Soft, peaceful snores saturated the dimly-moonlit room. The two ponies who occupied the private apartment went unperturbed by each others' ambience of slumber, interlocking one another with their hooves that anypony who might otherwise notice would perceive the assumption that the duo were a long happy couple, regardless of the Guard's withstanding tradition.
The blend of the two ponies' coats provided a soothing warmth that essentially defeated the need to cover up. While the stallion exhibited a pegasus physique, he too sustained the features of his fellow bat pony. This predominantly included the relative thickness of his fur, where centuries of evolution granted their race the potential to endure harsh conditions in or around their respective colonies more typically situated near towering mountain ranges and the colder climates of the north.
For them, however, it presented a different type of warmth. The combination yielded a sense of solace between one another, a knowledge that they both had each other. For Night to hold Scarlet, Scarlet to grasp Night, they snoozed peacefully without a worry in the world, shaded by a blooming cherry blossom under a golden sunset, stroking the mare's blue strands with a hoof.
But, it wasn't bound to last forever. Soon Night Shadow found himself distancing from the beautiful soul nestled against his chest, drawn further and further by an invisible force that carried him effortlessly from their oasis toward a midnight world with no stars or moon. It was not long before the hilltop he laid on seemingly vanished into thin air, encased by pitch black.
He sat up, scrutinizing the unfamiliar surrounding with a look of bewilderment dominating his otherwise placid countenance. The feathers on his wings ruffled at a sudden shiver that crept up his spine, and the tuft on the back of his neck stood on end in alarm.
From his current position, Night could not otherwise detect any danger. In fact, there wasn't any to begin with, yet his senses tingled; like a border collie whose perception had been disturbed by something that just was not there. His skin crawled in response, fixating toward one particular direction—a heading that spanned every which way. He could no longer make out which way was up or down either, because it all led to the same place.
His ear swiveled as it latched on to the first noise to break the silence, a whisper. Inaudible at first, though it gradually approached, as if attached to a figure camouflaged by the black surrounding him, caressing his form. It called his name. But it didn't make sense.
Night blinked, and when he did, he was laying in the middle of a snowy clearing, surrounded in all directions by deciduous trees, thin at their trunks and branches that swayed ever so gently in the frigid breeze. This place seemed all too familiar.
Out of the corner of his eye as he sat up, a grey pegasus galloped toward him. The pony was eyeballing something to his left. Night shifted immediately and found Scarlet in a tussle with another bat pony.
Then came a glimmer from above. Night darted his eyes skyward, instantly freezing in place as he watched an airborne enemy take aim for the mare. He wanted to move to take them down, but was ultimately frozen with disorientation. He watched helplessly as an arrow shot from the crossbow on a collision course with the rear of Scarlet's neck which would surely kill her. It was, however, blocked by the light-coated pegasus moments after he bellowed a lungful warning to her.
A short splatter of ichor slapped to Scarlet's forehead as she twisted in the direction of the pegasus, catching her off guard and gasping in shock as the pegasus dropped to the snow. She screamed, rushing to the stallion's side as he now painted the canvas beneath him in a dark crimson.
Night felt his breath grow short and heart begin to pound. He watched without moving nor saying a word. There was nothing he could do as he watched the life slip from the gravely wounded night guard, and heard the cries of Scarlet, screaming for him to stay awake just a little bit longer as a thick fog encompassed them all.
These terrifying recollections permeated the dark that encased Night's quivering form, flashing past in the blink of an eye but sticking to him like sap-coated autumn leaves on their way to the forest floor.
"Night... NIGHT!"
⚔
"Night! Hey, wake up!" Scarlet Iris called, hoof on the stallion's dampened shoulder and vigorously shaking in an attempt to wake the nightmare-cursed stallion.
After a solid three and a half minutes, Night Shadow opened his eyes and shot up. Out of his reflexes, he lurched left in anticipation to be dodging something. It took him only a second to realize, flailing his hooves as he fell out of bed and landed on the cobble floor below with his hinds tangled between the covers, muzzle smashing into the hardened surface. "Agh!"
