Britannia and the Children of the Night: A vignette about vampires · 10:01pm Aug 22nd, 2012
When it comes to writing an epic-length story series, dear reader. one of the things you will have to deal with are scenes you envision that take place months or even years down the line in books yet to be written or that may not even be written depending on whether the plan changes or you are unable to live up to your ambitions. Uggh.
In terms of my fanfic this is no-doubt going to be my biggest hurdle but the whole point behind this unprofitable exercise is to get myself writing no-matter what. It helps that its something I enjoy and a story I want to tell but actually pushing myself to write every week or even every day is a massive commitment. I aim to write at least one chapter per week on the Unauthorised Biography but, for the moment, that really does depend on my work load. I have a lot of stuff to get on with and tidy up this week so I will probably wait until that's done.
In the mean time, this is a thought I had when I was thinking about how Luna's Bat-winged Pegasus guards fit into my interpretation of the Equestrian Military. Now I was hesitant to commit to anything until now and, really, I still haven't as my work will still use Canon from the show as the unbreakable line I may not cross. I interpret MLP:Fim (in my fanfic verse) as a historical biopic movie-show documenting the lives of the Mane 6 for the Equestrian public with some singing and slapstick humour for the foals. This allows me to write with a suitably adult tone for my fanfic's subject matter without removing the 'factual' elements of Friendship is Magic but, still, what is confirmed in the show is lore.
As we haven't had any explanation or further appearances of Luna's Royal Guard I will choose to wait until season 3 (or further depending on how long it takes) before featuring them but this is the idea that wouldn't die today and I thought worth committing to print while it's still fresh in my mind.
WIP Excerpt from Britannia and the Children of the Night
There are many stories from the time of the great schism between Celestia and Luna and the short-lived rebellion by the entity that would become known as Nightmare Moon. Many have passed into myth and legend as the passage of time and the reticence of the, now lone, Princess of Equestria has allowed the cultural memory to become twisted into nursery rhymes and bedtime stories for young foals.
One such 'story' is that of the Night Guard. Not to be confused with the watch-ponies and guards who patrol our streets when most ponies are a-bed, the Night Guard were once the Royal Life Guards to Princess Luna, ruler of the night-time domain. As the time came when, overcome with loneliness and jealousy and mysterious and ancient dark magics, Princess Luna transformed herself into Nightmare Moon, the Night Guard, sworn to be loyal to their princess, took up their malevolent ruler's cause to cast perpetual night upon Equestria.
As with their mistress they too were transformed by the dark powers. Now: dark coated, bat-winged, lynx-eyed and fanged, they clashed with their former comrades and allies in Celestia's Royal Guard in open battle, the first time pony had faced pony since before the founding of Equestria herself. No real records remain of the actual events that finally led to the defeat of Nightmare Moon and how Celestia unleashed the Elements of Harmony upon her sister (and the Princess is still not inclined to tell) But tales do tell of how, in the final battle of sister against sister, the Night Guard, loyal to the bitterest of ends, finally forsook their once noble vows.
It was by no means unanimous and it had been a decision made after much bloodshed and suffering finally opened the soldiers' eyes to the monstrousness of their deeds and, desiring to do their utmost to atone, they turned on their beloved ruler and fought in the name of Celestia. Just like Celestia's own guard, they fell in droves, even moreso as their mistress cursed their betrayal with a cruel vengeance.
Once the battle had been fought and the former Princess Luna was imprisoned within the heavenly body she once controlled, Celestia pardoned the surviving Night-Guard, eager to end the strife and reform the broken and suffering land that was now her own sole responsibility. Forgiveness and redemption, however, the Night Guard could never attain. Their new forms: dark and nocturnal and with a new and unsettling need to consume flesh, could not be changed, the power to do so encased within the moon along with the princess who had wielded it. As such, they were now outcasts in Equestria, their new forms marking them as traitors and a permanent reminder down the generations of their betrayal.
And, so, they shunned the world of daylight that now hurt their nocturnal eyes and the Equestrians that now treated them with fear, scorn and disgust. As Celestia left the ruined palace that she and Luna had once called home for her new residence in the many-towered unicorn city of Canterlot, the Night-Guard left for their new home and their place of self-imposed exile. It was a fortress Luna herself had raised in the mountains bordering Equestria in preparation for her war: a fortress built upon the ruins of one from long before there even was an Equestria. She had named it the Nocturnal Palace but its old name still clung to its black buttresses and towering spires: Midnight Castle. And it was here that the Night-Guard made their home in the wilderness of Tramplevania and, it is said, their descendents still reside to this day.
