Celestia tossed and turned in her bed as a dream began to spiral into a darker nightmare. Sweat glistened on her body as she fell off the side of her bed.
She screamed as she hit the floor. Then she had opened her eyes, “It was only a dream after all...” Celestia knew that she shouldn't lie to herself. She was worried about something and now it had manifested itself within her dreams.
'For the last month it's been the same dream and last night made it no better.' Last night, Celestia had been preparing for another night of tossing and turning when who should visit, but her Sister, Luna.
~Last Night in Celestia's Bedroom~
Celestia found herself staring at her Sister who seemed to be angry, “What is wrong, Luna?”
“Thou knows what's wrong, thou knows it all to well!” Luna accused as Celestia backed up.
“I have no idea what you're talking about, Luna.” Celestia said to Luna.
“We shall tell thee then! We are still being treated as if we would destroy the Diarchy with a single breath! All of the ponies look down on us as if we are still consumed by the Nightmare! We cannot stand being treated like we don't know what's going on!” Luna yelled at her Sister.
“Luna, you know that what you just said isn't true! I have been treating as my equal all the way and yo-”
“LIES! You don't treat us with respect, nor do you give us the benefit of the doubt! You think we are still the Nightmare! We've seen your dreams for the past month! Always fearing that We will turn back and kill you without a moments notice! Tell us that isn't true!” Luna yelled at Celestia.
Celestia was stuck in a situation that seemed would only get worse, “I- I- Ah-”
Luna continued while ignoring Celestia's stammering, “Then a lowly human appears and thou decides to trust him with a mission of utmost importance?! We had no idea that such a thing was happening in Los Pegasus, We would have ended the problem just fine! Why would thou not tell us of this?!”
Celestia frowned, “Are you jealous of him, Luna?”
That question would have garnered a myriad of reactions and most of those include disbelief, shock, or even anger. Luna took it a little farther than those reactions listed.
Suddenly, Celestia felt a hoof bash itself across her face, then she was on the floor, “HOW DARE THEE SAY WE ARE JEALOUS OF EIGHT!”
Celestia laid on the floor while her Sister yelled obscenities to the high heavens. She felt the sting on her face and an emotion she tried to ignore. She felt indignant towards Luna, 'She hit me...'
Celestia shakily willed herself back up until she stood tall above Luna's height. Her eyes burned with something she hadn't felt since Chrysalis had attacked. Burning heat traveled down her mane and soon Luna wilted at the sight of her sister. Celestia's eyes had flames bursting out of them.
Celestia then proceeded to conjure flames from the tip of her horn and the flames licked up Luna's side, “HOW DARE YOU ATTACK YOUR OWN SISTER!”
Luna felt the flames and then she fell back in an attempt to get away, “STAY AWAY FROM US!” Dark memories resurfaced of when she had been the Nightmare and when she had attacked her Sister. She remembered the burning hatred that had nearly seared away her skin.
Luna then scrambled as fast as she could to her hooves and then she galloped towards the door. Celestia felt her fear and then her senses returned, “Sister!”
Luna pushed open the doors and galloped past a surprised Eight. Celestia had galloped out, “Wait!” Luna was already gone.
~Present Morning in Celestia's Bedroom~
'I have to apologize and make this up to her somehow, but I'm not sure what to do...' Celestia went into her personal bathroom and prepared herself for the day.
Celestia brushed her mane and then cast a spell to make it be it's usual floaty self. She then went back to her bed and got out her regalia. She slipped each piece on and put on her Tiara.
'Time for Morning Court.' Celestia activated her horn and felt for the sun's power. Slowly it rose into the air and then light began to fill her room.
The sun reached it's apex and Celestia could finally let go of it, 'I wonder which nobles I'll be dealing with today... There's never anything good to talk about.'
Celestia walked out of her room, prepared for the worst.
~Guest Room~
Eight threw the covers off himself and then rushed into the bathroom. He looked around the room and noticed a tub, 'I guess that I should get clean, I haven't bathed in five days... Now where do they get the water at?' He wondered when he came up with a solution.
