probably nothing, Ivory thought to himself, hugging his plush dragon tighter. Just some ponies shovelling snow out front or something...
Then the sound came again, clearer this time; precisely three taps coming from the window. If this was some kind of prank from one of his classmates from school, Ivory certainly didn't find it to be the least bit funny. I am so going to tell Cheerliee tomorrow morning if they don't stop...
Still the sound persisted, soon increasing to consistent rhythm of four, the pace matching his heart rate. By this point, the noise had become much less scary and much more irritating. Eventually, Ivory's curiosity as to just what was causing this noise became too much to bear. He had to know what in Equestria was making such a din! Opening his eyes, Ivory rolled over onto his front, then pulled himself up to the windowsill. What Ivory saw made his jaw drop in amazement.
Hovering just outside his room, three grey pegusi dressed in dark purple and black jump suits—outfits that contrasted their flowing blue manes—were trying to get his attention. Somehow, the latch on the window was already undone, allowing Ivory to push it open without much effort. There was no doubt about who these three ponies were; they were members of the Wonderbolts, the most elite team of military stunt flyers in all of Equestria!
“Ivory Spark! Thank Celestia we finally got your attention,” the mare of the trio said, sounding relieved. “My name is Gale Springbreeze. We've been searching all over Ponyville for children to help us in a super secret mission, but so few are brave enough to join us!”
Ivory tried to move his mouth to speak, but he was simply so amazed by the fact the Wonderbolts had just turned up outside his room that words completely failed him.
“Ivory, are you okay?” the stallion to the left of Gale asked, looking somewhat concerned.
“Huh?” Ivory replied, snapping out of his starstruck stare. “Oh, sorry! It's just that I never thought I'd be strong enough to company the Wonderbolts on a mission!”
An amused smirk grew across Gale's face. “We overheard from Princess Twilight Sparkle herself how your magic is growing in power every day. She said that, at this rate, you're going to get a cutie mark that will make your classmates green with envy!”
Ivory opened his mouth to reply, but once again his face froze in a slack-jawed grin, transfixed on the town idols coming to him for help! “So, are ya coming?” The shorter-haired stallion to the right asked.
“Am I ever?” Ivory squealed with delight, hopping out of the open window and onto Gale's back.
“Fantastic!” Gale exclaimed. Her expression was partially concealed to Ivory by the mask of her flight suit, making it unreadable to him. But regardless, Ivory knew in his heart that Gale was almost as exited to have him join the Wonderbolts as he was to join them! “Please allow me to introduce my comrades; Thunder Quest to my right, and Flash Sundancer to my left. On behalf of Princess Twilight Sparkle and General Spitfire, I declare you, Ivory Spark, to be an honorary supporting member of the Wonderbolts Scout Brigade!”
Reaching into a pocket in her flight suit, Gale pulled out a small necklace, carved from a tiny cut of diamond, threaded together with a black string that was just right for a school aged colt. Any child of Ivory's age would recognise the shape immediately; a lightning bolt with a pair of wings on either side, the same symbol that had been stitched onto the flanks of the three pegusi's suits. Spreading her wings out from their partially folded hovering position, the leading Wonderbolt flapped them down in a broad stroke that launched her into a high speed ascension, reducing the sight of the houses below to little more than barely recognisable specks on the ground within seconds.
Ivory clung on tight with his hooves clamped around Gale, the force of acceleration pushing him back harder than anything he had ever experienced before. Ivory could feel his heart pounding in his chest, adrenaline flooding his body to give him the strength to hold steady against the backlash that threatened to throw him clean off his Pegasus mentor.
Ivory had no idea how much time had passed since leaving his bedroom. It felt like seconds, but given the distance he travelled, it could have been far longer. Almost as quickly as the ascent had begun, Ivory felt Gale pitching forward to level out her flight path, spreading the feathers on the leading edge of her wings to their fullest extent, settling into a steady glide pattern above the clouds, only flapping occasional to maintain altitude. Now, under a gentle cruise, they flew away from the wintry weather below. Ivory's eyes went wide with amazement as the full extent of Princess Luna's heavenly patterns stretched out before him. The sheer number of twinkling lights that gleamed down from above matched every single one of the pictures in Ivory's text books to the smallest detail, as if they had been lifted straight out of the pages themselves to be plastered across the sky.
“This is amazing!” Ivory exclaimed with delight, pointing his hoof towards a few of his favourite constellations. “Look! There's Ursa Major. Remember that time Twilight soothed one of its cranky babies? My stepmum told me all about that one, from before Twilight became the Princess of Friendship. And look over there! That's an image of Celestia and Luna dancing together, made by Luna the night after the Elements of Harmony turned her good again from being Nightmare Moon.”