Some say they are now monstrous creatures, swooping down in the night to terrify outlying villages and feast upon the flesh and blood of the living and that only the power of harmony itself and the glory of Celestia's sun can defeat them. Others say that they still march beneath the banner of Nightmare Moon and await the day, as the prophesies foretell, when in the thousandth year of her imprisonment the stars will aid in her escape and they will redeem themselves to their mistress of the night and help bring eternal darkness to Equestria once again.
And then, there are those that say that they live their lives in peace, their curse still hanging over them, and simply wish for the day when Princess Luna, their true Princess, will return and cast her beautiful night over them again and use her magic to undo the spell that divides them from their fellow ponies.
The truth, as it tends to be, is simpler but, also, a lot more complicated...
Atop the gatehouse that provided the sole ground entrance to the Nocturnal Palace, the Night-Guards gazed down at the approaching line of carriages and torch-bearing ponies. They could make out everypony in the convoy quite clearly, their catlike eyes making the night appear as bright as day to them. High above the castle walls and above the tree-line either side of the track that led up to the fortress, bat-winged and armour-clad ponies kept a watchful vigil.
This was their domain: the one that the Princess of the Sun had granted them, and they guarded it zealously, even from their own, supposed, allies in the Equestrian Army. Out here, in the hinterlands of the nation, this was restricted territory. As far as most of Equestria was concerned, the Night-Guard didn't even exist. For now, that was exactly as they liked it, even when they truly truly didn't.
A single figure flapped her own bat-wings and landed atop a crenellation in the middle of the gatehouse. A banner swayed from the parapet beneath her hooves bearing the Eye of Luna: their Regimental symbol: a permanent reminder of their cause and curse. Let us look at this figure. Her coat is a grey-blue, like a cloud at twilight. Polished dark armour sweeps in ornate shapes over her surprisingly slight figure. It conceals her cutie-mark but certainly doesn't leave other aspects of her most definitely feminine figure to the imagination.
Looking at her face it is difficult to determine her age. It is rather youthful if you look at it in the right light, not that light is much of a factor at this moment of time. The term pixie-like comes to mind. She's removed her ornate helmet, revealing a devil-may-care shock of lylac hair and two tufted ears. Her face is a little snub-nosed but in such a way that would suggest something quite foal-like and her cheeks are similarly rather full. There is nothing foal-like about her yellow eyes, though. Regardless of the feline slits, the arched eyebrows and slight crow's feet gave her a very adult expression. Coupled with a slight smirk, it gave the impression as if she were about to tell a particularly saucy anecdote...of which she knew many.
The Kolonel-Contessa Svelte Von Nocturne of Princess Luna's Ancient Order of the Moon cast her sights over her brethren in arms from the land of the Sun as their carriages began to cross onto the draw-bridge. Her eyes lighted upon one of the marching ponies in particular.
The unicorn in question had already drawn the attention of the Night Guard scouts, accompanied as she was by a real beast of a manticore that prowled behind her and occasionally shot belligerent glares at the fluttering ponies of the night. To Svelte, the unicorn mare's coat blazed white in her night-vision. There was sign of a uniform but it was hidden beneath a white silken cape of some regiment she was unfamiliar with. Likewise, her helmet looked like something that belonged in a museum but she seemed to wear it with an easy dignity that told of somepony who had grown very comfortable with it. The face, and indeed the body, beneath the uniform is what made Svelte raise an appraising eyebrow. An alabaster statue, lips pursed in a classic Guard-pony poker-face, framed by a few wayward tresses of scarlet mane and with eyes like icy pools edged by thick black lashes.
Svelte's smile widened into an impish grin, sharp fangs glinting in the torchlight as the cavalcade passed beneath the thresh-hold and within the curtain-wall of Midnight Castle. She took one last lingering look over the unusually attired guard-pony.
“Vell, vell,” she purred to herself. “It seems zhey've started taking my dispatches to heart. Zhey've actually sent a cute vun.”
A possible scene from Britannia and the Children of the Night: A story of vampires, werewolves, cheesy horror stereotypes and shipping ;)
Yes, Svelte's design is primarily inspired by the female Night Guard that you can catch in the big banner thing at the top of this page if you flick through. I don't know her fanon name if she has one but if she does then lets say Svelte is a relative or something (heck in the Britannia-verse all the Night Guard are somewhat related) I just couldn't get this image of a vampiric sexpot pony out of my head, against whom I could throw Britannia and see what happened. The answer: surprising, actually, even outside the potential shipteasing. We'll have classic horror story cheese, a couple of inverted stereotypes, some genuine chills )I hope) and some rather touching and sad moments. I like Svelte as I see her, she's going to be fun to write. So, yeah. So want to write this. Will have to wait.
Almost forgot about this but if I had to use something to give the feel of who the Night Guard are and one scene in the story I have in mind in particular this is very it!
Impressive idea.