'I'll just as Cadance! She'll probably know!' Eight left the bathroom and then stopped himself.
'I need some clothes first... Where's my bag at?' He went back towards the bed and noticed his stuff sitting next to the bed along with a note.
Eight picked up the note and read it.
Dear Eight,
Since you're new to our world,
I figured that you should be told
what's different from your world.
The bath in the bathroom has
two golden nozzles that you turn
to get water. The left side is cold
and the right side is hot. There are
also some soaps that you can use in
there. I also left you payment for a
job well done yesterday. It's a little
brown bag filled with One Thousand
Bits. Spend them wisely and I hope
to have your cooperation in the
future.
Sincerely, Celestia
“Maybe I don't have to see Cadance till later...” Eight said as he went back to the bathroom while holding the note.
He looked at the tub and noticed the handles, 'Left for cold and right for hot. He turned the hot side on first and then turned on the cold side and saw the water rise.
He shed what little clothing he had on and got inside. Eight shut the curtains and took his bath.
~8 minutes later~
Eight put on his long yellow jacket and noticed something moving inside it, “Munchie! I forgot you were in there!” He opened up the pocket on his coat and out popped a furry little head.
“Hey, Munchie! It's great to know your still alive after that fight!” The little pig-rat wiggled it's nose and gave Eight a soul piercing stare.
“Are you hungry, Munchie?” Eight asked Munchie who's eyes shined at the prospect of food.
“Okay! I know there's some cheese in here...” Eight checked his bag and indeed there was some plain cheese inside.
“Here you go, Munchie!” Eight said as he gave the cheese to Munchie.
Munchie took a small chunk off and then gave the rest back to Eight, “You don't want the whole thing? I guess you must not be the hungry...” He then heard his own stomach rumble.
Eight put a hand on his stomach, “I guess that I should get something to eat too.” Munchie nodded and then the top of the jacket pocket closed as Munchie's head disappeared under it.
Eight smiled and got up, 'I'll go see what Shining is up to, then I'll go find some food.'
Eight walked to the door and opened it. He then went out and shut it behind him.
He turned away from the door and found himself face to face with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, 'I didn't even have to go looking...'
Shining smiled, “We were just coming to get you! I'd guess that you were hungry and probably needed directions to the Dining Hall. Was I right?”
Eight nodded, “Yeah! I was actually coming to find you and Cadance! This works out just fine for me.”
Cadance smiled too, “Well, that's perfect. Now lets get over there, I'm a bit hungry myself.”
They began to walk towards the Dining Hall. They passed several Guards and Shining saluted to them as he passed by. Each Guard saluted back to him and went back to staring at the opposite end of the hall. Eight looked at them in amazement.
'I just can't get over how well trained these guards are! My guards were strong, but they didn't have discipline as much as these do. I wonder if Shining Armor has a secret...' Eight looked back to Shining and saw him apparently waiting for something.
“Why are you staring at me?” Eight asked Shining.
“I asked you something, I guess you didn't hear me. Do you want me to repeat what I said?” Shining asked him.
“Yeah, that would be helpful...” Eight smiled and waited.
“I was telling you about the current situation we're in. We've sent and ambassador to the Dragon Council just yesterday and he arrived well enough, but now he's unable to leave because the dragons aren't allowing him to. He sent a letter saying that he was fine, but now I have to wonder what they're up to. Dragons don't usually stay in a meeting for a day, what do you think is going to happen, Eight?” Shining asked him.
“Well, From past experience, When another country or power stays in long meetings, it's usually in an effort to plan an attack. But it could be something else entirely. I would hope for the second option, but I don't think we'll know anything till later.” Eight said to Shining who nodded.
“I hope so, for our sake.” Shining said as they finally made it the Dining Area.
~Rhapthorne's New Castle~
“It's finally completed! The circle that will help me make a new body!” The ground around Rhapthorne was covered in circles and strange letters and in the center rested the tiara he had found on the throne.
“Now for the fun to begin!” Rhapthorne put his paws on the edge of the circle and all at once the circle lit up and black bolts of lightning filled the air.
