//------------------------------// // Chapter 33: Crest. // Story: A Demon's Second Chance // by Perfectly Insane //------------------------------// I followed closely behind Luna, eventually meeting up with Brash and Luster once we’d exited the theater. Both of them had their attention transfixed on the princess, rather than me; which was a relief.  The tensed way they kept their mouths shut and noticeably dragged their hooves made it obvious they had a lot of questions. None of them voiced those, however. Instead, the few times I caught them doing so, they’d glance at me at the edge of their vision as if expecting me to air their inquiries for them.  I didn’t, of course. We eventually started walking down parts of the hallway I didn’t find familiar, expanding my mental map of the castle as we traveled. With an anticipation I could taste, Luna outstretched a single wing and arm, waiting for the three of us to stop before going over to one of the windows. She opened it, lighting up her horn and shooting out a beam of magic into the night sky. With a few seconds delay, the bolt managed to reach the very stars, lighting one up and then changing its trajectory to a nearby one; all while leaving behind a line of magic. It bounced among a handful of stars, leaving a cobalt trail behind before abruptly stopping at a seemingly random star. Once it did, the ball shattered into dozens of shards of magic, then began falling to the ground like shimmering glitter.  The symbol it carved, some sort of assortment of lines and triangles, stayed sparkling in the sky. It wasn’t a constellation, at least not one that I recognized. In fact, it somewhat resembled the moon if the moon had a section of it cut out. I was going to ask what she’d done, but by the time the words made their way to my mouth the symbol began to fade. Seconds later, it had evaporated entirely. Remaining only as a memory.  “There. That should insure my ponies of the night will be here sooner or later.” Luna raised her head, promptly closing the window and backing away from it. “Brash and Luster?” As soon as she stepped away and turned to face us, Brash and Luster were bowing as low as they feasibly could. Brash’s wings occasionally flickered, holding rigidly behind her back matched only by the tenseness of the rest of her body.  Luster looked evidently more relaxed, keeping her eyes closed and breathing steadily. Though there was still some tightness in her face, holding her lips together like there was something she wanted to say.  “Please go wake Shining Armor and tell him to make his way to the war room.” “The,” Brash tilted her head, raising an eyebrow but not her head. “War room princess?” “It's where we play O&O. That’s what it was originally.” Luster explained, turning to Brash without having to open her eyes. “Oh, is that what the table’s for? Wait, the captain is going to ask why I’m waking him in the middle of the night. What should,” she trailed off, awkwardly scraping one of her hooves against the ground as she relaxed her posture. Eyes bouncing back and forth as she was unable to meet Luna’s eyes. “I tell him.” “Tell him there are changelings.” “Changelings?!” Brash’s voice cracked, her wings half opening as she glanced at Luster.  “In the castle?” Luster straightened her posture, half-scowling as her eyes first darted to me, then to Luna.  “Not in the castle, no. That’s all you need to tell him.” “Princess, if there is a changeling threat to your safety, then—” “There is no threat to my safety. Of that I can assure you.” Luna didn’t hesitate in cutting Luster off, Maintaining a blank expression as she stood over them.  I swallowed the urge to bow like they were under Luna’s leer. Even without her looking at me directly, the unyielding composure she held had this overpowering atmosphere to it that wasn’t present before.  It reminded me of Celestia in the worst of ways. “The—” “That will be all.” Luster and Brash exchanged a look, both taking tentative steps backwards before turning around and heading down a different hallway. I held my breath as their hoofsteps got more distant, waiting until not even their echoes were audible to let it out.  “Are they not coming with us to Ponyville?” Luna’s wings lowered as soon as I spoke, noticeably lowering her chin as well as her eyes as she glanced at me.  “I had considered it, but I have this inkling that they would immediately inform my sister. Which, I believe would,” she cleared her throat, shifting back towards the direction of the hallway we were going down earlier and making her way towards it. “Complicate things. As you mentioned, asking Celestia for help only resulted in it coming far too late. Even if total cooperation were to come from both sides, the result would likely be the same.” “Oh.” I felt smaller than usual walking in Luna’s shadow. Maybe it was the way her eyes stared off into the distance, darting back and forth like she was surveying for invisible threats. “Luna?” “Yes?” “Are you alright?” “Oh, yes. I just…” She stopped, hanging her head and bringing her arms forward. Her horn glowed with magic once more, this time casting a spell that formed a misty blue cloud in front of her. Inside the cloud were Luna’s black as night peytral and crown, hovering and completely spotless. The cloud vanished as she floated them over to herself, before  placing the crown on her head and the peytral snapping around her neck. “Am adjusting. It has been over a millennia since I’ve been in charge of something like this, and I am rusty. Tis like wearing a dress you weren’t quite sure was still going to fit.” “I’ve…” I ran a finger down my sleeve, pressing the cloth against my skin. There was a slight urge to put on the hoodie Rarity made me, but for some reason I didn’t want to give in. “never worn a dress.” “Truly?” Luna adjusted her peytral, raising an eyebrow as she started walking again. “Hmmm, I can extend an invitation to the next Grand Galloping Gala if you like? That would require you to make amends with Generosity so she may fabricate you a dress, of course.” “The Grand Galloping Gala? What is—nevermind. Are you sure we won’t need The Royal Guard?” “Entirely. Though, that does remind me.” We stopped in front of a large door, engraved with various symbols and carvings I didn’t recognize. Luna peered down at me, her horn still a lit in cobalt blue. “Show me the back of your dominant hand?” “Why?” “According to the contract, you have authority equal to mine for the next twenty four hours. This requires a sigil of such, which I’m about to give you.” I raised my right hand, holding it against my chest. “Will it hurt?” “Not at all. Tickle at most. I’m aware of your aversion to magic, but this is essential and will take mere moments. Please, trust me.” I rubbed the palm of my hand with my thumb, pressing my lips together before extending my arm. Luna nodded, a small ray of magic projecting to the back of my hand. That skin-crawling warmth danced on my nerves, staying to my hand which made it much more tolerable compared to what Cadance did to me. I watched as a symbol etched its way into my skin, tickling yet somehow not burning like it looked like it would.  With a speed I could only compare to Twilight’s writing, a sigil was placed onto my hand. It was identical to the one Luna made in the stars, differing in its color of red and how deep it was into my hand.  On closer inspection, it was actually moving. I had to bring my hand to my face to notice it, but the very edge of the line that was the moon was coming closer to the center. It was actually really pretty.  “As you’ve noticed, the sigil will slowly turn into a new moon over time. Once it has, the authority will be null. Now, you and I have a soiree.” I nearly voiced my curiosity on what ‘soiree’ meant before deciding to keep that inquiry to myself, tracing the symbol with my free hand as Luna opened the door. “So you think this will be all over before twenty four hours?” “Oh, it’ll be handled before twelve.” She entered the room, illuminating it with her magic before noticing that several windows were already doing so. “I see. These must be new; they weren’t here a thousand years ago.”  The room itself was lacking…well, anything really. There were various weapons mounted on the wall, along with a handul of stands with armor matching what I’ve seen The Royal Guard wearing. Standing out most was a large, glass cabinet with what felt like an uncountable amount of scrolls inside and the sign ‘maps’ attached to the front. In contrast, was the table in the center. All the chairs in the room were pushed against the table, with at least a dozen action-figure-esque toys that were spread out on the surface. Little structures like small, plastic spikes or wooden walls, even a castle at the very back, were scattered along the ‘map’. I was reluctant to call it a map since it not only was quite small, but what was on it was extremely exaggerated. A hill, for example, was like a huge piece of wood was sticking out through the table. I may only be vaguely familiar with Equestria’s landscape, but I couldn't help but think this wasn’t a good depiction.  “And these are…” Luna approached the table, grabbing a pair of dice that had been left lying in front of the figures. She shook them in her magic, casually tossing them back on the table as one landed on ‘one’ while the other rolling on ‘twenty’. “For a board game? I can not tell if I am extremely fortuitous or the joker in a deck of cards.” “I…think these are for ‘O&O’, which Brash has mentioned a few times.” I muttered, pulling out one of the chairs and sitting down on them. Despite being wooden, it was so well cushioned  there wasn’t an ounce of stiffness. Even the back part of it caved in as I relaxed.  Though, even if I straightened myself completely, the top of my head still didn’t reach the peak of the chair. After two months, it shouldn’t have bothered me when I was reminded by things like furniture how little I fit in. Each time, it did just a little less.  So I ignored that tiny prick of annoyance on my chest.  “So, uhm…” I placed my hands on the table, leaning forward and reading—or trying to— some of the names on the map and picking up one of the figures. It resembled one of the many creatures I saw in Fluttershy’s books, but which one in particular escaped me. As for the names… Well, those were made up as far as I could tell.  “Where are The Nightguard?” “Why,” Luna smirked, star-like eyes drifting to the shadows that licked at the corner of the light in the room. “They’re right here.” She nodded her head to the darkness, then beckoned with her wing. Without a sound, figures emerged from the small sections the windows light did not reach. All ponies like The Royal Guard, with identically designed armor and helmets, just different colors and symbols. The armor being a light purple and the helmet having…fins? Dark purple fins that matched their wings; of which every single one of them had. Not feathered like Fluttershy or Rainbow’s, but more scaly and leathered.  Along with matching wings, all of their coats were some shade of gray. Standing out most had to be their eyes, all of which had slit pupils. Some of them were glancing at me, but most had their snake-like leers locked on Luna. Chins raised and arms pressed firmly against their sides in a stiff posture.  “Chara, this is The Night Guard. Now, all we’re waiting for is—” As if on a cosmic que, Shining Armor opened the door and stepped in, panting loudly with a slack jaw. Brash hovered behind him on the other side of the doorway, awkwardly peeking around the corner while Luster stood boldly in the doorway.  “Is the queen with them?” “Captain Shining Armor.” In place of his sweater and poofy pants, was a set of armor that mostly resembled the other guards. Instead of a blue star on the chestplate, there was a shield with a purple star in the center; something about it rang a bell in my mind. His helmet wasn’t put on straight, strains of his blue main stuck out in an unkempt manner. The plume’s brush, at least that’s what Brash referred to them as, was red as opposed to the blue or purple the other guards had.  On his back, he wore a sword that spanned his torso. Still sheathed with the end of the handle poking out from the top of his helmet. His pinprick pupils scanned the room, first at The Night Guard, then at Luna, and finally at me.  His leer hovered on me for a lot longer than the others. Not filled with any sort of malice or disdain, just a sort of narrowing of his gaze as he pursed his lips. “Chara?” He took a few steps forward, turning towards Luna. “Princess Luna, what is this?” “Private.” She glimpsed at Brash and Luster, gesturing to the door. “Bulwark and Lance, your services are no longer required, I will watch over Chara personally. Leave us.” Brash stopped hovering, reaching into the room with a half-smile that trembled at the corners, and closing the door with a click that echoed. It wasn’t until their hoofsteps couldn’t be heard anymore that Luna approached the chair at the front of the table, sitting in it and nodding at The Night Guard.  They followed suit, or as many as could with the limited amount of chairs. A few remained standing, one of which went over to the cabinet and opened it, grabbing one of the maps and bringing it to Luna.  “Sit. This will be much easier if you’re comfortable.” One chair, opposite of mine, remained empty. Shining glanced around in unease, pulling his head back and his shoulders forward as he took hesitant steps around the table towards his chair. None of The Night Guard so much as followed him with their eyes, waiting as unmoving as the statues in The Royal Garden.  Once he sat down, he fixed his helmet, resting the sword on the ground propped against the chair. He bent forward, resting his forearms on the table and holding his gaze on the figures sitting on the table.  “There are changelings in Canterlot again?”  “No. Not in Canterlot.” Luna picked up everything on the table in her magic, tossing them off to the side without a care as she took the map one of The Night Guard offered her. She unrolled it, lying it neatly on the table and creasing out every wrinkle. What was inside was a map of Equestria, with various cities and names I hadn’t even heard of; all of which were various pony puns that I couldn’t help but smirk at. “Ponyville. Very likely most of the hive lie in wait, along with their queen.” “Ponyville? That’s where…Twily.” His eyes lingered on the map as his jaw contracted, shifting in his chair to get a closer look at the map. “So they’re going after the bearers directly? Is this related to the cult in any way?” Instead of at Shining, Luna glanced at me, raising an eyebrow as she waited for my answer. Shining followed her line of sight, landing on me with furrowed brows and more etched confusion.  “The queen had a lion’s paw around her neck.” I murmured, wishing that the chair was just a bit bigger for me to hide under. Something about the way his face relaxed as he lowered his head made me hope he’d turn his attention anywhere else.  “How do you know that?” I placed my arms on the ends of the chair, digging my nails into the wood until it hurt; I was trying not to do it to my own skin at least. “I—” “The how is not relevant, I assure you.” Luna cut me off, thrusting out her chest with a dismissive nod. “I have tested the reliability of Chara’s information personally. For the next twenty-four hours, her words are equivalent to mine.” Shining’s pupils bounced back and forth between Luna and I, eventually focusing on me with his gaze drifting to my hand. His eyes constricted in focus before dilating just as intensely.  “You gave her The Crest of Waning?!” His mouth fell open, blinking rapidly before eventually freezing as his eyes darted to me. “What did you say?”  “What she said is that she insisted you be involved with this.” Once more, Luna dragged Shining’s attention off me, though much of The Night Guard’s was still on me.  Not all of them, but many would let their slit orbs drift to me when they thought I wouldn’t notice.  Of course, I did because I couldn’t stop that badgering thought that they were all staring at me. A bundle of the ever familiar and eternally nauseating anxiety wrapped around my chest like a blanket made of barbed wire.  At least my hair was long enough to cover my ears now.  “She believed your expertise with changelings would be invaluable here, and I agreed. Now, if you want to get this over with in a timely manner, I suggest you allow her to tell us what she can so we can handle this swiftly. Yes?” He grit his teeth, creasing his brow as he rapped a finger against the table. “Yes, Princess.” He tilted back into his chair, interlacing his hands and holding his chin to his chest as he kept his eyes locked to the map.  “Chara,” Luna called my name, directing all the stares of The Night Guard to me. “Please tell us what you can.” No longer was it just one pair of eyes on me, but all of them. Each one of them watched me expectantly, curious and waiting for what I had to tell them. They weren’t filled with any disgust or hatred, not even pity. Over and over in an incessant muttering, I repeated that to myself. I didn’t have Fluttershy’s hand to hold or a guardian Angel on my shoulder this time, only the same pendant I hopelessly held on to.  “They’re in—” my voice broke, which I tried to cover with a cough. I brought my free hand to where Ponyville was, pressing it against The Whitetail Woods so hard that the skin around my finger went paler than usual. “They’re in The Whitetail Woods. Sentries are on the lookout for any chariots, so landing on the outskirts isn’t really a-an option. All the animals have been taken, and they’ve been feeding on them in a cave. It’s…” I moved my finger to Ponyville, drawing an imaginary line from there to the woods where I came from. “Not on the map.” “Oh?” Luna tilted her head. “Do you think the map isn’t up to date?” “That, or the cave just isn’t marked on the map.” Shining chimed in, crossing his arms and furrowing his eyebrows. “Ponyville isn’t exactly full of explorers, and the ones they do have are a lot more interested in The Everfree than Whitetail; which means that cave you’re talking about could be anywhere there.” “Hmmm.” Luna hummed, closing her eyes in silent contemplation. “Chara, could you find your way to this cave if you were there in person?” “I…” I tried to recall the loop where I made it back to Ponyville, desperately pushing back the encounter with Celestia that followed after. Counting the steps, the turns I took, until I found my way back to the cave full of magic-canceling rocks and disgustingly warm slime. I brought my hands to my neck, rubbing my skin raw. “Think