//------------------------------//
// chapter 22 
// Story: vengeance at nightfall 
// by NightSugar pone 
//------------------------------//

the general 


After an hour and a half of sparring, and some fair rounds with wins and losses on both sides, Nightshade and Angel were finally tired out and decided to call it a day. Like usual, they both began to head to their rooms, longing for a much-needed shower, but on Angel’s way to her room, she spotted the general again. And for the first time, didn't think about asking him to go to bed with her, instead, she thought about her sister and what a good colt friend he would be for her. So, after some thought was given on the subject, she called him over and told him that Nightshade wanted to talk to him in her room. Obediently he complied, and bowed to her before walking away, not seeing the somewhat malicious smile Angel had as he walked away. By the time he got to Nightshade's room she was done with her shower, but far from dry: as her dark blue mane and tail hung over part of her face and cascaded down her shoulders. She was in the middle of drying her mane when she heard the knock come from her room door, and hurried over to it, ignoring the wetness of her coat for the moment. Upon opening the door her calm expression soon had a tinge of confusion strike through it, and the general was more than a little stunned, as his face went from a pale white to a faded pink. 

“Oh, I'm sorry your highness, I didn't notice you were um…busy, I'll just come back later,”
He said as he tried not to stare at her directly, 

“For what exactly? I don't recall requesting to speak with you,”
Nightshade said as she began to dry the back of her ears, her magic’s glow making her mane and eyes look like they were glistening and practically glowing. 

“Are you sure? Your sister just told me that you did and-,”
Nightshade groaned, cutting him off as she face-hoofed, 

“Of course it was my sister, I'm so sorry she sent you here for nothing,”
She carefully pushed a couple strands of her mane out of her face and sighed, 
“sometimes my sister doesn't like to leave things alone, and I think she's trying to hook us up,”
With a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, she began to close the door, only to have it stopped by one of his hooves. 

“Your highness, I actually wouldn't mind that; you seem like a rather competent mare, and you even have some skill on the battlefield. I can see us together in a way,”
He smiled nervously and she just gave him a sideways glance, before using her magic to push him out of the doorway. 

“It would never work between us, I have more reason to not be with you than to actually be with you,”
With that she closed the door and walked back to the bath, leaving the stallion alone outside of her room, and he began to walk away from it, now wearing a frown. And just as he left Prince Metamorph came back to the room, with a very  happy Sapphire lying on his back, 

“Hey, ‘shade, we're back,”
He said as he trotted in, and Sapphire leapt from his back and to the floor,

“And we got doughnuts!”
The little dragon said excitedly. Nightshade but her slightly damp mane into a bun before walking out of the bathroom, 

“Welcome home, you would not believe the day I just had,”
Nightshade reached up and kissed Metamorph on the cheek and hugged Sapphire, making her giggle. 

“What happened? Was it something bad?”
He asked as he walked over to the bed, and set down the doughnut box on the nightstand 

“Would you call my sister trying to hook me up with an alicorn general bad?”
Nightshade said with a snort and a smirk, but Metamorph physically recoiled, and quickly move to her, grabbing one of her hooves in his. 

“What did you say? Is he still around? Should he be fired?!”
He looked around frantically and moved to stand over her in a protective gesture, which just made her roll her eyes. 

“I turned him down, I'm never going to give you up and I'm not taking any chances with you either,”
She stepped out from under him and rested a hoof on his shoulder, and he turned to her and his ears slowly drooped, 
“I will never give you up for a stallion I barely see anyways, it wouldn't be worth it, and I know you're scared for us but we'll be ok,”
She smiled and he slowly began to smile back. 
“fair enough, but if he comes back again can I give him a firm talking to?”
Nightshade just giggled a little bit and looked up into his eyes, 

“why of course my dear, and I'll be ready to reject him a second time if it happens to come to that,”
She said, and he leant his head down to nuzzle her before they began to sit and enjoy the doughnuts.