He sucked in a heavy breath as pain surged through his nose, and was panting for the following few seconds. In his state of disarray, it all seemed to go on for ages. He grasped the fur of his chest and the skin below in a death grip as his heart thumped against his trembling hoof. Scarlet swooped in front of him from the bed. "Night!"
Night's breath slowed drastically over the course of just a couple more moments and resorted to deep inhales every two seconds to let his heartbeat cliff to what would be considered a healthy rate. He then felt a warm fluid run down his muzzle toward his lips, impulsively wiping his nose and expecting to see blood. To his relief, none was present.
He lifted his gaze slowly. "What...?" he said in a complete exhale, blinking as a bead of sweat rolled down the outer rim of his eye. Night was completely soaked in his own perspiration, wet to a point where, from a distance, it would appear as if he had just bathed or gone for a swim in the creek.
The grey thestral mare in front of him, pinning her ears. Quickly, she tore the blankets off of his legs and brought him upright, placing both of her forehooves on either shoulder and promptly met his frightened golden gaze with her own. "I thought you were dying! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
Lifting up his hoof higher, Night wiped down his forehead and examined it and the film of sweat that now slicked it. His entire body quaked, far harder than he would easily admit to any of his subordinates or coworkers. He swallowed a mass of saliva having gathered in his maw and blinked, shivering as his sopping body cooled, particularly against the rather frigid surface of his stony floor. "I-I'm fine... I think. Nose hurts, though."
Plopping down in front of him on the floor, Scarlet took the pegasus in a lung-crushing embrace, so tight that he audibly wheezed as the air was crushed out of his body. He flailed after she refused to let go, before gently prying her away and drew in a deep breath to compensate for the sixty seconds without it. She then proceeded to wind her hoof back, driving it straight into his shoulder at full speed.
Night let off a pained yip, rubbing his shoulder. "Ow! What the hell was that for?!"
"For startling me like that!" the bat mare squealed. "I've never heard you make those noises before... I'm not sure anyone has, and I certainly do not want to hear them again..."
The pegasus perked his ears a little bit, looking the mare dead in her crimson irides. "What... noises?"
With a heart wrenching, breaking voice, Scarlet responded, "You... were..." only to pause, sniffling and letting off a shaky breath, "y-you were whining, almost like a puppy. Crying, even. Nothing l-like I have ever heard before in my life. You were... so... scared."
The two exchanged teary-eyed stares with one another, before Night pulled Scarlet into yet another embrace. He closed his eyes, drew in a breath, and let it off in a deep sigh.
"W-what was it, Night?"
"What was... what?"
Scarlet sniffled heavily, her eyes glossed and watery all across. "The dream... what was it about?"
In that instance, Night froze. He grew discernibly tense in his grasp on Scarlet, as noted when his hooves tightened around her. They had been occurring for nearly a year now, and, while infrequent, came to be a nuisance that he believed would be best kept under wraps until he could figure something out. To him, it could have been minutes before he could settle with a reply that would do less than worry her.
"Just... something weird. Something that spooked me more than it should have. You know, like how Halfmoon's afraid of pasta?"
The remark brought a small and rather unexpected giggle out of Scarlet, effectively breaking the concern for the stallion. Mostly. "Like that, huh?"
Night responded with a gentle nod, bringing a hoof up to stroke the dark blue strands of Scarlet's mane, particularly messy from a night's rest and the evening prior. She closed her eyes, leaning into his hoof, rumbling a low, contented purr.
A period of silence only barely disturbed by Scarlet's purrs and Night's occasional exhales as he recovered from the nightmare fell upon the room for a few minutes, until the golden irises of the bat-pegasus, enhanced in the dark by blood and genetics, cast upon the little alarm clock on his nightstand.
His lips curled into a half-frown, turning his gaze toward the window panes on the opposite side of his bed. The sun was still roughly an hour and a half from dawn, although a guard's duties typically began around this time of morning, if not later in his case. Better yet, today was a day for extended shifts, meaning he and most of his ponies are due for work until after midnight with only two breaks in between.
