Across Canterlot, ponies exited their homes, packing in the streets as they headed out to begin the workday at dawn. Cresting above the eastern horizon rose the sun, igniting the sky surrounding in a horizontal orange hue, its warm rays spreading across the land for miles.
Some ponies, however, were up and working long prior. The Zodiac Guard's second-in-command paced back and forth between his quarters, and the meeting room in Luna's wing of the palace, along with him numerous maps rolled in narrow cylinders, and short, yet neat stacks of paper placed on his back, carrying them with ease.
Since almost two in the morning, Night worked, and following a rather unexpected encounter with Princess Luna in the halls, along with his most-trusted sergeant, even more he strove in preparation for later that evening.
He blinked lazily, yawning every so often, making his final returning trip to the meeting room, where he would then prepare the maps and typewritten reports and neatly organize them. Each report was copied as well, providing enough for all to read, with a small portion of the pile having been sent out via express mail to Commander Kozak in Batsburg.
Pushing in through the frosted-glass door, Night paused, a frown appearing. His eyelids hung lower than usual, the skin sagging beneath his eyes tiredly. Never again, he thought, would he push on thirty-six hours without sleep.
He placed the final stack of paper on the corner of the table, then one by one, carefully rolled out the maps atop one another. Each map covered the same region of Equestria, in the east-central-northeast corridor, with Hollow Shades near center and the surrounding forests, and all three maps served different purposes.
After a five-minute struggle, Night gave in and proceeded to leave the maps be, and next focused on placing three papers each per seat at the table, plus some for the extra ponies outside of his squad expected to attend.
Checking one final time to ensure all was now in place, Night yawned softly, turning and sauntering into the hallway, closing the door with a soft click. In nine more hours, he would be back in that room, accompanied by those of the Zodiacs, as well as others ordered to or are volunteering.
He steadily made his way in the direction of his quarters, yawning and blinking tiredly from having been up and about for this long. A brief nap, he thought, might do him right, then a full-night's rest after everypony was dismissed later on.
But, half way to his apartment door, he froze, a deep, chilling shiver running up his spine, perking his ears. The ground shook violently beneath his hooves, a massive crash making him wince.
Night scanned in all directions around him, searching for damage to the hallway, with none to be seen. Not even minor decorations on the walls came crashing down, or were jolted out of place, and this was definitely no ordinary earthquake.
He thrust himself forward, zipping around the corner and down a rounded staircase leading into the castle's main atrium. From there, without taking a moment to breathe, he raced towards the dungeons.
***
Whipping through the curved dungeon halls, Night panted softly, then gasping as he came to a grinding halt just short of one of the cells, now flooded with sunlight, and a gaping, burning hole, with the floor black from the scorching heat of the blast. The flames themselves, completely unnatural of their kind, burned an eerily-familiar bluish tinge.
His chest heaved, steadily catching his breath after galloping non stop from the second floor, all the way to here. Pressing his exhaustion aside, Night's gaze snapped to the limp, red-covered body of the dungeon sergeant, lying pressed against an opposite cell. His helmet split in two, with shards of the golden-painted steel impaled within some stone pillars beside him.
A second shiver ran up his spine, writhing at the guard's many wounds, the largest a two-inch wide gash in his lower neck going into his shoulder, the primary source of the reddish fluid pooling around him.
Night lifted a shaky hoof, bringing it to the undamaged side of his cold neck, feeling for any sort of light twitch. His ears fell back, feeling no pulse of his heart.
Glancing down, Night narrowed his eyes on the blood, gently poking a hoof at it. No warmth anywhere, triggering further suspicion. This guard had been here for hours.
His ear swiveled, bringing his gaze up and to the side at hoofsteps—heavy, ground-shaking ones at that—approaching quickly from the direction in which he came.
Within seconds, Redflare, donning his signature gold-clad shoulderpads and his massive gold-red hammer slung over his shoulder, remaining perfectly still in spite of his rapid movement.
"Captain, where is he?!" Red's voice boomed in the hall, teeth tightly clenching with anger plastered across his face.
