//------------------------------// // Chapter 25: Princess of the Night // Story: Knights of Night - Chosen of the Moon // by vadram //------------------------------// Chapter 25: Princess of the Night “YOU WILL TELL ME WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE?!” Luna asked them again, this time with a voice that made the ground shake. “Giant bats, slaughtered everyone, few survivors, trapped in tunnels, probably dead by now,” Slate gave the most minimal report he will ever give in his life. “We need to get to them. Can any of you still fly?” Luna asked them as she stretched out her wings. “Yes,” all three of them replied. “Take me to these tunnels, our first priority should be saving the lives of those trapped inside. Come on.” With a flap of her wing she lifted herself up the ground, and the three followed her head. “Which way?” Luna asked as they joined her. “That way,” Starry pointed towards the town square. “Move aside,” Luna said as her horn began glowing. She pointed it in the direction Starry pointed towards and let out a wide blast. It did not only clear the way, it almost took out all the bats in that direction. “Let’s go.” They fly towards the crater, princess Luna leading the way smiting every single creature that even came within her line of sight. They flew as fast as they could, and wasted no time, but by the time they reached their destination all that was left of the recruits were being devoured by the bats. Luna let out another large burst of magic and incinerated everything that was inside the crater, before landing in its middle. “Are there any other survivors you know of?” she asked as the three ponies landed next to her, “No, we think that these were the last of them.” Luna sighed and a tear rolled down her cheeks as her eyes became ghostly white, and her horn glew intensely. A few drops of sweat could be seen from place to place on her body, whatever she was doing required a lot of magic, as well as a lot of concentration, and Starry knew that. “Okay Knights, its time to protect the princess,” he said with a smile on his face as he picked up a sword. “It’s been ages since somepony called us that.” Slate picked one up himself but stealthed it, choosing instead a spear. “I kind of missed it.” Cory too picked up a blade. “It did have a nice ring to it, the Knight of Night,” she said as the three took up defensive positions around the alicorn and prepared themselves for a fight. From the caves more bats emerged, and the sky above was filled with the ones from the rest of the city, no doubt drawn to the prospect of fresh food. “It’s been fun,” Slate told them, knowing that the three of them had no chance against so many foes. “Hey Slate...” “Yeah Starry?” “Me and Cory are together now, and we thought you should know.” “That great, and I couldn’t be happier for you two. But you honestly believe that now was the best time to be telling me?!” Slate asked while holding the weapon tight and waiting for the bats to make their move. “Well... I guess my timing is a little bit off,” Starry admitted, while he too fastened his grip on the weapon. “You know what Starry, if the three of us make it out of here alive, I will be naming your first foal. Got it?” “Ask Cory,” Starry quickly replied. The three of them laughed. “Sure,” Cory said with a smile on her face as the bats were slowly creeping closer. “Just don’t name him something stupid, like Foggy.” “Deal,” Slate said, but his words did not reach his friend ears as everything around them disappeared into a deep blue light. Then nothing. Nothing for hundreds of feet. No bats, no tunnels, no buildings, no streets, no city, nothing but a flat dirt bed. Luna fell to the ground, exhausted and drained of her magical powers, as the three ponies rush to her side. “I think she will be fine,” Starry told the others after taking a brief look at the princess. Cory tapped his shoulder and pointed upwards. The clouds were gone, the sky was clear, and the moon was shining brightly. “It can’t be that late already!” Slate yelled as he realised that, judging from the moons position more than twelve hours passed since the battle started. “I think today the night came a little early,” Starry joked. It took them awhile to realize what he meant. “So... how long have you two been together?” Slate asked them, striking up a conversation that would last the entire time Luna slept. For the first time in ages Luna woke up like any other pony, bright and early in the morning, and it felt good. “Good... morning. My, that does feel odd,” Luna greeted the sleep deprived ponies that stood guard over her for the entirety of the prolonged night. “Good morning your highness,” the three of them replied as they rose and stood in attention. “What are your names?” “Private two, Slate Fogtome, Ma’am,” Slate saluted and introduced himself, the other two followed his example. “Private Cory Rivea, Ma’am.” “Private Starry Night, Ma’am.” “Starry Night?!” Luna asked, surprised by the pony’s name. She took a closer look at him, he had the same golden eyes, the same blue coat, and dark blue tail, and as far as she could tell he was without his mane. “In light of recent events, some positions became vacant. Would any of you wish to become my personal guards?” “Yes Ma’am,” the three of them answered in unison. “Excellent, I will have the paperwork done when we return to the capital.” Luna stretched her wings and back, before taking off and hovering a few feet above the ground. “Come on, we need to find where the ghouls entered in Equestria, and check if any of the forts have been compromised.” “Yes, Ma’am,” they all replied and joined her. “You can call me Luna. And Starry, I love your wings, they suit you,” she said with a smile on her face before heading off to the nearest fort in Equestria’s souther border, with the two pegasi and one unicorn flying besides her.