More so, he acknowledged the need for a squad briefing at some point later on, after a noble assembly with the princesses that afternoon with supposedly crucial information regarded. Without a proper meeting room, however, it would force him to work something else out in the meantime.
"I should... take a shower," commented Night, slowly taking his hooves off of Scarlet and rising to all fours.
"But whyyyyy?" she whined, grabbing his shoulder and stopping him. "It's so eaaaarlyyyy."
"Because..." Night took her hoof and moved it gently, smiling tiredly. "Double duty today, remember?"
Scarlet's eyes brightened, then rolled back as she fell to flat to the floor. "Uuuugh, you're right," she groaned. "Can I call in sick?"
Night stood, shaking his wings off and glancing over his shoulder with a small smirk. "Well, if you hadn't just told your superior, and perchance you were dating Lodestar instead, I'd let that one slide."
She gnashed her teeth, motionless. "Nnnhh. Niiiiight, don't treat me like your sister!"
"Oh, heavens, no. I only treated her like this when she didn't want to get out of bed to go to school," he said, smirk growing wider, strolling to the bathroom and heading inside without so much as turning on the light. He didn't need to, even under what an average pony would consider pitch-black conditions.
From in the bathroom, after starting the water, he called, "Join me, if you want."
⚔
After a long and rather rejuvenating shower, Night hopped out to dry himself off and groom his mane to perfection. Alas, the form of which his two-tone purple mane took would, under any normal circumstance, be achieved through excessive amounts of styling gel. It soon became a common question within and beyond the palace grounds regarding what brand he uses, and where it is purchased from; one of many misconceptions about bat ponies and their bodies, as his mane has maintained this shape since foalhood with proper care.
Freshened up and having washed the scent of fear-induced sweat from his coat, Night stepped out into the bedroom with the towel draped over his sides. A wall of steam collapsed behind him, freed by the open door and rolling out like a wave into the cooler air.
Scarlet Iris, having hopped in for only a couple of minutes, strapped on the main piece of her uniform armor, not too dissimilar to Night's, excluding the platinum devices on his breast plate, as compared to a mere rank insignia in a brushed silver on hers.
Night paused, furrowing his eyebrow at her. "I don't recall you wearing your armor over yesterday?"
"Oh, I flew off to go get it!" she replied energetically.
This further bewildered the pegasus, who raised his brow more. "You live all the way across town."
Scarlet rolled her eyes, sauntering up to Night and planting her hoof, clad in navy armored shoes, on his chest. "I keep a spare set in the locker room."
He continued to give her a questionable look for a few seconds more, only to shrug it off then and head to his wardrobe on the opposite side of his bed. The tall birch piece typically utilized for storing or hanging up clothes found other use, and concealed the triplet sets of armor Night had owned for years now and displayed similar wear to one another.
Tossing the balled-up towel into an empty laundry basket, Night then began dressing himself, piece by piece. And, like a filly gazing up at a colt band poster on her wall, Scarlet hopped onto Night's bed and propped her head up on both hooves, observing him with a half-lidded stare. She inhaled slowly, releasing it in the form of a contented, dreamy sigh, one that nabbed Night's attention.
His eyes darted to the right, setting upon a now-smirking thestral mare. "Yes?"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."
"Well, there's a fib of the century," Night retorted, a grin crossing his muzzle as he pulled down his main armor piece and slipped his head through the opening, followed by his wings, before finishing with the single leather strap looped around his barrel. Upon finishing, he turned to Scarlet. "How do I look?"
"Like a sexy beast. Mreow," she teased, curling her hoof forward and beaming a sly smirk.
Night rolled his eyes and scoffed. "What I meant was, is there anything wrong with me?"
Scarlet hopped off the bed. "Just your blatant lack of self confidence, sweetie."
The pegasus swiveled his ears back, cheeks burning a bright red in embarrassment. "With my armor."
"I would hope not. You're the captain, after all," Scarlet rejoined, nickering afterward.
Night flicked his ear, narrowing his sights on the shorter mare. "Six years doesn't make a difference if you're in a rush."
