{How the hell did I get into this mess again?} The old thought starting to creep its ugly head back into my mind, as I look outside the cage bars, looking at Ponyville as the six ponies are called heros for stopping me and Nightmare Moon's plot to take over Equestria and bring about an eternal night...they destroyed my queen...turning her into...a shy, weak false alicorn...nothing like my queen at all...
All of those ponies...so...happy...so....proud....the night was beautiful in all of its glory...their sunlit faces...it makes me sick to my stomach. They all ignore me for most of the celebration that they saved the world from evil and rescued the princesses...they all see me as a traitor and leave me to rot in my cage, the sun beating down on me does not help either. Oh how I loathe the sun...
Everfree Forest, 7 Hours Ago
I followed the six mares journey into the Everfree Forest, going down a beaten path to the old castle, MY old castle...but I will not let that happen, not on my watch, and not while I still draw breath. Keeping my distance from them staying near bushes and tree's to avoid getting spotted, staying as quiet as possible to avoid getting caught.
After a few minutes they reached a clearing which was my time to appear behind them, trapping them within the cliffside but fate had something else in mind. At that moment I felt my Queen's magic near me and within a split second it caused the entire side of the cliff to crumble under their combined weight, along with me near the edge of the fallout zone.
"OH BUCK ME!!!" was all I said before I quickly landed on a large chunk of rock as it fell, hitting the ground with a loud thud and rolled out of the way of more falling debris, smacking my still sore back into another large rock, denting the already dented plating even more, causing it to press into my ribs, making my breathing short and staggered. "Can this...*cough cough* get any worse?" as I looked up, yes it can get worse as I see the six ponies slowly descending the cliff, making their way down as I quickly crawled away into the bushes, using low level magic to numb the pain. I stick my head out of the bush long enough to see Applejack let go of Twilight as her two friends catch her and gently let her go down on the ground as I give off a very silent grumble of annoyance. After a few moments to catch their breaths they continued on as I slowly get back up on my hooves and partially limp my way behind them, pulling out my crossbow from my left armor slot and inserted a shatterhead bolt into the slot. "A Shatterhead...a distraction and panic bolt...explodes upon contact and shoots out shrapnel of splinters...useless against armor plating or thick skin but soft targets will just get a bunch of splinters of sheer annoyance...still hate these since its so damn sensitive..." I grumbled since the last time I used this bolt I ended up spending 2 hours pulling out a bunch of splinters from my left hoof.
After a few moments of careful aiming and slow limping, I slowly pulled on the trigger but was fired to earlier after tripping on an exposed tree root, the bolt going over all of them and was not heard but when it exploded, the sound that came after them was a slight roar...perfect...my stupid bolt just hit something large...please let it be a bear...bears are easy to handle, if it was a manticore than I would hope it takes care of the mares in question.
I stopped for a moment to see how much of my armor is dented, and the quick look was bad, the sides of my armor is dented inward, meaning that my sides are pinched and breathing would be harder since my ribs won't be able to move on its own, and my back plating was scrached up along with my helmet, my cape looked like it was chewed up and spat back out, holes and tears in it along with dried blood from both its wearer and from its recently deceased target.
"I swear when this is over I am going to require a spell that will help me repair this damage....of all the things I learned...mind manipulation, combat and defensive magic, illusion spells, minor healing spells,and even purification magic! But NOOOOOO the spells that can manipulate metal and cloth was to much effort....my flank!" I grumbled to myself as I limped after the mares only to see that they were stopped by a manticore with a large ass splinter in its paw, seems like the entire bolt was right in the paw except for the shaft and fletching...this might be a problem.
All I hear at that moment was the sound of my own heartbeat as my vision goes blurry and everything starts to double-up, at first I thought it was just an illusion of the forest but to what I did not know at the time that manticore I thought actually gave me a deep gash to my side, where the armor plating doesn't quite cover completely covering was between where the armor plating was held together. I just look around hoping to not be heard but I slowly lose consciousness and fall into the void as my eyes close shut from blood loss, and all I can mumble out was "what hit me...."