so, yeah.” “Then that’s what will be done. Captain Armor, you will be a part of an escort along with two of my Night Guard to follow Chara to their lair. If Chrysalis is there, you will have an emergency scroll that can be sent to me appropriately. If she’s not, release as many of the animals held captive as you can and make your way to Ponyville.” “And we’re just supposed to go off of Chara’s memory when the bearer's lives are at stake? What if Chrysalis isn’t there and decides to head straight to Ponyville? They only need to go after one of the bearers to put all of Equestria in danger!” Shining retorted, his voice spiking as he grit his teeth. “Which is why I am going to station myself in Ponyville.” Luna raised her voice in return, not reaching a shout but just cacophonous enough to cause Shining visibly wince. “Either the queen will be in the cave and waiting once we start flushing the changelings out, of which I trust you and my Night Guard to handle long enough for me to make my way there, or she will attack the bearers directly. Of which I will handle personally. Unless,” she craned forward, chin dropping to her chest as she narrowed her gaze. “You think I am incapable of handling the queen myself?” It was phrased as a question, but not one I think Shining wanted to answer.  “No, of course not, Princess. I just…” I watched with a blot of second hand embarrassment as he chewed his tongue, before clenching his teeth and sucking in cold air. “After what happened at the wedding, I’ve been preparing for this every day. Having it right in front of me, especially when my sister’s been put in the crosshairs again, and being stuck on escort duty is just…” he didn’t finish his sentence, grimacing as he dragged a hand off the table and onto the sword handle beside him.  “A matter of pride, is it?” Luna pursed her lips, slightly tilting her head as she made a tsking noise. “I understand better than you may suspect. However, the safety of the bearers, along with the residents of Ponyville, takes precedence over your vendetta”. Shining made a low hiss, tapping his hoof against the ground under the table.  “Yes, Princess.”  “Then, Chara, is there anything else of note? Do you know if any Changelings have infiltrated Ponyville?” “...Yes.” I rubbed my chest, hoping to ease the tightness in my body that was rapidly spreading. I resisted the urge to cough. “I’m not sure who it is, but one of them is going to try to poison Pinkie and Twilight when they go for breakfast at Sugarcube Corner. So as long as—” “Are they targeting Twilight specifically?” Luna loudly cleared her throat, leering at Shining for interrupting me, but didn’t say anything. “I don’t know.” I admitted, finding myself unable to raise my head to meet Shining’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I really couldn’t say. Is there a reason they’d target her over the others?” “Twilight was the one who figured out Chrysalis was impersonating Cadance at the wedding. If there’s any of them that she’d want to see dead over the others, it’s her.”  “And if they’re attempting to poison her instead of Chrysalis handling it personally…” Luna extended one of her wings, running the tip of her feathers up to neck to her chin like she was going to say something. “There’s one more thing. They have,” I rubbed my chest, a phantom stabbing pain simmering in my heart “anti-magic rocks. They’re all in the cave, but Chrysalis might have one on her.” I could hear Shining’s breathing get trapped in his throat, his head quickly drawing back.“Why would they…” He muttered something wordlessly, his movements becoming rigid. “Does this have something to do with the cult? This doesn’t make any sense.” “I would not suggest trying to comprehend their reasoning, Shining. Lest you may understand it too well.” Luna’s wings returned to her back as she stood from her chair, placing her hands on the table and widening her stance. Every single one of the Night Guard tensed up, bowing their heads in response. “This is an issue, but not one we’re unprepared for. The Night Guard have been trained in unarmed and weapon combat as thoroughly as any other kind. My concern lies more with Chara and Shining. Chara is a conjurer, without magic she is unable to defend herself.” I bit my lip, tasting that tinge of guilt. “Shining, are your sword skills enough to defeat Chrysalis without access to your magic?” Shining got to his hooves, clenching his hands into fists as he picked up the sword.  “Absolutely.” He shouted, pressing the sword against his chest like he was making a pledge. “Like I said before; I’ve been preparing for this every day, magic or no.” “Good.” Luna nodded her head, glancing back at me. “Is there anything else, Chara?”  