"What rush? You woke up a whole hour early, and it wasn't even my fault for once!"
"Well, I mean..."
Scarlet poked him on the muzzle, cutting him off. "Quiet, you."
Night blinked behind her hoof, reaching his own up to lower hers, nodding. "Shall we get going?"
With an agreeing nod, Scarlet started for the door with Night tailing closely. Once out in the hall, and having locked up behind them, Night took the lead for the relatively brief journey to Luna's wing to clock in for their shifts.
While they walked side by side, Scarlet figured it to be a splendid idea to start a conversation as they approached their separate paths, where she would wander off to her designated post. "You know, you still owe me a second date, you big dork."
"I thought that was a second date?" Night responded with a sheepish, dumb grin.
"Nah. Second dates are dinner dates, movie nights, stuff like on the first date," the mare said, pecking him on the tip of his nose. "Or, you know, stuff I like to do..."
"As long as karaoke does not involve alcohol, I can settle with that."
Scarlet pouted. "Hmph, you're no fun."
"But you love me." Night simpered mischievously.
"That, I do. And your big-headed, huge... dorkiness!"
"That isn't a real word!"
"Yes it is, because I said it!" she screeched. Thankfully, nopony else was around to have their eardrums burst.
"Get to your post before I chase you there! I'll clock you in for you," Night barked, his demeanor observably playful judging by the grin on his face.
Scarlet giggled, throwing up a very quick salute, "Yes, sir!" before zipping off to her station at neck-break speeds.
Night uttered a quiet chuckle, continuing his way, a warm smile present on his muzzle. To him, the mare was something else, and deep down he acknowledged his care and love for her. While not the first time in his life to harbor such feelings for somepony, it was, however, the strongest of emotions he has carried thus far beyond the boundaries of brotherhood between his fellow guards and good friends.
A year and a half since Topaz was brought to justice, and during that time period, new acquaintances have come and gone. The zebra in Hollow Shades, otherwise referred to within the division as the Savior of the Zodiacs, as well as the lieutenant major, who dropped under the Guard's radar immediately following the final confrontation, were among those to have terse yet pivotal effects on Night's career, and his life.
Contemplations were had, specifically regarding the recognition of Zava and, potentially, his integration into the Lunar Guard. He knew of his potential, specifically within his Zodiacs should he meet the mental requirements, much less physical. However, Night settled with respecting his way of life off the grid, as such a change would more than certainly throw the zebra into a culture shock.
Then, a completely different thought from a mere ten minutes prior came full circle, out of the blue in his present state of muse. He halted halfway down the corridor, ears perking attentively. "Wait a minute... we have a locker room?"
⚔
"Thank you, everypony, for coming this morning," said Princess Celestia in her usual warm, welcoming demeanor, with a smile as bright as the sun itself. She sat adjacent to her younger sister at a rounded table carved out of pure blue crystal, moved with much care in place at the center of the throne room for the gathering.
Sliding his chair in, Night placed his hooves neatly on the edge of the table. He glanced to his right, noting the presence of his one superior beside Princess Luna, Captain Fallen Star, Lieutenant Silent Knight, and the newly-appointed captain of the Canterlot City Guard, Commander Goldstead.
Only five months into his position, Goldstead took the helm from Prince Shining Armor three years after the former captain's resignation to the Frozen North alongside his wife, Princess Cadence. It was a debate long discussed throughout the Guard, with the biggest question being just who would step up to replace him after it was acknowledged that his presence in the Crystal Empire would hamper his ability to lead in Canterlot.
Having served for a decade come August, the aquamarine-coated earth pony climbed rapidly through the ranks before topping out at the rank of lieutenant colonel a mere three weeks following Tirek's nation-wide assault. He, among with four others of his rank or similar made the roster of candidates to be selected, and pulled an enormous victory in the local polls.
Taking a moment to have a brief sip of water, Princess Luna calmly added behind Celestia, "Unfortunately, Captain Thunderblast was unable to attend due to some unforeseen circumstances that called for his duties out west."
