"So, let me make sure I understand you. As it stands, Nightmare Moon has been defeated for some time, and the sun princess is no longer imprisoned, correct?"
I took another deep breath. It had been a long year, even after Nightmare Moon was defeated. There were so many backed-up repairs across the nation that I doubt we'd have it completely settled within the decade. Yet, we were trying. It had also been a little over a year since Stargazer. I smirked at the name. I had woken up in the Everfree forest with naught a memory in my head.
Yet, here I was. Surrounded by six friends who managed to save Equestria in its darkest hour. I held back a snort. It was like a fairytale story. The even queen bested by the purest of hearts or something. Though, I don't know many who would say Sombra or Blueblood were pure-hearted. But that was neither here nor there.
None of this, however, foretold today's concern. A mere hour ago, a fleet of zeppelins concealed in a thunderhead had landed in our fair Canterlot. That was all well and good, nothing we couldn't handle. The fact the heavily armed forces that disembarked were yetis, of all things, certainly didn't help the issue. No, the real kick in the butt was that they were led by a unicorn, a mare whose very horn was broken. I couldn't say from experience, but I doubt that was very fun.
That mare, Tempest Shadow, now sat across from me in one of Canterlot Castle's many conference rooms. A comfortable room with bright plush cushions and sofas. A fireplace, currently unused to one side. A rich wooden bookshelf and large windows left the room a place of quiet serenity. I managed a glance to my side. The ever-faithful captain of the guard and my first friend since waking into this crazy world, Light Sabre, was staring daggers at Tempest. Someone was on edge today.
"That sums it up, yeah. You know, except for all the physical, mental, and emotional agony. But, yeah, sums it up."
Sturdy Spade smirked at Tempest, who met his idle gaze with a terse sneer of her own. Spade paid it no mind as he sat up just a bit taller. The pegasus was just trying to get us caught in some kind of war. He'd throw himself right into the storm just to prove he could.
"As that may be. What matters is what you plan to do now that you have learned the fate of Nightmare Moon," Sombra said. The King of the Crystal Empire sat to my side opposite Sabre. The dark, in both coat and mannerism, looked to Tempest with placid interest.
"You will excuse me if I am a bit suspicious of such fortunate coincidences forming the base of your supposed victory," Tempest said. She matched Sombra's gaze, locking them in a staring contest with lives on the line.
"How else would you explain the fact that even now, the sun sits high and free?" Blueblood asked. He'd only grown bolder since sailing the skies and meeting with just about every country on Equiss.
"A necessity. The ramifications of a continued and undisturbed night would not only decimate most ecosystems but the tidal effects alone would render the coasts of every kingdom on the planet uninhabitable."
The room went quiet. "Huh," was all I could muster. I mean, it was always kind of implied, but having someone point it out directly. It left a sour taste on my tongue. I would, in the very near future, have to have a private discussion about such issues. It was hardly my responsibility or in my skill set to handle said potential devastation. But, the fact I'd never heard anything about the ports and such was, disquieting.
"That's a good point, actually," I said, my voice cracking as I tried to regain my composure.
"True," Sabre agreed.
"It is only natural. Even the delusional mind of that monster would relegate at least some period of time to daylight," Tempest said.
I shivered, shaking my head in deject reflection. My ears swiveled in place as I muttered to myself. My actions did not, however, go unnoticed. A firm hoof rested on one shoulder. I rolled my eyes but couldn't keep the smile off my face.
"You okay?" Sabre asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. You worrywart."
"It's my job to worry, sir."
I inhaled hard through my nose and turned to the smug captain, hoof still firmly on my shoulder. "Really?"
Sabre nodded. "Really," he said before releasing me.
"I'm sorry to say, Ms. Shadow, but there was never any sunlight. It was always very much night," Thorax said. He wore a mix of anxiety and curiosity. The ex-captain, but still very much respected changeling, seemed in debate on where his eyes should settle. If they could even settle, lack of pupils and all that.
"That's a fair point. I mean, no, you're right."
"Excuse me?" Tempest asked.
I nearly jumped from my seat. My vision flicked from Tempest to the ground and back. I could feel the heat in my cheeks as I tried to cover my startled kerfuffle with a cough.
"I mean, how did you not know about the eternal night thing and how it had been, you know, eternal?" I asked.
Tempest rolled her eyes. "The lands of the Storm King are wrought with heavy weather almost as eternal as your supposed night was. It is rare to ever see an open sky. Thus, my expectation of your old ruler's intelligence. It seems I gave her far too much credit."
