Chapter 7
Nightshade watched the magical gateway at the center of the chamber, growing more impatient with each passing moment. It seemed the unicorns were having trouble finishing the gate without General Umbra's added energy, but they were slowly making progress, and it might be another few hours before the gate was fully functional.
The pegasus glared at the portal; its texture resembling the surface of a pool, it rippled as if something stirred on the other side of the translucent liquid. She decided to test the gate, to see how well it would carry a soldier to Canterlot. Tossing a small rock at the watery wall, she watched as the stone passed through the liquid and landed on the floor beyond the gate.
A clump of damp sand fell to the floor. The rock had been crushed in passing the gate.
Better wait a while longer, she concluded.
Minutes passed with no noticeable changes, save the increased exhaustion in the struggling unicorns. The pegasi and earth ponies would be called to this chamber within one hour of the gate's construction, and then the attack would finally commence. On this evening would be the last sunset in Equestria. Luna, the Night Mare, would soon have the throne she deserved.
But the wait! The agonizing wait! After all this planning, years of building and training an army for this attack, the last night was upon them. Now that it was so very close, Nightshade just wanted it to be over, to march into Canterlot and force Celestia out. But why? she thought. A surprising thought indeed; it had been so long, she had actually forgotten what had inspired her to do this in the first place. What if it was pointless? Could this force really be enough to bring Celestia down? What would happen if the attack failed?
The pegasus was so absorbed in these thoughts that when the double doors of the chamber burst open, the proud commander was truly caught off-guard. She jumped back a step, then, praying she wasn't seen doing this, stepped forward and faced the intruder. She nearly leapt back again when she saw Princess Celestia enter the room; many of those near the door were already backing away from the great alicorn. Nightshade slowly walked toward her, nodding her head slightly to one side. A shadow moved along the outer wall of the room, stopping on one side of the door, followed by another on the opposite side. "You've made my work much easier, Celestia," the pale mare began. "coming directly to me instead of waiting for my army to hunt you down. Now, I'm here to give you a choice: you can..."
"I am well aware of your choice," Celestia interrupted. "and I refuse both options. You will not force me from my throne, and there will be no war over it. This ends here."
"I couldn't agree more. Now!" Nightshade shouted. Two black guards rushed toward the Princess, one leaping up to tackle her, the other dropping low to sweep her legs from under her. It was a practiced maneuver, and it was executed to perfection. The guards hit Celestia simultaneously.
They flew through her as she disappeared in a flash of light. The confused guards fell on each other, tumbling to the floor. Nightshade was paralyzed as she continued her watch on the door, and saw Umbra step over the fallen guards to approach her.
"General! What are you doing? What's the meaning of this?"
Umbra stepped aside; Princess Celestia flew through the door, landing just in front of the guards that had tried to strike her earlier. They looked up at the alicorn with expressions of pure bewilderment, still not quite understanding what had happened. Nightshade, her last defense line now gone, retreated from the advancing Princess. "This isn't possible! I had you! Where did you..."
"Haven't figured it out yet, Nightshade?" Umbra asked. "An illusion, and one of my best ever, if I remember correctly. Yes, it must have been, to have succeeded against your personal bodyguards."
"Umbra, what are you doing? This is the enemy! Why are you helping her? Strike her down while her back is turned!"
"Sorry, 'my Lady,' but my mind has changed recently. I've now decided that this is not the right path to my goal, and that you must be stopped before innocent lives are lost."
"When did you ever care about innocent lives? You're concerned only with yourself, with expanding your own power by any means you can. What greater proof of your power exists than defeating Celestia? This is your chance!"
Umbra paused for a moment as he considered the commander's words. Is that truly how he had been before, only caring for himself and his precious power? Had he not lost his memory in the Everfree forest, had he gone as planned and seen the assault to its completion, how many lives would have been destroyed by his actions?
"I have decided..." Umbra said at length, "to give you one last chance to end this battle before it begins. You don't have to do this, you know. Even Luna herself disagrees with your actions here; in fact, she is ashamed that somepony would attempt something so extreme in her name. Your cause is lost, Nightshade, and so are you."