Ivory would have been content to continue on with his explanations of the history behind each constellation, but he was cut short by what appeared to him as a soft, disgruntled moan coming from pegusi below him. “Is everything alright, Miss Gale?”
“Alright? Why yes...yes of course!” the Wonderbolt leader replied, trying to appear confident in spite of the small glimmer of hesitation in her voice. Ivory quickly decided it was best not to ask any more questions about Gale's mood. He had been chosen for a very important mission, so it seemed only logical to him that this was a time to focus on the task at hoof. Stargazing would have wait until another time.
“How far do we have to go the mission starts? I'm more than ready to kick the flanks of any bad guys who stand in our way!” releasing one hoof, Ivory made a few faux punching motions, flexing his biceps in an effort to make himself look strong for his hero.
Gale chuckled under her breath, trying not to make too much of a show of how amusing she found the little pony's actions. “Don't worry, we just need to wait for Thunder and Flash to get back to us with two other children. You are going to make an amazing team with them, I can feel it!”
“Just like the Power Ponies, right?”
“Yes! Exactly like the Power Ponies,” Gale said, grinning as if she knew what the little unicorn was talking about. All she had to do was keep his spirits high until the next phase of her plan could be revealed. The timely arrival of her comrades showed Gale that she wouldn't be waiting for much longer. Bursting through the clouds below, Thunder and Flash fell into rank on either side of their commanding officer. On their backs, a sunburst yellow earth pony and scarlet red Pegasus rode, both looking to be roughly the same age as Ivory—and if their expressions were anything to go by, their excitement at joining their heroes on a grand adventure was surpassed only by Ivory himself.
“Are these the chosen ones?” Gale asked with a dramatic tone.
“Yes Ma'am! The team is finally assembled!” Thunder replied, his voice as deep and full of pride as his name would suggest. He and Flash simultaneously saluted Gale, a gesture that the children riding on their backs copied as they giggled in excitement.
“Perfect!” Gale exclaimed. Reaching over her head with her front hooves, Gale pulled Ivory off of her back and held him out in front of her so that they could talk face to face. “Now you three, listen up. Before we take on the bad guys, we need to train you in a very special technique that will unlock your true power!”
Ivory clapped his hooves together. This was it! The moment that other ponies his age could only dream about. But as he locked eyes with the Wonderbolt commander, an odd sensation began to come over him. In fact, it was the same sensation that had been preventing him from getting back to sleep earlier that night; a force that made the air around him feel stiflingly hot. Ivory had just been so thrilled to be with the Wonderbolts, he had forgotten all about it. But now the headache had returned, evolving from an annoying throbbing sensation on the back of his head, to a painful pressure right behind his eyes.
Gale spoke to him again, but any words that he expected come out of her mouth became garbled and slurred. Ivory's heart rate spiked, forcing him into a pattern of quick, shallow breaths just to get enough oxygen pumping through his blood stream. The immaculate blue and gold on the uniforms faded into a sinister looking purple and black livery, with Ivory's necklace following suit as it bloomed to life with a deep red glow. But this was more than just a light show. The ornament was spewing forth a cloud of black gas, one that surrounded the three adult Pegusi to snuff out even the brightest shine from the moon and stars above. The last thing Ivory saw before darkness consumed his senses completely was the faces of his heroes; scowling and laughing with a voice that was not their own.
“Hail to the Nightmare.” These words echoed in Ivory's mind, as quiet as a whisper, yet as clear as a shout. Before he could comprehend what was going on, the pony who had called herself Gale released her grip on the unicorn, surrendering him to feel the full force of gravity.
As he plummeted to the ground, Ivory let out a scream of terror that echoed far and wide.
A sharp cough burst out from Ivory Spark's lungs. He was awake, or at the very least, conscious enough to be aware of his surroundings. Where he was or how he got here, however, he hadn't the faintest clue. Was this all just a horrible dream? Maybe Princess Luna would be showing up at any moment to teach him the meaning of it all. He opened his mouth to call out to guardian of the night, but no sound escaped his lips. His throat felt incredibly sore, though that was only a fraction of the overall pain he felt at this time. His whole body ached, like he had just been forced to do the running of the leaves while pulling a five ton cart of apples behind him. Ivory attempted to stand up, though he only manage to raise himself a couple of inches off of the ground before his legs gave way, collapsing back down to the cold, hard ground.
Wherever he was, the place was pitch black. So dark, in fact, that Ivory couldn't even see his hoof in front of his face, causing him to wonder if he had suddenly gone blind. Rubbing his aching head, Ivory tried to summon up an illumination spell, attempting to at least give him some indication as to where in Equestria he was.
