//------------------------------// // Served Cold // Story: Night Wing // by Gravity012 //------------------------------// Luna I paced around the dining hall rapidly as i thought about what happened. I had tears going down my face as i tried to deny the events that had transpired. “Its going to be fine Luna!” I told my self. “He-He-He will probably be fine! He was fne last time he got killed! Yes! Thats right, he’ll be absolutely fine!” Celestia watched from the table alongside Starswirl. He still had his head leaned miserably on the table. “Luna!” Tia called out to me. I stopped pacing and looked at her. “Night will be fine, ok?” She tried to reassure me. I know hes been dead before, but......if he can just come back to life, why has he been gone so long? I started pacing again. What if...What if he could only do it one time? These thoughts continued to plague me even as the doors burst open. “We came as fast as we could!!” Black Iron shouted out Silver wing, Moon Beam, and Luna Lotus ran in beside him. “What happened!?” “Is Night ok!? Where is he?” Silver frantically looked around as Moon and Lotus looked at each other in worry. I just stopped and pointed at a cloth covered lump on the table. “No.....” Silver ran up to the table and yanked back the cloth. The others followed her as I sat down and cried. Night lay on the table, cold amd still. His feathers had turned pitch black when he died. His eyes where closed and he had an almost peaceful look on his face. “You.....” Silver turned to look at Starswirl. She had murder in her eyes, and all could see it. “Silver!” Tia shouted. “Don't do anything you’ll regret.” “Oh don’t worry princess. I won’t regret it.” Silver lept at Swirl, intent on choking to life from him. Just before her hooves touched him she stopped midair. “What the-!?” She looked down to see a yellow telekinesis field holding her. “Grrrr! Let me go!” Swirl didn’t even look up from his position as Celestia held back Silver. “That’s enough!” Celestia’s voice rang out through the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at Celestia. “Now, I believe there has been enough death today. Silver, I’m going to let you down. And when I do, I expect you to stand still and be silent!” Tia unceremoniously dropped Silver onto the table. She scrambled to her hooves and stood stiffly. “We don’t know for sure if Night is really dead or not.” Tia started, “What do you mean? Hes right here!” Lotus cried out. “Be silent!” Celestia yelled. Everyone, including me, pinned their ears onto their head. “Night has been dead before. The shadow killed him, and he came back to us. So, with that knowledge, I believe he will do so again. He can come back like a phoenix, and like a phoenix it will most likely be bright and flashy when he comes back.” Celestia took a breath. “I want you to take several guards with you and search the forest. It shouldn’t be hard to find where he is.” Iron snapped a salute. “Yes ma’am, we will leave at once.” He walked up to the grief stricken Silver and dragged her out the door behind him. Lotus and Moon looked at Night’s body once more before leaving as well. “I hope you're right sister. I really do.” I told Tia. I walked over to the table and sat down beside Night. Night Wing I shot through the sky towards the castle. The cool night air whistled past me as the tree tops blurred by. I can’t believe Swirl killed me! I dodged around a tall tree and continued toward the castle. When someone says, ‘Hey! You should stop!’ You should probably stop! Especially when you’re dealing with dangerous magic! I rose up higher in the sky, breaking through the cloud layer. The clouds were thick tonight and the moon reflected off of them beautifully. It actually helped me to calm down as I flew over them. Even if I did just get killed, I can’t say I regret being here. I slowed down and glided over the silvery sea. I have a family again. And I get to do and see things that I never could on earth. I descended into the tops of the clouds, letting them flow over my wings as I flew. I could see the castle through a hole in the clouds, it wasn’t very far now. I had calmed down during the flight, and didn’t feel like strangling Swirl anymore. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t have revenge. I dove down toward Swirl’s room and landed on the balcony quietly. I could see a lump through the window, slowly rising and falling under the sheets. Puuuuuuurfect. I opened the door slowly and slipped into the room. I quietly closed the door behind me and made my way over to the bed. Now, how to do this.... I pondered Over what exactly I was going to do for a moment. Aha! I leaned over the bed and turned my feathers black. Then I made the feathers around my eyes glow red. I put my face right next to Swirl’s and waited a moment. “CHKCHKCHKCHK!” I made a loud clicking noise. Starswirl’s eyes snapped open. Luna “AAAAAAAAAAAH!!” A scream echoed through the castle. I jumped out of my bed and looked around my room. “AAAAAH!” That sounded like Starswirl! I ran out of my room and down the hall, all sorts of images flashing through my mind. Did Silver come back for him!? Ooooh! I ran even faster until I reached his door. Then I turned around and bucked it open. Nothing could prepare me for what I saw inside. I saw Night standing to the side with an evil smile, and in the center of the room where two portals. One on the roof and one on the floor. Starswirl was falling through them with and ever increasing speed. “AAAAH!! Please! Stop! I already said I was sorry!” “Hur hur hur!” Night just laughed as he fell even faster. ‘Oh man, I love portals!’ He looked at me. His smile quickly disappeared when he saw the tears on my face. ‘Luna! Are you ok!?’ He ran up to me and hugged me. “I though you were gone!” I sobbed onto his shoulder. I cried harder than I ever had before. “I’m so glad your ok!” I squeezed him as hard as I could. I didn’t ever want to let him go. “What’s going on in here!?” Celestia ran in. “What in the world.....” She stopped when she saw Starswirl falling. Then she saw me and Night to the side. “NIGHTWING!” She jumped onto us and hugged us. “Your back! I knew you would be ok. You had to be.” She sniffled as we all held each other. “I don’t know what we would do if your weren’t ok.” “Somebody! Heeeeeeelp!” Swirl yelled in the background. I ignored him as I hugged Night. Night Wing We all sat around the dining hall table. My old body was laid on the table like a dark version of myself. I picked up one of the talons and dropped it down again. It hit the solid wood with a THUMP. ’Starswirl.’ “Yes?” He looked at me with sorrowful eyes. ‘Why, when I told you to stop, did you not stop the spell?’ I turned to glare at him. “What?” Luna and Celestia both looked at Swirl as Celestia spoke up. “What exactly happened down in the lab?” ‘I’ll tell you what happened.’ I looked them in the eyes. ‘Starswirl made a mistake. A big one.’ I looked back at Swirl. ‘I was teaching him the portal spell, he has been begging me to teach him as you both know.’ I stood from the table and started pacing on the stone floor. ‘The spell required a lot of mana. I was confident Starswirl could handle it for a short while. And I was right. He opened up a portal successfully.’ I stopped pacing and looked at Swirl once more. His mane was a mess and his eyes had bags under them. ‘But then it started to destabilize. He couldn’t keep that amount of mana flowing through his horn and keep it stable, not the first time he tried the spell. I did it on accident the first time I cast the spell. So the portal collapsed and the energy had to go somewhere. Unfortunately that somewhere was my neck.’ I walked up to my dead body and turned the head, showing the hole where the left side used to be. “Night. I am so sor-.” Swirl began. ‘It hurt Starswirl. A lot. But you know what hurt more than choking to death?’ I spun around to face him, anger in my eyes. ‘What hurts more was that I got killed by my family, because they couldn’t listen to me.’ I walked up to him. ‘Why didn’t you stop Swirl? You had to know you couldn’t keep up the spell. You’ve been a mage for nearly a hundred years!’ I patiently waited for an answer. “I....I was cocky.” He hung his head in shame. “For years I have been the powerful mage that everyone looks up to. I know more about magic than anyone, I have more practice and experience, and I have been alive for a very long time.” He looked back up at us. “So when you made a new spell.....well, how could I resist learning it? And when you finally agreed to teach me.....I suppose I felt I could handle it with no problem. I have always done magic with ease, why would this be any different.” He looked down again. “Sadly I was very wrong. I thought I could do it perfectly on the first try. I let my pride get the better of me. And it cost us all dearly.” He activated his magic and levitated off his wizard hat. He spun it in front of him as he stared into space. “I am not going to live forever, in fact I fear my time will come soon. And as much as it pains me to do so......I must step down as the royal mage. There are other ponies that are better suited for this position.” He sighed. “I am sorry Night. I do hope you can forgive me for this mistake.” He set his hat on the table and looked at us sadly. He stood from the table and walked toward the door. We all watched as he left, unable to say anything. I'm sorry as well Swirl. And I already have forgiven you. I just don’t want you to make this mistake again. Just before Swirl reached the door, it opened in front of him. Silver, Iron, Lotus, and Moon walked in as he walked out. Silver gave him a glare but said nothing as they approached the table. “Your majesties, we have found a clearing in the for-.” Silver stopped as she noticed me. The next thing I knew I was on the floor as she hugged me. “Thank the sky your ok!” She squeezed me more. “So, he really does come back huh?” Lotus thought out loud. She smiled as she walked over to me. “Well Captain, this is one of the few times I’ve been happy I didn’t get a promotion.” “You wouldn’t have been promoted if Night died.” Iron raised an eyebrow at Lotus. “Oh shut it Blacky.” She smirked at him. “You’re ruining the moment.”