I crossed my arms, slouching in my chair until my knees hit the table. “I don’t think so?” “Then all that’s left to do is formations.” With her magic, Luna picked up all the figures she’d tossed to the ground, placing them on the map where Ponyville was. Putting  them in pairs of twos in and around The Whitetail Woods. “There are enough of The Night Guard to go into squadron’s of two in various sections of the woods. Once each squadron has cleared their section of changelings, they will meet up with the one in the next section with that squadron forming a combined total of four. If possible, do not kill any of the changelings; each of them could have invaluable information against the cult. Formations will be named based on the constellations, Orion will be composed of…” Over the course of the next thirty minutes, Luna organized the entire Night Guard into a strict battalion of batponys. By the time she was done, there were an equal amount of figures on the map as Night Guard, who were all making their way out of the war room, politely pushing their chairs back under the table without a word.  Soon, only Luna, Shining, and I were left at the table. Once the last batpony left, Luna walked to the side of the table, idly staring at me as if she were waiting for something.  “Chara,” Instead of her, it was Shining who spoke first, standing up and pushing the chair back with a grating squeak. Placing his sword on his back and making his way around the table, Shining stood a few feet away from me with an unreadably tense expression. “Why did you ask me to be involved in this?” Luna opened her mouth to say something, half-turning to walk towards the table only to stop herself, staying where she was and watching without a word.  I peered up at him, nervously tapping my fingers against the armchair until the clacking was the only sound in the room. I licked my lips, a vain attempt to keep the dryness in my throat at bay.  “Cadance.” I didn’t look at Shining as I spoke, locking my eyes on the various figures grouped together on the map. “She mentioned to me how important this was to you, and that you wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself if you learned we handled it without you. You being the captain of the royal guard and having a grudge against changelings is just what got Luna to agree.” Not a lie, even if only a technicality. Cadence did tell me those things, two loops ago. I just had to hope he didn’t notice how jerky my movements were as I tried to hide my face, shrinking my arms into my sleeves and curling my legs into the chair.  “Caddy asked you to?” It was asked more to himself than me, lowering his head until it met the bottom of his neck. “And this has nothing to do with you trying to make things right with Twilight?” “What? No. It didn’t even…” The thought of telling Twilight hadn’t even crossed my mind; there wouldn’t be a point. All telling her would do is make her wonder how I knew in the first place, which would dig myself only further into the grave of suspicion she held me in. “If they have to know, I wasn’t going to let them know about my involvement. It’d just cause problems.” “You weren’t?” the stiffness in his voice wavered, just for a barely noticeable second. He furrowed his eyebrows, craning his neck as he unclasped his hand. With a sharp inhale, he extended his arm, holding his breath as he outstretched his hand. “Then, I have to thank you. You’ve provided me an opportunity to make things right. That means a lot to me.”  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Luna smirk.  I stared at his hand, darting between it and his face before I finally stood up; holding prickly air in my lungs to try to keep my body steady and minimize the jelly sensation in my knees. I rubbed my right hand against my pants, reminding myself that handshakes were ok as our palms met.  “Don’t mention it.” His grip was like a mix of Applejack and Rainbows. I could count each callus, but it was so firm I wouldn’t be able to pull out of it if I tried. “Really.” “Sure.” I did a poor job of hiding my relieved sigh when he let go, holding my hand against my chest as I found myself tracing the glowing crest that was on the back.  He walked over to Luna, half bowing before saying something I couldn’t hear to her and walking out. Presumably to follow the other guards in their preparation. With her back facing me, Luna waited near the doors, peering out one of the windows to the night sky.  “That went better than I expected it to.” She commented once I made it to her, moving out of the room at a slow pace as I followed her. “I feared Shining would have been more stubborn. I’m rarely pleased to be so wrong.” “I guess.”  