Night's gaze moved to his immediate left, setting momentarily upon the only empty seat at the table. It met him with disappointment that it was the second instance in recent time where his friend and former mentor has gone absent, this time due to his new line of work.
He guessed that the change should have been expected after the talks began, some discussions he never took part in simply because it was not within his jurisdiction nor expertise. In fact, he had never remotely heard, not even from a brief mention, of Shadow Company. Knowledge of the unit's very existence remained strictly between the princesses and the two leading officers of the Royal Guard. Alas, the times were always undergoing change, major and minuscule, and he was forced to accept it one way or another.
"As each of you are well aware by this point, a recent string of robberies around the central sector of Canterlot have, well... sparked a bit of controversy," Celestia began, pausing only to clear her throat. "Since the second week of February—the eleventh, to be more precise—store owners in and around the downtown area have filed reports of items and merchandise missing from their shelves and backrooms."
The ice-white pegasus of Luna's House Guard retained a cool, collected demeanor as his steady silver sights directly met the purple cores of the alabaster alicorn. "How do they know what was stolen, if anything?"
Answering for the princesses, Goldstead's deepened tone broke the quiet. "Reports show that some shelves or racks have been wiped clean in some cases. Others, just one or two items."
"But each incident is connected," Princess Luna chimed in. "They all involve the theft of chemistry goods and basic products of potion-making. Strangely enough, registers and safes were left untouched, and there are little to no signs of forced entry. Two of the affected stores were equipped with alarms, and neither of which were tripped."
Silent Knight gently eased back into his seat, crossing his hooves over his chest. "Which means we are obviously dealing with somepony who has experience in the field of stealth."
"That is the problem we are facing here," said Celestia, straightening her spine and making eye contact with the pegasus lieutenant. She then shifted to her younger sister and gave her a nod.
A set of pictures, each brightened by the flash of the camera, were levitated in a blue magical aura before the four high-ranking officers.
"These photographs were taken by detectives no more than fifteen minutes after Corporal Sansteed filed his own report, two nights ago," Princess Luna stated, before producing another set of pictures, "and these are from each of the crime scenes around town."
The four guards split up the pictures, taking two each to study and compare them. While different in appearance and angle by which they were taken, and the prints only visible through a black light spell, what they showed virtually matched one another. On top of that, the tracks shown were not of hooves, but rather paws.
"Corporal Sansteed was in the lower southeast wing of the palace when he noticed mud prints that seemingly lead in from a short window at ground level. Mind you, the level he was on dips mostly underground for much of the palace, but also, the windows there are reinforced by dungeon bars. The screen on the inside can be removed easily, and appears to have been put back as mud was also discovered along its edges. However, it is impossible for even a foal to squeeze through."
"Well, evidently they were successful, whoever they are," uttered Night, setting the pictures down on the table surface.
"Looks like the paw prints of a griffon. Constitution spy or insurgent, perhaps?" remarked Goldstead, lifting his gaze to the princesses.
Celestia shook her head gently. "What remains of the Great Gryphon Constitution far lacks the resources to pull off such acts today, let alone the ability to slip in and out of Equestrian cities through transportation hubs so easily. They did not specialize in stealthed attacks even when they were a larger and more credible threat. More so, no claw marks were found anywhere in any of these situations. That isn't to say that a griffon is ruled out, however.
"It is, for the time being, believed that the items stolen from the shops may play a role, assuming the suspect also has an extensive knowledge of potion making, or a form of magic that we are presently unfamiliar with, that they could have merely phased through the walls or ceiling. Although, with something other than a unicorn, this is highly unlikely."
Glances were exchanged between the four stallions, a couple nodding in silent agreement over notions with each other.
"Your Highness, what is your call?" calmly queried Fallen Star.
Luna raised her head, glancing over three of the four guards before her, all of which under her branch. "I am afraid without much information to base off of, the most we can do for right now is increase security in and around the palace. If somepony is slipping in undetected, we do not know what they are capable of, or what their intentions may be. As such, this is a risk that must not be taken lightly."