"Paladin!" Night blinked twice, surprised at his sudden arrival. "He's escaped... again."
"I could feel him building up," Red said gruffly, taking slow steps up to the escaped prisoner's cell door, peeking in and through the massive blowout in the stone, debris splayed across a grass field opposite of the cell. "I came the second two and two put themselves together."
"Think he's in the caverns again?" Night questioned, attempting to cover up the guard's corpse with a thin cloth piece.
"Unlikely. Topaz is smart enough to recognize fleeing to the same place as prior would end poorly on his part," Red grunted, stomping his hoof into the concrete with rage, jolting the ground briefly.
"Where could he have possibly gone?" Night glanced up to the significantly-larger pegasus.
"Anywhere. Some place nopony would ever think to look for him, likely practicing his magic and planning his next move. He is tricky, I will give him that much," Red replied, gaze moving to the body and blinking slowly. "And he has already taken one from us..."
Night drew back from the body, bobbing his head slowly in response. "I should have allowed you to take him, Red."
"Don't beat yourself up. You believed it would be right to lock him back up with extra precautionary measures. What happened is strictly not your fault."
"It is, Red," Night turned, facing him. "Having you deal with him would have worked out as the best option in the end, not just for us, but for everypony. Now, he's out there somewhere, probably seeing who knows who, doing who knows what, making an army to fight back—" his pupils shrunk to pinpricks.
Redflare blinked twice. "What? What is it?"
Night grunted, muscles tightening. "He did it... he did all of it..."
"What did he do?" Red cocked his head slightly.
"Those bat ponies back in Hollow Shades, he assigned them to ambush us in the forest. He is the reason I lost..." Night trailed off, teeth clenching and fangs baring.
"He vowed revenge when we locked him up, that does not imply he is behind this, Night," Redflare sternly replied.
"What are the odds, Red? The timing, all of it! He planned this out from the second he landed back in a cell, probably watched our every move, damn it!" Night grunted again, slamming his hoof into a cell bar, wincing just slightly as he drew it back from the now-slightly bent rusted steel.
In hurt and fury, Night whispered, "The... encounter... in Baltimare, the disappearing bat pony, the strange bat ponies at the festival, the ones that attacked us and took Shield... kidnapped Dusk... it all adds up. He was unsuccessful in his attempt to destroy Canterlot, now he's going to try a different approach."
Redflare blinked more, still in a slight state of bewilderment. "I don't understand."
"You will," Night looked up at him, a flame burning in his gold eyes. "Eighteen-hundred, Luna's wing, Zodiac meeting room. Be there."
Without another word, Night turned tail, trotting the other direction.
Behind him, Redflare continued staring, not speaking up despite a parted maw. He chose not to question, a wiser decision.
***
Now far too alert for a brief nap, Night patiently sat within the conclave, eased back in his chair, having not moved for two and a half hours now. Every other minute he found himself glancing to the clock on the wall above the twin frosted-glass doors, surrounded by more inch-thick glass spanning around the majority of the room for additional security and secrecy.
At any moment, his Zodiacs would trickle in and take their seats with others following suit, or at least he hoped they would. The slightest of tardiness in his current mood would surely shoot him over the deep end.
Minutes before six, muffled hoofsteps from outside approached, causing Night to blink back into reality. He gazed in the door's direction, ear twitching as a hoof took hold of the stainless-steel knob and attempted to twist. This went on for a few seconds, causing Night to tilt his head.
"Unlock the door!" Came a deep, garbled voice.
"It is unlocked!" Night responded.
"Then explain it not opening?!"
"Have you tried pushing?!"
...
The door swung inwards, a charcoal-grey unicorn missing his gold helmet striding through, his nose wrinkled in embarrassment.
"Figure it out?" Night grinned slyly, leaning his head on a hoof.
"Shut up," Sharp responded, tossing a glance his way and seating himself in a chair.
Almost immediately after, a lighter-grey pegasus entered, sitting down beside Sharp. "Captain."
"First Lieutenant," Night responded, nodding once at Thunderblast.