Then a terrible laugh echoed out as a purple cloud emerged from the blackness. Then the circle stopped glowing all in a second.
The purple cloud still existed and began to morph into a new entity. Four legs materialized downward and then the body began to come upward from the legs. An ethereal tail sprouted out of the back of the body along with an ethereal mane from the head.
Two draconian eyes opened and then it's mouthed formed and it began to smile, “To whom do I owe the pleasure of existing once more?” it asked the creatures around it.
Rhapthorne's eyes glowed red and he showed his fangs, “I am the one that you speak of and you're not as complete as you may think.”
“What dost thou mean? Of course we exist! We are the terrifying Nightmare Moon! Thou shall watch how thee speaks of us!” Nightmare snarled at the wolf before her.
“If you truly existed and had a mortal form, wouldn't you not be floating constantly?” Rhapthorne asked her with a toothy grin.
Nightmare Moon looked down and noticed that she was indeed floating. She also saw the transmutation circle used to bring her back. Nightmare looked back at the wolf who's eyes glowed red.
“We see the circle you used for this, We also see that you must not have been looking to bring us back. Then may we ask, What is thy motive for bringing me here at all?” Nightmare asked the wolf.
“Because I need a new body, one of significant strength that will allow me to defeat my enemies with little to no issue.” Rhapthorne said to the floating spirit.
“So thou seeks to have our body? Dost thou think that we will help you in this endeavor?” Nightmare said to the grinning wolf.
“Yes, I do expect you to help me if you ever want revenge to be carried out upon your captors.” Rhapthorne said to Nightmare.
Nightmare thought of what the wolf said, 'He does have a point, We will never have revenge in this form... But if we agree, then we won't be able to have our body... Our desire for revenge supersedes all else at this time... We must agree.'
Nightmare nodded, “We shall agree to thy terms as long as thou rights the wrongs inflicted upon our self!”
“Perfect! Now, I'm sure that you know what the ritual will entail! To bring back the body, we must kill the ones who sealed you away. Do you have any idea where they may be?” Rhapthorne asked the Nightmare.
“We have a good idea where they live, but you must tell us something about yourself.” Nightmare said to the Wolf.
“You may have any information you wish from me, What do you need to know?” Rhapthorne asked the spirit.
“What is thy name?” Nightmare asked the Wolf.
“My name is, Rhapthorne.”
~Guards on the Way to the Training Grounds~
A crowd of guards were making their ways towards the Training Grounds and there was a big thing about to happen in said grounds.
“They say that new creature is supposed to fight our Captain! I also heard that the creature was strong!” said of the Guardsponies.
“Nonsense Burn, This guy will be put down really fast by the Captain!” said another Guard.
“We'll have to see what happens, Flash!” Burn said to Flash Step.
Another Guard trotted up from behind, “Keep going, The Captain wants all of the Guard there for his scuffle. I'd rather not have to turn around to find stragglers trying to disappear on the fly.”
“Yes Sir!” The Guards continued onward while the same Guard allowed the group to continue on. He then stopped and looked at the shadows in the side of the hall.
“Luna? Is that you?” The Guard asked.
“Yes, We are going to watch the fight, Rising. We would suggest that thou do the same. If he does something, We would like you to know his moves just in case something happens.” Luna said as Rising nodded.
“I shall watch him for you, but I must tell you something. I'm very sure that he is no threat to you.” Rising finished as Luna's eyes narrowed.
“Thou are just like our Sister. We shall be watching thou as well...” Luna trailed off slowly as her form dissipated before Rising Star.
'Sometimes, I just don't understand her...' Shining thought quickly as he trotted off toward the Grounds.
~Preparing for Combat~
Eight was still wearing his usual clothing and he had his Dragovian Sword with the Metal King Shield. In other words, he was prepared. Shining who had learn the rules of the bout was busy preparing himself for the fight.
He was currently trying to remember everything that Eight had done while fighting the dragons in Los Pegasus. Shining didn't have a plan of action at the moment, 'He was very agile in the fight against the dragons, but I can match that with constant galloping.'