Nothing. The more Ivory tried, the more his head throbbed. He tried several more times, but all he managed to do was make his headache worse. Ivory's front hooves began to shake, his teeth chattering along side them as a sudden feeling of dread filled the pits of his gut. Still unable to hold himself up, Ivory dragged himself forward on his belly in hopes of escape, only to find his path blocked by a set of steel bars that stretched up far beyond his reach. Banging his hooves on the bars, a little spark of magic finally flashed on the tip of his horn, illuminating the intimidate area around the little unicorn. Though it lasted only a few brief seconds, what Ivory saw made his eyes widen with horror.
Ivory's last memories before he woke up in confinement flooded back into his mind. What was previously a trickle was now a torrent, displaying everything in vivid detail, from the rapid transformation of the Wonderbolts, to suddenly feinting and falling to earth at terminal velocity. Now he was trapped in a steel cage, with what looked to be two unconscious—or possibly even dead—fillies laying behind him. Watching over them in the darkness behind, a trio of sharp, glowing red eyes glared, pinning Ivory to the spot with their gaze as they licked their long, protruding teeth with blood red tongues, suggesting to his quick thinking that they had every intention of eating something, or somepony, and now it was his turn.
Smacking his front hooves on the bars even harder than before, Ivory tried once more to scream, but yet again no sound escaped his throat. Sweat poured down the unicorn's face as the light from his horn faded, every muscle in his body twitching with panic, desperate to run and get himself as far away from this horror as possible. These efforts were met with little more than the frantic scraping of dirt with his back hooves. He was trapped Celestia only knew where, locked in a cage with vicious monsters that wanted him to be their next meal, and no visible way out. Yet the little unicorn refused to accept that this was the end. Even if it was a futile effort, Ivory kept stomping his hooves and rattling the bars, hoping that somepony, somewhere, would notice him and come to his rescue.
His wish was granted, but not in the way that he would have ever expected. First came a sound; a tiny little whistle pitched just on the edge of Ivory's awareness. From the moment that he noticed it, the sound grew louder, until it had developed into a sharp, almost ringing like sensation that began to vibrate the bars in front of him. Ivory glanced behind him for a moment. The crimson eyes that had been looking upon him with a frenzied desire were still there, only now they were beginning to back away, looking in every direction around them in a vein effort to try and figure out where the sound was coming from.
At first it seemed obvious to Ivory, but the more he paid attention to the bizarre noise, the more he realized that it seemed to be changing direction every couple of seconds. Suddenly, a series of bright orbs of light flashed in the darkness ahead of Ivory. They were not red like those of his captors, but a dark shade of purple, blinking in and out of existence at seemingly random intervals, growing and shrinking in both size and numbers.
A sharp yelp from the red-eyed creatures sent Ivory leaping upwards in a startled jump, almost hitting his head in the process. Now his captors were starting to display fear themselves, attempting to abandon the cage, but each time finding themselves blocked by a sharp hiss and a wide, grinning mouth with inch long fangs flashing at them from out of the darkness. Whatever these creatures were, they only served to amplify the colt's fear, his body now curling up in terror as he shut his eyes tight and plugged his ears with his front hoof, trying in vain to block out the awful din.
Though he did not realize it, whatever these things that had emerged to greet his predators were, they now surrounded the red-eyed beings, all facing away from Ivory to direct their sonic blast at his captors. The pressure was mounting, his foes were reeling in agony, their eyes flickering as if they were a candle flame burning through the last slithers of the wax. It was then that something snapped inside of Ivory's mind. He could stand this no longer. His horn erupted into a dazzling beam of prismatic white light, and he screamed.
It was louder than anything he had ever produced before, a release of pent up emotions that had been building up inside of him from the moment that he had woken up in this Celestia forsaken trap. The dazzling flash lit up his surroundings with a brightness that to the bat ponies it revealed, may as well have been as strong as the Solar Princesses' star. Shielding their eyes, they dropped to the ground as a burning sensation shot through their minds, a rainbow array of colours dancing in their vision to the complete obscurity of all else.
The captors of Ivory Spark were revealed as well. What had appeared to him as massive monsters with exceptionally sharp fangs turned out to be little more than Diamond Dogs; ugly canine creatures that now lay unconscious on the stone floor of tunnel. With their hosts now immobilised, a pitch black substance—the consistency of which was somewhere between a living shadow and puddle of bubbling hot tar—melted away from their bodies, seeping through the cracks in the wall to escape the blinding light.