A short break, then Red, tailed closely by Valiant, and behind them by a few feet, Rescue, donning their respective armors and each saluting Night, whom eased them a second later.
"I would have expected my Zodiacs to have been the first to come," Night mumbled just audibly, with little annoyance in his voice.
As if by simply mentioning, Scarlet Iris, followed by Stellar Star, Eventide, Midnight Blade, Skye Racer, and later Zipline, filed in and took their seats. Night took another glance at the clock, straightening his back.
"Still missing four," he said evenly.
Minutes passed, the room utterly silent, excluding a cough here or there from Stellar. All jumped in surprise at a massive thud from outside, and the ever-so-slowly thump of heavy hooves approaching, with Redflare popping through the door, having to duck slightly to slip into the room.
"Paladin," Night nodded to him.
"Captain," Redflare returned the nod, seating himself in a corner rather roughly, jolting the floor and knocking Sharp and Zipline from their chairs.
Some more time passed, taking the wait far past the original six o'clock start time. Second by second, Night grew slightly more impatient, but remained quiet, gently tapping his hoof on the glass corner with ever-so-increasing intensity.
Irritated by the noise, Red leaned forward, eyes meeting Night's. "Captain, with all due respect, can you stop—"
Immediately, Night shot an annoyed, stabbing look his way, one that shoved Red back into his seat and faced ahead with wide-eyes.
After what could very well have been a short eternity, the door opened, in walking an armored Lodestar, behind him, a tall, sapphire unicorn, dressed rather neatly for the occasion: a uniform that, in a way, put Night's to shame.
Colorful, rectangular-shaped medals pinned symmetrically above his left breast, with a black tie tucked into the suit. His shoulder proudly displayed the insignia of Lieutenant Major, with silver lapel bar pins on either side of his collar.
The stallion's onyx mane—an off-center silver stripe down the center—accordingly brushed to the side, and a blank look on his face that later shifted to a brief, small smile the moment his gaze set upon Night.
"Captain," the stallion, in his Europonean accent, softly said.
"Harmon—Lieutenant Major," Night replied.
A light chuckle emanated, the sapphire pony seating against the middle of the table. "Whichever suits you best, Captain."
Soon after, Lodestar and Halfmoon, followed by Stormfire last, having escorted Harmonic from the train station, filled in three of the four remaining seats.
"Everypony here?" Night counted mentally, just to be sure, then nodded once. "By this point, I anticipate everypony—or those under my command—to be aware of the true reason for this gathering."
He took a gentle breath, straightening himself in his chair. "Lance Corporal Shieldhunter is not hospitalized by a training accident, nor is Private Duskbloom."
Three of the Zodiacs exchanged looks, the rest keeping their eyes fixed on the captain.
"During... during the week-long journey to Hollow Shades, a sizable group of hostile thestral ponies launched an ambush against us during training exercises in the surrounding forests. They killed Shield in cold blood, and kidnapped Dusk, along with two other ponies assigned to our escort to provide a lookout."
A small collective gasp filled the room, only to be silenced by a raised hoof.
"And more recently, myself, as well as Paladin Redflare—" he glanced at him briefly. "—in the wake of Topaz Myth's latest escape, have rested on the likely possibility that he is behind the attack, that before he was put behind bars months prior, he and his extensive knowledge of magic have begun creating an army to disrupt the peaceful balance between the bat pony colonies and Equestria."
"We've yet to confirm this, however, it seems most plausible—"
"What about the robbery in Baltimare?" Red spoke up, then cleared his throat. "Sorry, Captain, go on."
Night waved a hoof. "No, you are correct. He, too, is likely behind that, as well, but more of a holographic spell of some sort. With what he learned in his time at the School for Gifted Unicorns, it would not surprise me if this kind of trickery is simple to him."
"As a result of thi—"
The door opened again, all eyes turning towards it. Staring blankly, blinking slowly, Princess Luna stood, half through the door. In an instant, every pony apart from Night Shadow stood out of their chairs at attention stance.
