It was a calm day in the Canterlot Castle. Two guards enjoyed the breeze that blew through the west garden. They paced on opposite sides of the garden, each on the lookout for any signs of danger.
In the center of the garden, a flash of black and red light caught the attention of the two guards. The flash was followed by an eerie cry of pain and scent of fire.
Both guards raced to source of their distraction and were met with a strange sight.
A bat pony was cowering in the middle of the royal gazebo, smoke emanating from the tip of his bat-like wings. The pony had black fur, as black as the night, with an unkempt red mane and tail. He eyed the two day guards nervously, shaking in his night guard armor.
The two day guards exchanged confused looks, each having recognized the armor. One of the guards suddenly galloped away while the other approached the cowering bat pony.
"Where did you come from?" the guard asked, looking down at the other stallion.
The black pelted stallion shook his head, opening his eyes to see who spoke to him. "I... don't know," the stallion said, his voice cracked and sounded as though he hadn't spoken in centuries. His red eyes darted around as he took in his surrounding, suddenly calming down.
"Princess! This way," a rough voice sounded from behind the day guard.
A beautiful white alicorn followed a guard to the gazebo, her eyes falling on the bat pony.
"P-Princess Celestia!" the bat pony exclaimed, swiftly lowering into a bow.
"Wake my sister. Something about this stallion troubles me," Princess Celestia told the guards.
Both guards flew away, eager to carry out their order, leaving the princess alone with the strange stallion.
"Tell me, do you know your name?" the princess asked the bat pony, her tone kind.
"I-It's... S-Silent... Silent Flight," the stallion stuttered, sill bowing to Celestia.
Celestia remained silent for a short while, her eyes taking in every detail of Silent Flight. "I see. If I remember correctly, you went missing over 1,000 years ago."
"Yes, he did. He went missing when the Crystal Empire did, Sister," the voice of Princess Luna answered for Silent Flight. "I had a dream that the Empire has returned, and now my personal guard from before Nightmare Moon has returned as well. I believe there is no coincidence here."
"Princess Luna!" Silent Flight greeted the dark alicorn, bowing even lower than before.
"Silent Flight, good to see you again," Princess Luna replied, landing beside her sister.
"The Crystal Empire? That must mean he is back as well," Celestia sneered.
"Indeed. Cadence and Shining Armour are headed there as we speak. They will do their best to protect the Empire. Though I am afraid My Love is the only who can defeat him," Princess Luna replied, her voice saddening as she mentioned her love.
"He must have returned as well, Dear Sister. The Empire would not have been able to return if their prince was not alive. He must gained his full power, allowing the Empire to return," Celestia encouraged her sister.
"Yes, he must be. I will try to find his dreams by following those of the Crystal Ponies," Princess Luna replied, determination clear in her voice.
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Silent Flight woke with a start, gasping for breath. That was the twentieth time he had that dream since he returned to being Princess Luna's personal guard. He rolled out of bed and put on his armor, trying to clear his mind of the dream.
Falling Star, Silent Flight's roommate, groaned and peeked out the window beside his bed. "We slept too late!" he yelped, jumping out of bed and rushing to put on his armor. "Captain Nightlock is going kill me!"
"I doubt it, Star. The moon is just rising. If you fly, you can make it to Captain Nightlock's office before he leaves," Silent Flight snickered.
"Hey! I don't fly as fast you do!" Falling Star retorted.
"I know. Well, see you when the sun rises," Silent Flight replied, leaving his friend alone in their room. He trotted through the empty hallways of the castle, heading to the place where the princess told him to meet her when the moon rises. He entered the south garden and spread his wings, letting the cool night air ruffle what little feathers his wings contained.
"I see your here early," Princess Luna's laugh told the night guard of her approach. She landed in front of Silent Flight, her smile turning into an amused frown. "You have your helmet on backwards, Flight," she laughed, using her magic to fix his helmet.
"Oh, sorry. I had another nightmare," Silent Flight explained sheepishly. "Princess, is something bothering you?" he asked, noticing mare's smile fade once again.
"Shining Armour is unable to use his magic and Cadence is quickly getting weaker. Soon, King Sombra will reclaim the Crystal Empire." As she spoke, tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "My fiancé, Prince Topaz, is no where to be found. He has hidden himself from even Discord, who can track magic. Topaz is the only one who can stop Sombra, but if he isn't found, all of Equestria is at stake!"
Silent Flight remained silent, not knowing what to say. In an attempt to comfort the princess, he wrapped one wing over her back.
Princess Luna looked up at him before shrugging his wing off her back. "Thank you, for attempting to comfort me, but only Topaz has ever done that..." she looked down sadly, her eyes watering once again.
Silent Flight looked up at the night sky, his ears pricked. He knew he heard something, but he couldn't pinpoint where he heard it. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide and he leaped into the air, knocking Princess Luna out of the way of a falling object.
Princess Luna looked up at her guard, her eyes wide with shock at what she saw.
Before stood not her personal guard, but a crystal alicorn. He raised raised his head, his horn glowing a light blue color. Before he could release the spell, he was hit by a branch that fell from the sky, nearly being missed by a large tree that fell down after the branch. The branch had stopped his spell before he could cast it, and the thing he was looking at fled.
The stallion collapsed to the ground, suddenly the bat pony once again. He covered his right eye with his wing, hissing in pain.
"Are you alright!?" Princess Luna asked, shaking herself out of her shock. "Flight?"
"My... eye..." the stallion growled, wincing in pain as he removed his wing and looked up at the princess.
"It's blind!"