I caught myself mumbling again and nodded along. "Fair enough, she can, sorry could be, no, was, rather narrow-minded all things concerned."
"That might be a bit too generous," Blueblood said. The writhing flame of disdain in his eye hadn't faded, even after all this time. I could hardly blame him.
"Back to the matter at hoof," Sombra said. All eyes turned to the king, who hadn't so much as nudged from his regal posture.
"Yeah, oh, wait, maybe I should get you a copy of my novelization of the rise and fall of Nightmare Moon. It's a top seller. I could get a few for you yeti friends, too, if you want."
In less time than my mind could process the events, Bright Pitch had jettisoned from his seat and now hovered in front of Tempest, eyes glistening in jubilation. A copy of said novel was held forth for Tempest to see. The mare gave the cover a single glance before pushing it back toward its writer.
"No."
"Oh, come on, that's no fun at all," Bright said, returning to his seat at an almost grueling pace.
"So, about your plans?" Sabre asked.
"I will admit to being caught unawares. I did not think, Nightmare could be beaten by some sextuplet of ponies and their spark."
The bit about the spark sent a shiver up my spine. I felt myself push back in my seat a bit further.
"Don't hassle Star. He did nothing wrong," Thorax responded. The reserved nervousness was replaced with a fierce, almost predatory bravado. Tempest hadn't let it go unnoticed as the jagged edge of her broken horn began to glow. This led to a domino of reactions in rapid succession. Sabre had placed himself between Tempest and the rest of our group. Sombra's horn now hummed, wrapped in its own red glow. Spade had started chuckling to himself, and both Blue and Bright seemed all too happy to let the others clobber the yeti commander.
"This is all your fault," I hissed.
"You did nothing wrong, Stargazer."
Sombra spoke, and he'd be damned if it wasn't reality. If it wasn't, he'd remedy that posthaste. I shook my head and waved dismissively.
"That isn't what I meant," I said.
"So, are we fighting or what?" Bright asked.
Tempest quelled the storm atop what was once her horn and slowly sat back down. "No, there is no point. You are," Tempest looked to Sabre. "Not the enemy I sought."
"Closer than she thinks, huh?"
"Star?" Bright asked. The flighty thestral was hovering over me. He looked down at me. I looked up to him. He blinked slowly, and then I did the same. I shrugged, and Bright squinted at me before slowly finding his seat once more.
"What now?" Thorax asked.
Tempest fought between a look of irritation and dejected realization. There for several seconds, we sat in silence. The grandfather clock that sat hidden in the corner opposite the door. One I hadn't noticed until the ticking was left the only sound amongst our gathering.
"I don't mean to insult. But, your horn…" I said, gently tapping my own barren forehead. My wings twitched in response. Tempest's own broken stump arced with arcane energy as I slowly lowered my hoof back down. "...Can we help?" I asked.
The question left Tempest for the first time since her arrival on the back hoof. Her scowl was replaced with an owlish look. Beside me, Sombra muffled a laugh. One Spade did not withhold.
"Glue maybe, or duct tape. I have a lot of duct tape," Spade said. He mimed wrapping his non-existent horn in the solve-all solution.
"It can't be fixed," Tempest said. Her voice barely traveled past her lips. Her eyes bore a hole in the floor. The presence of her mere existent demand fell away and left something far more pony behind.
"Says, who?" Sombra asked. The question rallied Tempest, who looked up, face ashen horn stump still aglow.
"What?" Tempest asked.
"Sombra is right, you know. Between him and Discord, I have no reason to believe it can't be fixed. I mean, I can ask Discord for you if you like?"
Tempest once again fell into silence. This time, however, the air did not bristle with unkempt angst. Well, no more than Sombra and I managed by ourselves. When Tempest did respond. It was not a request or concern. No, that would be too sane. My life can't handle sanity. That would be too easy.
No, instead, Tempest Shadow, the commander of The Storm King's fleet. The mare who had been sent to best Nightmare Moon of all ponies. I winced. My vision crawled with shadows. My left eye burned. I bit my tongue, anything to draw my attention elsewhere. Tempest's own actions proved far more successful in that regard.
She rose slowly. Sabre tensed but otherwise made no action to stop her. Her eyes were glued to my own. Tempest took two steps forward and thusly fell to one knee. I blinked. Sabre blinked. Sombra smirked, and Bright started taking notes. He mumbled under his breath the whole time.
Then she bowed her head. "If you can repair my horn, then I am willing to pledge myself in compensation."