As I come back to the land of the living I noticed that the manticore I shot was looking right at me, looking at me with its big glossy eyes, trying to think on who I am, and if I am friendly, my response was to drain all of its vitality and its stamina and force it to sleep. Using that kind of magic was something that Nightmare Moon would have never of thought to teach me unless it was for the questioning of ponies that refused to answer a question when asked, I use it in combat to make it easier on myself, but at that moment I needed it since being on the verge of death was not amusing in the slightest.
The manticore fell over immediately and was quickly snoring loudly as I quickly pulled myself off the forest floor while instantiously putting away my crossbow into my armor slot, remembering where the 6 mares left, I galloped into the general direction and came across a sea-serpent that was wearing a large grin and I noticed on his upper-lip was two different colored moustaches, one a very amber/orange while the other a curly purple....
"Noooo bucking way....don't tell me Steve...your moustache got a make over and you are happy that it is now completely different? Wow...never would have thought that you were such a gentledrake that cared about his looks...ehh. but could you tell me if you have seen six mares coming through this way?" I said with quickened speech, trying to catch up to them since this was mostly half way to the castle.
Still feeling giddy and happy he said that a white unicorn donated her tail to help him with his moustache since a purple mist quickly flew by and cut off his right-half. "Nightmare Moon...stop messing with Steven..." I mumbled before he told me that the six went across the river and said that they were heading toward the Everfree Castle..."Oh buck me to tears..." was all I said before I teleported to the otherside of the river and started galloping to the castle, knowing I am really cutting it close.
As soon as I enter the part of the forest with the gnarled tree's I noticed that there was a strange giggling echoing, obviously bouncing from tree to tree but this laughter was freaking ridiculous. "Oh by all that is holy and sane! Stop the laughing before I drive my hoof into its throat to make it stop!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, and instead of laughter now my own words are turning against me as they bounce from tree to tree. "Oh for bucks sakes...." I shoot a firebolt at a nearby tree setting it on fire and in a matter of seconds disintergrating and turning to a scattered pile of ashes, "Not so funny now is it tree?" I said with a bemused grin as I stomped my hoof into the ashes, sending it everywhere, resuming my mission and returned to galloping to the castle.
"When was this bridge fixed?" Was all I can say as I reached the once fallen but now repaired bridge, looking at since it was broken and repaired doesn't mean it is safe to trot across. "Buck it im using magic for this." I teleported to the otherside in time to see the mares enter the castle entrance. "Just in time...now or never." I grinned, pulling out my sword and teleporting to the entrance behind them, my horn slightly humming as it charged for a barrage of arcane bolts incase of any rash ponies try to gain the upper hoof.
I moved my head into the main chamber and found it was empty except for the six ponies, all of them except for one holding a round stone sphere, and appearently those are the Elements of Harmony, but to me they look like stone spheres, I just keep watching them but when Twilight said that she needs some room to try to create the sixth 'element' to appear. As the five leave I hide in the darkest corner of the lobby, waiting for them to all get in so I can seal the door shut and not allow any of them to leave, but before I can even put my plan into motion I hear an evil cackle and then a bright flash of light as Twilight and Nightmare Moon teleport away, leaving me and the others behind but to my unfortunately bad luck I got out of my hiding spot and was standing besides them. "Ahh....hayseed...." I quickly said as I jumped back and put my sword into my mouth and my horn pointing at them, the five on the other hand look at me with both surprise and anger since I was the same pony they saw at the party and the celebration that opennly betrayed all of them for Nightmare Moon.
Before anypony made a move they all heard the cackle again realized that they had to get through me before they can go help their friend, I held my ground in front of the sealed door and than for an even more scaring factor I sealed the door with a spell preventing it from being openned unless I lowered it. "Come now lasses, must we really go through this little scuffle, I know that if we do this than only some of us won't be walking out of here alive while the others won't be walking out of here uninjured. So lets try to be civilized, otherwise if you want to fight me, than make your move." I said, lowering my sword than gently stabbing it into a nearby old wooden chair. I slightly glare at Rainbow Dash who is glaring at me, shifting my gaze I notice that Applejack is just looking at me with a slight look of confusion, trying to figure out if I am just stalling them or actually attempting to use diplomacy on them. Fluttershy is shaking behind Rarity, while she is currently looking at me with the look of both shock and sadness, most likely because my cloak is ruined along with my armor. Pinkie Pie is just being herself, hopping in place while humming a very random and strange tune.