She raised an eyebrow at my sheepish response.  “Is something wrong, Chara?” “Not really. I just,” I placed a hand on my shoulder, scratching at the tip of the scar on my back. I could barely feel the bump of it under my shirt, the pain of picking at it the only real reminder it was there. “Wish I could do more. You’re right. Without my magic, I’m useless.” “I did not say that.” She stopped walking, prompting me to freeze right beside her. “I said you would be defenseless, not helpless. Chara, your help has been invaluable so far. Even still, you’re going to lead some of our best straight to their lair and save the countless prisoners who are stuck there. My Night Guard have been trained extensively for a situation like this, you have not. And there is no shame in that.” Luna maintained eye contact the entire time she spoke to me, or at least tried to while I did everything I could to look elsewhere. Her eyes were as genuine as her words, though I still couldn’t shake the pit in my stomach.  “Thanks. Do you think I could,” I flexed my finger, briefly imagining the texture and shape of a knife in my hand; there was a churning in my stomach at it.  I couldn’t decide whether that feeling was worse than being a burden or not.  “Have something to defend myself? If they have those rocks, I want to be able to do something.” Luna’s eyes peered at me as she furrowed her eyebrows, dragging her gaze forward as her hooves tapped just a little louder against the tiles. Then, she stopped. “Are you certain you want that option?” There as a weight to her question. I held air in my mouth, just latching onto that sensation of not breathing until I had a shaky answer. “No. But I don’t think I have that choice.” “As much as I would like to say otherwise, you are correct.” With a blink, we began moving again.  “Ask Shining for his dagger once you start making your way to the cave. That should suffice with your skillset.” I nodded, holding my arms against my chest as I stared down the hallway. It felt a lot longer than usual.  “So, what now? How are we getting to Ponyville?” “With chariots, of course.” She stated, resuming her pace without a second glance. I had to jog forward to catch up once her words registered.  “What? Why? I told you, they won’t get there fast enough.” “Nay. You told me Celestia’s chariots could not get there fast enough.” We turned the corner to a large door, which Luna opened with ease. On the other side was a chariot, similar in size and structure to the one I took before, but from there it couldn’t be more different.  The gold was completely replaced with a mix of purple and black, curved at the edges to the point of being dangerously sharp. In the place of the gem that Celestia’s had, there was a light green eye that was similar to Luna’s. Instead of two, four of the night guard were attached; all of which were batponies.  “My Night Guard may not have the versatility of unicorn magic, nor the potency of earth pony strengths. However, they all have wings; a restriction I have turned into an asset. They are better prepared in combat, can do so while holding more weight, and are of course much faster than the average pegasus. So, I can assure you, we will arrive in Ponyville long before the moon even approaches the horizon.” The briskness of the night weather hit me with a palpable vengeance, sending a chill across my body that pricked every goosebump in my skin. It was tempting to take off my backpack and slip on my hoodie, but I doubted I could do so discreetly standing right beside Luna. She was somehow completely unbothered by the cold.  I may have a smidge of fur envy.  Shining was already in the large carriage, sitting on the far side and tapping his hoof against the ground as he peered into the nothingness of the dark.  Once we made it there, Luna climbed in, extending her hand to me.  “Well? Are you prepared?” “Not really.” I whispered, low enough to where she didn’t hear; I think.  I peered at the bat ponies, all of which stood as still as statues. Occasionally lifting their legs and adjusting their posture, or fixing the straps that attached them to the chariot itself. Beneath the cold that plagued my senses, there was still this warmth deep in my chest that kept my face hot. A vibrating determination that refused to buckle, even in the face of death.  With a quivering breath, I took Luna’s hand once more, sitting beside her with plenty of room to spare.  “Glorious. Then,” Luna stood up, capturing the attention of the four in front of us. “We shall be off!” She sat back down, leaning over to me and murmuring something I could barely make out. “I would suggest you prepare thyself. Your first time is always the most intense.” I didn’t get the chance to question what she meant, as the night guard didn’t even stretch before taking off. My head, along with the rest of my body, snapped back and pushed against the chariot as they ran and took off. My ears popped and screamed as the wind whistled, blowing my hair back as I desperately held on to the edges.  Luna tried saying something to me, I couldn’t make out what it was. Cutting air stung my eyes, I had to keep them closed in intervals once the pain got too much. The few glimpses of the landscape I saw were going by so swiftly I could hardly make them out. Passing buildings, and then just as quickly trees as we already entered the forest on the outskirts of Canterlot.  I managed to move my head just enough to see how Luna and Shining were taking it. Luna didn’t appear to be fazed at all, hardly squinting with her wings comfortably tucked in. Shining wasn’t as relaxed, jaw so tight and gritting his teeth so intensely his chin quivered. He was scowling, and clutching the chariot's edges with such strength his hands had somehow gotten more white than before.  By the time I could hold my eyes open for more than thirty seconds at a time, we had already made it to Ponyville. They began to slow down right before we passed the first building, the wind hurting just a little less until we inevitably hit the ground. The wheels screeched as they dug into the dirt, causing noticeable trails before we came to a stop. Shining and I lurched forward, while Luna only let out a sigh.  There was a painful burning sensation in my neck from whiplash, I was too afraid to move or I might make it worse. I remained completely still as I scanned Ponyville with my eyes, thankful that a few street lights were on and spread out enough to see everything I needed to. The streets were empty of any ponies, they must have all been asleep. I recognized the building beside us as the town hall, and it was as void of life as the last time I saw it.  I bit the inside of my cheek so I didn’t linger on that memory too long.  “That was…” Shining vaulted over the edge of the chariot, stumbling over his hooves as he leaned against the chariot to regain his balance. “Something.”  “Oh? Has the captain of The Royal Guard been knocked off his equilibrium?” Luna coined in a sardonic tone, stepping over to The Night Guard. “Perhaps the pegasi should be trained better if you had that much trouble.” “It’ll go on the list.” He muttered, standing there and taking large breaths. “If it is the kind I am familiar with, it will never end.” Luna added. Without a word, The Night Guard unattached themselves from their harnesses. The chariot left right beside the town hall as each one lined up in front of Luna, bowing their heads before two of them went off in a pair down one of the trails. The other two stayed, saluting with their wings and waiting for something. “Chara, these are Seething Shadow and Vola Nocturne. They will be accompanying you and doing their best to ensure your safety. And, if it comes to it, the defeat of their queen.”  The two turned to me, glancing at the sigil on my right hand and starting to bow, only to be stopped by an outstretched wing from Luna and a shake of her head. They shared a look, then raised their chins as they faced me.  “At your service.”  I shuffled over to Luna, muttering a thank you under my breath. Her response being a very slight uplift of her lips.  “I, as well as the two Night Guard from earlier, will be watching over the bearers. In two hours time, we shall meet back here. The forest should be cleared by then, and I expect you will have found the cave and dealt with Chrysalis. If not, I will leave the remaining Night Guard here and pursue you myself under the assumption the queen has found you.” She turned to Shining, leaning her head in his direction. “Any input, Captain?” “No, Princess.”  “Good. Chara,” She snapped to me. “Listen to Shining’s advice. His expertise is second only to mine. Put as much trust in him as I have you.”  I nodded, and watched and Luna vanished into the shadows.  With that, the attention of two bat ponies and the captain of the royal guard was on me.  “You said you could lead us there if you just saw it, right?” Shining stood behind me, followed by the bat ponies. “Then let’s go. The longer we wait, the more in danger they are in.” “Right…” I murmured, facing the town hall and closing my eyes. I tried to picture the path I took from that cave, every step and turn lucid in my mind.  Once I opened them, all I saw was darkness; just barely able to make out the outlines of trees on the edge of the forest.  I gulped.