"This goes for your ponies, too, Commander," she added, eyes darting over to the lone day guard present. "This is a decision made on behalf of my sister and I. Alas, the burglar strikes past dusk, so it is the overnight hours that we must remain most vigilant."
The stallions each nodded collectively in full acknowledgement of the order. Extra security was nothing new, and everypony present understood that. Night, however, had a hunch that this would be a particularly difficult task.
⚔
As Night walked past the open door of the break room, he found Zipline to be in the midst of getting down with a broom and sweeping up the floors inside—a much unexpected, but pleasing sight to his eyes.
"Good morning, Corporal. Just would like to inform you that I am calling for a squad briefing at one after I set up a suitable—" He froze in his tracks just beyond the door, blinking twice as a look of perplexity took form on his mien when the realization hit him seconds late.
On the right of the kitchen counter in the break room, in dead center of the window and its wrought iron grid frame was a hole no more than five inches wide from what appeared to be some sort of projectile had crashed through it, with the outer edges surrounded by a reddish-orange transparent substance. Night eyeballed the mysterious damage with one ear pinned back. "What on earth happened here?"
As it now turned out, what was previously thought to be normal cleaning, was instead the red-maned white pegasus picking up shards of glass off of the black-and-white-tiled floor and into a dust pan to discard. Zipline turned to Night with a grimace. "Halfmoon happened, that's what."
⚔
Ten minutes prior...
⚔
Halfmoon closed the refrigerator door with her hind hoof, bringing over to the lunch table a vanilla pudding cup with red and blue sprinkles on top. She licked her lips, having waited her entire shift to sit down and enjoy it, and even briefly dreamt of it the day before during her sleep.
Only the hum of the microwave running in the background stood between her and a perfect atmosphere to savor the treat in. It had been on since she first stepped hoof in the break room, abandoned by somepony likely elsewhere while their lunch reheated.
Eventually, she grew tired of waiting. Her mouth was watering already. She peeled back the film covering the little plastic cup, raising the spoon and ready to dig in. Her hoof dipped, scooping up a sizable portion of sprinkled pudding.
Then, the bells of doom rang loudly in Halfmoon's ears.
Her eyes expanded wide as she froze, the spoonful of pudding merely inches from her opened maw. Slowly, she turned over her shoulder toward the beeping appliance, having finally ceased. The door opened, flicking on the light within, and steam from the dish rolled out of the tiny space. As it cleared, dread struck the bat mare's essence, for in her direct line of sight was a truly horrifying image; a plastic container in the microwave, and it was filled with none other than her ultimate archenemy... spaghetti!
A gasp of pure horror escaped the mare's lips. She leaped up on top of her chair, sights honed in completely on the microwave and the contents inside. There it sat, reddened angel hair pasta coated in a reddish grease of leftover sauce and steaming out the top of the bowl.
The longer Halfmoon stared, the more apparent it became that something had to be done. Justice had to be served.
Cautiously, she eased off of the chair, hoof by hoof. Each and every step she took was slow and thoroughly calculated. About half way from the table to the counter, the microwave beeped thrice. Like before, the bells, louder than ever, shook the floor beneath her. Halfmoon swiftly leaped into the air and came back down with a thud, sprawled across the tiles with her hooves protecting her sensitive, tufted ears.
When the bells stopped once more, she jumped to all fours, dashing toward the microwave and snatched the bowl in her hooves, screeching incoherently the entire three feet. Her screams became more ear-piercing as the scalding heat of the container transferred to the bases of her hooves. She swung around full circle, the container slipping out of her hold mid-spin. She fell flat to the floor a second time, right as the crash of glass shattering snapped her back into reality.
Halfmoon pushed herself upright, emerald green eyes wide and staring at the window, which now had a container-shaped hole through it, surrounded by cracks. Piece by piece, shards of glass covered in sauce grease rained onto the floor below the sill, effectively causing her to wince as a result of the realization of her actions.
From behind her, Zipline had reentered the room to check on his lunch, just in time to watch it fly out the window in disbelief. Ears drooping and head dipping in disappointment, he uttered from the doorway, "My spaghetti..."