"So which way are we going to do this? The safe and harmless way or the way where those leaving this room be covered in blood of enemy and friends?" I said, keeping my tone to its usually normal self. After a while the five look at each other and quickly huddle together, whispering to themselves for a few minutes and only until after I tapped my left hoof out of impatience until after a few seconds Rarity came up to me and basically said this in her sophisticated voice "We do not wish to fight you...erm....gallant knight" 'cough knight my ass cough' " but we will fight you if you get in our way to assist our friend Twilight." she finished with a very uneasy smile. I just look at her, than at her four friends, seeing if they are trying to get the upper hoof or seeing if they can try to change my mind or even switch sides but I was not buying any of it.
"Sorry mi'lady but I can not do that, my Queen Nightmare Moon told me to stop you six ponies from succeding and her will is law. I do not want to harm you six but I will if I must so if you will not leave peacefully than I must do the deed at hoof." I said solemnly while slowly pulling the sword out from the chair and pointed it at them, "I am sorry but I must do this, I will not let anypony or anything stand in her way, Sorry Rarity but I do not wish to harm such a charming and cute lass but if you try to stop her I will put you down...Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, I do not want to inflict wounds on you two but if you try to stop me I will...Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I know you two will try to get past me, so do not expect any mercy from me, I am sorry my friends...but I will not let you harm my lo-" as I was speaking I quickly cover my mouth with my hoof, almost blurting out my biggest secret to the mares. My face blushing to the point where it can be clearly seen from my dented helmet and from my dark coat. "Just pretend you did not hear the last part and I just might not kill all of you, instead I will just knock you out and present you to my Queen in chains so you don't try to harm her." I quietly said, my face still red from my slip-up.
The five just look at me in a mixture of faces, Rarity thinking what I just said was scandlous, Fluttershy basically passing out immediately, Pinkie Pie jumping repeatily up and down with a grin that would be almost impossible, Rainbow Dash somewhat gagging which earned her a glare by me, Applejack just looks completely confused. I just face-hoof to myself since they all now know my biggest secret, right next to the fact that I have a deep love for pie and muffins....mmm pies and muffins, what I wouldn't give to get an apple pie and a blueberry muffin right now...
"So, what is it going to be than eh?" my response was Rainbow Dash flying at me at a quick and high rate of speed slamming me into the wall, leaving a fairly nice impression of me into it. "Cheap shot...very smart...a preemptive strike against an armored and armed enemy..." I said in beteen ragged coughs, and in each cough blood speckled the dusty floor, forming small dots in a large arc.
"Urgh....seems like my past injuries were much worse than I previously imagined..." was all I can say before I took a hoof to the side of the head. "Well than your injuries are about to get a whole lot worse!" RD throwing a right hoof knocking my helmet off of my head before bucking me in the neck with enough force to slightly life me off the ground. And in that near instantious moment in time Applejack tore off one of the tapestry's loose ropes and turned it into a make-shift lasso and tossed it around my back legs, the result was me being tossed into the air and slammed hard into another wall next to Fluttershy and Rarity. I looked at them at first with malice than slightly with sorrow and begging mercy before another series of coughs made me almost forcefully cough out large specks of blood that made Fluttershy hurridely move out of the way. Rarity kept staring at me but than she turned her head to my armor and barely caught a glimpse of the now re-openned wound and saw that it was bleeding furiously again. In the short amount of time it took to defeat me the barrier faded away and all five of them hurriedly left me in my crumpled heap, only Rarity looked back at me, only for me to look at her and wave a hoof at her saying 'Go to your friends...they need you....' while barely whispering "Go little gemstone go...I wish for you to not see me like this..." before passing out for a second time in the same night.
