Interlude
The First Night
The last light in the Golden Oak Library finally went out. Aside from a gaudy pink glow in the distance, the only remaining sources of illumination in Ponyville were the street lamps and the crescent moon overhead.
That’s not to say all the ponies were asleep. Eight of them were wide awake. They stood upon a ring of clouds, hanging above the library like a halo. In the middle of the circle, narrow beams of carefully shaped cumulus criss-crossed through the open air like the spokes of a wagon wheel, converging onto a small center platform, raised slightly above the others. A careful observer might note the word ‘champion’ meticulously carved into its surface.
The current champion, standing tall atop his prize, was vice-captain Storm Seeker, second-in-command of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s royal guard. The other seven stood at attention in a semicircle along the half of the ring he was facing.
“Looks like it’s clear,” he said, using just enough volume for his voice to carry to his colleagues without disturbing the ponies sleeping below. “Let’s get started. Your first challenge will be one-hoofed stance, wings flared, snarling. Begin.”
Some of the guards took their stances more quickly than others, and he carefully noted who they were since part of their grade came from speed. The youngest pony in the group had been the first to get into position, so Storm Seeker evaluated him first. “Very nice. Good balance. I like the way you curved your wings and pointed with the tips. With the right shadows, it almost looks like bat wings.”
Moving on to the next, he opened his mouth to speak when the guard fell from his stance and landed on all four hooves. “I was going to say your leg looked a little shaky, but it’s a moot point now. No score for you.”
One by one, he continued down the line, commenting on each pony and using a wingtip to scratch the number of points they scored into a tuft of cloud.
“I said to snarl, not look like a brain-damaged dog with heatstroke.”
“You lose some points for standing on two hooves. Aside from that, not bad.”
“You’re supposed to look like a gargoyle, not a constipated ballerina.”
“Good, but you’re moving your wings to stay balanced. That’ll cost you.”
“Sweet Celestia’s shiny shoes! That’s just obscene!”
Storm Seeker quickly clamped a hoof over his muzzle and looked down from the cloud. When he didn’t see signs of anypony being disturbed by his excessive volume, he let out the breath he had been holding and looked back up to his subordinates. Most of them were snickering, but the rookie had wedged a large tuft of cloud into his mouth to mute his laughter and the pervert still had his head completely buried inside the ring.
Storm coughed pointedly to bring the troops to order, and all but the pervert snapped to attention. The guard standing next to him lashed out with a swift kick to his flank, knocking him free of the cloud.
“Okay, here’s the breakdown. I’m giving the kid a full ten points. Five points for you and you,” he said as he pointed, first to the pony who had stood on two hooves, then to the one who had moved his wings. His gaze hardened as he looked to the last guard in the line. “And you lose five points, you sick bastard.”
“Now, for round two, I have something a little different in mind.”
“Mind if we join you?” an unfamiliar voice asked. The eight guards looked into the sky for the source of the voice and found three silhouettes descending. The glint of silver armor in the moonlight and the rustling sound of leathery wings left no doubt about their identity.
The bat-ponies landed smoothly on the ring, joining the line beside the kid.
“Told you they could stand on clouds,” one of the pegasi said in a loud whisper. It was immediately followed by a less audible series of grumbles and the clinking of ten bits changing hooves.
“Where did you guys come from?” Storm asked.
“We just got back from Fillydelphia with news for the princesses.”
“And you decided to stop and play games with us instead of delivering your news?”
“I thought sentries were supposed to be observant,” one of the other bat-ponies taunted. “We already dropped the report off with the guards at the door. Ever since then, we’ve been watching you from above.”
“It’s been at least ten minutes,” the leader said. “If you can’t even spot us, how will you see a threat to the princesses?”
“You’ve obviously never worked the graveyard shift in Ponyville,” Storm Seeker said. “Nothing ever happens.”
“That’s all well and good, but I think it would work out better for all of us if we joined in on the game instead of going down there and hanging out with those stuffy Canterlot guards. Something tells me they wouldn’t approve of your little game, and if they hear about it, the princesses will too.”
“Fine! Whatever! If you want to join in, you can.”
“Great! I’m Night Shadow, by the way.” The announcement of his name was punctuated by a round of snickers from the pegasi. He paused to glare at them, and when he resumed, his smug expression had fully morphed into a scowl. “And these are my subordinates, Darkness Whisper and Ebony Midnight.”
A vein bulged above Night Shadow’s twitching eye. With every giggle, snicker, or chuckle, his teeth ground together until, finally, his patience broke and he screamed, “What in Tartarus is so funny?”
The laughter vanished instantly and all the pegasi looked down over the edge of the ring.
“What were you thinking?” Storm hissed. “Don’t you realize there are three princesses trying to sleep right below us? Keep your voice down or our captain will have all our heads!”
“Right. Sorry. Seriously though, what’s so funny about our names?”
“Nothing. Really. It’s just that you reminded us of an old comrade.” Storm smirked mischievously at the bat ponies. “Ever heard of Dark Blackness?”
“Of course we have,” Night Shadow replied, missing the sarcasm completely. “He’s our commander.”
Tears ran down the scrunched-up faces of half the trembling pegasi as they bit down on their lips. To their credit, none of them allowed a single laugh to escape.
After a long moment, Storm managed to compose himself and picked the conversation back up. “Anyway, it’s a pleasure to meet you fellows. I’m Storm Seeker, and these are my stallions. From left to right, they’re the kid, the bumbler, the goofball, the hotshot, the ballerina, the runt, and the disgusting bastard.”
The sicko was still standing upright like a victorious prize fighter when the vice-captain called for order.
“Alright, troops. We’ve got some new players, so you’re gonna be fighting harder than ever for points. They’re new, so you might have an edge for now, but don’t expect it to last. We need an easy one to get the newbies up to speed, so round two will be freestyle. Any pose you like is allowed, just as long as it’s scary and you can hold it.”
Storm turned his back to the ten contestants and waited for about a minute before turning around again. He started his judging on his right side, saving the bat-ponies on the opposite side for last.
The disgusting bastard lived up to his nickname once again, striking a pose that prominently displayed certain things which were normally covered by his tail. The runt, ballerina, and hotshot all opted for simplistic poses that could be easily held, but looked more like angry pegasi than demonic creatures. The goofball marked a return to form, however. The moment Storm stepped in front of him, he belched in his superior’s face, then fell over and rolled back and forth on the cloud, trying in vain to stifle his fits of laughter.
The bumbler managed a surprisingly effective pose, having stood up on his hind legs, forelegs held out threateningly, and put on a face that showed only the faintest traces of sun-baked canine. Beside him, the kid had gone all-out again in search of his first victory. Like the bumbler, he stood on his hind legs, but his wings were positioned strategically to shield his face from most of the moonlight, giving the pose a much more mysterious vibe.
Storm proceeded along the ring to the next participant, but stopped when he realized he had just passed by something in what should have been empty space. He turned around and was greeted by the sight of a snarling, frothy maw.
The bat-pony had moved out of place to surprise him, and it was certainly effective. The pose was flawless, as well. Storm stumbled back a few paces to get away from the terrifying visage and bumped into something metallic. He spun around, only to find himself facing another one, even creepier than the last. Then he backed up into the third one, Night Shadow, whose wings were curled forward to give the impression of reaching for him.
Storm Seeker shrieked and fell backwards off the ring, but managed to recover just in time to avoid crashing into the boughs of the tree. He returned to the ring to find Princess Luna’s guards standing in a group, smirking at him, and his own unit breathing a sigh of relief.
“So,” Night Shadow said, “shall we begin round three?”