The pale pegasus looked all around her; the only available exit was blocked by Celestia. There was no escape. Unless...
Nightshade turned and sprinted for the magical gateway. Pushing aside the unicorns in her way, she leapt up toward the watery wall. Just when she was sure she had succeeded, however, she felt a strong pull backward, a levitation spell. The pendant around her neck snapped from the speed at which her momentum shifted; it sailed into the portal and was shattered, raining shards of crystal upon the stone floor.
As Celestia and Umbra held the pegasus in the grip of their magic, she could only stare at the remains of her necklace. If she had actually jumped through...
Celestia looked down at the stunned mare in front of her. "Nightshade, or whatever your real name might be... your actions here are almost unbelievable. There has not been a major war in Equestria for hundreds of years, and even then it was not for such a cause. How can you so desire to end my rule, that you would wage war over it? What would you gain from such a thing?"
"What...would I gain? I...I thought..." the pegasus's voice faded as she drifted away from consciousness, collapsing to the floor.
The unicorns had since ended their spell, leaving the gateway to melt away. They crowded around their fallen leader, taking care not to get too close to Celestia. "What will happen to her now?" one unicorn asked, "And to us?"
Celestia turned to face the speaker. "Nightshade and her generals will be taken to Canterlot, where the extent of their crimes will be discussed. For the common soldiers, I have not yet decided if anything is to to be done. For now, leave this place. I think we've all been through enough today," she sighed.
Umbra looked down across the landscape, admiring the viewpoint from the castle balcony. All the world below him seemed to fall quiet: ponies still walked down every city street, but they were far fewer than during the day; the birds had also retired for the night, leaving bats and frogs to fill the air with their own cries; even the wind had quieted down, almost stopping entirely. A gentle breeze ran across the castle wall, washing over Umbra as he observed the world.
The moon rose slowly above the horizon, beginning its ascent into the night sky. It was a full moon tonight, and it bathed the land in a soft light as it continued its path upward. A few clouds could be seen in the west, but they did nothing to obscure the moon, nor did they diminish the light it provided.
"Beautiful," Umbra thought aloud as he surveyed the land again, taking in all the sights and sounds around him.
"Yes, We had thought so, as well."
Umbra nearly jumped when he heard this. Turning his head to face the source of the voice, he found himself looking straight into the eyes of Princess Luna. The ruler of the night had approached him without a sound, most likely gliding down on her great wings; their feathers, the same dark cobalt color as her coat, were perfectly groomed and streamlined. Luna had the same tall, slender shape as her sister, and wore similar jewelry as well: a set of boots that resembled glass, a simple black tiara, and a black necklace depicting a crescent moon. Her mane, the same shade of blue as her coat, looked like a piece of the night sky, including its own stars.
"Did We frighten you?" asked Luna, "If so, you have Our sincerest apologies."
"Thank you, Princess."
"Now, what are you doing here, at such a late hour? Most other ponies are already gone when We arrive."
"Merely enjoying the view, Princess."
The two stood in silence, watching the moon as it rose ever higher into the sky, listening to the sounds of all the night's creatures as they emerged from their homes. "It's a shame more ponies don't appreciate your night, Princess."
"You truly believe so?"
"Of course." Umbra replied without hesitation. "As much as we need the light of the sun to survive, it pains me to think we can never look directly at it without the risk of being blinded by its harsh light. The moon, however...even when it's at its fullest, it is never so large and so bright as to blind those who wish to watch it. It is never too bright to admire."
Luna smiled at this. "Thank you, young Umbra. We wish their were more like you in the world, who see the beauty the night has to offer."
"There might be more yet. You need only to be patient." Umbra laughed aloud after this. "Look at me, telling an immortal to be patient."
The cries of bats could be heard as the creatures descended from their perches and into the cool night air, beginning their usual hunt. The moon rose to its highest point in the sky, illuminating everything around in a soft, white light, before it disappeared in the darkening clouds of the growing storm.