Shining then thought of the negatives, 'I'll end up tiring out in the middle of the match if I do that all the time, it'd be easier if I could teleport, but no magics are allowed. It really makes this a hay of a lot tougher than it should be...'
Shining looked at the blade that Eight had disrespected, 'Could he really cut through this blade himself? This blade is hoof crafted by the finest blacksmith. I guess that I'll have to find out.' Shining picked up the blade with his magic and sheathed it in it's holder. He then picked up the shield and put on his back.
'I'm ready!'
He walked out of his room to find Eight waiting patiently outside, “You're finally done? What were you doing in there?”
Shining smiled, “Just getting ready to prove you wrong!”
“Okay, let's go!” Eight exclaimed as he ran ahead of Shining.
~Training Grounds outside Canterlot Castle~
Shining finally made it to the field and found Eight waiting on the other side. Eight looked at him and smiled, “This is going to be pretty fun!”
Shining nodded, “I have to agree! It's been a little bit since I had anyone around that could compete with me.” Shining then mentally added, 'Except Rising Star...'
Another pony walked into the arena and look at the challengers, “Before we begin, I have to state the rules of this arena. No magic except for carrying the sword and shield. Try not to injure each other to badly and remember to have a good time. Once we raise the barrier, you'll both be able to begin!”
The pony ran out of the arena and then four ponies moved to separate points around the area. They began to channel magic into their horns and a shield rose from four points. The magical energy combined at a single point and the different colored magic became one magnificent golden barrier.
Shining stared down his opponent and Eight looked back with an eager smirk.
'If he thinks a weapon made by our blacksmiths would ever break, then he has another thing coming.' Shining swung it several times and then used his magic to hold the shield in tandem.
'He's actually using that sword? Oh well... Guess we'll see if I was right after all!' Eight swung the dragovian sword and pointed his shield directly in front of himself.
“Are you ready, Eight?!” Shining asked the human.
“Definitely!” Eight swung the blade he held and smiled with satisfaction.
“Ready! Steady! Go!” Shining galloped forward while Eight held his shield toward the stampeding pony.
Shining reached him and moved his blade swiftly through the air where it came just below where Eight's shield wouldn't be able to guard himself.
Eight smirked and blocked the sword with his own and then smashed Shining in the skull with his shield. Shining was knocked back a bit and the sword, plus the shield that had been carried by his magic fell to the ground and clattered against it.
Eight ran in while Shining was confused and prepared to slash downward on his enemy only for Shining to roll to the side. Eight's sword smashed into the ground and sunk into it. Eight turned around to see a sword being swung right at him.
He reacted quickly enough to block the attack with his shield and tried to counter attack only for Shining to use his shield to knock away Eight's shield. The straps came loose and Eight's shield was knocked off his arm.
'Not good!' Eight thought to himself as he began to think of his fisticuffs moves that he had learned.
“Defending Champion!” Eight caught the sword as it flashed at him and then he knocked it away. He then took hold of the shield and bashed it away.
“Multifists!” He then began to punch rapidly as if he had four fists. Shining felt each blow as they hit him. Shining was knocked away by the attack and Eight smiled.
Shining got up as Eight pulled his sword from the ground. Wielding the sword, Eight began to barrel towards his enemy. Shining only had to to get his sword back and then he began his gallop towards Eight.
“Ahhhh!” Shining snorted as Eight yelled a battle cry.
“Raaaghh!” He clashed with Shining and they got locked into holding each other back with just their blades.
Shining felt the force that had hit his blade and his magic struggled to hold back Eight. Eight was struggling to keep Shining pinned down.
Eight smirked despite the pressure fighting against himself, “Come on Shining! There is no shame in throwing in the towel!”
Shining gritted his teeth and poured more magic into his sword, “No way! I'm going to win!”
Eight felt the ground giving away below his feet, 'Dang! He's really strong! I'm not going to be able to keep this up!'
Shining pushed forward when he felt Eight give up ground, “Don't tell me that you're throwing in the towel yourself?! Show me some spirit!”
Shining continued until he felt something else give way, 'What?!'