Seconds later, Ivory's spell came to an abrupt end, his body completely exhausted from the sudden mass exertion of magic. Loosing his balance, Ivory tipped over sideways, slumping onto his side as his chest expanded and contracted quickly in an effort to catch his breath.
Out of all the Bat Ponies, Echo Dancer was the first to arise. Rubbing their eyes as the last slimmer of light faded away, their blurry vision quickly came back into focus. Once they could properly see again, Echo noticed the three children laying in the cage. They knew that Diamond Dogs were prone to kidnapping unlucky ponies that ventured too far into their territory, that much wasn't unusual.
What was a dreadful first for them, however, was kidnapping children. One glance of their coats showed few bruises or dirt smears that would indicate any kind of struggle. In fact, Echo was surprised at how few obvious injuries the prisoners had between them. It was if they had been plucked straight out of their beds and transported here in a matter of seconds. How that was possible, Echo could only speculate.
As they began to examine the cage, Echo's comrades started to return to their senses. The first among to approach Echo was their unit commander, Radon Arc. “What in Luna's name just happened?” he grumbled, his head pounding more than a day's worth of heavy drinking. Even with his dishevelled state, his posture still allowed Radon to stand at least half a foot taller than Echo, his solid black mane and fading crescent cutie mark making him distinct among the crowd of purple-and-magenta-haired ponies.
“I'm not entirely sure myself, but I can tell you where it came from,” Echo replied, pointing to Ivory Spark, his horn still flickering with residual magic sparks.
Radon stared at him in disbelief. “How could such a little kid create such a powerful light spell? He doesn't even have his cutie mark yet!”
Echo shrugged. “You're asking the wrong pony here, sir. That's Mystic's field of expertise, not mine.”
Radon stepped forward to get a better look at the children. Two of them were still unconscious, but breathing at a steady rate. The Unicorn also appeared to be settling down, though he still made no attempt to move.
“Leave...me...alone...” Ivory said weakly.
“Don't worry kid, we're here to help. Just sit tight,” Radon said, attempting to reduce his voice from the usual gruff and commanding expression to a more soft and welcoming tone instead.
“No...please...Wonderbolts...don't...touch...”
It was obvious to Echo that the kid was forcing himself awake, yet somehow—either by sheer force of will or some other unknown trait of Unicorns—he was not just talking, but aware of everypony else in the room. Radon opened his mouth to try and comfort the colt further, but Echo just extended their hoof to stop him.
“Leave him!” Echo snapped, before the memory of their rank caught up with them a second slower than her knee jerk reaction. “Sorry, sir. I mean, I think our appearance is scaring the little guy. If I may make a suggestion, we can send for Mystic and Diamond, both of whom will be more likely to be a familiar sight to a surface pony of his age than us.”
Though he attempted to keep his expression neutral, Radon couldn't prevent himself from scowling the edge of his lips in annoyance at Echo breaking command, though he refused to let it show in his voice, simply shaking his head instead. “No, I'm afraid that is not a risk we can take,” he said calmly. “We don't know for sure how much the unicorn was hurt by the Nightmare Dogs, much less that of the other two children. This is an emergency, so a little discomfort is going to be necessary in order to ensure their well being.”
One look at Ivory Spark told Echo that this was not going to be an easy journey. She squirmed and bit her lip. This was the risk that so many of their kind had to face every time they found themselves among the ponies of the surface world. Everything about her appearance struck among followers of Celestia; Echo could see that in how much Ivory recoiled in horror at the slightest flutter of their wings, an action that emphasised the assets bestowed upon their kind by Nightmare Moon's legacy. No matter how many hundreds of years they spent waging war against the very force that made them as they are today, there would always be something about them that appealed to a primal instinct hidden deep in the mind of each passing generation.
“Then I'll take him,” Echo said as they walked up to the cage. Summoning up the natural pegasus magic from deep within their soul, Echo's eyes lit up with a soft white light, their tongue clicking against the roof of their mouth as they tailored the sonic spell, gently lulling the little unicorn back into a hypnotic sleep. The process only took a few seconds, but they were long enough for the sharp pain of guilt to nibble away at the back of Echo's mind. Their talent was supposed to be used on the parasitic nightmare forces, not a gradeschool kid so far from home.
The same sonic resonance that put Ivory to sleep also made it easy to break open the lock on the cage door. “I'll meet you back at base, commander,” Echo said, saluting their superior officer.
Radon returned the salute. “The rest of our squad will not be far behind. Luna's speed, Echo.”
“Thank you, Commander,” With those formalities out of the way, echo spread their wings and leapt into the cavern darkness, giving a silent prayer to Luna that they hadn't added to the list of mental scars that the little unicorn would likely already have.