"No, it isn't funny," I covered my thought with a cough and offered a strained smile in return. "I mean, I'm sure the princesses would be more—"
"No, not them. My pledge is to you. You made the offer. You are the one who has given me hope. My pledge is to you."
My mouth opened and shut several times, with no words presenting themselves in return. The shadows were undulating in the corner of my vision. My thoughts replayed the declaration several times in my head. The laugh in the back of my mind returned the headache I'd been ignoring for the last few minutes. Simply put, I had no words.
"Quite the offer, Stargazer. It is rare for soldiers as fine as she to offer such fielty, in this age, no?" Sombra said. The jerk was ginning. His fangs bared in wicked humor.
"That won't be necessary. Star already has the support of The crown, The Empire, The Elements, and me."
My brain remained blank. Sabre had stepped in front of me. This had several effects. First, Thorax, Bright, and Spade were laughing their flanks off. Sombra even managed a single chuckle, and Tempest had all but ignored Sabre's retort, her eyes still firmly locked with mine.
"My pledge stands."
"Are you kidding me? Why would—" I spoke, my thoughts interrupted by the sudden poof of smoke above me, and the one and only laughter of Discord, Lord of Chaos, rang out in all directions.
"My, my, my, you've once again proven to be my rival for master chaos, dead Stargazer. But to offer my services without so much as asking first. Tut tut, how very rude."
Discord hovered over me, his neck twisting in an unnatural direction as he occupied the sum total of my vision. I rubbed the sides of my head with both hooves and questioned my very existence as a whole.
"I mean, I said I'd ask," I said lamely.
Discord reached down and booped my muzzle. "Very well, if you are gonna twist my arm over it. I'd be more than happy to help my bestest friend in all of Equestria procure himself a knight in…" Discord poofed away and reappeared in front of Tempest. He had a measuring tape in his claw as he darted around, mumbling numbers and measurements with no regard to his volume. Tempest herself had frozen in place following Discord's actions in mute aggravation. The last measurement taken was the very thing in question. A few pointed measurements of Tempest's missing horn. "...purplish armor."
Then pulling himself from the shellshocked mare. He gave a devilish grin, eyebrows literally bouncing off his brow. "I may not be a djinn, but I can be a miracle worker when the mood hits me," Discord said. He then winked, sapped his claw, and with a flashy explosion of bright pink sparkles that resembled various fruits. To which Tempest recoiled. Not the action itself but the sparkly images with a face of horror.
It was when Tempest stumbled back. Two things became apparent. One that Tempest had an impeccable aim. The sparkles blasted away in an electric bolt that hit the ceiling, leaving a black mark in the otherwise impeccable craftsponyship of the room. The second, Discord had once again proven his near omnipotence. For once, where there was naught by a stub. There was now, atop Tempest's head, sat a horn as natural as if it had always been there, and the idea of her horn ever having been shattered was a bad dream, a terrible joke that the universe had attempted to pull for no reason whatsoever.
Tempest had noticed as well. Her eyes tried very hard to see it for herself. Though what her eyes could not do, her hooves and her magic most certainly could. Tempest Shadow was whole once more.
Discord nudged me with an elbow, face the perfect dictionary definition of smug. His grin was only tainted by his snaggletooth. "Not bad, huh? I would say it is some of my finest work. I really went the extra mile."
Discord's legs pulled themselves free of their master and ran out the door. Only seconds later, a maid's scream to indicate the legs hadn't stopped. "You're welcome, by the way. Ms. Fizzle, over there, is now bound by her oath. Am I just the best friend or what?"
I took a deep breath and considered finding out how hard the floor was face first. When my breath relented. All I could manage was a tired shake of my head. It wasn't funny. The shadows firmly disagreed. They mocked me with silent manic guffaws that fell in beat with the throbbing of my head.
"You, my horn, I—" Tempest's words died in her throat. Ending with her all but throwing herself into a deep bow. If it was to me or Discord, or just the universe in general. There she bowed so deep her muzzle scraped the floor.
"Think nothing of it, my dear. It was all for dear Stargazer. If not for him, I'd never have thought it up. He truly is my equal in all things nonsensical. That said. I do have a schedule to keep, and my legs are half wat to Vanhoover by now," Discord said. With a single wave and snap of his paw, he was gone as quickly as he'd come.
"Well, that happened," Blue said.
"Never a dull moment," Spade said. He nodded, lounging back in his seat.
"Um, so, what about the yeti's outside?" Thorax asked. The pen dropped. Everyone, as if guided by a single mind, turned to the open door.
"Crap," I said. "No, no pelts," I hissed under my breath.
My headache was only growing worse.