Shining's sword cracked a bit and then it snapped in two. The Dragovian Sword had so much force being exerted on it that when Eight finished his swing it brought up piece of rock and the sword flew through the air and smashed into the shield around them.
Eight hadn't intended on the blade slipping form his grip, “WHAT?!”
The shield broke into pieces quickly and all the unicorns that had been holding it together were flung away from where they stood.
“Well, that wasn't expected...” Shining trailed off as the crowd that had been watching them broke into a cheer.
“I guess they liked it!” Eight said to Shining who nodded and agreed with him.
“I guess you're right about the sword too...” Shining said as Eight nodded.
“Well, I learned a lot about blacksmiths and what to look for in a blade, I assumed that you would know about that stuff too.” Eight said as Shining shook his head.
“I learned how to fight and protect, I also learned to be smart and tactful, but all ponies have different talents. We base them on cutie marks.” Shining said to Eight.
“Cutie Marks? Really? Wow...” Eight trailed off as he tried to not laugh.
“They might be called that, but that doesn't mean anything! I'm still a stallion!” Shining said to Eight who was covering his mouth.
“Nice training session anyway...” Shining said as Eight nodded in agreement.
Behind the bleachers a shadowy form watched them, “We will continue keeping our eyes on you, Eight”
~In a Cave~
Sounds of steel on stone filled the cave as a creature sharpened his blades. He stopped and then looked at the blade in his hand. His reflection showed off the side, it was Lance, “I don't care what decision they make, I'm going to get the Dragon Slayer myself! Then I'll go after Celestia! Her death is worth more to me than any other creature!”
Lance got up and sheathed his blades. He then walked out of his cave and stood by the entrance, 'Now to wait...'
Lance waited for fifteen minutes before he finally heard wings beating through the air. He looked up and saw a dragon much larger than himself. He smiled at the incoming beast.
The dragon landed hard onto the ground before Lance, “Master, it is good to see you once again.”
Lance nodded to the dragon, “It's good to see you as well Iron. Do you have the news that I seek?”
Iron nodded, “Of course, Master. The Dragon Council has decided to send a small force of five dragons led by one dragon straight into Canterlot.”
“Who is leading the charge?” Lance asked Iron.
“They have decided that your enemy, Typhon will be leading the charge. I could not sway the council's choice. I've failed you, Master! Please forgive my incompetence!” The larger dragon bowed before Lance and he smirked.
“You haven't failed anything at all. In fact, This is the most important news I've had all day! I have to give you some credit, you are the best servant that I could possibly have had! And now I need you to watch over my hoard, I'm going to be gone for a little while.” With that, Lance opened up his set of dragon wings and took off into the sky.
~Canterlot Castle~
Eight walked through the halls alongside Shining and a group of guardsmen into the throne room. Shining had taken the lead in the last stride and bowed before Celestia.
“Your Highness, What is the emergency that you called us here for?” Shining asked her.
“I've gotten news from intel that the dragons have decided to attack Canterlot, I must take all the necessary defensive precautions and that means that we need to evacuate the city! I've already sent a large group to do just that and the reasons why you're all here is that we need to setup for the dragons to come! Is that clear, Captain Shining Armor?!” Celestia demanded from him.
“Yes, Your Highness! I shall prepare the castle with everything we can!” Shining exclaimed as he turned to the guards behind him.
“You have your orders! Now move out and make sure everything is perfect!” The guards saluted him and then moved out.
Shining turned back to Celestia, “I have faith that we will survive the onslaught before us! I'll go and make sure that everything is well.” Shining left Eight with Celestia and shut the door to signify just that.
Celestia looked upon Eight, “Are you prepared for the onslaught that has been put before us?”
Eight nodded, “I'm ready for anything, I swear it!”
“I have to tell you something then.” Celestia said to Eight.
He looked up at her and then she continued, “My Sister, Luna, Doesn't trust in you for some reason. I'm not sure why, but I think you should watched yourself, I won't be able to protect you if something unexpected comes up.”
“Don't worry, I've been feeling something strange ever since I met her, I wouldn't worry about me.” Eight said as Celestia gave him harder stare.
She then motioned for him to leave and then Eight was gone.