I felt something gently touching my side as I wake up and noticed it was the tapestry that Applejack destroyed to make that fake lasso, looking at my back hooves they were tightly bounded and I had to restort to teleporting into the room that my Queen was in, being a Shadow Guard allowed me to teleport to her side but it was slightly off since I teleported far from her...and I witnessed something that I should have never seen....my Queen....my love...in pure terror....
"Get...*cough* get away from her!" I harshly yelled, crawling towards the 6 mares, they started floating into the air all six of them wearing strange little trinkets, each one looking like their cutie marks...odd kind of jewerly. I kept crawling toward them but only to watch the horror to keep unfolding as a ungodly bright rainbow shot out from Twilight's trinket, a strange crown with her cutiemark as the centerpiece, and my eyes was at first in awe about the beautiful colors but in terror as its flight path went straight to Nightmare Moon, who from my position had the look of both defeat and terror clearly written on her face.
I just layed their, in defeat and sadness that my Queen was slowly being destroyed by the rainbow, quickly engulfing her in its colors and the screams that I heard only made me stay in my spot out of fear that I was next to be shot. After those horrifing moments were over, I started to rapidly crawl my way to Nightmare Moon, only to stop almost a yard from her when the smoke cleared to leave behind an imposter that looked almost like her, and that imposter was smaller and her coat and mane were completelly off, which only fueled my anger and wraith to the point that when I stood up I had to get hogtied to stop me from harming anypony, I was also gagged since I started swearing like a sailor, even some of the words that I said would have made even the most sea-hardened cringe.
I just sat there tied, gagged, and in an incredible amount of pain that I start slipping back into my sleeping state only to be yanked to the side to look face to face to Princess Celestia. That face...the same face she gave me when she was about to banish me to the moon, I just look at her, my usual solid glare was gone, now completely replaced with fear that I am not alone and my queen is gone forever back into the moon. I just stayed there, looking at her than breaking the staring to look down at the floor in defeat. The last thing I can see is the floor going blurry before I take a nose dive into it.
Ponyville, Present Time
I wake back up in a cage, a solid metal cage meant for criminal scum and prisoners against the crown...and I am both...
Looking inside of the cage I turn and wince in pain, seeing a large amount of medical wrap around my midsection meant that somepony tended to my injuries and my slightly hindered breathing meant that my lungs and ribs must have also been tended to but why?
Searching the cage I only found a single blanket, a bowl of water and a small plate with some hay on it, most likely my last meal for the day or for me...my last meal ever alive. I can barely stand so instead I crawl over to the final meal and eat it slowly, knowing that as long as I can still eat it slowly I might be able to prolong my lifespan but even I know they will ignore it and allow me to die starving or not.
Finishing the prisoner meal I curl up in a ball, slowly sitting down to avoid harming myself or putting pressure on my wounds, I just look at the ponies out of my cage, all of them so happy that the night is gone...none of them care about it like I do...they care about their stupid sun...my love creates a beautiful night just for them and they just sleep past it...ignoring it...they should be praising it like they are praising the sun....these haters of the night....if only I was stronger...
Just as I lay down to sleep off the heat and the loud ponies, a loud clang hits the bars, waking me back up, as I turn my head to see who is dumb enough to wake me up I see the purple egghead with her friends and the princesses next to her, all of them looking at me, each of their faces holding different emotions. I glare back at all of them, hating them for ruining the endless night, for taking away my Queen, for ruining my life...
"If you are going to kill me than lets get this over with...I don't have all...morning..." I growled out, I want them to end it so I can be with my Queen, if she is alone than I am going to give her the eternal company she deserves. I look straight into Twilight Sparkle's eyes, not even blinking, just staring at her, wanting her to look away so I know even while caged I am just as scary as I was uncaged. She finally breaks the stare and trots away, making room for Celestia to come closer to my cage and look down upon me as if I was scum that needed to be removed.
"Nightshade, why did you try to stop my ponies from rescueing me and why were you assisting Nightmare Moon in her plot to overthrow Equestria into an eternal night? Why did you fight my guards last night and 5 years ago....why do you fight?" her voice started at first strict and uptight, only to slowly soften up near the end.