The lunar diarch gestured for them to sit. "At ease, soldiers," she said softly, gaze shifting to Night at the other end of the long table. "Captain, we—I believe, it is only fair if I hear out this congregation."
Night silently stared, only to nod. "Please, have a seat," he stood, pulling out the remaining vacant chair for her to sit.
She strode around the table, passing pony after pony, remaining more alert than before as more of a display of respect for the princess. Gently, she sat in the chair, Night pushing it in for her. "Thank you, Captain, so generous of you."
He nodded again, returning to his seat, but not before resuming. "As a result of these... "attacks", with the initial idea sparked by Sergeant Lodestar and I, further expanded by Commander Kozak of Fang Legion, in order to prevent a second disastrous racial change, we will be returning to Hollow Shades, and we will eradicate any potential threat to this country," he sternly continued, gently slamming his hoof on the table.
Now, everypony looked at each other, both in concern and confusion, all of which sparking questions in their heads, but would wait for Night to answer these himself.
"We will be joined by two squadrons of Fang Legion troops in Hollow Shades. They shall serve as infantry against the assailants. As for us, we are getting Dusk back, and any others they may have taken. We shall not stop until they are home safely."
"It can be assumed, once we are out of their hiding spot—" Night pressed his hoof down on the map, directly atop a trench located near the village circled in red. "—that they will organize a return strike. This time, we expect them to be the ones to retreat when all is said and done. They will either be outnumbered, or just break even in numbers."
"With their resilience and strength in weapons and ponies, they shall lead the charge, and it is our job to ensure they do not overpower us a second time. Above all, the village will be cleared of civilians. Those who stay will be forcefully removed, and those who wish to fight... they may do so."
He looked to the draft earth pony in the room, his light blond mane in slight need of a trimming over his emerald eyes. "Rescue, because of your service as a first responder in Ponyville, you are to be the team's medic. The other squadrons will be equipped with their own, so unless the help is so desperately needed, you are to tend to this team only."
The stocky mud-brown stallion nodded, briefly saluting. "Yes, Captain."
Night then turned the largest pony in the room. "Redflare, as much as we could use your combat expertise and magic, I believe it may be in everypony's best interest if you remain in Canterlot as a last-resort protector of the princesses. Should Topaz target them while we are handling his army, you may do what ever it takes to seduce him."
"End him, if that is the only possible solution," Princess Luna added. All turned to her, Night with wide-eyes. "If he cannot be contained, then he must be wiped out, along with his army. We cannot afford to risk him escaping again after this."
"Princess, no—that is too harsh of a punishment. For what he's done—"
"For what he's done—" Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice came out, startling everypony. "—death is most suitable! For what he has done, he shall have been executed long ago for causing this much disruption, and take innocent lives. Paladin, I am granting you the right to kill him if he cannot be stopped with other means!"
Her voice echoed throughout the halls beyond the room, startling guards even across the Palace. All, including Redflare, recoiled to her sudden outburst. Night eased back into his seat slowly, putting his hooves together.
"Cap, he took Shield from us. He took Dusk. No punishment, no torture, not even the death sentence could possibly be too harsh for his actions against Equestria," Lodestar said.
"My sister, all would know of her as a pacifist. In this situation, she too would agree," Luna responded.
Night sighed softly. "Then I suppose, whatever it takes, Redflare."
The large red pegasus nodded once, expression blank, but noting the slight emotion in Night's.
"Now, if there is any thing else any of you wish to say, feel obligated to do so, right now," Night leaned forward, scanning his eyes across the room. No response.
"If anypony has any objections, or feel they should not be here, do not feel the need to stay here. I will refrain from holding it against you."
Again, no response.
Night shifted in his seat, then stood up, forehooves pressed on the glass surface. "Anything that needs to be done, finish it. If not, I shall give you all twenty-four hours to prepare, no exceptions. I expect none of you to run late tomorrow, and any pony absent will be left behind."
Every pony in the room, minus Luna and Redflare, exchanged looks again.
"All of this will be over by the end of the week. Beginning tomorrow, your training, everything you have been prepared for, it will pay off. We shall show no remorse for these ponies. Dismissed!"