I cough harshly onto the floor, weakly standing back up to look at her, slowly standing on my hind legs to look at her from her height to wince in pain from the brusing and muscle damage. "You ask me princess....why...why do I fight?" she nods yes. "Do not ask me why I fight...You don't ask why a plague spreads or a field burns....so do not ask me why I fight." I said solemnly only to keep standing to stare at her eyes, wanting to spread my fear and anger to anything I could get my hooves on. "And to why I tried to stop your ponies...because they wanted to stop the eternal night....the night that me and Nightmare Moon wanted...but you had to stop her....all she wanted was for ponies to love the night like the way they love your day...but you never allowed it...you never gave her a chance...." I said with a tear in my eyes and Celestia noticed it immediately.
"I helped Nightmare Moon because she was the only pony that accepted me for who I was...who accepted me into their lives even when I was exiled from this town at a young age...I owe Nightmare Moon my life....if it was not for her I would be dead 10 years ago...frozen in the woods...starved. But with her help I survived the harsh winter winds and numbing cold....because of her I became strong and powerful...because of her, I was given a second chance at life and found that my life has meaning and purpose....Because of her...I found my special somepony...even though I knew it would end in my death...we both accepted it...even in death I will serve her...in death...because life and death is ephemeral...the night is eternal..." I said proudly, even in the end I said it with honor and held my head high until I fell over, losing my grip on the bars with my hooves.
Celestia just looks at me and when she heard the part of 'special somepony' she lowers her head and whispers to me something private that even the six mares that stopped me leaned in close enough to hear what she had to say to me.
"You fell in love with Nightmare Moon didn't you?" I nodded slowly, "Did Nightmare Moon love you back?" I nodded again, her next question threw me off completely and made me blush slightly and stumble upon my words "Did you two...ever...sleep together in the same bed and did you two...have sex?" that question made the girls gasp as I nodded yes to the first half, but I did not nod to the other half, only to blush deeper that it can be seen clearly. I look back and the look on her face was a mixture of anger and a smile, I was so confused that I had to tilt my head a bit to the side to tell her that I was confused as hell.
"Well Nightshade...it has been 1,000 years since my sister ever took notice in the opposite gender and let me be frank with you. She was always nervous around males, it is a wonder how she fell for you in the first place, but you are wondering who I am talking about, and it is Luna, who is also Nightmare Moon." I just fall over, nearly passing out in both terror that I had sex with one of the royal princesses and that my Queen was the one that was considered shy and timid by her sister's standards, which means the headponies block is starting to look my closer and clear than before.
"I know that look on your face is that you fear that you will be executed..but you won't unless you follow everything that I am about to tell you." I barely nod fearing what she is going to say.
"First off, you will apologize to everypony here for your actions you have displayed, Second you will serving under my student Twilight Sparkle as her loyal bodyguard, along with the other Elements of Harmony for the entire year, and Lastly, when that is complete you will serve Luna as her Night Guard till she relieves you of your duty. Do we have an understanding on these terms?" she says with a regal tone and a small grin that I catch barely before she raises a hoof in my cage, I slowly reached out for it and accepted it, knowing that I have nothing again I might as well rebuild my shattered life.
"I will do it....but I will not like the part of serving as Rainbow Dash's bodyguard...damn crazy mare broke a few of my ribs..." I cough a bit and sigh in defeat, "But I will do it..."
The six girls slightly talk it out but agree to it, and Rarity walks up to my cage and looks down at me with a face that is heart broken and sad. "I told you not to look at me in my current state...my little gem...hehe...I should have not tried to stop you...and besides...your tail did leave a nice moustache on Steven....eh...feel so tired...so who am I staying with?." Was all I could put in before falling over asleep from exhaustion, hunger, and weakness to the light.
I start to snore softly which earned a few giggles from everypony that was there. My new life starts tommorrow, a new life with the ponies that harmed me, left me for dead, and caused me no ends of pain....and I have to protect those that harmed me....what a cruel twisted fate.